Chapter Text
"Are you sure this is all the pieces?" Mokuba asks, looking over the glittering gold puzzle nestled neatly in a briefcase with custom-cut foam padding.
Seto takes the largest piece with the Eye of Horus carved into the surface and runs his thumb over the surface of the ancient gold.
"How many are in there."
"Thirty-Three, including the one you're holding."
Seto hums, watching the sun glint off the surface of the Puzzle piece, "That's all of them. I'm sure of it."
He places the piece into its place and Mokuba closes the briefcase and locks it.
"If you're sure. I don't want to fly back to Egypt for one piece." Mokuba muses, "How's the program?"
"Flawless." Seto says, turning his car into the Kaiba Corp parking garage, "I'll have it assembled shortly.
"You gonna do that right now?" Mokuba asks as he kills the engine of the car, "I was thinking we should get dinner and-"
"I need to." He interrupts, slamming the car door closed, "Puzzle."
Making a disdained face, Mokuba passes him the briefcase, "You flew the Blue Eyes jet for six hours through a seven-hour time difference."
"I'm aware."
"Maybe after a nap you will see that this is-" Mokuba takes a deep breath and sighs, knowing to leave well enough alone, "Whatever. I'll get the other items put in the secure storage facility."
"Thank you." Seto says, walking to the private elevator and scanning his ID, "I'm not to be disturbed."
Mokuba makes a sour face at him and Seto narrows his eyes. Daring him to say another word on this topic as the doors close. He's blessed with silence as the elevator starts to rise towards his office.
Once he was finished with this, he would deal with Mokuba. Dealing with a teenager certainly wasn't easy, he missed the days when Mokuba listened to him unquestionably. They grow up too fast.
The elevator door opens to a hall and he marches towards his workshop. Setting the briefcase on the table and opening it. He stares at the puzzle before picking up the pieces and setting them on the 3-D scanner. He watches the screen as the shapes of the Puzzle are digitized before his eyes. Every detail, down to the most insignificant scratch is taken into account and uploaded to his custom-made neural net processor. Once the pieces are scanned in the AI will start running thousands upon thousands of permutations of the shapes until the correct one is found. Then all he needs to do is follow the instructions to assemble the puzzle.
It took Yugi eight years of near-constant tinkering to solve this puzzle. Seto had watched him for five of those years. He had always wanted to attempt the puzzle, there had never been one he couldn't solve, but his situation at he prevented him from reaching out at the time.
"Scan Completed." An artificial voice rings out.
Seto collects the pieces and takes a seat at the desk as the program begins to search for the answer. He picks up a few processes and slots them together, just as he had seen Yugi do thousands of times in between classes and during lunch. After some deliberation, he tries to slot a piece into two others only for the fitted parts to dislodge and fall onto the desk with a familiar clatter. Without feeling discouraged he picks it up and starts again, glancing at the computer to see that it had fifteen percent of the puzzle put together. Nothing to do but continue to tinker with the puzzle.
It takes the computer three hours and forty minutes to solve the puzzle. Seto thought it would take longer. He had not made much progress in trying to solve it in that time. As much as he would like to put this together the old-fashioned way, he wasn't spending eight years on it. Using the computer-generated guide he's able to assemble the puzzle in thirty minutes. As expected the last piece is the Eye of Horus. To his left was another briefcase. This one contained two Duel Disks, his deck, and a complete replica of the Pharoah's deck.
Taking the briefcase, and the puzzle he quickly makes his way to the elevator and presses the button for the roof. The ride up is tense, and he can hear the thumping of his heart in his ears. The doors open and he squints into the bright daylight. He had left Egypt at midnight, and his body was expecting it to still be dark. Stepping out onto the roof he crosses quickly towards the edge. The wind whips at his coat and he sets the briefcase at his feet.
It had been four years since the Pharoah had left.
Now he was going to return.
And Seto was going to beat him in a duel, proving that he was worthy to face Yugi.
Seto holds the Eye of Horus piece up to the light, staring into the eye as if he was going to see something in there.
He places it into the empty spot. A soft, almost imperceptible click sounds and he waits with bated breath for something to happen.
...
He grips the completed puzzle so hard his knuckles turn white.
"Come out you coward." He murmurs, words torn away into the whistling wind, "I solved your puzzle, come duel me."
