Seto pried himself out of bed away from Atem's warmth, took a sleepy shower, got dressed with his eyes half-closed. Then he sleep-walked into the limo where he hung his head between his legs, willing himself to wake up.
Agonizing.
The car rolled forward so he sat back into the seat, feeling himself dozing off again before he jerked himself awake and pressed his hands to his face.
Human sleep patterns were fucking annoying!
He wasn't used to needing to sleep every night…
Seto yanked out his phone and quickly fixed his hair in the screen's reflection, hating the dark shadows that clung underneath his eyes, making his skin look even paler. Great first impressions were being made today.
Whatever.
The car pulled to a stop by the school gates, and Seto stepped out, leaning down to instruct the driver, "pull around the block and find a place to park." And he slammed the car door, straightening up and seeing a pair of schoolboys staring at him with wide, fearful eyes.
He raised his hand in a casual wave, forgetting for a moment that he was human and not mer, and both boys ducked their heads down to avoid him and ran through the school gates, their thoughts echoing loudly in the air.
"WEIRDO! It was accidental eye contact! Run…run!"
"Why did he wave like that?! I shouldn't have stopped to look at the car!"
Ugh, Seto winced and obsessively touched his collar to fix his tie when his finger slipped on plain buttons, and he lowered his hand stiffly. He'd ditched the tie for a plain dress shirt, aiming for less trauma today.
He walked through the school gates and his path was immediately blocked by two girls wearing armbands. Their matching hair ties gave him unpleasant flashbacks to his own time in school. These two were clearly prissy student body elites.
"Mister. Are you lost? This is a school," one of the girls said, and Seto bit the inside of his cheek and attempted a kind tone.
"I'm a parent, and I'm here for a meeting," he began, and the girls shared a significant look while Seto heard their thoughts leaking.
"Ohhhh my goshhh, this might be Adina's dad! He looks foreign!"
"HE DOES LOOK LIKE A PRINCE! Adina wasn't lying!"
Seto's eyelid twitched and he had to wonder what he was walking into. He felt woefully unprepared, and almost wished he wore the steel cuffs.
This was embarrassing!
"What room? We'll take you there," said the girl with 'class president' on her armband, while her assistant nodded fervently, her cheeks pink. "What teacher? Whose dad are you?"
Seto felt awfully cornered as he replied through gritted teeth, "Adina, and I don't know the teacher's name, but I can find the room myself—"
"I WAS RIGHT! I was right I was right I was right I was right…"
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA I'm gonna tell Hana-chan, she'll freak outtt!"
He didn't hear what came out of their mouths, but they both turned with matching swishes of their ponytails and led him through the main doors, up two flights of stairs and deposited him by a door that they slid open after knocking twice, and Seto froze when he saw many teachers sitting at their desks.
Urk…
This was torture…
"Aikawa Sensei! This is Nakamura-san, Adina's father," the girl at his elbow announced, and to Seto's rising horror, all heads lifted from their desks to stare incredulously at him.
Shiiiit.
One woman sitting in the far corner jumped to her feet and gathered papers into her arms, bowing and exclaiming, "I didn't receive a call, but we can talk now! My homeroom is just down the hall…"
The two girls dashed away giggling and Seto clung into the doorframe, hating everything.
He stepped back to let the teacher walk past him pointedly, and he followed her into another classroom three doors down, listening to her thoughts.
This explains so much. I don't want to judge people by the way they look, but this man looks like he just got off an airplane in yesterday's suit.
EXCUSE ME?! Yesterday's suit— Seto swallowed thinly and shoved his hand into his pockets to avoid making obvious fists at his sides.
He was given a rolling chair that was pushed up against the back of the teacher's desk, and he sat down in it, furiously crossing his legs while watching her organize the papers in front of her, still listening to her thoughts while her mouth moved.
"Mr. Nakamura, your child is…" …. How do I even start? I can't outwardly ask, 'are you the company owner of Adina's Jewelry', because that girl keeps mentioning that she owns the company when that chain clearly belongs to the Kaiba group.
