WARNINGS: Cloning/cross-breeding, also, I am not a scientist, and while I did my research the best I could (by watching Jurassic Park), I'm sure there are tons of holes. Whatever, it's fiction right? Also, quick heads up; I didn't edit this one very thoroughly, so expect more errors than usual.

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh! or the characters.

GENERAL NOTES: Finally, the story is moving. This chapter killed me, but I after several rewrites (which is why it took so long to post!) I think it turned out all right. There's a lot less description than usual; it sucked to cut it out, but a lot happens, and the chapter would have just dragged on otherwise. I'm also quite happy that Bakura finally gets a bit more screen time; he's really fun to write. Thanks for the kind words, and I really appreciate all of the reviews! I hope you enjoy Chapter Three.

-Maelstrom-

By: WhisperingWorlds

Chapter Three: The Quiet Things That No One Ever Knows

"D-Dr. Pegasus, I can explain," Yuugi stuttered hastily, his violet eyes falling from his superior's angular face down to the white, tiled floor. He stared morbidly at the murky, blood stained water, before adding, "I know I wasn't supposed to b-be here but I-I heard the screaming and I d-didn't think I just-"

"That's the problem you see," Dr. Pegasus interrupted, running a pale, spidery hand through his long white hair. "You didn't think. Instead, you broke protocol and trespassed into a high security laboratory, and I'm afraid that Mr. Kaiba will be furious. The rules are in place to protect you, Yuugi, not only KaibaCorp. As you can see-" he continued, gesturing to the crimson puddles on the floor, "there are some things within these walls that can be very dangerous if handled incorrectly; we only want to protect you."

"I-I understand," Yuugi said, his eyes burning as they began to well up with tears. Hastily, he wiped the treacherous water from his eyes. Don't cry, don't cry, don't cry, he thought in embarrassment, be a man and take it. Crying had been one of his vices since he was little; even the smallest thing could set him off wailing like a girl. However, by some miracle, he managed to rein the waterworks in this time; though he couldn't stop himself from nibbling his bottom lip nervously, as he waited for Dr. Pegasus to speak again.

"I'm glad that you do," the marine biologist said. "That is why I will speak with Mr. Kaiba and see if we can't put this whole thing behind us." Yuugi's head shot up hopefully. Does this mean there's a chance that I can stay? he wondered. "I won't deny that I've grown fond of you, Yuugi boy." Dr. Pegasus continued with a small smile. Yuugi had never been gladder to be the object of a lecherous man's affections before in his life.

"Now," Dr. Pegasus piped, punctuating the word with let's-get-down-to-business hand clap. "If you would follow me, I think it would be best if we nipped this little problem in the bud." Without further ado, Dr. Pegasus strode from the room, and Yuugi nearly tripped over himself in his rush to follow, tugging his lab coat more tightly around his bare torso.

"Where are we going sir?" he asked nervously, nearly jogging to keep up with the senior marine biologist's long strides. Strangely, the sub-basement was completely empty; though only a handful of employees had the clearance to explore the depths of KaibaCorp, Yuugi usually passed at least one person when he walked through the hallways.

"Where else, darling boy," Dr. Pegasus replied, as the pair dashed by Yuugi's half open office door, "than to Mr. Kaiba's office? Though I don't doubt that he's already found out about today's little incident, I think now's the best time to address your involvement. Oh, how wonderful, it looks as though the elevator's waiting for us!"

Much to Yuugi's chagrin, the long legged doctor sped up again, causing Yuugi to break into a full out run. The pair quickly stepped into the elevator, and Dr. Pegasus pressed the button marked with the number '10'. It was only after the doors slid shut that Yuugi realized that he had never had a chance to see what kind of creature had caused this disaster in the first place. And, he thought bleakly, with the way things were looking now, he doubted that he would ever get the chance to find out.

-o-

"Now Yuugi," Dr. Pegasus said quickly, as the pair stood outside of a large, wooden door, with a gold nameplate that read 'Gozaburo Kaiba, CEO'. It seemed surprisingly out of place in the futuristic KaibaCorp, where doors were made of stainless steel and walls were painted a clinical white. "If you wouldn't mind, I'd like you to wait outside while I speak to Mr. Kaiba," Dr. Pegasus continued softly. "I will call you when we're ready." Yuugi quickly nodded in assent as the white haired marine biologist pried open the heavy door and disappeared inside. Yuugi heard it close with an audible click, before sliding down the opposite wall, pressing his palms against his eyelids apprehensively.

