The sun was setting slowly as Kaiba stabbed Atem's spear into the wall of rock facing the water.
The metal made a dull clunking sound as it hit the cliffside, and a tiny bit of rock fell off.
Kaiba continued to chip away at the side, intent on making a crevice large enough to fit one of his smallest surveillance cameras.
It needed to be a hole the size of his palm, and he had already tried drilling into the rock, but with poor results. The high-powered drill and steel camera mount caused the rock to powder and crumble.
It seemed whatever the spearhead was made from, it gave him more control, and he was able to cut slivers of rock out of the side, just the way he wanted.
Pleased with the sharp indent he had made, Kaiba wedged the spear in to cut grooves along the inside of hole.
He bent down to pick up the camera from the sand and he securely wedged it into the rock, thinking it looked a bit ugly and obvious, but it would do its job.
Sighing tiredly, Kaiba sat down and gazed out over the water, wondering what was taking Atem so long to show up.
Maybe the daily shore time was a bit too much and he would be coming tomorrow.
Unfazed, Kaiba rose to his feet and walked back to the beachfront house, deciding to busy himself with testing the cameras.
If Atem showed his face a bit later, he'd be able to catch him popping up on camera, and he could set up a remote alert system.
Atem swam in frantic circles around his room while he flipped through a book he had borrowed from the Royal Library.
He slid his claw down the smooth plastic pages, reading intently.
This was human anatomy. There was nothing here about life-spans.
After his horrible confession yesterday, Atem was sure that no one wanted to talk about humans with him anymore.
The only people he could ask about human life-spans were the mermaids in Confinement, but he couldn't leave the palace without an armed guard for 'protection'.
I'm a prisoner in my own home, Atem thought furiously, hurling the book in a rage across the room and watching it hit the wall with a dull thunk and slowly fall to the sandy floor.
He gazed up at the ceiling and bit back frustrated tears again.
No. Crying was useless. He needed more information.
Atem got up and swept the book off the floor, deciding he would read through the entire book until he went cross-eyed. Everything here was related to Seto Kaiba, and this was one way to stay close to him while they were apart.
Opening the book with renewed determination, Atem narrowed his eyes and continued to read about human knees and the tendons that made them move.
Kaiba rolled tiredly out of bed and silenced his beeping alarm.
There was a headache pounding at his temples and he pressed a hand to his eyes, breathing lightly as a wave of nausea rose steadily up his chest, threatening to consume him.
I fucked up again, somehow, Kaiba groaned, wondering if he needed to change the dosage of the scales, or stop ingesting them daily.
This was shitty, because he didn't have another subject to test them on.
Maybe I should get some lab rats, thought Kaiba wearily, unable to move from his bed as another clenching wave overtook him.
Drinking one vial now would cure the nausea.
Moving with agonizing slowness, Kaiba made it to his desk and fumbled his briefcase open with shaking hands, doing his best not to retch into it as he extracted a vial.
Uncapping it quickly, he drank it in one gulp and shuddered, hating how cold he felt.
Blinking slowly, his head spun violently, and the room began to fade in and out of his vision while his nausea rose to an all-time high.
Cursing, Kaiba rose to his feet unsteadily and stumbled into the bathroom, making it just in time to the toilet, bending over the edge and dry-heaving painfully.
His stomach emptied the liquid scales he just drank, and bile burned his throat badly.
Kaiba coughed weakly, cursing Atem in his mind again.
Why am I doing this to myself? Kaiba tensed and rode out another low wave of nausea, deciding that it was no longer worth it to ingest the scales.
They were making him sick every day.
There was a loud rush of footsteps and Isono came running into the master bedroom, standing nervously by the bathroom door as he surveyed the odd scene.
Kaiba was kneeling by the toilet, looking pale and shaken.
"Are you sick, Master Kaiba?!" Isono cried anxiously, wringing his hands and thinking that Kaiba was overworking himself again.
