Kaiba sat at the edge of the water, letting the waves lap at his ankles.
He was freezing.
The water was no longer warm, but he stayed wet anyway, letting the waves swirl in around his hips before shrinking away back to the ocean.
Seth said he was coming.
He'd gotten a call from a sympathetic-sounding Kisara, saying Seth was on his way with good and bad news. It was something he couldn't say over the phone, and Kaiba worried himself sleepless wondering if it was news about another death.
The loss of Isono was hitting him particularly hard, and the empty house on the beach was difficult to live in, especially after Mokuba and his wife passively kicked him out of the mansion. They weren't ignoring him, but the somberness of their actions could be chalked up to mourning.
Even Noah seemed to sense something was wrong and had stopped calling everyone 'papa'.
Kaiba hadn't spoken to Mokuba in a few weeks since Isono's funeral, which he'd refused to attend, so all he knew was that they had put out a new application for a full-time manservant.
Deep down, Kaiba wasn't sure anyone would bite. Working for their family had its ups and downs. That person would have to be willing to give up their life to stay on their property, or…have no life to begin with.
Sighing, Kaiba bit back another shiver as an icy wave came rushing around his ankles, and he stared at the patterns his legs left in the sand.
He'd been sitting here for an entire day, alone with his thoughts, soaking in the water.
Hugging his knees to his chest, Kaiba shut his eyes and grit his teeth, biting back another shiver.
Fuck…everything….
Seto!
Seth's voice echoed in his mind, and Kaiba's eyes shot open excitedly. He leapt to his feet and raced into the water, scanning the rough waves for signs of life.
A tanned arm stuck out of the water and Kaiba stared at it so hard, his eyes watered with relief.
Holy fuck. Thank fuck.
Seth's head popped above water and he rolled onto the beach with precision, holding nothing but a rusty spear at his side.
Kaiba ran across the sand, chasing the wave Seth rode, and stood above his twin, raking his eyes down the merman's toned form, taking in his long brown hair and glittering blue fins.
Nothing had changed about him. Good.
"Ah, you missed me," Seth said, flashing his fangs in a handsome grin. "So, what's new on this shore?"
Kaiba knelt in the sand and silently hugged Seth, pulling the merman in so close, he could feel a warm breath graze his ear.
"Oh…I see, you really missed me," Seth said, laughing awkwardly as he briefly hugged Seto back. "What happened?"
"My manservant passed away," Kaiba said stiffly, his throat closing up as he admitted this aloud, and the horrible, clenching feelings of sorrow came rushing back.
"Ah…I'm sorry," Seth bowed his head and drew an odd symbol in the sand. "May he rest in comfort."
"What is that?" Kaiba asked in spite of himself, and he tilted his head, realizing he'd been looking at the symbol upside down. It was the mer-phrase for 'rebirth', and Kaiba's heart clenched strangely.
"Our custom, when someone we love enters the circle of life," Seth said simply, drawing his fins up around him and wringing his hair out with practiced ease. "And speaking of life, I have news."
"Yeah I figured. I don't want to know," Kaiba muttered, turning away to look out over the dark horizon, his shoulders growing heavy. "Don't tell me."
"You must know!" Seth insisted, shaking his head. "You daughter hatched…three moons ago. Well, four now. We've just started another moon cycle—"
"What?" Kaiba breathed, his ears ringing and his body light with nausea. "Three months ago?! And no one thought to tell me? Her actual parent?!"
"No one told me!" Seth said indignantly, mirroring Seto's anger. "No messages, nothing. Not even a written note. I had to hear it from the women I sold lipstick to."
Incredulous with fury, Kaiba curled his fingers into the sand, exploding with anger and frustration.
"Don't…scream—" Seth began warningly, but it was too late.
Kaiba leapt to his feet and let out a deafening yell that pierced the air and made the ground vibrate beneath them.
Seth clapped his hands to his ears and winced, feeling the hair raising horribly along his arms, and bit the inside of his cheek when he heard glass shatter in the distance.
Atem and his kingdom were really causing their family grief.
Thousands of leagues below, Atem jerked his head up and felt his breath catch terribly in his chest when the merperson's scream reverberated in his eardrums.
It was as if someone had dragged a searing hot knife down the center of his chest, bringing pain, coupled with a throbbing headache that made his eyes water.
The baby woke up and began screaming in the pod beside him, followed by all the other babies in the neighboring pods, and Atem winced at the sudden assault from all the unpleasant crying.
"Holy…gods!" The Medic clutched her head, wobbling through the pods blindly with her hand out in front of her. "I might need medicine for this headache! Someone call Warrior Mahad!"
