Mana sat on Atem's bed, hugging him tightly while he struggled not to cry.

"Did it feel like heartbreak for you?" Atem asked. Mana pulled away and looked deeply into his eyes.

"Yes," she whispered, wrapping her hands warmly around Atem's larger ones. "I've only met him once, and never spoken to him, but it sounds…like him. It sounds like what you've told me of him."

"Did you see an image? Anything?" Atem pressed, desperate for more information. Joey, Tristan, and Duke were leaving him soon, and he was going to be alone…again. The next decade was going to pass by unbearably slow.

"No, it was all raw feeling," Mana said, gazing upwards with a slightly awestruck expression. "It was …so horrible. Perhaps this is why you love him so much. Mating with him must feel like the extreme opposite of this."

Atem managed a weak smile and a nod, "That is true. I've lost myself several times when mating with him."

An urgent knock at the door interrupted their heart-to-heart, and Joey's voice floated into Atem's thoughts.

Yo! King! Hurry, open up! We gotta talk!

"I'll leave," Mana said hastily, zooming to the door and brushing past Joey with a friendly smile. "I heard the Call to Arms a few heartbeats ago. Good luck, Warrior Joey."

"Thanks," Joey said carelessly, and he dove into Atem's room, slamming the door behind himself and pressing his ear against it, waiting for Mana to be out of range.

"What is it?" Atem asked, slightly alarmed by the skittish behavior from his usually laid-back friend. "What did Mahad want to discuss?"

"Seto Kaiba!" Joey cried, not bothering to keep his voice down. "Your people think that Kaiba is a merman Undercover, doin' his Assignment!"

"Oh, not that again," Atem rolled his eyes, and Joey sank tiredly to the floor of Atem's room, tucking his tail beneath himself neatly.

"So ya know. Good, it's not a secret then," Joey said, looking visibly relieved. "Mahad is askin' me to see if I can weed Kaiba out as a merman who hasn't seen a Gene Pool in a decade. He should be lookin' kinda sick, barfin' and dizzy…. the usual shore sickness stuff."

"He's human!" Atem cried, his wonder rising at Kaiba's ability to fool merpeople. "He's an exceptional human, but a human nonetheless."

Joey nodded, "Yep. Mahad said he'd lie to you about bein' human."

Atem sighed dramatically and shook his head. Joey would see for himself when he got on land. Kaiba was human, one hundred percent.

"Hey, can we talk about that mermaid, Mai?" Joey asked heatedly, blushing a deep red. "The one we met in Confinement for like three seconds. I like her."

"Oh. Great," Atem said plainly, uninterested. "She won't like you. Even though she's your Ideal Maiden, humans are her preference."

"I'm gonna be human!" Joey cried, rising from the sand excitedly. "Can you get her out and have her meet me? That would be so awesome! She'll pay attention to me for sure!"

Atem nodded, smiling softly, "Yes, I can try. Anything for you, my friend."

"Awesome, thanks," Joey said, holding out his hand awkwardly. "Now gimme the stuff you want me to bring up. I don't know if we'll see each other again until I return. I'll give you a map to my hidey-hole too, just in case."

Atem took Joey's hand without hesitation and closed his eyes, seeing a series of images flashing through his mind.

A pink reef, a towering cliff, dipping down into emerald green waters, and a solid hole was carved out in the wall of stone, hugging an adjacent yellow-sanded beach.

"What a good map," Atem said happily, withdrawing his hand with a nod. "That must be one of your strengths."

"Is it?" Joey scratched his head and shrugged. "I guess I'm just good at thinkin' about it. Gimme the disgusting loot and I gotta jet. The horn was 1,000 heartbeats ago. I'm gonna be in trouble if I don't show my face."

Atem hastily dove under his bed and grabbed the seaweed sack filled with empty bottles Joey had given him several moons ago. Those bottles he had shamefully filled with his own seed while sinfully touching himself and imagining Kaiba's pale hands roaming over his body.

Feeling his face heat up uncontrollably, Atem bowed his head as he handed Joey the sack.

"I'm a stand-up guy, aren't I?" Joey grinned, hoisting the sack on this shoulder and giving Atem a playful salute. "See ya' next decade. I'll come back with goodies. You and Serenity better throw me a raging welcome party!"

"It will be…a rager," Atem said with effort, trying to smile. "Thank you for being such a good friend to me, Joey."

