A/N: Sorry for the delay. Basically, Finals happened, then I got sick the first day after my last Final, mom is family medical emergencies about, and I couldn't go to graduation... STRESS! But I'm home now and the stress is mostly gone now. So I finally finished writing this and updated. I'll edit it tomorrow. Happy Mother's Day!
Chapter summary: In which heights aren't good, neither is space, or the news, but hugs are good.
Home
"The heeEEEEEEL!"
He could not hear anything else over the sound of rushing air and the beating of his own heart as the windows of a skyscraper raced past his eyes as he plummeted to the ground. He flailed frantically hoping something, anything would catch him before he went splat on the ground far below. Then the air around him tinged green and his descent slowed until it stooped. It was only then that he gasped and shook as adrenaline continued to race through his system.
"What the god-fucking hell was that?" Mai exclaimed.
Arrow turned his head to see the Sorceress dangling just a few feet above him in the same spread eagle position. Kaiba hung not to far to her right next to Shaadi. The Regent was clinging tightly to his little brother and staring at the ground with wide eyes. Green Lantern hovered somewhat calmly in the middle of their group extending his green light to encase all of them, preventing them from falling.
"Regent?!" Mai demanded urgently.
Kaiba blinked. "I...I just Traveled," he said, still staring at the ground in terrified confusion. "I was only trying to Travel. I don't..."
"We appear to be in the same geographical location as we were when we left," Shaadi said, his voice sounding the calmest so far. His wide orange eyes betrayed his fear, however. "I did nothing. I assume you did nothing either, Mai."
"No way in hell," Mai said, shaking her head emphatically. "Arrow?"
"No," the vigilante called back, swallowing convulsively as his heartbeat slowed to a more relaxed rate. "Lantern?" he asked.
"I didn't do anything except catch you," the metahuman said.
"Yeah," Mai said, calming down. "Thanks for that, by the way." She noticed people staring at them through the windows of the skyscraper and waved with a bright smile on her face. "But I'd be a lot more comfortable out of sight."
"I thought we were going home," Mokuba said, drawing the group's attention. "We are going home, aren't we?"
"Mokuba," Kaiba said slowly. "Did you do anything when we tried to Travel?"
"I helped you," he said in confusion. "Was I not supposed to?"
"How did you help, Mokuba?" Shaadi asked. "Did you use the Shadows?"
Mokuba looked down at the hovering Advisor nearby. "I didn't mean to," he said, his face beginning to burn with shame. "I just figured out how to hear them this morning. They said to go home, so I tried to..." He bowed his head. "Sorry."
"You're not in trouble," Kaiba said, shifting to lift his little brother's head so he could see the dark gray eyes he cared so much about. "But I need to know what you did. You said...you can hear the Shadows?"
Mokuba nodded, a small smile blooming on his face. "They talk," he said bashfully. "I've never heard them until this morning, but they kept me from getting caught up in the fight between Ares and Helios." He looked up seriously. "They knew Ares was there and tried to get us out, but we weren't fast enough."
"You heard them at Charles's school?" Kaiba pressed.
:He was probably affected by the number of potential and latent Shadow users there as much as we were,: Seth whispered thoughtfully.
Someone snapped a picture of them inside the building and she blushed. "Lantern," Mai called up in a sing-song voice, "think you could give us a lift somewhere a bit more private?"
Lantern jerked. "Oh! Of course," he said. He tapped his communicator still clipped to his collar and said, "Lantern to Watchtower. We need a lift."
"Lantern!" Flash's voice all but yelled through the tiny microphone. "You're back! Dude, you missed a heck of a lot."
"You can tell us all about it," Lantern said. "But right now, we need a ride."
"Where to?"
"Anywhere but here," he said, lifting an eyebrow.
"Go your coordinates locked," Flash said. "You're in Metropolis?"
"Flash."
"Right, right, sorry, got it. Beaming now."
The group's immediate surroundings faded away to reveal the Watchtower's metal and glass presence. Mokuba groaned and leaned heavily on Kaiba's chest. The Regent staggered and blinked in disorientation while Shaadi clutched his head, his strange eyes squinting like he had a bad headache. Mai wobbled and almost fell to her knees, leaning heavily on Arrow who shook his head as if trying to clear it.
"Hey," Flash said, stepping up. He noticed the state of the group and gasped. "Woah! You all okay? What's wrong?"