Rolling out of the bed beside the baby's pod, Atem reached in to scoop her out of the green leaves, and he held her to his chest, patting her gently on the back while her fins thrashed violently underneath his arms.
The other babies calmed down after the nurse and Medic went through every aisle to give every baby something to drink, but the baby in Atem's arms continued to scream and cry.
Mana came zooming into the infirmary and she hovered anxiously in front of Atem, opening and closing her mouth in shock.
"What?" Atem growled, his eardrums throbbing with pain from all the crying from the baby.
"That was…for you." Mana said seriously, her face darkening. "Seto Kaiba is angry. Not heartbroken this time. You better be careful. Did it hurt? Did he hurt you?!"
"With a scream? Don't be ridiculous," Atem scoffed, but his stomach churned with dread and guilt. It had hurt. Quite a bit.
"It hurt me, how could it not have hurt you?!" Mana cried, pressing a hand to her cheek and fanning water over the baby's face. "No, no, princess. Don't cry. Yes, that was Daddy! Yes, he is mad, aren't you mad too? Ooo give her to me, Atem. I'll make her stop crying."
Thankful for the relief, Atem handed her over to Mana without a second thought and sank into a sitting position on the nearest bed, shaking all over.
This was not sustainable. He had to see Kaiba to smooth things over, but he couldn't get near the surface without the pact activating and begin to kill him.
"What do I do?" Atem mumbled, feeling despair crushing his heart. "We can't keep sending the odd messenger here and there. We can't even find Seth. What do I do?"
"Nothing." Mahad answered breathlessly, leaning against the wall beside the bed and resting his freshly honed spear on his muscular shoulder. "If Seth doesn't show his face, we can't do anything about it. You better hope Kaiba will send his brother here to see the baby. In the meantime, I'll swim to shore and tell him to stop screaming."
There was a tense silence.
Atem nodded and pressed his face into his hands, biting back tears of frustration while the baby's desperate cries rang tinny in his ears.
"There, there," Seth patted Kaiba's back while the former CEO had his head buried in his arms, and tiny diamonds kept washing away every time a wave came rushing onto the beach.
His throat was scratchy and hoarse, and his eyes kept stinging from the tears that wouldn't stop coming from them.
First Isono, now this. He'd missed the birth of his kid. What did a hatching even look like? He had to hope that at least Atem had been there to see it.
Atem.
Atem.
Atem.
Atem.
"Seto…do you need to…hold the dragon's egg again?" Seth asked gently, hearing his twin spiraling wildly inside his thoughts. "I have good news if you want to hear it."
"There is no good news. Only bad news and worse news," Kaiba ranted, digging his feet furiously into the sand as his teeth chattered. "Fuck my life. I'm a fuck up. She'll never know who I am. I can't fathom that."
"Good news," Seth continued, hoping to talk over Kaiba's depressing aura, which was seeping everywhere. "I found a competent architect who is willing to work with us to rebuild our resorts. She is from Thessaly."
"Cool," Kaiba said dully. He didn't care.
"…Their colony is beautiful," Seth continued, hoping to cheer his brother up. "Their resorts are well sought after too. You pop your head up after a nice, long swim, and can get magnificent views of these mountains…"
"Don't. Care," Kaiba said through gritted teeth, brushing a stray tear off his cheek. "I've got some bad news."
"Oh no, I don't want to hear this," Seth said, and he was cut off rudely by Kaiba.
"I'm running out of money. Again."
"Wh-What?" Seth stammered, shaking his head, unable to believe it. "No. Impossible. You have riches. Kisara tells me your wealth is like an eternal fountain!"
"Yeah it's eternal, but only if you live a standard life like a normal human being," Kaiba snapped, his mood souring quickly. "It's not eternal if you live forever. Mokuba caught me depleting my accounts. I don't have a good explanation for where all the damn lipstick is going."
"I see," Seth said gravely, stretching his fins out to touch an oncoming wave. "What can I do to help?"
"Nothing," Kaiba replied, gazing out over the dark horizon, feeling eerily calm. "Ease up on the spending. We are wealthy and always will be. The issue is the speed of which we are spending it."
"Ah, no need to panic then," Seth said easily, leaning his head on Kaiba's shoulder and leaving a giant wet patch on the shoulder of his stiff suit.
Kaiba hissed in annoyance and leaned away.
"Don't do that," Kaiba growled, his heart beating painfully in his chest as he realized he would have to take his own clothes to the dry cleaners. He would need to mentally prepare himself for the humiliation. Fuck.
"Find yourself another servant," Seth said amicably, not understanding how close Isono was to Kaiba's heart. "Why were you fond of him? Find someone who can do what he does, but better."
