Kaiba stifled a groan as he and Salem exited the portal, now in enemy territory. He blinked away his dizziness and followed Salem, who was already in hot pursuit of their missing ex-king.
He studied each dark stone hallway carefully. He trailed his hand along each wall to get a feel for the age of the building.
When he couldn't take it anymore, he finally whispered,
"Where are we and how do you know Atem's in this place?"
Salem paused by a dark corner, concealing both of them from any would be guards,
"I still have Atem's DNA in my watch. And we're in the ruins of my home. It looks like with Anansi's help they were able to build an entire city," she explained, her expression dark.
Kaiba examined Salem's face,
"There's something else. Something you're not telling me."
"This was my family's palace. It looks like your alternate is taking his role of King of the New World order very seriously," she said grimly, holding her stomach.
Kaiba looked at his ex lover sadly.
She looked like she was about to vomit.
He knew there couldn't have been a lot of happy memories for her in this place.
"I have his location. The throne room. We need to get as close as we can while remaining undetected." She explained.
"That should go without saying…" Kaiba grumbled, pursing his lips in a tight line and making his body as flat as possible when he heard a familiar voice.
Salem mimicked Kaiba's position as the two of them listened carefully.
"We've had a security breach. Secure the throne room and the labs. Now!" Anansi's deep voice echoed through the halls.
Luckily, the two guards ran in the opposite direction of Salem and Kaiba's position.
Kaiba gazed at Salem nervously, knowing that if Anansi found them, they were screwed.
They stayed as quiet as possible as they heard Anansi sniff the air.
Kaiba furrowed his brow.
What was he doing?
He looked at Salem again and felt his stomach drop when he saw the terrified expression on her face. He was overcome with dread when Anansi took another long whiff of the air and released a carnal sound.
He could smell her.
Anansi could smell Salem.
Salem grabbed Kaiba's hand, keeping them in their spot.
Kaiba squeezed her tightly, hoping that the young dark haired killer wouldn't turn the corner. He tried to steady his breathing as Anansi's footsteps echoed against the stone floors, getting closer and closer to them.
They had to move.
They had to move or they'd be caught.
Kaiba squeezed Salem's hand rhythmically, trying to get her attention. When she turned her head to look at him, he gestured with his chin in the direction that they had come from.
Salem shook her head, knowing that moving would get them caught as much as standing in their spot would.
The footsteps stopped right at the corner.
"You've always smelled so amazing, Princess…" Anansi purred, turning the corner quickly, catching Kaiba and Salem by their throats.
Kaiba yelped and struggled. He knew he could at least get Anansi off of him.
"Ah ah, my little dragon. Do struggle too much, you wouldn't want our wouldn't princess to pass out would you?" Anansi growled, putting more pressure on Salem's windpipe, causing the curly haired politician to choke and grunt.
Kaiba stilled immediately, earning a low chuckle from Anansi.
"I see… Looks like they both still love you don't they?" Anansi leaned in and whispered in Salem's ear.
"Wh-Why, Anansi? Why, hng!" Salem tried to speak but was silenced by the large hand wrapped around her throat.
Anansi rolled his eyes and looked between Kaiba and Salem,
"I did what I had to in order to save my family…"
Kaiba grunted as Anansi squeezed him tighter. He heard Salem cough , trying to get air,
"...family...dead…" Was all Salem could muster.
Anansi scoffed,
"Not my mother. He has her…" He trailed off, his voice cracking,
"Do you think I want to hurt you, Sala? I just want my mother to be safe...I can't find her cell anywhere…" Anansi said, his grip letting up as tears ran down his cheeks.
"Let me help you…" Salem croaked, wrapping her soft hands around Anansi's arm,
"Find her…"
Kaiba caught on to Salem's train of thought and piped up,
"If this guy is anything like me, Anansi...I can figure out where she's being kept." He said, feeling triumphant when Anansi gazed at the two of them with tear-filled eyes and slowly released their necks.
They gasped and coughed, still trying to remain quiet.
"If you two try anything funny I'll throw you in a cell myself." He growled.
They nodded, following Anansi down the corridor, hoping they didn't just talk themselves into a trap.
Atem screamed in pain as he was electrocuted again, the shocks coursing through his body violently.
