Atem walked through the various shops, wide-eyed and excited.
He had touched a fluffy toy, very similar to the ones the two girls had been carrying, and had discovered this was a mistake. Because now he wanted it more than ever, but Joey had given him a quick lesson in human currency.
Humans went by a number system, which was easy enough to understand, but the worst part was the amount written on the slips of paper Joey had stolen.
The stuffed toy cost 3,700* yen,
His papers all said 1,000, and he only had two slips.
"Don't worry, Kaiba has tons of money," Joey had said reassuringly, and Atem's stomach churned with guilt.
Pushing the feeling aside, Atem's heart leapt when he saw flowers arranged neatly in a row in front of another shop, and he dragged Joey over to it, gazing down at the sparkling bouquets and enjoying their strange, sweet scent.
Oh…how wonderful! He could see why humans loved these plants. They looked delicious.
"So…pick the cheapest one cuz we still need to take a cab," Joey said anxiously, and Atem shook his head furiously.
"This is my only time purchasing flowers, so I want the prettiest ones," the king insisted, and Joey opened his mouth to protest, but decided against it. S-sure, whatever.
Atem scanned the bouquets and a bunch of white lilies caught his eye.
He lifted it up gently and saw the store attendant hurry forward with a bow.
He bowed back quickly, remembering Joey's instructions on manners, and he handed her both bills.
She reached into her apron, dropped several coins into his open palm and hurried away.
Staring at the coins in his hand, Atem noticed that they were different shapes and colors, just like rainbow agate.
Very interesting….
Joey snatched the coins out of his hand greedily, "More snacks for me!"
"I'm…glad," Atem said with difficulty, hugging the flowers to his chest and giving them a soft inhale. "How long will they stay like this?"
"I dunno, maybe half a moon cycle?" Joey scratched his head, shrugging. "Failed all my written exams, remember?"
Atem smiled warmly at Joey and shook his head. "Clearly the written exams don't matter. You function like an amazing human," he praised.
"Aw, thanks bud," Joey grinned and threw his arm around Atem's shoulders, pulling him towards the exit where a set of moving stairs were waiting for them. "Now wait till you see me holler for a cab."
Atem followed Joey excitedly and out onto the busy street, enjoying the way the sun warmed his cheeks and arms. It was so nice to be this close to the sun…
Joey stepped out onto the street and waved his arms at a yellow car, shouting loudly, "Heyyy driver! Give us a lift, will ya?"
Atem turned nervously to see people staring at them, and to his relief, the yellow car stopped for him immediately.
The man got out and bowed stiffly, asking if they had any…luggage?
"Nope, just me and my bud," Joey said confidently, puffing out his chest. "I got the address, ya ready?"
"Inside first, please," the man mumbled quietly, hating how the entire street was staring. "And a little quieter…please."
Atem bit back a smile and let Joey open the door for him. He slid across the seats and kept his gaze nailed to the window as Joey chatted with the driver.
Doors slammed shut and the car rolled forward onto the road, joining all the other cars that were different shapes and sizes.
The atmosphere in the car was heavy, and Atem wondered why the driver suddenly turned quiet when Joey mentioned they were heading to Kaiba's residence.
He heard a stray thought from the man that spurred even more questions inside his head.
…These must be his foreign friends coming to attend his service. They look quite young.
I suppose we don't blend in very well, Atem mused, seeing the car stop at a light and droves of people began crossing the street in front of them. They all had black hair and pale skin, very similar to Adina.
The car rolled forward again, and they continued to drive in silence.
Even the man's thoughts were quiet, and it was beginning to unnerve Atem. Something didn't feel…quite…right…
After an eternity of driving, Atem saw trees towering on both sides of the road, and his interest piqued.
They were quite far from the city now, and the air appeared to be crisper here.
Joey bounced excitedly in his seat, addressing the driver, "You can let us out here."
Here? In the middle of nowhere? Atem wondered, but he kept silent and watched as Joey handed over the last of their money, and they got out.
