Part IX: Reminder to Forget

Seijirou knew that Kaiba was going to be beyond irate if he ever found out, but it had to be done. "Yo," he called out when he saw Atem walking toward him.

Atem looked over at the model who was casually leaning against his red Ferrari Enzo and politely nodded as he continued on his way. He knew that whatever Seijirou wanted would only cause trouble, plus Atem didn't exactly trust himself to remain completely civil when he thought about the model's current relationship with Kaiba. It was just better to walk away, even if it did mean looking slightly weak in front of Seijirou, which Atem was loathe to do.

"Got a minute? I want to talk to you."

Atem studied Seijirou carefully and he finally asked reluctantly, "About?"

Pleased that he finally got a reaction, Seijirou cryptically answered, "You know what."

"If this is about modeling, I'm not interested," Atem told him as he tried to discern Seijirou's eyes from where they were hidden behind sunglasses.

Chuckling slightly, Seijirou lightly responded, "While that would make my manager sad, I'm here to talk about something else."

"Kaiba," Atem said bluntly, knowing that there was no other topic that would make Seijirou seek him out to discuss.

"Smart kid," Seijirou commented with a condescending smile.

Atem's voice sounded cold and particularly like Kaiba when he said, "I have nothing to say about him to you."

"But you do have something to say about him?"

Cursing his slip up and Seijirou's knowing smirk, Atem refused to show his reaction. "No, and if you'll excuse me, Enbei—"

Catching Atem's wrist before he could walk away, Seijirou pulled the younger teen's body flush against his own and wrapped an arm around his slender waist to trap him. "Call me Seiji," he murmured with a smoldering look that made Atem uncomfortable.

"I believe he told you not to touch me," Atem reminded the model, annoyed at the treatment. Atem didn't like being held by Seijirou, nor did was he comfortable knowing that those same arms had embraced Kaiba on numerous times for reasons the teen was better off not imagining.

Holding onto the boy tighter when he tried to pull away, Seijirou questioned, "Is there a reason why he would say that?"

"I'm inclined to believe that it's because he's aware of your true nature," Atem accused him.

"Oh, he's very aware of my true nature," Seijirou replied, his words laced with innuendo. "The real question is why he chose to protect someone like you."

Not interested in any further conversation, Atem ordered, "Let go of me."

"Get in the car."

"I won't say it again," Atem told Seijirou, holding himself with all of his regal bearing despite his compromising position.

The defiant anger in Atem's eyes was vaguely reminiscent of Kaiba and it excited Seijirou more than it probably should have. "One way or another, I will find out what your relationship with him is," Seijirou warned, not caring that he was revealing his intentions since it could only work to his benefit.

"Threatened?" Atem challenged with a knowing smirk.

Leaning closer to Atem's ear, Seijirou informed him in a seductive voice that made the teen shiver despite himself, "Just remember that I'm the one he goes home to at night, brat."

Even though hearing those words made Atem burn with rage, he betrayed nothing as he confidently countered, "You aren't the one he loves."

"And you are?" Seijirou asked in disbelief, a bit irked that he hadn't gotten a better reaction from the teen.

Atem suddenly felt himself being pulled back against a strong chest and he made a small noise of surprise as an arm wrapped protectively around him. Before he could even question it, he heard Kaiba icily demanding, "What did I tell you, Seijirou?"

"That you would be in meetings all day," Seijirou lightly answered, his tone revealing nothing of the rush of feelings over getting caught. Despite knowing that he was in for it later, Seijirou was distracted by the sight in front of him. There was something that was a little too natural about the way Kaiba was holding the younger boy and Seijirou had a bad feeling about the whole situation.

"Why are you harassing one of my students instead of at work?"

