A/N: Anonymous user Magykal-guest PLEASE come to AO3 with your reviews so I can talk to you and thank you for the many reviews. Hopefully this catches you in time. ^_^

Chapter summary: In which lines begin to blur and the Court of the Triad of the Balance is held.

Temper and the Triad of the Balance

The first thing he did when he got back to his hotel room was go straight to the bedroom and place his now silenced phone on the bedside table. He plugged it into the charger to be sure it would be fully charged the next morning then began digging through his bags for the items he needed. He still thought all the preparations were a bit much, but he would be the first to admit they helped him concentrate and set up the atmosphere. But he had to be quick if he wanted to catch Shaadi during one of his rest stops. He felt more than saw Fuguta and Roland follow his movements with their eyes.

"Hey Kaiba, what's the big rush?" the puppy called from the bedroom door in Japanese.

"Yuugi," Kaiba snapped, "put a muzzle on that dog of yours before I put it to sleep."

"Why you!"

Ignoring the empty threats, Kaiba snatched up the last piece he would need to set up the ceremony. "I'll be unreachable for the next hour or so, then I'm going to bed. But first thing's first."

Without preamble, Kaiba stalked up to the Pharaoh, grabbed his collar and slammed him against the wall by the window in the suite. "What by Ra's holy fire were you thinking leaving me there like that, you sorry excuse for a Pharaoh?" he hissed.

"Kaiba stop!" Yuugi cried, grabbing his Regent's arm in an attempt to free his other half. Roland caught the short King just as Fuguta reached for Jounouchi when he moved to help the King. Both Lights stopped when Kaiba glared at them viciously.

"Back off unless you want to join him," Kaiba snapped. "This is between me and Yami. Now your royal eminence," he turned back to the stunned Pharaoh furiously, "would you mind telling what possessed you to leave me behind in the shape I was in, in a delicate situation like that while I was still too sensitive to attempt Shadow Traveling?"

Crimson eyes burned hotly but Yami did not move to resist Kaiba other than clutch his Regent's hands to prevent them from choking him. "Yuugi was under attack."

"You and I both know he would have been fine. Mahaad and the lapdog wouldn't have let anything happen to him."

"Hey!"

"Gravity Bind!" the Regent commanded. He resisted the urge to smirk when he heard the twin yelps from both Jounouchi and Yuugi as both were thrown to the floor and held there. Neither of them would get in his way. He ignored the startled stares of his bodyguards burning holes in his back.

"Leave them out of it Seth," Yami commanded, voice hard and even despite his growing fury.

"I have," Kaiba said, eyes narrowing to slits. "Now answer my question. Why did you leave me there like that when you knew I was in no shape to take care of anything efficiently? You do not do that to your allies, Yami. Never! Do you realize I very nearly dropped everyone into a wall? A Ra-begotten wall! Imagine what would have happened if I hadn't set up a fail-safe in my spells. You would not have a Regent. Think before you act. Or at the very least give me some warning before you go gallivanting off like some love-sick-."

"Ni-sama!"

Kaiba froze mid-rant, tired and furious and shaking. He had to physically force himself to release his grip on the Pharaoh's throat and step back. For a moment there, he had ceased to be Kaiba Seto alone and merged with the soul of his previous incarnation, Seth. He took a deep breath and aimed one last glare at his Pharaoh before walking to his room. He waited for Mokuba and his bodyguards to follow before closing the door behind them with a finality he hoped would ring heavily in Yami's ears.

For his part, Yami was staring after Kaiba with large, horrified eyes. He had not realized how unstable his Regent was becoming. True, he had not thought things through entirely before he acted, but it was Yuugi. It was flaw that was incurable so long as he and Yuugi remained separate entities with one soul. Yuugi would always be Yami's number one priority, no exceptions.

But seeing his normally so controlled Regent yell at him like that was disturbing. For a good minute, he had felt like he was back in Ancient Egypt, his soul whole once more, and cowering under High Priest Set's furious rants because he had acted rashly and endangered himself yet again. He met his other half's eyes, conveying his shock to an equally disturbed Yuugi.

