Kaiba lay wide awake in bed, unable to sleep.
A three months had passed by insanely quickly since he had last seen Atem.
Mokuba had completed his high school entry exams and was starting school in another few months. His next few weeks were going to be filled with making sure Mokuba had everything he needed before school started.
This was going to be his brother's first time attending a school that wasn't private or abroad, and Kaiba was worried Mokuba would face the same prejudices he had struggled with.
Shaking the negative thoughts from his mind, Kaiba tried to focus on the positives.
He had gotten nowhere in his research with merpeople.
He had gotten nowhere in his search for the elusive Chrysalis.
Hell, even Marik Ishtar was avoiding him, by putting other people in his path whenever he showed up at his office or the hospital.
He had gone to the beachfront every other night, hoping and praying that Atem would surface, but as predicted, he did not. Waiting until sunrise, Kaiba would nap in the beachfront house for a couple hours before heading to work.
Because he was so exhausted, the days passed by in an uneventful, nauseating blur.
All positives, Kaiba fumed, turning over and tucking his arm under his head, glaring at his nightstand in the dark.
He was wasting time, and his own youthfulness. If merpeople were immortal, he was losing with every passing day.
Sitting up slowly and pushing the covers off his body, Kaiba decided that if he was awake, he might as well spend it in the lab downstairs.
Walking slowly down the hallway, he passed Mokuba's door, and he could hear the faint sounds of a video playing on his phone.
He wasn't in the mood to discipline his younger brother, so he let it slide.
If his younger brother was growing up anything like himself, sleep was going to be hard to come by for the rest to of his life.
Sighing, Kaiba stepped into the elevator and leaned against the railing, feeling oddly nauseous again.
Goddammit.
He slowly sat down on the floor as the lift sank lower and he placed his head between his knees, breathing deeply while the nausea rose higher and higher.
Damn it. Damn it. Damn this nausea.
The elevator door slid open softly and Kaiba got to his feet, feeling his throat burn with bile. He was going vomit…
He spied the wastebasket by the lab table, and he lunged for it, bending over the edge and hurling what was left of his dinner.
Coughing weakly, Kaiba wrinkled his nose angrily at the stench and gingerly sat back on his heels, his head spinning terribly.
The rats and guinea pigs were rustling and scrambling in the glass enclosures squeaking softly at him.
Gritting his teeth, Kaiba pulled himself together and caregully bundled up the wastebasket before approaching the cages, wondering if he could talk to the animals using his mind the way he had done so with the fish.
Hey, you. Kaiba said mentally, eyeing on guinea pig with brown and black spots who was busy preening itself. Hey you. Hey. Hey, Hey.
The guinea pig ignored him and continued to wash its face with its tiny clawed hands.
Hey, you fucker, look at me. Kaiba growled, tapping at the glass with a slender nail, and he withdrew his hand quickly when he saw that once again, his nail had grown out into a fine point. There was also a tiny scratch in the place where his nail had been tapping.
"Ah, shit." Kaiba groaned, examining the nails on both his hand and wondering what type of sandpaper he needed to use to make them look like normal, human nails again.
He patted around the drawers underneath the lab table and pulled out the stack of sandpaper he kept in the back and began filing his nails down on the surface, keeping the sandpaper flat on the table while gently dragging his nails down across it.
This was what cats did, right? Did he need to install a scratching post into his room now, in addition to the shower that spewed water that was below freezing?
"Please don't eat me."
Kaiba let out a startled yell and stumbled back away from the cages, his heart pounding furiously in his chest as he stared at the rats and guinea pigs.
"Who-Who said that?!" Kaiba hissed, sweeping his gaze across the row of glass cages.
Who the fuck said that? Stand the fuck up and raise your motherfucking hand, Kaiba thought viciously, and nothing happened. All the animals in the cages were still clamoring around mindlessly while others were asleep.
"I said it, sir." The brown spotted guinea pig stood up against the glass and stared right at him with its tiny beady eyes. "You're sharpening your claws so you can eat me."
