Chapter II

Mokuba sighed. His eyes followed Seto's panicked walking back and forth in the living room with worry, hoping that his brother would eventually calm down, lest he wanted to drill a hole in the floor.

"Brother, why don't you sit down?"

"It isn't worth my time sitting down, Mokuba, if it means getting up a moment later to open the door for that freak." Kaiba hissed, stopping for a moment so he could look at his little brother. He could see those big eyes of his pleading him to calm down, but the man wasn't ready to relax just yet. He was going to do that after he claims back his rights to own and rule KaibaCorp. Until then, he was going to be on his guard. He's been that way for three years. Surely, a few minutes would be a piece of cake, wouldn't they?

"But big brother …" Mokuba tried to argue, yet decided it wasn't going to lead their conversation anywhere. If anything, he should be supporting his brother now. "Is he even going to come, Seto?"

"He'd better." Kaiba bitterly said, teeth clenched as he continued marching in circles. It was already 8PM and he knew that Muto's shift ended one hour ago. Where could he be? Surely, an hour would be more than enough time to reach the apartment they were in. Unless he got lost, which is highly unlikely, Seto thought. If his boss gets lost that easily, then what's left of KaibaCorp? Not that it wasn't lost already, but someone who didn't have at least some sense of coordination had no place leading a company.

With a sigh, Kaiba took his car keys and decided to go and buy some beer. It did spark quite the idea in his head. Perhaps, if he managed to get Muto drunk enough, he would sign the contract he printed out for him, and end up transferring the company to its rightful owner. Besides, a guest was naturally greeted with alcoholic beverages, was he not? Especially at such a late hour, in a conversation between two men, beer had to be present. For Kaiba, wine was for the ladies and for those treacherous bastards from Industrial Illusions, and good champagne was hard to find in the local stores. So in this case, beer was his only solution. But he had to find good beer. One with high alcoholic percentage. Although he was certain that even a non-alcoholic beverage could get that idiot drunk, he had to make sure the job was done by getting the strongest beer available.

"I'm going out, Mokuba. You better be in bed before I'm back, and I assure you, that'll be quite soon." Kaiba said, turning to face his little brother, who smiled and nodded obediently.

"Mm. Goodnight, big bro!" And Mokuba knew better than to go against Seto. He knew the man wished only the best for him, and wouldn't want to upset him. Especially now.

Kaiba nodded before he put on his long coat and left. He was glad that he had such a smart brother. He didn't know what he would do with a runt such as the bosses. That Yugi was as annoying as his big brother, Atem. They're all the same, after all. The whole family is a bunch of complete morons, Kaiba thought.

He walked to his car, which was parked outside their apartment and took out his car keys. It didn't take long before he got in the car and started the engine, deciding to take the shortcut to the nearest Target store. It certainly wasn't his favorite place to shop, but at that time of the night, it was one of the few stores that were open.

Upon arriving at the store, Kaiba's phone ringed. Of course, he ignored it the first time, figuring it wasn't more important than parking the car or getting inside the store. But as he walked around the aisles later on, his IPhone 6 ringed once again, this time longer than before. Kaiba figured he should wait until it stops, but people were staring, and he felt like an idiot for not answering the alarming tune in his pocket.

"For Christ's sake." Kaiba hissed and took the phone out of his coat. He managed to glance at the screen for a second, and that's all he needed, because when he saw who was calling him, he nearly dropped his phone. And we all know what happens when a phone so expensive hits the floor. Thankfully, Seto had good reflexes and managed to grab his precious device before it reached the ground, answering it accidentally at the same time. He was going to hang up, but it was too late.

"Kaiba?" The strong voice boomed from the other side. "I know you're there."

"Of course I am, it's my phone, you moron." Kaiba hissed, unable to hold back. He spoke quietly and sharply in order to not attract any unnecessary attention, but it was hard not to snap right now. Oh, how wonderful his life would've been without Atem or Yugi in it. "What do you want?"

"I … wanted to know where you are." Atem said. Seto raised his left eyebrow as he inspected some new brand of beer. The alcohol content seemed high, but would it be enough? Speaking of which, Mokuba's grades at school were getting better with each month, the boy had earned himself a treat. Now, what should he give him as a reward? Seto knew his little brother liked chocolate parfait, so perhaps he could get the needed ingredients to make him some at home. He wasn't the best cook, but it wasn't anything he couldn't handle.

The brunette looked around, absent-mindedly holding the phone as he picked the ingredients needed for the dessert. Eggs, vanilla, white chocolate, cocoa powder …

"Kaiba, are you there? I want you to listen to me when I'm talking!"