"Not here, you idiot," Kaiba said through gritted teeth. "KaibaCorp Tower, Domino City, Japan. Now."
"But you just got he-"
"NOW!"
"Alright! Alright!" Flash said, waving his hands and rushing back to the control panel.
It took a few seconds to find the KaibaCorp Tower's coordinates, enter them, and activate the teleporter, adding himself to the group to be transported. When they reappeared in the business tower, Kaiba almost immediately straightened and looked around. Mai sighed and rubbed her temples gingerly while Arrow looked around, blinking dumbly. Shaadi shook his head once and hurried over to his Regent's side, helping him make sure Mokuba was alright.
"Okay," Flash said, stepping next to Green Lantern who appeared just as confused as the other Justice League member. "What the hell just happened?"
"You took us into space," Kaiba snapped.
"Well yeah," Flash said as if speaking to a child. "The Watchtower is in space."
"Our powers are Earth based," Kaiba clarified in the same sarcastic tone. "For someone like us, going into space where there are few humans and thus few Shadows with little to no warning can cause...a strain."
"It 's like having someone pulling your hair," Mai said. "The further away you get from them, the more it hurts until strands start pulling out."
"It is...disorienting," Shaadi said.
"Here here," Arrow said. "I am so glad I don't have to go there very often."
"You were fine the first time we brought you there," Flash said to Kaiba.
"I was unconscious if you remember correctly," Kaiba corrected. "For a good while, too. Especially since you took my Deck from me," he added with a glare.
He gently setting Mokuba on the ground. The younger Kaiba grumbled and stubbornly held on to his brother, refusing to stand on his own. After a few failed attempts, the older brother gave and simply stood and shifted Mokuba to a more comfortable position on his hip.
"Okay, point," Flash conceded.
They walked into the building and were suddenly beset by startled businessmen and women in the entryway. Directly across from the glass doors in the middle of the large, atrium was a circular desk with two women and a man standing behind it. The first two floors of the KaibaCorp building were accessible by the two escalators on either side of the atrium and open to the public.
The first floor was mainly and open floor plan with the desk in the middle surrounded by scattered tables and chairs, benches, upholstered chairs, and lots of outlets for computers and phones. The second floor appeared to be mainly a cafè serving hot beverages and food for employees and the occasional visitor.
"Kaiba-sama!" came a chorus of voices startling everyone but the KaibaCorp CEO.
"Back to work, all of you," he said in curt Japanese. "The day's not over."
Immediately, the employees bowed their heads and hurried back to work.
"Whatever you just said," Lantern said, watching the employees run around in fascination, "you could have said it a little gentler maybe."
"Hardly," Kaiba said in English. "I'm young. They know that. If I'm not careful, I could lose their respect which could easily lead to espionage. I can't afford that, not in this industry."
He continued walking across the floor to the elevator on the far side. He placed his hand on the pad and waited while it scanned his fingerprints before shining bright green. The bell dinged and the doors opened allowing the group access.
Once everyone was inside, the doors closed and Kaiba said, "My office."
"Who're you-"
"So rude, otouto-kun," Noa's voice chimed, interrupting Lantern.
"Noa?" the metahuman asked.
"Oh, hi Lantern," Noa said, appearing on the screen directly above the floor buttons. He smiled and waved. "Good to see you again. Gotten any better at Duel Monsters?"
"You play?" Kaiba asked mildly.
"Not well, no," Lantern admitted.
"He's teaching me though," Flash said grinning. "Maybe we can have a playoff or something," he said to the blue haired boy on the screen. "Nothing serious. Just a teaching game or two."
Noa smiled. "I'd like that." He noticed Mokuba standing by his big brother and his smile grew. "Mokuba! You're back."
"Of course I am," Mokuba said happily.
"Yeah, I should of known," Noa said laughing with Mokuba. "I take it Helios is back too?"
Mokuba's eyes darkened. "No," he said. "But he will be."
Noa nodded grimly before looking back up at Kaiba. "By the way," he said, "you'll need to plug your phone into the mainframe when you get to your office. I gotta update it."
"How long will it take?" Kaiba asked, pulling out his phone.
"About five minutes or so."
Kaiba nodded and leaned back against the glass side of the elevator as it moved up through the tube. He glanced over his shoulder just as Mai stepped up to join him, sighing at the view.
"I miss Domino," the Sorceress said. "It's always so pretty this time of year. The trees in the parks are changing, kids are back in school, the air gets cooler... I love Fall.,
"I thought you were fond of Spring," Shaadi said, cocking his head to the side.