"Shut up. He can't understand you." Another voice grumbled from behind it, and the brown spotted guinea pig dropped down on all fours to run back inside the plastic igloo.
Kaiba cautiously approached the glass cages and heard a shouting argument being had inside the igloo.
"He could understand! He yelled when I said something!"
"These humans are all crazy! You heard the women in white coats! They said, 'he's going to run tests! ON US, YOU FOOL."
"Will you two shut up? I hope you die first."
"No, I hope you die first."
Shut up! Kaiba shouted in his head, but the petty arguing continued.
"No, you."
"No, YOU!"
"I hope your death will be painful."
"I hope your death will be painful and we ALL get to watch."
They can't understand me through thoughts, but I can speak with them directly?! Kaiba thought, terror-stricken. On a whim, he rapidly reached inside the cage to lift the igloo away from the hoard of guinea pigs underneath it, and shrill screaming filled his ears.
"HE'S GOING TO KILL US ALL!"
"RUN! RUN FOR YOUR LIVES! Someone jump out of the cage to distract him!"
"THAT'S SUICIDE! You'll die when you hit the ground!"
"IT WORKED AT ANOTHER LAB I WAS AT! SOMEONE DO IT!"
"But how far away is the ground?! YOU DO IT, IT WAS YOUR IDEA!"
"Listen you fuckers," Kaiba said coldly, glaring down at the group of guinea pigs scrambling around in the cage making a huge mess. "Shut the fuck up. No one is going to die. At least, not if I can help it."
The animals all paused in their motions and stared at him for a moment before continuing to panic amongst themselves.
"See? We're fine! Let me go back to sleep."
"HUMANS DO THIS THING, ITS CALLED LYING."
"Oh sure, you're the wisest of us all, only because you've been alive the longest."
"IN FACT, I AM!"
Rolling his eyes, Kaiba realized that they were ignoring him probably because the idea of a human understanding them was probably beyond their comprehension.
They did have tiny brains after all.
Setting the igloo back down in the cage, Kaiba grabbed several vials of liquefied scales from the freezer and arranged them in a neat row in front of each cage. Next, he grabbed a few clean syringes and lined each one up with every vial.
Then, He pried open a laptop that was sitting nearby and suppressed a yawn.
One group he would inject with the scales, another he would make them ingest it by putting it in their water feeders.
The third group would be his control.
He would do this twice over, with rats and guinea pigs.
Time to begin.
Atem placed a grey stone on the hollowed-out indent alongside four other stones on the golden calendar block, feeling a rush of sadness.
At his request two stones ago, three strong Stealthsman and one palace guard had moved this calendar from the outer gardens and into his room.
There were two rows of six empty spaces for stones, and every time a row filled up, it meant half a year had passed on shore.
One more stone, and it would be six months. Time was passing too quickly and slowly at the same time.
Atem had nearly forgotten to place the previous stone, because four weeks had passed by in the blink of an eye. Everyone was intent on keeping him busy, eager to forget the horror of the past, and Atem could feel that everyone wanted to move on quickly, but he personally couldn't.
Thoughts of Seto Kaiba filled his mind like an infectious disease. Anytime he did anything, Kaiba's face would appear in the front of his mind.
Just the other day when he was making an obligatory visit to the Mines, he had thought of nothing but Seto Kaiba on the journey there, and on the journey back.
Mahad had even commented on his peculiar silence, and Atem shook him off with a glare and a sorrowful look.
Throwing himself down on his bed, Atem gathered the sheets in his arms and gave them a tight hug, shutting his eyes and imagining it was Kaiba in his arms instead.
It was futile. Nothing and no one could replace Seto Kaiba.
A soft knock sounded at his door and Mana's voice floated through it.
"Atem…Solomon is requesting your presence in the throne room."
Again? Atem raged internally, swimming over to the door and throwing it open. "What does he want?!"
"I-I... don't know." Mana lied badly, clasping her hands in front of her with an embarrassed flush before lowering her voice to a whisper. "Actually…its regarding Matchmaking."