He didn't know how much more of this torture he could take.
The other Kaiba wasn't letting him sleep or eat.
The madman was bored.
Waiting for a woman who would never come.
Atem let out a pitiful sob when he realized that he would never see his loved ones again.
"Aibou...I'm so sorry I yelled...I was wrong.. Salem…" His thoughts trailed off as he heaved dryly, nothing in his stomach to throw up.
The black haired man sighed and clicked his tongue,
"Maybe I should have a little more fun…" he said, reaching down and slowly untying one of Atem's ankles.
Atem's eyes widened.
For the love of the Gods, no!
He knew it was only a matter of time before his lover's alternate would want to take him by force.
"Don't touch me!" Atem breathed, his voice hoarse from screaming.
He tried his best to kick the larger man's hands away from the button on his jeans. He let out a hoarse cry when the other Kaiba successfully pulled Atem's jeans down, revealing Atem's soiled boxers.
The black haired man laughed cruelly,
"Awwww, looks like someone had an accident."
Atem glared as hard as he could. His mouth was dry from lack of water, and his throat was sore from screaming. He couldn't muster saliva if his life had depended on it,
"You've been torturing me for hours… Of course, I pissed myself…" He breathed, his arms and legs fatigued from their awkward position.
"All the more fun for me…." The other Kaiba said, slowly hooking his fingers in the waist of Atem's boxers.
Atem shook,
"Don't...Please…."
The other Kaiba let out a strange half groan half purr and licked his lips,
"That's right...Beg. Beg like the little bitch you are…" He said, reaching a hand up to pinch and squeeze Atem's nipple.
Fresh tears fell from Atem's eyes as he noticed the rather large tent in the other man's boxers.
That insane man was getting off on Atem's pain.
That insane man wanted Salem…
Atem struggled harder when he felt a hand cup his balls through his urine soaked boxers,
"Wait!"
Suddenly there was a loud succession of knocks on the large double doors of the throne room.
The other Kaiba clicked his tongue and glared at Atem,
"Someone just got lucky…enter!" He said, turning away from Atem and walking to sit on the large throne.
The double doors opened to reveal Anansi. He confidently strode into the room followed by two guards that were detaining Kaiba and Salem.
Atem let out an audible gasp, excited and terrified to see his lover and Salem in this terrible place.
The other Kaiba let out a loud, borish laugh,
"The party can finally start! You, tie up the less attractive version of me next to his play thing." He barked at the guard that was detaining Kaiba.
Kaiba was dragged over to the other x-stand and shackled next to his partner. He gazed at Atem's barely clothed body. The ex-king was covered in bruises and smelled of urine.
"What has he been doing to you, pharaoh…" Kaiba thought, realized the guard who chained him up was identical to Isono.
"Isono." He whispered,
"This man is insane. Help us." Kaiba struggled in his bondage.
"There's no use trying to talk to them. All of my guards are lobotomized." Not-Kaiba chuckled, standing up slowly.
The black haired Kaiba's eyes were locked on Salem,
"Welcome home, princess-Or Should I say Queen Sala?" He said, walking down the small staircase and up to Salem.
The guard that was detaining her was identical to Mokuba. Both guards had an equally uninterested look on their faces.
"You wanted me. Now I'm here. Let them go." She said simply, biting back a gag when the other Kaiba ran his hand along her soft cheek.
Kaiba glared at his twin. He knew that this man had no intention of letting anyone go. Him and Salem had followed Anansi all throughout the palace, looking for any sign of human life in crawl spaces, dungeons, and even the other Kaiba's bedroom. Anansi's mother was nowhere to be found. He had suspected that the other Kaiba never had Anansi family, or if he did ever have Anansi's mother she was definitely dead by now.
He was snapped back to reality when the other Kaiba dismissed the guards, except for Anansi.
"Oh, my Queen….You know I can't let them go just yet," the other Kaiba said, playing with Salem's bouncy curls. He took Salem by her waist and pulled her flush against his body,
"Not until I impregnate you..." he said,
"Then I'll consider letting them go…." He purred, forcing Salem down onto the stone floor.
"Don't touch her!" Atem screamed hoarsely, tears streaming down his face.
Kaiba strained against his cuffs,
"If you do anything of the sort, I'll kill you myself!" Kaiba added, growling.