The ride up to the tenth floor had passed in a tense silence, as Yuugi planned out what he was could say to Mr. Kaiba that would hopefully convince the CEO to let him off with a demotion. With any luck, Dr. Pegasus would succeed in laying the groundwork, and all Yuugi would have to do is apologize profusely. However, he wasn't entirely opposed to begging if he thought that it might help his case; he'd worked far too hard for this internship to let his pride get in the way.

Half an hour passed, and Yuugi did not move from his crouched position. He could just barely make out the muffled voices hissing at each other through the walls, but he could not bring himself to eavesdrop. Instead, he comforted himself by softly singing his favorite songs, focusing on the melody rather than worrying about the meeting which would decide his future.

Yuugi's head snapped up as he heard the large door suddenly open, just in time to see Dr. Pegasus's pale face poke itself out of the door. The marine biologist's brown eyes gave nothing away as Yuugi rose shakily to his feet. "You may come in now," Dr. Pegasus said quietly, pushing the door open further to admit the smaller man. With a loud gulp, Yuugi hurried into the office of Gozaburo Kaiba.

The room was incredibly large and spacious, and unlike the rest of KaibaCorp, it was painted a light blue. Large windows covered most of the walls, showing a spectacular view of the ocean that stretched on for miles. The furniture was dark stained wood, with ornate little details carved into various legs and surfaces. Behind a large mahogany desk, a graying man in a smart, navy suit sat with his long fingers pressed together, his icy blue eyes fixed on Yuugi.

"Yuugi Mutou," Gozaburo Kaiba said quietly, "I think it's safe to say that you know why you are here."

Yuugi wilted under Mr. Kaiba's intense stare, but did his best to meet the CEO's eyes with his own. "Yes," he replied simply, proud when his voice did not crack.

"Then I see no point in wasting time reiterating your various transgressions, for I'm sure that you're also well aware that your actions have violated at least a dozen regulations; regulations that are set in place to assure your safety and the safety of the rest of my employees," Mr. Kaiba continued emotionlessly. Yuugi inhaled sharply, but nodded in agreement.

"Therefore, would you say that I have reasonable grounds to terminate your internship, effective immediately?" he asked sharply. Yuugi shook in horror, his violet eyes clenching. Nonetheless, he nodded his head again.

"You do," he agreed quietly.

"I do," Mr. Kaiba snapped. "However, Dr. Pegasus has just informed me that this breach was not a willful act of disobedience, but arose merely from your need to assist another employee. Furthermore, he has reported that you are perhaps one of the brightest minds KaibaCorp has seen in the past five years and an integral part of his team. So, that leaves us with a dilemma Mr. Mutou."

"Dilemma, sir?" Yuugi asked softly.

"Yes, a dilemma," Mr. Kaiba repeated. "While it would be a mistake to allow you to continue as you were, it would be an even greater mistake and to the detriment of KaibaCorp to dismiss you today. Therefore, I have chosen to make a rare exception; I have decided that you will remain here. However, until further notice, you are on an indefinite probation, and as we have apparently lost a member of our team for the foreseeable future, you are reassigned to assist Dr. Pegasus in any and all ways pertaining to Top Secret Project, Number 56."

Yuugi was in shock; he had fully expected to be told to go pack his belongings and be out of the door before the sun set that evening. Instead, it sounded as though he had actually been… promoted?

"I will have Rebecca see to your security clearance," Mr. Kaiba continued, pulling out a sheet of paper from his desk drawer, "once you had read and signed these confidentiality contracts." Yuugi quickly did as we was told, quickly scanning the document and gripping the pen with his sweaty hand. Moments later, he found himself signing his name along a dotted line, completely unaware of what he had just read. Wordlessly, Yuugi handed the contract back to Mr. Kaiba, who glanced at it briefly, before depositing it back into the drawer.

"Good. You may go," Mr. Kaiba said shortly, "but keep in mind, Mr. Mutou, that I do not offer second chances. Do not disappoint me again."