"I swear on Tefnuu's staff I will murder that old man in his sleep one day." Atem muttered venomously, plowing through the water in his anger and ignoring Mana's worried thoughts behind him.
He floated to a furious stop at the edge of the hallway leading into the throne room, seeing a row of strangers along the pillars of the room.
Mahad spotted him and dove towards him with a sympathetic smile, gesturing for Atem to swim closer. "Come, my king. You'll like this selection better—"
"Not interested." Atem seethed, and Solomon's deep voice echoed from behind him.
"King Atem! I need you in here…now!"
Grinding his teeth in annoyance, Atem spun around and sped back into the throne room, glaring at the old merman and choosing to float a good distance away from him, avoiding the heated stares from the strangers in the room.
"I don't want this." Atem said coldly.
The old merman waved his staff towards the row of strangers. "If you give any of these people a chance, we could discuss the possibility of you being able to surface to moon bathe. You may thank Mana for the kind suggestion."
Atem bit the tip of his tongue tightly, tasting blood.
Fine. He would put up an act if it meant he could sneak away during a moon bath and hide somewhere on Seto Kaiba's private shore until he appeared.
Thank Ahti for Mana and her clever ways.
"Supervised moon bathing," Solomon added, recognizing the fiery glint in the young king's eyes. "Three Stealthsman and one warrior will accompany you."
I'll fight them all or bribe them, Atem thought furiously, forcing himself to keep his expression neutral.
"Fine." Atem said coolly, raking his gaze through the row of merpeople, and he spied a face he remembered seeing in the last selection. The merman with medium blond hair and kind brown eyes.
"I choose him." Atem said carelessly, pointing at the merman, and the man's face fell dramatically as he was unable to hide his disappointment.
Setting his jaw in fury, Atem realized these people probably had not volunteered to be here, but had been drafted…either by Solomon or by heads of their colonies.
"Good choice. A young warrior in the making," Solomon beamed, nodding in approval. "I give you both my blessing."
Don't…care, Atem growled to himself, and he rushed forward to grab the blond merman by the arm and drag him out of the throne room, only half-listening to his panicked stammering.
"H-Hey uh…n-nice to meet you, um…I'm Joey," he said, floating awkwardly on his side as Atem continued to drag him through the hallways of the palace. "Wow, man, I never been here before, nice place, uh…C-Can we slow down? I don't know—I mean, I've never done it with another guy before—"
Spying a deserted hallway, Atem floated to a stop and pushed the blond merman into the far corner, throwing a frantic look over his shoulder before he whispered, "You're a warrior in training? Perfect."
This seemed to incite even more panic in the man, and an odd accent from his colony was beginning to come through in his speech. "N-No please, I mean, I like you, man, I really do…b-but as a friend-friend! Not really looking smash fins if ya' know what I mean—"
"We're friends, right?" Atem demanded, narrowing his eyes and realizing this merman was misunderstanding completely. "By the Law of Brothers, we are friends, regardless of our colony or status. So help me. Joey, is your name? We are brothers, aren't we?"
"Y-Yeah…we're bros." The man grew slightly pale and fell silent, gazing fearfully into Atem's angular violet eyes which were narrowed in determination.
"Tell me the location of the nearest Chrysalis," Atem demanded in a low whisper. "Or show me."
Joey's eyes widened in surprise and he swallowed visibly, his Adam's apple jumping tightly in his throat.
"Why'dya wanna know that?" He asked hoarsely, gazing frantically over Atem's shoulder and making sure no one was swimming by or eavesdropping. "You know I can't tell you, right?"
"Yes, you can," Atem said in a heated rush. "Its not like you're bound by a pact or anything." He was so close. So close. All this merman had to do was lead him to a Chrysalis.
"A-Actually we are...bound by a pact." Joey said plainly, giving Atem an appraising look. "It's one of the first things we do in the Initiation. We learn about Pact-making…and well, how to make one, safely."
