Chapter Four- A Hikari's Life
Rubbing his face as he lost focus once again, Seto stared at the stock report spreadsheet on his computer and was unable to remember why he has pulled it up in the first place. He had come into the home office even earlier than normal after a restless night and had hoped that he could manage something constructive before experiencing another mind-numbing day at school.
However, it just wasn't going to happen this morning.
Shoving back from the desk to stand, Kaiba finally made a discussion. Realizing he would be unable to get anything done until he confronted Seth regarding his feelings for his Pharaoh, he turned to the windows behind his chair and said softly, "Seth." As he waited patiently for the spirit to appear, sensing Seth's reluctance, he considered his relationship with the former High Priest.
Ever since he had claimed his inheritance in the form of the Millennium Rod from his aunt and uncle- and paid them off so he never had to see them again- all he had done was butt heads with the spirit within the Rod.
They were too much alike to get along.
And yet Kaiba could not deny Seth had saved both his soul and Mokuba's. After building walls around himself as he ruthlessly took over Kaiba Corp in an attempt to protect his brother from the abuse their adopted father inflicted on them, Kaiba failed to realize how much those walls were destroying the one person he was trying to protect.
However, Seth had. As soon as the High Priest merged with his soul, there was nothing Kaiba could do to shut the spirit out. It wasn't until Seth managed to shatter those walls that Kaiba realized what he had done to his brother. Moreover, Seth had given Kaiba the support he needed to put back together the pieces of his life. For that reason alone Kaiba was determine to find a way to crack the shields he sensed the spirit beginning to erect between them. He knew the spirit was closing up and attempting to lock up the emotions that the sight of the Millennium Puzzle on that kid brought up and Kaiba was unwilling to let Seth do that to himself.
He felt the shift as the spirit appeared before him. Arms crossed, Seth met Kaiba's stare and raised one eyebrow in question.
Mirroring his look-alike's stance and getting straight to the point, Kaiba asked flatly, "What are you going to do?"
Seth looked past Kaiba with a slight grimace. "Nothing."
"Nothing?" Considering what he felt from the spirit yesterday Kaiba found that hard to believe.
"What would you have me do?" Seth suddenly shouted, a confusion of emotions running down the link. "He is the same as I. It is not as if I can touch him. It is not as if we are as we were." Frowning at his outburst, Seth turned away, his entire demeanor defensive.
Quickly analyzing the emotions that had washed out from the spirit before the barriers cut them off, Kaiba asked quietly, "You still love him then."
For a moment the spirit was silent. "Yes." Seth finally answered, almost as if he was admitting defeat.
Kaiba did not respond immediately as he worked out what his next move should be. The fact that Seth was even this emotional about the situation even with the blocks up meant it was something that would only get worse as time went on.
Before Kaiba could speak though, Seth said in a low voice, "And if I did follow through with what I feel right now I would be betraying your trust." The intensity of Seth's gaze as they locked with his was almost unnerving as Seth added, "That is something I will not do."
Kaiba felt a knot tighten inside his chest as he realized what Seth actually meant by betraying the trust between them. Memories of Gozaburo's abuse momentarily swamped Kaiba's vision before he could ruthlessly bury them; but not fast enough to pass Seth's notice. Seth looked away, a pained look crossing his face, as Kaiba took a deep steadying breath.
He had not considered this.
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Ryou stifled a yawn as he slowly made his way into school. Malik had managed to send him a file with what he could remember about the Tomb Robber and an old photo of the memorial tablet. That one image alone had been enough to keep Ryou up all night.
As grainy as the picture was, the likeness of Atemu and the High Priest were instantly recognizable to Ryou. The High Priest did look like the one who had stopped the fight yesterday. Ryou sighed silently. After seeing that, he had surfed for information on Seto Kaiba and had found more than he imagined.