"I won't sir. Thank you sir," Yuugi said breathlessly, as both he and Dr. Pegasus turned towards the door. He frowned slightly when he did not receive any acknowledgement, but he swiftly concealed it. He did, however, hurry from the room slightly faster than necessary.

"Oh this is absolutely wonderful, Yuugi!" Dr. Pegasus exclaimed, as the heavy wooden door slammed behind him. "You were absolutely brilliant."

"I didn't really do anything," Yuugi reminded. "Thanks to you, sir, I think he had his mind made up before I even walked through the door."

"Well, we all do what we can," Dr. Pegasus replied modestly, though his brown eyes twinkled. "I'm sure you'll repay me somehow; after all, it looks as though we will finally be able to spend a little more time together."

That's right, Yuugi remembered suddenly, I was reassigned. Holy hell, I get to work on the Top Secret Project. "Sir, what exactly is Project Number 56?" he asked curiously. Dr. Pegasus shushed him with a smile, his brown eyes flitting around the room.

"Yuugi, we're not in the sub-basement yet," he sing-songed, tapping Yuugi on the forehead. "I promise to give you all of the little details you need once we arrive. Remember, you're a member of the Unspeakables now, and you can't go telling your little friends about anything that you might see."

"Unspeakable?" Yuugi questioned.

"Oh, just a little joke we have amongst ourselves," Dr. Pegasus explained mysteriously. "Now if you would accompany me to downstairs, I can give you a small debriefing and tell you all about your new assignment."

"Sounds wonderful sir," Yuugi replied enthusiastically.

-o-

This time, Yuugi rode the elevator in relieved disbelief, tinged with an anxious excitement. He couldn't help the small bounce in his step as he followed Dr. Pegasus through the winding hallways of the sub-basement, past his office, the door of which had been closed, and towards The Door. This time, Yuugi felt no guilt as he stared at the windowless door, only anticipation.

"This door is to remain locked at all times," Dr. Pegasus detailed, removing his ID badge from the front pocket of his white lab coat. "To open the door, scan your tag and wait for the light to turn green," he continued, indicating a little white box to the right of the door that Yuugi had never noticed before. With a quick hand, Dr. Pegasus slid his card through the card reader, deactivating the lock. "We'll just use mine today, as I doubt that dear Rebecca has had a chance to upgrade your clearance just yet."

Yuugi nodded, but as he walked towards the doorway a strange thought occurred to him. The Door wasn't locked last time I came through, he mused curiously, but Dr. Pegasus said that it remains locked at all times. However, he quickly dismissed the thought, reassuring himself that it was probably disabled due to the emergency. Besides, he thought as he followed Dr. Pegasus through the doorway, he had more important things to be concerning himself with now!

"Dr. Bakura!" Dr. Pegasus exclaimed in delight, "then I suppose that the situation with Dr. Valon has all been taken care of?" Yuugi peeked around the senior marine biologist and at the spiky haired male that he had seen before. Bakura appeared completely collected, though he had a slightly sour expression on his pale, narrow face.

"He was airlifted to the hospital about ten minutes ago, from the medical wing on the ground floor," Bakura confirmed, before pointing to a mop and bucket leaning against one of the workstation desks, "and I took the liberty of cleaning up the blood before it stained. Maybe now Kaiba will realize just how impractical white floors are this environment."

"Oh, bless you Akefia," chimed Dr. Pegasus in return, completely ignoring Bakura's last impertinent statement. "That is wonderful, thank you." Bakura nodded sharply, before suddenly turning his cold, brown eyes on Yuugi.

"What is that?" Bakura asked harshly, pointing a thin finger in Yuugi's direction. Yuugi shrunk under the brash biologist's glare, though a tiny, defiant part of his brain was itching to verbally flay Bakura for referring to him as an object.

"How rude of me!" Dr. Pegasus cried, "Dr. Akefia Bakura, please meet my intern and our latest team member, Yuugi Mutou. Yuugi, this is Dr. Bakura, KaibaCorp's Head of Cellular Biology."

"Nice to meet you," Yuugi offered shyly. Bakura glowered at him for a moment longer, looking completely unimpressed.

"What's an intern doing here?" Bakura barked callously, causing Dr. Pegasus to frown slightly.