"I'm fond of the cherry blossoms," she corrected, holding up a finger. "The pollen hates me so I hate Spring."
"Ah."
"Okay," Flash said. "So when are we going to talk?"
"As soon as we're in my office," Kaiba replied.
Flash looked back at the digital counter above Noa's screen counting up the floors they had passed before settling on thirty-nine. The bell dinged and the doors opened to a large office. The far wall was lined with floor-to-ceiling windows with a single, sleek, modern glass and metal desk set in the very center of the wall. A smaller desk sat by the left wall and a large table with a scale model of Domino City under a glass case sat by the far right wall.
Kaiba walked straight up to the desk by the windows and plugged his phone into something the group could not see. Lantern and Flash followed Mai, Shaadi, and Mokuba further into the room only to pause when they noticed Arrow was still standing by the elevator.
"Hey, buddy," Flash said, nudging the vigilante, "you okay man?"
"I..." Arrow shook his head slowly. "It's exactly like your soul room," he said softly.
"It reflects part of who he is," Shaadi said as the vigilante pushed back his hood and ran a hand through his short hair.
"Yeah," Oliver said. "I can see that."
"You should call your friend, Diggle," Kaiba called. "He's probably waiting to hear you're back."
"And pay international fees?" Oliver said.
Kaiba's lips twitched upwards. "You're complaining about money?" he teased.
Oliver shrugged. "You're richer than me," he said with a cheeky grin. "Besides, isn't it the host's job to offer assistance to his guests?"
"Only when they need it."
"You're going to make me ask, aren't you?"
Kaiba smirked and sat down at his desk, interlacing his fingers together and rested his chin on them. He lifted an eyebrow and waited until Oliver sighed.
"Can I borrow your phone?" he asked, a smile still tugging at his lips.
Kaiba merely glanced down at the phone on his desk while Mokuba snickered from his position near his big brother's desk. Oliver rolled his eyes and walked up to the desk, gestured to the phone with a comical expression to which Kaiba sneered. Snorting, Oliver plucked the phone from its set and began dialing while walking over to the table with the scale model of Domino City.
"Well, I'll be damned," Mai murmured.
"Indeed," Shaadi said. "It is rare to see you exhibit such...playfulness."
"Shut up," Kaiba snapped.
"It was kinda cute," Mai teased gently.
"I hate to break the mood here," Flash said, stepping forward, "but I got some bad news."
"If you mean to tell me the King and the Pharaoh are gone, then don't bother," Kaiba said, any trace of his smile gone.
"They're gone too?" Mokuba asked.
Kaiba pushed his chair back far enough to allow his little brother to crawl up and sit in his lap without loosing his serious expression. "I knew the moment they left," he said. "I will personally beat their asses for doing that."
Everyone paused when the soft sound of a distinctly angry voice drifted over to them. They looked over to Oliver who was sheepishly holding the phone a good foot or so from his ear with a pained expression on his face. Mokuba and Mai giggled and even Kaiba's lip quirked.
"That...was part of it, yeah," Flash admitted, scratching his head awkwardly. "The rest of it was that-"
The elevator dinged suddenly, interrupting him again. Kaiba blinked in confusion and leaned around the group to see who Noa had allowed up to his office. The doors opened and the Isono cousins rushed in. Kaiba stood from his chair letting Mokuba stand beside him and waited. But whatever he had been expecting, it was definitely not what he got.
His eyes grew round, his mouth opened, and his body stiffened in shock when he was suddenly embraced by a pair of strong arms which clamped against his back and held him close. He had no idea what to do or how to react except stand there dumbstruck. It took several seconds for him to recognize this as a hug and only then did he hesitantly hugs back. His return embrace was nowhere near the strength and voracity as Roland's, but it meant more to the man who helped safeguard Kaiba's life and sanity more than any fancy words possibly could.
Mokuba was not as hesitant as his big brother. He all but jumped into Isono Fuguta's arms, squealing happily when the man knelt down and pulled the boy into a tight hug. He dug his smaller fingers into Fuguta's jacket before flailing and pushing away. Confused, Fuguta eased off just long enough for Mokuba to get comfortable before he hugging him again.
