Zafiro: I am so glad that someone picked up on that. ;) I wanted to make Gozaburo truly detestable in this story, and I also needed an explanation for why Seto and Noah (who's heavily based on Season Zero Seto Kaiba) were so darn similar, and that explanation worked quite nicely, in a sick, twisted, perverted sort of way. Even though Gozaburo's dead now, he hasn't quite left the story, so keep an eye out for his ghost. And thank you for the compliment, by the way. It's comments like that which keep me writing! :3
SB-129: Oh, you have no idea how juicy it's getting. ;P
Evilkitten3: Yes, I too wish to hug everybody in Chapter 15. All of the hugs to all of my peoples! *huggles*
Lady's Secret: Close, but no cigar. Thank you for guessing, though. I'll give you a hint: it's an equally charismatic (and effeminate) Yu-Gi-Oh villain.
Artemist1015: I know, right?! I love adorable fanart of those two, I especially like ones where Seto's carrying Mokuba. Also, Noah is definitely up to something! A lot of something, actually. It'll be fun when I get to that part. Fun in a kind of sadistic, chaos-causing kind of way. ;)
"I've got a job interning for the archaeological department at the university," Seto said to Joey as he slid into the seat next to him second period.
"Wow, really?" His response was enthusiastic, but the look they exchanged was full of meaning. Joey may not be the sharpest knife in the drawer, but he wasn't as nearly as stupid as some people thought him to be. He knew what this meant: Seto was somehow free of it all. He'd finally wormed his way out. "That's great, but I thought you were into computers?"
"I am. I'll be digitizing their findings and entering their artifacts catalog into online databases for other archaeologists to access."
"That's good news. Congrats." Joey smiled at him, genuinely pleased with the good news. The secret he carried weighed much lighter on his heart now. Before, he'd felt incredibly guilty for not doing or saying anything that could save Seto from the pain he endured. Now that he was out, it was just an uncomfortable, albeit illegal, pasts that he would, for a little while, struggle to put fully behind him before the memories finally started to fade.
Class started then, but that was alright by Joey. He was afraid that Ryou, seated behind Seto, had caught onto the meaning in their words and glances, and he didn't trust himself to answer any direct questions.
In their duel at lunch that day, Seto finally drew the Blue-Eyes to his hand, and he was just about to summon it when they were interrupted by the bell.
In truth, he didn't mind Yugi not knowing about his Blue-Eyes. It hindered his ability to predict Seto's strategy, which worked to the intelligent brunette's advantage. They may be friends, but that didn't mean that he would share all of his strategies with him.
Or with his grandfather, no matter how much of a Duel Monsters master he was. Some days he had the time to visit the Kame Game Shop with Yugi and Joey after school. Joey was frequenting the game shop more and more often these days, partly because Yugi's grandfather was helping Joey train to be a better duelist and partly because he felt more welcome there than he did at home. Sure, he still dropped his little sister off at home after school, but after that, he went straight to the game shop.
"Sometimes I think you care what happens to me more than my parents do," Joey admitted as he moped at the check-out counter of store while Grandpa Moto was getting his own dueling deck from the back.
"Come on, Joey, that can't be true," Yugi insisted, hugging his friend from the side. "I'm sure your parents care about you, they just have their own way of showing it."
Joey smiled sadly as he returned the hug.
"I doubt it, but thanks for tryin' to cheer me up, pal," he said.
"Don't be so sure about that," Solomon said with an understanding smile as he re-emerged. "Parents have their own way of things. Sometimes stress and work get in the way and cloud their thinking, and they don't realize that they haven't said the things they feel in too long."
Seto watched the exchange in silence since he didn't have anything to add to the conversation. He knew what it was like to have parents who didn't care, so he believed it was possible that Joey's parents didn't care about him. He also didn't know Joey's parents, so he didn't dare make a claim as to whether or not they cared about him.
He thought that Anzu was getting jealous of how much time Yugi spent with Joey. Seto was no expert in romance—far from it—but he was smart enough to know when a woman's designs on a man were frustrated. It was amusing to Seto more than anything else, and it was especially amusing to see how oblivious Yugi was to Anzu's intentions. He didn't doubt that Anzu was a genuine friend to Yugi, but he also didn't doubt that she wanted more than friendship with him.
While Anzu continued to flirt with Yugi and continued to fail, Seto continued to work for Mr. Bakura and the other archaeologists working for the university. Seth took great interest in Seto's new profession, often giving his commentary on the items in their catalog of findings while Seto digitized it, whether his commentary was solicited or not.
