Seto gasped at the sensation of someone else bring him into the Shadow Realm for only the second time since he had accepted magic. Needless to say it 'felt' better when he was the one that did it. Pressing his fingers to his temple, he opened up his eyes to see Seth smirking at him.
"It gets easier the more you come here."
"I don't plan on coming here much. I have no reason too."
"And if our lovely Pharaoh asked you to, would you?"
Seto growled, hand curling around the Sennen Rod. "He wouldn't have a reason to come here. He doesn't belong here."
"That's where you are wrong," Seth sighed. "As long as he lives, he will always belong to the Realm and its monsters. The Pharaoh belongs here as much as you do now."
"I thought we had already agreed that Atemu wasn't Pharaoh anymore."
"He will always be our Pharaoh, Seto. You can't deny that there is something about him that even makes people like us want to bow to him, serve him, make him happy at all costs even if it goes against everything we have ever known. Yet he never asks that of us does he?"
Seth gazed into sapphire eyes with a wistful look on his face. "All he ever wanted was to be accepted for the man he is; not his title, not his blood line, and not for his wealth. And yet I took everything he didn't want to be known by and almost killed him to possess it. I wanted that power and I almost got my wish."
Seto frowned. It was true he knew that a great battle had happened between Seth and Atemu; he didn't know all the circumstances of why it happened. It even seemed Seth was reluctant to give the details and of course he wasn't sure if Atemu would be willing to bring up such bad memories.
He remembered all too clearly that Seth had mentioned something about a father that wanted power, wanted to take over the world. Was he the man behind the reason Seth betrayed Atemu, just like Gozaboro was the reason he turned out the way he was and started Death T with the intentions of killing Atemu and Yugi?
If that was true, then both of them had more in common than he thought and at the same time, Atemu was the one that saved them both from the darkness that threatened to consume their heart and souls.
Seth watched in silence as Seto seemed to be drifting off in thought. He hoped that something he had said would allow Seto to open up more to him. He could feel it in his heart that his time was growing short and that soon he would find himself back in his time. He knew this animosity between him and Seto was hurting Atemu because Atemu loved them both.
"We should get on with this," Seth whispered in the darkened shadows that surrounded them.
"Yes, I want to hurry up and get back."
"Of course." Seth nodded his head. "Now I need you to relax. It's hard to do this on your own the first time. When it comes to summoning your Ka monster, you need to do a bit of 'soul searching'. Look deep within your self and draw on the heart of it and you."
Seto threw him a skeptical glance and the other lifted his right eyebrow. This was a look Seto knew he himself gave his employees when they amused him with their thickness. A soft blush crept onto his face. He didn't enjoy being insulted, but even less than that he wanted to be considered thick.
With a sigh he closed his eyes.
"Will you let me in? It is easier that way…"
"Alright," Seto growled, "But should you dig out something personal without my permission I swear I'll find a way to lock you in here and let you be devoured by the shadows."
Seth smirked. "We'll see about that. Private secrets have a way of slipping out on their own. Now, concentrate."
Endless hallways were the first thing they both found, long rows of doors on each side. Some looked like the office doors at Kaiba Corp, there were even automatic doors, but all black, neither allowing the smallest insight. The majority of them though looked more like the doors at Kaiba mansion, made of expensive, dark brown wood.
"Well," Seto heard a soft voice say and found Seth's ghostly image next to him. "It looks like you divided your mind up into business and private chambers. This is interesting. What do you think do your business chambers contain?"
Seto didn't have to think about that question. "Only the most important details about the company, the staff, the projects and products we are working on. Everything labeled strictly business. But I don't think that's all. Many of the other rooms should contain business as well, after all it has a lot of impact on my private life."
"Indeed." Seth agreed and stopped in front of one of the wooden doors. "They show nothing on the outside, keep everything in…what do you associate the Blue Eyes with?"
"With dueling and power," Seto answered smoothly. "And dueling is something private. It's one of the few things I have in my life that is controlled by me."
"Then let us try this door," Seth suggested and went to open one of them, but Seto pushed him away and did it himself. The door slid open, giving them access to a room filled with pictures hanging on the walls, all of them showing laughing faces of a dark haired man and a young woman with deep blue eyes. On some of them there was a little blue-eyed baby present. Dust and cobwebs covered the picture frames and hid many a picture from view. Seto crossed his arms.