"Which means you how to break one, safely." Atem argued cleverly and bared his fangs in a half-grin. "My warrior, Mahad, overheard my pact with the human and undoubtedly advised Solomon on how to help me break it. Now, you will break yours, and lead me to a Chrysalis."
There was a tense silence, before Joey's eyes widened and he pulled Atem into a crushing embrace, nearly squeezing the water out of his lungs as he said in a loud voice, "Ah, man! HAHAHA you're the best! I can't wait to smash tails with ya…."
Struggling angrily against the muscular arms wrapped around his body, Atem felt Joey hang onto him tightly and send him a private thought, "One of yer palace guys is floatin' by starin'. Not safe to talk here."
Joey released Atem with a firm smile, his brown eyes sparkling with camaraderie. "Aight. I'll help ya out cuz that's what I'm trained to do, right? I ain't gonna be a strong warrior if I don't know how to break my own pacts. But you gotta tell me why and everythin'."
"Indeed, I will." Atem smiled and felt a rush of gratitude and happiness for the first time in a long time. He threw himself forward and returned Joey's embrace with equal vigor, hearing his new friend laugh happily in his arms.
"Heads up. Another one of yer palace guys, comin' right at us. Act normal and keep huggin' me."
"Boys…boys, no need to hide here, whispering like you're committing a crime," Shada's voice echoed mutely in the hallway, and Atem slowly turned around to face the Ambassador with a stiff smile.
Nowhere was safe inside his own home.
"Hahaha that's funny, cuz we are definitely plotting to commit a crime," Joey replied brashly with a fang-glinting grin, his accent changing fluidly.
Atem bit the inside of his lip and resisted the urge to elbow Joey in the stomach. His new friend was hilarious, and useful.
Having a warrior by his side who wasn't Mahad was going to make seeing Seto Kaiba a lot easier from now on.
"We're going to talk in the garden, or somewhere in the outskirts of the palace," Atem said vaguely, grabbing Joey by the arm and steering him down the hallway, keeping the pleasant smile plastered on his face for Shada.
"I'm not your Keeper. Go anywhere you like," Shada replied with a huff, and Joey grew very still at his side while they watched him swim away.
"Who's he?" Joey asked quietly while Atem led them down another winding hallway.
"The Royal Ambassador. He travels to other colonies in foreign waters, or on shore to fulfill peace treaties, and sometimes just to spread important news."
"Cool." Joey answered nonchalantly, craning his head around in a full circle to gaze at the mosaic artwork surrounding them every time they passed a new set of pillars leading to another hallway.
"Hey, Warrior 101 is if you're in a hostile place where everyone is listening, don't ever talk." Joey said instantly, sounding very perceptive of Atem's situation. "We should communicay in our thoughts from now on if you need my help…finding…that thing."
Communicay, Atem mused, throwing Joey a playful smile over his shoulder, mimicking his accent.
I mean, 'communicate' ya know what I mean, Joey grumbled back to him, nodding a few palace maidens floating by and giggling at them. Dang. Even the girls are prettier here.
Tell me the exact wording of your pact, Atem said instantly, not wasting a moment's time, but his companion was already distracted. Joey had left his side and was floating after the two maidens, doing backflips over their heads while they giggled and tried to ignore him.
"Joey!" Atem cried out in dismay and dove forward to quickly drag his new friend away from the two women. "Focus! I was asking you a question."
"And I saw some pretty girls! Ya don't see 'em like that where I come from," Joey strained against Atem's grip, waving energetically at the two girls who covered their mouths demurely and tossed their hair gracefully over their shoulders at him.
"C'mon lemme go talk to 'em!" Joey whined, watching the two women swim away prettily, waving their fins at him after one last look over their shoulders. "One of them looks like my ideal maiden."
"Oh, your ideal maiden, tell me all about her." Atem said dryly, dragging Joey on his side once more, aiming for the stone bench behind the coral trees.
"Blonde and beautiful," Joey declared, flipping himself on his back and lacing his hands behind his head, floating leisurely above the stone bench while Atem took a seat. "And she's gotta have big jugs. Like huge. Enormous."
