A/N: Sorry this is a bit short. It's Christmas Eve and this is my gift to y'all, my readers. I'm tired and I think I may be getting what my Dad's had since I got back from school at the start of my break. ...yay... Crap, just in time for Christmas too. Thanks Dad...

Chapter 2 summary: In which Kaiba is flexible and Oliver shows up early.

An Expected and Unexpected Arrival

Seth sat on the leather seat calmly gazing out the window of the airplane. He had slowly grown used to the world outside Kaiba's soul room and the Shadows. He still disliked it when anyone other than Kaiba touched him. He tolerated the strange sensations from Mokuba because, while the boy was not his brother by blood, he was his brother by choice which meant more to him than a blood relation ever could.

He glanced over his shoulder to where Mokuba lay curled up in his seat, the safety belt cleverly adjusted to allow the boy to sit like he was. It was adorable and Seth could not resist reaching out and petting the messy black hair. Mokuba moaned and shifted closer to Seth's attention drawing a smile from the Ba.

An answering groan emanated from the person currently half stretched out across several chairs. Seth huffed a laugh and returned his attention to the head cradled in his lap. Pale skin, short brown hair framing a stern face identical to Seth's, and two closed blue eyes rested on Seth's lap. The Ba began running his fingers through the chestnut strands and the restless shifting eased.

It amused Seth to no end that his Ka could be so adorable and needy when he slept; well, always, but it especially showed when he was asleep and unguarded. Seth continued trailing his fingers through the earthy locks a shade or so darker than his own. Once again, he marveled at how someone as tall and lanky as Seto could contort into the position he currently lay in and still be comfortable enough to fall asleep.

"We've descended into the clouds," the only other person awake in the cabin said softly. It was a quiet observation probably not meant to be said aloud, but it drew Seth's attention nevertheless. Helios sat across the cabin facing Mokuba and staring out of the window.

Seth followed the Titan's gaze and sighed thoughtfully. He had felt the plane descending gently for a while now but finally seeing evidence of it was a welcome relief. It was proof of how close they were to solid land. Seth had no love for aircraft. He found them amazing and impressive but he much preferred the feeling of fresh air and wind on his face, not this claustrophobic tube of compressed space. He sighed and leaned back against the seat back only to startle back up when the captain's voice rang through the small cabin.

"We are on final approach to Portland International Airport," the captain said in Japanese. "Please prepare for landing."

Seto groaned and pushed himself up from his awkward sprawl, pausing to roll his shoulders and pop his neck as he did so. Seth smiled sympathetically and began massaging Seto's shoulders and back, leaning in to kiss the nape of his Ka's neck. Seto's skin warmed at the contact just like Seth knew it would. Seth retreated back into Seto's soul room before his Ka could aim a tired glower in his direction.

He watched through Seto's eyes as the Isono cousins woke from their naps as well and got ready to escort their charges once they landed. Not long after, he heard the undercarriage come down just as they broke through the clouds. Helios leaned forward in his chair to watch the landing take place and both Seth and Seto were struck by how different the Titan looked after just one year with them.

When he had first sought refuge with them Helios had been windswept and haggard and seemed very much like a lost child. Over the past year, the Titan had grown more bold, the light of rebellion had been kindled in his eyes and he no longer bowed his head when he walked. Now he tied his chin-length white hair back in a small ponytail at the nape of his neck, stared everyone directly in their eyes when he spoke to them, spoke his mind, and no longer apologized every other word.

Seth did often find him staring absently out a window at the moon and both half souls of Set knew the Titan was thinking of his sister. No one from the Shadow Court had heard tell of the moon Titan so they could only hope she was safe with her lover. Helios rarely spoke of her but it was obvious she was on his mind. It was one of the few things that had not changed since his arrival.

The other significant thing that had not changed was Helios's instinctive fear of lightning storms. He still knew Zeus wanted him and would often retreat into the inner most room away from any windows or doors when there was even the hint of lightning. That was something that had been driven into his habit patterns for well over five millennia and would take a while to completely break the habit.

After the plane landed and taxied to a secure place on the tarmac, the door opened and the small group of five deplaned. There were several black vehicles waiting for them. Kaiba led the group to the car on the left selected completely at random when he noticed another car drive up. He stopped walking and waited for his companions to gather behind him. He noticed Helios step up beside him and smirked, proud of the progress the Titan showed. Even more pride inducing was the way the Isono cousins hurried in front of Kaiba and his group, hands on their gun holsters.

Kaiba placed a hand on Mokuba's shoulder, moving to stand in front of his little brother protectively and drew on his Shadows. He reached out to the car and felt for any potential threats. What he found was a familiar presence who greeted his Shadows with a teasing tug. Feeling in a teasing mood himself, he grasped the familiar Shadows with own and tugged a bit harder than he had to.

