Chapter Five- Friendship

Atem gaped at the size of the mansion as the limo pulled up to it and Kaiba smirked at his reaction. It was the Wednesday when they would share their written portions of the report and organize it into a smoothly written report. Atem had written about the coral, kelp, and plankton while Kaiba did the grasses and the clownfish. This division had been discussed and agreed upon last week.

Atem visited the area that Saturday after the pictures and spend time conversing with his new friends. He found that while he understood them and vice versa, they didn't understand those outside their respective species. Thus, Atem was an interpreter but he didn't mind.

Atem returned to the present as he got out of the limo, still in shock. "Kaiba, your home is huge!" he said as he followed his partner inside.

"Thank you. Would you like a tour before we get to work?"

"Yes, please. If I need the bathroom at some point, I'd like to know where it is without getting lost."

Kaiba chuckled. "Well, as we'll work in my room, that won't be a problem. My brother and I have private bathrooms connected to our rooms."

"You have a brother?" Atem asked with interest as Kaiba began the tour.

"A little brother. His name's Mokuba and the only family I have." He gave Atem a knowing look. "I know you have an older brother. I have Civics class with him."

Atem nodded. "We have our grandpa caring for us as our parents are dead too."

"I see. Here's the library which, oddly enough, has no books on the ocean." Kaiba knew this was a partial lie. When he learned of his condition, he had all books on the ocean removed and thrown out. If I had known that I would need them five years later, I would have kept them despite how I feel about the ocean. Although, I did enjoy our picture trip.

"And here's my room," Kaiba said fifteen minutes later, opening the doors with a flourish. Atem was again struck by the size of the room. You could put my room, Yugi's room, and Grandpa's room in here! He followed Kaiba to his desk and sat in the chair in front of it while Kaiba took the one behind it. Atem got out his papers and gave them to Kaiba who handed over his half. No words were exchanged as they read; the only sounds were pages being turned and pens scratching as spelling and grammar mistakes were spotted.

"You wrote a powerful beginning," Kaiba finally said.

"You did, too. Perhaps we can combine them."

"Perhaps. I believe we start with the coral which will lead into the clownfish and we finish up with the plankton followed by kelp and the grasses. My ending will end the report."

"Sounds good." Atem leaned over the desk and worked with Kaiba to put their pieces together. Kaiba kept glancing at Atem as they worked on the report. The time they spent in class and outside of it made Kaiba feel closer to Atem. It wasn't love, just a sense of friendship.

Atem noticed Kaiba's glances, subtle as they were. That was fine as he would spare glances at him too. He, at first, thought Kaiba was just a cold unfriendly man, but as they worked together, he found that Kaiba can be nice; one simply needed to be patient and willing to be open with him. The way we've been working, I feel as if Kaiba could be a friend. Maybe I should extend the hand of friendship. As he thought this, he saw Kaiba lifting his head slightly for another glance nod he lifted his head to hold Kaiba's attention.

"Kaiba, is there a reason why you have been glancing at me every now and then?"

A muscle in Kaiba's jaw twitched. "You're very observant. All right, there is a reason. Ever since we started this project, I found myself liking you. I don't have any friends but it had never bothered me. Now, I believe a friend is what I've been missing all this time. I would like for us to be friends and you could call me Seto if you like."

Atem smiled. "I see. I had thought that you were cold and unfriendly, plain and simple. But, as we worked together, I found that you can be nice. I would like to be friends…Seto." He held out his hand.

Kaiba stared at the hand for a moment before taking it in a firm grip and they shook. "Now, we're friends."

"Great. Now, Seto. These statistics in our report. It would be cool if those numbers could pop up in the appropriate slides when we talk."

"Yes," Kaiba said as his eyes scanned the data. "That would really make ours stand out."

"I can't believe no one else thought of doing a slideshow presentation."

"I know. I listened in on the ones who went to get Mr. Saxon's approval last week and the only different one was a tri-fold board presentation."

"Classic, but creative."

"Yes, but I tend to take a technological angle with what I do."

"Speaking of which, I would be happy to type and print the report as you are busy the rest of the week."

"I am busy. Thank you, Atem."

Atem smiled as he gathered the papers. "That's what friends do."

A few minutes later, Kaiba watched from the front door as the limo pulled away with Atem in the back. The two of them had done a lot of work on their report and had officially formed a friendship. Kaiba felt a warm feeling inside as he re-lived the moment. He shut the door and headed to the dining room where Mokuba waited, their dinner already there.

"Hi, Seto," Mokuba said.

Kaiba smiled as he sat. "Hello, Mokuba."

The young boy blinked at him. "Hey, you're smiling! Good day?"

"One of the best days of my life. Atem and I are now friends."

"That's great! Atem seems nice."

"He is. He's also smart and polite. He suggested statistic pop-ups for our slideshow which I will work on while he types up the written portion."

"Atem will be here on Sunday, right?"

"Of course."

"Seto, your once-a-month change is coming."

"I'm aware of that. I'm getting very thirsty again."

"Just be careful, Seto. I don't want Atem to turn on you if he sees you change."

"Of course I'll be careful."

"You and Kaiba are friends now?" Yugi asked.

"We are and he asked me to call him by first name. He's actually nice if you're patient with him and willing to open up to him."

"That's great. You two have a lot in common."

"We're both smart, stubborn, and prideful for one. We also both have a brother."

"He does?"

"A younger one. I haven't seen him, but I probably will on Sunday."

"Sunday starts your last week on the project, right?"

"Right and then Seto and I can find some other common ground."

Yugi smiled at the happy expression on Atem's face. Sometimes Atem was lonely and felt a bit awkward when hanging out with Yugi and his friends. This project was good for him and Kaiba. They've become friends and both won't be lonely anymore.