Joey grinned brightly and swam to the door, swinging it open and giving Atem one last look, "See ya later, alligator!"

Atem swallowed thinly and nodded, trying to stem the lump of sadness rising in his chest.

The last of Joey's bubbles vanished, and Atem sat himself down heavily on his bed, biting back tears of anger and frustration.

Alone. Alone again.

Kaiba sat underneath the water, meditating.

Everything was so calm and serene down here. The only annoying thing was the whispering of the fish and the loud swishing of seaweed around him.

There was also someone muttering to themselves.

Annoyed, Kaiba tried his best to ignore it as he counted his own heartbeats. He had learned how to do this after vomiting a few times from being submerged too long.

60 heartbeats were approximately one minute.
For now, he could last three hours underwater without air.
He had run multiple tests on himself and learned that since he had been injecting himself with scales so regularly, his heartbeats had become extremely steady, steady enough to keep time.

After being hospitalized for being a 'drug addict' at Mokuba's insistence, the doctors had come into his exam room, singing his praises, saying he was in excellent health.

It was then that Mokuba finally believed him when he said the injections were fish scales and vitamins, but Isono was still suspicious.

Even now, the old man was probably standing at the window of the beach property, watching him do these submerging experiments and judging him harshly.

Kaiba sighed and saw a stream of bubbles leave his mouth.
Shit. He needed to keep air inside his lungs, or he was going to vomit water and suffocate like the first time he had stayed underwater for more than two hours.

In his fervent researching, he still hadn't managed to find the mystery substance that prevented suffocation.

Slug or slag. Mutt.

Damn, he needed some of that shit, and fast.

If Isono saw him barf on land one more damn time…the old man was never going to stop lecturing him in his mind. Something had changed that day, and Kaiba was pretty sure it was for the worse.

It seemed his manservant had finally come to terms with his telepathic abilities and was now abusing the two-way channel, using it to lecture him at every instance, from the way he took his coffee past 2 in the afternoon, to what he ate, or didn't eat, for dinner.
He was beginning to sound like a mother hen.

Also, while he had been applying ointment to his still-healing tattoo, Isono was right behind him, sending him nagging thoughts about how he could've gotten an infection…and died from it.

Isono also began scolding him for driving off the property too fast, claiming he was going 80 miles per hour on the driveway when the speedometer clearly said 20.

Other horrible instances of Isono's preaching was when he suggested Kaiba go to clubs, to meet men or women.
Or how he should attend matchmaking sessions, to meet men, or women.
Or how he should attend company mixers, to meet men or women.

Isono had gained a strange confidence because he realized speaking freely in his mind was easier than talking aloud, so everything was coming out—unfiltered.
It was agonizing.

Kaiba's only solace now was escaping underwater, where Isono's intrusive thoughts wouldn't follow him.

Two…no, four… Ah, I can't remember.

SHUT UP! Kaiba shouted at the voice, wondering if it was another merperson. Or show yourself! You're being really fucking annoying.

How-How rude! The voice sputtered, open your eyes Merman! I'm here to deliver a message!

Not a merman, Kaiba thought tiredly, cracking an eyelid open and seeing a deep purple octopus floating inches from his face.

He let out a startled yell and froze on the spot, blinking rapidly, hearing the octopus yell back frantically and flail its tentacles before dashing to hide behind a nearby rock.

"What's possessed you?!" The octopus cried angrily, peeking out from behind the rock, and Kaiba just stared. "Don't scream! There's been too much screaming this millennium. Too much."

Okay, well…scram, Kaiba thought furiously, counting his own heartbeats, which had sped up slightly from his fright. You're interrupting my Me-Time.

"I come bearing a message…Warrior," the octopus said headily, pointing a tentacle at him. "You think you're so high and mighty, speaking only with your mind and not bothering to open your mouth—"

What's the message?! Kaiba interrupted, his interest rising in a burning crescendo. Is it from Atem?

"King Atem has nothing to do with this," the octopus corrected haughtily, inching out further from behind the rock. "This is regarding the scream we heard several sunlit days ago. Do you know the merperson who uttered it? And if so, are they in danger?"

Kaiba blinked rapidly, letting out a slow stream of air from his lips.
Oh…shit. That had been heard?!

"So you do know!" The octopus cried, zooming towards his face with alarming speed, and it bobbed lightly in front of his nose. "Tell the name. Speak! Is it a warrior friend of yours? Are they dead? Is it too late?"

