Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

The scorching desert kicked up sand, swirling the grains around his ankles. Kaiba ignored the whipping wind, the tailend of his coat hitting his thigh, his eyes focused on the man a few yards away. He glanced down at his life points: 3600. The duel hadn’t given him any sort of excitement, yet. Atem had been taking his time, violet eyes scanning over the cards in his hand, debating which card would be best suited for the job.

“Draw your last card. This duel will be over once it’s my turn.”

Atem chuckled at the paraphrased line Kaiba said to him the first time they met years ago. He looked up from his hand. Kaiba had two monsters out; Kaiser Seahorse and a face down monster. His spell zone consisted of two cards, one still face down, Shard of Greed placed face up. On Atem’s side of the field Dark Magician was in attack position as well as a face down monster. He had three face down cards in his own spell and trap zone.

“You know I take dueling very seriously, even if I no longer hold that title.” Kaiba’s piercing eyes watched as he placed a possible trap or spell down, ending his turn.

The moment Kaiba began his turn, his plan went into motion. Along with his normal draw Shard of Greed resolved, allowing him to draw two additional cards. He grinned when he saw the result. Whether it was luck or his excellent deck building strategies, he now had the perfect hand. “I activate the spell card Polymerization,” Kaiba declared, slapping the card down. Atem sighed knowingly, already looking over his hand for a counter-strategy. Kaiba combined the two Blue Eyes he drew with the one already in his hand, the digitized cards reflecting off the sun above.  Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon roared to life, the sight of it making Kaiba’s heart beat faster.

“Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon!” Kaiba pointed dramatically at Atem. “Destroy Dark Magician!”

Atem flipped one of his facedown cards. “You’ve activated my trap card, Threatening Roar. I guess the dramatic long turns are still in your strategy.”

Kaiba rolled his eyes. The trap would prevent him from attacking during his battle phase, buying Atem another turn. “That would never intimidate a Blue Eyes. You're just stalling your defeat.”

Atem smiled as if he had already won, a look of confidence that Kaiba both resented and admired. “All it takes is one card to turn a duel around. You're impatience is what makes you a reckless but powerful opponent.”

“As long as you're not giving me a friendship speech I don't care how long it takes,” Kaiba said. “You will lose.”

“I thought you didn't want this duel to end so quickly?” His violet eyes glanced across the field through dark lashes. Even in this world Atem looked dangerously beautiful, the kohl on his eyes enhancing his features.

Kaiba looked off to the side, playing off the burning feeling on his face as the effects of the duel.  “Shut up and make your move.”

Atem obliged and drew his next card, checking over his hand once more before playing it immediately. “I activate the spell card Diffusion Wave-Motion,” he said, his Life Points taking a hit from 6500 down to 5500.

Kaiba raised an eyebrow, surveying the field. What was Atem planning? “Are you forgetting something? Diffusion Wave-Motion allows you to attack more than one monster, but you have to attack all of them. My Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon still has more attack.”

“Kaiba, how many times must you learn the lesson that attack points aren’t everything?” Atem shook his head, a fond smile on his face. “I think I’ve beaten you enough times to prove that I know what I’m doing.”

Kaiba clenched his jaw, why was this man so pretty? Pretty irritating. “This won’t be like those times.”

Atem ignored him, pointing at Kaiba’s face down card for his first attack. Kaiba flipped over Yomi Ship. Before he had a chance to gloat, Atem said “Diffusion Wave Motion negates card effects,” and waved goodbye as it was sent to the graveyard. A smirk played on his lips as he stared at Kaiba.

Whatever. Kaiba had a few more tricks up his sleeve.

The next Attack Atem declared was Kaiser Seahorse, sending Kaiba’s Life Points from 3600 to 2800. Kaiba didn’t need Kaiser any longer now that his best beast was summoned, so he let it go.

Finally Atem attacked Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon, killing his own Dark Magician and losing 2000 Life Points. Dark Magician moved to stand beside Atem. The two looked closer then Kaiba last remembered. He still didn’t understand why Atem would do such a thing when the card was precious to him. Atem’s Life Points ticked to 3500, but it didn’t seem to bother him.

“Well Pharaoh? What’s your grand plan?” He had left himself wide open with only one facedown monster. Probably a Kuriboh, if Kaiba had to guess. There wasn’t a single card that could stand up to Blue Eyes Ultimate, and the loss of Kaiba’s other monsters wasn’t worth the 3000 Life Points Atem had payed for it. Maybe the King of Games was finally losing his edge.

Atem rested his hand on top of one of his last two facedown cards, locking eyes with Kaiba. “This,” he said, flipping it over. “I activate the trap card Dark Horizon. This allows me to summon a spellcaster with attack points less than or equal to the damage I just took.” Atem pulled a card from his deck in a dramatic fashion, probably to mock him, summoning Dark Magician Girl. With one Dark Magician in his Graveyard, her attack was bumped to 2300, but that wasn’t nearly enough to stand up to Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon.

Kaiba laughed. “That’s your plan? Dark Magician Girl? This duel will be easier than I thought.” He got ready to draw his next card, but Atem wasn’t done yet.

“Not so fast Kaiba. I activate the spell card Mystic Box.”

Kaiba’s blood ran cold. He had expected Atem to pull out some spell or trap that would get rid of Blue Eyes Ultimate, which he would then pull out of the Graveyard again in their typical tug of war. But Mystic Box? “You still have that card?” He asked in disbelief, trying to remember the last time he had seen Atem use it.

Atem did not respond, watching as the holograms tried to shove Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon into a humanoid-sized box with some amusement. The boxes swapped, giving Kaiba control of Dark Magician Girl and slicing Blue Eyes Ultimate into pieces. He could swear he felt the swords cutting into his own body. Kaiba grabbed at his chest, glaring daggers at Atem who shrugged.

“Why?” Kaiba demanded, angry at the loss of his monster. “I thought you cared about your cards. You really want me to defeat you with your own monster?”

“You won’t,” Atem said simply, flipping over his last face down card. “I activate the continuous spell Level Limit- Area B.” Dark Magician Girl looked between the two of them apologetically before going into defense mode. Any monster that was 4 stars or higher would be forced into defense mode as long as that spell was on the field, which was incredibly annoying.

“If you had used that spell earlier, you wouldn’t have taken so much damage,” Kaiba suggested, unamused by his current predicament.

“But then your defense would have been hard to puncture, just like that ego of yours.” Atem responded, satisfied with his moves. He ended his turn.

Kaiba wouldn’t let him get away with that so easily. He upped his defense with two spell cards; Monster Reborn and Silent Doom, bringing back Ultimate and one of his discarded Blue Eyes White Dragons. He normal summoned Vorse Raider in face down defense mode and ended his turn with a strong wall of defense. He would get rid of that continuous spell, and Atem would feel his retribution.

Atem drew a card and immediately ended his turn. Kaiba followed suit, laying the only card in his hand face down. The tension in the air built as they both regrouped their strategies. Whatever counterattack Atem had, Kaiba would destroy him.

On his next turn Atem was ready. He played both cards in his hand; Silent Magician and Silent Burning. Since Atem had one card and Kaiba didn’t have any, they both were allowed to draw until they had 6 cards in their hands. Kaiba didn’t see the strategy in the move other than desperation or an attempt to make the game last longer. He wasn’t sure which he disliked more. Atem looked over his new hand thoughtfully, ending his turn.

Kaiba immediately played Stamping Destruction to get rid of the Area B, hitting Atem for 500 Life Points and leaving him at 3000. All according to plan. He flipped his army of defense mode monsters into attack mode; Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon, Blue Eyes White Dragon, Dark Magician Girl, and Vorse Raider. It was more than enough for a full assault.

He attacked Atem’s facedown card with Dark Magician Girl in case it had a similar effect to Yomi Ship, but before he could complete the move Atem gave him a smug look. “You activated my trap card, Wall of Disruption.”

Kaiba growled lowly, watching as all his monsters were reduced to nothing. All his monsters were useless now, even Blue Eyes Ultimate, who had been reduced to a measly 1300 attack points. The worst part was taking the tiny hit to his life points for attacking the defense mode Kuriboh, destroying Dark Magician Girl. She was no loss, but seriously, damage from that furball? Worst of all, Kaiba would be wide open on his next turn for whatever attack Atem chose.

Atem drew a card, a smirk playing on his lips as he placed it in his hand. He shifted to the one beside it, “I play Monster Reborn.” This was it. Atem would bring back his Dark Magician and kill Kaiba with it, or take Ultimate to add insult to injury. This turn would be his last.

“I bring back Dark Magician.” Kaiba looked up at Atem. Predictable, but even if he was predictable, Kaiba couldn’t counter it. Kaiba thought about where he went wrong though it didn’t make much of a difference. He was dead either way. Still, Atem’s loyalty to his cards seemed like a liability, even as he attacked Kaiba’s monsters with the furball and his magician to end the game.

A grunt left Kaiba’s lips as he watched his Life Points hit 0. The cards in front of him and his opponents faded away, leaving them both in the massive hall. He got to his feet, crossing his arms over his torso, glaring at the man 30 feet from him.

“Lucky shot.” Kaiba grumbled, walking over to the man drenched in gold.

Atem chuckled as he turned and walked over to the dais his throne sat on, taking a seat on the steps leading up to it. He sighed, taking off the golden crown that had framed his tan face, shaking his tri colored hair. Even though it was supposed to be messed up, especially from the duel they had, it still looked perfect and stayed in place. Kaiba sat beside him, watching him with piercing blue eyes.

“I wouldn’t call it lucky, more like skill. I’ve been playing for 3,000 years, remember?”

“The thousands of years you were stuck in that gaudy jewelry doesn’t count.” Kaiba interjected, picking up the head piece. The metal was warm to the touch thanks to the sunlight streaming in from skylights dotting the ceiling.

“True, but those memories of playing came with me. Or I guess the muscle memory since I didn’t remember my past back then.”

Seto scoffed and set the crown off to the side and grabbed Atem’s arm, taking off the DiaDhank from his wrist. All the gold was giving him a headache. Atem chuckled, watching as his friend slowly took off his accessories.

It sort of became a routine for them whenever Seto would visit. They would duel and afterwards relax by the throne. The CEO would tell him how everyone was in the world, taking off the flashy jewelry. Their time was limited since Kaiba couldn’t exist long in the afterlife, the gods rejecting the living. But that didn’t stop Kaiba from perfecting his tech to allow him a few hours in this realm.

The metal clinking against metal made Atem look up at Kaiba. A small pile of gold had piled up to his left. It always amazed him how much he wore, the weight of it all never effecting him.

“I still say you were lucky. Maybe that mutt rubbed off on you but if that was the case I would be the winner of every duel we’ve had.” Kaiba’s hands slipped away from Atem’s skin. The Pharaoh always found it hard to read him.

“How long do we have?” He changed the subject. Their duel took more time than usual.

“Does it matter?” Kaiba raised an eyebrow, hating the thought of the time limit set on him. “The gods were generous enough to give us the time we need to play a card game, which is enough for me.”

Atem chuckled, knowing that wasn’t necessarily true but didn’t press on it. He closed his eyes, leaning back on his arms and enjoying the peace and company Kaiba brought. It had been almost a year since his rival showed up in the afterlife, all for the chance to win a duel. It seemed silly, but now it was something he looked forward too.

“How’s Yugi? You told me he’s working for you now for your company. I hope you’re not too hard on him.”

Kaiba’s laugh rang throughout the throne room, causing Atem to open his eyes and look at him. It wasn’t a genuine laugh, moreso his snarky one he used whenever someone said something idiotic. “He’s working for Mokuba at the moment. He’s one of my head developers so the job isn’t hard on him at all. I would say he’s right at home if I’m being honest.”

“So he’s working on that new game KaibaCorp is developing?”

“Yes.” Kaiba stretched out, leaning back as well. “Mobile gaming is making a comeback and we decided to jump on board with the trend. Mokuba’s idea more than mine but I see the profit in it.”

“If we had cell phone reception here I’d ask for you to bring me one so I could join.” His violet eyes glanced over to the area where the Egyptian gods usually were. The three had made a home nearby to watch over him and keep balance between the dimensions.

“Trust me, it would make my life easier if you had it as well. Though I can’t complain since they allowed me here. Not that I was getting permission in the first place.” Kaiba scoffed once more, glaring in the same direction Atem had looked too, “Mokuba has a meeting set up for me later in the week to hear their pitch on some in game systematics. Personally I could care less about it as long as the system is running smoothly and everything is handled. I have more important things to take care of.”

“Like dueling me?” Atem smirked but didn’t get the reaction he was hoping for. Kaiba simply nodded, looking at the now retracted duel disk on his arm.

“I should head back though. Appointments scheduled and it’ll take me awhile to fly back to KaibaCorp.” Kaiba stood up, brushing off the dust that wasn’t visible but out of habit. Atem nodded and stood beside him. Blue eyes looked down at him, a smirk forming on the pale lips, “I’ll be sure to return soon. Next time I won’t go easy on you.”

“You say that after every duel Kaiba.” Atem rolled his eyes, watching Seto head down the hall. He shook his head and noticed the glint of gold, “You know I have to put this back on myself.” He called back but Kaiba was gone.

The week seemed to drag out longer then what Seto wanted. Unfortunate delays at the corporation made it impossible for him to go see Atem. The other unfortunate part was that he wasn’t allowed to duel anyone since his mind had been more focused on the mass production of the new duel disk that seemed to be selling better than he expected.

Not only was he dealing with product sales, but also the meeting for their mobile game was today. Mokuba and his team had been in his office for ten minutes, his little brother beside him.

The beginnings of a headache burned behind his eyes, forcing them to close. Seto Kaiba wasn’t sure if he was totally on board with the idea. It seemed unnecessary since Kaibaland was the driving force for raking in profits for the company.

He thought about Kaibaland and all the amatuer duelists spending every free moment they could get challenging each other to minor duels, exchanging mediocre cards to strengthen their third rate decks, looking to climb to the nationals, possibly the regionals. He wanted to be out there, watching each duel to gather strategies, improving his own methods. Over the past three years things had changed. All the extra budget that could be scrapped together was being poured into a pet project of his own. Seto’s daydream shifted into something more bright, agoning on the headache. A silhouette of someone that had left this world filled the void.

“....the profits of in game purchases would help bring in more revenue to the company. Though we would also add many gems and gold pieces to obtain without converting real money since kids are playing more than the adults. It’s optional. Not only that but you can upload your pre made deck to the serv-.” The developer’s presentation was cut off by the vice president.

