Chapter 25: Request
Staring out the window of his high rise office, Kaiba felt hollow as he blankly regarded the cityscape before him. He wondered if he would feel better if he had been able to physically harm Hoshino. To break every single one of her fingers that had dared to touch Yami, that had once brought pleasure to Gozaburo. To disfigure her in ways that made her future schemes for money impossible. Would that have made a difference?
At least he would have had an immediately tangible sight of her suffering. He wanted to break her, make her bleed, make her beg for the mercy of death only to deny her. At one time, he would have done that and more, anything to get the vengeance he deserved after her stupidity that had cost him more than he ever thought he would care. Then again, if it had happened when he was his former self, he never would have done such things at the expense of anyone other than Mokuba, let alone someone like Yami.
It was frustrating to not go after her ruthlessly because of his concerns for Yami's reactions. He was past the point of wondering why Yami's disappointment in his actions should matter to him; Kaiba knew why he cared about such things. To spare someone of his ultimate vengeance was more challenging than he would have thought, but in a way it let him take the more creative way that drew out Hoshino's pain and anguish, which Kaiba approved of and preferred to some extent. He knew that Yami probably wouldn't be happy about what he had chosen to do instead, but at least she lived on another day to remember why she should never dare cross paths with Kaiba Seto again. Even though he was willing to concede to a degree on her punishment for Yami, Kaiba refused to let the woman get away with it; his blood burned with the desire for retribution.
No, instead of giving her the easy way out of death, Kaiba would let her know the full extent of his wrath in other ways. Ogata was extremely useful for carrying out the more arduous parts of the task, doing so with great pleasure in exacting his own punishment on the woman for daring to harm the couple. He would have Ogata seduce her with lies, entrapping her with his riches and the temptation of a beautiful younger man and all the money she desired. It was easy for Ogata to toy with a woman like Hoshino; he would earn her trust then turn it against her. Linking her accounts to shady under the table dealings would be the easy part, especially if she was already connected as they suspected. They would leave her utterly destitute by the end of it and then, once she started to recover her money, they would publically scandalize her and take her down once and for all.
It was overly elaborate and would hardly bring the immediate satisfaction of a face to face encounter. There was little that Kaiba himself could do without drawing undue attention to himself and it was infuriating. He wanted to be the one to take her down, but his public position was under close scrutiny and he couldn't afford to let himself or his company be sullied in the process. Taking her down at the cost of himself and his company wasn't a price Kaiba was willing to pay—not when there were other ways for the situation to be handled. Besides, she would be too suspicious of Kaiba; Ogata was an unknown to her and that made it easier to slip past her defenses, especially when she was desperate for the cash.
Regardless of the methodology, none of it brought Yami back to the way he was. There was no sense of victory, no sense of accomplishment even as Ogata put the plans into motion. Ogata was intending to use the opportunities to find out information on Yami, but Kaiba knew that there was nothing to be found.
It had only been sheer luck that the Hoshino lead from the previous day had turned out to be a false sighting from one of Ogata's underground sources. Kaiba never would have imagined that he would be thankful for missing out on a chance to hunt her down, but he couldn't trust himself not to rend her to pieces if he saw her again. Kaiba recognized that his lack of reaction on the issue of Yami was starting to make Ogata suspicious, but there was only so much that he could do to distract the older man. It was Kaiba's intention to have Yami back before any of it became a real issue; they could make up a story about how the former pharaoh got away later.
Rubbing his forehead and sighing heavily at the tension building up inside of him, Kaiba struggled with not being able to remember anything relevant to helping revive Yami's body. Whereas visions had occurred at random previously, they were no longer quick to play anymore. His dreams were filled with dark expanses of emptiness and there wasn't even the smallest sliver of the priest's memories to be found. It was starting to wear on Kaiba because as much as he didn't want to remember, he needed to remember. Knowing that the delay in bringing Yami back fully was entirely his own fault was a different kind of guilt that Kaiba wanted nothing to do with, but that didn't change the facts.
There had to be something that he was missing and it was driving Kaiba crazy as he tried to figure out what was eluding him. Surely there had to be a simple thing that he was overlooking in his rushed quest for knowledge, but figuring that out was as successful as remembering something useful from the priest's past.
The sound of his private elevator doors dinging drew Kaiba's attention and he looked over to the wall with a scowl as he instinctively reached for his weapon. There were very few people with access to that elevator and Kaiba didn't want to take his chances. Kaiba had been expecting to see Mokuba, Isono, Ogata, or an intruder—what he hadn't expected was to see Yuugi standing in the elevator looking smug enough to tell him that it was really Yami. "What the hell?" Kaiba wondered, returning his weapon to its hiding place. "How did you…?"
"There are a few tricks I could manage with this," Yami explained as he gestured at the Millennium Puzzle. "That just happened to be one of them."
"Since when has breaking into elevators been part of an ancient skill set?" Kaiba scoffed, finding the whole idea ludicrous.