"Yuugi was assigned to our project by Mr. Kaiba himself," Dr. Pegasus explained, with a cool tone that Yuugi had never heard him use before. I always thought he was wired permanently on 'happy caffeine high', he thought, surprised to realize that he actually preferred the perverted 'Pegaphile' persona. This Dr. Pegasus was almost… intimidating.

"But, that reminds me!" Dr. Pegasus said perkily, returning back to his usual self with his customary hand clap. Definitely back to normal, Yuugi confirmed, as Dr. Pegasus latched onto his arm and dragged him across the room, to the large aquarium against the back wall. The marine biologist cycled through moods with such speed that Yuugi felt slightly dizzy. "Yuugi, I'd like you to meet Project Number 56!" Dr. Pegasus exclaimed, pointing at the large tank in the back of the laboratory. Yuugi peered eagerly into the aquarium, but the water was murky; all he could see were a collection of shadows, clustered in the far most corner. Suddenly, Dr. Pegasus released his grip on Yuugi's arm and rapped the glass loudly. "Atem!" he shouted. "Come say hello!"

Yuugi jumped as the shadows in the back suddenly shifted, as though a giant spring was beginning to uncurl. All of a sudden, the dark mass threw itself against the glass of the aquarium, and Yuugi's excitement quickly changed to horror as he gazed upon it; for the creature he beheld was a demon unlike any other, a terrifying combination that belonged in horror movies or childhood nightmares.

The creature's lower body was a tense fan of inky black tentacles, spotted with brilliant splashes of gold and maroon, which tightened as if the demon intended to strike through the glass. The dark mass, however, smoothed as it flowed towards the creature's waist, lightening into smooth, caramel, and decidedly human, skin. The abdomen, arms and chest were lean and malnourished, though Yuugi could just make out a very thin layer of sinewy muscles that rippled in quick, stressed movements. Yuugi gasped further as he examined the creature's face; it appeared almost human, though it was slightly too angular to be considered 'normal'. Chiseled cheek bones gave way to thin lips that bared twin rows of sharp, glistening teeth in warning.

"WHAT IS THAT THING?" Yuugi shrieked, as the demon-like creature suddenly scuttled away, its tentacles lengthening and contracting like that of a squid, propelling it through the water. The dark creature, part fish, part human, part creature of the underworld glared at the scientists with cat-like crimson eyes; solid, save for a single, dark slit up the center. Part fish, part human? Yuugi thought again in shock, his stunned brain slowly piecing coherent thoughts together. "Is it a merman?" he breathed finally, watching mesmerized as the demon's hair, a mess of black, crimson and gold spikes that oddly matched its tail end, swayed slightly in the water.

"Ha, merman," Bakura scoffed, "this beast, a benevolent sea creature that rescues drowning sailors and suns itself innocently on the rocks? Hardly. It's a genetically engineered menace, a hybrid designed and birthed by the scientists here at KaibaCorp." Yuugi's mouth gaped like a fish, he was about to start hyperventilating any second, he just knew it. His already wide violet eyes widened impossibly further.

"Now now Akefia," Dr. Pegasus admonished lightly, "how can you say such terrible things about our Atem? He's a beautiful creature and my crowning jewel after many, many years of hard work." Breathe Yuugi, breathe.

"Your Atem tries to kill me and anyone else who goes near it," Bakura hissed back, "and yet you want to throw it into a theme park, where little children will gawk at it and beg their parents for one of their own. Can you not see that it's dangerous, or will you have to wait until it gets what it wants and murders you as well?" In, out, in, out!

"You'll have to forgive Dr. Bakura," Dr. Pegasus explained calmly to Yuugi, though Yuugi was far beyond coherent communication at this point, "you see, he's never been entirely fond of Atem. There's no need for you to worry, however. Atem is completely harmless if handled correctly; he's a simple thing, governed by his instincts."

"It's smarter than you think," Bakura commented darkly, "it remembers, and it hates you more than the rest of us, Pegasus, I can see it in its eyes. It watches you." It must have finally dawned on Dr. Pegasus that his intern was dangerously close to passing out, as Yuugi was fuzzily aware that the marine biologist had chosen to end his feud with the biologist.