The other Kaiba chuckled sardonically,
"Please. You two don't care about her. Just today Atem called her a monster. And it's true. She is. And so am I. Just leave her with me… I'll take good care of her," he said tearing Salem's turtleneck down the middle, revealing her black lacy bralette and toned stomach.
He ran his hands up and down Salem's midsection and then finally stopping on her breasts, squeezing them too hard.
Salem yelped, pressing her lips together in pain as the other Kaiba leaned down, biting and sucking on her neck roughly.
Anansi averted his eyes from the scene in front of him and locked eyes with Kaiba, nodding curtly.
Kaiba caught Anansi's cue and slipped his left hand out of the cuff. He was glad that Anansi had directed the lobotomized other Isono to leave one of Kaiba restraints unlocked.
Atem watched Kaiba with wide eyes as he realized what was going on. He looked back over at the other Kaiba and felt his stomach drop.
More tears ran down Atem's face as he watched Salem struggle and squirm beneath the madman who had brought them here.
He turned his attention back to Kaiba, who now had both arms free from the restraints.
Kaiba produced the key to the ankle cuffs from the inside of his cheek and bent over quietly, unlocking both of his restraints. He carefully straightened himself up and looked around the room for anything to use as a weapon.
He gazed at Anansi and nodded, hoping that the young man had a way to get any one of the battle axes, swords, and crossbows off that decorated the throne room, without drawing too much attention.
Anansi threw a silent arm out as he noticed the other Kaiba pull something from his robe.
Kaiba turned his head to see his twin pinning Salem's hands over her head with one arm, and in his twin's free hand was a jet injector gun filled with a mysterious liquid. He froze when his twin readied the device and pressed it against Salem's lower belly.
The other Kaiba spoke lowly and seductively,
"I've already given myself this blend and I've already noticed it's effects. If you're going to bare my children, I can't have you growing old and dying on me…" He murmured, hovering his index finger over the trigger.
Salem's eyes widened,
"No..No! Don't-"
Not-Kaiba pulled the trigger and Salem let out a blood curdling scream. He laughed maniacally as the liquid released into Salem's body,
"What's the matter, Princess?" He cackled, leaning in close to her pained face,
"Don't want to live in your young body forever?" He whispered in her ear, making sure only she could hear him.
Salem's body was shaking and convulsing as she tried to speak,
"S-Se-" She coughed and gasped, the drug running through every fibre of her being.
Kaiba snuck over to Atem and tried to use his key for his lover's restraints.
Jammed.
No use.
He gazed at Salem's convulsing form, wondering what his twin could have done to her to make her scream like that. He turned back toward Atem and bit back a gasp.
The ex-king was sobbing, quietly but loud enough for Kaiba to hear that Atem was scared.
Scared for Salem.
Scared for Kaiba.
Scared for himself.
Kaiba cupped Atem's cheek and put a finger to his lips to hush the worried king. The couple froze when the other Kaiba spoke again,
"Anansi...Aren't you going to do something about our loose prisoner?" He said, finally taking his attention away from Salem's slowly stilling body.
Atem shivered as the other Kaiba's eyes locked on him and Kaiba. He had felt despair before but seeing Not-Kaiba's empty eyes, devoid of any emotion, made him lose all hope of escape.
Anansi cleared his throat and slowly walked toward Kaiba and Atem, his steps echoing loudly in the throne room.
Atem didn't realize how quiet it had become until Anansi stopped next to them and faced the other Kaiba in defense. The young bodyguard had chosen his side.
The only thing that could be heard were Salem's ragged breaths as she slowly faded into unconsciousness.
Kaiba's eyes widened as Salem's entire body stilled,
"What-What did you do to her?!" He yelled, taking a cautious step forward, stopping when his doppelganger stood up.
The other Kaiba's laugh resonated deeply in his chest,
"Anansi? Are you really going to side with the people who shut you out?" He asked, not bothering to talk to Kaiba.
Anansi took a protective stance next to Kaiba and glared at the other Kaiba,
"Just answer one question. Where is my mother?" He asked slowly through gritted teeth.
The other Kaiba gave Anansi a blank stare before his face stretched into a tight toothy smile,
"...Your...Mother…? Ah, yes… I do recall your mother….She was...fun." He said, licking his lips.
