Part | Three

"N-No." Mana stuttered as Atem's eyes stared through her eyes as if they were seeing her soul.

She shivered.

"Here," Atem began as he broke eye contact, leading her to one of the living room sofas. "Place this ice pack on it. Then I'm going to place some Vitamin K cream and aloe vera on it," Atem spoke.

Mana took the ice pack from him and refused to meet his gaze.

Atem frowned at her cold behavior.

Standing up, he turned to grab something from the kitchen when he felt her hand gripping his wrist.

He turned to look at her. Mana had her head down, preferring to look at the wooden floor than his face.

"Why," she began.

"Why? Why, after all the sh-t you put me through, why do I fall for you even more. I thought - I thought I could move on with my date tonight. But then, you do this bullsh-t. Tell me, Atem," Mana silently wept.

"Why do you hate me? What did I do?" she choked out.

Atem wanted nothing more but to grab her and crash his mouth into hers roughly. He wanted nothing but to confess his feelings to her, but like the coward he was, he just stood there, watching Mana weep silently.

"Don't you think you should tell Mana how you feel about her?" his younger brother Yugi said, breaking the silence.

"No. Besides," Atem began, "I'm not the right person for her. She deserves someone else other than me." he replied in a monotone voice.

Yugi furrowed his eyebrows. "Are you saying this because it's your perspective? Or are you saying this because it's Seto's perspective?"

Atem just gave Yugi a cold stare.

"Besides, don't you think that choice is for Mana? You shouldn't decide what's good for her or not. Only she will know."

Atem continued to be silent.

Yugi sighed before he crushed his cigarette on the pavement.

"I'm just saying. Sooner or later, someone will come. Mana won't wait forever. We, out of all people, should understand that."

Atem didn't need to ask more. He knew what his younger brother was referring to.

A long time ago, a young secretary working at the headquarters named Anzu Mazaki was head over heels over Yugi. However, at first, Yugi was utterly oblivious to her signs.

Then he wasn't.

Seto, however, wasn't blind from the beginning. He advised Yugi that dating Anzu would only bring danger to her life and loved ones. Yugi obeyed Seto's advice so much; he practically broke his friendship with her.

Anzu was heartbroken. After waiting for years, Anzu decided to move on. She was now married to a dance performer.

Atem looked down at Mana.

Enough.

He'd been a coward, but not anymore.

Crouching in front of her, Atem gently removed her blond wig and shook her brown hair loose.

"That's much better," he began gently.

Mana continued to ignore his gaze.

"I know I've been a complete jerk, Mana." Atem began only to be cut off by her.

"More like a complete assh-le." she sneered.

Atem sighed.

"Yes, more like a complete assh-le. But I thought I was doing the correct thing by pushing you away from me."

"Atem," Mana began in a tired voice. "Get to the point. Why now? Is it because I'm crying? Do you feel pity for me?"

"I was scared." he began making Mana finally look at him.

"What? What are you saying?"

"I'm saying I was scared when you were inside that car."

Mana's expression slowly began to turn towards an annoyed expression.

"I know you don't need protection, Mana. I do. However," Atem stops before taking one of her hands with his.

"I couldn't help but worry. What if something had occurred and I wasn't there behind you guys. I would have lost it if something had happened to you. Just look, that swine slapped you, and I was ready to send him to the Shadow Realm."

"If something did happen to me, why would you care? You make it pretty clear I'm nothing but a bother to you." Mana scoffed.

"I only began to push you away when you joined the agency,"

Mana only looked at him, shocked that he knew when he began to act like a douchebag.

"After preparatory school, I joined my cousin's detective agency, and the last news I heard about you was that you went to study abroad in Egypt."

Mana knew it was rude of her to interrupt Atem talking, but she couldn't help but gasp at the news that Atem and Seto were cousins.

"I began to climb the ranks very rapidly, and soon I was the top agent in my family's agency. But of course, the agency got new agent recruits, ones who transferred from the Egyptian headquarters."

Mana didn't need further clues to know who he was referring to, her older brother and her.

"I was thrilled to have my childhood friend with me after all these years, but my cousin saw through me. He knew how I felt about you, and he advised me how I shouldn't go after you."

Mana gripped her hand tighter with his.

"He told me that if I couldn't get rid of my feelings towards you, to get rid of the idea of needing you. To erase the idea of being dependent on anyone."

Atem felt his chest tightening and his stomach churning as he spoke, "He convinced me that needing someone, needing you, was dangerous for me. It makes me vulnerable, weak and distracts me from my missions. That you being with me would put you in danger."