"That's enough of your superstitions," the senior marine biologist replied firmly, reverting once again to the eerily serious attitude that he seemed to reserve only for the brash, white haired Bakura. "If Atem watches me, it is only because he recognizes to some extent that I am the primary food provider. You are unnecessarily frightening our intern. Why don't you see if you can't find Dr. Dartz?" he ordered softly. Bakura grunted, but nonetheless stalked from the laboratory, his chocolate eyes flashing angrily. Yuugi barely heard the large, windowless door slam as the pale man made his exit.

"Now Yuugi," Dr. Pegasus said gravely, finally causing Yuugi's head to swivel slowly towards him, though his large eyes remained in a panicked glaze, "you have to understand that Dr. Bakura has just been through a most traumatic ordeal; but please, don't take his words to heart. I promise that no harm will come to you as long as you follow my instructions. There, there," he added, patting the shaking intern on the back, "you'll be perfectly all right soon."

Yuugi was still in shock, but for some reason that he couldn't pinpoint, Dr. Pegasus's kind words had actually begun to calm him down. The fists that he hadn't even remembered making began to slowly unclench, and his breathing evened out. Of course, Yuugi's gratitude to the elder marine biologist only extended sofar, and he hastily took a step forward as his superior's hand began to linger on his lower back far longer than necessary. "Thank you," he breathed politely, "I'm sorry I kind of freaked out there for a second."

"No worries at all, Yuugi boy," Dr. Pegasus replied cheerily, "it's quite understandable. Atem does take some getting used to; he's incredibly unique."

"Unique is… putting it mildly," Yuugi commented, as he began watching the sea creature again. Atem had retreated into the darker recesses of his tank, but Yuugi could still make out a pair of eerily glowing red eyes watching his every move. "Where did the name 'Atem' come from anyway?" he asked curiously.

"Oh, from a former employee," Dr. Pegasus explained, appearing delighted that Yuugi was calm enough to ask constructive questions, "she grew tired of referring to him as Project Number 56. She was reading one of those Harlequin romance novels about ancient Egypt, and she mentioned that he reminded her of the protagonist, Pharaoh Atemakhan. Of course, that's something of a mouthful isn't it? So, we shortened it to Atem, and the name sort of stuck; though as you can see, Dr. Bakura is still somewhat reluctant to use it."

Naming a creature like this? Sounds like something that Mana would do, Yuugi joked inwardly. "Atem," he said aloud, rolling the name along his tongue and deciding that he liked it. "So, what is he exactly?"

"Now that's the question of the century isn't it?" Dr. Pegasus replied, smiling proudly. "As Dr. Bakura said, Atem is what we call a 'hybrid'; a brand new animal that was created from the DNA of several different species. In Atem's case, we used the genetic material of a human, a great white shark and-"

"-A Flamboyant Cuttlefish," Yuugi added intuitively, remembering the articles he had read just that afternoon. Now that he really inspected Atem's tentacles, the colour splotches looked very much like the photographs he had seen. Dr. Pegasus's smile widened as he nodded in acknowledgement.

"That's correct," he agreed, crossing his long arms across his chest. Yuugi bathed in the praise, feeling as though he had, in part, redeemed himself for the fiasco that afternoon. Yuugi never could stand failing at things, and he put so much effort into his work that he rarely did.

"So, how'd you do it?" he finally asked, as the complexity of the science suddenly rushed against him like a tidal wave.

"Well," Dr. Pegasus began, "we acquired the human DNA from the KaibaCorp Department of Antiquities; surprisingly enough, it did come from an Egyptian mummy, though I don't know if he was, indeed, a Pharaoh. You see Yuugi, it is necessary to use slightly deteriorated genetic material in order for the actual combination process to work. Using a special computer program, we uncurled the DNA strands and added various enhancements here and there; that is to say, the DNA of other species. The rest was just trial and error really; as the number 56 suggests, we did fail a lot before we managed to succeed."

"Fail?" Yuugi asked curiously. Dr. Pegasus gestured to the bookshelves along the wall, on which rested the collection of jarred fetuses that Yuugi had glanced at several hours ago. Slowly, Yuugi approached the beakers and took a closer look at the preserved bodies within, feeling slightly sick as he noticed their obvious deformities: a squid like creature with a human leg, a human baby with a dorsal fin growing from its back… the list was endless and extremely gruesome.