"And I want you to give me back my company." Kaiba smirked as he teased the man with great pleasure. "Funny how we don't always get what we want, isn't it?" It was very fun playing around with him, ignoring him, then hearing him plead for attention. Like a dog.

"Kaiba, … Are you at home?" Atem asked, after a long and tired sigh. "I need to know, because—"

"Listen, Muto. I don't have time for empty talk, and I have no obligations to answer you. You have my address. Why don't you come over and see for yourself?"

"That's …" Atem started, but Seto hung up and turned off his phone, putting it back in the pocket of his coat. He had no time to deal with someone as idiotic as Atem. Besides, what more did he want? He certainly had the address. Did he need a lift, too? As if, Kaiba thought as he finally chose a strong beer and got eight packs - more than enough to get his boss drunk. He paid for it and left the store, then got in the car and drove back home. There was no need to waste any more time outside. In fact, Kaiba was more than eager to come back home, especially since he knew that Atem was somewhere out there, wandering the streets in search of his apartment. Not that he was scared of the young leader, he just didn't want to see him unless absolutely necessary, and since they were going to meet tonight, what was the point of a second meeting?

"Mokuba?" Kaiba looked around once he arrived safely back home. Everything was the way he left it before he went shopping – the lights were on, the TV was on some kids channel and on mute, the laptop Seto used was on hibernate. It seems that Mokuba wasn't in the living room, so perhaps he was already in bed, sleeping. Just as told.

Kaiba felt a little smile grow on his lips, but didn't stop it. He was glad that his little brother was nice like that. Listening to him, counting on him, doing whatever he was told. Well, most of the time, at least. He certainly didn't like it when Mokuba talked about Yugi or the others, but he couldn't forbid his brother from hanging out with his friends, even if his friends were the losers of the class.

"Speaking of losers, Muto might be coming over soon. He did call to annoy me, after all." Kaiba spoke to himself as he took his coat off. He had no idea when that slacker would actually arrive, but he promised himself he would not sit until that man comes. Until then, he had to kill time somehow, and it had to be in a standing position, too.

Kaiba couldn't realize how childish he was acting, refusing to sit on a couch or a chair before Atem arrives, simply because he thought it wasn't worth standing up for that man later, but he definitely did a lot of good work because of that. He managed to clean the living room, his bedroom and the bathroom within less than an hour, plus he washed all the dishes, re-arranged all the books in alphabetical order in the bookcase in said living room, wiped the dust off some pictures and portraits on the walls, and opened a can of beer to give it a try, and reward himself for the hard work.

"This place certainly looks better than before. Although I miss my mansion, a small apartment isn't so bad." Kaiba murmured, drinking the beer he bought specially for Atem. It tasted good, and definitely hit hard in the head. It was bound to make the young leader drunk enough for the plan to work. And speaking of the devil, he's yet to make an appearance in this whole set up. Waiting another hour would be foolish, yet Kaiba couldn't bring himself to sit just yet. He figured drinking another can of beer would kill enough time for the 'pharaoh', as the female workers lovingly referred to him, to come and put an end to this hellish waiting. The brunette wasn't known to be especially patient, but here he was, drinking and waiting tirelessly, even if it was nearing midnight.

In the end, the man began losing hope. It wasn't in his spirit to do so, but he was exhausted. He was human. Kaiba waited more for Atem than he had waited for anyone else, and now it was time to call it quits.

"He must've changed his mind. I suppose the puzzle isn't as precious to him as he says it is." Kaiba said to himself and sat on the couch with a heavy sigh and a pain-filled groan. He could finally feel his legs, after standing all night and walking around like crazy. His body relaxed on the couch, and his muscles melted in pleasure as they were finally relieved from the tension inside. Now that he was alone and had the time to breathe in, Kaiba realized that it had begun to rain. It must've conveniently waited for him to come home. It wasn't just a shower, either – it was quite the fierce storm. No one would dare to walk around in that weather. Not even Kaiba's almighty boss.

Perhaps that was Atem's answer to the whole situation. Indeed, now that Seto had the opportunity to rest, he could finally see and think straight. He never had any chance of getting his company back. There was no way to retrieve his rights, no matter how unfair it sounded. Once something was lost, there was hardly any possibility of getting it back.

Perhaps things are better that way, Kaiba thought. Perhaps this is all meant to be—

A sudden ring interrupted the man's train of thoughts. For a second, Seto forgot that he was sitting, but the moment he looked at his feet and realized that he had to get up to answer the door, he groaned and squeezed the life out of that already emptied beer can in pure anger.