“Seto are you listening?”

The CEO opened his eyes slightly, his daydream of dueling crushed by his younger brother’s words. Mokuba stood beside his desk, arms crossed over his chest with an eyebrow raised at the older Kaiba. Seto hummed, shifting to a more straight pose. A few murmurs swept over the team. It wasn’t anything new that their CEO had a lot on his mind. Seto Kaiba hadn’t been present in the company since learning the end result of the ceremonial duel between the Pharaoh and Yugi. He had refused to partake being at the duel since Yugi refused to allow him to battle the Pharaoh.

“No I’m not.” He rolled his eyes, glaring at the room of people. The murmurs were silenced. Mobuka sighed deeply, turning to face the crowd who had been watching the brothers.

“Alright guys! Seto’s had a long day. Get back to work and we’ll pick this up some other time.” He waved his hands in a shooing motion. They didn’t have to be asked twice, feeling the intensity of Seto’s aura as they filed out of the room. Seto caught a glimpse of tritoned hair, making him groan in frustration.

He placed a hand over his eyes, swiveling his chair towards the window. The cityscape of Domino could be seen in every direction from his office. Not that he cared. It provided Seto with a better view whenever a tournament broke out, eager duelists of all ages swarming the blocked off streets. Now the streets held adults, going to and from work. Newspaper stands along with food vendors and wanna-be musicians claimed territory of a single block of cement.

“Are you sure you’re okay bro?” Mokuba cautiously walked over. Seto moved his hand slightly upwards so he could see Mokuba from under his palm.

“I’m fine Mokuba.” Seto got up from his seat and grabbed the briefcase that rested beside his desk. “I’m headed out for the rest of the day. Continue working on this project to your heart's content. I’ll listen to all the details later or better yet, email me them.”

“Okay!” The younger Kaiba grinned, following his brother out of the office.

KaibaCorp had made many advancements over the years. The headquarters itself has grew in size, adding more floors for the different gaming departments. Many of the employees that his father had hired were replaced with teens, younger adults and people that he personally trusted from previous business deals. A few classmates have made their way into the company, mostly due to Seto seeing the benefit they bring him. Yugi Muto and Ryou Bakura, both working with his younger brother on the mobile game.

The two parted near the roof access door. Mokuba headed down the hallway to the gaming development department while Seto headed outside onto the roof. Roland, along with two other KaibaCorp employees, stood by his Blue Eyes jet. They bowed as Seto walked past them, no intention of returning the gesture as he slid the briefcase into the compartment by the pilot seat and jumped in.

“Do you think he’ll like the idea? He seemed unwell and not focused while they were presenting the material.” Ryou clutched the tablet to his chest. Yugi shook his head, chuckling under his breath at his friend.

“I wouldn’t worry too much. Kaiba has looked like that since I’ve known him.” Yugi said chipperly. The visible tension in Ryou subsided. The two split hung back from the group who were focused on creating a more intriguing presentation. He didn’t have the heart to tell them once more that Kaiba wasn’t going to be more attuned to the idea of the game if they modified how they presented it to him.

Ryou typed furiously on the tablet, causing Yugi’s attention to drift towards him. Lately his friend and coworker had been absorbed into something that took Ryou’s attention from their current project. A few glances at the screen from time to time told him his friend was working on some sort of code to Duel Links. The code itself was slightly more advanced for him, though a few portions he recognized as the coding they used to make certain areas in the game.

“I see you’re hard at work again. Practicing anything new for the game?” Even though Yugi seemed small and nonlethal, he used it in a way to get those juicy details. It helped that Ryou wasn’t too good at keeping secrets.

Ryou jumped slightly, his usual pale complexion turning a light red. He avoided eye contact with Yugi as he powered down the device.

“O-oh um.. yes, yes. I figured out how to make separate servers so we can practice things for…” He paused a moment, Yugi recognizing it as Ryou trying to make up an excuse for his odd behavior, “For testing! Yes, testing out any new updates for when the game launching. We can’t have any bugs or mishaps happen, right?” Ryou’s hand came up and messed with a lock of his hair.

Yugi laughed, “That’s true. Kaiba wouldn’t allow us to continue working on the game if there was something wrong with the system. I’m glad you covered all the bases.”

The long walk back to the office filled with Ryou tapping cautiously on the tablet screen. Yugi sighed, knowing he wouldn’t get much out of his coworker. The development team piled into the elevator car, only allowing everyone except the two younger boys. “Don’t worry, we’ll take the next one.” He exclaimed with a wave of his hand.

The doors closed, leaving just the two of them once more. The elevator was slightly sectioned off, giving some privacy for the employees. Ryou cut the silence with a rather odd question. “Hey, do you ever miss the Pharaoh?”

It threw Yugi for a loop, eyes blinking rapidly as his mind processed the question. Did he miss the Pharaoh? It wasn’t really a question for him. He had shared a personal and more emotional connection with him than anyone.

A wave of nausea hit him full force. The beginnings of a headache followed, which was normal whenever the Pharaoh was brought up. It had been three years since the final duel but it still felt like a fresh wound to him.

“Yeah….it’s something that I can’t get over so easily. Atem was a big part of my life just like all my friends. But don’t get me wrong, I’m glad he’s in a better place with everyone he knew.” Yugi looked down at his feet, his fingers reaching for something that was no longer hanging from his neck.

The puzzle had been buried along with the rest of the items in the Valley of the Kings. It was better this way. Although he had received an email from the Luxor museum. Apparently they were in the process of digging those items up for an exhibit. The thought of it sent shivers over his body. The items held no magical properties anymore and yet he felt something in the air. Dread? Despair? Worry? He wasn’t sure.

“Why do you ask?”

Before he got his answer the elevator arrived back to their floor. The two boys walked in and pressed the 62nd button. Ryou avoided eye contact with him, probably mulling over the question like Yugi did with his previous question. Ryou had had a special connection of his own with the spirit of the Ring. From what Yugi and his friends observed, the spirit was evil, possessing Ryou’s body and controlling him to do his dirty work.

Besides the countless times they had fought the spirit, Yugi wasn’t sure how Ryou and the spirit’s relationship was outside of the fights. He had often wondered if they had shared a bond like him and Atem. If that was true he didn’t think the spirit would have gone with his plan of trying to murder the Pharaoh and take over Egypt in the past. Even now the spirits complex plan hurt Yugi’s head just thinking about it.

He decided to rephrase the question, “Do you miss him? The spirit.”

Ryou’s light taping ceased, causing Yugi to look over at his friend. Ryou seemed to have gotten paler but any sort of fear or tension was cut off by the small smile he gave to Yugi.

“I can’t get anything past you.” He chuckled lightly, turning off the tablet screen and instead focusing on the blue digital numbers as they climbed higher up the building. “To be honest with you, yes. I do miss him.”

Once more, silence filled the space between the two boys. And before Yugi could start up a conversation about the spirit in question Ryou quickly beat him to it.

“Not that I would want him back though. He really was a pain, always pushing my body to it’s limits and not taking care of it. Not to mention that he stabbed me. Twice.” Ryou smiled at the memories.

The elevator chimed lightly, the doors opening. Ryou stepped out, waiting for Yugi. He wasn’t sure what it was but Yugi still felt something off about his friend. His words a few moments ago described a boy ready to move on, having learned from his past and using that to forge ahead. But his face gave away much more.

He was hiding something.

 “You seem more distracted than usual. Did something happen today at your meeting?” Atem watched as Kaiba’s duel disk materialized. “I hope you didn’t fire anyone. I know that puts you in a sour mood, more than usual.”

“Unfortunately I didn’t get the luxury of that.” The CEO took out his deck, spreading them out in his hand to distract himself. It didn’t matter if Atem saw his cards, all of his strategies being used up. He never got to make an appearance at Kaibaland, needing the information to come up with some new strategy and tweek it to perfection.

“That’s good. You could use as many employees as you can get if you come to see me all the time.” He plucked Enemy Controller from Kaiba’s hand, glad that his senses were still accessible to him while dead. Kaiba grunted, glaring and grabbed the card back. Atem chuckled at how easily riled he got, “I don’t think a duel will help at the moment. You just need to cool down.”

“A duel will help but I know it takes two to duel and you won’t comply.”

Atem frowned, “Comply? Kaiba, here you don’t have to use your fancy business talk. I’m not a client nor am I an employee.”

“One of my employees requested a week off to go to Egypt. The deadline for our game is going to be delayed a few days since he’s one of the head developers and game designers.” Kaiba didn’t look up from his cards, returning Enemy Controller to his hand.

“Are you telling me Yugi is travelling back to Egypt? What for?”

“If it was Yugi I wouldn’t have signed off on it. Then there wouldn’t be a point in me telling you this.” He rolled his eyes, “No the person is that weird kid your group of friends hangs out with.”

“Oh, I see.” Why was Ryou planning a week trip back to his homeland? Did it have something to do with the items? The last time he saw them was after the duel when he had set them in the millenium stone. According to Kaiba, the tomb had caved in, burying the items and everything that had to do with the shadow games. Ryou’s father had been an archaeologist, it was possible that maybe he was pursuing that same profession. That was a stretch.

“Enough about me for a change.” Kaiba shuffled his cards and put them back in the duel disk, “You’re an ancient Egyptian Pharaoh who can basically create anything that the Gods will allow you to, yet you’re interested in our world?”

“Your world is still fairly new to me. Two years isn’t much time to learn even with Yugi’s help. Most of that time was spent trying to gain my memories back and then to complete my destiny of returning here.” He swept his hand over the empty room to make his point.

“At least tell me about when you were Pharaoh. I’ve been curious since you’ve convinced me.”

Atem chuckled, covering his mouth with the back of his hand, “You really want to know? It’s nothing to extravagant, nothing like your parties or hold over Domino.”

Kaiba rolled his eyes but the way Atem looked at him...had the place suddenly grown hotter? Maybe that fake sun was real. If so then today was a horrible day to wear his usual long coat.

“Don’t change the subject.”

“Fine fine.” Atem leaned back, trying to think about those days, “The palace teemed with life. People, animals, children. The streets lined with market stalls selling jewelry, food, and everyday necessities. From what I remember, I never got to shop there. My royal guards escorted me around to talk with the locals and make sure everything was peaceful. I spent most of the time in this palace.”

He paused, looking back to Kaiba to see if he was listening. Seto had shifted his body slightly towards him and had crossed his arms over his chest. The stance made him look bored but his eyes compelled him to continue.

“I had six people that were in my court along with a few others that were by my side, each of them having a millennium item to keep the peace. You were one of those six.”

“I’m going to stop you right there. Just because I’m confident that you’re an Egyptian Pharaoh doesn’t mean I’m going to believe that I was someone in this past life story of yours.”

“Believe what you will Kaiba, but I’m not done talking.” Atem cleared his throat before continuing, “I had a Priest by my side named Seth, along with a lot of the friends that I’ve seen in your world. The six of them were always at my side, protecting and guiding me whenever I needed it. Mahad and Mana were the two I knew from childhood. They both grew up to be an excellent sorcerer and sorcerer’s apprentice. And Seth, well, he did whatever I wished. He always wanted to help, in some ways you remind me of him..” He trailed off, remembering hurt but it was nice to talk to someone openly about his past.

Yugi once pried into the topic but Atem was never in the mood to get into the details with his partner. He felt guilty that he had shared something with Kaiba and not with his other half. It almost felt dirty in a way.

“I think you’re remembering wrong.” Atem could hear Kaiba rolling his eyes with his words, “Sorry to break it to you but I wouldn’t fetch you a glass of water even on a good day.”

“I would never ask the Seto Kaiba to do anything of the sort. That would make you seem like you cared.” Atem teased back. Even though Kaiba’s words were meant to hold malice, it was the opposite whether the brunette intended it or not.

“I do wish you could have met though. You two could have learned a thing or two from each other.” The thought of his friend and Kaiba meeting grew in his mind. The two didn’t look different besides the outer appearances being slightly altered. Their personalities were roughly the same but where their hearts lied was in an entirely separate box. The two would probably bicker, especially Kaiba, whenever he would need something and Seth was eager to rush in to help, Kaiba would stop him. Probably ask why he took orders from someone like himself.

“On second thought, maybe it’s a good thing you two didn't meet. Not that it could ever happen though.”

“Good, something we both can agree on.” Kaiba turned to face the front of the hall and crossed his legs. The rest of the time the two sat in a comfortable silence. It was relaxing for Atem just knowing another being who had free will and could have a deep and meaningful conversation with him. Kaiba never expressed how he felt about their silent sessions, meaning he never complained so Atem took it as a good thing.

Chapter Text

“Kaiba, I know that last year you asked the museum for special permission to dig in the Valley of the Kings. The Puzzle isn’t your property.”

Kaiba was only half listening to the woman on the phone. He had had this same conversation with Ishizu three times a week for the past month. It was irritating.

“The museum is starting an excavation of the valley for the items. They will be put on display for the public. We need you to bring the Puzzle back immediately.” Ishizu raised her voice, making sure that the CEO heard her.

“Give me a break. You honestly think that I’d give it to you after keeping it for years? You had your chance to find it.” He snapped back, turning in his chair to face the windows. The view was incredible from the 50th floor. Too bad it was being ruined by the one person who didn’t know when to quit.

“The project hadn’t been announced yet. Besides, the artifacts found here are property of the museum and the people of Egypt. Even the archaeologists have to abide by that law.” Her patience was thinning the longer Kaiba refused to cooperate.

“I had a permit.”

“You telling my crew who you are and that you were digging in the valley isn’t the same as having documentation!”

Seto let out a sigh, pinching the bridge of his nose. The paperwork had been tedious to fill out, the process taking longer then what he wanted. To his knowledge, it was still being processed. He didn’t want to waste time waiting.

“The paperwork required is in the works. I did everything legally. If you have any issues I’d say take it up with them.” Before she could respond, he hung up. He reached down and disconnected the line so she wouldn’t have the chance to call back.

Seto leaned back in his chair, welcoming the silence. Ishizu hadn’t started bothering him until recently. The past two years she was silent, mostly calling to check up on him. Even if she didn’t possess the necklace, she’d insist that she would receive random images of future events.  He didn’t bother remembering the details. Now that she was harassing him about the Puzzle, he figured the ‘visions’ were a ruse to get him to give the Puzzle back.