"This isn't legal is it?" he suddenly asked boldly, tearing his eyes away from the bottled carcasses. Dr. Pegasus looked slightly surprised, but answered with his typical, airy tone.

"Perhaps not entirely," Dr. Pegasus conceded, "however, the benefits far outweigh the repercussions. Just think about it, Yuugi; genetic manipulation. Imagine what my research will do for people with amputations or disabilities! If we can create life from nothing, then surely a new set of legs or a new pair of eyes would be no trouble at all. I had you pegged as a boy who cared for those less fortunate and who would want to help in any way he could; I do hope I wasn't mistaken."

"N-no, not at all!" Yuugi rushed, "Of course I want to help! I just, well, don't want to get in trouble either."

"Ah, of course," Dr. Pegasus replied patiently, "well, there you have no worries at all. That confidentiality form you signed will completely absolve you of guilt should there be any teeny issues with the authorities. However, it you shouldn't concern yourself; we've been working with Atem for twenty years, and we've never encountered any difficulties outside of KaibaCorp."

"Atem's twenty?" Yuugi exclaimed loudly.

"Does he not look it?" Dr. Pegasus asked in confusion.

"I guess I just assumed that he wasn't decanted until he was mature," Yuugi replied with a shrug, a myth that he had probably learned from watching too many science fiction movies. It was hard to imagine the vicious creature as an infant.

"I'm afraid that rapid aging in still beyond us," Dr. Pegasus reassured, "but, I assure you, I have been with Atem since the day he was born, over twenty years ago, right here in this very room!"

Atem's been in that aquarium for twenty years? Yuugi thought with sudden pity, glancing at the fierce hybrid that was still fixing him with its demonic, red glare. The creature quickly sped away under Yuugi's scrutiny. That's not much of a life, Yuugi mused dully, rubbing his pale wrist sadly. It doesn't care, it's a fish, another, more ambitious part of his mind sniped in return, now, pay attention to what your boss is saying. You know, the boss that just saved you from being fired?

"So, how much of him is human?" Yuugi asked softly.

"A good 50%," Dr. Pegasus explained, "from what we've seen, he's got the lifespan of one at least, as well as many of the internal organs. He has a set of lungs, you know," Dr. Pegasus added, "however, they are not strong enough to support him for longer than a few minutes out of the water."

"And the rest is a pretty much cuttlefish, with a bit of shark mixed in?" Yuugi pressed curiously, watching as the tentacles curled tightly around the hybrid's body.

"Actually, it is an even split between Great White and Flamboyant Cuttlefish DNA," Dr. Pegasus explained. "His appearance is quite misleading; while he does have the lower half of a cephalopod and breathes via skin absorption, Atem has the mindset of a shark. His behavior indicates that he has some rudimentary intelligence, although he is still primarily driven by his instincts. Blood, for example, sends him into something of an uncontrollable frenzy, and his diet mostly consists of raw fish and meat."

"And he's also got those teeth," Yuugi pointed out, as he remembered the sharp fangs that he had momentarily seen, and the shredded flesh of Valon's leg.

"Yes, 'those teeth' are quite an area of interest for me at the moment," Dr. Pegasus said, almost to himself. "No matter. Yuugi you have had a trying day, so I don't see why you shouldn't go home and rest up. I do need to speak with Dr. Dartz about Atem's test program; in fact, we have several scheduled for tomorrow, which I'm sure that you do not want to miss!"

"Definitely not," Yuugi agreed enthusiastically, his dark hair bobbing in his excitement.

"Then have a wonderful afternoon Yuugi," Dr. Pegasus said benevolently, indicating the door with a lazy wave of his hand. "I shall see you tomorrow, bright and early!"

"Thank you for everything sir," Yuugi said earnestly, widening his eyes slightly to appear even more innocent than usual, before hurrying towards the door and into the hallway.

I can't believe how lucky I am, he mused to himself, as he slowly made his way back to his office. I don't get fired, I get to work with an incredibly brilliant, albeit perverted, marine biologist, and I get to go home early! Yuugi couldn't help a giddy leap into the air as he pictured his future at KaibaCorp; even though Mr. Kaiba was far from his biggest fan at the moment, he was sure that he could redeem himself in the CEO's eyes. Who knows, maybe Mr. Kaiba would be so impressed with his work, that he'd make him the next Head of Marine Biology.