Kaiba ran his tongue along the inside of his cheek, his mind spinning quickly with ideas on how to exploit this situation for his own gain.

"Yeah, I know who it is," Kaiba said slowly, giving the octopus a grin. "Bring me some slugmutt, and I'll tell you."

There was a silence as the octopus darted up and down, looking beside itself, "What is this?! Extortion? A bribe? Blackmail?"

"An exchange of services, nothing else," Kaiba said with a sly smile, feeling a rush of vicious happiness at his new ability to speak underwater. "Get me a fuckton of that slug shit, and you get to go home bearing great news, and a message for the king, how about that?"

"I-I'm not a royal messenger," the octopus squeaked, curling and uncurling its tentacles in distress. "How will I ever make it past the front gates?"

"Say, 'I have a message from Seto Kaiba for King Atem. It'll get you in anywhere," Kaiba said confidently, now worried the octopus was going to be fished up or eaten by the errant fisherman on its way back down.

"I am a Top Tier Messenger!" the octopus said proudly, hearing Kaiba's thoughts. "I will not be eaten. My speed is unrivaled. My delivery is sharp. My accuracy is—"

"You talk too much," Kaiba interrupted gleefully, holding his hand out and curling his fingers into his palm. "Slag, now. Before sundown."

The octopus hovered apprehensively in front of his face before it swam off quickly without another word.

Feeling slightly hopeful, Kaiba leaned back against the rock and gazed up at the sunlight filtering in beautifully from the water's surface. Being submerged for three hours a day really helped with his evening nausea.

Even if the octopus didn't return, he now knew that he could catch any one and have them deliver messages. They were oddly eloquent.
Perhaps he could catch one and keep it as a pet, releasing it once in a while to deliver messages to Atem.

Closing his eyes once more, Kaiba tried to relax and enjoy the rest of his time alone.

Merman!

Growling, Kaiba opened his eyes and saw the purple octopus hovering inches from his face once more, holding a dark brown slug in each of its eight tentacles.

"Your slugmutt, as you requested," the octopus muttered, bobbing awkwardly in the water. "Now, tell me the information!"

Excited, Kaiba stripped off his shirt and held it out tentatively. The octopus seemed to understand immediately and dropped all the slugs into Kaiba's shirt, shaking out its tentacles with disgust as one of the slugs clung on too tightly, refusing to let go.

Kaiba hastily plucked it from the octopus and tied his shirt into a bundle, effectively trapping the slugs inside, and he held it up for a closer look. His suspicions had been right! It was a type of slug.

"Now keep your word!" The octopus said, darting rapidly back and forth in the water with distress. "Who uttered the scream, and are they dead?"

"I did," Kaiba said plainly, giving his shirt a poke and seeing the slugs writhe around the cloth. "It was an accident. Didn't mean to. Didn't know anyone would hear it."

"That scream was taken seriously by all of us!" The octopus said angrily, beginning to change color. "It felt like deep sorrow and pain. Are you hurt?"

"Lead me to a Chrysalis," Kaiba said instantly, pressing on with more of his demands. "I've 'lost my way' or whatever."

"I don't know anything about the Pools," the octopus replied heatedly. "And it's no business of mine if you've lost your way, Warrior."

"Fine, fine," Kaiba said hastily, beginning to feel a bit lightheaded and nauseous. "Tell Atem I'm still waiting for him to show his face. Tell him…"
There were so many things to say, how could he express it all at once with just a few words?

The octopus held up a tentacle and grew very still, "Speak clearly, merman. I will take your voice and tone into account."

Kaiba blinked rapidly and nodded, composing himself enough to say, "tell him I love him, and I'm still waiting."

The octopus bobbed gently in the water as another oncoming wave washed into shore. "Noted. I'll be on my way now." It jetted off through the water at a surprising speed, and Kaiba sat very still, stunned at the sudden departure.

"Wait! Will you come back?!" Kaiba shouted, feeling his lungs ache. Shit. Shit. He needed to surface.

He kicked off the rock and popped his head up, coughing and spluttering, seeing Isono standing on the beach waiting for him with a towel draped over his arm.

Rolling his eyes, Kaiba threw the slug-filled shirt over his shoulder and slowly walked out of the water, briefly allowing himself to enjoy the feeling of wet sand between his toes.

He brushed past Isono without a word, hearing the old man send him a series of rapid questions.