Seto leaned back into the seat and folded his arms and nodded stiffly to show that he was listening. Not.
The teacher placed a piece of paper on the desk and turned it around so he could read it.
It was a worksheet for 'My Future Dreams'.
Adina had written her answers neatly in the center of the boxes, even decorating the corners of the answer box with doodles of stars, seashells, and starfish. "彡 My future dream is to become a good and patient queen. I will follow Father's good example as a leader and listen to my Daddy's advice about managing businesses, making everyone, mainly Grandpa, Auntie Mai, Auntie Anzu, and Warrior Mahad proud of me. Noah too, I guess. 彡 "
"Aw," Seto gushed, picking up the paper and feeling his face heat up. This was so cute. He needed to frame this forever.
He wanted to turn this into a flag and wave it around so everyone could see it. He needed her to write this in Mer, then have it preserved in a tapestry on the wall in his room, so when she threw tantrums, all he had to do was point at this and say, 'you said it, kid.'
"This is not cute…anymore, sir," the teacher said nervously, lacing her hands together atop her desk, her frown deepening "We ask the children to make realistic goals. Her writing about 'being queen' is alarming. She likes to play pretend and has an obvious fascination with mermaids."
"How is that a problem?" Seto asked testily as he kept his grip on the paper. "The goal she's written here sounds wholesome and attainable. I'm keeping this." To show Atem, because this was fucking cute. And then maybe rub it in Solomon's face too, as an extra 'fuck you'.
"I will need that back," the teacher replied with her eyebrows raised in alarm. "Sir…"
Someone knocked on the door, and it was slid aside with a loud clack!
Atem stood breathlessly in the entryway, leaning on the doorframe while another teacher stood nervously beside him, stammering, "t-this is Adina's father, here for a parent meeting?"
Seto's mouth dropped open, and Atem gave him a fiery look that clearly said, 'how dare you leave me out of this', and Seto closed his jaw with a click.
"There must be a mistake, because this is Adina's father," the teacher said pointedly, gesturing at the blond man sitting before her, secretly stunned by the appearance of another foreigner, and this one had wild, spiky hair…almost like a starfish…
Why didn't you tell me?! Atem cried in his mind as he raced to stand beside Seto to face Adina's teacher, his heart skipped a beat when he saw the way the sun touched the tips of Seto's blond hair. I woke up in a rush to an empty bed! You don't have to do this alone!
I wasn't…trying to do it alone… Seto faltered and felt Atem's hand come down warmly on his shoulder to give him a squeeze, making his heart clench with a swell of gratitude. Shit. Fine.
He was trying to take care of it himself.
Atem was so understanding, reminding him that he didn't have to do it alone.
"I'm very sorry, I wasn't notified," Atem gave the top of Seto's head a knowing glance before he remembered to bow at the teacher. "We only surfaced yesterday and saw the yellow papers."
"Landed," Seto muttered, and the teacher gaped at them both in confusion, her thoughts loud in the awkward silence that followed.
…I am so confused. Should I ask to see an ID? Which one is her father? He sort of looks like a celebrity…
Seto bit the tip of his tongue as Atem spoke for them, "We raise her together. I am also her father, but I rushed out the door and didn't bring anything, not even a phone."
Atem gave Seto another pointed glance, while Seto flushed dark red and said, "Mokuba didn't give you an extra one?"
"He did, but I woke up to find you gone, and Kemo said you'd come here without including me," Atem said icily, his angular eyes flashing. "Which worried me, so I got here as fast as I could. You're up and about, running around without telling anyone where you're going…like before."
"I figured I'd take care of this and be back before you woke up. Please don't be angry with me," Seto muttered, his embarrassment rising when the teacher watched them argue and draw fast conclusions in her thoughts.
Wow what an interesting family dynamic. Gay parents! That is fascinating. Appears they both don't live here full-time, and that would explain the empty house…and the two nannies. Wait, did he say… Mokuba?!
"Read this," Seto ignored the teacher's frantic thoughts and handed Atem the worksheet, watching the king's eyes widen with joy while he studied it.