Yami merely laughed as he approached Kaiba and stood in front of him. "I wouldn't have known about it if you hadn't shown me that one time," Yami pointed out, grateful that he knew of a back entrance that didn't end as disastrously as the ones at the mansion. "I just assumed there would be fewer questions this way."
It was a valid point, but it didn't change the fact that it was unusual for Yami to disobey his order to say away from the office. "What was so important to tell me?" Kaiba asked, wondering why a phone call wouldn't have sufficed.
Shrugging, Yami stated, "I just wanted to see you."
It was such a simple thing, but it became immensely more complicate due to their current arrangement. "You would have seen me tonight when I picked up Mokuba," Kaiba reminded him, still unsure if he was pleased or annoyed that Yami had come over uninvited.
"Everyone else would be there," Yami countered, knowing how much harder it was for Kaiba to talk when Jounouchi and the rest were around and involved.
"And what do you need to tell me that can't be said in front of anyone else and couldn't be discussed on the phone?" Kaiba pressed, tired of dancing around the topic; he just didn't have the energy for it.
"I figured out a way I might be able to help," Yami started to explain, "but we would need some time."
Frowning at the implication, Kaiba knew that could only mean one thing. "The Millennium Puzzle will be involved."
"Correct," Yami confirmed, making Kaiba scowl. "I'm still not completely confident in the logistics, but I don't think there's any harm in trying it."
Even though it pained Kaiba, he knew that he had to say it, "I have a meeting in the morning that I absolutely cannot cancel. If we do that…"
"You'd miss your meeting," Yami realized, biting down the sigh that wanted to escape. "Tomorrow?"
"I'll…clear my schedule," Kaiba agreed, knowing that there were fewer obligations the next day. He just knew that any dealings with the ancient artifact always sapped him of energy and he needed to be at his best for the morning meeting to discuss his latest deal; he had spent too many months on it to let it slip away now.
"I can use the extra time to figure some things out," Yami said, hoping to alleviate some of the guilt that was showing despite Kaiba's best efforts.
Nodding in acknowledgement, Kaiba still found himself trying to justify, "I just need tomorrow to secure the rest of the funding for the tournament. If I don't—"
"I'm not going to ask you to put me before business, especially when I'm not entirely sure if this will work or not," Yami told Kaiba with a smile that only made Kaiba feel worse. "One more day isn't going to make a difference."
"It does to me," Kaiba muttered, looking away from Yami as he straightened the pages of the report in front of him.
Getting up from the chair and walking back over to Kaiba's side of the desk, Yami put his hand on Kaiba's and squeezed it lightly, earning him a vaguely miffed noise. "We'll do this, Seto," Yami promised, knowing that between their combined stubbornness, they were bound to figure out something that would work. "But your obligations don't stop because of this mess and I understand that."
Kaiba hand tightened into a fist out of his anger and he growled, "But you're my priority, damn it!"
The statement caught Yami off guard and he could only blink at Kaiba as he tried to gather his thoughts that were suddenly moving much too fast. "Seto—"
Looking into amethyst with the strongest of convictions, Kaiba swore, "I don't care what I have to do, I'm going to—"
Interrupting Kaiba with a hug, Yami whispered, "I know, Seto, I know," in the hope that it would somehow convey his meaning.
Rather than pushing Yuugi's body away, Kaiba shamelessly clung to him in a fiercely possessive hug. He pressed them closer together, his fingers digging into Yami as he murmured, "I need you back, Yami. This just isn't enough."
Even though it pained Yami to know he was indirectly responsible for Kaiba's suffering, the sentiment still warmed him at the rare admission of affection. "I'm sorry," was all Yami could say as he gently stroked the nape of Kaiba's neck in one of the few comforts he felt he could still offer while in Yuugi's body.
"I'm not blaming you," Kaiba said with a frown as he pulled back slightly to look up at Yami.
"Yeah, you're too busy blaming yourself," Yami tried to joke, but there was too much truth in the statement.
Just as Kaiba was about to answer, his door opened without warning and Ogata entered with a broad smirk that slid into surprise at the sight before him. "Did something…happen?" Ogata questioned after he shut the door behind him.
"Yeah, you forgot how to knock," Kaiba growled as he released Yami and smoothed his tie down out of habit.
"Kirie-san said there was no one here with you, so why would I bother?" Ogata arrogantly shot back, glancing over at Yuugi with curiosity. "Did you come in while she was on bathroom break or something? Does that woman even take those? You seriously overwork that poor woman."
"If I didn't, you'd try and bed her, too," Kaiba shot back, having lost two secretaries over Ogata's indiscretions—one of whom had been male.
"Come on, I didn't do anything to Nonaka," Ogata defended himself, although it wasn't saying much.
"That's because you met her when she was already pregnant," Kaiba countered, idly wondering whatever had happened to the woman. She had been a decent employee, but not nearly as thorough as Kirie.
Deciding that the banter had gone on long enough, Ogata approached them and asked, "So what brings you here, Yuugi?"
"I just wanted to see if there was any news," Yami answered, mimicking his aibou's mannerisms.