"No one can do it better. He knew how to do everything perfectly," Kaiba mumbled, hating how he missed being lectured in his own head. "I didn't have to say anything, and it would be done."
"I'm sorry," Seth said sympathetically. He leaned back onto the warm sand, gazing up at the dark clouds floating across the night sky and thought he saw his twin brother shiver. "Hey, are you taking the medicine? You shouldn't be feeling cold in the water. That is a bad sign."
"Chrysalis…" Kaiba whispered, his eyes wide as he remembered the tiny shore Mahad brought him to. "Can you swim somewhere for me and search the entire perimeter? I might know where a Chrysalis is."
"Yes," Seth said instantly, sitting up and holding his hand out for a map. "Give it to me. I will go now."
Kaiba grabbed Seth's hand immediately and shut his eyes, picturing the cliff where Mahad had been standing. He made sure to include the entire eight-minute swim with Tristan to the secluded beach before he let go, and he saw Seth's eyes shine in the darkness.
"I swim by there sometimes to get here," Seth whispered, sounding excited. "That's very close by! I'll scour the entire cliffside too. Have a shipment ready for me when I come back?"
"Yep," Kaiba said dryly, his stomach curling at the thought of Seth's departure. "Leaving already?"
"Well, we have work to do, don't we?" Seth rested a hand lovingly on Kaiba's shoulder, and Kaiba felt his body heat up inadvertently. "You can draft up plans for our new kingdom. Your brilliance knows no bounds. I'm counting on you, brother. We can share the plans with the Thessalian architect and build the most luxurious resort on this side of the equator!"
Kaiba said nothing and nodded stiffly. Sure. Whatever.
"Oh! And what's her name?" Seth asked, already inching towards the water. "You never told me."
"How am I supposed to know?" Kaiba shot back mindlessly, thinking that Seth was talking about the architect, and he received an odd stare from his twin.
"Your child's name," Seth said, his lips twitching upwards into a smile. "Did you think of one? Everyone keeps calling her 'the Princess of Muran' when it should really be 'Future Queen of Helios'. Quite annoying if you ask me."
"Oh shit," Kaiba said numbly, suppressing a tight shiver. "Fuck."
"Let's not name her any of those words," Seth said blithely, using his spear to push himself off the shore and giving Seto a wave. "I'll be back in a few days, brother. Wish me luck. I shall find this damn Chrysalis. Have those lipsticks ready!"
Kaiba nodded and raised his hand in a half wave, watching his twin disappear underneath a foamy wave.
He stared out over the water for a moment longer before he slowly got to his feet and brushed the sand off his wet slacks.
Time to build a kingdom underwater.
Where to even start?
The doorbell rang at the Kaiba residence, and Mokuba palmed his face tiredly.
He saved his work on his laptop and accessed the camera feeds for the front gates, seeing Seto standing resolutely by the intercom, holding a black suitcase at his side.
Sighing, Mokuba rose to his feet and slowly walked out of his room to greet Seto at the door.
Outside, Kaiba gripped his suitcase tightly, trying to appear unfazed, but the crushing guilt was hard to suppress.
He had shattered all the windows of the beach residence with his scream. Freezing gusts of wind would blow through the house, making it unlivable. Even all the cars in the underground garage had suffered damage, so here he was, at 2AM, outside the mansion with a suitcase, ringing the intercom like a stranger.
It was also his first time riding a cab…in decades.
The gate buzzed and swung open. Lowering his head shamefully, Kaiba strode onto the white concrete, trying to compose an excuse that didn't sound like, "I just destroyed my home by screaming, and now I'm homeless until it's fixed, but could you please pay for the repairs? Because I'd rather spend my money on lipstick."
To his surprise, a man wearing a dark suit and sunglasses opened the front door. He looked eerily similar to Isono, aside from his hair, which was styled upwards into a single spike in the center of his head, it was almost comical.
"Master Kaiba, welcome in," the man said in a deep, grating voice, and he bowed with precision.
Unable to hide his shock, Kaiba stood on the bottom step and blinked.
Wow, Mokuba had found an Isono clone.
He wasn't sure if he ought to feel impressed or offended.
"Who are you?" Kaiba asked bluntly, not willing to get within arm's reach of the man, because he looked extremely burly underneath the pressed suit.
"My name is Saruwatari," the man said deeply, still bowed. "But please, call me Kemo. That is what little Noah prefers, and I guess the name sticks. I am Kemo. Nice to meet you. I am honored to be at your service."
"And why would he call you such a ridiculous name?" Kaiba said coldly, realizing he was quickly slipping back into his old self with the insults and cold remarks, and he had to remind himself to stop it.