The man drove away across the graveled road, and Atem watched the car go, thinking this car was small compared to the one Kaiba had managed to put him in….
"And then we walk down this road, which he owns," Joey grinned, pointing at a nondescript sign that read, "Private residence access only".
Atem stared at it, and followed Joey down the brick-laid path, marveling at the beautiful array of trees planted all around them, shading them pleasantly.
At the end of the path, the trees parted to reveal a monstrous dwelling, protected behind a giant, spiked gate, and various black cars were parked around the sparkling blue fountain, all glistening ominously under the sun.
Atem stood by the gate as Joey stabbed the button repeatedly, and his heart leapt into his throat. It looked…even bigger than he'd remembered.
Sprawling acres of green grass surrounded the dwelling, walled off by more trees, and Atem could see several paths leading to smaller houses in the distance, all presumably part of Kaiba's 'kingdom'.
The intercom crackled, and a stern voice emitted from it, "State your name and business."
"King Atem with his escort, Joeyyyy Wheelarrrr," Joey slurred happily, making a face at the tiny camera embedded in the panel. "Open up, Kaiba! It's us! Your buds! C'monnn, I'm starving!"
Kemo leaned away from the intercom, his confusion rising.
Mokuba had not specified any foreign ministers or royals arriving to the memorial service. Perhaps he could let them in, but they were dressed in bright colors, like …tourists.
But the spiky-haired one was holding white flowers, looking anxious and forlorn.
Better let them in to be safe, rather than be fired.
The entire family was on edge right now.
"Please come in," Kemo said, and he tapped the button to unlatch the gate.
Atem watched with wonder as the gate swung open, and he gave Joey an impressed smile.
"See? I know my stuff," Joey said proudly, marching across the white concrete and ogling at all the cars. "Daaaaamn, look at this! This is a house on wheels!"
"Yes, very nice," Atem said impatiently, striding past all the vehicles with urgency, his fingertips tingling with anticipation. "I want to head inside and see him."
He walked up the marble steps, appreciating the pure whiteness of it all before he stopped at the top step and saw a man wearing dark glasses looming in the doorway.
That was not…the human from before. Ah, right.
Kaiba had sent a message saying his beloved manservant had passed away.
This must be the new one.
He looked very similar, but more imposing and muscular.
"Please come in, and thank you for your condolences," Kemo said, feeling himself sweat as he bowed them inside. "The service will start in half an hour."
Condolences? Atem wondered, and the man reached forward to take the flowers from him, and he shrank back, thoroughly confused.
What? Why was he taking the flowers?
"Ah…f-feel free to…put them anywhere you like," Kemo stammered, losing his composure slightly before he cleared his throat and hurried away.
"Joey…?" Atem stepped into the grand house and gazed up at the chandelier above their heads, and back down at the giant, photo of Kaiba propped up in the middle of the entryway, covered with heaps of flowers, ribbons, and wrapped gifts.
"What?" Joey asked loudly, edging towards the grand staircase and staring down at the black ribbon roping it off, wondering why it was there. He ducked under it and stood on the lowest stair, gesturing for Atem to follow him.
"He's usually up here," Joey said, already taking a few steps up, and Atem blinked rapidly, still staring at the giant photo of Kaiba's stoic face propped up on the easel.
This was not correct.
This was wrong.
Why would Kaiba insist other humans worship him like this?!
This had to be…acts of mourning, or memorializing!
"Why is he…I don't think he's here," Atem whispered, feeling the flowers sag heavily in his arms. He could see a group of humans finely dressed in black, milling around the sitting area, soberly drinking or staring off blankly into nothing.
This was mourning.
This was mourning!
"C'mon…before that guy catches us," Joey ran down to grab Atem by the hand, and pulled him up the staircase, making sure to lift the ribbon up for them both to get underneath. "He lives upstairs. People come onto his property all the time, like, to take photos and stuff.