"A good and patient queen?! How sweet," Atem breathed, his eyes heating up dangerously as he gripped the paper tightly, not wanting to let it go. "I must show Solomon."
"Wait. Solomon is a real person?" The teacher asked with a warning raise of her eyebrows. "…King Solomon….?"
Seto blinked and held his hand up in front of Atem's chest to stop him from talking, and addressed the teacher carefully, "what do you mean, 'a real person'? He only mentioned a name, not a royal title before it."
Atem swallowed thinly and stayed silent, understanding they needed to tread carefully with this teacher, and that Seto had wanted to deal with it himself possibly because of odd questions the human would inevitably ask.
"The name is the title of an overdue library book Adina didn't return," the teacher said conversationally while her hands shook as she sorted through the papers again, looking for the book slip. "That was the second topic I needed to talk to you about. A missing book."
We're going to be exposed because Adina didn't return a fucking library book! Seto cried as he gripped his knees, feeling Atem standing strong beside him and gripping his shoulder for comfort.
"We'll pay the fine," Seto said anxiously, and the teacher gave him a funny look.
"Finding and returning the book would be best," she said patiently with a half-smile. "She must really love the book since it's named after someone in your family?"
I want to see this book, Atem was in his own world, wondering why Adina hadn't shown it to him, and Seto bit back a sigh, thinking she must've taken it down underwater to show the old man, and now that book was floating in tatters, somewhere in their vast library. Fuck.
"Grandfather from his side of the family is named Solomon," Seto tilted his head at Atem and giving him a nudge with his elbow to bring him back to the present. "We will find the book and return it." Even if it kills me, Seto set his jaw, thinking nothing could've prepared him for these topics. He thought Adina might be shirking cleaning duties, texting in class, or was maybe caught bringing a bag of makeup to school.
Nope.
These issues were somehow more difficult…
"Okay," the teacher nodded and pushed the pink book slip across her desk. "That is the title and author, and the edition so you can search the image of the cover online. Hopefully that will make it easier to help find it…."
Seto shut her out when his ears hummed as he read the book's information on the slip.
KING SOLOMON VII – a historical fantasy of a brave king who saved the Mer species from extinction during a dreadful undersea volcanic eruption - a translated work
Author: J.P. Crawford
Trembling with horror, Seto reached into his blazer pocket to pull out his phone to search it up, knowing it was rude to do it in front of the teacher, but he didn't care.
Atem was delighted. He read it with a fond smile and placed the pink slip together with Adina's homework paper. How adorable!
Adina's land school was full of sweet surprises!
Solomon would be so proud of her!
The teacher's eyes darted between the two men, trying to read their body language.
Adina's blond father was visibly panicking while searching about the book when it wasn't that big of a deal, and her spiky-haired father was beaming at the two papers in his hand like they were little awards Adina had just won. Very odd…
"Those are all the matters I wanted to address—oh, I do have a question about her relationship with Noah-kun?" The teacher added, and that seemed to have an effect on Adina's blond father.
The man raised his head and narrowed his eyes handsomely. "How do you mean?"
They're not Japanese, and I'm not sure if I'm speaking clearly enough. Oh gosh I'm so stressed, the teacher smiled thinly and replied, "she's oddly nice to him when he's clearly…well, I don't know how to say this…"
"Please say it. We won't understand you in Japanese otherwise," Atem said cleverly with a wink, and he received a hard nudge from Seto that made him smile. What? He'd heard her thoughts.
"U-Um…Ahaha… He's not popular," the teacher tried to smile but failed. "And she is…very loved. Many admirers and love letters have been handed to her. Perhaps you are aware? …No?"
"Noah is unpopular? Do the kids hate him?" Seto's heart sank and wondered if he needed to stay for another hour or two to get the teacher to spill more on Noah. "He tells me he has friends." Or maybe he'd been expertly lying.
Hey, did Mokuba know about this?!