"Because he's a baby," Kemo replied just as seriously, and Kaiba stared at the man, wondering if he was joking, but his mind was silent. There were no thoughts coming from the man. Was he a robot?!
"Seto! Come in," Mokuba's voice echoed from behind the burly man, and Kemo stepped aside dutifully, melting into the shadows of the house.
Blinking, Kaiba slowly walked up the steps of the mansion, feeling very unwelcome.
"Slippers, for you," Mokuba said carelessly, pointing at the ground, and Kaiba saw a pointed hairstyle bend down briefly before a pair of white slippers appeared at the bevel.
Yes, it seemed this guy was a well-programmed robot of sorts.
He stuck his feet into the slippers and followed Mokuba up the grand staircase, noting the small changes that had appeared since the last time he saw the inside of the house.
Colorful drawings were plastered all along the wall across from the banister, and Kaiba saw one that was messily labeled, "daddy #1", but it was a tall stick figure with brown, crayon hair.
Cute.
It seemed like the kid missed him.
"What do you want?" Mokuba asked tiredly, pushing open the door of an empty guest room and standing beside it, tapping his foot impatiently. "Do you have anything to say for yourself? For, like, oh, I don't know, maybe…skipping Isono's funeral?"
"No," Kaiba said simply, feeling his gut wrench painfully as a brief image of Isono lying lifeless in an open coffin made him nauseous.
"Again, what do you want?" Mokuba asked, eyeing his older brother stonily, giving him a quick up-down glance, noticing a shard of broken glass gleaming on his left shoulder. "Did you get into a fight? Join a gang and want out? I swear, Seto, if this is some Yakuza shit—"
"I broke all the windows in my house, okay?" Kaiba lowered his head to stare at the tips of his slippered feet. "I screamed. It was an accident. It'll be fixed soon, I think."
That excuse, again?! Mokuba's disgruntled voice echoed through his head, and Kaiba kept his head lowered, feeling his ears burn with a mixture of embarrassment and fury.
"How long will you be staying?" Mokuba stepped into the guest room and flipped on all the lights, walking into the bathroom and the closet to inspect if it had been cleaned. "We're still trying to get everything together. Some staff are taking leave for mourning."
"I can help," Kaiba said instantly, but Mokuba shook his head and declined his offer.
"We're trying to normalize Noah's schedule, so if people keep coming and going, he'll get stressed," Mokuba said impatiently, and Kaiba had an inkling Mokuba was talking about him.
"I'll be staying a week, maybe, depending on the speed of the repairs," Kaiba said quietly, unsure of how to begin asking for financial help fixing all the windows. His estimate had been about several hundred-thousand yen, bordering on a million based on the type of panes he wanted.
He'd never had to think about money so much before, and it was pissing him off slightly.
"Let me guess, you want me to fix it," Mokuba caught on quickly, and he sighed, shaking his head. "I'll do it, Seto, but this will be the last time. Convert the garage into a lab so you'll stop breaking shit inside the house. There won't be room for any more of your crazy fuck-ups in the future because I'm putting aside a trust for Noah."
"Right," Kaiba ground his teeth and immediately felt like a burden. "Well, I can contribute to that."
"You mean you want access to the account so you can spend his money?" Mokuba shot back with a steely glare. "Sorry Seto. I know you're rehabilitated or whatever, and I'll trust you when you say the money is going towards lipstick for mermaids, but if I see you throwing up or turning green, I'm cutting you off."
Kaiba's heart skipped a solid beat, and he stared incredulously at his younger brother.
W-Was Mokuba really threatening him right now?!
"I'm not on—it's not drugs!" Kaiba hissed, dropping his suitcase onto the floor with a thunk, his anger rising quickly. "Why is it so hard for you to believe me?!"
"Because everything you do totally contradicts what you say," Mokuba said blandly, his eyes glassing over. "If they are vitamins, why do they make you sicker? Maybe Joey and Tristan were gang members who needed rehabilitation and they got pushed onto you. You couldn't say no, so you babysat them for four years, and we never saw them again. That would also explain why they're both dropouts. How'd they get into Todai University with that attitude anyway?"
"How would you explain all the broken windows then?" Kaiba asked aggressively, and to his frustration, Mokuba had an answer prepared for this too.
"You invented some kind of supersonic device for your own protection. I've seen you use it as a scare tactic. I'm related to you, Seto. I grew up seeing you play these tricks on people, so honestly, I'm done falling for it."
The brothers stared icily at each other from across the room, and Kaiba finally broke the silence after he couldn't stand it anymore.
"I'll pay you back."
"I don't need you to pay me back, nor do I want you to pay me back," Mokuba began, but Kaiba cut across him, sounding determined.