Atem nodded, hoping that Joey was correct, because there was no way the alternative could be possible.
They passed several large rooms, all decorated with sleek furniture, and Atem couldn't bring himself to enjoy or appreciate any of it. His heart was sinking further with every empty room they searched.
"Whoa," Joey froze and pushed the last door open slowly, gaping at the tall bookshelves lined up neatly by the windows. "This was not what his room looked like before. Is this a library? Where's his stuff?"
"Let's go back down, Joey, I have a bad feeling," Atem whispered. He dragged his friend through the long hallway and back down the grand staircase, his heart thudding painfully in his ears as he heard more stray thoughts from other humans.
…Only the great die young…
…He was a real eccentric…wasn't always nice to me, so I'm kinda glad he's dead.
"No," Atem breathed, and he stepped into another large room where people were sitting sparsely in black chairs set up in rows, and a podium at the front of the room was empty.
Black and white flowers decorated the corners of the room, and Atem bit the inside of his cheek, growing nauseous. No. No. This was not happening.
"Hey, what's goin' on here?" Joey whispered audibly, and Atem grit his teeth, trying to hold back tears of frustration, and he turned to his friend, hissing, "Take us to the shore dwelling. He must have faked his death."
"Wha? Death?" Joey threw a confused glance at all the chairs set up behind him as Atem dragged him through the house and out the front doors…where they ran nose-first into the burly bodyguard.
"Take us to the other property!" Atem commanded, glaring at the man. "Give us ground transport. I will not believe this until I've searched all of his dwellings!"
"I—" Kemo faltered, reaching slowly for his phone as the foreign man's angular gaze seared holes into him. "I will…phone Master Mokuba—"
"No, don't ask that bratty child to do anything," Atem ranted, feeling himself coming apart at the edges with madness. "Ground transport, now!"
"Atem…" Joey mumbled through gritted teeth, sweating. "This guy isn't…a palace guard. You can't talk to 'em like that."
Kemo stayed quiet and pressed the phone to his ear, listening to the rings.
"What?!" Mokuba snapped after picking up. "What's the problem now? Not enough chairs?! Just go find some more, you useless lug."
"There is a…king, here, to give his regards directly to you," Kemo mumbled, wondering if today was the day he would finally lose his job. "King Atem and his escort…Jou-ey Weel-ar."
There was a cold silence on the other end before Mokuba spoke up again.
"Say that…again?"
"Lemme talk to him!" Joey said brashly, holding his hand out eagerly, but the bodyguard withheld the phone, so he just yelled loudly. "Ey Moki! Remember me? Hey, remember how I failed that geography class, and you stayed up all night to help me finish a presentation, but I got an F anyway?"
Mokuba's mouth dropped open when he heard Joey's obnoxious voice drifting through the receiver, and his stomach curled with disdain…and hope.
Yeah, of course Seto wasn't fucking dead.
There was no body.
Joey and his mermaid clan was probably here to deliver some good news!
"Get here now!" Mokuba almost shouted, and he hung up furiously, shaking from head to toe.
Typical Seto. Always giving people heart attacks.
Why were they mourning a guy who was still alive? Idiot.
He was probably swimming somewhere for 500 hours and had lost track of time.
"Papa?" Noah sniffled, grabbing onto his hand tightly. "Seto said he'd be right back. Don't believe what the doctor says. I know he never lies to me."
"Noah? How about some juice?" His mother came forward to pull him away from Mokuba, who was repeatedly downing alcohol without a second glance at his son.
"Not thirsty, Mommy, thanks," Noah replied tersely, still gazing up at his father with hopeful eyes. "Has he ever lied to you, papa?"
"Yeah, tons of times," Mokuba growled, his throat stinging with whisky as he thunked the glass down on the coffee table in front of him. "Hey, has he ever…told you the secret code that opens the safe inside the closet? I've tried everything and I can't open it."
"Did you try your birthday?" Noah offered unhelpfully, and Mokuba nodded glumly, feeling a headache coming on.