"Love letters?" Atem echoed, his confusion rising. "What kind of love are they expressing? And who are they from? One person or many?" Human types of love were always confusing to him, even now. Made him think he needed to return to Mer school to review it.
Flustered, the teacher fidgeted nervously and wasn't sure where to start, so she started with the more serious issue first.
"Yes, Noah Nakamura, who shares the same last name as her. It's odd that she bosses him around and he does what she tells him to…when he's the older one, and the kids in his class seem to think she's attracted to him and only notices him mainly because they have the same last name."
"Attracted? I should hope not. They're cousins," Atem said anxiously, more concerned about Adina bossing Noah around. "But her status is higher than his, so he will comply out of love."
"Is she hanging around too many upperclassmen because of him?" Seto asked coldly, more concerned about Adina's love admirers. "Does Noah have a friend named Keita or has that kid been lying to me?"
The teacher's mouth dropped open, and she held her hands up defensively, overwhelmed by the two tones she was receiving from both men.
"Noah-kun has a couple of best friends, but you'll have to talk to his homeroom teacher about that," the teacher said nervously, her cheeks pink as she bowed her head stiffly to Atem. "And I see, they're related. But what do you mean…status? Did you mean, grade?"
"Grade of what?" Atem asked with a curious tilt of his head, and Seto skipped over that to address the other worrying thing he'd heard.
"And what's this about love letters from multiple people?! She doesn't bring them home because I haven't seen any of them. Her backpack gets checked every day," Seto ranted, his cheeks burning as he wondered if any of these letter-writing boys was the one he'd made chocolates for last night.
"Her backpack gets checked every day? That's strict!" The teacher looked alarmed, and neither father reacted with the same emotion.
"Is it? She's good at organization, so she always tells me to look inside," was Atem's answer as he smiled warmly at the memory of Adina demanding he look into her bag and praise her.
"Because she tried to bring a roll of pink kelp that was still wet," growled Seto as he pinched his brow. "…To braid into her friend's hair, she said. Ridiculous."
"S-So you agree the mermaid obsession is a problem!" The teacher said triumphantly, tapping the back of her pen down against the papers in front of her rhythmically, and her shock returned when Adina's spiky-haired father said something odd again.
"Mermaid obsession? I beg your pardon?" And he looked angry, which made her heart clench in fear, while Adina's blond father rolled his eyes and muttered, "not an obsession if they're real."
They might…not be mentally…fit! The teacher panicked as she glanced between the men, her heart racing with fear.
One side of her brain was telling her that the odd answers and odd behavior from the parents should be reported, and a family psychologist should be brought in to handle it.
But Adina was a polite, intelligent, and well-adjusted social flower.
How could she be like that when her parents were…like this?!
The other side of her brain was telling her that the strange answers and strange behavior from the parents made sense if mermaids were real, and it was a wild but tiny possibility they could be…because it was Adina's quirks that made her popular.
She knew all sorts of obscure facts about the ocean, and could identify all kinds of marine life, plants, and even cite the PH balances of water at different depths, even bringing in rare colored seashells and stones to share with her friends…who took these gifts, made them into jewelry and wore them proudly for photos on social media, also tagging #Adina'sJewlery….
"Oh! I forgot I had one more issue to bring up. The jewelry making!" The teacher cried, setting her pen down with a huff. "Adina and her friends started a 'Kira Kira gems' after school club, as a way to circumvent breaking the dress code for wearing accessories, but they don't wear it during gym class—"
"She did what?" Seto blinked and hated how this was news to him.
Maybe it was his fault she was so vain…! If he'd known, he would've never named the entire jewelry company after her!
"Breaking a dress code?!" Atem cried, his stomach curling with dread.
What did that mean?
Was the punishment severe?
"It's…a…style the girls are into right now," the teacher tried to explain politely, trying not to be put off by the sudden outbursts. "They'll combine the shells and shiny rocks they find together on the beach and glue them onto phone cases, hang them on their bags as key charms, make earrings…and…the girls even gave me one! Don't worry, it's nothing bad, Mr…Nakamura…."
It was odd addressing them both with the same name.