Seijirou got the distinct impression that Kaiba was completely oblivious to the fact that he had yet to let go of the student. He felt a surprising flare of jealousy at seeing Atem leaning comfortably against Kaiba's chest—acting like he belonged in those arms. Seijirou was overcome with the inexplicable urge to separate them, but he refrained from acting out on such a revealing desire. As much as he wanted to pursue the issue, he didn't want to do so at the risk of losing Kaiba; it might not have been love, but Seijirou still cared deeply for the other man. "Antonio didn't show up to the photo shoot and the director got tired of waiting for him, so it was rescheduled for tomorrow," Seijirou explained, although he doubted Kaiba would but that at this point. "Besides, I don't know why you're so upset."

"I am not upset," Kaiba hissed, unaware of the fact that he pulled Atem that much closer to him.

Arching an eyebrow at the false assertion, Seijirou chose not to comment on it. "We were just talking," Seijirou told him nonchalantly, hoping that the boy didn't contradict him later.

"Just talking," Kaiba repeated, sounding as if he didn't believe it. "Right."

At least the kid has enough decency not to look smug, Seijirou thought, although he had his suspicions that it had more to do with Kaiba than anything else. He didn't want to leave, but he knew it would probably be in his best interest to make a tactical retreat for the time being. "I don't know what you're so worried about," Seijirou told Kaiba as he unlocked his car. "I just wanted to follow up with him about yesterday."

"Hn," was the only response Kaiba bothered to give, his grip tightening imperceptibly around Atem's slim waist. He was too busy trying to forget the image of Atem's body pressed up against Seijirou's in a manner that could easily be mistaken for intimate and failing. It was a visual that was probably going to haunt Kaiba from some time and it didn't help that his mind was taking it further than it ever should have gone.

"I'll see you later," Seijirou told Kaiba before returning his attention to Atem. "Don't forget what I said, Arata-chan."

Bristling at the overly familiar and childish way Seijirou addressed him, Atem retorted, "The same goes to you."

There was something ominous about the exchange and Kaiba knew that there was more going on than the two were letting on, but he said nothing as Seijirou drove away. It was only when they were left alone on the almost empty street that Kaiba realized that he was still possessively holding onto Atem. It seemed that he just couldn't fight against his instincts, irritating as it was for him.

Atem gave a frustrated sigh when Kaiba released him, although he didn't protest given their public location. He turned to face Kaiba and made sure to keep his expression neutral as he studied the older man. The man was obviously livid, but Atem doubted it was entirely aimed at him; Seijirou would most likely bear the brunt of that anger later. "Thank you," Atem said softly, feeling the need to fill the silence somehow.

Ignoring the gratitude, Kaiba growled, "I don't want you anywhere near him, understood?" It made Kaiba nervous to think about Seijirou and Atem alone together for some reason, although he wasn't sure which particular aspect bothered him the most.

"Afraid of what I might find out?" Atem asked, an edge coming into his voice as he assumed a defensive position.

There was technically nothing to hide and yet Kaiba didn't want Atem to know the truth. The same part of him that always protested when he was betraying the former pharaoh by being with another was being particularly troublesome at the moment, filling him with an unwanted guilt about Seijirou. Trying his best to push it down for the moment, Kaiba flatly denied, "No," although it was far from convincing.

The fact that Seijirou had sought out Atem troubled Kaiba. Had the model managed to figure it out? No, there was no way for Seijirou to piece together the circumstances of Atem's reincarnation, but something still didn't add up about it all.

Kaiba thought he faintly heard the sound of Seijirou's car in the distance and it concerned him immensely. He didn't want to risk Seijirou assuming he had left and returning for Atem to ask any unnecessary questions; it made him more than a little nervous. Before he could even process his words, Kaiba was telling Atem, "Get in."

Obviously shocked, Atem knew better than to question the order. Silently obeying, Atem entered the waiting limo and slid over to allow Kaiba to do the same. A mixture of excitement, curiosity, and nervousness coursed through Atem when he heard Kaiba instruct his driver, "Return to the Academy."