"Was that...?" Yuugi breathed, unable to finish his question as he continued to stare at Kaiba's door dumbstruck.

Yami nodded, pushing away from the wall and rubbing his throat self-consciously. "Yes, I think so. This misadventure of ours is affecting more than we realized." The Pharaoh's gaze softened to one of sympathy. "And now I'm beginning to see why."

"Why?" Jounouchi asked, picking himself up from the floor. "Anyone wanna fill me in? What the heck was that?"

"That was Set," Yuugi said quietly, also standing. He walked over to Yami, unconsciously seeking the comfort offered by the other half of his soul, eyes still staring at Kaiba's door cautiously.

"You mean Seth?" Jounouchi corrected, but Yuugi shook his head.

"His real name was Set. We just call him Seth because...it...," Violet eyes dropped. "He asked us to."

"But why?" Jounouchi pressed. "It's not his name."

"On the contrary," Yami said, looping an arm around Yuugi's shoulders without realizing what he was doing. "It is his name, just the Greek pronunciation for it."

Jounouchi paused and scratched his head in confusion. "And why would he prefer the Greek version of his name when he's Egyptian? Was Egyptian? Is...gah! My brain hurts."

"Because it's what Kisara called him," Yuugi said quietly, leaning his head on Yami's shoulder seeking comfort. Jounouchi realized the implication and immediately fell silent. No one spoke much else after that.

Kaiba was visibly trembling when he sat down on the bed and began setting up the ceremony. He grit his teeth in frustration when his fingers could barely hold the stick of incense still enough to light it safely.

"Ni-sama," he heard Mokuba say.

He sighed in defeat and glanced wearily at his brother. He was exhausted but this had to be done tonight. Mokuba sat next to him, staring up at him with soulful gray eyes.

"Are you alright, Ni-sama?" Mokuba asked softly in Japanese.

"I'm fine," Kaiba replied without thinking.

"You promised."

Kaiba blinked in confusion, waiting for Mokuba to continue.

"You promised you wouldn't lie to me."

Kaiba flushed and looked down at his now too still hands avoiding his little brother's eyes. "I am fine, physically."

"Was that Seth earlier?"

Kaiba flinched at the name but nodded. "Both of us actually," he admitted slowly.

"You don't need to be afraid of him, Ni-sama," Mokuba said, crawling across the blankets until he sat facing Kaiba. "Seto," he said, watching his brother's eyes widen, "I'm not scared. I know he's still you, just older and grumpier. He's just as much my brother as you. You're both the same person."

"We're not," Kaiba said hurriedly.

"You are. Maybe not exactly, but you have the same soul, right?" Kaiba nodded hesitantly. "Then you're the same. Just with different backgrounds, kinda." Mokuba smiled and hugged his brother tightly before clamoring back over the bed to put his pajamas on and get ready to sleep.

Kaiba watched his little brother for several seconds, still digesting what he said.

"He's right, you know."

Kaiba looked up at Roland who blushed slightly but held firm. "Seth, Set, or Seto, you're still the same Kaiba-sama to us," Roland finished with a bow of respect echoed by his cousin Fuguta.

"Idiots," Kaiba muttered fondly, turning back to setting up the ceremony.

"Hai, Kaiba-sama," Fuguta said, earning him a smirk from said person.

Kaiba carefully lit a candle with his lighter and set it on the bedside table on his side of the bed. Then he took out his Deck and placed it on the mattress in front of him. Next, he drew a fresh stick of incense, lit it, and stuck it in the incense holder directly behind his Deck. He took a deep breath to calm his racing mind and drew the card at the top of his Deck.

Blue Eyes White Dragon. Of course. His lips twitched when he heard Kisara rumble a greeting in his head. The lights went out and the bed rocked as Mokuba climbed in snuggling under the covers to Kaiba's right. Kaiba felt the warmth of his little brother's back press against his side, offering him the subtle comfort he needed. No more wasting time.