She reached into her desk and pulled out a pen that had a thin, red slice of sea glass glued to the end, lined with a row of six, lumpy mismatched pearls, each one surrounded with fake plastic gems. It was….c-cute?
"Very…artful," the teacher said with effort as she smiled and placed it back into the plastic case but left it on the desk for the dads to see. "By the looks on your faces, I take it this is a hobby she hasn't told you about?"
"Oh, that's what they were doing," Atem let out a sigh and leaned into Seto's shoulder with relief. "Those are from the scuba-diving sleeping over event, remember that?"
"Oh, you mean the, 'this is a security breach, but Daddy please clear the reef' sleep over?" Seto said with a stiff laugh. "Yeah, I remember that. They hauled up eight bags of dirt pearls. I see that's where they've gone." He shot the ugly pen a half-smile and didn't even look at the teacher as he stood up to bow, aiming to leave.
"Thanks for the report—"
"Excuse me, I'm not finished," the teacher said mildly, trying not to let her frustration show. "My main concern I wanted to address before you left is about her calling herself 'queen' and associating with the popular children's jewelry company named, 'ADINA'."
She received a blank look from the spiky-haired father, and a blank look from the blond-haired father which made her heart sink. These two were…so strange! Maybe she should report them!
Seto heard her thought and grabbed Atem by the arm to tell him not to react, but it was too late. Atem's mouth dropped open in dismay as he exclaimed, "don't report us! Adina is delightful. She's making everyone gifts from—"
"So the secret's out," Seto interrupted steadily, giving Atem's hand a warm squeeze and meeting the king's angular violet gaze, sending him a private thought. I'll take it from here. Trust me.
Atem let out a defeated sigh and was surprised to see it mirrored by the teacher, who palmed her face and eyed the clock behind them, her thoughts racing.
Oh boy. I feel like he's been reading my mind. If they start going off about mermaids, I might just give them mom's number—wait, didn't she say something about…telepathic…abilities from—OH NO! Quick, call her! No. Don't call her. She's resting. Leave her a message. Oh I should show her the pen! I feel bad now, oh no…
You broke her, Atem thought sourly at Seto as he folded his arms across his chest, planting his feet apart and gazing out the window, seeing many groups of school children walking in through the gates. And just in time for class to start. Better fix it, Seto.
"Thank you for being so observant," Seto said coolly as he heard the sounds of kids laughing drifting up from the courtyard below, so he talked fast. "Adina is expected to be queen, because my partner here is a king."
"Which country?" The teacher asked instantly.
"You've never heard of it," Seto replied calmly.
"Bet I have. What's it called?" The teacher pressed, her eyes narrowed challengingly.
"No you haven't, and we won't tell you," Seto shot back, also narrowing his eyes.
Atem held his breath, wondering if it was safe to laugh.
"Okay. Say I believe that," the teacher said with a firm headshake, leaning back into her chair with a huff. "She's still behaving unrealistically by associating herself with the jewelry company. Please don't encourage that behavior. It's a delusion of grandeur that is concerning."
Atem glanced nervously at Seto.
What was he going to say to get them out of this one?
"It's not a delusion. The company is hers," Seto said with a careless shrug. "I don't know how else to prove it to you other than with a tax form, which I can bring, so until then, you'll have to take my word for it."
The teacher blinked and swallowed so visibly, she had to clear her throat politely and pat her chest to take a deep breath. "I'm going to have to challenge you on that, because it's still unhealthy—"
"No. It's her birthright, and she's acting that way to prepare herself to run the place," Seto replied, now ready to fight the teacher down to the teeth on it. "She's spending time afterschool with friends in a jewelry club? Sounds like they're making drawing room ideas to me. Sleepover dives to pick up worthless pearls and litter? Sounds like research and charity work to me. Giving out prototypes to willing recipients who will appreciate it? Looks like she knows who her target audience is."
The teacher was speechless for a moment before she composed herself to ask, "ADINA, the jewelry company which belongs to the Kaiba group…?"