Humming to himself as he collected his locker keys and shut off the lights, Yuugi tried to beat down a tiny part of his brain that threatened to rain on his parade, the one that wanted to pity the specimen rather than study it. Yuugi wasn't sure if Dr. Pegasus knew it or not, but the senior marine biologist had been bang on; Yuugi had spent the majority of his life putting other people before himself, which was usually why he got taken advantage of. Like with Tea, he thought bitterly, before quickly shoving the thought aside. No, this was an entirely new chapter of his life, and she most definitely did not belong in it. He had a dream career that looked like it was finally taking off, and for once, Yuugi was going to be selfish and put himself first. Besides, as Dr. Pegasus had explained, Atem was a primal creature who probably didn't even realize that he had a crappy life anyway.

Feeling far more reassured, Yuugi quickly gathered his belongings, turned out the lights, and locked his office, eager to return home and enjoy his rare time off.

-o-

Apparently, unlike with many large companies, gossip at KaibaCorp did not travel fast. Though Yuugi had received the expected flack for losing his shirt (he had made up a simple but believable story to explain his lack of clothing), there had been no mention of any injuries, let alone attacked employees. It had been incredibly hard not to tell his friends about his hectic day, especially when he was already on edge, expecting someone to mention Valon's accident. However, it seemed as though Dr. Pegasus had had a reason to be confident, Yuugi mused as he threw on the black ribbed tank top that he had borrowed from Duke, for the entire fiasco had been kept under wraps. Yuugi couldn't help but wonder just how much of what happened at KaibaCorp went under the employee radar.

Yuugi said his goodbyes quickly, and after promising to return Duke's shirt the following day, he hurried to the employee parking lot and nearly jumped into his red truck. It was strange to be leaving while the sun was still in the sky; usually, it was pitch black and the parking lot was deserted. Today, however, Yuugi had to drive carefully through the lot to avoid an assortment of sensible cars, and some not so sensible people, who apparently thought too highly of themselves to move out of the way for a truck.

Though there was slightly more traffic on the road than he was used to, the drive home was uneventful, and Yuugi allowed his bustling mind to go blissfully blank. However, by the time that Yuugi sat at his kitchen table, stirring a steaming cup of Earl Gray tea, he couldn't help but feel a quell of anxious excitement in his belly. Tomorrow was his first real day as an Unspeakable; he doubted that he would sleep that night, even if he left the radio on. He would probably wind up taking some cough medication to knock him out; though he knew it was unsafe, it was exceptionally effective.

The phone rang suddenly, causing Yuugi to jump and spill a bit of scalding tea onto his hand. Cursing softly, he stuck the pulsing digit into his mouth, before navigating over to his counter and answering the phone.

"Yuug, where ya been buddy? It's been too long!" Joey's voice cried dramatically, causing Yuugi to smile despite the pain in his finger.

Removing the hand from his mouth with a tiny, audible pop, Yuugi answered cheerfully, "Joey! How are you?"

"Not bad, had a crazy day in da café. You shoulda seen dis one guy, made me make his damn drink again 'cause he said it was too hot! It's coffee for Christ sakes!" Joey exclaimed indignantly. Yuugi sniggered inwardly as he noted his own, similar situation with the tea, but thought better of mentioning to Joey that hot beverages really could be a pain in the ass.

"Tristan's not here by da way," Joey added as an afterthought, "working ova'time, boss's orders."

"Well, let him know that I say hello," Yuugi replied pleasantly. "So, did you make the guy a new coffee?"

"Had ta," Joey said sullenly, "manager was in. Otherwise, I woulda told 'im to stick it. Spat in 'is drink though."

"Remind me to never order coffee from you," Yuugi noted airily, as he returned to his table and sipped gingerly on his tea. It's still too hot, he thought in annoyance, feeling the tip of his tongue burn. Yep, a complete pain in the ass.

"Oh, I'm da best at makin' coffee," Joey corrected proudly, "which is why I shouldn't have ta make it again. It's perfect da first time."

"I'm sure it is," Yuugi placated, yawning slightly.

