warnings: minor profanity ... minor violence ... hugs and kisses ...

a special thanks: To my beta and to everyone who took time to review, favorite and/or follow this story. I've never received so many reviews, and so much of the feedback has been very thoughtful and helpful during the writing of the story this time! All this has been very encouraging and rewarding. So ... thanks! :)

11. The Ties That Bind

And then I looked up at the sun and saw the sky
And the way that gravity pulls on you and I.
~ "Gravity," Embrace

Atem's reverie was interrupted by a click so loud in the silent room that it seemed deafening. Then he saw it.

It was the sound of the hammer of Seto's revolver being pulled back. The barrel of that revolver was now pressed up under Seto's jaw, aimed directly upward toward his brain.

"S-seto?" Atem managed, nearly choking. All the air seemed to have suddenly been sucked from the room.

"After a fashion. But if you value Seto at all, I advise you to drop that device. Now."

"Wait!" Atem gasped. "If you hurt him, why wouldn't I destroy the Oracle Crystal?" he reasoned.

The strange remote voice came from Kaiba, "In the long run, Atem, I can always create another crystal. Can you say the same of this pest? On the other hand, there are others whom you value. You might want to think about that before trying to negotiate."

Atem tried as hard as he could to ignore the heartbreakingly weird flatness of the voice, so unlike the voice he'd come to listen for.

Think, Atem, think!

He stared at Seto. He'd been so adamant about preventing Dartz from threatening Mokuba.

"I can't let that happen. I'd die first."

Did he dare honor that willingness to risk everything? "Dartz, are you so anxious to risk losing my cooperation?"

"With Kaiba out of the way, I have the rest of your life to convince you to forgive me. Believe me, once you have come to terms with the emotional shock of it and you see what you can accomplish, you'll understand that you can only reach your full potential through me. But it isn't necessary for you to go through that pain at all. Stick with our original deal. I promised to free Kaiba, didn't I? Why not be patient?"

"Why not? Because you're forcing this! I only agreed to work with you because of him. Kaiba should never have been trapped in the first place."

"That's your opinion. Now, put that item down and smash it, and I'll let him go. You wouldn't want his finger to slip, would you? I don't know how light the pull on this gun is."

Atem gritted his teeth and began praying. Please, god, let this work! and, Forgive me, Mokuba.

"OK, just let me …" he began, taking a step forward while leaning down. He wanted to be as close as he could manage without coming within reach. He didn't want to give Dartz the chance to make Seto grab the device.

"No more hesitation," warned Seto.

"Fine," Atem muttered, kneeling. This was going to take all his concentration. When he was ready, he pointed the device toward the crystal and pressed the button.

But that wasn't what his mind was on.

His mind was on his lessons. Controlling a chemical reaction requires the channeling of electromagnetic energy in a specific manner. He could only do this for a few seconds.

He heard the clatter of the device hitting the floor followed instantly by the click of the firing pin.

The click—

Atem's hands wrenched the gun away and tossed it across the room, smashing one of the black mirrors. He heard his own breath coming in gasps as he rolled away to grab the device before Seto could get to it. As swiftly as he could, he aimed and fired.

Nothing.

Where is the bright yellow light?

Atem was so stunned by this turn that when a strong arm wrapped around his throat he was taken completely by surprise.

Well, this is bad.

He was already beginning to see stars as his blood flow was constricted. He twisted, trying to catch Seto's eye. "S-seto!" he managed to choke out. The grip tightened, but he forced a few more words out as his vision started to gray. "How can you … listen to Dartz … after we … after …"

Visions of the past several weeks' events flashed through his mind. Spotting the portrait in Pegasus' store; talking with the painted figure; Seto turning around and looking him at the Magician's Triple Dragon; kissing Seto in his entryway … Toward the end, he felt almost as though he was being pulled through the visions until at the end he stood before the portrait, holding himself steady by clinging to its frame, feeling an almost irresistible suction from its … what? Interior? Didn't a painting have a surface? Only then he fell into it, horizontally—as though gravity had suddenly gone sideways. It was then that he noticed a thick cord attached to his chest. Was that what pulled him in?