"New idea, we're branching out," Kaiba said coldly, his heart racing at the thought of a new way to generate income. "Start selling jewelry. We're going to be part-time jewelers. Or, you know what? Don't bother. I'll do it, and you can just pick up after me, since that's what you love to do."
"Is that what you think? Man, Seto, fuck you!" Mokuba cried, his cheeks reddening with fury. "I thought you said those diamonds we found in that dive years ago were cursed or something!"
"Yeah, well, we don't have to sell those," Kaiba said, beginning to rant mindlessly and already reaching into his pocket for his phone. "We can start with semi-precious stones. It'll be jewelry…for children. It won't be high-end shit. It'll be stuff they can wear for special events, and it won't be too expensive, but it should still look classy. We don't have to saturate the diamond market."
Mokuba's mouth dropped open, and he folded his arms across his chest, his heart thundering as he wondered if the old Seto was back. Seto was a genius of sorts, which explained all his weird, eccentric behavior, but where would Seto get a bunch of semi-precious stones ready to be made into jewelry?
He watched Seto hold the phone to his ear, and after a few moments, smile kindly and speak a language he'd never heard before. It made his ears buzz strangely, and the way Seto's tongue curled around some syllables made his hair stand on end.
"Seth?" Kaiba waited three heartbeats, and the phone rustled quietly as it changed hands, and Seth answered happily. "Brother!"
"What do we do with all the left-over rubies and shit that don't get spent?" Kaiba demanded, unable to sound polite. He was itching with excitement now. This was the way to generate 'return' on those lipsticks. If Mokuba wanted to see 'return', here it was.
"They get scattered into crowds at royal processions, or people make them into jewelry, or we stick them into clayware, you name it," Seth said, rattling off a list. "Why? Also, are you taking the medicine?"
"Yes, I am, shut up." Kaiba snapped, walking over to the desk by the window and pulling out each drawer, searching for a pad of paper and finding none before he gave up. "I need all the spare, shitty, low-grade currency we aren't using. The pennies. They're worth something up here. I'll find a way to turn them into jewelry people want to buy."
"That's a great idea, Seto!" Kisara praised in the background, and Kaiba smirked, his heart swelling with triumph.
He realized Mokuba was still standing in the doorway in the semi-darkness, giving him a strange look.
"Which shore? I can come to you," Kaiba said, and after a pause, Kisara's voice floated through the receiver.
"I'm flying to America next to see New York City, but Seth says he will need help carrying all the gems up. How will we recruit help? We don't…what's that, Seth? Oh, he says, we don't have an army. …Dear, is that a metaphor or do you really need an army?"
"Shit," Kaiba hissed, and he heard Seth call out to him.
"We'll figure it out. I'll drag it up bag by bag slowly then. Draft up the plans, brother! See you at your shore in a week."
The phone clicked off in his ear, and Kaiba tossed his phone down on the desk, frustrated.
It was one damn problem after another.
He needed an army.
These colonies underwater were more like small countries!
He wasn't equipped to raise an army. They had barely made enough money to rebuild!
Who the fuck wanted to live in a construction zone, or hell, fight for a construction zone?
"So…I take it it's not happening," Mokuba said carefully, raising his eyebrows. "Good night."
"No it's happening," Kaiba said icily, placing his palms down on the desk, listening to the rapid pounding of his heart in his ears. "There's just too much of it, and he needs help hauling it up."
"R-Really? Is it like, buried treasure?" Mokuba perked up, his cheerful boyishness returning in a flash. "I can help if it's buried treasure!"
Kaiba blinked and stared at his younger brother before his face split into a handsome grin. Right, of course. Mokuba loved this kind of shit.
"Then I'll give you coordinates when I have them," Kaiba said evenly, and he received a warm smile from Mokuba in return.
"I guess we're becoming jewelers," Mokuba said blithely. "Ayame will love this. But this time, let's name the company after something or someone else, okay? Maybe Noah? But he's a boy. I don't think he'll be too happy about us naming some sparkly necklace company after him."
"Go to bed. I'll think about it," Kaiba replied, sitting down behind the desk and feeling himself burn all over with a sense of excitement he hadn't felt in years. "I need the baby book of names for girls."
"Oh, okay. It's in the study. You'll find it," Mokuba yawned and gave Seto a casual wave. "G'night for real this time. Love you, big bro. You've still got it."
Kaiba nodded stiffly, sparing Mokuba a half-smile.
Hell yeah I've still got it, Kaiba thought indignantly to himself. He stretched lightly and cursed himself for not bringing his laptop…because he'd also cracked the screen with his scream.
Time to scour the mansion's lab for one of Mokuba's old laptops.