Damn it, tricked again!

Atem shivered, his tricolored hair stuck to his face and water trickling down his skin and from his clothes. Unfortunately, the rain got him before could reach Kaiba's place. Although he was standing in front of his door now, patiently waiting for it to be opened. A small part of him expected this to be the wrong address again, after waiting nearly an hour outside in the rain in front of an old lady's house which turned out to be, unfortunately, deceased from quite some time.

The man let out a quiet, remorseful sigh as he stared at his drenched shoes. A lump had found its way in his throat, growing with each passing second, and ignoring it only brought unnecessary moisture in his eyes. Fuck.

"You. What are you doing here?" The door opened, and Kaiba's "warm" welcoming followed. "You said you'd come, but I never expected you to have the guts to show up in the middle of the night-" Kaiba's words trailed off the moment he saw the silent Atem lift his head. His eyes widened as he saw the other's violet ones filling with what looked like tears. Not wasting another moment, Kaiba pulled the man inside and closed the door behind him, rushing through the room to fetch him a towel.

Atem was startled when said towel hit his face and curiously looked at Seto who glared back instead, standing right beside him.

"Kaiba …"

"Go ahead, wipe yourself. I was going to do the laundry anyway." The brunette bitterly said, although this didn't feel like his usual cold and mocking tone. It was a softer one, in a way.

Atem nodded after a moment of silence, gently drying his hair. He didn't say anything and didn't felt any need to, because as soon as Kaiba gave him the towel, he left the room and went somewhere else.

It didn't take long before the taller man came back, bringing along the sweet aroma of cocoa. Atem couldn't help but look at him once more, and this time Seto shoved a cup of hot chocolate in his hands.

"Kaiba, what are you even …" Atem began, but Seto gave him the harshest look he could possibly muster in this situation, and left the room once more.

Atem looked at the drink in his hands, which seemed to be prepared with a lot of care, despite its quick arrival. He couldn't understand why Kaiba was doing this. It wasn't something he would usually do. Was this normal? Or was there something else that Atem had missed to notice?

A minute later Kaiba came back, this time with a pair of clean clothes. They seemed too small to be his, so perhaps they belonged to Mokuba.

"Kaiba?"

"I swear to God, I'm changing my last name if you repeat it one more time." Kaiba snapped, unknowingly clenching the clothes he brought. Atem's eyes widened at that rather snarky reply, but he didn't find it offending in the least. In fact, the smaller male laughed, further annoying the already pissed off brunette.

"Then, would you like me to call you by your first name?" Atem asked, his tone getting a more playful sound to it than before.

For some reason, that seemed to bring Kaiba relief beyond his understanding. He couldn't comprehend it, but it was as if something heavy had just been lifted from his heart. As if his whole silently exhaled all the stress.

"Do whatever you want. Here's an old pair of Mokuba's nightwear. Take those muddy rags off and get changed." Kaiba said, turning his back on Atem as he walked out of the living room for the third time.

Atem frowned as he inspected the clothes, seeing that this was Mokuba's pajamas from middle school. And seeing how the boy was shorter and skinnier from him now, there was no way in hell that something that old would fit him. Mokuba was probably even smaller before!

"Uh, Kaiba, this won't—"

"Get on with it or I'll personally take the clothes off you and dress you up like a little dolly." The man growled, his voice audible from the kitchen.

Atem sighed and figured he shouldn't waste any more of Kaiba's time. He left the cup of hot cocoa on the table and stood up, taking off all of his clothes, with the exception of his underwear, which had somehow remained dry. He then took Mokuba's pajamas and decided to put on the pants first. It thankfully fit him, although it was a bit too short for his liking, barely reaching his knee caps. Not to mention the embarrassing patterns of little ducks and stars on them. And the top wasn't any better, either. In fact, as soon as he put it on, the man realized that it was too tiny for him to take it off. It was right above his belly button, the sleeves resting right at his elbows. No, this was too flustering. He couldn't show himself to Kaiba like that!

"Are you done or what?" Speaking of which, the man in the kitchen was losing his patience. He refused to wait any longer for someone like Atem. He would rather see him butt naked than wait on his feet like his boss was some royalty.

"No, Kaiba, don't!" Atem tried to stop Seto from coming, but the moment he said that, the door to the living room was open and the brunette entered, halting mid-way to the couch when he saw the outcome of this short-lived fashion show.