He looked at the clock on the wall; 3:50. Mokuba would be out of school soon and Roland had the day off. Since today had been slow, Kaiba figured he’d pick up Mokuba. The only issue he had with it was Mokuba’s friends. His little brother decided he was going to show off how cool he was since Kaiba happened to be his older brother. Not that he minded since Mokuba had been doing that since elementary school. It’s when they would get chummy with him is when he had an issue.

He got up, pressing a button on his desk, making the blinds on the windows roll down. He grabbed his suitcase and headed out of his office. “Miss Sawamura, I’ll leaving. Cancel any appointments I had and move them back for tomorrow.”

The secretary sighed calmly, nodding as her boss walked past. She was used to the random comings and goings of the CEO. Unfortunately that meant she had to deal with angry clients which wasn’t the best part of her day. It had become the norm for her, working for Kaiba for seven years. Sawamura started making the calls and writing out emails to postpone Kaiba’s meetings.

The long black convertible tore out of KaibaCorp’s parking lot. The Domino jr. high wasn’t to far from KaibaCorp, and as expected Mokuba was hanging out with a few of his friends. He pulled the car up to the curb, glad that he couldn’t hear the ooo’s and aaa’s of the brats.

“I’ll see ya tomorrow guys!” Mokuba opened the door, waving at his friends before taking his spot in the passenger side, “Hey big bro!”

“How was school?” Kaiba waited until the younger Kaiba put on his seatbelt before taking off. Miss Sawamura had scolded him once before about safety and that he shouldn’t drive so recklessly like he did during Battle City.

“Same stuff. Nothing that you haven’t taught me before.” Mokuba rested his chin in the palm of his hand, taking this opportunity to stare out the window.

“I didn’t expect much from the school system. If I didn’t have a busy schedule with the company, I would have taught you.” He winced slightly, remembering the ways he learned about the world and its teachings. He would never put Mokuba through that.

“Bro, you okay?”

Kaiba hadn’t realized how hard his grip was on the steering wheel, his knuckles pure white. He shook his head slightly and forced his body to relax, “Stressed.”

He pulled the car up to the Kaiba mansion, parking in the side garage. Mokuba jumped out, smiling as his older brother followed suit, “Hey big bro, is it okay if Yugi comes over to play some video games with me?”

He grunted in response, making his way into the home. Mokuba took that as a yes. Kaiba shrugged off his jacket, slinging it onto the back of the chair and rolled up his sleeves. He opened the fridge to see what he should make for dinner. The younger Kaiba climbed up onto a stool, watching Seto for a moment before taking out his phone to text his friend. Mokuba knew that even if Seto had a half day it didn’t mean the rest of the company did. Not to mention the game was almost complete and they needed everyone working as much as they could to get it out on time.

“What you want for dinner?” Seto glanced over his shoulder, knowing what his little brother would say. He just wanted to give him the benefit of the doubt.

“Hmm...do we have any pork left from yesterday?” Mokuba leaned on the counter. Kaiba nodded and took out the meat.

“How does Donburi sound?” He raised an eyebrow, receiving a huge grin from Mokuba. Donburi it is.

Within 10 minutes, the kitchen flooded with smells of grilled pork and caramelized veggies. A rice cooker was off to the side. Kaiba took out the cabbage he was going to add and asked Mokuba to chop it up while he tended to the meat. Mokuba was eager to help, making sure not to mess it up. Kaiba knew his brothers distaste for celery, but he also knew that if he hid it well enough in the multitude of veggies Mokuba wouldn’t taste it.

Mokuba loved the soft silence between him and Seto as he cooked. The only time he ever saw his brother relaxed but still focused. He watched as Seto grabbed the pan and jerked it towards him before moving it back, repeating the process a few times as the vegetables mixed. Another twenty minutes went by before the Kaiba siblings had their large bowls of food in hand. Yugi had replied to Mokuba, the amount of work that had piled up made it impossible for him to make it.

Kaiba scoffed, heading towards the TV room a few halls away. Mokuba followed looking a bit upset. Though he couldn’t complain much since his brother had taken the rest of the day off to be with him.

The TV room basically was an indoor theater, but there was a separate room for that. Some couches and recliners were sprinkled across the room, all facing the large plasma TV embedded in the far wall. A bar was set on the left side of the room. Kaiba took his usual chair closest to the bar, Mokuba taking the spot next to him. Gozaburo had installed it for himself whenever he came home from having a particularly rough day. Kaiba had indulged himself once or twice, but not having anything too hard.

Mokuba took the controls, flipping to a cartoon. Kaiba didn’t pay much attention to it, something about warriors fighting monsters. Sometimes they had mythical spirit animals that were robots? He crossed his legs, slowly eating his food as he scrolled on his phone. Mokuba didn’t complain as long as Seto was nearby he was okay with it. Occasionally he would yell things at the screen and ask his brother to buy the studio to fix things he didn’t agree with. As a joke of course.

Kaiba would just mumble that he would get right on that before returning to what he was originally doing. Though he did have a tab on his phone open to the studio’s stocks and company profits just in case. To be honest, their stocks weren’t that impressive, reminding him of his first company take over.

The process had been fairly simple. He bought stocks in a new company that had been trying to make a name for itself. He gradually continued buying more and more shares of the company until he owned over half of the shares. Most of the other shareholders had pulled out or given their shares to the young Kaiba voluntarily. Seto paid his adoptive father back plus buying the rest of the Kaiba Corporation’s shares. The rest, well, he owned the company now, giving it the make-over it needed.

Kaiba glanced over to his brother, lost in thought of what would happen in the future. Mokuba had moved to sit on his knees, grinning at the screen and occasionally talking to Kaiba about whatever was going on in the show.

“Mokuba, do you want to learn to play Duel Monsters?”

Once again he was alone.

Well, not completely.

Atem sighed as he slumped against Mahad, closing his eyes as the nervous twitch he picked up whenever Kaiba failed to make an appearance took over. It wasn’t often that the CEO didn’t show, begging for a rematch. The fact that it had been a few days, three days ten hours and eleven minutes to be exact, was unsettling to Atem.

“I’m sure he’s very busy. He does run a company along with taking time to be with his brother.” Mahad looked down at his king, frowning at the worried expression painted over Atem’s face.

“I know.” Atem sat up straight, opening his eyes to look at the empty throne room, “It seems I’ve become dependent on him.” He chuckled lightly. Atem couldn’t argue with that. He found himself getting up every day to wait in the throne for the brunette. Their relationship had grown since the beginning of the year, Kaiba visiting daily, sometimes multiple appearances in a day. Though most of Kaiba’s actions confused him. They dueled together for hours then sat in the throne room to catch up on things, Kaiba ceremonially taking off the gold that stuck to Atem like a second skin. But each time he never got a read on Kaiba’s thoughts or emotions. The Pharaoh thought he made it clear the feelings he had for his once rival, but it seemed that they weren’t reciprocated. It worried him.

Mahad couldn’t help but smile as his king brightened, even if it was a slight change. The priest knew that something was on his king’s mind and it’s name was Seto Kaiba. Mahad wasn’t too fond of the idea of Kaiba being in the afterlife. His presence only created issues. “If you’d like, I could always duel you. Or we could ask the gods once more to access the living. I bet you’d like to see your friends and what they have been up to.”

Atem shook his head, the thick earrings swaying like the pendulums of a clock. It was almost hypnotizing. “I believe that all of them have found a way to make it in today’s world. Kaiba told me Yugi and Bakura have joined his company.” He leaned back on his hands, “They’re actually creating a virtual reality duel monsters game. It seems that Bakura came up with the idea and pitched it to Mokuba.”

“That’s great news!” The priest smiled, “Yugi is skilled with duel monsters knowledge. I’m surprised he didn’t chase after the pro league.”

“He had told me before that he had enough duel monsters excitement to last him a lifetime. Which I don’t blame him. I put him through a tedious task to help me get back to where I belong.” Atem looked at his hands, clasping them together.

He felt guilty when he found out about how everyone was doing when Kaiba first arrived. It ate at him, a swirling pool of regret and sorrow that tore at his insides. They shouldn’t have sacrificed so much for his sake. Kaiba just laughed at him, somehow calming that storm of negativity. Yugi wouldn’t want him to wallow while he was free. Atem knew his partner all too well, knowing that if he could hear his thoughts they would be met with a frown and speech about how they wanted to help him. They would always remain friends.

The palace doors opened as light footsteps bounced off the walls. “My king!” Mana’s voice chimed in. Atem looked up, seeing the other person who stayed with him. She waved her arms frantically, barely stopping before getting to them. Atem and Mahad sprung to their feet, worried that something had happened. Mana held up a hand, trying to catch her breath before straightening up, “The gods… the gods are considering giving you a chance to see everyone once more.”

A chill ran down the Pharaoh’s spine, spreading ice cold through the rest of his body. He had been asking for months to see them, even if it was just looking from this blissful place. He wanted to make sure they were all doing well, having only Kaiba’s sharp tongue and quick comments to go off of. He sucked in a breath, willing himself to calm down. They were only considering it. He couldn’t get his hopes up quite yet.

“That’s good to hear. It has been awhile so I assume they’re more comfortable with doing something to interfere with the dimensions, even if it is something so simple as to see my friends.”

Mana smiled, taking his sun kissed hands in her own. “This is great news! I know you miss them dearly. Mahad and I make sure to keep them informed for you, Yugi misses you daily.” At the mention of Yugi, Mahad gave his apprentice a look. She quickly backpedaled, eyes wide, “But he’s doing well!”

“It’s okay. It’s natural for them just as I miss all of them. He’s working hard and making a name for himself as the new King of Games, even if he doesn’t partake in dueling as much as he once did. Kaiba is going to hold a tournament sometime soon, asking Yugi participate. The finalist would get a shot to duel him.” Atem snorted at the ludicrous idea. Kaiba was predictable as ever, though it seemed he wasn’t as obsessed with the title.

He looked up from their linked hands, straightening his back. “Please keep him safe. Fight with him with everything you have.” He gave them both a smile, proud that they have remained beside Yugi while he couldn’t.

The two nodded, returning the smile. It was getting late and they had to return. They waved goodbye, promising to be back when they could. Atem nodded, watching as the two vanished into gold shimmering light. The Pharaoh sighed, slowly moving back to his throne. He sat down and pinched the skin on his forehead, feeling some many thoughts racing through his mind.

Chapter Text

Kaiba marked the last 300 of Mokuba’s life points off, declaring the older Kaiba the winner. He sighed softly, his life points barely scathed, “Well you didn’t do horrible…”

“Ugh!” Mokuba threw his cards on the table, “It’s not fair! You’re the best duelist around big bro. Of course I couldn’t beat you.”

“I wasn’t asking you to beat me. I was helping you with strategies. In order for me to help you I first needed to see how you duel.” Kaiba gathered up the cards, moving to sit beside his brother. He sprawled out their decks before clearing his throat.

“I played Kaiser Sea Horse, tossing down Mirror Wall and Counter Gate.” He laid out their fields again, “It would benefit you to keep Enemy Controller in your hand, it being a quick play spell that you can use from your hand. Set your Man Eater Bug, that’ll throw off some people’s game, along with Trap Jammer.”

Mokuba watched as Seto moved and set the cards up. Mokuba knew the basics of the game, having also played a few times with Yugi. Seto made it seem like you needed to be three steps ahead of your opponent, which he understood in the case of his rivalry with Atem.

“Now target the Blue Eyes I summoned.”

Mokuba blinked, having spaced out a few seconds. Seto had two Blue Eyes on the field along with a set card. Mokuba’s side had two face down monsters and two set cards.

“Big bro, maybe we can play a different game?” He set his arm on the counter, laying his chin in the palm of his hand.

Kaiba stopped playing a one sided duel with himself, looking down at Mokuba. He hadn’t realized his brother’s disinterest in his explanation on how he would have won. Kaiba groaned softly and leaned back in the chair, stretching out his long legs, tilting his head back. He closed his eyes, thinking about things that he shouldn’t have to worry about until much much later.

His weekly headache crept up to his temple, the low pounding in his ears and stinging by the corners of his eyes. They had time. Seto was at the prime age of 22, he shouldn’t worry about someone being his successor. The past four years had put him through so much that he wasn’t too sure if he would live past 30.

“Sorry…” He mumbled, moving a hand to cover his eyes, blocking out the harsh light above them.

“Hey it’s fine. I know you want to teach me but Yugi has been a big help as well. I know you have a lot to do with the game launching soon along with KaibaCorp’s usual products and trades.” Mokuba hugged Kaiba’s arm that had been dangling by his side, “I just figured….dueling is a daily thing we do. I wanted to try something different…”

Kaiba swallowed the lump that formed in his throat, stealing a glance down at his brother. Mokuba was staring straight into Kaiba’s side, gripping onto his left arm. Well fuck…..

“What game did you have in mind?” he asked curiously, making the younger Kaiba look up. Mokuba grinned and jumped down, letting go of Seto’s arm.

“It’s something Yugi gave me!” He dashed out of the room, coming back a few moments later with a rectangular box. Kaiba cleared the duel monsters cards away, setting them neatly into two stacks. Mokuba opened the new game and took out all the pieces.

“It’s called Yahtzee. We roll dice and try to get the most points.”

“Sounds like something that Devlin guy would make.” He huffed, crossing his arms. Mokuba gave him a score card. It was pretty straightforward, giving examples of what counts as a straight or Yahtzee. The game itself was fairly simple, but he didn’t like the idea of luck based games. One could argue that Duel Monsters was the same, needing a lucky draw whenever you were in a pinch. But no one wanted to argue with the president of Duel Monsters.

The evening seemed to fly by as the Kaiba siblings tossed the plastic cubes on the counter, racking up points and becoming very competitive. Mokuba grinned the entire time, happy that Seto was taking time to be with him, like a normal family. No mentions of the upcoming game or products. No lectures over the different procedures that Mokuba forgot whenever a reporter tried sneaking in to get a scoop. Seto also was more responsive when Mokuba’s rolls were more favorable then his.

Kaiba soon leaned back, exhaling rapidly through his nose. Mokuba had won more rounds than him, though he blamed it on the game, dice games were stupid. He looked at the time, noticing how late it was getting. “I’ll clean up here. You go up to bed. Tomorrow you and Yugi are opening up all the mail we received from last week.” Seto stood up, his lower back cracking loudly. If this didn’t happen on a daily basis Mokuba would be more worried for his brother’s health.

“Are you joining us too?” Mokuba swung his legs, kicking the cupboards underneath the bar.

“No. I have two meetings that I have to go to along with making sure the new holo tech is running for the new duel disk.”