The puzzle doesn't respond, chain clicking musically in the wind. Rage lights inside and he raises his arm; intending to throw the puzzle onto the roof and shatter it into pieces. He stops before he brings his arm down. Shattering this thing wasn't going to help.
"...Pharoah." Seto murmurs, holding the puzzle up by the chain and watching it swing in the wind, "You're ruining my weekend plans of destroying you in a duel."
He separates the chain, holding it in both hands now, "Once I defeat you, I can defeat Yugi with a clear consciousness."
Slowly he brings the chain over his head, and the heavy golden pyramid thumps against his chest. The chain weighs on his neck and he wonders how Yugi wore this every day as it felt like a damn noose.
Seto is standing in front of the floor-to-ceiling window of his office, staring at a reflection of his impassive face.
How... was he here? Wasn't he on the roof only a second ago? Now it was dark outside, very dark. Probably approaching midnight. When he had completed the puzzle it was well into the late morning. That was at least... twelve hours lost in an instant? He was no stranger to manic episodes, but to have no memory of the greater part of a day was very concerning. He glances at the Millennium Puzzle resting against his chest. A sight that was deeply, deeply disturbing to behold. The last thing he remembered was putting the inert artifact on. The weight of the chain on his neck, and the solid gold against his chest. Then absolutely nothing.
With a contemplative sigh, he brings his hand up to rub his chin. What was he to...
Why had his reflection not moved?
Heart racing he reaches out to touch the cool glass of what should be the window, to touch a reflection that was not reaching back, but his hand stops short.
His hand- no his entire arm was translucent. Through what should have been solid flesh he can see the floor and the non-translucent boots of his reflection.
"Kaiba." A voice speaks in a timbre that is entirely foreign yet entirely his own.
Seto lunges forward, sticking his arm through the solid chest of what may not be his reflection. The action causes an uncomfortably warm tingling sensation to slither up his arm and he rips it away from himself just as quickly. Taking a few steps back from the window.
"What is this?" He demands, glaring at himself, "Who are you?"
"Exactly what you wished for, Kaiba." The other him replies, cool blue eyes not leaving his own for even a moment, "I suppose you do not recognize me?"
Seto's breath catches in his throat. No... there was no way. It- it wasn't possible. Why would he be in his...
"Pharoah?" He asks voice barely a whisper.
His body smiles at him, an expression that looks unnatural and twisted, and raises a hand to push his thick bangs upward to reveal an ethereal golden eye burnt under his skin.
"That better not be permanent."
"It's not, don't worry." The other- the Pharoah- Atem? Says with a shrug as he lowers his hand and hair.
Seto stares at himself, now noticing the differences in the way Atem carried his body. Their posture was similar, upright and confident, but Atem had an annoying relaxed expression on his face. Not to mention he had put on some sort of eye makeup as Seto's eyes weren't nearly as dark and accentuated.
"It seems like there's been a mistake, Pharaoh." He says, crossing his arms in an attempt to maintain his cool, "You're in the wrong body."
Atem shakes his head at that and steps forward. Walking around his desk to sit on top of it. Annoying Seto further as he had a perfectly good chair to sit in.
"I don't think I am, Kaiba." Atem says, running a finger over the top of the Puzzle, "You do know what happens when you solve the puzzle, don't you?"
"Enlighten me."
Atem tilts his head, "You get a wish."
"What?"
"And I'm giving you your wish."
Now Atem was blabbering about occult garbage again. Occult garbage he made the mistake of indulging. He marches to himself and reaches out, attempting to grab the lapel of his coat only for his hand to slip through his body and that horrible burning feeling runs up his arm.
"I didn't wish for a damn thing!" He snaps settling on looking down at his corporeal form with a ferocious glare.
"You did, Kaiba." Atem replies, "You may not have said it aloud. I imagine you don't even know what your soul wants."
Atem places a single finger on his chest, just above his heart. The feeling is different than when he tried to touch his own body. It doesn't burn, but it certainly feels strange. Like something was brushing up upon his very soul.
"But I do. I know exactly what your heart yearns for."
Seto swallows as he stares into his own cold blue eyes. He was close enough that he should see himself reflected in the black irises, but there is nothing.
"Your defeat at my hands." Seto supplies, voice low and unaffected, "That's what I want."
"Are you certain?"