"Jugs." Atem repeated emotionlessly, not understanding what Joey meant.
"Breasts! C'mon Your Majesty," Joey grinned widely again, his fangs gleaming. "Alright now tell me what you like. Is it mermen? I mean, I heard something 'bout you...but I'd rather ask you directly."
"What are people saying about me?" Atem asked, instantly on guard. "Tell me."
"Ehhh…" Joey shook his head and smiled again this time with more sympathy. "Nah. It ain't important."
"Tell me, or I'll fight you." Atem fumed, and his friend threw his head back with a laugh.
"You wanna fight a warrior in training? What, are you doing some trainin' too?"
"Please tell me." Atem said, curling his fists over his fin with a mixture of curiosity and frustration. "I need to know."
Joey nodded, and after a moment's contemplation, he spoke carefully, "They say you're lonely, and got no one be with, so while you got captured, a male human convinced you that ya'll could be Mates or somethin'. I mean, I don't blame the human for wantin' to…and I don't blame you for believin' him neither."
"That's what people think happened?" Atem cried, wondering how the story got so twisted in such a short amount of time. "That's not even remotely true!"
"Yeah see? Gutter talk," Joey grinned, floating lower and giving him a nod. "So, ideal maiden?"
"I like men." Atem said instantly, and Joey's face fell slightly.
"Oh...ah. So, half of it is true," Joey said awkwardly, and there was a tense silence. And you wanna find a Chrysalis to go see him on land.
Atem nodded, growing numb all over as he made a small confession to his new friend in thought-form.
I initiated. I invited him into the water with me the first time. In fact, I forcefully dragged him in the water and wrapped my tail around his legs. He didn't mind, and after a few moments, he kept asking for more—
YEAH YEAH LA LA LA I GOT IT! I GOT IT! Joey said, making a frantic X motion across his chest, his cheeks burning red. Don't wanna hear about mating stuff or you're gonna make me horny.
Atem felt a laugh climbing up his chest and swallowed thinly.
Apologies…for that, Joey.
Nah, you're good. Joey flipped over on his back again and suppressed a yawn. My pact is pretty air-tight now that I think about it. I got the words, ready?
Yes. Atem replied, sitting up straighter and listening intently.
"I, Jounouchi Katsuya, swear on my blood, that as a Warrior, I will protect the mer-population with my life. I will be an upstanding citizen, and I will use the Chrysalis only when necessary, while keeping the locations a secret to any being who seeks its powers. I will withstand any torture, threats, and blackmail, because as a Warrior, it is my duty to protect what is sacred to me as a merperson, and to the people I love."
Atem swallowed thinly, growing cold all over. That was some solid wording. It was no wonder his pact with Seto Kaiba was easily broken.
That's the part I say, Joey said, frowning in concentration. There's the part that the Chrysalis Guard says too.
How many guards? Atem asked curiously, his stomach churning with dread at the answer he was about to receive.
Two rows of guards, Joey answered solemnly. And not all of them are merpeople, so beware. Anyone who doesn't know how fight might actually get killed trying to break through the barriers. There's an enchantment pact around Chrysalis too, and the mermaids who cast it are all alive. If any one of them dies unnaturally, the terms of the pact are passed on to their next of kin immediately.
Oh Ra… Atem reeled, gazing down at his own clenched fists. So, it wasn't an obstacle enough that the Chrysalis was hard to seek—it was heavily guarded with pacts and other sea creatures.
And apparently the Warrior Pact protects me from feeling pain if I ever am captured. Joey said distantly, fanning his tail thoughtfully. I'll still bleed, but I won't feel anything. If I break this pact, I put myself at risk if there's ever a war. That much is clear.
"I can't ask you to do that…" Atem breathed, numb all over with sorrow and despair, and he wondered if Mahad had broken his pact in order to access the Chrysalis twice in such a short amount of time.
That thought made him sick to his stomach with guilt and worry.