"Belongs. To. Her. Yes." Seto hissed through gritted teeth, wondering why the teacher was so dense. Could they leave now? Kids were waiting by the door to come in.
"And she is related…to Noah as cousins, you say?" The teacher's eyes were growing wider and wider. "That would mean…her father…is Seto Kaiba."
We lose, Atem thought blithely as he eyed the door for escape. Now he wanted to leave.
Ohhh shit shit fuck shit fucking shit me on a fucking stick, Seto cursed as he tensed, watching the teacher piece it together way too fast for his comfort.
"Unless…There is another Kaiba family member I'm unaware of?" The teacher mused aloud, and Seto felt his eyelid twitch. FUCK.
He could say yes there was.
She'd ask, he'd lie, and then she'd search it up later, proving it was a lie.
"So neither of you are her parents and you were paid to come here! I see that's why you're both acting so strange!" The teacher cried, letting out an exasperated huff, crossing her arms and feeling her ears burn with a mixture of embarrassment and anger. "If this is Mr. Kaiba's idea of a joke, you can tell him it's not funny. He can come and show his face, you know? Especially if this is his child? His…grandchild, maybe?"
"He's dead," Atem said hopefully, and Seto glared at the teacher, trying to read her mind, but she wasn't thinking loudly anymore. Her mind was eerily silent, almost as if she was hiding her thoughts.
"Is he? My mom doesn't seem to think so," the teacher huffed, rolling her eyes. "Non-stop 'Mr. Kaiba faked his death' after the news broke, and even now as she's sitting in her vacation home on the Kaiba Corporation retirement package, still claiming that Mr. Kaiba is out there somewhere. Alive. So. Why are you two here to play her parents? I could call the authorities on you. This is not a joke."
"Your mom worked for Kaiba Corporation." Seto repeated dully, now wishing he'd done a background check on this woman before walking into this room. "What's her name?"
"I'll tell you if you tell me which country he's the king of," the teacher replied with a clever smirk, nodding at Atem, who stiffened nervously and eyed the door again.
Seto glared intently at the teacher, trying to figure her out. Dark hair, almond eyes, she looked super normal. Nothing like anyone he remembered—and he finally heard a helpful private thought leak from her in the lukewarm silence.
…Mom has told me some weird stories while being Seto Kaiba's front desk lady, and paying for someone else to show up is definitely one of those tactics. No wonder they're both so weirdly pretty. They're hired actors! Bad ones, I might add…. This tops my weird parents list. Can't wait to tell Ogata-san….
Atem shot Seto a frantic look.
What do we do? He asked Seto nervously, aware that a crowd of children had formed at the door and was waiting to be let in. Maybe even Adina was out there, wondering why the classroom door stayed closed.
I'll take care of it, Seto replied calmly as he gave Atem a confident nod and then faced the teacher with a bright smile.
"Your mom might be onto something," Seto said with a thoughtful nod. "But she never got the whole story. Now that I know she's one of his secretaries, I'll be sure to send her flowers and maybe dinner certificates…where you can both go to dinner and talk all about what happened today."
The teacher's eyes widened fearfully and then narrowed just as fast. "Why would we do that? Are you bribing me—"
"What will it take for you to leave it alone?" Seto asked gently, nodding at the pearl-encrusted pen. "Adina is a cute kid who deserves all the opportunities, and sure, her father might be a major fuck up, but reporting us will affect her. Let's keep her out of it. If you want a bone to pick with Seto Kaiba, you can visit the address at the beach house again."
Seto! No! You're going to let her…see us?! Atem shook his head frantically and tugged Seto's arm, aiming to leave.
"Why's he shaking his head?" The teacher prompted, and the blond man held his hand up in front of the spiky-haired man's chest defensively.
"Ignore him and focus on what I'm saying. Please hold off on reporting us. You can visit us again at the beach property, and we'll be sure to answer the door. Bring mom for answers too if she wants. I know she's getting along in age…. She's what, 76?"
"How would you know that?" The teacher asked sharply, and Seto nodded triumphantly.