He fell through complete blackness.

For seconds he felt completely weightless, disoriented and terrified, and then, suddenly, he was deftly caught in a pair of strong arms, his chest against another, broader chest. A spotlight split the darkness to reveal Seto, his high headdress towering over the two of them, his blue eyes regarding him enigmatically, the cord that connected them now twisted around them.

Straining into the gray, he remembered where he was. Seto's strong arm wasn't cradling him but choking him. But none of this made any sense to Atem. How could Dartz tell Seto to hurt him when their bond was so very strong? How could he pull Seto far enough away to forget what he was doing? That hurt more than anything else.

Atem tried to picture the bond, picture himself pulling on that cord from his end as hard as he could. If only he could concentrate! Seto, remember our bond! he shouted, but all that came out was a wisp of a sigh as his consciousness failed. "Se … meh … ouh … bohn …"

The grip loosened, just for a second. Taking a deep gasp of air, Atem twisted and shoved Seto away as viciously as he could. Scrambling for balance, Seto's heel collided with Amelda, and he fell haplessly backward, colliding with the mirror behind him, cracking it.

Atem scrambled after on his knees, forgetting that he should be wary of him. "Are you all right?" he cried, leaning over the prone body. He was still panting, regaining his breath.

Seto was out of it, so Atem retrieved the electrical ties in his pocket and secured him. "Sorry about this, Seto." The problem was, what was wrong with Seto's device? If it needed fixing, he would need Seto's help, which meant he was shit out of luck.

As he walked by Amelda, the man groaned and struggled feebly at his bindings. Wait a minute, Atem thought.

Amelda had appeared out of the room next to this one, he thought. Picking up the device, he ran into the room. He couldn't have much time left.

"If you can stop a reaction just by using your body as a battery and slamming it with your electromagnetic field," he mumbled, "then on a similar note, maybe he can mess up our batteries using some sort of electromagnetic interference?"

But Amelda would have to set something because he wasn't any kind of mage or anything. And with the power cut already …

He looked around. The room was small and plain, containing just a desk and chair. On the desk was a simple, featureless metal cube.

Could this be it? Atem wondered. If it is, how the crap does it work?

He picked it up and turned it over in his hands looking at all its sides. They all looked the same! In frustration, he put it down again and looked at the device again. Could it be that dropping it messed it up?

He sighed, shook it, and tried pressing the button again. A blinding yellow light came out of the business end.

Atem was so stunned that he almost dropped the thing again.

What the hell?

Well, he wasn't going to try to figure this out. He heard people beginning to pound on the stairway doors. He raced back into the other room, took aim at the crystal and fired.

When he saw that the crystal was beginning to disappear, he sank to his knees in relief. It only took seconds, but the disintegration seemed to take ages. When it was over, Atem hurried over to Seto.

"Dammit, I should have taken the time to check your head! You could be badly injured!" he muttered, gently running his hands through Seto's hair. Sure enough, there was a laceration, sticky with blood.

"Mm, Atem, that hurts," murmured Seto, his eyes slowly opening to narrow, midnight blue slits. "Atem …" he began in a low and dangerous voice.

"Yeah?" Atem said dully. It was just getting through that Seto was no longer under Dartz' control.

"Why am I bound hand and foot?" the dangerous voice continued.

"Oh. Oh!" Atem fished out his keys and opened the little pocketknife that was attached. "Don't," he said, seeing Seto pull at the bindings. He freed Seto in a few seconds. "I'm sorry, you were under Dartz' control, so …"

"I see."

"We need to get you out of here. Hear that banging? The stairs are out."

"Let's get to the elevator."

"Wait!" Amelda shouted, now fully alert. "Untie me first."

"Dream on," said Atem.

When they got to the elevator, Seto restored the power and opened the elevator door. "I'm not sure that going all the way down is practical," he said. "There's sure to be a party waiting at the bottom."

"We can go down a floor to my lab for now," said Atem, "but we need to figure some way out. You need to be checked out as soon as possible."

Seto restored the power once they arrived at the elevator and they reached the lab without incident. "Where …" Seto began, stepping out of the elevator with a slight stagger.