You were in there for two hours and thirty minutes! That's too long! What's in the shirt? Is it alive? They're moving!

"Please shut up," Kaiba growled, and he trudged up the boardwalk, back onto his property.

Time to run all kinds of tests on these slugs and learn how to better survive underwater for longer periods of time.

"Warriors, as you know, there was a pained scream three sunsets ago," Mahad said seriously, swimming up and down the row of newly recruited soldiers. "We will be splitting up into groups, and only two people will exit the Chrysalis at a time to avoid suspicion."

Tristan fidgeted nervously, and Joey gripped his spear so tightly, his fingers burned.

"The other neighboring colonies won the draft," Mahad continued, "which is why we are being Deployed last. A team of Stealthsmen will escort you and a partner to the destination. From there, you are on your own."

There was a deep murmur in the line-up, and Joey felt himself sweat.

He had done record-time swimming by dashing to his hidey-hole to store Atem's jars before dashing back for roll call, and had barely made it in the nick of time.

"We will go in order of rank, so all the newly indoctrinated Warriors are surfacing last," Mahad said with finality, looking Joey right in the eye. "Good luck, and enjoy your time onshore, my brothers."

Joey swallowed thickly and shut his eyes, saying a quick prayer for himself, and for Atem. His friend was probably going to miss him a lot while he was away.

Atem was sulking in his room when he heard a high-pitched voice shouting his name from beyond his closed door.

King Atem! Your majesty, the king, Atem!

It sounded like a messenger.

Rousing himself slowly, Atem floated to the door and pulled it back an inch, glaring at the tiny purple octopus floating too close to his face.

"What do you want?" Atem sighed, pulling the door back further and wondering if this was a message from Joey, or the Keeper, reminding him that another year had passed on shore. Years were always passing by too quickly on shore….

"I have a message from Seto Kaiba for King Atem," the octopus squeaked happily, curling and uncurling its tentacles excitedly. "May I begin?"

Atem blinked and felt time stand still. His heart swelled with joy, and he grabbed the octopus by the head to drag it into his room.

Slamming the door behind himself, he gave the creature a vicious shake. "Tell me what he said! How did he find you?!"

"Let go! Let go! So violent!" the octopus panted angrily, darting away from Atem's claws and swimming directly upwards to the ceiling, eager to be as far away from the king as possible. "I'm being treated badly even though I'm a Top Tier Messenger—"

"I'll promote you," Atem said automatically, breathless with excitement. "Tell me what he said."

"He also screamed at me," the octopus said heatedily, sounding very disgruntled. "To answer your first question, my king, I found him. He was meditating and cursed at me when I told him I had a message to deliver."

Atem nodded, unable to stop himself from smiling, "Sounds like him."

"Ahem," the octopus did a strange dance in the water before continuing to speak. "He said, 'get me a ton of that slag shit and I will tell you who screamed', and so I did—"

"What shit?" Atem interrupted, frowning in confusion. "Slag? What is that?"

"Slugmutt is a tool the warriors use to breathe on land," the octopus said plainly. "He made me do his dirty work for information. I brought him the slugs, and he said, 'I did it. It was me.'"

"Did what?!" Atem asked, his confusion rising higher by the second. "You're a horrible messenger. Who do you report to?"

"The scream!" the octopus cried, distressed. "Seto Kaiba was the merman who let out the scream."

Atem sank slowly down onto his bed, his heart thudding loudly in his ears while his body burned with a strange fire.

"He also said to give you this message," the octopus said importantly, oblivious to Atem's shock. "'Tell him that I'm still waiting for him to show his face…tell him, tell him that I love him."

The room spun violently as his vision blurred, and Atem nodded, breathing shallowly as his chest began to hurt.

Kaiba had managed to hijack a Messenger and get it to deliver his message while also making it fetch a tool that allowed him to breathe on land. If he didn't know any better, it sure sounded as if Kaiba was a merman!

"He is a merman," the octopus said plainly, doing a happy spin in the water. "Looks Pure, talks badly like one, acts like one, and I couldn't refuse his request. I was rewarded for it! Am I being rewarded?"

"Yes…yes," Atem breathed, gazing at the octopus with newfound appreciation. "Send a message back. I'll give you my seal. You are my personal messenger now, do you understand? Who did you report back to?"