Stress-vomiting was something the oldest Kaiba did when he was a child, and it seemed something was causing a relapse.
"W-What did you say?" Kaiba breathed, slowly rising to his feet as the nausea subsided, and he bent over the sink to clean himself up.
Why did the old man feel the need to bring up something about his childhood?
"I-I asked if you're sick…!" Isono said shakily, bowing quickly. "I'm sorry for invading your privacy. I'll knock next time."
I'll get him an antacid for his stomach, and perhaps he should cut down on the coffee, Isono nodded to himself and turned to go, but Kaiba called out to him again, sounding irritated.
"I don't need an antacid," Kaiba growled, gripping the towel tightly in his hand. "And it's not the coffee that's making me sick."
Shocked speechless, Isono said nothing and nodded quietly, his mind churning with confusion.
Did I say that out loud? Isono wondered privately. I should be more careful.
Kaiba stared at his manservant, noticing the old man's mouth didn't move, but his voice was still coming from him as if he was speaking.
"Whoa," Kaiba blinked rapidly, his head spinning violently again, and he leaned over the sink heavily. "Fuck."
He's going to vomit again! Isono thought nervously, walking away from the door quickly. I'll leave, to spare him the embarrassment….
Isono's voice faded as he exited the room, and Kaiba shook his head in disbelief. He gazed at himself in the mirror, noticing that he once again looked well-rested, and his skin was dewy.
Hello, I'm Fish-Kaiba, Kaiba thought anxiously, patting his cheeks and tugging at his undereye circles again. It was strange to see his own face without the dark shadows of tiredness.
To top it all off, he was hearing people's thoughts, and Isono's reaction had confirmed it.
I knew it wasn't magic, Kaiba felt a rush of triumph and patted his face with the towel again.
The nausea had faded completely now, and he felt fine. Frowning at his reflection, Kaiba decided to try ingesting the scales one more time before he left for work.
He strode over to his desk and grabbed another vial from his briefcase. Uncapping it with ease, he drank it in one gulp and felt as if ice was running through his veins.
The feeling faded as quickly as it came, and there was no nausea.
"Weird." Kaiba muttered, grabbing his phone from his nightstand and entered his symptoms in his log: Nausea first thing in the morning, followed by vomiting after drinking the vial, and felt fine after the second vial. Can hear people's thoughts.
Setting his phone down, Kaiba quickly got dressed, itching with excitement. He couldn't wait to see Atem and hear his thoughts.
The look on his pretty face was going to be priceless.
Straightening his tie around his neck, Kaiba picked up his briefcase and strode out the door, running into Mokuba in the hallway.
"Hi Seto bye Seto, have a good day at work!" His brother called carelessly over his shoulder as he brushed past.
Seto looks less tired today. I guess that's good.
Kaiba paused in his step after hearing Mokuba's thoughts, and he stared at his younger brother, watching him disappear back into his own room and slam the door.
Interesting, Kaiba mused, and he grit his teeth, bracing himself for a rollercoaster of a day.
"Atem?" Mana knocked gently on the king's door and waited patiently.
There was no answer.
"Atem…please open the door. Solomon is requesting your presence in the throne room," she said anxiously, knocking again.
After a long moment, Atem pulled the door open and stuck his head out, frowning angrily.
"I don't want to see him, or anyone right now," Atem replied coldly. "Thank you for checking on me, Mana—"
"No, it's…urgent. You must come now," Mana whispered, grabbing his hand and yanking him gently out of the room and towards the hallway. "Don't be angry, okay? This is a good thing."
"What is? What is it?" Atem demanded, letting Mana lead him into the hallway and pause at the entryway of the throne room. "I'm being sent to Confinement, aren't I? The old man changed his mind?"
Mana shook her head silently and swam through the doorway, leaving Atem floating uncertainly in the hallway.
Sighing, Atem followed quickly and came to a skidding halt when he saw a line of young mermen floating by the pillars along the walls, with Solomon and Mahad in another corner of the room, whispering quietly.
