Kaiba's first act upon reaching the afterlife is to fire a gun past Atem's ear.
His second is to tell Atem, in the gentlest voice imaginable, that he breathes for his sake.
Atem has no friends here, no games that work, and nowhere at all to run — and his rival has clearly worked that out already.
Three visits, and the walls come down.
This is a translation of an original work on Pixiv.
Original Title: 冥界御三度参り
Original Author: 葉人(@Hathor_yuki)
Personal site: https://prideshipping.sakura.ne.jp
Atem's rival had finally made it all the way to the afterlife.
From here, the enjoyable days of battle would begin again. Thinking so, his spirits could not help but rise.
But that rival launched an attack beyond anything Atem had imagined.
Crack! Clang!
Something passed beside his ear, and a violent sound rang out behind him.
A gunshot.
"You. What became of our road of battle, the one that stretches beyond sight?"
No one in the afterlife could have understood what had just happened.
Atem did not understand either. Not until he saw the gun in Seto's hand.
Having gone so far as to fire, it would not have been strange for him to be raging and shouting.
But his voice and his expression were calm. Everything except the weapon.
"Th-that's… there were circumstances. Timing, and… you were in America…"
Out of guilt, Atem answered in a stammer.
The muzzle fixed on Atem, dead straight.
The king's life was being aimed at, and no one in the afterlife noticed.
Worse, several of them had left to search for the source of the noise.
Seto's finger settled on the trigger.
"Wait — calm down! I am already dead!"
Atem scrambled to his feet.
Click.
The sound came. His spine went cold, but there was no impact.
A smile settled at the corner of Seto's mouth.
"Heh. A blank."
"Ha… haha…… I see."
The strength drained out of Atem, and he stood there, forgetting even to sit.
That shot must have been a small greeting from a rival, and a bit of payback.
Deciding to see it that way and accepting it without complaint, Atem let out a breath and dismissed the room.
"Kaiba. Thank you for coming. But put that away. Otherwise I cannot tell what you came here for."
"I only followed you. Living world or afterlife, I will follow you."
Seto declared it.
It was a soft voice, something like singing, like a wind blowing through.
It was so calm that for a moment Atem found himself listening.
His reply came a little late.
"…R-right."
After that they duelled a few rounds, and talked about the living world, and about the afterlife.
Seto's manner was so calm that it made a lie of the raid he had arrived with.
"I would like to hear your voice like this every day."
"…Hm? What is that supposed to mean?"
"A simple fact. I wanted to see you."
Was "calm" really going to cover this.
"I wanted to see you as well, but…"
That he had wanted to see him was true, but the direction of it felt considerably different.
"Merely being in the same space fills me. It is as though I breathe for your sake."
"What—?!"
Calm, yes, but plainly something was wrong with him. The direction was different after all.
Who are you. Another impostor?
He suspected as much, but there was no one but Seto capable of reaching a place like this.
Regrettably, this could be no one other than Atem's rival, Seto Kaiba himself.
"What are you— You were not the sort of man who says things like that."
"That defiant face of yours is adorable. Show me all of it."
"Ado—……"
This was the afterlife.
A guest of the king, and not a man of this world.
And Seto, who almost certainly did not regard the king as a king, could hardly be handed off to anyone else.
Atem had nowhere to escape to.
He had to hold out somehow.
Atem's mind was full of confusion and dread.
Why was he doing this. Was this another form of payback?
But Seto stepped closer, still smiling. Atem retreated without meaning to. Seto closed another step and smiled gently.
"You cannot escape."
Seto had surely grasped the situation perfectly.
"Escape— I am not going to run."
In truth it was not that he would not run. He could not.
Because Atem genuinely had nowhere to go.
He had no friends in the afterlife. Duels, games, strategies from the living world — all of them powerless.
"In the living world or the afterlife, I will follow you."
"Hm? …Right."
"Good boy, Atem. I will come again."
Good boy. How long had it been since he was treated like that?
Certainly he had no memory of being treated that way by the man in front of him.
His face stiff, Atem answered.
"Ah… yes. You are coming again?"
It was not that he did not want him to. The duels had been enjoyable.
But for some reason he was being tossed about by everything else.
"You are here. What reason would there be not to come."