"They got it wrong," Seth exclaimed as he looked over Seto's shoulder at the screen. "We no longer used incense jars in ceremonies by the time I was pharaoh. It has to be at least a hundred years older than that." He was silent for a few moments. "Aren't you going to fix it?"
"We've been over this, Seth," Seto sighed. "I can't alter the content of the records they kept, even if you believe they're incorrect."
"Which they are," Seth insisted. "I mean, they get most things right, which is amazing considering that all of these artifacts are thousands of years old. I think they'd appreciate my corrections."
"If they knew about you, they might, but the only one who does know about you is Mr. Bakura, and the only reason he knows is because Ryou told him all about the Shadow Game you and the pharaoh played with the Spirit of the Ring."
"I was a pharaoh too, you know," Seth reminded him as he paced behind his hikari, his pride wounded by Seto's forgetfulness.
"I know, but we don't have the other's name."
"I know his name."
"Yes, but you also said it was dangerous to share it," Seto reminded him. "And if I don't call him by his name, then I won't accidentally share it."
"Fair enough." Seth peered at the computer screen again. "That painting isn't depicting that myth," he commented.
"Doesn't matter, because I'm not allowed to change the records," Seto reminded him yet again.
"How are things going in here?" Mr. Bakura asked as he entered the dim computer room.
"Things are going well," he answered without looking up. "I'm almost done with the records of the 1998 expedition to the Valley of the Kings." Seto was digitizing not only the records and findings catalogs of the most recent expedition, but of all the archaeological expeditions the university had funded, which included expeditions to Italy, Central America, India, and Greece, in addition to Egypt. "However, my 'pharaoh friend' won't stop giving commentary on the records."
"You didn't ask me to stop," Seth said with a smirk.
"I can imagine," Mr. Bakura said with a laugh. "You're going through these faster than I anticipated. I'm not sure we'll be needing you around for much longer." He was looking somewhat concerned.
"Not to worry, sir. I've already submitted an application and resume to the Kaiba Corporation. Now that they've shifted from the weapons industry to the gaming industry, they need computer programmers working for them full-time, and I may not have gone to college—yet—but I know more about computer programming than your average undergrad. I plan on graduating high-school at the end of the term, so it'll be a permanent position."
"I'm glad to hear that you have plans for what comes next," Ryou's father said with a look of relief. "It's good to see you doing so well. My wife will be glad to hear it." He turned to leave, but Seto's voice stopped him.
"Thank you again, sir, for all you and your wife did to help me. It means a lot."
"You're welcome," Kenji said with a smile before he left.
"Are you sure you want to work at KaibaCorp?" Seth asked dubiously as he leaned against the desk where Seto was working.
"Of course I am," Seto answered indifferently. "There are numerous layers of corporation bureaucracy between a humble programmer and the CEO. I'll never have to talk to him again."
"And if you get promoted, as we both know you will be?"
"Even if I were promoted to the head of programming, I doubt I'd be encountering that bastard directly."
"He could blackmail you if he finds out that you're working for his corporation."
Seto laughed aloud at that. He laughed hard enough that Seth began to frown at him impatiently.
"Yes, Noah Kaiba would blackmail me because he is so obviously in need of a piece of my fortune!" Seto was incredibly amused by the idea that someone like Noah would bother blackmailing someone like him.
"People blackmail for more than just money," Seth said darkly. "If you do get that job, please be careful. He's still capable of great evil."
"He's gone from chess champion to Duel Monsters champion," Seto said dismissively. "He's nothing more than a rich, spoiled brat who spends too much time playing games. I'm not afraid of him."
"He is a genius in his own right."
"Well, maybe he could have been if he hadn't ruined his brain with all the alcohol and drugs. He's been busted for them like, what, four times?" He grunted disdainfully. "And they still accept the bail and the fine as due punishment for him without incarceration. That's the justice system for you."
Author Notes: I have posted an alternative scene from this story in my "Deleted Scenes" compilation, so ya'll should go check it out! It isn't even a complete scene, just as far as I got into it before I gave up on the idea, but I still like how it turned out, so you should read it. I may use pieces of it in later chapters, since I salvage scraps from my deleted scenes to use in the final product.
I have a question for you all: do you want to see a little more Seto fluff here and there while I plunge into the next arc of this story? I'm just wondering if you'd enjoy it or if you'd find it annoying.
As always, please review, because more reviews = more chapters!