“Okay bro. Make sure you take your meds before midnight.” Mokuba hopped off the chair, giving Kaiba a hug then headed upstairs.

Kaiba combed his long fingers through his hair, the locks hating the pulled back feeling, resisting the new sensation before falling back to just above his eyes. The game was easy to pick up and put away. He cleaned up the marble counters, the dishes in the sink, and put the leftover food in the overstocked fridge. He’d ask Mokuba to bring any food he wanted to school with him for his friends, better eaten than thrown. Once the kitchen was in decent condition, he flicked off the lights and headed up to his own room.

 Mornings were not on the list of things Kaiba tolerated. Nor were they on the list of things he enjoyed. Yugi Muto was not on that list either, and yet somehow Kaiba had the misfortune to have both things thrusted at him today.

He used one of his nails to slice open the next obnoxiously blue colored envelope. He sat at his desk, feet propped up on the corner, stretching out his cramped legs that had been under the desk for so long. Yugi and Mokuba had taken over the leather couch ten feet away, laughing whenever some fan made a horrible joke. He made a mental note to keep more of an eye on Mokuba. His little brother was getting too much freedom in the company.

Earlier today he saw Mokuba rolling around outside of his office on his heelies, glancing at him every so often. It was annoying but he supposed his brother didn’t have much to do since the launch of their game was coming up. The developers were doing minor texture patches and other adjustments to the in game menus. Seto went back to filling out paperwork, needing the duel disk team to be on their toes for the multiple upgrades he wanted. He picked up the stack of forms and headed out to give them to his secretary. Kaiba paused by the door, Mokuba had leaned over the counter and was whispering to her, something he couldn’t quite make out.

“What are you doing?” Kaiba asked, raising an eyebrow as he walked over. The two parted and she took the stack of papers from his hands. His eyes didn’t leave his brother’s. Mokuba smiled innocently.

“Nothing big bro! I’ll talk to ya later!” He waved, quickly heading to the elevators.

That kid watched him too much.

The CEO read over the letter in his hands.

<3 Seto <3

I am your biggest fan! I know everyone probably says that, but for me it’s the truth! You are the most important thing IN MY LIFE! I send you letters a lot, but I know you’re too busy to answer them. I just hope that one day you open one so that I can tell you how amazing you are! You have made my life so much better and you make so many people happy, you’re the best! Just remember that everyone in Domino loves you, especially ME!

<3 -K <3

Kaiba tossed the letter in the rejected pile which was significantly taller than the approved pile, finding it unsettling. He got up to get more of the idiotic documents from the coffee table in front of the two on the couch. He made sure to take his time, hating every second of this. Usually Mokuba handled all the fanmail and product requests, sometimes having other employees help when they didn’t have anything better to do.

“I still can’t believe you got Kaiba to join us. I thought he had a meeting this morning.” Yugi chimed in, garnet eyes looking over the letter in his hands.

“He did, until I cleared it so he could spend more time with his employees. They say the boss should interact with us otherwise we might rebel and go on strike.” Mokuba smirked, taking off the Kuriboh sticker attached to his letter and putting it on Yugi’s leg.

“I’m reviewing how many privileges you get in the company and revoking some of them.” Seto glared down at them. Yugi scooted closer to the inside of the couch, literally in between the Kaiba brothers.

“It’s not a privilege I got Seto .” Mokuba enunciated his brother’s name, “Miss Mizuki said it was fine because you don’t spend time with me. She was happy to help by clearing your schedule.”

“And in return for that, you get to deal with the meetings. Gives you practice and lets me take a break.” Kaiba scooped up a handful of letters, turning on his heels back to his desk. He had left work early to pick up Mokuba yesterday from school, spending the rest of the day with him at home. Though he was also a Kaiba, give a little and they’ll want more.

“Why? So you can have more time to see him ?” He snapped back, crossing his arms. Kaiba froze, his shoulders tensing up. Even though many reports had been published about the space and time elevator, Kaiba hadn’t officially told anyone what it’s purpose was for, much less told Yugi.

Yugi looked between Mokuba and Kaiba, eyes wide with wonder and confusion. He knew about the odd rivalry Atem and Kaiba had but never imagined Kaiba actually succeeding in travelling to the afterlife. Yugi, being a lead developer in the company, had perks and certain codes to access restricted documents and plans. He may have glanced at the file with the elevator, only catching a few words before quickly exiting the window. He didn’t want Kaiba firing him for any reason, not that he could with how much Yugi did for KaibaCorp.

“Don’t be ridiculous. I have other important things to deal with. The beta duel disk needs calibrating along with overseeing the new cards coming to the market.” He waved off the look Yugi gave him, taking a seat back at the desk.

“Don’t worry Yugi.” The tri color haired boy turned to the younger Kaiba who now was smiling, “Seto is just grumpy because he’s basically on office arrest.”

“What why?” Yugi raised an eyebrow. Mokuba shrugged, returning his attention back to the piece of paper in his hand. Yugi knew there was more then what both Kaiba’s were letting on, but it also wasn’t his business to pry.

The silence that followed was filled with intense emotions, most of them coming from Seto. Yugi felt out of place, wanting to talk to Kaiba about the possibility of him being in contact with Atem. It was hard to believe that he could pull of such a feat, even with how much technology and money the CEO had, Yugi had doubts.

The Kuriboh sticker had somehow disappeared, consumed by the leather couch never to be seen again. Yugi guessed it had lost most of its stick from the envelope. He reached for another letter but jumped when Seto’s office phone rang. Without hesitation, Seto reached down and unplugged the phone, eyes not leaving his own letter. Yugi blinked in surprise, not sure how business like that was. What if it was a client?

“Hey guys get a load of this!” Mokuba chimed in, grabbing both boy’s attentions. Mokuba got up and cleared his throat, “To whom it may concern, Your esteemed corporation has produced many products that have revolutionized the entertainment industry, solidifying Domino as a center for commerce. But Kaiba Corporation always pursues a goal of perfection. A goal to strive further, to advance technology to greater heights. In pursuit of that goal, I propose the following product. Blah, blah, blah…..holograms….ah here! A Dark Magician Girl desk assistant!”

Yugi’s eyes widened more as he got up to read the oddly business like document. His eyes scanning over the lines but before he could finish, it was plucked out of Mokuba’s hands.

“Hey!” The younger Kaiba shrieked, glaring up at his brother. Seto read the lines to himself. Yugi wondered what he was thinking, but the CEO didn’t express much as he looked back at the two boys.

“I’ll take care of this one. Product distribution and recommendations go through me. I’ll hear him out.” He turned and went back to his desk, “You two can go now. The rest of the mail can be dumped on someone else. Take the rejects and dispose of them.”

Mokuba huffed, not wanting to fight with his brother, he walked over and gathered up as many discarded letters as he could. Yugi followed suit. Seto typed furiously on his laptop as the two exited the office. Yugi followed Mokuba to the secretary’s desk, putting the rejects in a box on the floor.

“She’ll get rid of them for us.” Mokuba dusted off his hands and headed back to the elevators, “Might as well help the others with the game. I wonder how Ryou’s doing on his vacation.”

“Not sure. I haven’t gotten in touch with him yet.” Yugi pulled out his phone, looking to see if he had any new messages or calls from his friend.

“That’s fine. He should enjoy himself. He’s been working way too hard on coding the game. Every time I see him in his office, he’s hunched over his tablet, even on his break!” Mokuba pressed the button, checking his own phone. “Man no new likes. That video was great though…”

Yugi had tuned him out, the feeling of dread crawling through his veins. The last conversation he had with Ryou didn’t put his mind at ease either. It was an odd conversation, the topic being out of place for the white haired boy. Even when he stepped into the elevator, going up to his work space, the feeling didn’t leave.

Seto on the other hand had brought up multiple tabs on his computer. His mind going a mile a minute as he typed in some codes and numbers. He glanced back at the letter, wondering if this was a good idea. He wondered if he could make it work.

To whom it may concern,

Your esteemed corporation has produced many products that have revolutionized the entertainment industry, solidifying Domino as a center for commerce. But Kaiba Corporation always pursues a goal of perfection. A goal to strive further, to advance technology to greater heights. In pursuit of that goal, I propose the following product.

I’m unaware if KC is looking into desktop assistants, but surely this is the next phase of technology. Holograms are at their peak, AI and voice recognition is steadily improving, and these elements can coalesce into a technology that will improve life both for the common man and for the tech industry elites. Imagine a desktop assistant that could not only handle internal software such as scheduling and file sorting, but could access hardware such as light switches and coffee makers. Imagine walking into your office with everything perfectly automated to suit your needs. Imagine how much money we could make selling it.

A component of this would be some sort of projection, to humanize the assistant and allow the owner to grow attached to it. My recommendation would of course be the most popular duel monster, Dark Magician Girl, sold at a premium price. Her cute voice would be an added bonus.

If you would like to discuss this idea further, please do not hesitate to contact me at  XXX XXX XXXX. I look forward to hearing from you, and working with you in the future

-B

He had no idea who this B character was and like hell he was going to contact them, but the person did have an interesting idea. Kaiba had no interest in making this product exactly. It was too much of a gamble and there were many risks that he had to take into account. He could have his development team add more monsters to the device, letting everyone else who wasn’t a magician fan have one. He wouldn’t mind a tiny Blue Eyes on his desk, greeting him every morning. Maybe then mornings would be more tolerable.

Kaiba finished typing out his code, leaning back as he let the program run through tests. He got up, walking over to the windows to look over the city scape. This was a gamble and only part of the plan his mind had set up. If these tests came out right then the easy portion was done. An error message popped up on his screen, the red block of text reflecting off the glass. Kaiba grit his teeth, sat back at his desk and continued typing.

After fixing a few numbers and changing a wall of text, Seto pressed enter and let the program run once more. He bent down, retrieving the discarded phone cord and plugged it in. The small yellow light blinked back at him, 12 missed calls. Kaiba rolled his eyes before dialing his product team.

The phone barely rang one before a voice chimed in from the other end, “Hello Mister Kaiba! What can we do for you, sir?”

“I’ll be sending down a new prototype for a project I’m working on. I don’t want everyone knowing about it so I need you and a very small team to work on this.”

“A new project? Alright, can you tell me anything about it?”

The error screen popped up again, causing Kaiba to slam his fist on the desk, “Damn it!” He huffed. A small yelp came from the other end and what sounded like the phone being dropped. Kaiba sighed, hating to do things more then once if it was necessary. “No, I’ll tell you the details later in my email. If you have questions afterwards then contact me.”

Before the employee could reply he hung up. Kaiba looked back at the code, wondering what he was doing wrong. Maybe there was a misplaced vowel or a line that he missed. Coding wasn’t hard for him. He used it for Duel Links, so when the duelists logged in they could upload their decks to the network.

He looked at the clock in the corner as another error popped up. What time would it be there? Kaiba took out his phone and dialed Ryou’s number. He closed his eyes, sighing softly as the phone rang. He didn’t have to wait long.

“Good morning,” Ryou said with obviously faked cheerfulness. “Or night… or whatever…”

“How do I fix this code so it works the way I need it to?” Kaiba asked bluntly, ignoring Ryou’s obvious tired tone.

“Wait.” There was a rustling noise over the phone, probably sheets. “Hold on. The code for what? Is the game falling apart without me? Is the server room on fire? It’s only been a few days.”

Kaiba rolled his eyes, “No. It’s for a personal project. I ran a few tests and each time it came out wrong. I’ll send you the program now.” He adjusted the phone, typing out the email and sending it.

“Okay. I’m awake now.”

“Considering I called you to help, you better be.”

There was a pause as he opened up the files, sighing. Or maybe yawning. “Okay… what am I looking for? Can you give me details..?”

“Everything you need is in the email.” Kaiba drummed his fingers impatiently on the desk.

“This looks… complicated. Maybe some of your lines are over-writing each other? Or…” There was another awkward pause. “Kaiba, please don’t be mad.”

Kaiba’s fingers stopped, eyes narrowed at no one, “What is it?”

“Um…” Ryou began, hesitantly. “You um, forgot to… close your brackets…”

Kaiba’s eyes shot to his screen, looking over the lines he checked multiple times. Ryou was right, he missed a bracket on the fourteenth line. He sighed, leaning back in his chair, “I see. Hold on, I’ll fix it and run the test. This better work.” Kaiba set his phone down, returning to his computer and entering the fixed code. Once that was done he picked up the phone, trying to make conversation. “How’s Egypt?”

“Good! It’s good. I don’t think I’ll ever get used to the weather, but otherwise I really do love it here. I think sometimes you need to take a step back from your life, look at it from a different perspective to figure out how to move forward. Travelling has always helped me feel… I don’t know.” He gave up trying to explain the feeling.

“Uh huh.” Kaiba nodded, staring at the test, “Mokuba says to hurry home and get him a souvenir. Anything will do, it’s going to stay in his office.”

“Of course. I know just the thing.” Ryou chuckled. “In the meantime, I hope things are okay at the office without me. Once I get back, I think work is going to go much better. I’ll be… more focused, I guess. So don’t worry, the game will definitely release on time!”

“Good,” The program lit up, signalling that the test was a success. “It looks like that fixed it.”

“Great! Don’t feel bad, it happens to the best of us. Sometimes the program doesn’t catch mistakes if you’re doing complicated code like this, and it’s hard to catch it yourself if you haven’t slept in a while…”

“Don’t patronize me. I get that enough from Mokuba.” He sent the code to his product team, adding in details that he could without giving his true goal away. “That was all. Thanks.”

“No problem. Good luck with… whatever this is.” There was a whoosh as if Ryou had plopped back into bed.

Kaiba grunted in acknowledgement before hanging up. Phase one was complete. He wasn’t sure how long this plan was going to take, his product team wouldn’t make him wait. Now he needed to start phase two.

 “Kaiba!” Atem jumped up from the throne, eyes wide as the tall duelist entered the throne room. A smile tugged at the corners of his lips as Kaiba got closer.

Kaiba stopped at the base of the stairs, looking Atem up and down. He was wearing a different outfit today, deciding on the opposite side of the spectrum. Atem hadn’t changed his accessories though. Gold decorating his dark skin, highlighting all the right features. The Kuriboh in his arms threw him off.

“When did they allow pets in here?” He smirked. Atem blinked rapidly, glancing at the furball tucked in his arms. He hadn’t realized he was gripping the creature so hard.

“Sorry old friend.” Atem let go, allowing Kuriboh to float to safety. His big eyes looked over the two before he decided to return home.