Atem wrapped an arm around Seto's back to support him and was surprised to find that he gladly accepted and leaned heavily on him. Not only that, his back was completely damp and sticky with blood. Atem glanced back, horrified. "I had no idea you were bleeding so profusely!" he said, helping him to the desk chair. "Sit tight just a moment while I get the med kit."

He took some bandages and had Seto apply pressure to the wound. "Atem," Seto began, but Atem didn't like his eyes. They had a hard, glassy look to them.

"I think we might have to risk going down anyway," he said, running a hand through Seto's hair as he positioned Seto's head to take a closer look. "You need help right away. I mean, what's he going to do?"

"Wait," Seto said. "I want to say something."

"I can't—"

"Wait. My dream. He was—"

"He tried to kill you! Yes! And I can't let him accidentally succeed, either! Seto—"

"No, I mean later, when he tried to use me to choke you unconscious. I heard you calling me. I need you to know—"

"It's all right, Seto, I already know." Atem struggled to keep the panic out of his voice, to sound calm and reassuring, but he was beginning to feel faint and helpless. He pressed his feverish cheek against Seto's forehead. It felt cold and clammy.

"No … it's important. He can't use me against Mokuba now. I owe you … thanks …"

Atem felt tears stinging his eyes and thought, Shit. Not now! Suppressing them, turned his head so that his lips were pressed against Seto's forehead and murmured, "Not necessary. I'm being selfish. You know I plan on keeping you for myself."

"No matter what happens, don't let him use me to enslave you."

"What are you talking about? I'm not going to let anything happen." But Seto seemed to be struggling to stay conscious. Wasn't there something about keeping people with head wounds awake? "Stay with me," he said. "You know, we have to get going—"

He was interrupted by a knock on the door.

Atem reluctantly left Seto to open it, revealing a security guard. "Please excuse the intrusion, sir," he said, "but there's been a security breach. We've received instructions from Master Dartz to escort you and your esteemed guest outside."

"Oh?"

"Yes, just a precaution."

"Good. Thanks."

Atem pulled Seto up and had him lean on his shoulder heavily. As they got into the elevator, the guard asked, "Was your guest injured when the power went off? We have emergency services waiting downstairs just in case."

"Um, yes, thanks. That would be very helpful."

The next thing he knew, they were riding in an ambulance (Atem having successfully talked his way on as a ride-along).

As the med team evaluated Seto, Atem fished out his cell and called Mokuba to ask him to meet them. Seto wasn't in favor, but he figured that even if Seto weren't in any danger, there'd be hell to pay if he didn't call.

To Atem's relief, the staff recognized Seto's status and immediately ushered him into the ER, but they refused to let him in, so he was left pacing relentlessly in the waiting room. Mokuba found him there several minutes later with Isono running after him.

"Atem! My brother!"

"They're working on him right now. I have no idea—"

"Let me." He marched up to the counter. Atem watched him, fascinated. The nurses had no idea what they were in for. Soon he'd flattened them like a steamroller, and beckoned to Atem and Isono. "Come with me, Atem. We're going to ER five. Isono, position yourself outside that room."

"Yes sir," he said.

"You got me in?" asked Atem, impressed.

"Yeah, I figured Nii-sama would like to see you, and you got him help, so you deserve to be here."

"But maybe I helped to get him hurt, too!" Atem said sadly.

Mokuba grabbed Atem's hand. "I know you would never hurt him intentionally, the way you are around him. And he insisted on doing this thing right away." Mokuba cast Atem a quick sideways glance that chilled him to the bone and momentarily reminded him of his brother—and not in a good way. "But let's hope that he's OK, OK?" he added.

Yeah, I guess you'd much rather it be me in there, huh? Atem thought with a small, rueful smile.

They had reached ER 5, so Atem quietly lifted the curtains and the two stepped in.

"… still be little evidence of a scar, but in this location, it doesn't matter as much," the doctor finished.

"Thank you. Oh, hello, Atem, Mokuba. I see you talked the nurses into letting you in."

"Thank goodness!" Atem breathed. "He looks better."