He placed a hand on both Roland and Fuguta's shoulders and stepped between them. When the car arrived, it turned aside and out of the back seat came none other than Oliver Queen. Kaiba crossed his arms and waited for the man to come to him.

"Kohai," he called. "You're early."

Oliver glanced at the cars waiting for Kaiba's group cautiously before smiling earning him a raised eyebrow from the young CEO. He waited until he was close enough to shake Kaiba's hand before speaking. "There's been a change of plans," he said. "Long story, but Ishizu called. We need to talk."

Kaiba, already alert, stiffened at the name of his Priestess. He glanced at the men waiting to pick up his group and offered a nod as he shook his friend's hand. "Then are you offering us a ride?"

"I am." Oliver stepped aside and waved Kaiba and his group to his car. "There's enough room for all of you in the back with me."

"But what about Roland and Fuguta?" Mokuba asked, stepping out from behind his big brother.

"There's room for them too," Oliver said with a smile. "Come on. We need to talk."

Kaiba strode past Oliver and climbed into the car, sliding into the farthest seat. Mokuba climbed in after him, settling into the middle seat. Roland, Helios, and Fuguta climbed into the back row in that order before Oliver pushed the folded chair next to Mokuba back up and sat in it. He pulled the door closed and they drove off.

"John Diggle," Kaiba said to the man behind the wheel. "You look well."

The man shrugged and shook his head. "Honestly, how that's possible I'll never know."

Kaiba smirked before his eyes slid to Oliver's. "You said Ishizu called?" he said.

Oliver nodded. "She said she had a vision." The Starling City vigilante turned to face Kaiba and, after a brief glance at Mokuba who was staring at him with interest, continued. "She saw you die."

Kaiba's eyes narrowed. "Did she say how?"

"Sniped," Oliver replied succinctly, noticing the instant reaction from Kaiba's bodyguards. "On the balcony at the building the philanthropy party's suppose to take place."

Kaiba sighed and shook his head. "Does she know who's responsible?"

"No," Oliver replied. "But that's not all. There was also a bomb, possibly two. It killed me and Mokuba."

This time Kaiba's eyes widened and immediately flicked down to his little brother, assuring himself Mokuba was still there. To his credit, Mokuba did not flinch at the news. Rather, he placed a hand on his big brother's and squeezed.

"I assume that's why you came to pick us up personally," Kaiba said.

Oliver nodded. "Yeah. Apparently Ishizu thinks there're two different perpetrators." He held up a finger, "The sniper," he lifted a second finger, "and the bomber."

"Were they both after me, do you think?" Kaiba asked.

Oliver was already shaking his head but it was Diggle who answered. "It doesn't seem likely. It would make more sense if the sniper was the only one after you but the bomber was after everyone. That's usually how it goes. Unless it's a terrorist act in which case, we should receive a manifesto or some kind of shit soon before or after."

Kaiba hummed thoughtfully. "I won't cancel the construction," he said firmly, squeezing his brother's hand tightly. "I refuse."

"I agree," Oliver said. "But I suggest we take precautions. Like you don't go outside and stay away from windows, Mokuba too. I also pulled a few strings and it seems Arrow will be there along with a couple other metahumans."

"Metahumans?" Kaiba asked incredulously.

Oliver just shrugged. "It's what superhumans are called now apparently. Don't look at me, I didn't come up with it. I heard it started on the Internet and grew from there."

"Makes sense," Mokuba said. "Everything comes through the Internet one way or another."

"Which metahumans plan to appear?" Helios asked, leaning forward against the seat in front of him.

Oliver turned his body to face the Titan more directly. "Diana hopes to be there as does J'onn."

Kaiba tsked and muttered something in a mildly annoyed voice that sounded distinctly like, "telepath."

Oliver chuckled. "Hey, it could be worse." Kaiba glanced at him suspiciously and the vigilante continued. "Superman could show."

Kaiba hissed and crossed his arms and legs in obvious annoyance. "The hell he is. The last thing I need is another Shadow Thief incident. If I hadn't been fast enough back there, the backlash of that Trap could have killed me."

"Let's just hope he stays out of it," Diggle said. "We've already told him to stay out unless things get serious. The last thing we need is a media storm."

"Won't you already be getting that with the Justice League appearing?" Helios asked.

"Not necessarily," Diggle replied. "The Justice League is known for making appearances at philanthropic functions, particularly those involving young children."

"Seeing as this is the celebration of breaking ground for the orphanage," Oliver said, taking over, "it would not be unusual for them to be there. J'onn will be incognito, though."

"Understandable," Kaiba muttered. He sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose and closed his eyes. "I was honestly hoping for a week off. This isn't what I needed."

"Join the club," Diggle said. "It's been quiet here. Not too quiet mind, but things have definitely calmed down in the past few weeks."