Kaiba sat at the bottom step like normal. The Pharaoh hastily scrambled down the steps, taking a seat next to him. He wasn’t expecting the CEO so late in the day, usually Kaiba settled on coming when he got up before going to work. He normally would make a grand entrance, but tonight seemed different.

Atem cleared his throat, “I didn’t know you were coming. You had me worried.”

Kaiba chuckled lowly, turning those piercing blue eyes towards him. “Did you miss me? Don’t tell me you were counting the days like a starstruck teen.”

Atem turned away, his cheeks heating up. That was exactly what happened. Kaiba had always been good at guessing things.

“I’ll take that as a yes.” Kaiba chuckled once more, sighing as he leaned back. Atem looked back at him. He seemed different, more distracted and oddly open.

“Possibly. You normally don’t take so much time off from seeing me. Has something happened?” Atem pulled his legs up to his chest, the purple cloak shifting to wrap around him.

“No. Everything at the company is going well. Mokuba cancelled my meetings today so I could open fanmail with him and Yugi.” Kaiba groaned, swiping a hand down his face. “I remember why I make others read through that filth.”

“I think you might be over exaggerating. People, duelists and non, must love you. Not to mention it’s good to be able to connect with the others that are using KaibaCorp products. It’s easy feedback.”

“And easy to get product suggestions. Most of them are trash.” Kaiba paused, looking lost in thought for moment. Atem followed his gaze, seeing Kaiba looking at the direction of the Gods’ territory.

“Most as in there are a few good ideas?” Atem asked, snapping Kaiba from his thoughts.

“Yes. Today I got a proposal for a Duel Monsters in-home assistant. The person was very adamant on us making the product have a Dark Magician Girl cater to the owners needs. It could be placed in homes or offices. Naturally I was intrigued, but not sure if the product would sell well to non magician fans.”

“I don’t see how there wouldn’t be any non magician fans in Domino, considering Yugi is King of Games.” Atem shot back, earning a dark glare from the other.

“You already have an assistant at your beck and call.” Kaiba retorted. “Besides, if we were deciding which monster we would want I think the Blue Eyes White Dragon is more iconic.”

“What about if people wanted something else?” Atem chimed in, a sly smile rested on his perfect lips. Kaiba almost forgot what the other had said, eyes trained on the inviting lips.

“Something else? What do you mean?” He swallowed the lump that formed in his throat. How did Atem shift control in his favor so easily.

“If we’re talking about who we’d love to be at our beck and call. I’d love to have you as my assistant Kaiba.” Atem grinned, leaning a bit closer.

“Like your make believe priest version of me?” Kaiba raised an eyebrow. Though Atem notice the light tint to Kaiba’s features.

Atem sighed, moving back to his original position, staring forward. Even with everything that had transpired the last few years, Kaiba still refused to acknowledge the presence of magic. Though he couldn’t blame him, Kaiba wasn’t even at the ceremonial duel nor did he help him in that disastrous game Bakura dragged everyone into. Atem hadn’t noticed before  how much it affected him that Kaiba didn’t show up. He reflexively gripped his forearms, his bottom lip pushed out in a pout.

Kaiba watched the odd transition, silently cursing the Pharaoh in his mind. He has to be testing me…

“I told you, he isn’t made up. You would have met if you bothered to stay in contact with me after Battle City.”

Atem felt Kaiba tense even though they weren’t touching in any way. He soon regretted those words but also he wasn’t going to apologize. The two never got a proper goodbye after Battle City. The CEO decided building an amusement park in America was a better use of his time.

“I remember telling you that I had things to do. I run a business after all.” Kaiba recovered, words dripping with malice. He would never admit to why he wasn’t there. He also refused to believe that Atem lost.

“The last time I saw you, you blew up the building we dueled in and took off to another country. Even when I was debating on returning, waiting to get the chance to talk to you one last time, you never came back.” Atem jumped to his feet, fists balled up at his side, looking down at Kaiba.

It was an odd yet familiar feeling, looking down at the brunette who returned his gaze. They hadn’t fought for quite some time, mostly enjoyed the others presence whenever they could meet up. Kaiba slowly stood up, now looking down at Atem. The Pharaoh unclenched his fists, but crossed his arms. Kaiba didn’t intimidate him.

Kaiba on the other hand was processing his words. He had waited? Why? Kaiba’s tongue ran over his lips, wishing now that he had left the subject untouched. Something lit inside of him, the new sensation making his heart race and his chest ache. He didn’t like it.

“It’s not like you needed to. You seemed set on returning, regaining your memories, and completing a destiny that had already been set in stone. Excuse me for not reading your mind and catering to your wishes, your highness. ”

“You knew this would happen. That was the whole point to everything that we did. Why are you so upset over this?” Atem raised an eyebrow, not used to the raw emotion Kaiba was giving off. The only time Kaiba grew to be so passionate was when he was dueling. The proud stance and way he held himself while facing down an opponent, a soft smirk tugging at his lips whenever someone made a mistake, allowing him victory in the end. Those eyes focused and calculating, the two sides of Seto Kaiba.

Atem noticed the others silence, having lost himself in the image of Kaiba dueling. The clear picture in his mind eye now filled with Seto’s darting eyes on the ground. His fingers twitched slightly, trying to figure out what they should be doing. It wasn’t the Kaiba he knew. Atem sighed, stepping closer. He reached out to grab the others hands, but stopped. Was it alright to touch him? It almost seemed like a sin for him to touch something so….resplendent.

“Kaiba?” Atem moved his hand back to his side, more concerned now then angry.

His blue eyes snapped up, staring into the worried garnet that scanned over his face. Kaiba blinked a few times before facing the entrance. “I believe our time is up. It’s late and I have meetings tomorrow.”

Atem swallowed slowly, nodding and taking a step back. He watched as Kaiba slowly walked down the hall and out of the building, leaving him alone once more.

Chapter Text

Kaiba tightened the last portion of the device, setting everything down to look at his masterpiece. It was a simple cube design, the flow of electrical workings shown with blue lights running around the faces. A golden eye placed on a cut-off corner acted as the button. He pressed it. The top face clicked, lifting up so the hollow inside could be seen. More circuits were mounted on the sides, and a platform with a hole the size of a small upside down pyramid was in the center. It took time to construct the device, having failed multiple times to get the circuitry right.

He reached down to the bottom drawer of his desk, tapping in the code to unlock it. He grabbed the bottom part of the inside, lifting it to reveal the gold jewelry placed on velvet. Kaiba carefully picked up the pyramid, twisting it in his fingers as the sun caught the brilliant side, blinding him for a second. A small growl left his throat as he swiveled in the chair and lowered the Puzzle into the cube. It clicked into the platform perfectly. Kaiba smirked smugly at his genius.

The cubes faces started to glow a faint orange color. Phase two was complete. Now he needed confirmation that his other project was complete. Both devices had to be ready before he could set phase three into motion.

“Mister Kaiba, business call on line three.” His secretary’s voice rang from the speaker on his phone. Kaiba raised an eyebrow, checking the clock. He didn’t think he had any business to attend to until later this afternoon.

“Alright, patch them through.” He set the cube and Puzzle off to the side, planning on going to see Atem afterwards. Since their fight last night, Kaiba couldn’t fight the urge to rush back to him, to pull him close to his body. But he wasn’t going to apologize since it was Atem’s fault in the first place. He pressed the glowing red button and picked up the receiver.

“It’s been awhile, Kaiba.” Ishizu’s stern voice cut in before he could properly greet her. Kaiba scowled at the empty office in front of him, looking at his secretary who just gave him a thumbs up.

“Well played Ishtar.” He commented, pressing a button in his desk to tint the windows, not needing an audience. “How much did you bribe my employees this time?”

“A reasonable amount. Not as much as you pay them, but enough.”

“Well you certainly caught my attention. You have five minutes at most to say your peace before this conversation ends.” He crossed his arm over his chest, supporting the other that held the phone. A soft chuckle was his only reward. Ishizu was used to the cryptic and rather harsh way of Kaiba’s speech. He hated it.

“You know why I’m calling. Please return the Puzzle to Egypt.”

“No.”

A sigh reached his ears. Kaiba felt the disappointed look on Ishizu’s face as she pinched the bridge of her nose. His pride swelled up at the image in his mind’s eye. Another long pause was shared between them. Kaiba was about to hang up on her until she cut him off once more.

“Kaiba, I don’t want to resort to drastic measures. I’ll give you one chance to return the Puzzle to us by the end of the week. If not I’ll have no choice but to take matters into my own hands.”

“Is that a threat?” He raised an eyebrow, knowing not to underestimate her. She kept her promises. “What’s the worst possible thing you could do? You can’t sue me nor can you take it away with force. I’ll give you the Puzzle when you get your ass here and see me in person.” Kaiba glanced at the time, “And your five minutes are up. Thanks for calling.”

He cut her off, slamming the phone down on the receiver.

It had been awhile since they had discussed his apparent crime. He almost missed the nagging tone Ishizu had with her constant calls. He had to commend her for being persistent. Kaiba took the Puzzle out of the cube and set it back in the locked drawer. Hopefully the product team would have the final piece done by tomorrow. He logged off his laptop before exiting the office.

“I’m heading out until my meeting at 3. Don’t contact me since I won’t have cell reception.” He waved at Miss Sawamura who nodded in response.

The jet was getting worked on so he had to take his yacht to get across the ocean. Kaiba grabbed the keys from his pocket, sliding into the seat of his silver sports car. Traffic was light today, giving Kaiba free reign to rev the engine and be loud and obnoxious. He had to blow off steam one way. He stopped at a red light, his eyes burning from not getting enough sleep last night, his mind reeling about the argument he and Atem had.

But he wasn’t going to apologise. He hadn’t done anything wrong, all his points were valid. To further his point, Atem had him all to himself. Kaiba built that thing to go see him, to duel him, to finally beat him. And yet he goes on about some priest who had similar features. The light gave him the go ahead, Kaiba’s thought being interrupted for a moment.

A few moments of deafening silence went by until Kaiba let out a sigh, all the tension he built up releasing. He was an idiot. This wasn’t Atem’s fault which ever way you looked at it. Their argument was caused by Kaiba’s insistence that this priest wasn’t him. The conflict continued from there, Atem’s words driving into his chest like spikes. It was true he wasn’t present at the final duel. Kaiba couldn’t pass it off as business either, even if it was his main objective. He didn’t think he could stand to watch Atem leave him. Not again.

That thought threw him off, almost missing the next turn towards the harbor. Again? When was the first time? He shook off the thought. Maybe it was due to his horrible social skills, the ones his adoptive father failed to give him. The thought of him made that tension build back up, his knuckles turning a slight white color as he gripped the wheel. Kaiba was glad to have given Mokuba the chance at a normal life, allowing public schooling and freedom.

Even with everything he was doing right, Kaiba felt that the wrongs outweighed them. He couldn’t make up for them which already made a dent in his heart. Whenever a situation required more of an easy touch or sympathetic words, his pride shut it down, creating more issues than there were to begin with. Kaiba noticed at times how his father’s techniques had crept their way into his actions and speech patterns. The harsh, stone cold tone and unempathetic expressions he used towards others. Was it possible that even though he overthrew Gozaburo and was trying to make amends with the dork patrol, he was still taking steps back? Had he been stronger….

His line of thought was once again cut off, this time by the sound of tapping on his window. He blinked rapidly, having not noticed that he parked at the harbor. One of the crew members had walked over to make sure he was okay. Kaiba turned off the car and got out, apologizing for getting lost in thought. He could sulk all day in thoughts, shifting blame to anyone he chose, but all he wanted at the moment was for Atem to see him.

Kaiba didn’t have a plan when he entered the harsh afterlife desert. All the times he’d shown up had ingrained themselves into his muscle memory, carrying him towards the palace. The doors weren’t open like normal. Did Atem shut himself in after one argument? Kaiba looked around the large courtyard, the trees looming over to cast shadows across the pillars and stone walls.

Maybe it wasn’t such a good idea to come back after a day. Atem might need more time to himself. He lifted a finger to his headset, about to press the exit button when movement caught his eye. He looked to his right, seeing a figure heading towards a river. When was there a river in this place? Kaiba turned and headed in the same direction, knowing the figure was Atem.

He kept a safe distance, watching as Atem sat near the water’s edge. He had chosen to wear his usual gawdy Pharaoh outfit, gold accessories included. Kaiba could never get over how breathtaking Atem was. If he ever had to write out a description, none of the words would capture how the light reflected off his violet eyes to show the specks of green. The way his dark skin glowed unnaturally, but in a good way. His fingers itched to run over the dips in Atem’s biceps, exploring under those gold arm bracelets.

Atem dipped his fingers in the water, disturbing the calm surface. He looked so relaxed that Kaiba didn’t feel like disturbing him. Atem noticed him though, looking over his shoulder, acknowledging him before returning his gaze the water. Kaiba saw this as a signal to approach, keeping a safe distance between them in case Atem was still angry.

“Nice of you to show up. Slow day Mister Businessman?” Atem snapped, his gaze still fixated on the water.

“Yes and no. I had time to spare before my meeting.” Kaiba shifted closer. Atem stood up, dusting off the skirt that hugged his hips. He turned on his heels, heading away from the palace, and Kaiba. Luckily Kaiba’s long legs allowed him to keep pace with the Pharaoh as they headed down stream. The silence that followed was agonizing. No one had ever given him the ‘silent treatment’ before, except the one time when him and Mokuba were younger. It didn’t last long though as Mokuba was very insistent on being beside him at all times. This man on the other hand was unpredictable.

Kaiba had tensed up, calculating every step to make sure the land mine named Atem wouldn’t go off. What made it worse was that Atem didn’t seem phased, which messed with his head even more. He had snapped at Kaiba when he approached, words dripping with hostility, but his expressions and lax attitude contradicted them. It brought up unpleasant memories, this apprehensive feeling spreading throughout Kaiba’s body. A hand reached out, lightly touching his chest, causing his auto piloted body to stop.

Atem had turned slightly to look back at him, seeing that the CEO was not his usual self. Kaiba looked down at the dark fingers spread over his chest. To his subconscious surprise, there wasn’t any harmful intent in the gesture. He remembered this wasn’t the man he compared Atem to just moments ago. A silent sigh left his lips as his fingers curled around the Pharaoh’s wrist, pulling it away from his body. Even though this wasn’t a situation that required defusing, Kaiba felt like he needed to gain the control back, but in the same simple way Atem did. He lifted their connected hands, brushing his lips over Atem’s knuckles, eyes locked on the garnet orbs staring up at him.