He hung his head between his legs, feeling Ayame pull Noah away from him to sit beside him, rubbing his back in small circles.
"The doctor said they transported his body back to Japan, but where is it?" She asked timidly, and Mokuba shook his head, numb with grief.
He was still reeling from worst phone call ever, from a stranger, three days ago at 4 AM, asking in English if he was related to a 'Seto Kaiba', and that a family doctor had given orders to transport his body via private chartered flight so he could be mourned and respected in his home country.
He didn't even know Seto had left the country! He must've used his own funds to charter a flight because he didn't get an account notification. What the fuck was he doing in the states?
Clearly something stupid enough to nearly kill him.
And of course, somehow, the news had gotten out.
Someone from that hospital posted on twitter that a Japanese celebrity had been pronounced dead by foreign-looking doctors who had barged into the emergency room to revive him, but to no avail.
It didn't take long for Japanese netizens to piece together which famous person had died overseas.
Seto Kaiba had posted a message on his largely silent twitter, saying "I'm sorry," and nothing else just hours beforehand. It had to be him.
After getting zero sleep and repeatedly calling Seto's phone, Mokuba had to field hoards of reporters at the mansion gates, so much that he moved Ayame and Noah temporarily into Seto's beach home.
He'd searched Seto's room in a frenzy, hoping to find a note, a clue, or anything that led to him being alive, and all he found was a strange mess inside the walk-in closet, and a secret safe behind the wall.
Noah was the last person to have seen Seto alive.
Noah, who was still wandering around the house, carrying his action figures in his arms, acting as if Seto was going to walk through that door any second….
Mokuba curled his fingers tightly over his knee, trying to see through his own tears.
He would not…accept Seto's death until he saw…a fucking…body…
Who the hell had his body?!
The doorbell answered this thought, and Mokuba leapt to his feet, racing to answer it, but Noah beat him there.
The kid pulled the door back excitedly, expecting to see Seto, but to his dismay, it was two foreigners, one with dark, chocolate skin holding a bunch of flowers, and an American.
"'Sup kid," Joey gave Noah a salute. "Where's a big kid we can talk to?"
"Right here, you idiots. Noah, go to your room, now," Mokuba snapped, gently shoving his kid aside, and he froze on the spot when he saw two familiar faces at the door.
Joey, looking exactly the same, wearing a ratty t-shirt, sporting messy blond hair, and a youthful smile, while a second, eerily familiar person stood beside him, clutching white flowers to his chest.
He had spiky, tri-colored hair, wonderfully dark skin, and…large, angular violet eyes.
The so-called 'ocean fairy'.
But he had legs.
He was standing, very solidly, on two slender legs.
He could've had legs…this entire time?!
Atem heard Mokuba's thoughts and tried to smile, but nearly fainted when Mokuba lunged at him with his arms outstretched, aiming for his neck.
"WHOA!" Joey thrust himself protectively in front of Atem as Mokuba threw himself forward, snarling at the king. Joey wrapped his arms around Mokuba's waist, trying to restrain him.
"YOU RUINED HIS LIFE! …FUCK YOU!" Mokuba shouted, his ponytail coming undone and strands of black hair were sprouting messily from it. "Fucking…let me go, you freak! Joey! I hate you too!"
"Okay…I missed you too, bud," Joey said simply, fighting Mokuba back with equal strength while Noah stood gaping at them in the doorway, his action figures scattered on the step below him.
"I'm…sorry," Atem backed away slowly, his heart being squeezed terribly by a giant hand that had reached down into his chest and was mercilessly twisting his insides. "Can I speak with him for a moment?"
"I DON'T KNOW, CAN YOU?!" Mokuba shouted himself hoarse, tears streaming down his hollow cheeks as he glared daggers at Atem. "FIND ME HIS BODY FIRST, you mermaid fuckers!"
Atem's blood ran cold and he clutched the flowers tighter to his chest, his heart thundering with dread. Was he understanding this correctly? Kaiba's…body had gone missing?! And…mermaid…fuckers?!