What was happening?
"Ah…he's here," Mahad said, looking relieved, and he swam towards Atem, bowing his head stiffly and gesturing for him to float closer towards the line of strangers.
"What is this?" Atem asked impatiently, addressing Solomon, and the old merman puffed his chest out proudly, pointing at the line of young men.
"I've found you some friends, my boy," the old merman said, completely oblivious to Atem's anger. "And I made sure they're all men, because of…well, I took your preferences into consideration."
Speechless with shock and disgust, Atem said nothing and eyed the strangers quickly, noting that they were all about his age. Solomon had even gone out of his way to pick men sporting a variety of features.
One merman was blond with brown eyes, and another merman was very muscular, with brown hair styled into a single spike. Another had long black hair and wore an impressive amount of jewelry he had clearly made himself.
"I... don't want…or need…new friends," Atem breathed, thinking if the old man was going hand-pick friends, he should just release the two mermaids from Confinement and bring them into the palace to be his friends.
"No, my king," Mahad said awkwardly, giving Atem's arm a familial pat. "The old man means, perhaps, you'll feel comfortable enough to…mate with them after becoming friends."
Stunned, Atem felt his heart sink painfully into his stomach and curl with disdain.
Hell. No.
"You think you can just push me together with these men, and we'll mate?" Atem rounded on Solomon, shaking with rage. "Who do you take me for?"
"You've managed to mate with… a someone, within a span of one moon cycle," Solomon retaliated, tapping his staff impatiently against the nearest pillar. "We will not speak his name, but if you can love that someone like a Mate, then there's no reason you can't do that here now, with these lovely men we've chosen for you."
"We've chosen these men with great care," Mahad added, noticing the king's expression darkening rapidly with every passing second. "Please give them a chance. You're clearly old enough now, and you're feeling the urge to mate—"
"I hate this," Atem declared, noticing one of the mermen flinching, but he ignored it. "I'd sooner mate with you, Mahad."
There was a tense silence, and his bodyguard cracked a weak smile. "M-My lord, I'm flattered…but I see you as a brother, and a friend."
"I was joking," Atem growled, hating how seriously everyone was taking him. "I don't want to have anything to do with these men. Send them away and leave me alone."
"Very well, we'll be sure to include mermaids in the next selection process," Solomon said gravely. "At the very least, you should spend a decade with your future Mate—Atem, come back here!"
Atem stormed out of the throne room, thoroughly fed up with Solomon's antics.
That old man's head was full of antiquated ideas and methods.
No merman was ever going to replace Seto Kaiba.
No one could replace Seto Kaiba, unless it was Seto Kaiba himself.
The concept of mating with only one person had taken hold inside of Atem's thoughts, and he swore he would not mate with another mer-person, because Seto Kaiba was always going to be the superior option.
Kaiba walked out of the elevator with a spring in his step. He paused as he passed the front desk where his secretary sat.
She sprung to her feet and bowed deeply while apologizing profusely. "Mr. Kaiba! Good morning! I'm so sorry about yesterday regarding the smoked fish…"
He looks good today! Very refreshed! His skin is glowing, and he looks like he slept well, thank goodness. I'm going to have a good day today, and hopefully I won't have to apologize to anyone he yelled at over the phone.
She straightened up with a bright smile and nodded.
Kaiba's mouth fell open slightly and he reminded himself to keep a straight face.
"I…feel fine. It wasn't your fault," he said hurriedly, hearing another rush of thoughts from her in response while she bowed again quickly.
Thank goodness. I'd be really concerned if he took a sick leave. I'd be buried in his work. I don't know if I can manage! I really need a few more paychecks to save up enough for my wedding.
"Wow," Kaiba said, and he walked quickly into the safety of his office, praying he wouldn't be able to hear her thoughts through the walls.