"Warrior Mahad," the octopus answered instantly. "I need to deliver the original message to him—"

"No need, because I can tell him," Atem said cleverly. "You've been promoted, now your job is to return, find Seto Kaiba, and give him my message."

The octopus did another twirl in the air, sounding very happy, "Yes, my king, yes! I'm listening now."

"Very well," Atem said seriously, his confidence faltering slightly when he wondered what he could say that encompassed his feelings entirely. There was so much to say…it was impossible to condense into a few short words.

"Tell him… that I love him too," Atem said shakily, biting back tears that seemed to come out of nowhere. "Everyone seems to think you are an Undercover Warrior, and if you are, damn you for lying to me. That is all."

The octopus grew very still for a moment before springing back to life again and zoomed towards the closed door, "I'll be on my way now. Please let me out."

Sighing heavily, Atem rose from the bed to open the door, letting the octopus swim quickly down the hall and disappear around the corner.

Throwing himself back down onto the bed, Atem threw an arm across his eyes, willing himself to stay composed. Did it matter if Kaiba was human or a merman? All that mattered was that they weren't together.
If Kaiba was on an Assignment, how long would he stay onshore?
Undercover Warriors were notorious for prolonged shore assignments.
Mana was correct.

Holding a relationship with someone in a high-profile job was extremely challenging.

Rolling over onto his stomach, Atem buried his face into his pillow and closed his eyes, willing for sleep to come. Perhaps he could sleep off the sadness.

Kaiba stared at the slugs in the five jars, ignoring the squeaking from the rats and guinea pigs in the corner.

He tapped each of the vials, re-reading the labels, and making absolutely sure that each was correct because he would essentially be killing a rat or guinea pig if they couldn't breathe after being submerged underwater for ten minutes.

Slug 1: secretions

Slug 2: branchial plume / gills / eyes / the spiky shit on top (?)

Slug 3: intestine only

Slug 4: tail only

Slug 5: entirely liquified

If these five did not work, he still had three others that were still alive and intact, living happily in a tank on his desk.

Taking a deep breath, Kaiba braced himself for what he was about to do.

He stuck a syringe in each of the vials and drew it into the barrel, approaching the group of guinea pigs he had also been injecting with liquified scales.

This test group was the most similar to himself.

All the others in the control group had died a while ago because guinea pigs only lived for about 4 years anyway. The rats and guinea pigs in group 2, the water bottle feeding group, had also died; all had suffered intestinal ruptures, which was extremely alarming.

His last hope were the six guinea pigs oinking anxiously at him in the last cage upon seeing a syringe in his hand.

Reaching inside the glass, he grabbed the closest one and held his breath, holding it over the large jar of water he had prepared earlier.

"Please, please don't put me in water, please!" the guinea pig cried, squirming helplessly in his grasp with wide, terrified eyes. "I'll be good! I won't hate the needle! I know you hate me!"

Kaiba sighed and held the animal up to his face, staring into its beady eyes with a grimace, "Thanks for all your help these past few years. I hope you survive this."

The guinea pig stopped squirming and gazed intently back at him.

Kaiba took this chance to drop the guinea pig in the large jar and watched it sink to the bottom while flailing all of its arms against the glass, screaming all the way down.

Its tiny claws patted at the glass, and Kaiba tapped on the jar, watching the guinea pig walk around in a tight circle at the bottom, squeaking happily, "I CAN BREATHE!"

Kaiba tapped his phone and set a timer.

He reached into the cage again and picked up another guinea pig, grabbing another jar and filling it up with saltwater from the tank he kept under the lab table. Ignoring the terrified squeaks, he dropped it into the jar and tapped the second timer on his phone.

He repeated this process for the three other guinea pigs, and he sat back on his stool, gazing at all the animals behaving normally inside the water-filled jars.

Ten minutes should do it. Starting off in small increments of time should be safe.

Closing his eyes, Kaiba took a deep breath and counted his own heartbeats.

He had a feeling the more he practiced doing it, the better he would become.

After mistiming some of his own dives, he had almost choked to death without the slugs. This experiment had better work because he was essentially risking the life of five, possibly immortal guinea pigs, with a spare one, which was running around in frantic circles, kicking up the wood chips at the bottom of the cage, crying for his friends.

After a moment, the timer beeped, and Kaiba silenced it hastily.

He said a small prayer before he reached into the first jar and picked up the syringe.

Test pig one, secretions injection.

