E M P T Y THRONE

    There’s not a lot of things that really catch Kaiba offguard… not the presence of another person in the elevator, which he ignores following him as someone who surely isn’t worth his time. He’s not particularly interested in acknowledging the other person at all at first, but… the voice is uncomfortably familiar, chasing a shiver down his spine that he’s careful not to show. It shouldn’t be possible– no matter how long he’d spent believing it was possible, or how long he’d spent making it possible (at least in some sense, in some way), the fact remains that it shouldn’t be. Some things were meant to end once and for all, and it’s better if they do…

    Even with his gaze still so single mindedly focused on one long gone figure, a part of him had understood that it was better to let it all come to an end. That moving on was a difficult task, and that this matter should be buried with Atem when he’d returned from a duel only Seto Kaiba could have made possible to begin with– that only he could be so doggedly hyper fixated on achieving as to go so far as to break into the boundaries of the afterlife to do so– once and for all. Seeing him now is like scratching at an old wound that just refuses to heal, awash in a wave of something that’s… almost like relief, a gladness to see him again when there’s an undeniable bond between them beneath all of his inferiority complexes and antagonisms, confusing positives and negatives all jumbled up and overtaken by the over arching sense of rage in his heart that after everything he went through to find Atem again, that he would just show up here, out of the blue. A storm brews beneath the surface that he keeps carefully buried beneath his cool exterior, silent for too long before he finds himself contained enough to make a snide remark as he so often does.

“Not nearly long enough. Aren’t you supposed to be dead or something?”

   It was very strange to see Kaiba. It was strange enough to see Joey but this somehow was even more-so, considering their previous encounter. He had come to terms with the fact that he would be leaving them behind and knowing them made him so happy... but they were not his to keep. There was something deeply troubling about seeing Kaiba and others again, as though he would have to experience the heart ache of accepting his own departure all over again. Part of him couldn’t believe it, or that somehow this must be all a strange Kaiba-Corp induced hallucination and he was still most certainly dead and this was some cruel trick to allow some sort of further solace and closure that he believed they no longer required. 

   ....

              oh, yes, that sounds much like Kaiba.

   Clearly deflating, yet another reunion that clearly did not live up to his ridiculous expectations, he sighed. “I am supposed to be, yes, and yet here I stand before you and in my very own flesh none the less.” It was still strange speaking with Kaiba at all and not having Yugi in his head or... he supposed it was Yugis head to begin with, but... well, that wasn’t important. “I thought that perhaps you would know something about that.... being that we’re apparently neighbors! How exciting.”

                  heh

                             heh heh

    It was a week prior, in this exact same game shop that he discovered that they had yet to begin carrying Duel Monsters and will not be until the following week.... Needless to say, he had a bit of a meltdown. One: He didn’t really know where any other shops were considering he had yet to properly navigate the city and two: This was already a very stressful situation! Little did he know, a particular boy had started to record his meltdown and post it on the internet. 

     And that’s the story of how Atem became an internet meme over night and somehow did not particularly mind that as he continued to frequent that shop. However, he did vow that if he ever saw that young man that posted his momentary lapse of composure, he would most certainly confront him! (but he was only a child, so that confrontation would... probably not include lighting him on fire.)

                                                                   ****

    Today, as he walked into the store, complete with his duel disk strapped to his arm this time, he was overjoyed to see the store stocked with duel monster booster packs and starter decks alike. Given that he appeared in this present world without a proper deck, he would have to build one from scratch which was a bit sad.... Flipping through various packs, he hummed in thought, he picked up a few to purchase. Turning around, he came face to face with a familiar, unfortunately familiar, boy with white hair. He had definitely seen him in this shop before.... 

     It was him! The kid that had posted his existential, card game induced crisis. Luckily for himself, he was not a shy man and set the cards back down on the shelf for a moment in order to approach the young boy. Well... he’s just a kid, he can’t be too rude... and it isn’t as though it’s really done anything harmful to him. Forgive and forget... right? That’s what a wise, mature man would do; he was at least one of those things, all on most occasions.

    A change doesn’t have to be a bad thing, he reminds himself, over and over again to try and subside (or preferably just outright ignore) the bubble of anxiety in his chest and the tension in his shoulders on his way to the apartment he’s already terribly late to be moving into. He’s not at all unfamiliar with the concept of avoiding going home– things should be different now, not living with his father, but not knowing what to expect to find waiting for him at home is somehow almost worse. What if this roommate is some kind of weirdo and they can’t possibly get along? Even worse, what if they’re a total jerk, or.. or… a complete neat freak to nag him all the time about needing to tidy himself up.

       He knows very well that he should’ve gotten this over with earlier in the day, just hurried up and faced the fear of the unknown, but like any true procrastinator he pushes off the simple task of even going home until the sun is already setting and he doesn’t have many other choices left if he wants to be able to ever find his way there. This isn’t Domino, where he knows every street and back alley turnaround better than the back of his own hand… and finding himself lost and stranded is probably the only thing worse than going home to someone who might not even want him there.

    The silhouette he spots when he opens the door catches him offguard, confused at first in the dim lighting of the apartment and certain his eyes must be playing tricks on him or… something more reasonable than what he’s actually seeing, eyes squinting sharply and coming in closer with a sense of surreal disbelief. “Yugi? What’s with the–” It’s the voice… that voice, moreso than anything, that sends a shocking jolt of realization through his body that no matter how impossible the reality that he’s seeing may be, it still is, in fact, reality. 