"Wow, no need to go that low," Joey scratched his head, trying to think of an appropriate response, and Mokuba took this chance to break out of Joey's grasp to lunge at Atem again.
He grabbed the merking by the collar and shook him furiously, hating how the man looked like he was also on the brink of tears.
"You know where he is, don't you? Give him…back to me!" Mokuba breathed down Atem's face, and Atem felt his knees weakening faster by the second. "Huh?! Where is his body?! Who took him?! SOMEBODY FUCKING TELL ME!"
"Mokuba! Please!" Ayame raced out of the house, disheveled and wearing nothing but a plain t-shirt and a stained pair of pants. "Don't harass his…friends. They're just as sad as you!"
Atem slid to the ground and sat there, stunned. The flowers were snatched from his lap, and Mokuba towered over him, shaking with grief and rage.
"And these…are all you have to say for yourself?" Mokuba whispered, feeling Ayame tugging him away, but he couldn't stop ranting at Atem, who he knew was the source of all of Seto's craziness over the past years.
Atem blinked rapidly, wondering why tears weren't coming from his own eyes.
Perhaps it was because he was too stunned, or maybe, he was like Mokuba. He refused to believe it.
It had happened too suddenly.
Kaiba had just visited Adina last week.
There was no way he could just…die, could he?
He would've felt something, unless the connection was broken because he broke the pact?! Was it because of the pact?!
Did I kill him?! Atem wondered fearfully, racing into the house after Mokuba and not bothering to take his shoes off at the door.
"When did he die?" Atem breathed, standing by a plush couch where Mokuba had planted himself shakily down on. "Day, time? Location?"
"Three days ago, not that you care," Mokuba hissed, cradling his head as another alcohol-induced headache thudded behind his ears. "And as for the time…I don't know until we get the paperwork from the hospital, and he was in the United States for some fucking reason."
"Work, he said," Noah offered unhelpfully, sitting beside his father and kicking his legs up on the couch. "He was talking English to a guy on the phone before he left."
"The States?" Atem swayed on the spot, and the nice woman came forward to pull him into a sitting position on the couch. "That's where…Shada is. Joey, can you go down the beach and catch a messenger?"
"Yep, anything to be…not here," Joey said brashly, and he hurried out of the house without another look behind him.
Ayame watched Joey go, and she tilted her head curiously.
"Moku, isn't that…your lab partner from that one class in college?" She asked, and Mokuba nodded heavily, reaching for the glass, but his wife was quicker, and she snatched it away from him. "No more of this. Noah is here."
They sat together in cold silence before Noah held up his broken action figure, announcing, "His arm is broken. Can you fix it, Papa?"
"Not now, baby," Ayame shushed him, nodding at the TV. "Want to watch some WonderMan?"
"No, I wanna go to the beach," Noah said quietly, seeing Joey's figure running up and down the sand through the large windows of the house. "Seto said we'd roast marshmallows together when he got back."
Atem clenched his teeth and said nothing.
So, this was Noah, who was Mokuba's child.
He was adorable, and appeared to be younger than Adina, only because Adina aged due to trauma.
This was the child Seto had bonded with to avoid the nasty side-effects of egg-rearing without the egg. It seemed like Noah was equally as fond of Seto, and was unfazed by everyone's sorrow.
Children could feel things differently, couldn't they?
"Did he say when he would be back?" Atem asked, and he caught a nasty look from the mother.
"Nope, but he will be back," Noah said confidently, and Mokuba gave his son a puffy-eyed stare.
"How do you know?" Atem prompted again, and the mother gave him an exasperated sigh.
"Please don't encourage him or give him the wrong idea—" Ayame began, and she was cut off by Noah, who said, "Just ask Uncle Seth. He'll know."
"Who…the hell…is … 'Uncle Seth'," Mokuba groaned, putting it in sarcastic air-quotes. "Another superhero you made based on Seto?"