“If you’re done with this silent treatment, I’d like to make it up to you.” His mouth felt dry and hoarse, but his words were clear.

Atem’s shoulders visibly dropped, looking to the side before nodding. Kaiba couldn’t help the smirk that tugged at his lips. It wasn’t a full apology and he knew it would take more to win back Atem’s trust. He’d waited this long, what was a few more hours or a couple of days to eternity?

Kaiba reluctantly slipped his hand out of Atem’s, the two continuing their walk side by side. They seemed to have walked miles but once Kaiba looked over his shoulder, the palace had barely moved from sight. They reached a small cliff that had another river below, Atem guiding him down a less travelled trail.

“Where are we going?” Kaiba asked, now in a foreign territory. Atem motioned for him to follow, leading the CEO into a cave. It wasn’t very deep, more of a small alcove in case it rained and you needed shelter. The walls looked aged and rugged from the water possibly having carved out this portion.

Atem moved his fingers across the stone, eyes downcast in thought. Kaiba stayed near the entrance of the cave, not sure if he had permission to enter. Atem turned to face him.

“This is the cave I wandered into after my defeat with Bakura.”

Kaiba rolled his eyes. Not because he didn’t believe Atem’s weird story, he just hated that Bakura guy. It took him awhile and a lot of convincing from Yugi to allow Ryou to work for his company. Of course Ryou had a spirit using him as a skin suit, creating all of Kaiba’s problems. He never had interactions with Bakura’s host until a few years ago.

“That ametuer beat you? What’s next, Tristan?” Kaiba jabbed lightly.

“He had multiple factors that allowed him the win. We weren’t playing card games Kaiba.” He smiled softly.

“That’s why he won. You let him have the advantage.” Kaiba crossed his arms as if that was an obvious answer.

Atem shook his head, walking back to Kaiba, grabbing his wrist. “Come. I have much to share with you.” Kaiba relaxed, his arms falling back to his side as he let the Pharaoh lead him around the afterlife version of Egypt.

Most of the names Atem used Kaiba had never heard of, lost and buried in the sand they were built on. Atem’s beautiful city he once reigned over had crumbled in the present world. The  temples that collected the souls of Duel Monsters had intrigued him, Atem giving Kaiba a brief description on how duels worked back then. The tablets no longer held monsters, just imprinted images of them. They continued their tour through the city, people manifesting to give the area more life.

Kaiba watched Atem more than the fakes. Atem’s eyes lit up as he talked about his people’s history, their culture, and the ones he remembered. His memories had slowly returned since completing his destiny. Kaiba couldn’t say the same.

“I believe you would’ve liked it here. Mostly because of the real life monsters.” He smiled, stopping to face Kaiba.

“I can’t argue with that. It would help with making Duel Links more accurate as well. In case duelists want to interact with their monsters.”

“You just want to pet the Blue Eyes White Dragon.” Atem smirked, catching the light blush running across his rival’s face. Kaiba cleared his throat and looked off to the side.

“It would help with realism along with allowing those with needs to be accommodated for. Dueling can be stressful, especially with those who duel competitively. Being able to interact with your partner when they need it.”

“That’s very considerate of you. I’m proud of the progress you’re making.”

Kaiba raised an eyebrow, a twitch going through his body. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Just thinking about when we first met up to now. It’s a good thing, I promise.” Atem carded his fingers through his tri-colored hair, sighing softly. “Though I do want to apologize. It was rude to compare you to someone I once knew long ago. And to have blamed you for not staying. Destiny wasn’t fair to either of us.”

God why does he do this?

Kaiba nodded, not needing to say anything. His ego swelled up slightly at how Atem lost the mock battle he made up. But rethinking it, it seemed more of a win for Atem, having the guts to accept his faults to move on.

“I think I should be going. Unfortunately with Mokuba messing with my schedule, I have a meeting to attend to.” Kaiba noticed the disappointment flash across Atem’s eyes. He grabbed Atem’s shoulder, lightly squeezing in assurance.

Atem chuckled, moving out of the others grasp. “Don’t overwork yourself. I don’t need to be updated by Mokuba to know that you do.”

“Can’t promise anything when you run a billion dollar company.” He smirked, reluctantly pressing the button on his headgear.

“I’ll be staying late tonight. There are leftovers in the fridge and you’re allowed someone to spend the night.” Kaiba shifted his shoulder, repositioning the cell wedged between his cheek and shoulder. The meeting ran longer then expected which didn’t give him the chance to compile his research.

It worked in his favor that Atem decided to give him a tour around the afterlife, allowing his plans to move forward. Mokuba complained of course, but reluctantly agreed before hanging up. Kaiba set his phone to the side, continuing his outline. He made notes about everything that Atem had told him, the different areas around the palace, taking extra care to write out the area where the Gods resided.

I’m proud of the progress you’re making.

His fingers hovered over the keys. He looked up to see the empty cubicles out his window. Kaiba reached down to press a button under the desk, the front windows tinting so no one could see in or out. He finally let out the shaky breath he didn’t realize he had been holding. Kaiba put his face in his hands, closing his eyes as his mind was flooded with memories he wanted to forget.

Maybe Mokuba had a good reason to look so worried at him whenever he came home late at night, stumbling into the manor with tired eyes and only half of his cognitive functions working. And still he refused to sleep even with the help of medication. They were horrible thoughts and memories that he couldn’t afford to revisit. It would affect his work and make Mokuba worry even more than he already did.

There was a knock at the door, Kaiba pulled his hands away. He looked down at his desktop screen. It had only been a few hours since KaibaCorp. closed for the night.

“Come in.” He hoped his voice didn’t sound as shaky as he felt.

The door opened as Aigami walked in with a box trapped under his arm. He gave Kaiba a brilliant white grin, walking up to the desk and setting the box on his desk.

“Hey boss. Production told me to give this to you.”

“I told you not to call me that.” Kaiba took the box, examining it before opening the flaps, revealing a circular device that looked like a portable speaker. A few usb ports and buttons stretched around the side. Aigami leaned closer to look at the device in Kaiba’s hands.

“I didn’t think you were a music fan.”

Kaiba narrowed his eyes at the invasion of privacy and all the commentary. He set the device down by his computer, setting the box on the floor. “Is there anything else?”

“Oh sorry, no sir. The advertisement for Duel Links is going well. Everyone is anxious for the release, especially the development team.” Aigami pulled out his tablet from his messenger bag, scrolling a few times before showing Kaiba the newest advertisement poster.

It was like the others with the Duel Links logo on the top. Artists had slaved over making sure Kaiba looked perfect. He was in the middle of drawing a card, eyes trained on whoever was looking over the poster. The background was white and blue, trading cards were raining down around him. His signature Blue Eyes in his hand.

“I trust your judgement. Print them in a week.” He handed the tablet back.

Aigami bowed, “Have a good night sir.” He put the tablet back in his bag before leaving the office. Kaiba sighed softly, having not expected Aigami to be here so late.

The kid was a good worker, keeping up with the harsh tasks and press whenever they wormed their way into the lobby. He was very polite and kind for a guy who went through so much in his homeland. But that could be due to Kaiba’s own kindness, allowing him to work for him after all those years. Kaiba could still see the small child who had been mistreated and neglected with eyes of hatred in him. He reminded Kaiba of when he was younger.

Kaiba closed his eyes, they started to sting and he bet his company that if he looked in the mirror they would be red. He stayed there for a few minutes, almost falling asleep in his chair. He patted his cheeks, willing himself to wake up and finish the outline of his plans. 

This all seemed tedious; asking for products that would only benefit him in the end, flying to Egypt to gather the broken Puzzle, building the billion dollar space elevator. In the end, it would be worth it. In the end, he would be worth it.

Chapter Text

Kaiba’s hands were shaking as he looked over the Puzzle. Its golden eye stared at him, mocking him as if it knew what he was about to do. The day had felt like a dream. His body felt sluggish and robotic, mimicking his usual routine up to this point. No one noticed of course, he was good at masking his turmoil. Kaiba was one of those people who didn’t mix business with personal matters. He had switched around meetings so he could leave the office by noon.

It was almost one.

Kaiba paced behind his desk for the what seemed like the hundredth time, hand over his mouth as he thought over his plan. His mind was on overdrive. It could be the sleep deprivation talking, but now he was wondering if this was such a good idea. Every step of this plan he went through effortlessly, making sure nothing could go wrong. Nothing would since he triple checked his calculations and the wiring.

Kaiba placed his hands on his desk, sighing heavily as he collected himself. Whether it was a horrible idea or would risk Atem hating him, he had to do this. Before he could talk himself out of it, Kaiba grabbed the Puzzle, sliding it into place inside the cube and walking out of the office. No one said anything as he headed down the hall, but he knew all eyes were trained on him. He didn’t have time to scold them to mind their own business.

Luckily today the jet was fixed so travelling across the ocean would be a simpler task. He hated taking the boat. The blimp was too big to take and the landing strip was made to the jet’s specifications.

Kaiba glanced in the room with the developers, seeing everyone working diligently. Mokuba sat at the far end of the room, feet up on the desk with his thumbs tapping furiously on his phone. Kaiba slightly regretted giving his brother that video making company. Mokuba was always filming around the office while he was working, but Kaiba made him take down anything that included him.

He continued his way to the rooftop, the jet already on and waiting for him. Roland was waiting by the entrance. They both exchanged a knowing nod to each other before Kaiba climbed in the pilot seat. The jet took off flawlessly with the help of his team. No turning back now.

The sigh he let out felt forced, shaky. It had been awhile since they got to duel. Atem was eager to accept the challenge, manifesting his weird fashion disaster version of a duel disk before Kaiba could finish asking.

Six rounds had gone by and it was Kaiba’s turn. He drew his next card slowly, wanting this duel to last. His eyes flickered across his cards, trying to come up with a new strategy to throw off Atem’s game. Unfortunately it was rather hard to come up with a good plan when Atem smirked beautifully at him. His arms crossed as he watched Kaiba with a smug look. That asshole.

“I play Vorse Raider in defense mode and place two cards face down, ending my turn.” He grumbled.

“You seem rather on edge. Doesn’t dueling help you unwind?” Atem chuckled lowly, drawing his own card. Kaiba rolled his eyes at the suggestive tone, but looked off to the side. Atem usually took his time to make his move. Kaiba was surprised that Atem wasn’t still furious with him, even if they sort of made up yesterday on their little tour. It made his stomach churn with guilt as he felt the heavy pressure of the cube on his lower back.

Atem played a face down monster, then looked through his graveyard. “I banish Dark Magician and Silent Magician to special summon Chaos Sorcerer,” he declared. Kaiba glanced at its attack points, unimpressed. Atem almost looked apologetic as he played his next two spell cards, Magician’s Right Hand and Magician’s Left Hand. He didn’t need to explain what they did.

“Good thing this isn’t a real duel. You’d be banned from playing those cards.” Kaiba crinkled his nose in disgust.

“Are you sure?” Atem raised a perfect eyebrow. “Remember, Yugi and I shared a body and have read over all tournament regulations and rules. They aren’t banned.”

“Now they are.” Kaiba made a mental note to tell Yugi to ban those cards.

Kaiba was powerless as Atem banished Vorse Raider with Chaos Sorcerer’s effect, confused why he wouldn’t target one of the stronger monsters on Kaiba’s field. His silent question was answered when Atem played another spell card, Offerings to the Doomed, which got rid of his Blue Eyes.

His army had been cut down, but Kaiba still had his ace, Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon. He wouldn’t go down without a fight. On his turn Kaiba drew Mystical Space Typhoon, preparing for an advanced move. “I activate my face down spell, Enemy Controller.”

“Please don’t say the whole rant you use.” Atem begged, the makings of a headache starting just thinking about it. Kaiba loved that sound; the sound of his opponent defeated and begging for mercy. It was a good look on the Pharaoh.

If there were no restrictions Kaiba would use Enemy Controller to steal Chaos Sorcerer, but the Magician’s Hands said otherwise. His spell card crackled and burst, unable to be used.

Atem did not taunt him. He knew Kaiba better than that. Now that one spell had been deactivated, Magician’s Hands couldn’t stop Kaiba from using Mystical Space Typhoon to get rid of one of them. It would be more inconvenient to be unable to trigger trap cards, so Kaiba selected the Magician’s Left Hand, satisfied to watch it burst as well.

Kaiba placed a monster face down, eyeing Atem’s spell and trap zone. He had never been afraid to attack, regardless of what Atem might do, and he wouldn’t start today. A brutal offense had always worked in his favor, and Atem was running out of tricks. “Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon, attack Chaos Sorcerer! Neutron Blast!”

Before the electricity even formed in Ultimate’s mouths, Atem flipped over his trap card, Draining Shield, bumping his Life Points. Kaiba growled in frustration, crossing his arms over his toned chest, resisting the urge to stomp his foot angrily.

Not that he wanted Atem to give up. He admired that determination, that confidence bordering on cockiness, even as it drove him crazy. Kaiba ended his turn with a challenging glare. “What now, Pharaoh?”

His eyes slid over to the three audience members. The Gods decided to watch over their duel this time, for unknown reasons. His heart rate increased at the thought of them knowing what he had planned, but he kept his outward composure.

Atem responded to his challenge. He flipped his facedown monster, Summoner of Illusions. “My summoner allows me to special summon a monster from my extra deck.” He paid the price for Five Headed Dragon.

Kaiba seethed. The one dragon with a higher base attack than Blue Eyes Ultimate. There was nothing he could do, and it infuriated him. He expected Atem to attack his Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon head-on, a clash of heads and claws and wings that would be beautiful and terrible to behold, but Atem was never so simple a duelist.

He looked over Atem’s side of the field, paying special attention to the trap zone and his own missing Magician’s Hand. “I activate Forbidden Apocrypha.” Kaiba stared numbly at the card, barely listening as Atem explained it’s effect, destroying both fusion monsters on the field. Ultimate roared as magic swirled around it, causing it to disappear even as it fought bravely.

Atem finished his turn by activating Chaos Sorcerer’s effect to banish Kaiba’s facedown Luster Dragon and attacked directly. Kaiba activated Counter Gate, his heart in his throat, but the card he drew was not a monster. He half expected Atem to make a comment about the heart of the cards, but the duel had become serious, their usual flamboyant exchanges turning into deadly silence.