Anansi's eyes widened as he understood what had happened to his family. Hot tears ran down his cheeks as he glared at the madman in front of them,
"I'll kill you… You'll never expand this shit hole. I'll make it my life's mission to stop you..." Anansi growled.
The other Kaiba cackled and put his hands on his hips,
"Then I'll kill all of you right now. Here." He took a small key out of his robe pocket and threw it in Kaiba, Anansi, and Atem's direction,
"Let's make things interesting. You three against me. No weapons." He said, suddenly serious.
Kaiba snatched the key off the stone floor quickly as Anansi walked forward, already circling and countering the other Kaiba. He unlocked Atem carefully, helping the ex-pharaoh pull his jeans back on.
"Kaiba...I don't think I can-"
"Stay behind Anansi and me. Keep your distant away from him as best you can. Once there's an opening, try and-" Kaiba grunted when the other Kaiba landed a swift kick to his stomach using his bare foot.
Atem let out a cry as the other Kaiba grabbed him by the throat and lifted him off of the ground. He grabbed at the other Kaiba's wrists, kicking his legs out to hopefully make an impact. He fell to the floor when Anansi tackled the other Kaiba, causing the X-stands to topple over.
Kaiba lurched toward Salem's motionless body, turning to block a punch from his twin when he heard fast foot falls behind him. He swung, cringing when he could feel his twin's jaw smack against his knuckles.
He let out a howl when he felt something sharp penetrate his upper arm. He distanced himself from the other Kaiba to get a read on what had just happened.
He breathed raggedly,
"No weapons, huh?" He covered his wound with his palm putting pressure on the area.
The other Kaiba licked the blade of a small dagger and smirked,
"Can't handle a little twist?"
Atem quietly stepped along the perimeter of the room as Kaiba and Anansi cautiously approached the other-Kaiba. He didn't know how he was going to get to Salem's body with Not-Kaiba viciously guarding her.
He paused when he found himself stuck. He was on the outer edge of the room, protected by Anansi and Kaiba who were facing the other Kaiba, who was the only thing standing between the three of them, and Salem's body.
"Why don't you three just leave? Anansi has the portal technology. You all could just leave her here with me… I'll take good care of her. She belongs here with me." The other Kaiba purred, flipping the dagger in between each of his fingers.
Atem glared and stepped forward, stopping at Kaiba's side,
"And how do you figure that?" He growled, his fighting spirit overshadowing the pain in his limbs.
The other Kaiba smiled wildly, his black hair crazed and messy from their altercation,
"She's a monster just. Like. me." He said, articulating the last few words.
"That's not true!" Kaiba yelled, feeling woozy from the stab wound on his arm.
"Oh? Atem was just telling his precious "Aibou" that Salem was a monster. And you, making everyone around you believe that Salem's some sort of mad scientist." The other Kaiba accused, flipping the handle of the dagger into his palm and pointing the tip of the blade in Kaiba's direction with an outstretched arm,
"It's not far off though. Only pure insanity can drive someone to create that watch on her wrist. Anansi, you betrayed her the minute someone with her face spread their legs for you. Salem spurned your affection and continued to use you…" He trailed off, smirking at the three men,
"No, I'd say that by my side is the best place for her. She comes by the evil inside her honestly-"
"Shut up!" Atem yelled, his breathing uneven and nervous,
"I was wrong! We all were! She's nothing like you. Salem is kind and caring. She has real feelings..."
"And she wouldn't do something as overly campy as creating an entire empire of lobotomized versions of her servants. You're the only madman here," Kaiba added, his hands curled in tight fists.
The other Kaiba blinked and then snickered. His snicker turned into symphony of chuckles and then into full blown laughter.
He calmed down and breathed, wiping a tear from his eye as if there were some sort of joke,
"And what makes you think you two know her so well? Hmm?"
Atem breathed in deeply, almost choking on his sobs. He covered his mouth as he tried to keep his eyes on the other Kaiba.
She was moving. She sat up quietly, tearing off the already ruined turtleneck underneath her trench coat.
"Because-I. We…" Kaiba stuttered, not believing his eyes. He knew that the other Kaiba wasn't looking to kill Salem, but Kaiba didn't know what was in that gun. It could have been anything.