"Did he ever think about asking me about my opinion?" Mana let out. "I can handle the danger, and I certainly do not need protection."

That made Atem smile a bit.

Pulling her hand from his, Mana stood up.

"I don't understand why Kaiba would tell you this when he's a married man. How come you have to sacrifice your happiness?"

Atem looked away, recalling his family upbringing and engraved motto.

"Remember Atem," his father said.

"Your younger brother and Seto will always be your priority. You need to protect them both, as the oldest."

"Yes, father." a small boy replied besides the tall figure.

"I have engraved the motto that their happiness comes first before mine. I also knew you deserve someone better than me. Seto was right about your safety. It's the 'what-if's that terrify me. I can't let you in, but I can't live without you."

"Stop right there."

Standing up, Atem now towered over Mana. Yet, with both her arms crossed, Atem felt like a small child in front of her.

"I think that choice is mine and mine alone. I'm killing the man who gave you that idea. But the truth is simple,"

Mana's furious expression slowly turned to a happy expression. She placed one of her hands on Atem's cheek and began to caress it.

"The truth is that ever since I was fourteen years old, I have been in love with you," Mana said, tears forming in her eyes.

"But why?" Atem whispers, now holding Mana's waist as he gently pulls her closer to him.

He places his forehead to rest against hers as he breathlessly admits with an edge of frustration mingled with desire, "I just…I don't understand."

"What don't you understand?" Mana softly asked.

"I don't get how you could love me. The whole world adores you, Mana. Yet despite all that adoration, you still choose me above everyone else. You could have any man in this world, and for some unfathomable reason, you love me."

"I don't want any other man," Mana insisted. "You're the only man that I've ever wanted and will always want."

"It just doesn't make sense," Atem retorted. "After how I treated you, I'm not someone you should want to be with."

"Who said that love has to make sense?" she questioned him, her hand moving to cover his heart. "Besides, I know this heart. Since we were friends back in Egypt, I knew it was the purest that I've ever met."

"But, Mana-"

"When agents would speak about you, they would say that you're so cold and ruthless. I was starting to believe that."

Atem began to frown, saddened that Mana started seeing him like that.

"But now, I know the truth. Just like tonight, how you were worried about me. You feel far more than any of us, pouring that emotion into each selfless act every single night in a tireless effort to complete your missions and the safety of your comrades. That alone deserves my adoration."

"Mana I-"

"There's nothing wrong with needing someone, Atem," she assured him. "Everyone needs someone in their life. It doesn't mean you're weak or helpless."

Atem just stared at Mana. Speechless at what Mana had spoken.

Gently grabbing her hand that was caressing his cheek, he brought it to his lips.

"I need you," he told her, his chest tight, and his stomach was churning. Since childhood, she was the only person in the world that had been able to begin the process of mending his heart, and yet he found it so incredibly difficult.

Mana looked at Atem with a teary smile.

"I need you too." is all she replied.

He wanted her in his life more than he needed or wanted his next breath. Somehow, she had managed to work her way into his life and heart, becoming everything he never knew that he wanted or needed.

For that moment, they were the only two people in the whole universe, clinging to one another and taking solace in what they had found in each other. After several minutes, Mana slowly pulled back to gaze into his eyes, finding the truth of his words reflected there. He was allowing her to see past every single barrier he made to keep her at a distance.

"I still have concerns," he acknowledged. "I'm afraid that I'm going to drag you into my brooding dark life. You saw what I almost did to our suspect."

The corners of her lips curled with his words, her aquamarine eyes twinkling with mischief. "Do you think that scares me?" she teased. "I think you should be more afraid of the light and happiness I'm going to bring to your life."

He smiled before abruptly silencing her with a kiss, his lips moving against hers in a slow, sensual caress that made her head spin.

"Atem," Mana moaned in between their kisses, "Please."

It was all she needed to say to make Atem carry her to his bedroom.

At that moment, as he picked her up and laid her down on his bed, Atem knew in his heart that he would love this woman until the day he died, and it was time that she knew that too. "I love you, Mana," he confessed to her.

"I love you too, Atem," she softly whispered before pulling him into another heated kiss.

During the whole night, Atem only had one thought in his mind as he made love to Mana, over and over again. It wasn't how ecstasy it felt when his hands and mouth caressed her gorgeous body. Or how heavenly it sounded when she would call for him and tell him how much she loved him.

What would have happened if he didn't act like a coward towards her? Nor if he hadn't listened to his cousin?

Regardless, this time, he wasn't letting her go.

And he knew for sure; Mana wasn't either.

She had him under her spell for all eternity.

Spellbound to her, Atem was.