"Papa…"
"PAPA!"
Kaiba cracked his eyes open and saw Noah clinging to the edge of his chair.
Sunlight streamed in through the window and a clear blue sky was painted brightly over the tall trees on the property.
"Hey, kid…" Kaiba lifted his head up and a book page stuck his cheek slightly. "What are you doing up here? Where's your mom?"
"Papa, play!" Noah smiled happily, his palms out excitedly, and Kaiba palmed his face tiredly realizing he'd fallen asleep at his desk last night.
"Noah!" Ayame's frantic calling could be heard echoing from downstairs, followed by her rapid thoughts. Where is he?! Oh fuck, I've lost him in this fucking goddamn, huge-ass house, fuck!
"Noah! Mama isn't playing games right now! Come out! Did you climb up the stairs by yourself again?!"
Shit shit shit, fuck! He'll kill himself rolling down these stairs one day! Where's that damn nanny? He's useless!
Rising slowly out of his chair, Kaiba reached down to pick Noah off the ground, and the child protested loudly by his ear, "Down! Me want down!" Down, papa, down down down! Put down!
Smiling slightly to himself, Kaiba walked to the door, pleasantly surprised that Ayame had picked up cursing from Mokuba. She was always so sweet, so hearing her chant 'fuck' in her head was refreshing.
"Oh, Noah, thank f—Mr. Kaiba!" She cried, looking extremely disheveled as she skidded to a halt by the guest room door. "Mokuba left me a text saying…oh, well, good morning. I'm sorry I'm not dressed, oh thank god. Come here, Noah!"
"Want Papa," Noah said plainly, hanging onto Kaiba's shoulder. "Papa only."
"Take your time. I'll get his breakfast and everything ready," Kaiba said warmly, and Ayame bobbed her head down in a frantic bow before hastening away, thinking to herself.
Thank god…I've wanted to take a hot bath since Thursday. Now I finally can! Seto is more reliable than Mokuba says. He really would do well as a husband. Oooh, shut up! Stop thinking about that!
"Hungry?" Kaiba asked Noah, walking down the grand stairway, mildly shocked that Noah had climbed these all the way up to his room. "When did you wake up?"
Five thirty! Noah replied in his head, but what came out of his mouth was "fwaha ofwaha!"
"Too early. Wake up at nine and stop running around the house," Kaiba rolled his eyes and set Noah down into his baby seat at the kitchen counter.
I run fast, Noah thought mildly, and he babbled nonsensically again. For milk. Want crackers. Chocolate. Papa get choco. Choco. Choco!
"Who feeds you chocolate for breakfast?" Kaiba asked coldly, opening all the cabinets in search for babyfood. He stopped at the refrigerator and peered in through the glass door, seeing two bottles of milk labeled clearly, and he reached for the handle to retrieve them just as an arm, clad in a dark suit, reached across his face to help.
"Master Kaiba, good morning," and Kaiba took a surprised step back to stare at the new manservant. What was his name again?
"KEEMO!" Noah shrieked happily, kicking his legs in the baby seat. "Kee-moh-oh-ai-yoh!"
Right. Kemo.
It was an abbreviation for disgusting, creepy, or weird.
Was Noah calling this man 'a creepy weirdo' in Japanese?
"Yes, good morning to you too," the man said, bowing deeply to the baby, and Kaiba couldn't keep the displeasure from showing on his face.
"This is my job, so please let me do it," the man said, and Kaiba narrowed his eyes at him, listening for his thoughts, but again, hearing nothing.
Suspicious….
"Yeah, no. It's my job. Your job is to do what I tell you, and I'm telling you…to go outside and clip some roses," Kaiba said, pulling the glass door open and snatching the milk off the shelf. "Find a vase and make it look pretty. Go, now."
"Uh…I'm not a gardener," the man said awkwardly, and Kaiba glared icily at him, pointing out the balcony door.
"I want those roses on the dining table in an hour, or you're fired."
"FIRED!" Noah giggled, clapping his hands. "Papa fire Kimo! Pew pew!"
"Yeah, papa will indeed fire…this Kimo," Kaiba said, seeing a bead of sweat slowly forming on the larger man's forehead, but still, his thoughts were silent.
Why wasn't he thinking about anything?!
Shouldn't he be angry, frightened about losing his job, or confused for being called rude names?
To Kaiba's dismay, the man bowed and walked stiffly out the balcony doors, making sure to slide it shut behind him.
"Hey, is he weird?" Kaiba asked Noah instantly, expecting the baby to answer, but Noah giggled and stuck his fingers in his mouth, biting on his whole fist.
Ok. Nevermind. Maybe this Kemo was another one of those…Undercover mermen.