He had originally hired this woman because she neat, cheery, and approachable. She didn't ask a bunch of annoying personal questions the moment he walked in and was always showed up on time.
She was the perfect secretary…until now.
Sitting down at his desk, Kaiba grit his teeth, hearing her voice in his head again, but more faintly.
…Ah…he ignored me as usual. I really need to get used to that. I let him treat me badly because he's handsome…I'm the worst….
I don't treat her badly, Kaiba frowned, feeling a rush of annoyance, and he strode back out to pick a fight with her.
"Hey, you!" Kaiba growled, sticking his head out of his door and glaring at her, seeing her squeak and jump to her feet again. "I don't treat you badly, do I?"
Her eyes widened as she opened and closed her mouth in shock.
Bowing again, she raced through her words, "No, not at all Mr. Kaiba! I'm very grateful for this position because…"
OH! MY! GOD! He scared me so much! And this just confirms that he doesn't even know my name! I've been sitting here for two years, and he still calls me 'hey you!' And I can never leave early because he'll think I'm lazy, and he works such irrational hours, I've had to cancel so many dinner dates with Tsukiya-kun!
She beamed and looked expectantly at him for an answer, and Kaiba stared at her stupidly.
He hadn't heard a word she had said because he had been too busy listening to her thoughts.
"M-Mr. Kaiba?" She tilted her head to the side, and Kaiba leaned back into his office awkwardly, unsure of how to respond, and another tidal wave of her thoughts streamed into his consciousness.
Whaaaat the fucckk?! Did he come out here to scare me and not listen to a word I just said? I can't wait to tell Umeko-san. She's going to scream. Ugh, I hope she got her dress fitted already. I can't take another alteration bill! The flowers are expensive enough already!
Kaiba shut his eyes tightly and tapped his foot against the floor, willing himself to remain composed.
He was learning so many new things about her personal life in the past few seconds than he'd ever learned in the past two years.
He stuck his head out again, and saw her sitting at her desk, hands poised over her keyboard with a determined look on her face.
Shit, she was right.
He didn't know her name.
Whatever.
"Hey…so, I think you need a raise," Kaiba called from his doorway, and he saw her slowly turn to face him with an incredulous expression. "Come here, and we'll talk about how much."
He ducked back into his office and predictably, almost instantaneously, there was a happy squeal inside of his head that almost gave him an ear-splitting headache.
AAAAAAAAAAA! No way no way! Oh my gosh he's such a tsundere! 'Do I treat you badly' he said, she mocked him in a deep voice, and Kaiba winced at her tone while she showed no signs of stopping.
AHAHHAHAhA and then he says, 'I'll give you a raise'. I CAN'T WAIT TO TELL TSUKIYA! HE'S GOING TO BE SO PROUD OF ME, but oh gosh, how much do I ask for?
I don't know how to ask.
I've never done this before.
Mr. Kaiba said I could ask, and I really want a high amount, because I take SO MUCH shit from him, I'm sure he knows! Like yesterday, he almost threw up on my new shoes!
I would've stabbed a pen through his handsome face without hesitation! Hmph!
Groaning and growling, Kaiba picked up the phone and dialed her desk, hearing her thoughts pause and switch tones again.
Ack! Why is he calling me! Oh no! He wants me in there! I CAN'T DO IT! I can't face him and say 'I want a ten percent raise' because that's too high!
"Mr. Kaiba, I'll be right in," she said smoothly, and hung up, while her thoughts continued to spiral wildly.
I texted Umeko-san…so she better respond soon or I'm going to kill her. Ah! Tsukiya replied to my text, and he said…. I am proud of you my sexy wife! AAAAAAAAA IM BLUSHING!…you should be assertive. How? How do I do that? And make sure…he doesn't hit on you…sexually… EW TSUKIYA! Hell no! Seto Kaiba probably has a girlfriend because he's been leaving early this past month….
Now mildly angry, Kaiba picked up the phone and dialed her desk again.