"Oh, yes," said the doctor, as though that reminded him of something. "Mr Kaiba was going into shock from the loss of blood. He has a slight concussion, but fortunately it shouldn't develop into anything serious as long as he avoids further injury for the next few weeks."

Atem nearly keeled over from relief. "And here I thought I might lose you!" he said.

"Disappointed?"

"Hardly! But I might need some medical attention myself after all this anxiety."

"Wait a minute here!" complained Mokuba. "I think I deserve something for being left out of all this and having to worry. You have to take me out for ice cream and fill me in on all the details!"

Seto shook his head. "I can't understand how this kid is so thin."

Atem didn't really want to meet with Dartz again, but he was very insistent and Atem decided that if Dartz really wanted to talk to him, he'd figure out a way to do it eventually whether Atem liked it or not. So he finally returned to Paradise for a final time, ascending to the top floor. This time, Dartz led him to an open area that overlooked the city. He'd never seen this terrace before and took in the view with some awe.

Dartz smiled. "Not a bad view, is it? I've taken the liberty of having tea served," he said, indicating a small table.

"Very well, but I won't be staying long," Atem said, seating himself and doing his best to glower at his host. "What do you have to say?"

"I must congratulate you. That was very well done."

"You're not angry? You're not going to try to take revenge on us?"

"Of course not. You didn't destroy anything that can't be replaced, and, as I told you, the process I was exploring hasn't been perfected yet." Dartz shrugged. "There are plans that have to be adjusted, but it's nothing serious. I always have contingency plans."

"No doubt," Atem said drily. "I'm glad that you aren't planning on coming after me or Kaiba in any case."

"Why would I? It will take time, but I can grow a new crystal. I can renew my studies of its properties. Physical properties are a constant. Finding a person with the talents required to be my assistant, however … that is an entirely different thing. As much as Kaiba is an obstacle, you seem set on him, so I've decided to let that be, at least for now. How would I ever convince you to remain as my apprentice if I got on your bad side?"

Atem gaped at the man. "Are you serious? And don't you think you have gotten on my bad side trying to kill Seto? After everything, you really think I'll continue with you?"

"Please. When you oppose me, you have to expect some sort of resistance." He waved it off. "But all that is water under the bridge. Forgotten. You know that I take the long view, and I'd like you to consider doing that as well. But, even if you don't, I can afford to be patient. I can wait you out, even if I have to wait until your next life. But I want you to think it over seriously, Atem. I know that you were interested in what I had to show you, and you know that you're not likely to learn any of this on your own. Besides, you wouldn't have been able to save your beloved Kaiba without what you learned from me, would you?"

"About that … I don't understand. You'd suppressed electromagnetic fields, but I could still use them to stop the gunpowder from exploding."

"The fact that you can even ask that question proves my point. Perhaps there is hope for you after all," Dartz said with an ingratiating smile. "Fortunately, the gross fields generated by electrical generators and batteries are different from those created by living beings. If they weren't, turning on the modulator to dampen them would have killed everyone within range. Living beings rely on the electrical signals generated on a cellular level. However, those quantum effects create fields that aren't affected by my modulator."

"I guess I have the general idea," Atem said, thinking that it was still way too confusing.

"Atem, you understand that if I didn't care whether I killed you, I could have stopped you any time I wanted to, don't you? I knew you were there."

Atem's hand went to his forehead. He'd thought it had been so troublesome, when it had actually been easy. "Is that why you let us go so easily?"

"Would giving you trouble have restored my Oracle Crystal?"

"No."

"Well, then." Dartz settled back. "Sure you don't want another cup of tea?"

"Positive. You know that I'm quitting. I don't need to stay any longer." Atem stood to go.

"Kaiba's free, so you're leaving, is that it?" He sighed. "It's all about that man. I can show you so much more. I can help you fulfill your potential." Reaching out and holding Atem's wrist lightly, he added, "Even if you don't care about that, this is about so much more."

Catching something in Dartz' eyes, Atem paused. "What do you mean?"