Lifting the guinea pig out of jar, Kaiba waited until he could hear it speak through pitiful choking squeaks, and he hastily administered the syringe.

He set the animal gently down on the table and watched it continue to struggle for air.

Eyeing the timer nervously, Kaiba heard it beep, indicating the second pig needed to be taken out.

Shit. The first one was still choking.

He scooped it up and carefully set it back into the water, hearing it gasp with relief, "Can't breathe outside, but can I breathe in the water…! Ouch!"

Silencing the timer, Kaiba scooped out the second pig and quickly administered the contents after it also began to suffocate, and he dared to wait a full minute before he placed it back into the water-filled jar.

Secretions and branchial plumes were off the list.

Grabbing the third one and silencing the timer with his other hand, Kaiba lifted it out and set it down on the table, watching it squeal nervously and begin to behave oddly, clearly also suffocating.

He injected it with the third needle and observed no change in the guinea pig's behavior. Beginning to grow frustrated, Kaiba tossed the pig back into the jar, and scooped out the fourth one, feeling desperate.

Watching the guinea pig roll stiffly onto it's back and claw at the air after receiving the injection, Kaiba sighed and placed it back into the water.

Lifting the fifth guinea pig out of the water, Kaiba let it squirm and cry for help before he injected it with the last syringe, and he set it down on the lab table, watching it crawl across the surface, dripping wet and furious.

"That was horrible! Why did he do that? At least I didn't die…"

Kaiba blinked rapidly, unable to believe his eyes.

The guinea pig squeaked weakly and tried to hide behind the jar, still breathing heavily but somehow managing to speak, "Ha! You're all still stuck in there! I'm alive!"

Shaking with excitement, Kaiba dipped clean needles into the vial containing the entire slug, and he carefully injected each of the four pigs and let them all sit on the table, sopping wet and gasping for air.

They were all alive after being submerged for ten minutes!

The secret was to ingest the entire slug.

Now all he had to do was break down the chemical structure of the slug and streamline the "slugmutt eating" process.
Maybe this was a great stride for merpeople.
No more having to eat the disgusting, foul-tasting concoction.
Everything could be administered like an Epi-pen.

Daring himself to feel happy, Kaiba stood up and let out a triumphant laugh, gazing down at all five wet guinea pigs, talking to them excitedly, "You can breathe? You're all alive?"

And he got very disgruntled responses.

"He just tried to kill us, and now has the nerve to ask if we are alive."

"I feel sick. The water tasted bad."

"I'm hungry and glad I'm alive."

Breathing a sigh of relief, Kaiba sat down and let out another laugh. Damn, that was stressful.

Suddenly, he heard the quick pattering of footsteps overhead, followed by the quiet whoosh of the elevator, and Mokuba appeared. His little brother dashed towards him and bent over his knees, trying to catch his breath, looking furious.

"What…what the fuck are you doing, Seto?" Mokuba panted, staring fearfully at the wet guinea pigs sitting very still on the lab table. "I can see you in the video feeds, you know. Are you…drowning them?!"

"You're spying on me now?" Kaiba demanded, but Mokuba ignored him, moving to pick up the cage containing the last guinea pig and backing out of the lab towards the exit, shaking his head.

"You're sick, Seto," Mokuba insisted, looking close to tears. "I saw you drown them, one by one, and then inject them with something. Whatever you're doing, it's animal cruelty. I'm saving this one."

"But they're alive! Look!" Kaiba said furiously, pointing at the five wet pigs gazing at him accusingly from the lab table. "Give that one back. Look, they're all fine—"

"YOU'RE CRUEL!" Mokuba shouted, and he bolted into the elevator, still hugging the glass cage to his chest. "I HATE YOU!"

Kaiba sat very still, listening to Mokuba's muffled sobs as the elevator ascended back into the house, and he thunked his forehead tiredly down on the table, feeling a guinea pig attempt to climb his arm.

"Everyone hates me, and I don't know what I'm doing," Kaiba said dully, feeling tears welling up annoyingly behind his eyes. "Do you hate me?" he asked the nearest guinea pig who he could feel was still attempting to climb him, and he sat up slowly, horrified to see that tugging he had felt was the pig struggling.

It had keeled over and died.

The other four also looked lifeless, and the fifth pig was oinking in distress, sniffing each of his friend's bodies and glaring accusingly at Kaiba.

"YOU KILLED THEM! I AGREE WITH THE OTHER MAN. I HATE YOU TOO!"