He took a deep breath, closed his eyes and called out to his Deck, asking it to give him the card he needed. This part was not necessarily important to the ceremony; he could just as easily shuffle through and get the card himself, but he never did. Perhaps it was the part of him that was Seth, still clinging to the old ways, or perhaps it was just his own test for his Deck. Perhaps it was his current self still waiting for proof that magic did not exist, that the card required for this ceremony would not appear.

He touched the top card and knew what it was. The burst of power raced up his arm, speeding up his heartbeat and causing him to draw another breath to calm his hungry Shadows. He opened his eyes and turned it face up, placing it on the bed by Kisara's card. Obelisk the Tormentor. Proof magic still existed. With one last glance at Mokuba next to him, Kaiba turned his gaze inward and began chanting under his breath in hieratic, asking for guidance.

"To the god who upholds the balance," he chanted, "guide me to my disciples scattered across the Earth. Let them hear my voice. Preside over this, the Court of the Triad of the Balance great Tormentor, God of the Obelisk. This I ask in my name, Set, and witnessed by my Shadows."

The power shot through him causing his body to convulse and gasp. His Shadows rose, summoned by his sudden increase in power. A small hand pressed against his thigh, bringing him back to a steady balance. The burst of divine power ebbed back to a tolerable level and Kaiba opened his eyes, now clouded by a milky white film, his soul cast into the aether as the Court of the Triad of the Balance commenced.

There was a brief moment of disorientation before everything calmed. Kaiba opened his eyes and saw the world hanging in space below him, but he did not care for it. He cared only for his disciples, his Triad. His Priestess, Ishizu Ishtar, currently touching up her makeup in a ladies' room in Abydos, Egypt; his Sorceress, Mai Valentine, currently pulling off the freeway exit for Starling City and slowing down at a light on her motorcycle; and his Advisor, Shaadi, currently sitting on the grass off the side of a road near Sitka, Alaska.

First, Kaiba focused on Shaadi. He reached out and grasped Shaadi's Shadows, tugging them towards him. He appeared before the exhausted Egyptian in a form only those of his Triad could see. Shaadi's straightened his back and stared at him in surprise which quickly morphed into relief. Kaiba could feel Bakura's and Ryou's Dark presences nearby but paid them no mind. They were not his. Shaadi shifted into a more comfortable position on the grass, stuffing his hands into his robe sleeves against the chill, mountain wind and joined his Regent.

Next, Kaiba focused on Ishizu, reaching for her Shadows and appearing before her in a form only she could see. She looked up from her compact into blue eyes reflecting back at her through the bathroom mirror. She did not scream for show any sign of surprise, it was as if she had been expecting him. Perhaps she had been. She bowed her head and left the ladies' room for a safer, less occupied place. He followed her Shadows through a building bustling with people to an atrium lit by natural light streaming through skylights on the ceiling. She seated herself on one of the few open benches by a large plant and pulled out a book from he bag. Kaiba could sense Rishid nearby standing guard but dismissed him. A moment later, Ishizu joined him.

They nodded to each other, then Kaiba focused on Mai. He had saved her till last to give her a chance to find a safe place to pull her motorcycle over. He did not wish for her to be injured. She was his. No one touched what was his without his permission.

As expected, Mai had arrived at the hotel parking lot and was parking her Harley. He appeared before her just as she removed her helmet. She jumped with a soft "Oh" of surprise before glancing around to be sure she was alone. She gathered her things from the storage compartments on the motorcycle and made her way into the hotel's main lobby. She set her things down on one of the couches by the fancy fireplace, made herself a cup of coffee, and settled into the cushions. Then she too joined him.