"Because we're in love with her." Atem said confidently.
Anansi watched Salem pause in her movements and gaze at the group of men in front of her.
"Both of us are…" Kaiba said, instantly feeling the weight of years of denial being lifted off of his shoulders.
"She's the only family I have left." Anansi added, watching Salem lift a blunt battle axe off of the wall out of the corner of his eye.
The other Kaiba rolled his eyes and feigned a yawn,
"Are you three done? My Queen should be awake by now…" He said, turning around to face Salem, who was standing directly behind him, her expression unreadable.
The other Kaiba gasped and cooed,
"My my, don't you look adorable! That weapon is too big for you, sweetheart. But if you can carry it, how about you test it on our three guests, hmmm?" He gushed, tucking a strand of Salem's wild curly hair behind her ear.
The three men became confused.
Kaiba knew that something strange was in that gun and whatever it was, it was going to make Salem kill them.
He grunted, taking a step back. This was bad.
Very bad.
Salem walked slowly toward the men until she was standing just in front of Not-Kaiba, who was still gushing over his new play thing.
"That's right, sweetheart. Show them who you really are…" He hummed.
Salem raised the large weapor, twisting her body and planting her feet, ready to swing at any moment.
Atem's heart was beating rapidly as he watched her eyes go blank and swing the weapon, shifting her weight so that the blunt blade of the axe struck the other Kaiba in the chest. He gasped when the large man fell to the floor in shock.
"Hurry!" Salem yelled,
"Grab a weapon and help me!"
Kaiba was the first to move, not bothering with a weapon and charging at the other Kaiba with a full force punch to the open gash on his chest.
The other Kaiba retched and coughed, blood spattering out of his mouth as it ran down the sides of his chin.
Atem was the second to take action, grabbing a longsword off of the wall and lunging the tip of the blade into the other Kaiba's exposed abdomen, relishing the sound of the long, loud scream.
Anansi stood rooted in his position, unable to make his legs move. He watched the three in front of him strike and stab the man that had driven them apart. Even with everything that had happened, he couldn't help but smile.
His Lady had finally found family.
Three took a step back from the wheezing, bleeding madman in front of them. All of them were breathing and sweating heavily.
They froze when the other Kaiba let out a raspy chuckle,
"You think you've won…? I have an army...they'll expand...and destroy...everything and everyone...you love..." his chuckle turned into a labored cackle, continuing as Kaiba, Atem, and Salem looked at each other.
The cackle became louder as Atem pointed the tip of the longsword at the base of the other Kaiba's neck. He nodded at Kaiba and Salem who put their hands on the handle on top of Atem's.
Together, they quickly and roughly pushed the blade through the thick meat beneath them, not stopping until they hit the stone floor.
The cackling came to an abrupt halt and it was finally silent.
One by one, the three of the let go of the sword, blankly staring a the lifeless man on the floor.
Kaiba twitched as he felt the wound on his arm sting. He turned to look at Anansi,
"Thank you." Was all he could muster.
Anansi nodded and gazed at Salem who was fishing for something in her jacket.
"So much for these hidden weapons…" She said, taking out a small cube and reaching inside.
Atem gasped as she pulled out a long dark crimson trench coat with gold lining,
"Salem...did you-"
"Hurry up and put it on." She interrupted, taking a small device out of the inside pocket of her dark grey trench.
Atem hastily slipped on the jacket and stepped away from the body, not yet able to process that he had just killed someone. He was quickly joined by Kaiba and Anansi.
The men watched Salem attach the device to the dead man's body.
She snapped her head up to look at Anansi,
"Your phone." She barked, stretching out her hand.
Anansi hurried to Salem's side and took his smartphone out of his jacket pocket. He handed it Salem who snatched it readily. He kneeled down beside her, watching her work.
"...My Lady...that's going to-"
"I know what it's going to do, Anansi. There's no other way. We can't have this reality expand into others. It has to be this way." Salem said robotically, as if she'd rehearsed it in her head billions of times.
Anansi stood up and backed away from Salem, joining Kaiba and Atem off to the side.
Kaiba studied Anansi's stern face quietly. He knew that everyone in this room owed their lives to the young green eyed man but Kaiba wasn't quite sure if he could trust him yet.