Kaiba was on the defensive now. He set a monster and two trap cards, ending his turn.

Atem drew a card. Before he even had a chance to look at it Kaiba used Shadow Spell on Chaos Sorcerer, making it unable to attack. Atem looked at his card, evaluating the situation, considering his next move. Shadow Spell could do nothing about Chaos Sorcerer’s effect, and he predictably banished Kaiba’s set monster. That was fine. As long as he couldn’t attack, Kaiba knew what his next move would be.  

It was now or never.

Kaiba glanced back at the Gods, luckily none of them were invested in the duel. Slifer probably thought Atem was going to win like usual. Ra and Obelisk snuck side eyed glances at the two duelists, but would go back to whatever Gods talked about or did with their time. With his heart in his throat, Kaiba faced Atem and started walking across the field towards him. Atem didn’t notice the other duelist’s advancements, busy thinking of a way to counter anything Kaiba had planned. This time his plan didn’t involve using cards. Atem’s efforts would be wasted.

By the time Atem looked up, Kaiba was already in front of him. He blinked, jumping slightly at the sudden closeness.

“Kaiba, you startled me.” Atem placed a hand on his chest, calming his rapid heart rate. “What are you doing? Forfeiting?” He looked into those deep blue eyes, wondering what the other duelist was doing. He didn’t think Kaiba would throw a duel unless something serious was going on.

“Do you remember when you told me destiny wasn’t fair to either of us? And how it felt like you never got the chance to live?” His voice was soft as he spoke, lifting his hand to brush a few blond strands of hair from Atem’s cheek. Just stay calm.

Atem sucked in a breath. Kaiba was so close to him, face showing an expression he had never thought the other could make. It was heartbreaking to see it. In that moment, Kaiba to him looked so vulnerable, lost and sad.

“Y-yes. I remember. I don’t think I ever voiced that last part though.”

“You didn’t have to.” Kaiba’s thumb traced along his cheekbone down to his lips. Atem’s body tensed as the other leaned in.

Atem’s cards dropped to their feet, scattering into the sand. He didn’t have time to react as Kaiba’s lips pressed against his. Kaiba closed his eyes, moving his hand from Atem’s bottom lip to cup his cheek. Atem’s lips were surprisingly soft against his own. He cursed himself, forgetting to put chapstick on them before arriving in the afterlife. But also this wasn’t part of his plan.

They stayed connected like that to the point where Kaiba was about to pull away, thinking it was a mistake. Until Atem wrapped his arms around his neck, tilting his head to encourage the kiss. Kaiba snatched up the opportunity to pull him closer, leaning down more to accommodate the height difference. In that moment he didn’t care if the Gods saw or about his plan or anything for that matter. He just wanted this to last forever.

A weight was lifted off his chest, allowing him to breathe easier for what seemed like years. His body relaxed into the others touch. His mind was clear except for thoughts of Atem. Both of his hands now cupped Atem’s face, pulling away for a moment to breathe before resuming the kiss. Kaiba moved his left arm down to Atem’s shoulder, continuing down his arm to lace their fingers together.

Atem moved his one arm away to place a hand on Kaiba’s cheek to reciprocate, startling Kaiba for a moment. He opened his eyes to see Atem’s were closed. That gnawing feeling of guilt clawed at his insides once more. He had to, both of them deserved this.

His free hand still on Atem’s face moved slowly, careful not to alert the other, as he pulled the cube out of it’s holster. Atem took this chance to push into Kaiba, making him stand a bit straighter. Atem had lifted his heels off the ground so he could still reach his lips, both hands now caressing his face. Kaiba almost dropped the cube, forgetting for a moment what was going on.

He waited a few more seconds before pulling away for air once more. Atem opened his eyes slightly, a big dopey grin on his face. Kaiba bit his own bottom lip.

“I’m sorry.”

Atem blinked a few times, “Wait, wha-”

Kaiba couldn’t wait any longer otherwise the guilt would win him over. Before Atem could get answers, Kaiba pressed the cube lightly to Atem’s chest. Suddenly he was standing alone on their duel field, their monsters fading away. Kaiba panted softly as he looked down at the cube, it’s blue lining changing to green.

“I promise to give you that chance at living.” He whispered under his breath. A loud roar cut through the air, snapping him back to reality. Slifer had taken to the sky along with Ra, both staring at him.

The Gods were the first to react, swooping down towards the CEO. Unfortunately for them, Kaiba was two steps ahead of them. He quickly pressed the escape button on his headgear. By the time the Gods reached where he was, they nose dived into sand.

 Atem gasped for air, blinking rapidly as his body felt like it was pulled in multiple directions. He looked around, everything was pitch black. He didn’t see Kaiba nor the Gods. Atem took a cautious step, suddenly torches on either side of him burst to life. The torches continued along the sides until the room was lit perfectly. Atem blinked, recognizing the duel monsters temples they used to have near the palace.

“Kaiba?” He spun around, looking for the CEO, but found that he was alone. Atem pulled his cape closer to him as he scanned the walls, seeing the tablets etched with familiar faces and events.

Three giant slabs sat towards the far wall, the middle containing a picture of himself and Yugi. The one to the right had Joey, Téa, and Tristan, beaming brightly back at Atem. The one to the left depicted Kaiba, arms crossed over his chest with a stoic smug smile on his lips.

“What is this place?” He spoke aloud. The familiar feeling of being trapped washed over him. He thought back a few moments ago. Kaiba and him were dueling and then… Atem gasped softly, touching his lips. Kaiba had kissed him. They had kissed before, but this time it was different. Kaiba was more into the kiss, like he wanted to kiss Atem.

Atem couldn’t help but smile. His finger ran over his bottom lip, the feeling of Kaiba’s lips were still present. He paused in thought, slowly remembering Kaiba pressing something to his chest. That’s how he ended up in this room. Everything started to click into place, that feeling of being trapped in a bizarre place. He was inside the Puzzle.

The first thought that came to his mind was how? How was he back inside an item that had sunk deep into the earth after his duel? How was it completed once more and how did Kaiba have it?

The next question was why. Why did Kaiba have the Puzzle? Why did he use it on Atem? Why all of a sudden kiss him now after so long? Why was he messing with ancient magic again?

His thoughts stopped as a low roar filled the temple. Atem looked around for the source, jumping at the sight of two large blue eyes staring at him. They were very familiar, that piercing look reminded him of someone. Someone who was being an idiot at the present moment.

“Kisara?” He raised an eyebrow. The dragon blew hot air through her nose at him, warming his face. He laughed, taking a step forward and placing a gentle hand to her snout. “It’s nice to see you too.” She was laying under the three large tablets, curled up in a relaxed puddle of scales and claws. Atem found a staircase nearby, going to the ground level to sit beside her. She was warm for a dragon, his back muscles relaxing as she laid her head close to him.

“Are you here because of Kaiba?” He closed his eyes, hearing her snort out a breath once more. “Ah, I see. Then I’m glad I have your company. Do you have an idea of why he has my Puzzle?”

Blue Eyes nudged his leg, letting out a soft growl in response.

“Stressed? What does he have to stress about that involves me?” Atem opened his eyes to see her roll hers. “What? He’s used to being stressed with his company and trying to be a brother to Mokuba. Not to mention he runs duel monster tournaments weekly, but that has nothing to do with me.”

Blue Eyes raised her claws, poking him lightly in the chest near his heart. Atem tried deciphering what that meant, his mind drawing a blank.

“Well since your idiotic owner has trapped me once more I suppose I can ask him when I’m able. To think he got a soul monster like you.” He shook his head, “I’m surprised you put up with him. Though I have to admit, you helped me make him a better person.” His thoughts drifted back to the moment he shared with Kaiba before coming here.

Blue Eyes nuzzled his cheek which made Atem chuckle. He felt her thanking him as well. Kaiba had grown to be better inside and out, though his communication skills needed a bit more work. Luckily Yugi was still close with him. From what Kaiba had told him, Yugi was definitely ‘hard’ to work with. He would argue with Kaiba on minor things, push the boundaries of the dresscode, and approve things before Kaiba greenlit them. Atem was very proud of his partner.

“I’m not sure how long I’ll be in here, but I’m glad you get to keep me company.” He patted her snout once more before closing his eyes. The heat radiating from her body made him feel tired. The duel had taken a lot out of him as well. A quick nap wouldn’t do any harm.

Blue Eyes watched over him, gently grabbing his cape with her teeth to drape over Atem as he slept. Her tail curled around him to keep him steady.
I hope you know what you’re doing Seto. Don’t make anymore mistakes, please. She thought, lowering her head, joining Atem’s idea of sleep.

Chapter Text

Kaiba stumbled out of the pod, instantly ripping off his headgear to alleviate the throbbing pain in his temple. His team scrambled into the launch room, one grabbing the discarded tech on the ground while the others crowded around him. One of the nurses checking on his vitals had a difficult time since he continued walking.

“Get back to your positions. Make sure everything is still in working order and no damages were caused by my exit.” He shoved past the stunned lab assistants, wanting to hurry back to his office.

“Mister Kaiba.” A voice called near the entrance. The CEO looked up to see his secretary, arms crossed and foot tapping on the metal floor. He narrowed his eyes, not in the mood to be lectured if that was the reason for her visit.

“Walk and talk.” Slipping past her, Kaiba headed towards the spiral staircase leading down to the main floor, the headache still present in his temples.

“Do you have any idea what time it is?” She asked, her tone casual but with slight irritation.

Kaiba paused, quickly grabbing his phone to see it was past six. He had missed all his meetings along with picking up Mokuba from school. He didn’t expect his absence to take so long.

“Fuck…” He ran his fingers through his hair, staring as messages came flooding in. As expected, most of them were from Miss Sawamura and Mokuba. He was more worried about the texts from clients, and was surprised when Yugi's name appeared among them. Kaiba ignored them for now, quickly messaging Mokuba that he got back safely and was on his way.

“Send apologies to my clients and reschedule the meetings for Friday.” Kaiba stated, shoving his phone back in his pocket, continuing down the stairs.

“No need. Mokuba took care of the meetings today before he left for school. He was late though which didn’t go over well with his teacher.”

“What?” He raised an eyebrow. Mokuba had sat through many meetings whenever Duel Links was the topic, the younger Kaiba having caught on quickly to how they went and what it took to get your way at the end of it. It was a bit of a surprise knowing his brother took on four of those and still made it to school, even if he was late.

A small beep came from his phone, he noticed Mokuba responded with ‘No need…’. What the hell did that mean? Kaiba jumped slightly at the sudden horn honking as both him and Sawamura exited the tower.

Mokuba was sitting in the jet, arms crossed with a cold stare he probably picked up from his big brother. If looks could kill, Kaiba would be dead on the spot. Also, when did the jet get a horn? Another sigh escaped his lips as he turned to look at his secretary.

“I’m assuming you brought him then? Thanks. Take tomorrow off for working overtime.” He couldn’t meet her eyes.

“With you sir, I always work overtime.” She chuckled, waving to Mokuba before heading to her own car a few spots down.

Kaiba slowly made his way to the jet. Mokuba had his seat belt already on, staring at the back of the pilot seat as his brother slid in. The air filled with silence as Kaiba started the engine and headed back towards Domino. Mokuba sat with his arms crossed, staring out the window, promptly giving his brother the cold shoulder.

Kaiba wasn’t sure how to handle this type of thing, usually Mokuba was lively and always smiling whenever he was around. Whenever Kaiba picked him up from events or school, Mokuba would chat about his day or complained about something that he reviewed with his tutors.

“So,” Kaiba started, turning the jet slightly to the left, “Did the meetings go well?”

“You would know if you’d been there.” Mokuba retorted quickly. Okay, that was well deserved.

“I heard you were late to school. I’m surprised they didn’t try contacting me.”

“Considering you were in a different dimension, I highly doubt the call would have went through.”

A sigh escaped Kaiba’s lips, grip tightening on the controls as the conversation fell back into silence. He knew this wouldn’t go anywhere if he didn’t try to make up with his brother. It did surprise him that Mokuba handled everything so well. Kaiba remembered his own first experience with the media. The meeting was brutal.

Harsh lights and mics were shoved at his face, questions bombarded his ears. That was when Gozaburo let him see what he would face as the new Kaiba Corporation heir. The scene had been an overwhelming experience and Gozaburo had stranded him in the sea of reporters.

“Seto…. Seto!” Mokuba’s voice cut through his racing memories. Kaiba blinked rapidly, noticing that the jet had been descending. Kaiba pulled them back up, going back to a more relaxing altitude.

“Sorry, lost in thought.” Kaiba shook his head to clear it.

After a long pause Mokuba spoke up once more, “I’m sorry I got mad at you…You’ve been so busy with doing who knows what and I… miss you.”

Kaiba felt his chest tighten, the disappointment in his brother’s voice was heart wrenching. He knew that his attention and time had been focused on Atem and everything that had been progressing in the company. But Mokuba was 15 now, he had a whole team of developers working for him along with partial ownership of a company.

“You don’t have to apologize.” Kaiba relaxed. The brothers had been inseparable as long as Kaiba could remember.

Kaiba was the only family Mokuba had left, the only one who cared about him through their rough start in life.

 Seto held Mokuba’s hand tightly as they kneeled before the altar for their father. The tiny room barely supported the rest of their relatives as they all paid their respects. Seto had listened to each whispered thought and prayer, but never looked away from the far corner where the ceiling and wall met.

His younger brother sniffled once more, rubbing his nose with his sleeve. Seto quickly grabbed the tissue box at his other side, handing it over to Mokuba. The ceremony soon ended, everyone was ushered into the other parts of the house. Seto shut the doors to give his brother some privacy, not wanting to hear any more ‘I’m sorry’s. He turned to get some food for Mokuba until soft whispered words caught his attention.

“What about you, Himiko? Can’t you take care of them?” The voice belonged to his mother’s cousin. The questions sparked his curiosity, Seto moved to stand behind the wall opposite of them to hear more.

“Of course not! I can barely afford to take care of myself,” Himiko stated matter of factly.

He knew what they were talking about, who was going to take care of them now that their father had died.

“It’s not our problem, I say,” Their grandfather butted in, “Toshinori probably offed himself because of what happened to Jasmine. He couldn’t live with the guilt.”

“Grandfather please, don’t say such things.” Another woman spoke up.

In the end, their mother’s parents had taken the boys in. Mokuba was grateful to sleep in a bed with his brother, not like in their old home where they had separate bedrooms. Seto didn’t mind since he knew how rough it was to lose a parent. Mokuba never knew their mother, having died giving birth to him. Their grandparents were very kind and gentle, making sure the boys felt at home.

