CHAPTER 10: THE 007 CLICHÉ

THE 007 CLICHÉ: Who wouldn't love introducing themselves by saying, "My name is Smith… (significant pause)... Mary Smith," and have it sound dangerously seductive? What if we could all turn, "Shaken, not stirred," into an existential statement of being instead of a pretentious drink order? Forget about snarking at super-villains, what if the next time a passive aggressive coworker or ex-significant-other threw a snide comment your way and a devastatingly elegant comeback sprang naturally to your lips?

MORAL: It's easy to see the appeal of unflappability in a world where most of us muddle along, thoroughly shaken when stirred.

Kaiba was home. There were subtle signs it wasn't his home, but it was close. He was still aware of himself. He wondered if that meant his plan was working. He hadn't expected to get it right on the first try, but this seemed an encouraging development. He'd been thinking of Mokuba. Now, he was lying on the couch with him. It was the same overstuffed leather item he and Mokuba hung out on every evening he wasn't working. Mokuba looked about the right age, maybe a little older. His hair was different. He had the same shoulder length cut as in the world where Kaiba had gone to the after-life to get Atem back, only to watch him die. Kaiba shivered, suddenly afraid of what this world might have to show him.

As if that was a sign, just when he remembered all the things that could go wrong, Kaiba felt his hold on himself slip, as he turned into the next, newest, other self.

"You gave Atem a phone when you brought him back. Tell me again," Mokuba begged. "Why haven't you called him?"

"Why would I?"

"Because you like him! Duh! Because you missed him enough to travel to a whole 'nother dimension!"

"He knows that." Kaiba got up and paced the room. He stopped after a couple of circuits and ran his hand through his hair. Mokuba was still there and the look on his face said he wasn't leaving any time soon. "All right! I admit it. I feel some nebulous something about the guy. I made it as clear as I could. But I'm not an idiot. I can read the signs. I gave him a lift back. That doesn't mean he has to spend time with me instead of his gang. He's being considerate enough to avoid the whole situation. He thanked me already more than once and that's it. Like you said, he has a cell phone and he's not calling me." Kaiba paused. The thought, "Don't say I gave him a whole friendship speech…. Don't say I gave him a whole friendships speech…" ran threw his head. He drew in a breath. "I even gave him a whole friendship speech."

"Key word being 'friendship,'" Mokuba replied.

"I went to the after-life for him. That should tell him something."

"You told him it was for a duel!" Mokuba protested.

"It's sort of the same thing."

"He came back with you! Maybe that should tell you something as well!"

Kaiba sighed. "Mokuba, I wish it was different but it's not. Yes, he wanted a second chance to live. Yes, he wanted to come back to Domino. No, that doesn't mean he wants me."

Mokuba rolled his eyes and pulled out his phone. Yugi was already in his favorites.

MOKUBA: Your turn. I give up for the night! 😠 Brick walls are easier

YUGI: IKR! (Yugi inserted a clown emoji) I wish your brother would get a clue ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

MOKUBA: My brother? What about your partner? He's treating Nisama like he's an interdimensional Uber. He even BLEW OFF HIS BIRTHDAY.

Mokuba was using caps lock instead of the occasional emoji. He'd ended his text with a period. Yugi sighed. They were close enough and Mokuba was frustrated enough to criticize his brother. That didn't mean anyone else got to.

YUGI: Sorry ur right 😯😓😰😨😢😭 ugh my turn to work on my partner 🙏

MOKUBA: 👍

Yugi smiled. His momentary lapse in their unspoken agreement had obviously been forgiven.

Yugi put his phone back in his pocket. Atem was looking out the window. "That was Mokuba. I never thought me and Mokuba would talk more than you and Kaiba."

"There's nothing to say. He brought me back. I don't know why. Maybe to prove he could. I'm grateful. I told him so over and over and he said he didn't want to hear it. If he wanted anything else, he'd be barging in here demanding it."

"You could have called him last week," Yugi pointed out.

"Phones work both ways," Atem said.