"So it's not because Seto started randomly manipulating the shadows and passing out again?" Ogata asked in a mocking tone that immediately had Kaiba growling.
"Get out," Kaiba ordered, not in the mood to listen to Ogata's nonsense. He kept asking questions that Kaiba had no intentions of answering and part of him was still a bit embarrassed over being caught hugging Yuugi. Ogata's profession was observations and Kaiba disliked being the object of scrutiny under the circumstances.
Narrowing his eyes at Kaiba suspiciously, Ogata pointed out, "It's a perfectly valid question, Seto."
"No, it's absurd and I suggest that you desist immediately," Kaiba countered, a hint of warning entering his tone. "Don't make me turn it into an order."
"As much as I love it when you get all authoritative on my ass, I'll refrain," Ogata complied, but not before adding, "for now."
Yami was unable to hold back a snicker at the banter, earning him an annoyed look from Kaiba and a curious one from Ogata. The older man was used to Yuugi's meek demeanor, so to hear a perverse laugh at their expense from the teen was more than just a little surprising. Under the sharp attentions of both men, Yami found it easier to pretend to shrink back as his aibou so frequently did in his shyness.
Seeing it as an opportunity to distract Ogata's attention away from Yami, Kaiba asked, "So what did you need to tell me?"
"I was just going to give you a status update on our latest…project," Ogata replied, struggling to settle on an appropriate term for their plot against Hoshino since Yuugi was present in the room. "It looks like it will be easier than we originally thought to bring them down."
"I guess I should probably get going," Yami suggested, even though his curiosity was piqued by the possibilities of what was going to be discussed. If it had anything to do with who he thought it did, Yami was going to have to be patient and wait until later to find out when Kaiba came to pick up Mokuba. "I'll see you later tonight?"
"Yes," Kaiba said with a curt nod, effectively dismissing him. Before he had a chance to specify for Yami to go out the office door, he did exactly that after a quick goodbye with Ogata. Even though it pained him to have Yami leave, it wasn't nearly as bad as being left alone with Ogata when he was in an inquisitive state of mind.
Only once the door was shut did Ogata repeat his earlier line of questioning, "So what was that all about?"
"Nothing that concerns you," Kaiba answered, even though he knew that it would be less than satisfactory for Ogata. "So stay the hell out of it. Now tell me what you found out last night."
Although Ogata wanted to press the subject further, he knew that there was very little benefit in doing so. In reality, Yuugi had probably been overwhelmed by the situation when he found out about their failure to apprehend her as originally plan and instinctively sought out the comfort he was used to finding in his other friends. It wasn't entirely beyond the realm of possibility, especially since Yuugi would be used to seeing the slightly softer side of Kaiba because of Yami. Rather than pursuing it further, Ogata stated, "She's such a whore, it's pathetic," Ogata scoffed, finding Hoshino's desperation disgusting. "It was disappointing how little effort it took to get her to throw herself at me."
"Try telling me something I don't know," Kaiba sneered, having seen firsthand how her desperation manifested in slutty overtones.
"She's being careful, but I think I can get over to her place soon," Ogata said, hoping that would grant him the chance to find Yami. "I don't want to risk rushing things but I think this is going to move a lot faster than we originally planned for. She's seriously hurting for cash and so she isn't taking the precautions she normally would. I gave her enough information that Tanaka should go looking for me, which I've already set traps for."
"Good," Kaiba said with a nod, pleased with the advancing progress. "That should make things easier."
"Kinda what I was thinking," Ogata agreed, looking forward to making the heinous woman pay dearly for her crimes against Kaiba, Mokuba, and Yami.
Nodding resolutely to himself once more, Kaiba asked, "Anything else?"
"Why?" Ogata wondered, trying to figure out if the CEO was trying to get rid of him or not.
"I have a few calls to make," Kaiba replied, knowing that an answer was the quickest way to get rid of Ogata.
Recognizing that as his cue to leave, Ogata stood up and said, "I'll talk to you later, then. Try to stay out of trouble."
"I'd say the same to you, but that would mean you'd be out of a job," Kaiba smarted off, causing Ogata to laugh heartily as he left with a wave over his shoulder.
Trying to exhale the tension out of his body, Kaiba stared blankly at his schedule and tried to see what needed to be done before he could get out of the office for the night before he went to pick up Mokuba from Yuugi's.
A/N: I'm so sorry for the delay of this chapter; some last minute logistics got in the way and then I got sick, which was inconvenient since I'm still trying to be a gracious host to Eli, who has traveled oh so far to stay with me. For those of you who missed it, I posted a new story preview on my LJ to try and make up for the delay, so please feel free to drop by and check it out for a sneak peek at what's coming up after L&F.
NEXT CHAPTER:
"Not thinking about that," Kaiba said, half-heartedly scowling when Yami chuckled again. "Or why you know about such things."
The next chapter is light-hearted, long, and one of my favorites, so I hope you enjoy it when I post it on Sunday, June 12th.