No one had nothing inside their heads unless they were purposely concealing their thoughts.
That much he knew.
"Hungurrrrr," Noah gurgled, reaching for the bottle. "Papa give."
"It's coming, you little brat, learn to wait," Kaiba growled, turning to warm the milk, and he made a mental note to ask Seth about how to uncover an undercover merman, because one seemed to have infiltrated his home.
Seth fanned his fins out over the sand, enjoying the weak sunlight filtering through the clouds as he waited for Seto to show up.
For some strange reason, the house on the hill had been covered in blue plastic, and Seth could only assume that Seto was remodeling or something.
He heard the rumble of a car engine, and he hastily slid back into the water to conceal himself.
Ducking his head under the water, he pushed floating strands of his hair out of the way as he swam towards the rock where the small inlet had been carved, and to his relief, the medicines which he had left there had been taken away.
Good. At least Seto was taking the medicine.
SETH! Where the fuck are you?! Kaiba's voice rang painfully in his head, and Seth winced, bobbing his head above water and waving from behind the rock.
"Can you be a little less uncouth?" Seth grumbled, swimming easily to shore while riding another shallow wave. He slid onto the beach and barely had time to compose himself before rolls of plastic were shoved under his nose.
"You ask for miracles. I had to call in eight specialists to help get this shit done, and I had to make them all sign non-disclosures," Kaiba growled, sitting down in the wet sand.
Seth's clawed hand reached for the rolled-up plastic, and when it unfurled, his blue-eyes gleamed with happiness.
"Incredible!" The merman exclaimed, holding the plastic scrolls up to the sunlight for a better look. "These plans are amazing! Better than I would've done!"
"Well, eight—no, nine people worked on this tirelessly for a week straight," Kaiba said stiffly, throwing a look over at the tarp-covered beach house. "Did you see humans come by? You need to be careful. They're here to repair the windows."
"Oh, I'll hear them before they even see me," Seth waved carelessly, his eyes still nailed to the neatly drawn plans. "I'll show this to our Thessalian friend, and she'll make this possible."
Kaiba nodded and stretched his legs out in the sand, feeling another freezing wave come washing over his knees, soaking his pants completely. Wait, shit. He didn't bring a spare change of clothes. He was going to get the car wet, and Mokuba was going to kill him….
"What are you going on about?" Seth asked, uncurling another scroll with excitement and spreading it on the ground. "I have yet to meet this 'Mokuba' who you claim is your kin!"
"You'll never meet him," Kaiba said darkly. "He doesn't want to hear me talk about mermaids anymore. Next topic. I've thought of a name."
"…This would make a great study area," Seth mused, pointing at a sketch of a beautiful, glass-domed room. "Lots of light. Perhaps you could stain the glass for us, so when sun streams down, it would be—"
"You're not even listening to me," Kaiba growled, grabbing a handful of sand and lobbing it at his twin. It landed with a wet slap on Seth's bare chest, and Seth brushed it away irritably, making sure to hold the laminated plans high above his head.
"Careful! Don't ruin the scrolls! I am listening. Tell me the name you've decided."
Kaiba bit back a sigh and looked out over the ocean, letting the wind ruffle his bangs for a moment before he said quietly, "Adina."
"Princess Adina. Has a nice ring to it," Seth said warmly, nodding in approval. "I'll send a messenger to let everyone know. Atem has been waiting for you to reply to his octopus. You're never underwater to receive them, so I don't know how you two communicate."
"We don't," Kaiba said icily, feeling a horrible pang of misery. "I hear news from you, or Mahad."
"And I hear personal news from...strangers," Seth commented, also sounding miffed. "It seems we're the odd ones out because we're not as connected. We're considered outcasts. Better rebuild and reinstate our status as a powerful colony, well-equipped with nice dwellings, schools, and a competent army."
"Yeah, I don't know how you plan to raise an army," Kaiba said glumly, digging his feet into the sand and letting another wave swirl around his ankles. "Got any ideas?"
"I thought you would think of some," Seth answered blithely, rolling the scrolls up. "That's how we work. You come up with a brilliant idea, and I supplement it with more brilliance. So? What's the plan?"
"Best thing I've got is…we pay people to be in the army," Kaiba said dully, and his idea was shot down by Seth.
"How weak would our army be if they were so easily swayed by riches? You want loyalty, not people after riches."
"I fucking know that!" Kaiba hissed, balling another clump of wet sand in his fist. "Stop relying on me for everything! I don't have all the answers. I'm already selling our crap rubies as children's jewelry."
"Dangerous territory you're treading," Seth said darkly, setting the scrolls aside and inching over to sit beside his twin. "…But is it working?"