A moment of silence followed, before the air was filled with Kaiba's mocking laugh. In fact, he laughed so much that tears formed in his eyes. Never had he seen something so pathetic in his whole life – the mighty pharaoh of the modern world dressed like a third grader.

Atem's cheeks filled with redness as he gnawed on the inside of his cheeks. He didn't want to talk back, not after everything Kaiba did for him. The cocoa, the clothes, the towel … this was all an act of kindness, and Atem knew he had to respect it.

"Wow. Never knew it would suit you so much." Seto teased, sitting on the armchair beside the couch with a can of beer in his hand. He actually liked that beer, so he figured he should drink another can.

"It's a little tight on me, actually." Atem quietly mumbled.

"What are you talking about, it's a perfect fit. So, what brings you to my humble abode?"

"Don't act stupid, I've come here for my millennium puzzle. The one you stole from me this evening, remember?" Atem frowned, sitting on the couch instead. He took the hot cocoa in his hands and breathed in the scent that was coming from it. The porcelain cup was still warm from the liquid inside, which soothed the man's cold fingers.

"Oh, please. You borrowed my company, I borrowed your puzzle. Simple as that. Speaking of which, you said something about KaibaCorp on the phone." Seto spoke, holding his can of beer pretentiously. He had Atem exactly where he needed him. Yes, the plan with the beer failed, but everything else was exactly as it should've been.

"I … did, yes. If it's bothering you so much, I am willing to transfer all the rights to you."

"Hah, I knew you would say that, so I've prepared a number of arguments to … wait, what?" Kaiba swiftly put his beer aside and looked at Atem, his eyes wide in surprise. This couldn't be happening. Yes, it was a good thing, but why and how was his boss willing to give up on the company so easily?

"You heard me. If you truly want that, I'll let you have KaibaCorp back." The exotic-haired man said, his expression so calm that it was hard to read. "You don't need to do anything. I'll print out the documents and sign them myself."

"So you went through the trouble of finding my address and coming here just to tell me this?" Kaiba softly asked, standing on his feet. His blue eyes were staring at the ground, as if he was greatly shocked from what he just heard. But the truth was far from that.

"Yes." Atem said.

"Bulls**t." Kaiba hissed back. "You came here to get your millennium puzzle, and I went through all the trouble of taking it so I could bribe it for my company."

Atem blinked in surprise. He didn't know what to say to this. He figured this was why Kaiba took his puzzle, but never thought it would actually be like this.

"I … truly am sorry for spoiling your plans, but I just came here to talk with you about the transfer of the rights for the company. I can live without my puzzle."

"Bull-f**king-s**t, Muto." Kaiba growled as he stood up. "If you wanted to talk with me, you would've done it a long time ago, and not conveniently after I took your little jewelry. Now admit that you're here for your own selfish reasons!"

"I'm sorry to disappoint you, Kaiba, but I –"

"Nonsense! What kind of a man are you, Muto? What kind of a leader are you, if you're giving up on your company so easily? I'm surprised that, with that kind of attitude, you didn't transfer KaibaCorp to one of your employees a long time ago. I bet you would've given it to anyone who asked!"

"That's not true." Atem frowned, but Kaiba's words were like a slap to the face. Atem wasn't like this – he wasn't such a loser, he didn't give up like that. So what was the reason to do so now? Why was he giving up so easily? This was a question Kaiba couldn't answer, either. He was perplexed at his own enemy's wimpy attitude, and he wanted nothing more but to beat some sense into him now.

"Is it? Because it looks to me like you're giving up my father's legacy without a fight, and to absolutely anyone who kindly asks for it."

"You deserve that company, Kaiba. It's yours. I am not giving it to anyone else but you." Atem insisted, trying to protect what little pride was left in his heart. It was obvious, however, that in his eyes, the will to fight and the ambitious fire were barely visible. They were nearly extinguished, in fact, which could explain the man's laid back attitude in that situation.

But Kaiba wasn't going to tolerate this. What he hated most, aside from cheaters and lies, was unworthy opponents.

"Is that so? Well, I'm not taking it."

"W…what? Why not?!" Atem asked, shocked from Kaiba's sudden change of personality. Why would a man, who strived to retrieve his rights over KaibaCorp for so long, suddenly give up on his dreams?

"Because it's like taking candy from a baby. I want to crush my opponents, Muto. And you're not even worth my time. You've never backed down from a duel, never given up no matter how tight the spot is. You've never lost at games, too. Never lost your bet at poker. And now you're losing your will to fight? I won't accept it. Take out your deck, we're playing Duel Monsters."

AN: Oh snap, things are about to get serious :o