Best advice…maybe you forget about him. Joey said knowingly, glancing down at Atem as he hovered above his head. What's so good about him anyway? Ya know, humans only live about eight decades. Another warrior lesson: don't bond with something that has a short lifespan.
I just…want to see him, Atem thought miserably, biting back the horrible burning of unshed tears building behind his eyes. Even if it's only from afar. I want him to know that I didn't abandon him.
Ah, I get it. You're attached to him like he's your pet, Joey said, nodding, thinking he understood. I'll think about my pact and ask some buddies. Maybe they've already broken theirs and I'm the last one! Aw man…!
Joey instantly looked crestfallen, and Atem felt a rush of endearment towards his new companion.
I can help you find your ideal maiden if you can help sneak me to the surface somehow. I don't need the Chrysalis. That plan is too dangerous, for me…and for you. Atem thought fervently up at Joey, and his friend nodded.
You got yourself a deal, Joey said happily, looking very please and relieved. Ya know, the rumor was that whoever got picked by you was gonna have to Mate with you with a happy smile on their face. This trade is way better.
That's horrible, Atem replied furiously. Who ordered that? I didn't ask for that!
And the benefits were immediate promotion to whatever rank I want, Joey continued ruthlessly, now realizing he could speak openly with the King.
They were also offering riches to the family. I mean, I kinda need that more. I can work my way up in ranks, but my baby sister is still in School…and she gets teased about her hair all the time. I wanna bring her to a nice salon here in the Royal Village…but man, I saw those prices as I was swimming by…
Bring her with you next time, Atem said warmly with a soft smile. Mana knows how to braid hair very well. She even knows how to color it with dyes made from kelp and algae.
Wow! For real? Noice, Joey grinned flashing Atem a thumbs-up. She'll be crazy happy to hear that. Hey, lemme grab some grub while I'm here, and then I gotta jet. Need'ta report for evening guard-duty in my hemisphere.
Food is always available for you in the Royal Dining Hall, Atem nodded and pointed over his shoulder at the white hallway behind several tall pillars decorated with streams of colored kelp. Take whatever you want.
Sweet. See ya later alligator! The blond merman gave Atem an energetic wave and swam off with impressive speed towards the white hallway, leaving nothing but a trail of white bubbles behind him.
Atem smiled to himself and felt it fade quickly. Finding and accessing a Chrysalis was going to be ten times harder than he'd originally thought. He would also be breaking a thousand ancient mer-made rules in the process, along with endangering his new friend.
He couldn't do that. As a King, it really was irresponsible.
"Atem!"
Atem jumped and spun around quickly, annoyed that Solomon had managed to sneak up on him.
"I was watching you two play from afar," the old man chuckled, looking very pleased. "You see? Isn't it nice to have someone the same age...and the same species to play with?"
"We weren't playing, we were only talking." Atem replied indignantly, feeling a rush of resentment for the old man. "And he's bringing his sister for his next visit. Please alert the guards at the front."
"Well, that's perfect!" The old man said genially, floating away with a happy smile on his face. "I'm glad this arrangement worked out so well."
"It's working out wonderfully." Atem replied with a cold smile, and he kicked of the bench to swim away quickly, eager to get away from Solomon.
He dove behind a wide pillar for safety and breathed a soft sigh of annoyance.
There was a way to reach Seto Kaiba at the surface.
He just needed to work harder to keep up appearances and make friends in the right places.
I can do it, because I am the King, damn it! Atem thought angrily, using Kaiba's curse word fondly in his mind.
Cursing in his mind made him feel closer to Seto Kaiba, and doing it was fun. Atem was beginning to see why Kaiba cursed so often.
Dammit, Kaiba growled, gently lifting a dead rat out of the cage with his gloved hands and inspecting it carefully.
The body was still warm and all the other rats in the cage were panicking with high-pitched squeaks.
"SHE DIED! OH, POOR HER!"
"She said she was feeling unwell for the past few days."