"No. Uncle Seth is Papa #2's fish clone," Noah protested angrily, tossing his action figure aside. "I'm not lying. I can prove it."
Atem opened and closed his mouth frantically, realizing several things.
One: Noah called Seto 'Papa #2', and this was probably where Adina had learned the phrase from, which meant she had met him before. She had met this tiny, human boy without his knowledge.
Two: The pact was truly broken, because Noah had seen their kind with Kaiba's help, and could openly talk about it afterwards.
Three: It seemed Kaiba was a two-timing bastard. Up here, he had a child, a kingdom, and a human brother who cared deeply for him. Down below…he also had a kingdom, a twin mer-brother who cared deeply for him, and a child.
Is this a game to him? Atem wondered darkly, watching the little boy leap to his feet and race out of the house down towards the beach.
"Noah! Come back!" Ayame cried, and she rounded on Mokuba furiously. "You see?! Your brother's ocean obsession got to him."
"He can't help it!" Mokuba shouted back, and Atem stood slowly to edge away from the fighting couple.
This was his first time inside the beautiful home, and the memory was about to be tarnished with sorrowful yelling.
Walking out through the glass doors which he had seen Kaiba emerge from so many times, it felt surreal to be heading down the wooden ramp that led to the water.
His heart sank into his stomach, and Atem realized how much suffering his absence had caused Kaiba. Knowing that the one he loved wasn't waiting for him in the water was the most crushing feeling.
Noah was standing beside the large rock, shouting across the waves with enthusiasm.
"Oiiiiiiiiii!" Noah cried, waving his arms in the air, hoping to summon Seto's look-alike with the fish tail. "UNCLE SETH!"
Joey popped his head up above water, holding a wiggling octopus by the tentacles, and Noah let out an excited yell, "Ew! But cool! How'd you do that?!"
Mokuba and Ayame trod across the sand furiously, calling out to Noah, who ignored his parents.
"Hey, can you get Uncle Seth for me since you can swim really good?" Noah asked, and Atem sat down numbly in the sand, trying to piece together his feelings.
He felt like he was watching his life from outside his body.
"Well, this one is for Atem, but I can catch you one too," Joey said blithely, and he felt a hand yank on his foot. "OW! Gerroff me you stinky—oh! Hey! Rich boy!"
Seth rose out of the water steadily, wondering why there were so many humans on shore, along with…the king.
Atem. With legs.
King Atem with legs was sitting on this shore, staring right at him with wide eyes.
"Noah, come back here!" Ayame commanded, and she nearly tripped over Mokuba when she thought she saw Seto in the water.
"Uncle Seth!" Noah waved energetically, and Seth's gaze drifted to Joey, who was grinning beside him, holding a flailing messenger by its tentacles, while two adult humans stalked towards the child.
Atem's stare was dead and dark, almost as if the king was looking right past him.
What was happening? There was a lot of tension and anger in the air….
"SETO! Oh my fucking god!" Mokuba cried, racing into the water and wading in waist-deep when he saw his brother floating beside Joey, looking generally unfazed.
His hair had grown out quite a bit.
Why?
It didn't matter.
He was alive.
"GET OVER YOU HERE, YOU—I'M SO MAD AT YOU!" Mokuba shouted himself hoarse again, and shivered as a wave lapped against his stomach.
Seth bobbed up and down in the water, contemplating arguing, but he heard Mokuba's thoughts, so he swam slowly to shore, resigning himself to be seen by every human that ever crossed this shore.
This would be his first time meeting Seto's supposed 'kin'.
This shouty, angry, messy, black-haired man named Mokuba was his 'brother'.
It reminded him a lot of Adina. Perhaps they were related after all.
Atem watched as Seth rode a wave to shore, his amazement rising for Kaiba's twin as he saw the merman show off his glittering blue fins fearlessly to the two new humans.