But, if Salem was going to stay with him and Atem, would she want Anansi there as well?
Kaiba wrapped his uninjured arm around Atem and sighed,
"I want her to stay with us. I want us to make this work."
Atem gazed into Kaiba's tired eyes and nodded slowly,
"I do too but, we never even asked her what she'd want…" He trailed off, staring at the tan stone floor.
Kaiba and Atem jumped slightly when Anansi spoke,
"I don't think she knows what she wants... going forward... "
"Why do you think that?" Atem asked, genuinely inquisitive.
Anansi sighed and looked at both of them,
"That device is going to destroy everything. This entire reality will completely destroyed. Erased. No one will be able to leave and no one will be able to come back," he turned his attention toward Salem, "I think her plan was to give that man what he wanted until he released you two and then…" his voice wavered uncharacteristically before he broke off completely.
Kaiba swallowed the lump in his throat,
"She was going to get rid of this place with her inside of it...she was going to sacrifice herself...to save everyone."
Atem shook his head,
"Not just everyone. Us."
The three men looked at Salem as the devices on the corpse beeped and whirred.
She stayed kneeling, pointing her watch at the wall and opening her signature pink portal,
"That'll get you back to the Kaiba mansion. You three should get to safety." She said, sitting back on her heels, not looking back at the men once.
Kaiba and Atem walked up to Salem slowly, followed closely by Anansi,
"We aren't leaving you here." Atem said, ignoring the pain that was still ever present in his body to put a firm hand on her shoulder.
"He was right. You all were. I am a monster. I'm a bad person. Whatever love you want to give me, I don't deserve...plus…" Salem trailed off, rubbing her exposed stomach where she was injected with fluid,
"This is my only way out…"
Kaiba blinked rapidly to block the tears forming in his eyes,
"Atem, Anansi. Go. We'll be right behind you." He said, as the ground around them began to crack and shake.
"But-" Atem started.
"Go!" Kaiba yelled, looking into Atem's eyes reassuringly.
Anansi gently grabbed Atem's upper arm and lead him into the portal, not daring to look back at Salem.
Kaiba watched them disappear before tilting his head down to look at Salem,
"I won't move until you do." He said, kneeling down next to her.
Salem huffed through her nose and smirked up at Kaiba, her honey eyes dull and exhausted,
"You know better than anyone...just go...you'll forget about me and move on..." she said, crossing her arms over her stomach to comfort herself.
Kaiba shook his head and laughed, sitting down fully and crossing his legs,
"I guess you don't know me as well as I thought you did..."
Salem turned her head and raised an eyebrow,
"I don't know what you mean?"
"I built a space station, nearly bankrupted my company, and abandoned everyone I cared about to try and get Atem back. Do you really think I wouldn't risk all of my resources, my money, or even my life just to try and bring you back to?" Kaiba scooted closer to her and put his hand on her thigh,
"You and Atem mean the world to me and I've gone through too much to deny myself real love when it's right in front of me. You shouldn't deny yourself either…" he said, switching his weight to his knees, facing Salem and cupping her cheeks in his hands.
She gazed into his eyes, her dull eyes turning bright for a moment before watering and brimming with tears,
"But, people won't understand-"
"Shh. We'll make them understand. What the three of us have is special-" Kaiba pulled Salem into his arms as the stone walls of the palace started to crumble and fall,
"We love you, Salem. I love you. We wouldn't have been in this mess if we had just told you that sooner," he said, standing them up.
Salem bit back a sob, her breathing becoming unsteady,
"Tanin, I...your friends. They hate me. And now, this? You and Atem look a mess and-"
"Atem and I will explain everything. Trust me, Salem. You can try and find every excuse in the world but you're coming through that portal with me." Kaiba interrupted.
He leaned down, his face inches from hers, waiting and hoping that she would close the gap between them. He felt his heart flutter when he felt the feeling of Salem's soft pillowy lips against his.
He had missed the way she felt.
He reluctantly broke the kiss and took Salem's hand, leading her through the falling debris and into the portal.
They were all finally free.
We made it to the climax of the entire story!
Our heroes are free but what now? Things surely won't be a walk in the park from here!
Thank you for reading!
This chapter edited by : uglifish (prettiugli)
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