Technology bends to Kaiba like music bends to a composer. Symphonies write themselves in the cyan light at the end of his fingers, always in perfect chords, always in perfect harmony. Tuned always by constant use - he's never not thinking, he's never not working. Für Elise composes right before his eyes, right before his fingers, guided only by a singular brilliant mind and a desire for further and further.
This time, dissonance. This time, discord.
Chords that sting with disharmony. Seventh chords. One string too sharp.
brother, no! It's too much! you'll die!
im coming, atem!
( B, D, F, A, )
The listener winces as his body starts to tear apart at the barrier.
i tried to tell you kaiba, but maybe I need to show you instead.
click. click. click click click click click.
( C, C#, F, F# )
Another wince. A heart not broken, not shattered, flayed.
Too sharp. Too close.
Seto Kaiba drains the blood from his ears and starts again.
...
The chord strikes. One more time. Just one more time.
( That's a lie. )
( He would speak every broken note into existence before he gave up on Atem. )
... His stomach drops. The vehicle plummets toward the earth. It's hard to breathe. It hurts.
( D, A, F#, E )
...Light. It's all light.
Blinding light. Yellow light.
He's G-trained, able to withstand forces that push even fighter pilots, and he still grips the harness as he crosses over.
But he does cross over.
...Sunlight. And the light reflecting from the palace.
... It's a long walk. The sun is blistering. Kaiba only distantly feels it.
...And then-
Then -
( Kaiba, who is closed off to no one more than himself, on his knees in front of the window - )
( I love him. I love him. I can't stop loving him. )
( One star. And a ritual he never believed in, not even once, not even as a child - )
( Please bring him back to me. )
... He hides it well enough. Always has.
But seeing him again comes at the end of a near-drowning.
Kaiba surfaces, and he can breathe again.