"Exactly. How would I know that?" Seto replied with supreme smugness, and the teacher could only blink at him. "See you later. Looks like we're holding up your classroom."
He grabbed Atem by the arm and walked to the door to slide it open, unprepared for a sea of children to stare accusingly at him and then push him aside as they rushed to their desks.
Adina froze when she saw her parents by the door and let out an embarrassed shriek, "Daddy?! Father?! What are you guys doing here?!"
"Talking to the teacher, because you're a star," Seto muttered, hearing startled shouts from the teacher's thoughts all the way inside the classroom.
DID SHE JUST CALL THEM 'DADDY' and FATHER'?!
"A good star or a bad star? I didn't do anything bad!" Adina cried, her voice echoing up and down the hall, drawing looks from her fellow classmates who all stopped to stare.
Wow, are those Adina's parents?
Adina's dad looks like a hard rocker…
Wait which one is her dad?
Holy crap! Adina's beauty is explained! Movie star genes!
"You're doing wonderfully," Atem praised, kneeling to pat her cheek warmly. "I heard all about your book research and I saw your Future Dreams homework. I'm very proud of you. I also saw the pretty pen you made for the teacher! 'Very artful' she said!"
Adina grabbed onto Atem's hand to grip his fingers in a tight squeeze, her eyes gleaming. "Thanks father. I love you," she whispered, and Seto also knelt to give her shoulder a pat.
"They see you ordering Noah around and it's concerning the teachers. Do it less obviously," Seto said with a smirk, and Atem gave him an alarmed glance. "And help him make more friends. Teacher said he's unpopular. Does Uncle Moki know this?"
"He has friends," Adina said unhelpfully with a shrug. "He's not a loner."
Seto winced at her vocabulary and asked, "Is it because of the 'Noah Kaiba' thing from elementary school? He hasn't recovered from that?"
Adina's face paled and she glanced nervously at Atem before she shook her head and then nodded, lowering her head to stare at her feet, her ears dark red.
Of course Daddy knew about it.
Daddy's shore name was Seto Kaiba after all.
"What Noah Kaiba thing? Oh I need to hear this," Atem said with a concerned frown, hearing a tone chime above his head, and he jumped. "Gods. What is that noise—"
"I'm LATE!" Adina shoved Atem aside and gave Seto a quick hug on the arm before she dashed into the classroom and ran inside to sit down at her desk.
The teacher was standing shakily by the blackboard, and she bowed stiffly, walking forward to close the door with a quick clack! leaving Atem and Seto standing alone in the hallway, feeling very out of place.
Together, they made their way down the steps and out the front doors of the school.
Seto gave Atem a guilty nod and reached out to hold his hand.
"The Kaiba name has affected Noah negatively. Adina seems to be doing fine," Seto said, hating the way his heart was being crushed with shame and anger at himself.
"I'm sure you can have a talk with his teacher about how to fix it," Atem said with a kind nod as they walked down the sidewalk towards the black car that was parked waiting for them around the block. "You made an amazing comeback underwater, reclaiming your name and title. Perhaps you could help Noah with that."
"Maybe. And I want to fix it today, so we can go home tomorrow," Seto mumbled, and he wasn't prepared for Atem to stop in his tracks and give his arm another warm squeeze.
"No. You will take as long as it needs. Your kin is being affected by the surname Kaiba," Atem said with a serious blink. "You need to help him clear this up, or it will seep into the rest of his little life. Can you live with that guilt? In fact, how can you?"
Fuck. Fucking fuck, he's right, Seto swallowed his anger as they climbed into the limo and sat into the soft leather seats, with the sun warming his knees nicely as they pulled away from the curb and drove down the tree-lined street.
The name Kaiba would haunt him forever. He would find a way to make sure it didn't condemn Noah too.
Mokuba escaped it by marrying out of the name, but quick family tree connecting made it easy to line Adina up with that name too, and it would crush her. As future queen, she couldn't have that name trailing behind her.
He needed to fix this, for all of his kids.
Author's note: ohnoooo