"I've started readin' da newspaper," Joey said after a moment, with a tone that suggested that he was expecting praise. "Thought I'd try ta be smart like you buddy, and figure out what's goin' on in da world."

"Good for you Joey!" Yuugi said obediently. "So, what is going on in the world today?"

"Nuthin' much, there's some big oil spill that's killin' everything, and a fifteen year old kid managed ta nick a Porsche straight from da dealership in Ohio," Joey said, and Yuugi could just imagine the shaggy blonde grinning broadly at being able to tell Yuugi about something for a change; Yuugi had always been the smart one of the pair.

"Yeah, the oil spill's terrible," Yuugi commented, attempting another sip of tea and finding it far for pleasurable this time around. "It's destroyed nearly an entire coral reef and has killed millions of seabirds. Mana and I were talking about it a few days ago at lunch."

"Mana's the intern right?" Joey clarified. Yuugi had told the blonde all about his new friends from KaibaCorp, though Joey, bless him, could rarely remember the details.

"Yep, to Mahado, the engineer," Yuugi reminded. "Wait a minute, that reminds me!" he exclaimed suddenly, smacking his forehead lightly with his hand. "We're all going to Hooters on Friday night, and Duke said I could bring you and Tristan along. You free?"

There was silence for a moment. "Wait wait wait," Joey finally said, "Hooters? You? You do realize what Hooters is right?"

"It's a restaurant too," Yuugi replied tartly, as Joey started hooting with laughter.

"Food's not da only ting you can buy if you get my drift, my innocent lil buddy!" Joey chortled, though Yuugi knew that he was exaggerating. At least, Yuugi hoped that he was.

"Well, that's what I'm going for," Yuugi grumbled, taking a large drag of his tea.

"Eh, it might be good for ya," Joey said after a moment, but before Yuugi could ask him what he meant, Joey added, "And yeah, I'm around, and Tristan doesn't work Fridays anymore."

"Great," Yuugi replied, smiling into the phone. "It'll be fun; I can't wait til you meet everyone!"

"I'm sure der great," Joey said. "So," Joey asked after a few moment of companionable silence, "how was your day; anytin int'resting happen?"

Yuugi smirked, draining his tea. "Nope," he shrugged. "Nothing."

-o-

There was a new face today; one that belonged to a creature that was far smaller than the rest. It looked utterly terrified of him, he noted with a smirk, as he lay curled in the back of his tank. Good, that's what he wanted. His smirk suddenly turned to a scowl as he noticed him standing next to the new one. He always made things even more unpleasant, if that were possible.

Why, oh why, did they insist on tapping on the glass? Did they not understand that the loud noise pierced his ears? Or, perhaps, that's what the barbarians wanted; they certainly had no qualms with hurting him. He noted how he gravitated towards the new one; his mate, perhaps? Maybe if he frightened the mate, he would leave as well.

With that thought, he flung himself towards the glass, tensing his tentacles into an intimidating fan and barring his sharp teeth ferociously. He laughed inwardly as the new one jumped in horror; stupid barbarians. He quickly, however, realized the error in his plans, as the new one let out a piercing shriek. He instinctively shot away to distance himself from the terrible noise and settled instead on glaring at the creatures from afar. Foul, selfish things and their even fouler noises.

He continued to glower at the creatures, feeling slightly annoyed as the new one's expression changed from terrified to another expression that he was very familiar with; the one that the barbarians always held when they removed him from his tank and poked him. That decided it; the new one was no different from the rest.

Suddenly, however, the new one's features changed, reflecting an emotion that he was not entirely sure that he disliked. In fact, the new one looked almost… sad. His eyebrows clenched in confusion; what reason did that one have to be sad? He was not constantly in pain or afraid or surrounded by things that he did not understand. And yet, his abnormally large eyes appeared distressed, though not for himself; instead, they remained fixed on his. Wait, was the new one upset for… him?

Growling in frustration, he returned to his corner and folded his pretty tentacles around his waist. So maybe this new one was slightly unusual; he could reserve judgment for now. He would not let himself think for even a moment that there was any good to be found in the barbarians; and he would still bite this new one's arm off if he got the chance. His pert nose twitched as he remembered the delightful scent of blood and he wondered if the new one's would smell as sweet. No, he decided, it would probably be even better. Hopefully he would someday find out.