"Ah…shit," Kaiba cried, gently tapping each of the four and feeling them already growing alarmingly cold.

Shit shit shit shit shit….

The elevator doors whooshed open softly again, and this time, Isono stepped into the room, looking grim. Behind him was a woman wearing a white coat, carrying a clipboard in one hand and a briefcase in the other.

A doctor.

"Master Kaiba, a guest…for you," Isono said, his thoughts saying something completely different.

I saw you drowning your pets which you have lovingly kept alive for the past ten years! You are ILL, Master Kaiba! Please talk to this doctor about your issues and STOP KILLING ANIMALS!

"I'm not killing animals," Kaiba said through numb lips, fully aware of how bad he currently looked, saying that while sitting in front of four guinea pig corpses, still wet from the jars of water.

Fuck.
Was Mokuba or Isono planning on admitting him into an institution?! First the drug accusations and now this?! Why couldn't he be left alone?!

"Mr. Kaiba…an honor," the doctor said, bowing deeply, her dark hair falling like a curtain over her pale cheeks. "You have a beautiful home. I especially love the way you planted the…"

Wow…he really is sick. Look at this place. It looks like a madman's lair. There's even a horrible smell…. And clearly, he was in the middle of drowning the guinea pigs.
I guess I made it in time. One out of five are alive…. not great odds.

"I'm not sick, go away," Kaiba said evenly, and to his rising suspicion, he saw two of his own burly bodyguards step out of the elevator, accompanied by Mokuba.

"Go with the doctor to her office," Mokuba said, his voice shaking with emotion. "You either go willingly, or Burly and Surly will go with you."

I freaking swear I will MAKE Seto better. I don't care if he doesn't want to be better. I know that he'll thank me for it later.

Kaiba rose to his feet slowly, ready to fight his own men. "Is her 'office' a hospital with ten-foot walls and surrounded by an electric fence? An office where people are force-fed medication because that's how they're being 'helped'?"

"No, no it isn't," she answered mildly, somehow managing a smile. "My office is just on the outskirts of Domino. Rent in the city is so expensive. Please come willingly."

H-Holy shit, he looks scary like this. Will I be okay? I'll alert my front desk security in case he gets violent with me…though I've never had a patient lash out at me before….

Master Kaiba, please. Please! You've lost your way in life. You're a thirty-five-year-old man with no wife, no children, no family aside from myself and Mokuba, who are clearly trying to help you. Please go with her.

Kaiba narrowed his eyes and gave Isono an apprehensive look before relaxing visibly and nodding. Fine. This was another thing he had to do…for appearances. If talking to this doctor would get Mokuba off his back, he'd do it.

"Good! Let's ride in separate cars. See you there!" The doctor said, hastily making her exit, and Kaiba watched her leave, glaring at Mokuba, who glared right back at him.

"If you have a problem with me, kid, just tell me," Kaiba growled, taking a step closer to his brother, startled to discover that they were the same height. "Don't send strangers in after me thinking they'll make me 'better'."

"I don't have anything to say to you," Mokuba replied coldly, folding his arms across his chest and pointing at the elevator. "There's a driver waiting in a car outside. He'll drive you back after your session is over."

Kaiba let his breath out in a slow hiss and stalked into the elevator, smashing the button with his fist and giving Mokuba a middle-fingered salute.

His younger brother was basically babysitting him.

It was fine. Whatever.
He had learned what he had needed to learn.
As long as he could still access the ocean to harvest more of the slugs, everything would be fine.

author's note:

Atem and Mana deal with the aftermath of Kaiba's scream. Kaiba hunts for slugs.
Mokuba forcefully admits his big bro into therapy after seeing him "drown" his pets.

edited by: taedae

ABOUT NEXT WEEK'S UPDATE

Next week, I'm going for my yearly visit overseas, and I wont be bringing my laptop with me on this trip, so that means there will be no chapter updates (on wed NOV 6th and wed NOV 13th) until i get back.

This Wednesday OCT 30th will be the last update until NOV 20th, so please wish me a speedy return from my travel so i can come back to post on time heheheh~

Happy reading! And as always, thank you so much for your reading support! I'm also planning on releasing a Christmas hole-y night smut special, so please look forward to that!

NGL gonna appreciate this break because i've been updating so consistently for the entire year!

Thank you!

BIG big biiig hugs,

Ugli