CEO of Kaiba Corp by the time he was 16, Seto Kaiba had, in a single year, managed to completely dismantle and rebuild his stepfather's company to begin producing holographic technologies, technology that had revolutionized the Duel Monsters game here in Japan and was now set to take over America. Kaiba was considered a corporate genius and was already a multi billionaire even without what he had inherited from his stepfather.
Ryou wondered how many of those accomplishments were because of the former High Priest and how much was actually Seto Kaiba.
As he approached his row of lockers, still deep in thought, Ryou was startled when he heard a voice say, "Damn, Bakura. Where do you get all this cash from? You stealing rare cards from the shop or something?"
Stopping in surprise, realizing whoever was talking was speaking to someone else, Ryou moved to the edge of the lockers and listened to a low voice he instantly recognized answer, "Hardly. Cards missing from the shop would be too easy to notice." A chuckle that sent a shiver down Ryou's back slipped around the corner before the voice added, "I've got a little business venture going that's proving to be quite lucrative."
"No shit." A new voice commented. "Damn, you're raking it in!"
Taking a chance, Ryou glanced around the corner and spotted Atemu's look-alike standing by his own locker with two others- a taller guy with messy blond hair and another guy with dark hair cut short on the sides of his head but rising up to a peak on top. They all had their backs to Ryou but it was easy to see what was happening. The two were watching the look-alike stuff the bills in his hand into a pocket on the side of the book bag shoved on the shelf in the locker. The blond suddenly shook his head as he asked in amazement, "You're gonna tell us how you're getting all that someday, ain't ya Bakura?"
"You'll know when you need to Jonouchi." the one apparently going by the name Bakura answered. Swinging the bag off the shelf to slip it on before shutting the locker, he added with an annoyed grimace, "And it's time I let the little runt out. Meet you at the same place after dark." A dangerous grin crossed his face. "I'm in the mood to cause a little damage tonight."
Answering smiles crossed the faces of the other two as they stepped away. Shutting the locker, there was a sudden shift in the way Bakura stood, the arrogant stance suddenly uncertain. Ryou recognized that the spirit of the Ring had just switched with his host but was surprised at the lost expression crossing the look-alike's face. The only time Ryou remembered feeling disoriented when he had changed with Atemu was after taking a bad hit in a shadow duel and passing out once the spirit had taken over. By the time he came to his body was already somewhere else but Atemu had quickly informed him of what had happened.
It didn't look like that was happening for the wearer of the Ring. It also appeared this was nothing new from the sigh that slipped out of Atemu's lookalike.
As the lookalike turned away from the locker, a pained look on his face as he began absently rubbing the small of his back, a girl with short brown hair cautiously walked up and asked carefully, "Yugi?"
A smile replaced the pained look. "Hey Anzu!" A slight frown appeared as Yugi added, "I'm not late for class yet, am I?"
The girl gave Yugi a sad smile. "Not yet. Bakura's been causing trouble, huh."
As they walked away, talking quietly, Ryou felt Atemu beginning to open their bond a little wider in the back of his mind. As he started following Yugi to class, Ryou asked, "How are you."
"I am fine." Atemu answered then added in a curious tone, "Why do you ask, Ryou?"
Ryou shrugged. "You've just seem a little distracted since yesterday."
"I was just caught off guard, that's all." Atemu replied. "I was not prepared to see the Ring."
"Brought back memories?" Ryou asked carefully.
He was surprised when Atemu quietly answered, "Yes, it did." Shifting out from Ryou to walk beside him Atemu continued, adding, "You have helped me uncover many things about my past over the two years we've been together but only now am I actually remembering them myself." As they reach the classroom door, Atemu stopped and gave Ryou an apologetic look. "And there are a few things you might need to know about the one who stopped the wearer of the Ring yesterday." Atemu shook his head and looked away. "Things you might need to know about me."
Ryou gave Atemu a gentle smile even as he felt his stomach do a little flip. "If you want you can tell me after school. But only if you really want to, Atemu."
Atemu sighed. "You need to know, Ryou." Fading back into his soul room, Atemu added, "Just let me know when you are free."
Ryou nodded. "I will."