"That was a bit sudden," Mai said, speaking first. "Care to explain why you had the nerve to scare the shit out of me with your disappearing act while I was driving, Regent?" she said, tossing her long, blonde, windblown hair over her shoulder. Her ripped jean miniskirt creased as she crossed her arms and leaned on one hip. Black leggings tucked into thick combat boots hugged her legs in a flattering way. Her shirt consisted of a lacy, white bando and a black semi-see through shirt that rippled across her chest like water.

"Yes," Ishizu said, resting her sun-kissed hands elegantly one on top of the other. Her traditional, off-the-shoulder style cream dress hung loose over her body, synching ever so slightly at the waist before flaring out once more. A basic geometric pattern was sewn in brown thread along the hems. "I too wish to know this tale."

Shaadi said nothing, but his uncanny orange eyes stared hard at his Regent silently demanding an answer. He too wore traditional Egyptian garb. His robe hung long and featureless over his dark skin. A cloak of the same fabric wrapped around his throat and draped over his shoulders. A turban covered his head and bone hoop earrings completed his look.

Kaiba considered his Triad for a moment before bowing his head. It was an act of submission that caught them off guard. This was not the Kaiba Seto they had come to know.

"I became unbalanced," he said. "I deemed it best to withdraw my influence to prevent a mishap."

Ishizu nodded. "I felt the Shadows falter, but I did not guess... What caused this imbalance?"

Again, Kaiba hesitated. "I learned the name of the one behind the Games here."

"It must be serious if it knocked you out of sync, hon," Mai said, eyes filled with worry.

"I cannot speak his name," Kaiba murmured. "I swore an oath witnessed by the Shadows never to speak his name just as I did with the Pharaoh's. I cannot break it."

"It is someone from your past, then" Shaadi said, speaking at last. His Advisor was shrewd, wise in ways Kaiba both valued and cursed. "The ancient past. Perhaps someone reincarnated like ourselves."

Kaiba nodded, eyes cast down. "He was the traitor who eased the way for the Dark God's revival and forced me to betray my Pharaoh."

Shaadi flinched in shock. "It cannot be," he murmured. "Akhenadin?" he asked.

"The Traitor?" Ishizu gasped, instinctively reaching up to touch her Millennium Tauk, clenching into a fist when she remembered it was gone. "He has returned?"

"Hello," Mai asked, waving for attention, "care to fill me in?"

"Akhenadin was the brother of Pharaoh Aknamkanon, father of Pharaoh Atem now called Yuugi and Yami," Shaadi said, eyes never leaving his Regent. "If he has returned as you believe, then..."

"Seth is uneasy," Ishizu finished.

"Why?" Mai asked.

"Akhenadin was Set's father," Shaadi said, "although Set never knew of this. When Set joined the ranks of the High Priests, Akhenadin recognized his son and began scheming to place his son on the throne in the current Pharaoh's place." His cold eyes narrowed. "But he did not anticipate Set befriending Atem, going so far as to declare his undying loyalty to the young Pharaoh."

"He brainwashed Set and forced him to betray and attack Atem," Ishizu said, continuing where Shaadi left off. Her eyes softened as he beheld her haggard Regent. "Set was able to free himself for a time with the help of his lover, but..."

"He killed her," Kaiba murmured. "In front of me."

Mai gasped, covering her mouth with her hand as her eyes watered. Ignoring protocol, she strode crossed the distance to her Regent and gathered him in her arms. "I can't say I understand your pain, but I can understand the pain of losing someone you care for deeply. Especially believing it was your fault."

Kaiba did not fight his Sorceress as her arms encircled him. She was one of the only two of the Court he would ever allow to do this. She was the only one who had experienced something similar to him. She had been forced to watch Jounouchi lose his soul to the Seal of Orichalcos spell she activated during a duel. He did not return the embrace, but he did fight it either.

"How should we deal with this?" Shaadi asked, pulling the focus back to the matter at hand. He looked away from Kaiba to Ishizu, respecting his Regent's need for privacy at the moment. When Mai backed away, returning to her place in the Triad, he continued. "Akhenadin was not easily defeated last time and we knew him well then. We know next to nothing about him as he is now."