Mai smiled and wisely remained silent, although seeing Kaiba be hugged by anyone other than Mokuba and actually hug back -willingly!- was a miracle even she never dreamed of witnessing. Shaadi appeared generally unruffled aside from the soft smile he wore. Lantern and Flash glanced at Oliver who was still on the phone but seemed focused on the scene unfolding in front of him. All three of them felt like they were seeing something that felt like it should be private. It was personal.
Then it was over. Roland stepped back and gripped Kaiba's arms firmly and gazed at Kaiba with misty eyes, a proud smile on his face. "I'm glad you're back, Kaiba-sama," he said in soft Japanese. "Welcome home."
The faintest hint of color blossomed in Kaiba's cheeks as he replied in the same, soft Japanese. "I'm home." Deep in his ming, he felt Seth's warm, proud smile and cautiously allowed himself to crack a true smile. It still felt fragile, unsure, and unpracticed, but it was real and heartfelt and that was alk that mattered.
Roland smiled and fought back tears when he saw the smile. He patted Kaiba's arm in what could easily be seen as a fatherly gesture before turning and giving a similarly heartfelt welcome to Mokuba. Kaiba composed himself and turned back to the group, noticing their expressions and glaring at them with much less venom then usual.
"You were saying?" he prompted Flash.
The speedster jolted at suddenly being spoken to. He hesitated, struggling to remember where he left off before snapping his fingers. "Right. Um, Hawkgirl's teamed up with Ishizu, Marik, and the Bakura twins. They're making life difficult for the dig."
"Good," Kaiba said.
"They may have exposed the Court, though," Flash said quickly. "Maybe. Possibly."
Kaiba grew very still, very gently place his hand on his desk centimeters away from a Blue Eyes White Dragon figurine. Flash braced for the inevitable impact from when Kaiba finally threw the object or something like it. He could not decide if he was impressed or disconcerted when the CEO deliberately took a deep breath in and removed his hand from the desk, stuffing both hands in his pockets.
"I leave for two days," he muttered.
"What about Helios?" Flash asked. "Why isn't he with you? I thought he vanished too. How did you even- How did you get to another reality in the first place anyway?" he directed at Mokuba.
Mokuba blinked and flushed. "I...I was falling. I don't remember. I just...I just wanted to be...somewhere else," he said quietly.
"It's likely he tapped into Ra-Horahkty's power without realizing it," Kaiba said. "It can do it with Obelisk if I focus or feel threatened enough. So can Yugi and Yami." He gazed at his little brother thoughtfully. "Ra-Horahkty is the Creator God, the most powerful of the gods. Obelisk, Ra, and Osiris worship her. It would make sense if she had the power to traverse realities just like Obelisk helped us do so. But where I have to draw directly on Obelisk's power either by directly channeling him or calling Court Mokuba can do it simply by focusing on something hard enough."
"So...it was my fault?" Mokuba asked, eyes wide and ashamed.
Kaiba's eyes sharpened. "Did you bomb the event?" he demanded coldly.
"No! I-"
"Did you shoot me?"
"No!"
"Did you start digging up my tomb?"
"Ew. No!"
Kaiba smiled softly. "Then it's not your fault. You just discovered a power you didn't know you had."
"Like how I can hear the Shadows now?" Mokuba asked, excitement returning.
Kaiba nodded and Mokuba felt a swell of pride. "Just don't go using it on a whim," Kaiba said. "The last thing we need is more excitement right now."
"Well actually," Flash said hesitantly. "That's the other other thing I gotta tell you."
"And what would that be?" Oliver asked, replaced the phone in its stand and trying not to rub his ringing ear.
Flash took a deep breath. "Wonder Woman's been keeping an eye out for any activity in the supernatural world and -wow, the fact I can say 'supernatural world' without any hesitation is incredible- anyway, she said that several pantheons have been much more interactive than normal lately."
"What does she mean by 'normal'?" Lantern asked. "Don't pantheons normally keep to themselves?"
"They do, yeah," Flash said. "That's why she noticed. Apparently there was this big 'Hunt' thing," he said, using air quotes, "which normally draws in several pantheons just for the night. But this time the Hunt went much further than usual. They made it all the way to Japan. And there's also been a flurry of activity on Olympus. I think she said Ares might me back."
"Ares?" Kaiba demanded.
"Hey, I literally just hung up with her when Lantern contacted me so I didn't get the chance to double check," Flash said, holding up his hands in a placating gesture. "I can try to call her back and see what else I can get."
"Or," a new voice said, "you could hear from the horse's mouth."