(The asshole had even given him the phone. Why had he done that if he wasn't going to call?)

"It was his birthday!" Yugi protested.

Atem frowned. "You're right. It would have been a good strategic move." He bit his lip, then paced the room. How had he missed such an obvious gambit? He walked back to the window and glared out of it as if the Kaiba Corporation tower lost in the distance had caused his failure.

"Don't you even feel bad you blew it off?" Yugi asked.

Atem turned to face Yugi. "Yes. But you don't understand. I'm letting him get back to his life. I've intruded on it enough."

"How do you know he doesn't want you in it?"

"Have you ever known Kaiba to be shy? If he wanted something else, he knows my number. He should, he gave me the phone."

"Atem, he went to the after-life for you."

"He wanted a duel."

"You'll never find out whether that's all he wanted unless you ask."

Atem frowned and returned to studying the view out of the window. Yugi shrugged and went back to his phone.

YUGI: ugh giving up for the night i need sleep 😴😴😴 before my head explodes 😤😡😭

MOKUBA: I can't explain the difference between a duel and a date one more time 😓

YUGI: OMG! That's it! 💡💡💡🔑🎉

MOKUBA ?

YUGI: what's the best way to get them both in a room at the same time?

Yugi was tempted to add an eggplant, but he'd just gotten back into Mokuba's good graces after the clown emoji.

MOKUBA: How's a duel going to help?

YUGI: Meet me tomorrow. Burger World after school. 💡 I have a brilliant idea!

Mokuba sat through his classes the next day without hearing a word of his lessons. He raced to Burger World the minute he was released. Luckily, Yugi was already there. Mokuba slid into a booth across from Yugi and waited impatiently while a waitress came over and took their orders.

"Okay, out with it," Mokuba said. "What's your big, super secret, sure to succeed plan?"

Yugi giggled. "You'll love it." He took a look at Mokuba's face and hurriedly added, "Okay, you know how they both keep finding some larger meaning in each duel, like there's hidden messages in each card?"

"Duh."

"What if we used that? What if they dueled and each card said something… well, if you squinted… about being open and admitting what was on your mind." Yugi thought, "What's in your pants?" covered the matter more accurately, but he had the sense to keep that to himself.

"How's that going to work?" Mokuba asked. "You know how much time they spend on building their decks. I guess Kuriboh is kinda cuddly, but having him show up is just going to piss my brother off. And Nisama's deck is even worse. The Blue Eyes White Dragon isn't exactly a let's all get in touch with our inner feelings kind of monster."

Yugi paused as the waitress brought their food. He took a bite out of his burger and waited until he finished chewing. "I got that covered," Yugi said, about as smugly as it was possible for Yugi to sound. "What if we convinced them that the true test of skill was if you could win with a random deck of cards?"

Mokuba smashed his burger into his mouth, gulped most of it down and said, his voice muffled by food, "You're a genius! My brother would buy that in an instant!"

"Okay, now that that's settled, the only problem is that we have to make sure they draw the cards in the right order. One or two hands should do it."

Mokuba opened his eyes to their widest. "It's a shame we don't know anyone capable of hacking into my brother's dueling system… oh wait, we do!" He laughed. "Just give me the card list and I'm on it!"

Yugi grinned. "I knew I could count on you."

Mokuba put their plans into action as soon as he reached Kaiba Corporation and was lying on the couch in Kaiba's office. "I saw Yugi today."

Kaiba grunted, without looking up from his monitor.

"Atem and him got into a bit of a thing without dueling."

Kaiba's head shot up at that. He determinedly lowered it back to his monitor. "I didn't know they could argue with each other."

"Atem said one measure of a duelist was how well he played with a random deck."

"That erases one of the most important components of dueling: deck building."

"So you agree with Yugi! That's what he said!"

"Then Yugi's being an overly simplistic child. Deck building is an important factor, but it's not the only one. There's resiliency, creativity and strategy improvisation. Those are Atem's forte, so it's not surprising he'd want to isolate and test those areas."

