Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

The name “Kaiba” was a name deeply entrenched in Japanese history. Scholars, healers, educators, it seemed that no matter what book you looked at, the name “Kaiba” was written somewhere.

Then, the family had started gaining political power. First as advisors to the emperors, and then eventually joining and becoming the reigning family. Oftentimes, this was a good thing, as the emperors would lead the country into peace, prosperity and technological advancement.

Others… well, not so much.

Gozaburo Kaiba was never supposed to be the Emperor of Japan. He had been born the spare, the second born son of Emperor Michihito and Empress Emiko. He was supposed to be an ambassador for the country, cutting ribbons and meeting with foreign dignitaries. Never had anyone expected Prince Takehiro to die so suddenly, and without an heir.

There were rumors, of course, that Gozaburo had been the mastermind behind Prince Takehiro’s demise, but Gozaburo had played the part of a dutiful devastated younger brother overwhelmed with the sudden thrust into the political spotlight so masterfully, that the rumors were quelled almost immediately.

Gozaburo did everything that was expected of him as the heir to the throne. He continued to meet with foreign dignitaries, but was of course highly encouraged to keep an eye on the Japanese upper class, in order to find a bride for after he graduated from his university studies (a mandate made by his father to ensure the heir to the throne would have an exceptional, well-rounded education).

During Gozaburo’s studies, a man named Sugoroku Mutou, a prominent archaeologist and game master, discovered the lost tomb of the Nameless Pharaoh, a relic that people had been searching for for thousands of years, hoping to solve the riddle of the missing pharaoh.

Emperor Michihito was a fan of history, and invited Sugoroku to the Imperial Palace to bestow an award upon him and thank him for his dedication to his craft. Sugoroku arrived with his own wife and teenage sons.

“Doctor Mutou! How honored we are to have you in our palace,” the Emperor said with a wide smile and arms open in greeting. They were in the throne room, Emperor and Empress on the familiar seats and Gozaburo standing to Michihito’s left, looking somewhat bored with the proceedings.

The Mutou family dropped into deep bows as they approached, but only Sugoroku spoke in reply.

“Thank you, Your Imperial Majesty. I had no idea you were such a big fan of history. This is my wife, Yua, and our sons Takeo and Genji,” Sugoroku replied, and one by one each member of the family went into a deeper bow in front of the Emperor, Empress, and Crown Prince.

“Rise, please, all of you, Emperor Michihito asked with a kind smile. “You are our guests, and I cannot wait to hear what you have to say about how exactly you found that tomb, Sugoroku. The press offices were very brief. I even called around to countries like The United States, Spain and the Philippines to make sure you hadn’t let it slip to them first!”

A nervous laugh escaped Sugoroku. “No, of course not, Your Imperial Majesty. I would never allow anyone but someone from Japan to find out what I did first. When I heard you wanted a meeting, I knew you had to be the first to know exactly how I did it. Hopefully no one else will try, because it was a rather difficult journey, not for the faint of heart.”

“Gozaburo, I trust you would never take on such a journey?” Michihito questioned with a raised brow.

“Of course not, Father. Egyptian history does not hold my interest,” Gozaburo replied smoothly.

Sugoroku masked a look of disappointment toward the crown prince. It was something most people in Japan had been practicing since the death of Crown Prince Takehiro and Gozabruo’s rise to being the heir.

“Come, we have tea set up in the palace garden. Afterward, Gozaburo shall take your sons on a tour of the palace.”

“That sounds amazing, Your Imperial Majesty!” Genji - the elder of the two Mutou boys - said with a wide smile. “I’ve always wondered how this place was engineered to stand so tall for so long.”

“Genji don’t say such a stupid thing in front of the Imperial Family!” Takeo hissed, giving the elder a look of shock and horror.

The Empress simply laughed softly. “It’s quite alright, Takeo. The Imperial Palace and its grounds are quite an engineering marvel. I don’t blame your brother for being so interested. Do you like engineering, Genji?”

Genji, apparently only just realizing who exactly he was speaking to, straightened up and brushed a loose piece of fuzz from his suit jacket. “Um - yes Your Imperial Majesty. I want to study it when I reach university next year.”

Empress Emiko smiled broadly as she rose to her feet and gestured for the family to start heading toward the lush garden. “Is that so? That’s wonderful, truly it is. I wish you the best of luck in that endeavor. And I'm sure you will learn much from Gozaburo's tour to help you."