If he had heard Mokuba or Yugi's voice say that he would have dismissed them immediately. But to hear his voice question him. To look into his doubt-filled eyes and hear Seto Kaiba ask him if he was certain?
Of course, he was certain! All he had ever wanted was to crush this cocky little fool Atem as hard as he had crushed him when he was at his weakest! He wasn't going to be a loser anymore. He was taking control of his life by facing Yugi, the King of Games, the man who beat Atem, and crush him just as easily!
"I can tell you what you want, Kaiba." Atem offers, drawing his hand away and resting it on the desk, "But I do not think you are ready for it."
Seto doesn't respond, and Atem does not continue. Face the truth, or admit defeat.
Has he ever had more than those two options?
Why was he even afraid? He knew what he had wished for. This ghost doesn't know his soul!
Suddenly he laughs, or his body does. The sound is startling and he despises it. Seto grits his teeth and waits for Atem to finish mocking him.
"You haven't changed a bit, Kaiba." Atem says, "Why don't we settle this in a game?"
"Game?"
Atem pulls a coin out of his pocket, which is odd since he doesn't carry change. The dark lines underneath his eyes only make the blue look brighter, and his toothy smile was incredibly disturbing on his face. Never had Seto seen a look of sadistic glee as horrific as his own.
"A coin flip to decide if I stay or if I go." Atem explains, "If I win I will stay until I fulfill your wish, and I get to lay out the finer details of your possession such as who stays in the driver's seat."
"And if I win?" Seto asks, narrowing his eyes at the man.
"I leave, and you get your body back."
Seto rests his hands on his hips and looks down at himself with a smug expression, "Why would I agree to that? I go to all the trouble of bringing you here, only for you to weasel out of it without a duel? I'm not stupid, Pharaoh."
"You are not in a position to be making demands, Kaiba." Atem says, unflinching in the face of Seto's threats, "I'm not the same man I was when I first awakened from the Puzzle."
Seto watched his body stand and then the lights above them flicker ominously. As he breathes the air becomes thick and heavy. Shadows seem to creep along the edges of his vision, and he watches in horror as the hair of his corporeal body begins to stand on end to reveal the golden eye that marred his forehead was now glowing a bright yellow.
"I'm giving you a way out, Kaiba." His voice but deeper, deadlier bellows at him, "What you are experiencing is not simply being a vessel for my soul like my partner. This is a possession. Your body is as good as mine if I wish it to be."
Seto was not afraid of the Pharoah, it was difficult to be intimidated by a man a foot shorter than himself. But to be threatened by his voice was another matter. He felt unreal, inhuman. Like a flame without a source that could be snuffed out in an instant. He swallows, feeling sweat collect on his palms as he clenches them.
"...Fine. I'll play your game. You call" He spits out, managing to sound calm and collected despite the mounting anxiety in his chest.
"Tails."
Atem flips the coin high into the air. Instinctively Seto reaches out to catch it as it falls, only for it to pass through his translucent hand a clatter on the ground. He looks down and makes a clicking noise with his tongue. Hoping to convey enough bitterness that Atem doesn't even have to look to know the answer.
"I wanted to leave your fate to chance, Kaiba." Atem says thoughtfully as he rises from the desk and stoops to pick up the coin, "But you decided to leave it up to me."
Seto watches Atem hold the coin up, pinched between his pointer and index finger was the tail's side. Then Atem flips his hand to show the back of the coin which is another tails.
"Cheater." He hisses in rage.
"You asked me to call." Atem says, flicking his fingers in flourish and causing the coin to vanish before his eyes in a trick of slight of hand, "A rigged coin is still 50/50 if you're calling the shots. You always take your destiny into your own hands, but here you flinched. Is it because I look like you? That you think I will guide you as you guide yourself? As I would guide my Partner?"
The eye on his forehead glows brighter and his hair starts to move in an invisible wind.
"I may look like you right now, but I am not you. Don't you forget that."
Atem pauses for a few moments before speaking.
"Every other day. That's our terms. Until you figure out what you wished for, or it is granted." Atem says, as if there was any room for argument, "I can switch with you, but you cannot switch with me."
He scowls at himself, now understanding how his adoptive father must have felt on that triumphant day he overtook the company. The disgusting and bitter taste of defeat. The feeling of death.
"You seem to be good with riddles, so I'll give you a hint. What you wished for is something that you can see, but cannot be seen."