Mokuba frowned in thought. He'd gotten his brother's interest, but he wasn't reaching for his phone.

"I think all of that stuff are your strong points too." Mokuba said.

Kaiba grinned and sat a little straighter in his chair. "You're right."

"I'm surprised you don't want to see which of you is better."

Kaiba scowled and dropped his gaze back to his monitor. "You think I'm going to duel Atem because Yugi refused? Let Atem find his own duels."

"He didn't ask Yugi. At least that's what Yugi said. He left in a huff when Yugi disagreed."

Kaiba didn't reply, but he stopped frowning. Mokuba took that as a partial win. He pulled out his phone.

MOKUBA: Okay, I've laid the groundwork. Nisama's on board with the idea that a duel with a random deck is a test of creativity or something. BTW, it was all Atem's idea, you disagreed and Atem did NOT ask you to duel 😉

Yugi looked at his phone. An acronym and an emoji. Mokuba must be in a really good mood.

YUGI: U owe me the story of why Atem didn't ask me 🙊🙊🙊🙊🙊

MOKUBA: 👍

Yugi waited until after dinner. He and Atem played a couple of video games. They were lazily debating what to play next when Yugi said, "Kaiba has some crazy idea in his head that playing with a random deck is the true test of a duelist's creativity and ability to adjust strategy."

"That's a brilliant idea!" Atem said, sitting upright and practically vibrating with enthusiasm. "It's so like Kaiba to think in such bold terms. Can you imagine him volunteering to play without his beloved Blue Eyes White Dragons? That's truly a mark of a duelist's courage! I'd love to see it!"

"Now who's being a chicken?" Yugi teased. Atem's face fell. Yugi reminded himself it was all in a good cause and added, "You could be the one playing him if you'd just text."

"He is my rival. It's time I reminded him of that. How dare he ignore me?"

The challenge was issued and accepted with an eagerness that surprised no one.

It was, Kaiba admitted as he got ready for the duel the next day, a great idea, even if Atem had come up with it first. It was a true meeting of duelists, without their usual decks to shield them, a naked show of skill, of pride.

It was a chance to see Atem again.

And Atem had texted first.

Kaiba wasn't sure what to wear. His Battle City outfit was his go-to look for dueling, but he'd worn it into the after-life, the day he'd brought Atem back. The last time he'd put it on, all he'd wanted was a duel. Kaiba stared at his closet, not wanting to admit that when he'd commissioned his new coat, he'd had Atem in mind. It was a high collared, flared coat, with deep cuffs and lapels trimmed in silver. A galaxy of tiny star-bright lights nestled in the midnight blue and black and sapphire weave of the coat. He pulled on a black turtleneck and leather pants, then shrugged the coat on over it. After his pause he added the thigh-high boots he'd worn to the after-life. He nodded and headed out.

Kaiba's eyes widened when he met Atem at Kaiba Corporation. Atem was in a gold shirt: two pieces of fabric held together at the neck by a single sapphire star, the rest of the shirt left free to sway open and closed as he moved, hiding and then revealing skin that no gold could match in beauty and warmth. As if in answer to Kaiba's outfit, his pants were the pale white-blue of a summer sky, teased by wisps of cloud.

"You look…" Kaiba paused.

"You, too," Atem mumbled.

Kaiba led Atem to the dueling arena. "Ready to duel?" Kaiba asked.

"Always!" Atem answered, a note of relief in his voice, as if he'd almost been swept out to sea only to find himself back on solid ground.

Kaiba opened the door to the dueling arena. He paused. He'd never shown Atem the background he'd created when he'd made a dueling avatar of his rival.

He wanted Atem – the real Atem – to see it.

Kaiba started the program. Cathedral walls flowed around them. The altar and pews were laden with flowers, they encircled the columns, turning them into living bouquets. Jeweled red and blue and purple light streamed through the stained glass windows.

Kaiba snapped on his headset. His Duel Disk was already on his arm. He gave Atem a matching headset and disk. When Atem put them on, a deck appeared in the card slot.