"Come now. Do you really think that this is about sheer power? If it were, why do you think I'm content to drive from the back seat? I don't have to, you know. If I wanted to take my place at the wheel, there's not a thing anyone could do to stop me. Don't you know that?"

Dartz let go of Atem's wrist, watching him carefully as comprehension filled his eyes. He smiled and continued, "Why don't you take a step back and look at the world objectively for a moment? Do you really think it's just and fair to allow the powers to move the world forward strictly for the sake of their own nations' sakes—or, worse, for their own personal gain? Because, face it, that's what's going on, and the world is the worse for it. This is what I'm working toward. The betterment of the future of the entire world, and everyone in it."

"Are you serious? This is why you're enslaving souls?"

"That's harsh."

"That's what it amounts to. You said so yourself."

"And that's why I need your help. Right now my process is inelegant and complicated. I need assistance and research to streamline it so that only a few suggestions here and there can push the affairs of the world in the correct direction."

"Still … interfering at that level …"

"Risking the world is better, you think? When you might have the power to save it with a mere suggestion or two?"

This man, Atem thought, has the persuasive power of the devil. He stared at him, those strange disparate eyes bearing into him.

Dartz shrugged. "You know," he said, "it doesn't have to be a choice between me and Kaiba. You don't have to quit."

Like Seto would tolerate that, Atem thought. "Then why did you have to capture him and threaten his life?"

"Perhaps I miscalculated. But, remember, that painting helped me locate you. As far as killing him … I saw that as removing a distraction."

"You …" Atem stood. "Distraction?! You're unbelievable. Why must you underestimate him as you do? He had the benefit of none of your arcane knowledge and this one lifetime and yet his technology was instrumental in defeating you!"

"Hand-in-hand with what I taught you. You say I underestimate him; I say you overestimate him. We must agree to disagree." Dartz waved it off. "As I said, even grief eases with time. And if you really wanted him so much, eventually you'd have to turn to me to seek the answers that only I can provide."

"You really think I could forget so easily?"

"I take a view unlike that of other people. Even if it's true that only he can give you the life that you want, if something happened to him, I am the only one who could help you find him again in the swirling seas of time." Dartz sighed and shrugged. "Even so, before you leave, consider carefully. You should know, you've learned all this so quickly—how to apply what you've learned—the only explanation is that you're calling upon some memory from a past life."

"You're telling me that I've already studied with you?"

"You've learned so much already, but that's nothing! You can't begin to imagine what we could achieve together. Do you seriously want to throw all that away for Kaiba? If you really knew what your previous lives were like—"

Atem whirled so that he faced away. "I don't care what you have to say about that, whether you were there or not!" he exclaimed contemptuously.

Dartz ignored him. "You don't care that both of you have too much pride, that your rivalry prevents you from seeking resolution. You don't remember what happened in your previous life. Kaiba will never be your equal and will always resent that. No matter what, any relationship you attempt to form with him will have a fatal flaw." Atem felt a hand gently come to rest on his shoulder. "If you must align yourself with a powerful man, it can be arranged. After centuries, gender is a minor consideration."

Atem froze. "You … you'd even—is there nothing you'll not stoop to?"

"Atem, please. Consider that there are few who can comprehend what I am trying to accomplish, let alone share my view. This wasn't my original intention, but …"

"If you think Seto and I are doomed, then all you have to do is wait. You only have forever." Atem shrugged the hand away and strode from the room without looking back.

When Atem left the Paradise building for the last time, the first balmy breezes of June lifted his golden bangs. The deep blue sky spread before him without a cloud. He took a deep breath. It seemed like a whole new season of his life was opening up.

It really felt good to be back at the game shop. Atem wondered whether Yugi was completely thrilled to have him back, though. "You miss Raphael that much?" he asked irritably, watching Yugi putter behind the cash register.

"Well, no, not really, but he was really efficient. I was surprised. He knew his stuff."

"You're not seriously worried about Anzu, are you, because—"

"I'm so not!" Yugi protested, red-faced.

"Good to hear," Atem said, smiling, "but I'd be happy to bring Seto around to remind her how I feel about him. Any time."