Payback he could have accepted without complaint.
But confronted with an incomprehensible, all-encompassing warmth that he could not accept that way, Atem could only be shaken.
The Second Visit
In pale light, Seto appeared again.
That inexplicable warmth, and gentle words too gentle to be left at gentle. The cause of his recent lack of sleep.
"You came again, Kaiba."
Flatly, but unfailingly, Seto set about shaking Atem's heart.
"Why are you surprised? You are here. It follows that I come here."
That same calm, like singing, like a wind blowing through.
Perhaps this voice was the cause.
His heartbeat quickened. He was caught between the wish to flee and a voice that was, for some reason, pleasant.
"That is… I exist in the afterlife, so I suppose it cannot be helped, but… that is…"
What on earth was this abnormal behavior.
Atem tilted his head slightly.
"Do you grow bashful every time you see me? Truly adorable."
Atem hurriedly turned his face away and answered with something like defiance.
"Ado— I am not… I am not bashful. That is not…"
He opened his mouth, and Seto's gaze stopped the words.
Seto smiled gently and drew from his pocket something resembling the communication devices Atem had grown used to in the living world.
"Atem. Take it."
"…What is this?"
"A terminal for contact between the living world and the afterlife. Let me hear your voice every day."
"Why would I do that."
"Is that defiant attitude of yours for my benefit?"
How did he arrive at that.
Atem was left with nothing to say.
But Seto closed the distance a little more than last time, and smiled.
Atem's heart jumped and his face went hot.
"Th-there is no way that is true."
Absolutely not. Atem was certain he had given a normal response.
Seto reached out lightly and touched Atem's cheek. His body twitched.
"Adorable alone is not enough. I want to know you deeply."
Those blue eyes pierced straight through him, and behind them a dark presence spread quietly, like a shadow.
"Wait… what on earth has—"
What could have happened in the time they were apart?
America had gone to his head. No — absolutely not. The strength of ego required to storm the afterlife was proof enough: this was not a man who took on anyone else's coloring.
Which was precisely why this was sincere, and why Atem had no answer.
Ignoring Atem's wordlessness, Seto's smile did not break.
"No need for concern. I had intended to move at your pace… though it seems it has become mine."
Atem tried to resist again, and no words came.
Nothing meshed at all.
It had been better in the living world. Their values differed, but it was struggle against struggle, so at least the gears had caught.
Now he had to mesh with something calm and utterly unidentifiable.
"That is not the problem…"
"Would you prefer your pace after all? Rest easy — you need only leave it to me."
This unidentifiable something was not calm. It was sweet.
Atem finally realized it.
But realizing it left him wedged between the sweetness and an indescribable darkness.
All it accomplished was to make him understand that there was no escape.
Seto continued without a pause.
"I have no intention of stealing your time. Only give me the time spent beside you."
He opened his mouth to push back, and Seto's heavy, sweet words crushed all of it.
"A-ah. That is… I will not refuse that."
Less that he would not refuse than that circumstances did not permit refusal.
Even to flee, there was nowhere to flee to.
That fact — that he could not escape — was slowly melting Atem's heart.
"I see. I would like to feel your breathing from very close, always."
Seto pressed in near.
"Wha—?"
"I want you. Let me hold you, now."
That, surely, he would refuse.
Before Atem could answer, Seto had him wrapped up tight.
"Wai— What exactly do you think you are doing!"
He resisted in words and in body, and Seto sealed every attempt.
"You do not understand? Then I will whisper it as many times as it takes. I love you."
"Hh—"
Something crawled up Atem's body in a shiver.
Perhaps displeased with the word of love he himself had spoken, Seto considered.
"A word like 'I love you' is far too light for you…"
In the living world, a little distance would have been enough to get away.
Not now. Only Seto and himself. There was no escaping.
"L-let go… Kaiba…"
He squirmed to get free of the arms, and all it did was make Seto tighten them.
"Don't move. Don't look away. Keep your eyes on me."
"Ah, ah…"
Feeling that not looking would be a loss, Atem looked up at him.
Seto smiled, satisfied.
No words came.
"As long as I have these hands, I will not hesitate to touch you."
In the silence of the afterlife, Seto's voice alone filled the space, sweet and heavy.