He could hear the phone ringing through the wall, and he heard her scream internally.
CAN HE STOPPPP OH MY GAAADDD! Oh no! Is my odd behavior telling him I don't want the raise?! Hang on, can he wait?! STOP RINGING, YOU STUPID PHONE! I just need some advice before asking blatantly for a ten percent raise! I heard people can get fired when they ask for too much!
"Oh my fucking god," Kaiba growled, flipping open his laptop and quickly searching her name in his payroll.
Mayumi Nakano.
He rose to his feet and walked out of his office, seeing her sit up straighter and make eye-contact, looking slightly panicked.
"Nakano-san," Kaiba said plainly, scanning her desk and seeing no personal items on display. "I take it you don't want the raise."
Her mouth dropped open and she shook her head fervently. "No, Mr. Kaiba! You misunderstand! I'm just waiting for some advice!"
There was a silence, and Kaiba realized her thoughts had stopped because she fully meant what she said.
Ah…so this was how to make the thinking stop.
"Well, my advice?" Kaiba replied heatedly, seeing her blush and look down at her keyboard. "How about you just take a ten percent raise and stop wasting my time?"
TSUNDERE! One-thousand percent tsundere! She cried inside her mind, and Kaiba forced a smile on his face, seeing her leap to her feet and lean over the front of her desk, her eyes sparkling, her mouth moving, but all he could hear was:
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA DID HE REALLY SAY TEN PERCENT?! HE DID! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA I know he's not listening to a word of my thanks, but I don't care! I'll take any abuse from him from now on! I'll clean up his vomit ten times over!
"You are so strange," Kaiba said, biting back a laugh, and he walked back into his office, hearing her call after him.
"What was so strange? All I said was, 'thank you!'"
Kaiba turned to give her a look over his shoulder. "Yeah, but you say it strangely." And he closed the door behind him, hearing her inside his head.
Wh-Whaaaaaaat?! H-He's so charming when he does that! No! No, Mayu, stupid! He's being mean! Oh gosh focus, focus, work work…I need to show him I deserve that ten percent!
I can't work like this, Kaiba thought angrily, wondering if there was a way to block someone else's thoughts.
It was now time to fully test how this thought-permeation worked, because he was experiencing it personally—Umeko-san's dress fits perfectly now thank god! And I have the funds to pay for that alteration and splurge on white flowers for all the tables!
A notification popped up on his computer screen and Kaiba glanced down at it, seeing her organizing his entire schedule for the next month with ease while in her mind, it was nothing but: TSUKIYA SAID HE GOT ME A SURPRISE PRESENT TO CONGRATULATE ME ON MY RAISE! AAAAaaaAaAAAA I HOPE HE'S GONNA DRESS UP! I'm going to wear the black lace dress I got from….
His calendar made another ping, and Kaiba glanced down, amazed.
How the hell did she work like this?
Her mind was screaming about her wedding and dresses while she was extremely productive. She was also texting her fiancé because her thoughts kept reading his messages.
I need a thought blocker, Kaiba raged, getting up and pacing his office. The only way he knew of, was distance, but it had to be something else. It wasn't just distance causing a disruption, otherwise they'd be able to hear each other no matter the range—OH MY DARLING, I LOVE YOU TOO TSUKIYA! OMG he sent me a shirtless photo while I'm at work, he's so naughty hehehehe maybe I should go to the bathroom and take a picture with my bra strap showing….hehehe!
Kaiba stormed out of his office and placed his palms down on the bevel of the front desk, breathing deeply and willing his face to remain impassive.
ACK SHIT. HE WALKED OUT ALL OF A SUDDEN hide hide everything, change tabs, smile at him…oouohggg what a wierdo! He's breathing heavily! Oh god, is he gonna throw up again? No, he's mad! Is he mad?!
"How about a day off?" Kaiba said, giving her a grimacing smile with all of his teeth showing. "Or two days off? Or a week?"