"My Duel Disks are totally electronic now, although they will also hold a conventional deck if preferred. For this duel, Mokuba loaded our decks electronically. You can draw just as if it was a normal deck and it will appear before you. Tap on the card to play it when you announce your move. Got it?"

Atem nodded.

They each drew five cards. Kaiba scowled at his hand. How the hell had he ended up with a garbage hand that included one of the cards he hated most? He threw Respect Play on the field. At least he'd get to see if Atem's draw was as bad as his. Atem had Respect Play as well. He looked at the infinity sign above the hologram of the two soldiers shaking hands. "There must be some glitch. Respect Play is supposed to be a one-shot deal."

Atem shook his head. "I'd like to think our respect for each other is continuous."

Kaiba flushed slightly. "That's not what I meant and you know it! But what are we supposed to do, show each other our hands with each turn? That's ridiculous."

"Look at the rest of our cards, Kaiba. Do you see a pattern here?

Kaiba frowned in concentration as he scanned the cards. Every single one of them had communication, the future, rescue or even… affection as a theme. He had three cards, Rescuer from the Grave, Precious Cards from Beyond and Card of the Dragon King, that spelled out just how far he was willing to go, just how much he'd sacrifice for Atem. Two were treasure cards. He flushed slightly; Atem was precious. He did treasure Atem, or wanted to. He looked at his last card, Future Samurai. The warrior stared back accusingly. After bringing Atem back, had he really fought for the future he wanted?

In response, Atem had drawn Double Rescue. Was Atem just as willing to go all out for Kaiba, to challenge their isolation, to break Kaiba out of the prison this impasse had created? Kaiba's gaze shifted to Atem's Future Diviner and Future Visions. Was Atem also trying to see his way to his future? And then there was Guarded Treasure. Was it possible Kaiba wasn't alone in this? Were the cards telling them that they wanted the same things, if they had the courage to reach for them, if they had the resolve of a samurai?

Or was that just wistful thinking?

"I'm going to kill Mokuba," Kaiba growled. "He's the only one who could have programmed this."

Atem chuckled. "I think he had some help in card selection from my partner."

At the word, "partner," Kaiba straightened up. His voice took on its usual clipped tones. "Time to continue with this farce of a duel." He placed Future Samurai face down on the field. It was his only monster card. "Future Samurai in defense mode. Turn ended."

Atem drew his next card and played his Respect Play in answer.

Kaiba frowned. "What's the point of asking to see my cards when you just saw them?"

"Really, Kaiba? Even you can't miss the point that thoroughly."

Kaiba stared at the card Atem had just drawn: Treasure Map. The meaning was clear: they could find their way to a future they both wanted, all they had to do was be willing to risk their pride. Kaiba grinned. He never believed in playing it safe, although this was a gamble he'd never taken before.

Kaiba faced Atem defiantly. "Okay, how's this for a hand? I didn't call you because I was caught between maintaining a status quo I no longer wanted and risking everything on a future that could blow up in my face the moment I took a step forward."

"The moment you reveal yourself, you lay your heart under my knife," Atem said softly.

"Whatever." Kaiba's eyes narrowed. "Or maybe I'm sick of always being the one taking the first step, while you hang back until you decide it's safe to follow, meeting me but never going ahead. How's that for a card, King of Games?"

"The truest cards are the hardest to play – and to match. You're right. I was waiting for you. More than that, I got mad when you didn't show up on my doorstep. I belittled your courage when I should have equaled it instead. I assumed you'd know I followed you back not just because I wanted a life but because I wanted one with you in it. But I'm done hanging back." Atem walked up to Kaiba. He stood on his tip toes and pulled Kaiba towards him until their lips met. "Is that a definitive enough step for you?"

"Getting better," Kaiba said, yanking Atem into his arms. He lowered his face to Atem's and kissed him. Atem opened his mouth as though he could drink Kaiba in one gulp, their lips remaining glued until they broke apart, gasping for air.

"It's still your move," Kaiba said, taking a step back on legs that suddenly didn't feel quite as steady as when he'd walked into the room. "End your turn so I can draw."