Eroded by that gentleness, it was not fear but the entrance to dependence.
The Third Visit
Atem stood quietly, as always.
Deep down he was aware of a part of himself wondering, slightly, whether someone might visit today as well.
But he kept his expression unchanged.
Seto's arrival was quiet. But the air carried more heat than last time.
When the figure came into view, his body stiffened for an instant.
"Atem. I have come to see you."
A low, settled voice. When it reached his ears, his chest gave a small jump.
The blue eyes were clear, and behind the usual composure a small smile flickered in and out of sight.
"You again…"
Contrary to the words, his voice lifted a little, and Atem pretended not to notice.
He had meant to say it flatly, but he could not hide the pounding of his heart.
Seto stepped closer and whispered, low and sweet. Again it was like a wind blowing through, and full of certainty.
"There is no future you could draw in which I am absent."
And at the same time, he pulled Atem into an embrace.
"Every time I hold you, I feel I have found the place I return to."
He had learned last time that resistance was futile.
Atem decided to leave the arms around him as they were.
"I-I see…"
"A good place. Though you have nowhere to hide."
The voice was sweet, and behind it a dark pressure drifted faintly.
"I— I am not going to hide."
Atem fought to conceal the slight tremor in his voice.
There was nowhere to hide and nowhere to run in any case.
Seto fixed his gaze on Atem.
"I love you. Only you."
A fastball, out of nowhere.
He had not yet prepared himself to receive those words today.
At "I love you," Atem blinked rapidly.
His mind went blank.
No words came.
"You are adorable. When you are quiet like this, my heart moves more than usual."
Atem shook his head slightly.
"Stop… do not say things like that."
Atem had no sweetness of his own to mesh against Seto's.
But Seto did not stop.
"You are precious to me. You are special to me. In all the world there is only you."
Triple Burst Stream.
High-powered words came directly for Atem's heart, to destroy it.
"Wh… what are you…"
He tried to resist, and his voice cracked.
The attack did not let up, and his thoughts could not keep pace.
Seto brought his face close and touched his lips softly to Atem's hair.
Atem went rigid, drew in a breath, and stopped breathing there.
"There is no need to force yourself to be strong. Your weakness is dear to me as well. I will make you a place to breathe."
A sweet temptation; a presence pressing in darkly, taking full advantage of the afterlife's lack of exits.
That Atem could not breathe was Seto's doing, and neither of them noticed.
Seto closed the distance further and looked into Atem's eyes.
"Listen, Atem. In all the world I desire you alone."
At those words and that gaze, the last wall in Atem's heart came near to being destroyed.
Seto's tone was calm, but the attack power of the words was overwhelming.
Atem tipped his face back, but he was in Seto's arms. There was no escape.
Deep in his chest went hot. His heart felt ready to burst.
He wanted to resist, and could not even make a sound.
Having erased the distance entirely, Seto held Atem with one arm and extended the other hand.
"You cannot refuse, can you. Merely touching you like this makes me happy."
Seto did not stop. He laid the extended hand lightly on Atem's shoulder and spoke as though whispering.
"No, an answer is unnecessary. I know. You can hide nothing in front of me. That, too, is adorable."
Atem covered his burning face with both hands.
"You know— know what… Enough… stop…"
Atem finally got a word in, and even that was feeble.
Seto tightened the arm around him.
"As if I would stop. I wish to pour love into you above all else."
His chest went hot. The breathing that had finally returned came fast. The strength to resist drained steadily away.
Atem caught his breath, and at length let out a sigh close to surrender, in a small trembling voice.
"…E-enough…"
The words shook. His face burned. His defiance was form and nothing more.
"Loving you is breathing, for me. I have no intention of stopping."
Seto's onslaught did not cease.
No help was coming. And he could not endure any more.
Atem closed his eyes and drew a deep breath.
"…Fine! I understand, so — do not say it. Do not say any more!"
Seto smiled with satisfaction and gathered Atem into both arms.
In that moment the air of the afterlife trembled sweetly, and Atem's heart was captured completely.
In an afterlife with no exits, Atem could not move.
"You… you mean it, don't you."
His voice shook again. Seto smiled, took Atem's hand gently, and kissed it.