She gaped at him, pressing her phone to her chest while her fingertips turned white. "I...Mr. Kaiba, can't afford to take a week off," she said quietly, and Kaiba narrowed his eyes at her, hearing her panic internally.
I need the money to pay for Umeko-san's big boobs to fit in her dress! I've had it perfectly calculated. If I don't take any days off until March…
"I think you misunderstand me," Kaiba said coldly, leaning on the edge of the desk and drumming his fingers on the surface. "I meant your days off would be paid vacation time."
"I've already used all my paid vacation time," she answered automatically.
What's gotten into him? It sounds like he wants to get rid of me after giving me a raise!
"So you don't want more paid vacation time?" Kaiba asked gruffly, doing his best to sound disgruntled, and her eyes widened hopefully again.
Wait wait wait, he's giving me a raise AND more vacation time? What is happening today? Am I dreaming?
"May I ask why?" She gazed at him with wide eyes and Kaiba looked away quickly, feeling his cheeks burn as he replied, "You're overworked. Take the day off."
He realized I'm overworked! All my prayers are being answered today! Thank you, God! A raise, with extra vacation, and a surprise day off!
"Oh! Th-Thank you Mr. Kaiba!" She cried, jumping to her feet again with a bright smile and ducking her head down politely. "Thank you! I'll leave right away!"
Kaiba nodded stiffly and watched her gather her things.
She tucked her laptop away in her desk and swung her purse over her shoulder while eyeing him strangely, making her way to the exit without another look behind her.
Run…run run! Run before he changes his mind!
Kaiba watched her frantically stab the elevator button with a manicured finger while looking very jittery.
Well, that problem was solved.
Now it was time to figure out to make a thought-blocker.
Time to visit the lab, Kaiba thought dryly, leaning against the front desk with his hip.
The elevator dinged and she rushed inside, waving with a small smile while she bid him goodbye in her head, still celebrating.
Bye Mr. Handsome! Ooo he waved back! I wasn't imagining things! I can't wait to take a walk in the park with Noodles…
The elevator doors slid shut and her thoughts got fainter as she traveled lower.
Maybe I should take Noodles to the groomers today too. Ahh…I hope they can take last minute appointments….
Her dog's name is Noodles, Kaiba rolled his eyes and propped his elbows up on the front desk counter. He raked his hands through his hair, suddenly feeling exhausted.
Having been made aware of how unhappy his secretary was didn't feel good.
Sighing and deciding to take the day off as well to investigate his newfound 'mind reading' powers, Kaiba walked into his office to gather his things.
Author's note:
Atem is dealing with his punishment badly, hating the fact that Solomon is trying to set him up.
Kaiba can now hear thoughts due to his regular scale consumption, and wonders if it's worth it to continue because they cause nausea, and unpredictable side-effects are everywhere.
Questions ya'll are asking me: atem is king. Why can't he just do whatever he wants? Why does it seem like Solomon, Isis and even Mahad make the decisions for him?
My answer is: his colony is very political, so the king is more of a figurehead. He can make important decisions and people will respect him and listen, but he has a court, "the royal court" "open court" etc, which is very similar to how a Cabinet behaves.
Abbreviated definition of a Cabinet taken from Wikipedia (lol don't kill me): in some countries, (a cabinet) is a collegiate-decision making body with collective responsibility, or a cabinet may function purely as an advisory body, typically consisting of the top leaders (ministers, secretaries, etc). The head leader will almost always follow the advice given from the Cabinet, so it won't suddenly be like, TYRANNYYYY and everyone must listen to Atem no matter what, because then chaos would descend, and there would be war, and starvation, and riots…blah blah xD
The mer-people are (ahem, puts on monocle) civilized.
Alright imma go powder my curly white wig brb
xo
Ugli
p.s kinda unrelated-related: there is a mer-people hierarchy where its elders first due to their age and wisdom, so Solomon is respected for his age. (and atem resents him for his age lol)