"Yes," Kaiba answered stiffly, blinking as a harsh ocean wind whipped his bangs into his eyes. "Don't worry about it. Worry about rebuilding, otherwise, why the hell am I breaking my back on land for this?"
"I believe this was why you were really sent up here," Seth said warmly, throwing his arm around Seto's shoulders to hug him casually. "Think about where we'd be now if you weren't so savvy with humans. Don't worry. You'll get to come home soon."
"Speaking of home," Kaiba narrowed his eyes and shrugged Seth's arm off his shoulder. "Did you find a Chrysalis using the map I gave you?"
"…No. There was nothing there," Seth hung his head, his ears red with anger and frustration. "Mahad is smart. That place was a dead end. It's a secondary meet-up location that warriors use to re-group before disbanding again."
"God fucking damn it." Kaiba growled, his eyes burning as he glared at the sunny horizon.
They sat together in pleasant silence, watching the waves lap against the shore, leaving white streaks of foam as it receded back into the ocean, both brothers lost in deep thought.
Atem sat on his bed, flipping through the glossy magazine with Kaiba's face on it for the umpteenth time. He was getting bored of the same images, and he had managed to read the entire thing after painstakingly translating it into merspeak with Mai and Anzu's help.
It was about something called an 'interview', where one human was asking Kaiba questions about his romantic preferences, and Kaiba had cheekily replied with, 'I like men with spiky hair'.
Atem had read and re-read that line over and over again, his heart dancing happily every time he imagined Kaiba saying that in his usual, cold tone, but even that was getting repetitive.
He had to wonder if Kaiba still felt the same way.
Being ignored wasn't a good feeling. He knew Kaiba couldn't constantly be underwater to receive the messengers, so he couldn't fault Kaiba for that.
Almost as if he had willed it, something rapped at his door loudly, and a tiny octopus's voice chirped through the barrier, "I have a message for King Atem from Seto Kaiba!"
Bolting out of bed, Atem yanked the door open and dragged the octopus into his room by the tentacle, ignoring it's frightened squeaking.
"Ah—ow, so rough! My king, please!"
"Tell me all of it!" Atem cried breathlessly, resisting the urge to shake the octopus violently. "Did you see him? What did he say?"
"A-Actually, this is a message from Seth, from Seto Kaiba," the octopus whimpered, curling and uncurling its tentacles in distress. "A message of a message—"
"Right, he doesn't want to talk to me directly, I see how it is," Atem fumed. "Speak!"
"The, uh…ahem," the octopus stiffened and began reciting, "Atem, I hope you're well. I'm sorry I haven't been able to receive your messages. Recently, my manservant passed away and I've been grieving. Seth has been traveling with Kisara to spread word about a product that will help raise my kingdom again. Lastly, I have—"
"Lastly?" Atem interrupted, his heart sinking at the short message.
"Lastly!" the octopus cried, shrinking away from Atem in fear. "I have a name. It's Adina. Princess Adina. I would like to see her. Send messages to Seth from now on, or, send them to me every Saturday evening. I'll make time to jump in the water and find this little purple worm. End message."
"Yes, I love and care for you too," Atem raged, resisting the urge to sink his fangs into the octopus. "Don't say anything like that, Kaiba, but yes, do say things about Seth and how he will be receiving the messages instead! How dare he call you a purple worm?!"
"Don't…kill me! Don't kill the messenger!" The octopus squeaked, doing an awkward twirl in the water. "Would you like to send one back?"
"Yes," Atem glowered, and he spoke rapidly without taking a breath. "Kaiba, I miss you dearly, and your child is being extremely difficult. She doesn't want to be fed by me. Tell Seth to come here and feed her! You two share the same DNA, so it should fool her long enough to have one proper meal. At this rate, she'll be malnourished. Also, send me some more books with photos of you. I'm getting tired of reading the same ones. End message."
"Thank you! I will wait at the rock until the week's end!" The octopus said cheerfully, giving Atem a three tentacled salute before it zipped out of the door, leaving a stream of white bubbles behind it.
Sighing, Atem sank down onto his bed, hanging his head.
This was torture.
At least now, after moons of waiting, he finally had the name for the princess.
Adina.
Author's note:
A new company is in the works! This is how Kaiba mourns: he throws himself into new projects.
Kaiba trying to rebuild the colony from above water while seth is running around selling lipsticks with kisara!
WHO IS KEMO?! (lmao) kaiba sees seth and forgets to ask about him awww
And atem finally gets a reply from Kaiba! shit is coming together finally (?)
(PS i made some cute stickers here on my ART INSTA: PINKPAFU i hope you'll like my tiny arts in sticker form!)