“T-Thank you Your Imperial Majesty,” Genji said nervously. As he followed the royal family outside, he walked a bit like the robots he so dreamed of creating one day, much to the amusement of the adults around him.

“So you want to go into engineering?” Gozaburo asked, sipping at his tea when all were seated and relaxed in the perfectly manicured gardens and under the large umbrella to keep the sun a safe distance away. “What do you expect to create that will improve Japan in the future? Keep in mind I will be the Emperor one day.”

“Of course Your Imperial Highness. I want to improve medical technology by designing safer robots for intricate surgeries,” Genji said. “If a doctor’s hands begin to shake, or if there’s a vein or an artery that’s just too delicate, a robot, piloted by a human, would be the next best thing, in my eyes. I also want to work on more safety features for cars.”

“A son of many talents you have there, Sugoroku,” Emperor Michihito laughed. “But those are noble desires. The safety of the Japanese people is the greatest duty I have as the emperor. It is a lesson I hope Gozaburo will take to heart once he takes the throne.”

“Father, it is my intention to continue building upon your illustrious legacy,” Gozaburo said with a smile that didn’t quite meet his eyes. “It is the least I can do, especially in the aftermath of Takehiro’s death. The Kaiba name will be celebrated for centuries to come.”

The emperor chuckled softly and gave his son a grin. “Of that, I have no doubt, my son. You have always been ambitious.”

What Gozaburo might have missed in his father’s gaze was the concern that flickered through it. There had been a reason Gozaburo had not been trained to become the Emperor (a tradition that had been ignored by Michihito after centuries), and that was, well… his personality. He knew his son was ambitious and charismatic, both excellent qualities for a leader, but Gozaburo was also cold, and, loath as the emperor was to admit it, it wouldn’t have surprised him in the slightest if his son had been behind Takehiro’s death. But he couldn’t say such a thing, nor could he do anything. Takehiro and Gozaburo were his only sons, he had no grandchildren yet, and he had no nephews (and his younger brother was already gone). To suggest that his son had killed the heir to the throne would only serve to show instability in the family, and the outbreak of a war for the throne was not something he wanted to deal with - the Japanese people deserved peace, and happiness.

He just hoped that he would do enough in his life before he died that would mitigate any harm Gozaburo might cause to the country. His aides and advisors knew his plans, but he had no reason to believe Gozaburo would listen - charismatic and ambitious as he was, he was stubborn to a fault, and liked things done his way.

Perhaps he would find a wife that was equally as stubborn. One that would be able to stand up for him and keep his head on straight. Michihito liked to think he was a calm, sensible leader, but there had been moments in his long reign where Emiko had to talk him through things and explain to him why his plans hadn’t made sense or why they would only cause more trouble. A woman like that might be the key to keeping Gozaburo’s reign on track into the future.

If only his son seemed interested in finding such a woman - or any woman, really.

“Father, may I show Genji and Takeo around the palace now?” Gozaburo asked.

“Of course, son. Go ahead. We will be here.”

“This is the armory. It contains weapons stretching as far back as the 800s,” Gozaburo explained as they stepped into a low-lit room. “This is one of the areas of the palace that is open to visitors most days. The palace was, of course, closed to tours because of your family’s visit.”

Genji whispered lowly and peered at a crude, early version of a pistol. “Wow… hard to imagine how far we’ve come in terms of technology. And I can’t believe your father would close the palace tours down just because of our family. Seems like a bit much.”

Takeo rolled his eyes when he thought Genji wasn’t paying attention. “But we are humbled that he would do so. It means so much to us that your father would be so kind to us.”

“I never suggested we weren’t, Takeo,” Genji said, and Gozabruo recognized the telltale twitch of Genji resisting the urge to run his hand through his tied-back hair. His brother had had that same habit, and it had endlessly annoyed Gozaburo. Genji, at least, seemed to recognize it was a bad plan at the moment.

Gozaburo gave the brothers the ghost of a smile. “Well, of course. Your father has brought a great honor to Japan and to the world. Discovering the Nameless Pharaoh’s tomb… My brother was interested in Ancient Egypt. He’d have been thrilled to know that a Japanese person was the one to solve the mystery. You both are lucky to still have each other.”

Ah, there was that delicious guilt in Genji’s eyes. Gozaburo loved these moments - where he could see people squirm. While his father was around, he couldn’t enjoy it nearly as much, and he still had to be careful even in his lessons less some stupid commoner decide to gossip about the royal family,

Genji’s head bowed. “We know we are, Your Imperial Highness.”