Unfortunately their happy family was torn apart once again.

The brothers were spending a day with their aunt. Seto didn’t know what was happening as they pulled up to an orphanage in Domino City, miles away from their home. No one said anything as the boys were handed over to the owner of the orphanage and their aunt left.

Mokuba had asked many times whether or not their grandparents would miss them. At first Seto would tell him that they had to be looking for them, but as time passed he found that he couldn’t say those comforting words anymore.

The orphanage had been held in high regards. The children were happy and healthy, had plenty of work and playtime, along with comfortable rooms, and kind people to help them find parents. Though they had good times there were also bad times. Mokuba, being one of the younger kids, got bullied often. The silver lining was Seto’s determination.

Everything that they had been put through drove him to make sure he could give Mokuba a better life than the orphanage.

“When we get out of here, I promise I’ll buy you anything you want. All the toys and food you desire.” Seto ruffled the messy mop of black hair. Mokuba smiled, hugging him around the waist.

“In that case, I want an amusement park!”

“Then it’s a deal.” Seto smiled.

And that chance came to them in the form of Gozaburo Kaiba. The CEO of Kaiba Corp. left an intense aura that many couldn’t handle being around. It was a surprise when Seto challenged the towering military tycoon to a game of chess, staking their future on it. Seto took much pride in seeing the calm and collected CEO stunned as Seto checkmated him. Something about the hatred in Gozaburo’s eyes as he glared coldly at Seto made the brunette’s insides stir. He wanted to see that look of defeat once more.

Even with the adoption approved and their luxurious mansion in sight, the two new Kaibas had anything but luxury handed to them. Thankfully, Mokuba wasn’t involved in any of the strenuous night and day courses Seto was put through, leather biting at his neck and hands as the lessons progressed. He endured it all for the sake of letting his brother live happily.

 “But I understand why.” Mokuba sighed. “Atem is your rival, even if he isn’t here with us, your bond with him won’t sever so easily. It’s just...I had you first.”

The pout in his tone could be heard, making Kaiba chuckle, relaxing his tense shoulders. There was more to it than a rivalry bond. Something that ran deeper than blood. The intensity that Atem drew out of him, that knowing smirk that kept him on his toes even when they weren’t dueling made his breath catch in his throat. It was a strange unknown feeling that Kaiba hadn’t experienced before with anyone else.

Not only that, but Atem’s presence sparked something in Kaiba the first time they dueled, a sense of familiarity and joy. His initial reaction had been to bottle up those feelings, shoving them in the deepest corners of his mind. He was young and foolish to think it wouldn’t be brought up again after their duel, Atem helping him clear his mind, shattering that bottle of emotions. It had festered to the point of overwhelming his senses, every day for three weeks straight Kaiba’s mind only had room for Atem.

With Atem consuming his mind and body, there were some drawbacks. Kaiba’s troubled childhood and dabbling in shadow games clashed, unleashing a few nightmares he wished he could forget. Around that time they became so frequent he developed a nasty habit of refusing to sleep. It was only after Battle City that Mokuba finally convince him to seek help, getting medication to help him finally get some rest.

The cityscape of Domino filled their vision as they approached, the Kaiba Corp. building brightly lit as their light house, showing them the way home. Kaiba called the employees at the landing pad to ask if he was clear. Luckily the people stationed when he left had stayed after hours, giving him the green light to land.

Roland waited for the engine to die down before approaching the jet. Kaiba made sure everything was off before jumping out, Mokuba following his lead.

“Mister Kaiba, I’m glad to see you back safely sir. Miss Sawamura probably filled you in on what happened in your absence.”

“Yes.” Kaiba waved to the crew in the control tower, letting them finally go home. He made a mental note to do something for them. Roland followed after the taller man, giving him updates about what happened after he left. Mokuba skipped beside his brother, glad they worked out everything.

“Miss Ishtar called. She said that she was tired of waiting and would be taking immediate action to get back what you acquired in Egypt.”

Kaiba scoffed, pressing the elevator button. “Immediate action? What is she, a damn general? Egyptian artifact police? Once she decides to actually do something about it, let me know.”

The elevator doors opened and all three stepped inside, Roland a bit nervous since Kaiba didn’t seem worried at all about Ishizu’s threat. Mokuba didn’t seem to be worried either, scrolling on his phone and making faces.

“Construction on the east side has caused traffic so we’ll be taking an alternate route home.” Roland continued, the elevator dropping them off on the 50th floor. Kaiba grunted, heading straight for his office.

“Big bro, aren’t you going home?” Mokuba blinked in confusion, his finger paused mid scrolling.

“I have things I need to take care of along with making appointments with the board members to go over the new products being released. Plus advertising.” Kaiba messed with the pocket that held the cube.

Mokuba stomped his foot, glaring angrily at his brother, “You just want to be selfish again!”

Kaiba paused, office door opened slightly as he turned to his brother, “Selfish?”

“You’re being selfish again. When will you realize that this is going nowhere? You say that everything you do is for him , but really it’s for yourself.”

“Where is this coming from all of a sudden?” Kaiba crossed his arms. Well he is at that age, teenage rebellion was bound to happen, but this is different from what normal people go through.

Mokuba pointed at the lump under his brother’s coat, “You didn’t have whatever that is before. You’re hiding stuff from me and only thinking about what you want.”

“Mokuba-”

His little brother stormed past him, Roland trailing behind, bowing and apologizing. Kaiba huffed, watching the two go. Mokuba glared from the elevator door, “I hope it blows up in your face!” Sticking out his tongue before the doors closed.

Kaiba thought about chasing after him, but as the elevator numbers decreased so did that desire. Mokuba was upset with him. Kaiba had to give him space. He turned on his heels, walking into the spacious office. The windows displayed the familiar cityscape of Domino, lights from buildings illuminated everything. Kaiba maneuvered around the room towards his desk, taking the cube out of the holster.

He sat down, examining the object in his hand for what felt like hours. It seemed rather odd knowing the man that left years ago was in the palm of his hand. The stream of green lights shifted around the surface, ducking inside then flowing back out on the other side. His eyes traced the lights, worried about what Atem would say or think.

I’m already in hot water. What else could be said that I don’t already know?

He leaned over the desk, unplugging a few wires from his computer, setting up the circular device. The cord on the side snapped into the cube. His attention shifted to the computer, the program running scans so the transfer would be fluid and smooth. Kaiba glanced at the cube, wondering if Atem was doing okay in the Puzzle. He never thought about what it was like living in jewelry. Was it lonely? Cold? Is it furnished? Was it a replica of the afterlife Atem made?

The scans came back positive, allowing Kaiba to go through with the transfer. His hands were shaky as he started the program, looking over walls of text and numbers, triple checking that he closed brackets and added punctuation. Everything had to be perfect. A soft click was heard from the cube as the tech hummed to life, the green lights moving to the connected device. A small blue bar appeared, moving rapidly until his computer made a noise.

Kaiba unplugged the wires carefully. The circular device turned on. Kaiba quickly moved everything to the side, wanting to give Atem space, though it wasn’t necessary. He watched the blue lines stitch together until a small version of his rival appeared. Atem blinked rapidly, his eyes looking around the room before focusing on the man that brought him here.

“Ha..ha ha it worked!” Kaiba chuckled in disbelief, sitting in his chair. A smile tugged at the corners of his mouth.

“Kaiba? Are we… are we in your office?” Atem shifted to look behind him, the cape phasing through the corner of the computer beside him.

“Great observation skills.” Kaiba set his chin in the palm of his hand, his body feeling more relaxed. “I thought it would be best to keep you in the office rather than at the manor. That way I can keep an eye on you. Mokuba and I are usually here so you wouldn’t have to try entertaining yourself before we got home.”

Atem turned to look over his shoulder at the CEO, a mix of confusion and shock written on his face, “Keep me here? I don’t understand. Surely you don’t mean to keep me here forever?”

“Not forever.” Kaiba grabbed a nearby pen, needing to distract himself. “Just until I can figure out a way to increase the device’s memory and size. It’s only a prototype.”

Atem’s violet eyes scanned over Kaiba’s face, looking for any signs that the man in front of him was joking.

“I told you. I want to give you a chance to actually live. Destiny is bullshit anyway.” Kaiba continued, clicking the pen a few times.

“Kaiba. Do you understand the gravity of the situation you put yourself in?” Atem crossed his arms, a look of disbelief on his face. “Whether it was destiny, fate, or whatever you want to call it, I had to move on. I don’t belong to this world anymore. I’m surprised the Gods haven’t pulled me back.”

“You think I would do all of this and not have counter measures for them? I’ve analyzed those cards thoroughly to make sure I knew how they worked. My visits to the afterlife helped as well.” Kaiba set the pen down, picking up the device Atem stood on. Atem stumbled a bit, getting some footing so he didn’t fall over.

The CEO turned and walked over to the floor-to-ceiling windows, holding Atem up to them. “Look around. This city is large and full of experiences you never got to enjoy. It’s teeming with life and fresh ideas. Sure, Yugi gave you access to this when both of you shared a body, but did you walk around Domino? Did you eat at the vendors stalls by the arcade? Have you taken a stroll through Domino Central Park? Did you get a chance to fully explore this city?” Kaiba never took his eyes off the cityscape. His usual cold, intense blue eyes were filled with a strange expression.

The room fell into silence, neither of them speaking. Kaiba wasn’t sure if Atem was thinking about his words or if he was waiting for something to interrupt them. He soon looked at the tiny Pharaoh only for their eyes to connect, startling Kaiba.

Atem looked serious, his features turning more sharp and harsh. “Kaiba...even after four years we hardly know each other.”

“What does that mean?”

“It means actually what I said. Besides facing each other on the dueling field, we haven’t had a civil conversation. Even if you’ve come to see me for the past year, all we’ve ever done has been playing a card game or talked about cards or KaibaCorp.” Atem explained. “Yugi and I shared many things. Experiences with friends and family, traveling around Domino and the world. Do you know what Yugi did for me when I first arrived in this world?”

“I don’t have deep conversations with my employees.” Kaiba had moved back to his desk, setting Atem down. “He hasn’t mentioned his time with you either. Mostly he talks with Mokuba or Bakura.”

Atem chuckled softly, “Well, I guess I’ll tell you. The world was very new. Everything brightly lit and lots of abnormal noises that weren’t in my own country. The Puzzle was a prison, keeping me locked up and hidden for millenia. I don’t remember much of what happened when I first took control over Yugi. I still get glimpses from that time and most aren’t pleasant.

“After Duelist Kingdom, I started to realize many things. Yugi reached out to me, asked to help me better understand my new life. It was a challenging experience. Most of the traditions and customs were different then what I remembered of my own.” He paused to see if Kaiba was listening, blue eyes locked onto him. All of his attention was focused on Atem. “My friends tried hard to help me regain my memories, taking me many places. Yugi was especially helpful at the game shop. I believe I almost burnt it down trying to make toast.”

This pulled a soft snort from Kaiba. Atem chuckled along. “My point is, even though we don’t have that platonic bond like I have with them… we do share something else and I would be willing to have that same bond with you. But you can’t assume things nor do any more reckless actions.”

“I won’t promise anything.”

“I didn’t expect anything less.” Atem sighed.

“Alright, I listened. Now it’s my turn.” Kaiba leaned forward, his fingers laced together and placed under his chin. “You may have done those things while in Yugi’s body, but don’t you miss it? Don’t you miss your friends? The dork squad was a mess when you left, probably torn up more than you were. Me bringing you back was the best thing that could happen.”

“Kaiba you don’t understand. It was writt-”

“I saw the giant rock Atem.” Kaiba interrupted, “And I will repeat myself once. Destiny is bullshit.” He narrowed his eyes. The CEO wasn’t sure why Atem believed history was set, or he guessed carved, in stone. In this case literally. But that was also the point, it’s history, done and over with.

“This is a new chapter in your life.” Kaiba continued. “Obviously back when you were Pharaoh, you died pretty young and were expected to do certain things to satisfy the needs and expectations of others. I know more about that than anyone. You should get to choose the life you want to live, free of those expectations.”

“I did die young. A lot happened, forces in play that I didn’t have control over.”

“And now you do.” Kaiba stared at Atem, trying to get his rival to understand he had another shot. He could finally be free of his fatal legacy as the once ancient Pharaoh and just be normal.

“But I don’t. I don’t get that choice. Every action has an affect, consequences depending on what is happening. You believe that you can stop the Gods, but that’s only because you were never told no. Kaiba, the Gods won’t let this slide. If I am to stay here, in this time, things will be bad and progressively get worse the longer I am here.” Atem stared back, crossing his arms as if to challenge Kaiba to continue the argument.

Kaiba gritted his teeth, turning his attention to his computer. “Fine. You think you don’t have a choice? Then I’m telling you what’s going to happen. I’ll be the writer of your new fate. As of this moment, you’re staying in Domino.”

Kaiba considered that the end of their discussion. Atem would make offhanded comments, trying to reopen the topic, but Kaiba buried himself in his work. He didn’t have the patience for more destiny nonsense when none of his reasons were getting through the Pharaoh’s stubborn skull.

He barely noticed his office slowly flooding with light. The soft pings rang throughout the room as employees clocked in for work. Kaiba glanced occasionally at Atem who would watch his screen for a few minutes before turning his attention to the windows.

The only thing breaking his concentration was a loud beep, one that mimicked that of a duel disk running out of life points. The small window for his attendance record blinked rapidly at him. Kaiba quickly clicked on it, surprised to see Ryou’s name highlighted in red.

“Ryou’s back already? Has a week gone by?” Atem chimed in.

“Not to my knowledge.” Kaiba saved his progress on his desktop, clicking on his surveillance program. What popped up surprised even him. Ryou and the other Ishtar, who he liked even less than Ishizu, were in the lobby talking with Aigami.

“Is that Marik?” Atem asked, leaning closer to get a better look. Kaiba quickly clicked out of the footage, typing up a few things before getting up and going to the door. He stopped by one of the windows looking out over the cubicles.

“Kaiba?” Atem called out but not getting an answer.

Finally Kaiba saw the people he was more interested in at that moment. Marik and supposedly Ryou were walking past his office towards the employee elevator. A steaming mug had found a home in one of Ryou’s hands.

“I’ll be back.” He opened the door and headed out, cutting off Atem’s response to his departure. Kaiba locked his office before following the two troublemakers.