"Is this your family?" Seth tried after more than a minute of silence had passed.
"I guess so. I don't remember them much. They were never very important to me."
Seth looked around, taking in the number of pictures the wall carried. "No," he decided then, "They were important to you, otherwise you wouldn't have stored all these pictures in here. This is your mind, it doesn't store things without reason."
Seto felt uncomfortable with Seth looking at the pictures with interest. Even if this was a part of his life that was perfect, one that he at one time wished would have never left him, he knew now that if things didn't happen the way they did, then he wouldn't be where he is now. And most importantly, he probably wouldn't have ever met Yugi and his yami who he had come to love.
His life had moved on and it was time for them to do the same. "Let's go," he requested and strode out of the room, the other following. Behind them the door snapped shut with a loud clicking sound.
"Alright, what happens now?"
"We go on searching, of course," Seth sighed. "After all we want to find the Blue Eyes so you can call upon your Ka monster, right?"
So they continued opening wooden doors left and right. One of them was stuffed with Mokuba's baby toys. "Your memories of raising your little brother," Seth analyzed quickly. Another was full of huge glass windows all giving a wonderful look at the clouds from above. "Flying?" Seto guessed. "Could be." Seth was a bit puzzled and only when Seto told him about planes he finally agreed with him.
The fourth room had hieroglyphics on the walls, illuminated by torches. There were ancient pots, vases and jars, filled with scrolls of Egyptian words, or simply with a foreign smell. "Seems you didn't deny you're past as much as you claimed to do," Seth snickered. Seto's reaction was a sulky grumble containing "Atemu", "teaching" and "bastard".
"What if we take the next one on the right side? It looks huge, like the entrance to a big parlor," Seth wondered, moving forward to open the door.
"No!" Seto suddenly shouted. Seth turned around quickly, right in time to see Seto masking a look or definite horror with icy indifference as he stared at the door.
"What do you think is behind it?" Seth said slowly, watching him carefully.
"None of your business," Seto hissed and for a second the horror was back.
"…Your stepfather?" Seth tried carefully, and when he got no answer he shook his head. "I guess we don't need him to find your Blue Eyes, do we? Let's move on."
With a growl Seto shoved him away and threw open the door shouting, "I'm not afraid of you! Come out, you bastard!"
The room was an eerie office. Models and designs of war technology were placed everywhere, but in the middle of it all, on top of the desk there rested a chessboard. A glowing cigar lay in the ashtray right next to it.
Seto was standing in the middle of the room, panting softly as if he had been running. "Where is he?" he ground out, "Is he lacking the courage to face me? Do you hear me, you piece of shit? I beat you! Game over, stepfather, you will never get me, never get to Mokuba. I own the company now!"
Seto wildly looked around as if expecting a lingering shadow to jump out at him. "I took your precious war machines and made games! Technology that you once used to kill I now use to bring joy to a child's face. How do you like that you son of a bitch!"
While he was talking Seto's voice got louder until in the end he was screaming. Seth stood by, amazed. Ever word was delivered acidly, with a tone of venomous confidence. Yet he could see Seto's left hand shaking, tightly clenched.
Again there was silence but for Seto's small pants. Gradually, he calmed down.
"Where is he?" he demanded again, quietly this time.
"He is not here." Seth answered, "even though his terror lingers. His soul cannot rest in your mind, only your feelings towards him can. This is all about you, he doesn't have a place in here."
"Why didn't you tell me from the beginning?" Seto snarled.
Seth shrugged. "I didn't know what you would find in this room. It could have been some ghostly image of him. But you seem to be getting over your past, slowly. Come on now, there are more rooms to find out about."
Angrily, Seto slammed to door and followed Seth down the corridor.
The Egyptian turned to the left and found another door that attracted his attention. It was different from the others but he couldn't describe in what way. Perhaps it just felt different, like there was a secret behind it.
He opened it slowly and gasped. Long strips of crimson and gold silk were rippling in gentle waves as a delicate breeze shifted through the light fabric. In the center of the cascading silken sea was a lone shadow outlining a hidden male. The mysterious figure was obviously revered by Seto for his mind to want shield him, wrap him in a protectively but not harm him in anyway.
A beautiful deep, honey-lined voice filled the room, soothing instantly the two that had ventured in and Seth immediately recognized the song being sung in his native tongue. He closed his eyes momentarily, relishing in the sound, before he opened them back up to look at other clues found around them.