“Truly, we do.”

“Good. Now, if you follow me this way, I’ll show you the room of portraits. Father’s portrait will be hung in a ceremony later this week. The media and Father’s dignitaries will be there,” Gozaburo explained.

“It sounds like a great time, Your Imperial Highness,” Genji said. “A milestone for your father, at least.”

“Indeed, it will be. Ruling for twenty years is an achievement in itself,” Gozaburo agreed, stepping into the portrait gallery and flicking the light on. “These are all the portraits we have of former emperors, down to my many times great-grandfather… and beyond them, but…” he trailed off. Now wasn't the time to brag about the name Kaiba. Genji and Takeo were already aware of how great the family was, given the Mutou’s were now getting a name made for themselves.

“They’re beautiful, your Imperial Highness,” Takeo said. “It’s fascinating to see how the styles of art have changed over the centuries. Will your father’s portrait be in a more modern art style as well?”

“He decided to have two done. One in the modern style like my grandfather’s and then an ancient style. The modern one will be displayed here and the ancient one will be in the greeting hall,” Gozaburo explained. “As a celebration of his twentieth year on the throne.”

Genji smiled a little. “May he have many more healthy years in the future.”

Gozaburo nodded in agreement. Or, as much agreement as he could muster. As much as he loved his father, the truth was, he was desperate to take the throne for himself. There was so much he wanted to do, so much he needed to do, and right now, his father was in the way of that. Yes, he was still too young to take the throne himself, still being in high school, but still…

The sound of footsteps caught his attention, and he looked up to find a woman with red hair entering the room.

“Miss Nakamura… is that you?” he questioned with a raised brow.

Miaka Nakamura didn’t seem to realize he’d been in the room, and her face briefly flashed with fear before she hid it and dipped into a deep bow. “Your - your Imperial Highness! Good morning. My apologies, I had no idea you were in here.”

Gozaburo gave what his mother had taught him was a polite smile. “It matters not. What are you doing here?”

“My father was working on the menu for your father’s twenty year celebration. He was hoping to get inspiration from the past,” Miaka explained. Gozaburo could see the fear in her eyes, avoiding looking him directly in the eyes and instead looking over his shoulder. “He thought the backgrounds of some of the paintings for the previous emperors might help.”

Ugh, the past. What was with everyone’s obsession with the past? His father, now his father’s chef?

“You know you have the freedom to look around here. Ah, I don’t believe you’ve met Genji and Takeo Mutou. Their father Sugoroku was the one to discover the Nameless Pharaoh’s tomb. Father and Mother are with him now,” Gozaburo said.

Miaka’s eyes widened as she looked at the Mutou brothers. “Oh! I heard about your father on the news! It’s nice to meet you both. I’m Miaka Nakamura… my father is the head chef here.”

“It’s ah - it’s nice to meet you, Miss Nakamura,” Genji said. Strange. He was stuttering over his words. He hadn’t done that even to Gozaburo. “If your father needs help with historical foods, maybe our father can help? He’s got connections.”

Miaka blinked in surprise. “Oh - yeah, I think my father would appreciate that a lot, actually, thank you. I’ll give you my number.”

Numbers were exchanged with flutters of nervous hands, and Gozaburo could only watch, baffled, but he said nothing. He could, potentially, use both of them to his advantage in the future, and ruining it now would not be good for him.

“How would your family feel about being invited to the gala for my father?” Gozaburo asked, clasping his hands behind his back after Miaka walked away back toward the kitchen. “After all, my father seems to be taken with yours. I think he would enjoy hearing more of his stories.”

Takeo stared at him in surprise, and Gozaburo could already see the wheels turning in the younger Mutou’s head. It reminded him of himself in a way. “That’s… an incredible honor, Your Imperial Highness. Thank you.”

Genji nodded. “We will have to discuss it with our parents but… I can’t imagine they would say no.”

Of course they wouldn’t say ‘no’. No one said that to the Emperor unless they were being reminded not to do something against the wishes of their leader, and it was something Gozaburo loved to take advantage of.

Gozaburo led the brothers to the records room, where old historical records of censuses, maps, trade agreements, and agricultural notices of the past stayed under lock and key, avoiding the dusts of time trying to drown them.

“Our family is nothing if not excellent at making sure we stay in the public record,” he attempted to joke as he watched Takeo glance at an old school roll. “My ancestor started a school in his village and rose to become the advisor of an emperor, and then his son became the heir to the next one, and that’s how we started our prosperous reign.”