"You must be Mokuba," Seth raised a clawed hand in a wave, and to his surprise, Mokuba threw himself forward and drew him into a lung-crushing hug.
"Fuck you…you idiot! Oh my god, you really did it! You grew a fish tail!" Mokuba pulled back to gaze tearfully into Seto's face, only to realize…it wasn't Seto.
He looked very similar, almost identical, but with slightly higher brow and kinder eyes.
There was a strange air of innocence about this man.
He didn't have the meanness Seto usually carried in his movements.
"Uncle Seth, this is my momma and papa," Noah announced proudly, gesturing at his mom who had collapsed in the sand beside Atem, equally as stunned, and then he pointed to his soaking wet father, whose hair had now completely come undone.
"Majesty, you look well," Seth bowed his head at Atem in greeting, and Atem nodded back half-heartedly, his mind filled with Ayame's incessant ranting.
Ohmygodohmygodhohmygod it's a merman, this explains everything! Seto Kaiba isn't crazy! I'm crazy! Ohmygodhohmygod…
"Please," Atem rested a warm hand on her shoulder, giving her a stiff smile. "Even though I have legs, we are all mermen."
The color drained from her face and she stared dumbly at him.
"Majesty?" Noah wrinkled his nose and turned to throw Atem a look. "Who, him?"
"Yes him. That's Adina's Papa. Be nice," Seth said sternly, feeling oddly put on the spot to act like Seto. "Show him manners."
Noah kept his nose wrinkled but he turned to Atem and bent himself in half, bowing stiffly and saying in a rush, "Hello Adina's Papa. Nice to meet you."
He straightened up and turned to Seth, "There. I did it."
Mokuba, Ayame, and Joey all stared, unable to put their feelings into words.
Stunned wouldn't even begin to describe it.
"Good boy. Now, fetch me some more spears. Where is Seto?" Seth beamed warmly at the boy, and his heart sank when he caught the dark looks flitting across everyone's faces. "What?"
There was an agonizing silence where several waves lapped against his fins before anyone spoke.
"That's…what we'd all like to know," Joey said quietly, sitting cross-legged in the sand beside him, plopping the octopus in the sand beside him rudely. "Where's Kaiba?"
"Put it back before it dies," Seth raged, grabbing the octopus by the head and flinging it back in the water. It squealed excitedly and disappeared beneath a wave.
"Aw man! I needed that!" Joey cried, glancing anxiously at Atem. "We was gonna send a message! Rich Boy was last seen on another shore before his body went missing."
"Excuse me?" Seth narrowed his eyes, looking at Atem for a clearer explanation. "What is this idiot spouting about missing bodies?"
There was another long silence, and Seth's blood ran cold.
Was he understanding this correctly? Seto's…body was missing? What?
Everyone's thoughts were quiet, and no one was making eye-contact with him, least of all, Atem. Atem with legs.
Atem who had undoubtedly snuck into a Chrysalis, to see if this news was true, breaking a million laws in the process, proving that his love for Kaiba was greater than he'd originally thought….
"Someone…say something," Seth choked, and Noah explained it to him kindly.
"Papa Two left for work in the middle of the day," he said, holding the broken action figure out to Seth. "Then, he didn't come back. A doctor called and said he died, but nobody showed up in an airplane. It's been three days, almost four now. He's not answering his phone, and everyone thinks he's dead. Can you fix this for me, Uncle Seth?"
Seth blinked rapidly, his world falling out from underneath him.
What? No.
Seto was on another shore when he died?! Three days ago?!
Why didn't he feel anything? He should've felt pain.
"It's all my fault," Atem said miserably, biting back tears as they finally came rushing into his eyes. "I broke my pact. I surfaced. The stress must have killed him on this side."
"What the hell does that mean?" Mokuba raged, and Seth held his hands up for silence, his mind reeling.
"No, no, Seto amended the pact to accommodate this boy," Seth said, pointing at Noah. "That should've killed you, but it didn't. He must have done it correctly."