Atem stared at him. "Do you think they only stacked the opening hand?"

"No. I'm sure they were thorough. But a duel's a duel."

Atem barely held himself upright. His face flushed with the effort of holding down his howls of laughter. Kaiba understood the meaning of the cards. He'd followed their lead. They'd kissed. And Kaiba was still expecting to continue the duel. Kaiba couldn't have missed the point harder if he'd been sent an engraved invitation to the wrong address. A gasping chuckle sneaked out, like steam escaping from a kettle. His laugh grew louder at Kaiba's outraged expression.

Kaiba had the emotional intelligence of rock moss. Atem knew that. Everyone did.

But was he Atem's rock moss? It was time for Atem to make the answer clear beyond even Kaiba's ability to doubt.

"How's this for a move?" Atem put his hand over the cards in his Duel Disk. He took a step back and laughed again. Kaiba was listening for mockery but all he heard was a wild joy and relief.

Kaiba's eyes narrowed. "What are you doing?"

"Surrendering."

Kaiba stared incredulously as Atem's life points dropped to zero.

"Why?" Kaiba whispered.

Atem smiled. "I wanted to get your attention. And I couldn't think of another way to show you how much I care. You said you were tired of chasing me." Atem's smile turned to a smirk. He pulled Kaiba into his arms and kissed him. "Consider yourself caught."

As if Atem's words – or his kiss – had broken a spell, they found themselves back in limbo.

Atem smiled at him, still dazed from their embrace. He reached for Kaiba again.

Kaiba relaxed, surrendering to a victory of the senses: the sight of Atem's smile, the faint whistle of Atem's breath, the lure of flower scented air, the feel of Atem's lips on his. But as much as it fed his senses, it cheated them at the same time, feeding his soul and leaving the rest of him hungry at the reminder that something was missing. Even an alternative life in an alien world had had a genuineness and an immediacy that limbo lacked.

He wondered if this was how Atem had felt, a ghost in Yugi's body. Was this why it had been so hard for him to imagine living?

And yet, limbo soothed something in Kaiba. The knowledge stole its way into his brain like an advance scout reporting back: he'd grabbed Atem back at the Ceremonial Duel because he couldn't stand to be invisible, an afterthought in Atem's life, only called to the forefront when Atem or Yugi needed a rival or an ally. Kaiba had been willing to run any risk for this: to be trapped with Atem, tied together, neither able to look away.

He drew in a harsh breath. What kind of person did that make him? What kind of brother? Based on the worlds he'd seen, the odds were, a lousy one.

Atem exhaled in relief. He couldn't resist taking a few small dance steps, then twirling around. This was the first world where Yugi and his friends had wholeheartedly welcomed Kaiba, where he hadn't been a barely tolerated annoyance or a footnote.

"I'm glad there's a world where our friends and family helped, even when we couldn't see the truth ourselves," Atem said, smiling. That world had been so similar to theirs; it had felt like a prelude to happiness.

"I'm glad there's a world where I came for you and you wanted to stay, where I didn't bring you back only for you to wither and die," Kaiba muttered.

"Seto, that wasn't your fault."

"Wasn't it? When have I ever seen anything but what I wanted?"

"You tried to give me a choice," Atem said.

"Yes."

"It's one thing to refuse to accept more than your due. But never accept less. Not in this. It was a generous impulse. Don't deny its existence."

Kaiba grinned. "And I have so few of them."

"Stop it," Atem said sternly. "I was different too. I had a destiny and I followed where it led. Except when I dueled. Then I had choices: what to play, what strategy to pursue. The cards might have be selected by the random shuffle of the deck, brought forth by a stray flick of my fingers, but I was the one who had to play them, to give them meaning. Maybe that's why I'll remember my duels when all else fades, except the faces of my friends."

Kaiba grunted, wondering if he was included in the category of "friend." It felt unsatisfying, like drawing a card that was almost, but not quite the one you needed.

Atem smiled and added, "And my rival."