"This guy put something in our water. It tastes funny. Everyone, don't drink the water!"
"Then die of thirst! I need to drink water. There's nothing else to drink here."
Kaiba shut his eyes and felt a headache coming on as the guinea pigs in the neighboring cage saw the rat corpse in his hand and also began yelling.
"HE KILLED ONE! See, what did I tell you?! We're all going to die."
"All she said was 'I don't feel good!'"
"Yeah, that's how it starts. Then we'll ALL start feeling bad and die from whatever she had!"
"I don't want to feel unwell when I die…"
Sighing heavily, Kaiba sealed the rat corpse in a plastic bag and decided he would take the time to dissect it…away from the cages, so the animals wouldn't see him doing it.
The guinea pigs were still oinking and yelling over the glass at the rats, attempting to have a conversation with them.
"Did he inject you with something?"
"He injected us with something, and we feel fine!"
"Drinking the water is what makes you sick!"
"Is your water poisoned?!"
Suppressing a tired groan, Kaiba tossed the rat into a jar of embalming liquid and decided to call it a day.
He peeled the gloves off his hands and marched towards the elevator, hearing it ding!
Mokuba was standing inside, with his finger still on the button, and he and wrinkled his nose, "Ew. What smells?"
"Why are you still in your uniform?" Kaiba retaliated with another question, unwilling to answer his brother. "Get changed."
"No, I'm wearing it cuz I need to show you!" Mokuba said irritably, raising his leg and pointing at the lower cuff which rode up his shin. "I grew, and that's annoyingly short. Can we call the tailor and get him to come over tonight? I don't wanna go to school if it looks this bad."
"Everyone is wearing the same thing. No one will notice." Kaiba said monotonously, stepping into the elevator with a tired sigh. "Going up, bellboy."
"Yeah, but I notice. And girls notice." Mokuba said grumpily, letting go of the button and watching the elevator doors slide shut quickly. "And my sleeves are getting short too. I hate how tight the shoulders are feeling. C'mon Seto. I know you tailored your school jacket! Mr. Kato came over all the time during the summer…and he fixed your winter set at the same time too!"
"Yes, we'll call him. I never said you couldn't," Kaiba sniffed, resting a hand on Mokuba's shoulder and gazing fondly into his face, appreciating that they were almost nose-to-nose.
"Good, and I want help Yuu senpai fit into his uniform too," Mokuba said obnoxiously, shrugging Seto's hand off his shoulder. "He keeps the bullies off my back, and I feel like he's the only guy who talks to me cuz he likes me. Not just to suck up to me."
He's a great detective, even managing to punish every person in the group who wrote insults about me on the board.
"Invite him over and we'll pay for it," Kaiba said calmly, stepping out of the elevator once it reached the top, and he rolled his shoulders back, feeling achy all over.
"Cool, thanks. You're best," Mokuba grinned, and he stuck closely at Seto's side, bouncing eagerly on his toes. "Hey, big bro. Can you also teach me how to drive?"
"No." Kaiba said automatically, pausing at the door to his room, wondering why Mokuba was following him around so much. "We have a driver for a reason."
AW MANNNN WHY?! I KNEW HE WAS GONNA SAY NO!
"Yeah but, you drive!" Mokuba argued, starting to raise his voice. "Why can't you let me drive? I won't drive any of the super cars! Just give me a shitty, slow car. All the cool and rich senpais at my school can drive! I'm the only rich kid who doesn't drive!"
"Yeah, and they're all 18," Kaiba said testily, wishing Mokuba would leave him alone. "And they all have a death wish."
"Give me slow car and I can start learning!" Mokuba fumed, placing his hand on the door and aiming to push his way into Seto's room if Seto wouldn't give him what he wanted. "I wanna drive."
"Why? Why do you want to drive?" Kaiba asked impatiently, stepping into his room and blocking the way into it. "I'm tired, Mokuba. I was up all night—"
"Yeah playing with rats, we know," Mokuba said nastily, folding his arms across his chest with a sneer. "I want a car that's mine, that I can drive to go on dates. It's not my fault you don't understand, and don't have anyone you wanna take on a date."
