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Busy, busy, busy. You'd warned Atem he wouldn't be able to see you for the weekend due to some work that had piled up on you. He'd accepted, of course, with a grin nonetheless. Work\school\whatever is important so he knows to stay out of the way. It was late into Sunday. You had made so much progress. Almost finished. Almost done...
( It's one of those )
( It's one of those )
He hadn't, in fact, really registered how many days the other had been gone until he thought he heard that voice. The brunet's head snapped up, sharp eyes scanning each and every corner of his quiet office. It had taken a few minutes for Kaiba to be satisfied that Atem hadn't snuck in somehow, and even then left him convinced that a change of scenery might have been in order. At least this way he could convincingly lie to Mokuba and Atem that he had 'gone home'. The projector was swept up and carried with him back to the mansion, where he could work on it in his completely private underground complex.
Thankfully the CEO was left undisturbed for most of the night. The projector was almost done, only its casing lying next to it, waiting to be fitted. Kaiba was about to take a few final measurements when he was summoned quite abruptly to the front gate. Someone apparently wanted desperately to be killed tonight, it seemed.
Of course, what it really was left Kaiba surprised...and concerned. He clenched his coat closed against the weather as he stared down at the other. The security guard who had escorted Atem up to the mansion seemed just as confused as he was.
"And...you assume I run a hotel here?" Kaiba couldn't help but ask dryly. His arms crossed over his chest. "Tch. Get in." He knew he could coax the real reason out of the other as soon as he was inside.
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He followed quietly, drenched, shaking with what was most likely cold. Every step seemed to fill him more and more with dread and he couldn't put his finger on why. "I ..." Finally, "I shouldn't have come here." Yes, obviously. Not even Kaiba was happy to see him.
Before he could register his next thought, a maid arrived, phone in hand. "Kaiba-sama, I know you asked not to be disturbed but..." The way Atem was watching her was full of absolute panic. "It's the head detective of the police department."
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The CEO was ready to challenge him, but the maid interrupted. A withering glare was lowered on her. "I don't care if it's the Emperor, I asked not to be disturbed," he said darkly. "Find out what the man wants and make up something, if you have to."
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She frowned, lowering her eyes. "They're looking for Atem-sama. Something about wandering away from the scene of a crime."
That was it. The death sentence.
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With that, he moved. One hand seized the phone the maid was carrying, while the other closed firmly on Atem's shoulder. He knew damn well Atem would try to sneak off if he could, and he wasn't having it.
"Kaiba," he barked into the receiver, as if the caller needed reminding of who he was trying to contact this early in the morning.
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The detective on the other line sounded entirely too tired and too uncaring about any of this. Just a man doing his job- and one who didn't really care about the fate of the man he was looking for.
"Have you made any contact with or seen Mutou Atem in the past hour?"
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"I don't see why it would be your business to know," Kaiba replied in a tone just as uncaring. He and the police had never exactly been friends. "Generally it would be better to explain why it is you're looking for him before demanding information."
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"He was allowed to wander away from a potential crime scene." His tone giving off severe levels of disdain- someone was supposed to be watching the guy. Yet he was gone several minutes later. "His apartment building was the target of an arson. The Fire Department has filled out a lengthy report on his would-be injuries." Of course, Atem had left before he was allowed to be examined, so it was all speculation.
The man continued. "They had to pull him out from underneath a collapsed rafter." Another just as deep sigh. "I need to bring him in for questioning. The usual." Enemies, people he pissed off, a witness report, etc. "As far as I've heard it from his neighbors though he seemed a little ..." Delicate phrasing? Did he care? "Off. When they last saw him."
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"I wonder if these neighbors have ever met him before tonight," He replied to the detective, his tone unchanged. "They should know by now that the man is a little bit 'off' to begin with. Now if you're finished, don't call here again unless I give you reason to. I'm not sure why you bothered to call me about my rival. If he was going to run from the law, I doubt I would be the first on his list to come crawling to. Now if you'll excuse me, some of us still have work to do."
The phone was hung up on abruptly. "Now," Kaiba said, his tone all business. "You will explain."
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Atem hadn't exactly been watching Kaiba. He had been going through his own thoughts the entire time, even knowing he was probably in trouble. For what ... for ..
He looked up at Kaiba once the other started talking to him again. But his eyes dropped just as quickly as they'd raised. He frowned. Yes. He knew. The pain had been a very good reminder. "It's gone. All of it."
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He had a hard time trusting the detective's explanation. The Domino police had never been the most fastidious on just checking on victims. There had to be some suspicion placed on Atem for something, or they wouldn't waste the energy trying to track him down.
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His head stayed turned away. "I tried to get out but-" His hands clenched at his sides. "I went back for..." One hand moved to his hip, underneath the worn out hoodie to that box around his belt. The only thing left. Of course. His deck. "They must have thought I was chasing someone but I wasn't. It was why I got ...."
His eyes closed tightly. "Forget it. I shouldn't have come here." He just wanted to run. He had nowhere to go now but he needed to leave. He just couldn't breathe anymore.
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He stepped forward, trying to guide Atem up the stairs where the master bathroom and the materials it contained was waiting. "If you are going to try and run from this, at least do it when you are capable of outrunning them," Kaiba added dryly.
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He backed away from Kaiba, ironically going exactly where the other was prompting him to go. When his hand hit the banister he looked up those stairs. His tone lessened. "I'm fine. You should get back to work. I'll find someone to stay with..." A friend. Hm. Yuugi? Jonouchi?
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"Where exactly do you plan to go?" He asked sharply. "Your pet idiots won't be able to protect you at all if someone spots you. One policeman could kick right through the rotten door of that game shop. I'd hate to see what work they would make of the mutt's doghouse. That doesn't even include the press, either."
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"I'll talk to the police." Maybe giving them nothing but with them thinking he was important for something would make them keep him. At least then he'd have somewhere to stay without causing any trouble for anyone. ...yes, that felt like a good plan. He moved towards the other now instead of backwards again. "Go back to work. I'm fine." After saying so he tried to step aside the other.
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