Yugi's face darkened even further. "No, that's OK. That really threw her for a loop and I don't think she'll forget it anytime soon. So you don't have to—"

"So things are going all right between you two?"

A smile spread across Yugi's face as he placed his elbows on the counter and rested his chin on his hands. His coloration didn't get any less ruddy, however. "You could say that," he allowed. "She should be along in a little bit."

"Really? She has the evening off?" Concern creased Atem's brow. "Shit. I was counting on bugging out early tonight. I've been so busy trying to get back in the swing, I totally forgot to ask if you had plans!"

"Oh man, that's right! The store's closed tomorrow, too." Yugi looked Atem over. "You're planning something special for tonight, aren't you?"

"Well, not planning, exactly, but just in case something does happen, I wanted to be ready."

"You're letting him take the lead?" Yugi asked, amused, lifting his eyebrows.

"Don't sound so surprised," Atem growled. "He's an alpha male."

"So are you, really. Even if you … er … well, let's just say that I figured you'd eventually end up pulling some guy down by his tie or something."

Atem laughed. "I guess that isn't so far out, but I get the feeling Seto's a little more rigid than I am. I'm going to have to go at his pace if things are going to work out for us even if that's frustrating sometimes. If I tried to force things on him, I think I'd push him away."

"He's that delicate?"

"Maybe more fussy than delicate."

Yugi chuckled. "Whatever," he said. "Better you than me."

"You can't have him in any case," Atem said, half-serious. "Even if I wasn't crazy in love, I worked too hard to get him to give him up easily."

"I think I will give you your evening," Yugi said with a wink. "Even if you weren't planning anything—"

"I told you, I'm not, really."

"—or weren't keeping your options open, you still need time together. I take it you're expecting him to drop by?"

"Yes, in fact, I expected him by now … but something probably came up at work. It's always like that for him."

As if in response to their discussion, the bell rang and they looked up simultaneously.

"Oh, hi, Jou," said Atem with a sigh.

"Well, don't look so thrilled to see me! You've been so busy lately, I've been trying to remember what you look like!"

"Well, drop by and take a look at Yugi for a reminder," Atem said with a chuckle. "The likeness isn't perfect, but it's close enough."

"So, you done fixing that Kaiba's problem?" he asked.

"Uh, yeah. Thank goodness."

Jounouchi smiled broadly and said, "That's great! Bechou're glad to get that guy out of your hair."

"Uh … Jou … haven't you talked to Anzu?"

"Anzu? What does she have to do with this? I mean …" Jounouchi trailed off, staring at Atem quizzically, trying to figure out what he meant.

"Well, you see, Anzu knows what—The thing is, you'd better get used to Kaiba being around, and I don't want you insulting him."

"Wait. Anzu's been hanging around here a lot lately. I thought she was waiting for you, but you're not around there so much."

"Right. Yugi is."

"Yugi?" Jounouchi looked at Yugi and said to him, "Yugi?"

Yugi shrugged, blushing anew. "You see, we …"

Jounouchi looked back at Atem and said, "So … you broke up?"

"Jou, we were never together."

"What are you talking about? You were always—"

"Anzu was always asking me to do things and I guess I always figured that friends did things together, so …" He shrugged. "It took me forever to figure out we had different ideas about what was going on between us."

"Oh, I get it. I thought you and she … but I guess it was Yugi all along, and …" he was looking at Atem, smiling, then his expression changed over to a thoughtful frown. "And then you got that painting … oh, crap! You put it in your bedroom! And … oh, shit, does that mean—?"

Atem heard a soft jingle behind him followed by "I finally got away. I hope you weren't waiting too long," in a deep baritone. Just as Atem was turning, a heavy hand dropped onto his shoulder. He jumped a little at the sudden contact as Seto's handsome face loomed over him.

"Yes, it does," Atem said to Jounouchi, "so behave yourself, OK?"

Jounouchi glanced over Atem's shoulder with an expression of disgusted resignation and sighed. "All right, but this is going to take some getting used to."

"I'll take that," Atem said. "Oh, you might not remember this, but it took a little while for some of us to get used to Mai, you know, but we all did for you, and we're glad we did now."