"Yes." This time, Kaiba's smile reached his eyes. He'd traveled dimensions, like his cards had proclaimed to the world, to bring Atem back from the beyond, to rescue him from the grave. Now, like his Future Samurai, he had one last battle to fight. "I didn't go to the after-life for a duel. I came for you. I'm glad there's a world where it worked out, where we were happy."

"You're a true duelist, no matter the battlefield," Atem said.

"And we're one step closer to getting back. My plan worked!" Kaiba paused, then threw back his head and laughed his old, slightly unhinged, gloating laugh.

Atem's smile turned even fonder; he was surprised to find he'd missed its exuberant sound.

Kaiba hugged himself then reached his arms to the sky. "Did you hear that? We're unbeatable!" Kaiba grabbed Atem and spun him around, until they were both laughing and hugging and kissing, not caring that the physical sensations would instantly fade.

"I told you we were going to win," Atem said smugly, when Kaiba set him back on his feet. "With my rival by my side, how could we fail?"

Kaiba smiled and hugged Atem again, then rested his head atop Atem's. Even here in this land of illusion, when he leaned on Atem, he felt grounded.

Kaiba paused. "Atem," he asked hesitantly. "Did you mean what you said?"

Three or four realities ago, Atem might have responded with a flippant, "I always mean what I say." Now, the quietness of Kaiba's voice, the petal softness of the question gave him all the warning he needed. "When I said what, Seto?"

"That time… back in those first worlds… after Death-T… you said you wish you'd seen me, you wished you'd known me. Did you mean it?"

"Yes. I was stunned by how much I'd missed. But I was wrong. I'm glad I didn't know you back then."

Kaiba's eyes turned storm dark, matching the sky overhead. The flowers at their feet turned to delicate lavender bells that drooped towards the earth, their slender necks too weak or tired to hold their fragile petals aloft. Kaiba started to pull back, but Atem's arms were still wrapped around him, holding him in place.

"I'm glad I waited for you to trust me, to show me everything you wanted me to see, yourself," Atem said. "I strode into your soul room that day like an invader, or worse like I had a right to be there. I'm glad I'm the Atem that was willing to wait for you to invite me in."

Neither was sure how every new world, every sequence of being thrown into and out of a different version of themselves ended like this… no matter how angry or scared or tired or hopeless… they always wound up laying in each other's arms, quiet and at peace, watching the stars move in their slow paths above them. The flowers surrounding them turned a vibrant, fiery orange that gleamed in the darkness. Their petals grew taller and stiffened, their stems gained the strength to hold them aloft, until the newly formed cups pointed upwards, facing the night sky.

"I'm glad I got the chance to truly see you. I'm glad you allowed me," Atem said.

Kaiba nodded. "Here… with you… lying down like this… it's the closest I've come to peace. When we get out, will the nights be as quiet?"

"We'll have to wait and see," Atem said. "Maybe that's part of the thrill."

Kaiba grunted again, the sound much closer to a purr. He raised two fingers to his forehead in salute. "Here's to finding out."

.

Thanks to Bnomiko for betaing this chapter!

AUTHOR'S NOTE: One thing that's been a lot of fun about this story is getting to write scenes showing different ways I think the characters in Yu-Gi-Oh! could go. I really love the idea that Kaiba could bring Atem back, Atem could come back with him, and they could both be so stubborn and proud – and afraid of getting hurt – that they stall on talking about what they mean to each other or what they want.

Also, thanks to everyone at the Dark Side of Dimensions discord server for advice on Mokuba and Yugi's texting styles. I could see Mokuba being more formal, sort of business casual, than Yugi because he wants to appear older and more mature, where Yugi is used to texting with his friends.

Stay safe everyone!

SOCIAL MEDIA NOTE: I am on Tumblr, Dreamwidth and Pillowfort as Nenya85. Come check me out there!

To paraphrase Louise Rosenblatt, "A story's just ink on the page until a reader comes along to give it life." This is my way of saying that I'd really like to hear what you think. Please comment.