"And don't forget the Shadow Thief," Ishizu added. "I was able to learn a few things about him, but nothing particularly important. As for the American businessman Lex Luthor, I can tell you nothing you most likely do not already know."

"Well," Mai interjected, "I can tell you Superman despises him."

Kaiba raised an eyebrow at his Sorceress in interest. "Does he?"

"Avidly," Mai said, leaning forward conspiratorially. "I heard Superman left Metropolis unprotected to track him down to Starling City."

"Well, well," Kaiba smirked. "I finally have something I can use against that interloper."

"Causing problems, has he?" Mai asked, a grin on her face as she crossed her arms, pushing up her ample breasts.

"He shines like a flashlight in my face, won't leave well enough alone, and got in the way of one of my Traps," Kaiba growled. "I could have gotten rid of that Shadow Thief if he hadn't gotten involved."

"'And I would have gotten away with it too, if it weren't for us meddling kids,'" Mai quoted with a cheeky grin. Kaiba pinched the bridge of his nose and grimaced. His Sorceress was crafty but she was also too much energy to handle at times.

"Hm, yes." Ishizu cleared her throat. "The dagger, however, I was able to learn a thing or two about."

"Do tell," Shaadi said.

Ishizu turned to Shaadi. "It belonged to one of the false descendants of Ra."

Kaiba lifted his head at this. "Is that so?"

"It is," his Priestess said. "I could not learn much more than that on my own. However, when I asked after the false god-kings' tomb, I learned something interesting. The dagger had been buried with the male false god-king."

Kaiba nodded. "Continue."

"I believe it may be more than a dagger."

Kaiba's eyes narrowed. "Technology you mean?"

Ishizu nodded. "Yes, though what kind or what it's use may be, I'm afraid I don't know."

"Well," Mai said, "we could always ask that winged woman from the Justice League."

"The pet bird, you mean?" Kaiba said, considering.

"Pet...bird?" Mai said. Her cheeks ballooned and her eyes glittered as she tried to hold back her laughter. It did not last long. Her cackles echoed throughout the Court. "Pet bird! Oh Kaiba, careful who you say that around. My Harpies would rip you apart if they heard you refer to them that way."

"I respect them," Kaiba countered, crossing his arms. "The pet bird is a false descendant of Ra and therefore beneath my notice."

"And yet you noticed her," Mai sang.

Kaiba groaned. Ishizu giggled politely behind her hand while Shaadi watched the exchange with a blank expression. Desperate to change the subject, Kaiba turned to the only member of his Triad who appeared to be sane at the moment.

"Shaadi, how long before you arrive in Starling City?" he asked.

His Advisor considered the question quietly for a moment before replying. "If I leave now, I could be there within an hour or so. If I rushed, then fifteen minutes but I would be useless to you upon my arrival."

"Don't rush," Kaiba said. "Take your time. When you get close, reach for me and I'll do the rest."

"As you say," Shaadi said, bowing his head.

"The rest of you," Kaiba said, turning back to the still giggling women, "keep your eyes and ears open. I want to know immediately if anything out of the ordinary happens."

His Triad bowed their heads, acknowledging the command. He began to sever his ties with them when Mai called out.

"Wait just a moment," she said.

Kaiba waited patiently. His Sorceress sauntered up to him staring at him intently, then promptly slapped him across the face. He reeled back, staring at her stupefied; a hand rising instinctively to cup his stinging cheek.

"That was for scaring the living daylights out of me, Seto Kaiba," Mai said, waving a finger in her Regent's face. Kaiba surprised himself by inadvertently leaving back, giving way to his Sorceress's powerful personality. "Don't do it again, or I won't be as merciful," she scolded.

Kaiba was still reeling when his Triad vanished. The last thing he saw before his disciples disappeared were Mai's self-righteous glare along with Ishizu's and Shaadi's shocked expressions. Then he was alone. He looked down and saw the Earth still hanging in the void beneath his feet. His lips twitched up in a faint smile. That was the spirit he needed from his Sorceress. He looked forward to fighting beside her in their next duel.