       He never has been someone particularly adept at navigating his own complex emotions, and now is certainly no exception with the torrent of joys and pains gripping at his heart, racing away in his chest. He feels just as speechless as the other, perhaps even moreso, feelings written plainly on his face while he stands several feet away, gawking at the other. All that time he’d spent back then preparing for Atem to inevitably leave, forcing himself to come to terms with and accept that so he could see him off with a smile… it couldn’t have ever erased the heavy ache each of them had felt and carried with them since he’d departed, Joey just as much so as their other friends. To see him standing here now, after everything they had all gone through to see him off properly, once and for all, he’s not sure if what he’s feeling is a selfish relief in seeing him again or a kind of almost terror of what could be so wrong that Atem would be dragged back all over again, and if being here means he’s suffering…

       – Aw, fuck it, he decides, after too many minutes of staring and thinking (something that everyone who knows him can agree is not his forte) instead of acting, crossing the short distance between them to throw his arms around Atem in a hug that could probably crush the life back out of him for fear of him disappearing all over again if he doesn’t hold him tightly enough. His eyes feel hot and wet, blinking back the stinging moisture gathering in the corners so that he won’t actually cry and make even more of a fool of himself than he usually does. He’s so warm… real flesh and blood and bone, and apparently all his own rather than the shared body of a willing host. That’s kind of strange to think about, when for so long both Atem and Yugi had been a partnership that came as a packaged deal… but probably for the best. Breathing a sigh of relief, he doesn’t pull away or release his grip on the smaller man at all, but he does finally find it in himself to speak.

    “What are you doing here? How are you here? Not that I’m not happy to see you, but…” Things as complicated as the workings of the afterlife, fate, destiny… it’s all a little too much for him to comprehend, and maybe for the moment, he doesn’t really care about the specific details. Finally releasing Atem enough to hold him at arms length and get a proper look at him, he eyes the other up and down, still in a sort of disbelief and panic blended with the euphoria of an old friend’s company that he never thought he’d get to see again. “You look good, man… except whatever the hell you’re wearin’. What are those?” don’t meme on him!!!

    It failed to dawn on him that he had truly never met Joey as himself... Of course, he knew Joey, he would call him a best friend, however he had never truly met him as himself, it was always on borrowed body and time. In the moments where no words were spoken, he felt something being shared between them silently, the crushing feelings of emotions that had been locked away for who knows precisely how long was beginning to crush them both, immobile under its intense weight. He was smart enough to realize Joeys feelings..... though he knew better to act on them, regret for never speaking about his true hearts desires crashing into him waves, now threatening to pull him under in their tide. Where would he even begin?

   The hug caught him a bit off guard, unable to move for a brief moment until his body reacted naturally, reaching his hands up to wrap his arms around the other. He clung too tightly onto Joeys shirt, as though if he did not hold quite tight enough that the other will be but a memory once more, haunting him with what-could-have-beens. All it took was the brief stammering of Joeys breath for him to realize that he was also fighting back the urge to cry... it was a happy cry, mixed with a release of emotion that neither dare share. Joey was so warm and... tall and comforting. He really had not changed much at all. It was nice to be able to keep his feelings for Joey and what he was thinking to himself as well.... 

   Once the other finally pulls away, he’s reluctant at first, holding onto Joeys shirt until the last possible moment and smiling at the other with a bit of a shrug. He’s not sure what to say first. He can’t exactly explained what the afterlife was like... a warmth... but then, nothing really, though clearly the world itself was not done with him and that itself was difficult to explain. He hums and shakes his head.

   “I wish I had more to offer you as an explanation. By all right and sense, I should be dead still.” It’s.... weird thinking that he was truly dead and now he isn’t. Referring to himself in such a way scared him a bit. He had taken so much time to accept the fact that he would be departing again, but now to be pulled back... Exactly how long did he have to be back now? How long does he get to have a life here.... it seemed unfair, and not something that he wanted to think about. Luckily, Joey had other points to push that snapped him out of it and suddenly had him feeling quite defensive. 

    Huffing, he puts his hands on his hips. “I’ll have you know this is the traditional garb of a pharaoh. This is far more comfortable anyways and I’ve yet found the time to go shopping for clothes of your time. Those pants that Yugi would always wear were tragically uncomfortable -- skinny jeans, right? How do you people expect to be mobile.....” Pausing, he caught himself going on a bit of a rant, as he is want to do, but smiles at the other, with sort of a devious.

   ominous...... “Kaiba, it has been far too long, hasn’t it?” At least he had seen him more recently than the others of his time considering..... Kaiba went back in time to duel him and all.... 

   In his memory, he can recall dying at least twice, however he’s sure it should have happened a third time, you go back to your own home, you die again, right? So, when he turned up in yet another “modern” society, he was shocked. What exactly did destiny or fate intend to do with him this time? It was frustrating.... there had been far too many goodbyes and heartaches for one lifetime, let alone now a third. 

   It would seem his time with Yugi and company would be paying off once more, thankfully familiar with the technologies that come with this place, even if he wasn’t wonderful at using them. He always thought of that time fondly, but he could never dwell on that portion of life too often, living in the past (or... the future, technically) weighing his heart with a painful nostalgia. Even now thinking about it, he moved more slowly that he was moments ago. Not wanting to unpack so that whoever his roommate was did not feel as though he was making all of the decisions himself (even though he was very tempted to just take the larger room without discussion), he sat down on the couch in wait. 

  Hearing the door click open, he was close to dozing off, but he stood up and straightened himself out quickly..... and realized he should have changed into clothes that were more time-period appropriate and less... ancient... but he had yet found time to shop upon his arrival. He had been anticipating a stranger, so seeing a familiar face was a deep comfort, and being who it was.... he couldn’t hide his smile, a feeling beginning to overwhelm him from the inside out. Someone who he held so close to his heart but dare not think of too often, feeling deep regret for far too much he had left unspoken. 

   When he first opened his mouth, nothing came out. Taking just a moment to calm himself and take a breath, it’s nice to see that the others appearance had not really changed despite it looking like he’d grown a touch older.