Kaiba ground his teeth together tightly and felt a pang of anger.
"Yeah, got you where it hurts," Mokuba smirked, noticing how Seto's eyelid twitched. "C'monnnn…please?!"
Gosh, Seto is so uptight and unfair. The second he turned 18, he started driving, and he snuck out with a car all the time!
I know he even convinced Isono to teach him! Why isn't he letting me drive?
Dang. He's seriously angry about my date comment? But it's true!
"I'll think about it." Kaiba growled, and he slammed the door in Mokuba's face, hearing his brother's thoughts cheering in his mind.
Yessssssssss! That always means yes. That means he's gonna get me a car, oh man oh man! I'm so excited! Aiko-chan is gonna be so impressed huehuheuhue….
Sighing, Kaiba stripped off his shirt and tossed it aside, eager to take a hot shower.
He switched the water on and stepped inside, sighing deeply as the cold water cascaded over his skin, moisturizing it as well. Washing his hair vigorously, Kaiba silently congratulated himself for his own cleverness.
He had managed to fit a separate tank into the wall behind the shower last year during the renovations. Having filled that with liquid scales all while the tank kept the water below freezing, he could enjoy the sensation of a hot shower while still under the effects from the scales he was ingesting.
He discovered that this always helped his skin stay moist, at least until near the end of the day, when he started to feel dry again…which then meant it was time for another moisturizing cold shower.
Shutting the water off, Kaiba stood very still in the middle of the stall, waiting for the water to evaporate off his body.
Mokuba was begging him for car and going out on dates.
How had three years passed by so quickly?
Stepping out of the shower and grabbing a towel for warmth, Kaiba wrapped it around his body and sighed, bending over the sink and inspecting his pale reflection in the mirror.
This was the face of a man who was one of the top-ten richest people in the world.
His cosmetics line had launched seamlessly at the end of last year and was well-received by skin-care enthusiasts in the beauty industry. The serum delivered anti-aging results that were undeniable, receiving raving reviews even from various cosmetic surgeons about how the cream produced natural-looking results which looked like well-placed botox injections or a tasteful facelift.
Following the serum's release on the market in the past year, he had somehow become obscenely rich; richer than he had been before Atem's capture, and his world changed for the better. People treated him differently.
At social functions, beautiful men and women alike would throw themselves at him, but Kaiba always turned them away with his disinterest.
It didn't matter how pretty they were or how beautiful they made themselves up to be.
They weren't Atem.
And no one understood that.
Sighing, Kaiba strode out of the bathroom to get dressed, thinking he would visit the basement again, for old times' sake. With too much money and nowhere to spend it, he had converted it into a luxurious pool deck with an accompanying hot tub and mini-bar, but there was nothing he could do to the room that would make him forget that Atem had once been there, waiting for him at the edge of the pool with a seductive smile.
Toweling his hair dry, Kaiba stood in front of the full-length mirror by his walk-in closet. Next month was his birthday, and Mokuba was going to be on winter break in a few months.
He kept catching stray thoughts from Mokuba thinking about wanting to travel to Europe, or "somewhere warm this winter", so he had his work cut out for him.
Shrugging on a shirt and some pants, Kaiba sat down at his desk and pried open his laptop, mentally preparing himself to buy Mokuba a car, and to book tickets for winter vacation.
Author's note:
Time lapse chapter. Beginning of the chap, few months pass and both men cope with it in different ways: kaiba throws himself in his work and searches fervently for answers while Atem kinda does the same thing, looking for an out any way he can.
Ahhh the tragedyyyy. *throws arm dramatically over my eyes* (im sorry, I love tragic romances and wanted to challenge myself writing a time-lapse-y story that makes sense somehow)
but atem makes a new friend (joey loloolol)
And mokuba is seen physically growing up here!
expound your thoughts in the comments below and yell at me to your heart's content. I'll keep writing.
Xo
ugli