"Nothing of interest then?" Helios asked. Diggle shook his head and the Titan folded his arms on the back of the seat Mokuba sat in and rested his head on them. "Then was there anything else the Priestess said?"

Oliver hesitated before shaking his head. Kaiba stared at the vigilante significantly, lifting an eyebrow. "Kohai?" he said.

With a sigh, Oliver said, "She didn't say anything else, but I got the feeling she wanted to."

"If she didn't tell you, then it was probably because she wants to tell me in person," Kaiba said, pulling out his phone. He switched it off of airplane mode and was immediately inundated with a series of dings indicating missed calls and a couple voicemails. He flushed and dialed Ishizu's phone number.

"It's pointless," Oliver said, stopping Kaiba. "She's already on a plane here."

Kaiba sighed and leaned his head back against the headrest. "Fabulous," he said sarcastically. He switched off his phone and crossed his arms comfortably. "Then I suppose I'll hear everything in person by the end of the day."

"Is it just Ishizu who's coming?" Helios asked.

"I think Shaadi's coming with her," Oliver said.

"Then it'll likely be less than a day," the Titan said. "Shaadi will probably teleport them between airports to save time and cover more ground."

Kaiba hummed. The strange feeling of discomfort was beginning to return. Seth became antsy causing both half souls to shift restlessly until finally they shivered together. The paranoia that had been hounding them for the past several days came back in full force and Kaiba pinched the bridge of his nose, closed his eyes, and focused on his breathing.

He was fine. Seth was fine. Only friends were nearby. His Shadows would have informed him of another Shadow user in the vicinity. He had his Deck and his backup gun at his hip and Mokuba was safely next to him. There was no reason to be paranoid.

Except for the small fact that someone planned to shoot him at tomorrow's ground breaking ceremony in broad daylight and then bomb the entire place. Kaiba took a deep breath and fought back a second shiver. Whatever this feeling was, he did not like it, not one bit.

He shivered again and this time felt Mokuba squeeze his hand comfortingly just as another hand rested on his shoulder, Roland. Kaiba took a deep steadying breath and forced himself to relax. When he deemed himself sufficiently in control, he opened his eyes and sat back resolutely avoiding Oliver's eyes.

"Hey, you alright?" Oliver asked softly. Kaiba huffed and looked out the window, the opposite direction of the speaker. Oliver tried again. "Hey, I need to know if something's wrong. My city, my rules."

Kaiba sighed. "It's nothing serious," he said. "I just have a headache is all."

"You'll pardon me," Diggle said sardonically, "but last time I checked, headaches didn't cause convulsions."

"They weren't convulsions," Kaiba said, annoyed.

"Oh? 'Kay, then what were they?" Diggle challenged.

Kaiba met the driver's eyes through the rearview mirror for several moments before huffing and turning away. "Shivers."

"It's been happening for a while," Helios said. Kaiba glared at the Titan, daring him to say more. Helios met his glare defiantly and continued speaking. "For the past several days at least. They've been getting worse."

"What part of 'keep your mouth shut' don't you understand, Titan?" Kaiba growled.

"The part that does not involve your endangerment," Helios replied promptly. "Now, will you continue or shall I?"

Kaiba tsked and sulked.

"Kaiba-sama," Roland said softly. "Please? For my peace of mind, if nothing else?"

Kaiba remained silent for several moments before huffing. "It really is nothing," he said. "The doctors say I'm not sick, I have no fever, I feel fine. It's just a few bouts of...discomfort."

"Tell him what you told me," Helios said.

"I'm beginning to wonder if telling you was the wisest decision," Kaiba grumbled.

"We'll talk about that after you tell him," the Greek said calmly.

"Fuck you."

"I'm not particularly interested and neither are you," Helios countered. "Now speak, Set."

"Don't call me that," Kaiba growled turning to glare at the Titan angrily.

Helios calmly sat back, rested his folded hand on his knees, and met the piercing blue gaze with his own sun gold. "Then tell him," he said.

"He said it felt like someone was walking on his grave," Mokuba said quietly.

"Mokuba!" Kaiba said, staring at his little brother in surprise. "I thought I told you to go to sleep."

"You told me to go to bed," the younger Kaiba corrected. "I did. I just didn't go to sleep."

Kaiba huffed in frustration while Oliver sat back in thought. "Have you considered you may be sensing someone following you?" he offered. "I sometimes get that feeling when I'm being watched."

The young Japanese businessman shook his head firmly. "If I am being followed, it's no Shadow user," he said firmly. "I would have felt them. Also, Seth felt it first."

"Have you asked him what it is?" Diggle said.

"I have," Kaiba said nodding. "He doesn't know. But it makes him more uncomfortable than me. I'm mostly reacting to his paranoia."

"Alright then," Diggle said. "This should be fun."