On the stone floor were numerous Duel Monster cards, some Seth knew to be Seto's most prized ones while others were ones he recognized from his past, the very ones he and his fellow Priests used in the Shadow Games – including, to his surprise, the three ancient gods that only Atemu could wield.
Suddenly there was a brilliant flash of white light, causing both of them to shield their eyes and when they lowered their hands, there in front of the curtain stood a lone figure dressed in purple robes, holding his staff stiffly, silently guarding the hidden male.
"Mahaado!" Seth staggered back, bumping into Seto.
Both stared at the room in utter rapture, noticing the window through which the Nile could be made out and on the other side of the room a blue school uniform, combined with a golden puzzle that they both had come to know so well.
With a quick, "If you allow…" Seth delved into Seto's mind to find out what Mahaado was doing here, in exchange giving Seto some information of his on Mahaado, but other than that it was clear what the room was showing them.
"Fascinating." Seth murmured.
Seto smirked at him. "It is private, though," he teased, "Don't you dare try to look behind that curtain."
Seth stared at him, and then suddenly gave a soft laugh. "I am glad," he whispered, "to see that you treasure Atemu and everything he is. I would not have doubted your emotions, but you know that both of us live more peaceful with an assumption proven. Thank you for caring for Atemu."
Seto nodded. He didn't feel the need to answer, but he was suddenly reminded of Egypt and understanding briefly flashed through his mind. Then he opened the door and firmly led Seth out again. "There are more doors," he said and the both of them started walking again.
"Wait." He suddenly stopped.
"What is it?" Seth wanted to know, turning around to look at him.
"This room…I can feel the excitement of a duel, the fierceness and power of a certain card. This is where the Blue Eyes is."
"Now that you have found it, lets pull back. I want you to be able to do this without having to come here every time."
Nodding his head, Seto found himself once again sitting in the Realm of the Shadows. He loosened the tight grip on the Rod that he didn't know he had and let out a small breath of air.
"Now concentrate on that door," Seth's voice carried through the vast emptiness. "Pull out that power within you."
Closing his eyes, Seto did as he was told, eager to see if he could do it again just as he had done in Egypt. A slow warmth spread over him, starting from the center of his being till it flooded his whole body.
Seth watched intensely as a white-golden glow enveloped his other's body till it began to pull away from him. The illuminated 'mist' swirled around, gathering into the familiar shape he knew so well.
Their beautiful, proud Blue Eyes was taking shape, filling the inky darkness with its silver light. And with a mighty roar, that shook both of them down to their very souls, Seto opened his eyes.
Several hours later, Seto found himself sitting back on his lawn, across from Seth, feeling between a mixture of exhaustion and excitement. He never dreamed he would be able to call upon a real Blue Eyes as easily as he had. Every nerve tingled with the shear power of his most trusted creature and if he closed his eyes he could still feel the heated breath of his fierce protector.
"We need to talk."
Seth's solemn voice reached his ears making him looked at the other questionably. "About?"
"Us, and by that I mean the three of us."
"What about us?"
"Look," Seth began. "I know you don't like me here just as I didn't like it when you came to my time. But right now I don't think we are the most important ones here."
"Atemu."
"Yes, he is, after all, the most important thing to both of us. His happiness is what we both strive for more than anything is it not?"
Seto narrowed his eyes, "Why are you saying this?"
"No need to get defensive. I'm not trying to pry into anything that I do not feel myself. But I think me and you need to come to some type of agreement before long."
"Agreement? We have that already. Atemu was yours in the past and now he is mine. You gave me the chance to be with him here and now cause you couldn't in your time."
"You seem to be forgetting the most important factor in this – Atemu." Seth stood up, walked over to his other and held out a hand to help Seto up. "Take it Seto and let us begin."
Seto eyed the hand warily. "Begin what?"
"To show our Atemu how much we love him, that he will forever be ours no matter what time line or status. Take my hand."
"We…you and I… him?"
Seth smirked and nodded his head. "Yes, us with him tonight." Seth didn't wait any longer and grabbed Seto's hand and pulled him up. "My time is growing short. I can already feel myself slipping back to my native land. I wish one more time to show him that he will always have my heart and as he has yours. Why don't we tell him together?"