"Are you uneasy? Try calling my name. That alone, and I will save you."
At the weight and sweetness of the words whispered at his ear, Atem's heart went on being shaken.
His defiance was being erased little by little; the wall had only just been destroyed.
His eyes grew damp.
"Kaiba, I… I am… because of you…"
The words caught.
Atem's eyes wandered.
"…I have been… thinking about you. All this time."
Seto's smile deepened.
"Words are unnecessary. It has reached me. You are in my arms, after all."
"No, I want to — properly — that is…"
Seto's eyes pierced straight through him.
Taking that heat, Atem finally spoke.
"I have… had you on my mind, too… I think it is affection…"
"So you have finally said it. I love you, Atem. If you will lean on me, I will come as many times as it takes. If you say you will not, I will come to spoil you."
In the light, Atem buried his face in Seto's chest and surrendered completely.
In a space belonging to the two of them alone, a love sweet and heavy and unmistakable passed between them.
Seto smiled and drew Atem gently to him. He let a light kiss fall, and filled the silence of the afterlife with sweetness.
The Visits Become Everyday
On the days Seto came to the afterlife, the wind appeared to stop.
As though the world held its breath to receive him.
Atem was sorting documents in his study.
From far off, hard footsteps approached. By now there was no need to wonder who.
"…You came again."
Before he could raise his voice, Seto let out a quiet breath behind him.
"'Again' is a cruel word. It feels like the first time, every time."
"How many times do you think I have heard that line."
"Then accept it as a habit."
Atem laughed faintly, and Seto did not miss the smile.
A silence in which their gazes seemed to meet across his back.
"the afterlife is quiet today as well."
"This is that kind of place. It does not overflow with noise the way the living world does."
"But as long as you are here, it is noisy enough for me."
Seto's voice was as ever like singing, calm as a wind blowing through, and yet strangely full of heat.
Atem closed the document and finally turned around.
Seto looked no different than usual. The white coat, not a wasted motion.
Only the eyes were far softer than before.
"What did you come here to do?"
"You know perfectly well. It is obvious. To look at you."
"…That is all?"
"Is a further reason required?"
The words seemed to touch his heart. Atem lowered his eyes a little.
Back in the living world he had never been looked at like this. Theirs had been a relationship only of facing off, fighting, colliding.
Now he was simply being looked at. There was no force in it, no command. As though confirming only that he existed.
"Kaiba… why did you suddenly become so ardent?"
He voiced the question he had been fretting over.
But Seto's answer failed, as usual, to mesh.
"Have you grown uneasy? At such times you need only hand me your anxieties, one at a time."
The usual sweet air began to drift in.
"Wait, that is not it — in the living world you were not like— you were different."
When he hurriedly restored the earlier mood and asked again, Seto's reaction said: oh, is that all.
"There is no one here but you and me. I can pour out love without stinting. Seen that way, the afterlife is not a bad place."
Which meant, again, that Atem had nowhere to escape to.
But he had long since arrived at resignation.
Seto looked at him, smiling calmly, happily.
"Kaiba."
"What."
"When you smile, I feel the afterlife grows a little brighter."
"That would be because it is reflected in your eyes."
Seto stepped closer.
Before Atem could measure the distance, fingers touched his cheek.
The fingertips were colder than usual. Skin still carrying the temperature of the living world dissolved into the air of the afterlife.
"Being able to touch you like this is very like a dream."
"If you think it a dream, then do not wake from it."
Seto's voice was low and deep, and for all that it spoke of dreams, terribly realistic.
Atem gave a wry smile.
"A man of the living world says a thing like that? And you, of all people."
"Living world, afterlife. Such things are irrelevant. Dream or not, the place where you are is my reality."
The moment he heard it, something deep in his chest moved quietly.
A feeling that could not be bound up in words like sweet, or kind.
Only the clear, unavoidable understanding that he was loved.
Atem gently took Seto's hand.
"…May I stay inside the dream for a while?"
Seto smiled.
"Permission is unnecessary. So long as you wish it, the dream itself will hold you."
Words carrying a frightening amount of love.
The wind of the afterlife wrapped around the two of them.
The boundary between the living world and the afterlife dissolved, and only a world consisting of the two of them remained.