"What are you talking about? Mai's great!"

"Yes, but remember at first? The way she kind of draped herself over all us guys? She really rubbed Anzu the wrong way. And her laugh …"

"Oh! I never thought of it that way."

"Well, you were completely oblivious at the time," Atem laughed. "And she's so confident with men. We still wonder how the heck you got together."

"Atem!"

"Atem," reminded a voice next to his ear, "don't you have things to do?"

"Right. Sorry, Jou, gotta go."

"Oh, yeah. Bye, Atem. Bye, Money-uh, Kaiba."

Atem led the way into his apartment, glad to have Seto to himself without interference at last. "I really missed having you here," he said, smiling.

"What are you talking about?" Seto asked. "I've only been here the one time."

"Oh, that's right. It's just that with the portrait here, it felt like you've always been around. Even when Dartz backed off, it felt … well, that's hard to describe," Atem said, frowning. "Now you're just … gone."

"No, I think I get it." Seto gave him a small smile and said, "But I'm here now."

"So you are. What shall I do with you?"

Atem was almost certain he caught a twinkle deep in Seto's eyes that he remembered from the painting. "You invited me here," he said, "but if you really can't think of anything, I'm sure I can come up with a few suggestions."

"Oh, really? And here I thought we were taking it slow. Or were you thinking about playing cards?"

"Not tonight. This is the first time we've really had a chance to be alone together … at least, without him interfering. In case you hadn't noticed."

"Oh, I noticed," Atem said. "So … would you like to come upstairs?"

Seto didn't say anything, but followed Atem to the loft with a slight smirk curling the corner of his lips.

Atem didn't waste any time sitting on the bed and folding his legs under him. Seto ambled in at a leisurely pace, giving his portrait a glance. Seating himself on the end of the bed, he said, "You say you missed me? Even with that—" he nodded toward the painting "—around?"

"Like I said, your presence isn't in there anymore, so, yeah." He instinctively reached for Seto's hand, its reassuring solidity. "But it's nice to have. I mean, you don't mind, do you? That he painted it?"

"If you like it, I don't care. It brought us together, right? And it's not like this thing is going to bring him back into our lives."

"Right. Uh, Seto, you know, he still wants me to work for him."

"Of course he does." Seto's hand wrapped around Atem's as he continued, "So what did you say?"

"That it's out of the question, of course."

"It's a lot to give up."

"No, Seto, it's impossible. He almost killed you! And even if he'd never done any of those terrible things to you, I can't trust him. He claims that he wants to guide the world to a better future, but it's his idea of a better future, shaped by him without any input from anyone else." He shook his head. "Whatever assurances he gives me, there's just no way that what he's doing is right."

Seto sighed, sounding relieved, and moved closer. "That's good."

"There was this other thing, though."

"What other thing?"

"He claimed that in our previous lives things didn't work out so well and—"

The hand gripping his tightened. "You're telling me you actually care what he has to say about that?!"

"No, I actually don't, but I thought you should know."

"I don't care what that liar says! Let's forget him," he suggested, relaxing a little. "I wouldn't mind if I never heard his name again. But …" He glanced at the painting again. "You know, I don't have any pictures of you at all. Have you even thought how much I must be missing you?"

"Huh? … Uh, how much?"

Seto let go of Atem's hand and swept him into his lap, pulling him into a lingering kiss. Atem slid his arms around Seto's neck.

When one of Atem's hands wandered into Seto's chestnut hair, he jerked back, uttering "Ow!"

"Oops, sorry," Atem said.

"You got my stitches, Atem."

"I kind of figured."

"Let's work around that for the next few days." With a ghost of a smile, he regarded Atem's face seriously and ran a hand through his hair. "You know, I think I deserve my own portrait of you. Do you mind if I commission the artist who did KaibaCorp's portraits to do one of you?"

"I'd be flattered."

"I'm not sure anyone could capture those remarkable eyes of yours, but I'd like to have her try." Seto's own eyes seemed to soften a little as he gazed into Atem's eyes for a long moment. Then he sighed again and renewed their kiss.