By all rights, the Court had ended. However, there was one last thing Kaiba wanted to take care of. He felt his Shadows embrace him as he touched his Deck with all of his senses, physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual, and called for the one he adored. She appeared before him in glistening splendor, the light reflecting off of the planet's surface far below reflecting off of her shimmering white, armored scales. Intelligent blue eyes gazed down at him with love and loyalty. She was his, and he was hers.

Kaiba did not realize he had stretched out his hand towards her, longing to hold her close but knowing he could never do so again. She lowered her head, pressing it against his hand and nuzzling it. Her wings lifted, spreading out to hide them from prying eyes. He hesitantly stepped closer until they stared at each other eye to eye. He felt her warmth pulse under both of his hands.

She moved closer so her head nestled against his chest, eyes closed in contentment. He caressed her scales with his hands, wrapping his arms around her head and holding her as close as her current form allowed. It would never be enough for either of them.

"Kisara," he whispered.

She crooned in reply, lowering her wings so they stood cocooned beneath them, sheltered and safe. He had no way of knowing how long they stayed there, but it was nowhere near long enough. It never was. He felt the insistent tug of his Shadows, drawing him back to reality. He needed to be aware to guide Shaadi to the hotel safely.

Reluctantly, he pulled away meeting those gorgeous sapphire eyes with his own. His heart wrenched in his chest as Seth deep inside him wept in a way Kaiba could never bring himself to do. Neither of them could ever love anyone like they loved Kisara. They never wanted to.

Kaiba felt Shadows brush him and grasped them with his own. Shaadi. So it had been at least an hour. He sighed, turning back to Kisara. She regarded him solemnly before lowering her head and fading back into the Shadow Realm taking Kaiba's and Seth's heart with her.

Swallowing back his growing depression, Kaiba took hold of Shaadi's Shadows firmly and pulled. He felt his Advisor follow along the designated Shadow path until pinpointing his location. The Advisor's Shadows intensified indicating Shadow Travel, then ebbed away again once he had reached the hotel. He brushed Shaadi's Shadows, reassuring himself of his Advisor's safe arrival and received a warm tug in reply.

Mai was also in the hotel room. She was the only one other than the newly arrived Shaadi and Bakura still awake that Kaiba could feel. Yami had retreated into Yuugi's body so they could both sleep comfortably in the armchair and Jounouchi lay sprawled on the floor nearby in a sleeping bag. Kaiba could feel Mai stretched out on the bench by the window in the suite. Shaadi settled himself in the corner between his bedroom wall and the windowed wall and curled up to sleep. Mai tossed him one of the pillows from her bench and a spare blanket to keep warm. The Thief had apparently retreated into Ryou's body. He also received a pillow and blanket before finding a place to sleep on the floor.

He felt briefly for Ishizu back in Egypt and found her conversing with a woman in an open air market with Rishid silently nearby. Satisfied knowing everyone under his care was safely where they should be, Kaiba relinquished his Court. He closed his eyes, allowing the divine power of Obelisk to slowly drain out of him, syphoning back through the god card and on into the Shadow Realm.

He blinked blindly in the dim light and stretched, reveling as his joints popped. He carefully put his Deck back into its holster, caressing the Blue Eyes White Dragon card as he did so. He slipped off the side of the bed and placed the long burnt out incense stick and holder on his bedside table. Then he stripped down and pulled on a pair of soft, loose pants and nightshirt.

He looked up to see Roland resting in the chair by the window while Fuguta stood by the door taking the first watch. He nodded to him before blowing out the still burning candle plunging the room into blackness. He pulled back the sheets and slid into bed next to Mokuba. His little brother instinctively rolled over and snuggled close to him.

Kaiba's last clear thought was gratefulness to Fuguta for not pointing out the tears blurring his sight and trailing down his face.