"What are you guys talking about?!" Mokuba cried, and Joey made an 'x' motion across his chest with his arms, shaking his head.
"I'll tell you later, bud," Joey said anxiously, feeling Seth tense beside him.
"He's not dead," Seth announced furiously, inching back towards the water. "I would've felt it. We're connected, and I can tell you with certainty that he is somewhere, and he's alive."'
Mokuba stared at the Seto-clone with a fish's tail, his heart thumping hopefully in his chest.
This clone explained all of Seto's crazy behavior. He had a twin fish-brother!
When the fuck was Seto ever gonna tell him about this?!
Seto had been keeping this guy a secret!
"I didn't feel pain either, but it could've happened when I was unconscious," Atem said quietly, talking into his knees, his heart heavy with anger and sorrow.
"I'm going to find him," Seth insisted, shaking his head. "I'm swimming to that shore and asking the colony there if they've seen any humans falling through their Hemisphere. Noah, tell your Papa Two when he shows up that Uncle Seth needs more spears, got it?"
"'Kay," Noah said plainly, giving the merman a wave. "When will Adina come play again?"
"Not for a while! We need to find Seto!" Seth called back angrily, and he dove off into a large wave and disappeared.
The humans sat together in silence on shore before Ayame asked tentatively, "Who is Adina, Noah?"
"My sister," Noah answered bluntly, unaware that he was getting it wrong again. "My super cute baby sister with pretty black hair. She calls Seto 'Daddy' and that's her Papa number one."
He pointed a chubby finger at Atem, and Atem swallowed thinly, feeling all eyes on him.
"Right…Mr. Ocean Fairy," Mokuba growled, looking absolutely incensed, and Atem edged away from him in the sand.
"Lay offa him, Moki," Joey said, stepping across the sand to defend Atem. "He's been through a lot already to come up here. We might get killed or arrested on the way back down."
Noah's eyes widened fearfully, and Atem rushed to add, "Which is a joke. He is joking! Don't believe a word he says."
"Well, somebody is lying," Noah huffed crossing his arms angrily. "And nobody is fixing WonderMan for me! Ugh! Seto always fixes him whenever I ask!"
He stomped across the beach back to the house, and Atem's heart wrenched painfully, watching his mother chase after him, offering to fix it for him.
"What now?" Mokuba asked heavily, eyeing the king and Joey with half-lidded eyes which were aching from all the crying he'd been doing. "Is he dead or not? What can I do to help? I've got ships, boats, submarines…you name it."
"No, none of that, thank you," Atem patted Mokuba's shoulder stiffly. "I need to be underwater to help deploy men for a search. We have resources too. We will tell Noah when we receive any news."
"Just tell me!" Mokuba raged, pulling out his phone and handing it to Atem, who held it awkwardly, unsure of what to do with it.
"We don't got a phone or nothin'," Joey said, shaking the sand from his shirt. "I know! We'll tell Seth, and he'll come up here. Since you guys already know him, right?"
Mokuba snatched his phone back and bit the inside of his cheek furiously. Yeah, sure, whatever.
He sighed and gazed out over the horizon, feeling a strange aura emanating from Atem beside him, and he glanced over with a shock, realizing that he was crying silently.
"He's not dead, just missing," Atem said furiously, brushing the tears away from his cheeks, thankful that they weren't gemstones. "I hope Seth won't hurt himself trying to find him. Now, get us back to the Chrysalis, and we can start the search together."
Mokuba said nothing and aimed his gaze back towards the sun setting over the calm waves.
Seto had friends who cared for him so much…and apparently, also a husband. He felt extremely guilty for yelling at Seto for 'being crazy' when all he really wanted to do was live his life and be a good dad.
Vowing he would apologize, Mokuba tucked his knees into his chest and continued to watch the sunset in silence with Joey and Atem.
Author's note:
Atem's shore adventure cut short. Now he wants to go home!
3,700 yen roughly 37 USD
atem had 1,000 yen, which his roughly 10 USD