An awkward silence filled the space between them and Atem glanced over at Kaiba for some sort of sign about how to proceed. It saddened Atem to see how uneasy Kaiba seemed and he wondered if there was anything he could do about it.

The tense silence only made things worse for Kaiba. His mind was racing in an attempt to figure out what to say or what he should do, but he only drew blanks. He hadn't planned on the encounter and he had no course of action as a result—hell, he was still in shock that he had ended up with Atem in his limo. It felt weak willed to expect Atem to start the conversation, but Kaiba was running out of options.

Figuring that it would be a wasted opportunity to not capitalize on their privacy, Atem decided to take action. The worst Kaiba could do to him was throw him out of the limo and that was no different than getting kicked out of his office. With that in mind, Atem gracefully straddled himself over Kaiba's lap and looked deep into those icy eyes. Atem longed to see acceptance, to see a reciprocated love, to see anything other than the turmoil and battle for blankness that he was currently witnessing. It was disheartening and another reminder of just how much damage he had caused with his absence and Atem wished there was something he could do, something he could say to make it all better so that they could move on to where they were supposed to be. But what words were there that could undo what had been done?

As tempting as it was to claim those lips as his, Atem resisted for just a little longer. Instead of doing as he wished, Atem wrapped his arms around Kaiba's neck and leaned forward into an embrace, resting his head on the older man's shoulder. Atem craved the closeness and tried not to feel too upset when Kaiba remained frozen and unmoving in response. He tried to console himself with the rationale that Kaiba hadn't outright pushed him away and it made Atem snuggle that much closer to the man, nuzzling his neck in encouragement.

Kaiba was once again at war with himself over what to do. He knew that he should order the teen off of him, but all he wanted to do was hold Atem closer. It was wrong, it was improper, but it was an undeniable desire that wore Kaiba down the longer he resisted. He could faintly hear Seto's whisper not to turn Atem away again, but Kaiba refused to believe that would sway his decision in any way.

It was such a dangerous line to cross, but no matter how fervently Kaiba argued against himself, he still found himself hesitantly raising his arms to wrap them around Atem in a tentative embrace. Kaiba could feel more of his defenses crumbling as Atem snuggled against him with a pleased noise, testing his self-imposed limitations as he tightened his hold.

Exhaling a breath he hadn't even been aware he had been holding in, Kaiba closed his eyes and tried to focus himself. Why did it have to feel so right? Like Atem's body had been made to fit perfectly next to his? It made it that much harder to fight against what he knew he should do; there was just too much to risk by giving in to the boy. But for the moment, safe within his tinted limo and free from prying eyes, Kaiba allowed himself the brief moment of peace that came from simply being near Atem.

Some of the tension had melted from Kaiba's body and that was a relief for Atem. It meant that progress had been made, that he was succeeding in wearing down at Kaiba's walls; they were meant to keep everyone else out, but Atem refused to believe that included him even if he was indirectly responsible for them being built. His heart rejoiced when he felt Kaiba's hands absentmindedly rubbing small smoothing patterns on his back and Atem reveled in the small intimacy. He had waited so long for this and he wanted more—no, needed more, needed to experience all of Kaiba to make up for the time lost between them.

At some point the silence had turned from an awkward one to a companionable one. There were so many things to say, but it would have to wait for another time, another place. Currently they were both content to be reassured by the closeness of the other, put at ease by the reality of the moment. It didn't last nearly long enough before the limo came to a final stop and the driver announced through an intercom, "We have arrived, sir."

Atem hugged Kaiba a little tighter, as if that would somehow prevent what he knew was inevitably going to happen next. He could almost physically feel Kaiba withdrawing behind his walls and it hurt more than Atem would like to admit. "Kaiba," Atem whispered, needing to hear words that would never be said.

It shook Kaiba to the core, but he could already feel himself reverting to the man he needed to be while at the Dueling Academy. "You need to leave," Kaiba said, although his voice revealed some of his conflict, much like the fact his arms refused to let Atem free.