Atem couldn't help noticing how much the atmosphere had changed. He could still feel the connection between them, but the anxiety had eased. He wondered whether they could finally relax and take their time. When they broke contact, he asked, "So, not feeling watched any longer?"

"Hn, I wouldn't say that exactly," he said, glancing over his shoulder at the painting.

"Oh, right. I guess I should move that."

"Just for tonight, I guess he can watch," Seto said, pulling Atem into yet another long kiss.

"What do you mean, watch?" gasped Atem. "He's you."

"I'm not even sharing you with me," said Seto, chuckling softly. With that, he leaned heavily against Atem, pushing him backward.

"What—?"

"Just turning out the light."

In fact, he was stretching an arm over Atem's shoulder to reach for the lamp, almost pressing Atem flat on the bed with the effort. Atem decided not to fight it, but just pulled Seto down on top of him, chuckling.

"Why are you laughing?" asked Seto.

"Oh, it's just Yugi. He mentioned something about how he pictured me pulling some poor guy down by his tie." The fact that Seto was still dressed in a more-or-less conventional (if expensive and impeccably-tailored) business suit—with a beautiful blue silk tie—brought on a new chuckle, which Atem smothered.

"Really. I do hope you don't have any of those electrical ties on you. Because I'm not really into that kind of thing—"

"Of course not!" Atem said, laughing harder. He clutched Seto as his laughter died down. "You really know how to set a mood."

"Hey, who brought this whole thing up?" A wicked glint flashed in Seto's eyes so brightly that Atem could detect it even in the darkness of his room. "You know … you really shouldn't waste your time making jokes and talking about other people at a time like this."

"What do you mean?"

"Oh, here you finally have someone as 'beautiful and brilliant' as me all to yourself and—"

Atem covered his eyes with his hands. "Oh god, you remember that?"

"You'd be surprised by what I remember."

"Then I guess I'd better create a memory so vivid that it puts that right out of your mind."

And, with that, Atem slid his arms around Seto's shoulders and pulled him in close. In the background he could vaguely discern the dark, oblong shape of the painting.

I really should move that …

Tomorrow …

~ Fin ~

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Author's notes ...

And here I thought this last chapter would be out quickly! (I really didn't mean to leave Seto hanging so long ...) Sorry about that, everyone! I really did have it almost ready, but unforeseen circumstances (yikes, I don't remember being so sick in May ...) came up. Excuses, excuses, I know. I hope that you enjoyed this chapter well enough to forgive me! ;)

First, thanks to my beta for catching my little errors & asking those little questions that I didn't think to ask myself! That was extra-helpful!

Again, thanks to everyone who reviewed! It can't be emphasized enough how gratifying that is! :) But ... you know how that is, you're only encouraging me ...

On to the notes:

a simple, featureless metal cube: I hope it was more-or-less hinted that Atem put it down on a different side; this is what "turned off" the undesired effect. Speaking of, about Dartz explanation (why his modulator killed batteries but not people): I've seen these kinds of electrical-field suppressors in movies a lot of times, but they never seem to explain why they don't kill people (because people need electrical impulses for their brains and hearts to function, for Pete's sake!) ... so I really (really!) felt that Atem deserved an explanation and the readers did too ... even if you wouldn't have noticed if I left it out. Just a nit ... Hope you don't mind my rather squirrelly justification. :D

beautiful and brilliant: See Chapter 2.

Well, that's it! I hope you liked it, lame fluff and all. :) I have a little one-shot (yep, another Prideshipper) that's all wrapped up that I plan to post in about a week. After that ... well, I have a lot of plans, but I'm writing a lot of different things simultaneously, so I have no idea what's next. If you have druthers, you can always visit my profile page (hope to update that soon) to read my purposefully vague descriptions of what I have on tap and let me know what sounds most interesting. ;) I would like to do another 5D's, but I seem to be writing DM lately for some reason ... and I have an idea for another franchise entirely (and when I say entirely, I mean ENTIRELY; it would be quite the departure).

Anyway, this is it for now! I hope you enjoyed this little story to the end.

Until next time, happy reading!

~ DD