Chapter 15

As long as the day had felt at the time, they found themselves in bed again almost too soon. Gently he stroked Tristan's long fringe back from his face; his lover may not have been totally sure about his new Win style haircut, but Kaiba found himself drawn to the softness of it. It was bizarrely comforting and last thing at night the feel of it was the only thing soothing enough to put him to sleep.

'What you thinking about?' Tristan voice was gentle and soft.

'About how we've wasted another day.'

'It's hardly been wasted Seto.'

'Hasn't it? We don't have the kids back yet, now do we?'

'Just because we haven't gotten them back yet does not mean the day's been wasted. We're trying to get them back in a way that doesn't harm your brother or his wife, remember?'

For a few moments Kaiba was silent. His hand continued to stroke soothingly through Tristan's hair, as he tried to push down more than a few of the unspeakable thoughts running through his mind.

'You do want to get them back without having to hurt Mokuba or Serenity, don't you?' Tristan mutedly broke the silence.

'I'm not sure I know the answer to that anymore,' he sighed, 'I don't think he'd think twice about hurting me if things were reversed.'

'Seto…'

'I mean it Tristan. Whoever it was that's kidnap CiCi and Damon was not my brother. My brother would never have forced me to make a choice like that.'

'But I know you Seto,' Tristan sat himself up slightly, in order to lean over him, 'you could never hurt your brother, no matter how he turned out or what he did. It's not in you to hurt him.'

'Maybe it's not in the Seto Kaiba I was just over a week ago. But I am the Pure now; I don't feel the same way about things I did before.'

'Do things include me too?'

'No,' he shook his head, before pulling himself up to kiss him, 'unless you mean the fact that I love you so much more now.'

'But it has changed the way you feel about your brother?'

'And the kids…'

'Don't you want them back?' Tristan sounded almost confused.

'Of course I want them back,' he shifted his gaze away, 'but what I was feeling for them before… just like my feelings for you… it's only gotten stronger.'

'What were you feeling for them before?'

'That they're our kids Tristan,' his eyes rose to lock with his lovers. 'We've raised them. We've cared for them. We've loved them. We should be their parents. They're my babies.'

Almost as soon as he said the word, he choked with embarrassment and shifted his gaze away. He hadn't meant for it to come out sounding like that.

'Your babies?' Kaiba could hear the amusement in his lovers tone. 'Not exactly how I ever thought you'd put it.'

'It was the first word that came to mind,' he gave a callous shrug and tried to make it sound like nothing, 'I guess I was getting a little carried away.'

'I'm sure,' Tristan gently kissed his forehead, 'and is Taylor your baby too?'

Kaiba knew Tristan was just teasing him, but there was something about what he'd just said which sent shockwaves of realisation reeling through him. Choking on his own sense of internal horror, he stared at his lover unable to utter a word.

'Seto?' Tristan frowned at him in confusion, as he carefully studied Kaiba's frozen expression. 'He is, isn't he? He is your baby…'

'No,' he shook his head, 'no I don't think like that. He's my son. My child. My…'

'Little boy?'

'Why are you trying to make me out to be his…?' Kaiba bit back the word before it left his mouth.

'I've never in his life made you out to be…' Tristan shook his head, 'I've never wanted to. That's why I made you his Dad, remember?'

'Then why am I…'

'I don't know. But I think it probably has as much to do with Tay's muteness as you becoming the Pure.'

'What do you mean?'

Even through the blur of his vision he could see Tristan's face twisted into an oddly thoughtful expression. For some reason the expression pained Kaiba and he found himself trying to smooth out the creases it created.

'It doesn't matter,' Tristan eventually shook his head.

'I…'

'What is it Seto, what's wrong?'

'I… I mean… We wasted another day.'

'I know Seto,' Tristan rested his head back against Kaiba's chest, 'but there's always tomorrow.'

'Nice to see you're punctual as well as efficient Kisara,' SK glanced up at her as she walked into his office the next morning.

'Taylor's a mute.'

'Did you work that one out all by yourself,' he couldn't help but smirk, as his tongue skated across his lips.

'No,' she laughed, 'Fff…. he… err… he pointed it out to me actually. False always said my babbling would get me into trouble one of these days, I guess he was nearly right.'

For a few moments SK couldn't help but give her an amused once over. She was certainly shaping up to be the ditz she'd promised to be.

'I'm keeping things pretty simple this morning. Just need you to run a few errands for me.'

'Like delivering the mail?' She shot him a hopeful look.

'That'll be later,' he shook his head, 'Taylor has to write it before there's anything to deliver. Seto and Tristan haven't sent anything downwards yet, although a few things have come up for them.'

'I see,' she blinked at him.

'Taylor's parents,' he rolled his eyes.

'Oh gee you mean the Pure and Win.'

'If you want to see it that way, then yeah.'

'And the messages up for them would be from…?'

'Joey and Yugi or, if you prefer, the First and the Face of Friendship.'

'Oh, right,' she gave a nervous laugh, 'so what time do you want me back to play post-girl?'

'I haven't even told you what I want you to do until then yet,' he frowned at her.

'Sorry Mr… err… SK,' she blushed, 'so what is it you want me to do?'