"Please don't do this," Atem murmured, trying desperately to think of something that would make Kaiba let him stay just a little longer.

"I shouldn't have done this at all," Kaiba snapped, finally releasing Atem in his anger and self-loathing.

"Shouldn't have resisted for this long?" Atem countered as he straightened himself to coolly meet Kaiba's gaze. He hated thinking that Kaiba would come to regret his actions, but there was only so much Atem could do.

Kaiba had meant for his order, "Get out," to sounds like a firm command, but instead it sounded like an anguished broken whisper.

"I don't want to," Atem refused, hoping it didn't sound as childish as it felt.

"I don't care."

Atem contradicted, "Yes, you do," and wondered if Kaiba understood it on the two levels he had meant. "I know you don't want me to leave."

"That doesn't matter," Kaiba said flatly, willing himself to believe it.

"But it does," Atem insisted as he reached up with a hand to trace the side of Kaiba's cheek. "It does and you know it."

It took an effort to not lean into the caress, to not pull Atem back into his arms and apologize for being so foolish. Kaiba would do no such thing, but it was becoming harder for him to believe. "Regardless if that was true or not," Kaiba said since he couldn't outright contradict the statement, "you need to leave."

"Only if you agree to see me again," Atem bargained, hoping against all odds that Kaiba would capitulate.

"I will do no such thing," Kaiba declined, knowing that it shouldn't be allowed to happen. Yet the mere idea of never seeing the teen again made Kaiba's heart ache anew and he cursed himself again for being so weak. "Go."

It was worth fighting for, but Atem could tell Kaiba wasn't going to budge; he should just be grateful that the man had caved to the point he had. Frustrated by the fact that he was once again going to be forced to walk away, Atem placed a chaste kiss on Kaiba's cheek before sliding off of his lap. Unable to hide the hurt in his crimson eyes, Atem softly asked, "How much longer are we supposed to wait?"

There was no acceptable answer for that in Kaiba's mind, so he said nothing. Instead he could only watch as Atem sighed heavily and exited the limo without another word. The slam of the limo door had a certain amount of finality to it and Kaiba accidentally flinched because of it. He managed to hold it together long enough to instruct his driver, "Return home," before he fell apart again.

Curling up into himself and burying his face against his arms that were braced on his knees, Kaiba swallowed hard as he tried to contain his emotions. Kaiba kept telling himself that he had made the right decision in sending the boy away, but it was impossible to delude himself enough to believe that. He was tired of the hurt that always followed seeing Atem, but the pain of not seeing him was even worse; there was just no winning in that kind of game. Only it wasn't a game—it was life. But if that was the case, then why did Kaiba feel like he had just made the wrong move?


A/N: For some reason, all I can think of is, "Two steps forward, one step back," when it comes to Kaiba. Such a stubborn, prideful man. But despite the backstep, it is progress…

It's odd knowing that this has been sitting on my hard drive since May 23rd of last year. o.O;; I wrote this story so out of order, so it's kind of a relief to finally get it posted for everyone to enjoy. Makes you wonder what else I'm hiding on my hard drive, ahaha.

In update news, progress is being made on the fourth installment of the Entangled Series, albeit it at a slower rate than I would have liked. Hopefully everyone isn't too upset with having to wait on that one since this story seems to be moving right along at a fairly decent pace.

Also, if you swing by my livejournal, I've posted an offering of sorts for anyone who is interested. I'll be doing a series of drabbles for the Entangled Series and as a thank you of sorts for encouraging me to this point, so I've decided to open up requests to everyone. Suggestions and challenges are welcome and all drabbles will be dedicated to the person who requested it. Stop by my LJ for details and some fun, ne?

Part X: So Now

Whispered words in the shadows of daylight, what did it mean?

Odds are pretty good that Part X will go up instead of Entangled 04, so check back on Sunday, January 25th and see what get posted next!