“It’s quite impressive that your family has managed to stay in power for so long,” Genji said. “I suppose that just shows your talent for ruling.” There was something in Genji’s voice that was going unsaid, but Gozaburo couldn’t figure out what it was.

Annoying. He would have to think about this later tonight.

“Your Imperial Highness… your father is looking for you in the garden,” he heard one of their assistants say from the doorway.

Gozaburo sighed and turned to face him. “Fine, fine, we’ll be right there. Genji, Takeo, I hope you enjoyed your tour of the palace.”

“Of course, your majesty. It was an honor to be shown around by you. I doubt many people can say that.”

Genji was right, of course. It was hardly Gozaburo’s job to show peasants around the palace. But his father was still the Emperor, and even Gozaburo had to listen to him.

One day… one glorious day, he would be the one in charge, and then he could finally shape Japan into his own vision, and the world would soon see exactly why it was a good thing that Gozaburo Kaiba managed to take the throne instead of his elder brother.

Gozaburo threw himself into his studies, determined to prove to any naysayers that might have existed that he was the one meant to rule, that he would be the best that this country would ever have - and that he would plunge Japan into the future. A future where he could keep tabs on his subjects, and make sure there truly were no naysayers. And if there were, well…

He wouldn’t want to be one of them.

“Gozaburo… have you started looking for a bride yet?”

Gozaburo hid a scowl as he bowed to his father. It had been a long day, and he really didn’t want to have this conversation yet again. “I look every day, Father, but as of yet, there is no girl that has truly caught my attention at school.” He was twenty now, attending the best university in Japan, and would soon be traveling abroad to Yale in the United States, so he understood his father’s urgency.

His father sighed a little. “No, I understand how difficult it can be. Which is why I had Oshita put together a file of some of the eligible bachelorettes in Japan for you to take a look at. I am not saying this will be an arranged marriage. I do not want you to treat this as if it were. Go on dates, and see who you have the most in common with.”

Gozaburo took the folder as he sat down at the dinner table. “Yes father, of course. I will be a perfect gentleman.”

“You had better be, Gozaburo. Our reputation and our country is at stake.”

Yes yes, he was well aware of all the rules and regulations his father had put on him when it came to finding a wife. A respectable woman, Japanese-born (which would remove most women he would meet in the United States), which narrowed the dating pool down quite considerably. He was surprised that his parents hadn’t decided to just give him an arranged marriage. It would probably save all of them a headache.

No matter. He would work with his father’s list. He would just have to be careful as to how many people saw him playing the dating field. He certainly wouldn’t want to gain a reputation as some sort of womanizer. That would hardly be fitting for a Kaiba.

Gozaburo sipped his dinner wine and pressed a kiss of greeting to his mother’s cheek when she entered the room. The din of normal evening conversation filled the ornate dining room, until the food started coming out of the kitchen. When the door to the kitchen opened, he could hear boisterous, loud conversation and laughter, and furrowed his brow.

“Hiro, what in the world is happening in the kitchen?” his mother asked with a small smile on her face. “It sounds like good news.”

Hiro looked behind him at the closed door and the now muffled laughter. “Oh - that’s Yoshito, ma’am. He just found out that Miaka is engaged.”

Gozaburo raised a brow. He hardly would have thought that introducing Genji and Miaka to each other four years ago would lead to an engagement. Especially while they were still in university. What an interesting little development he would tuck away for later. He didn’t know what they could do for him, but surely he would be able to think of something.

Emiko clasped her hands together in delight. “How lovely! Miaka and Genji make such a sweet couple, don’t you think, dear?”

He could already see the wedding ideas swirling around in his mother’s head. Miaka’s mother had passed away years before, and his mother had formed a close, mother-like relationship with her in the aftermath of it.

His father chuckled. “Indeed, my dear. They seem quite happy together. The exact sort of relationship I hope to see our son emulate one day soon.”

If he wasn’t so obvious, Gozaburo would have ground his teeth together at his father’s insinuation. He was Gozaburo Kaiba - the man destined to be Emperor. He could do everything and anything he set his mind to. And no one, not his father, not any advisors, and certainly none of the citizens of Japan, were going to stop him.

Chapter Text

The future empress would end up being a woman named Irisa Kasai, an economics major at Gozaburo’s university, and the daughter of a military general. She was a kind, gentle woman, but she knew the importance of her future position in the world. She would be an excellent role model for the young girls in the world, and got along well with most people, which would help with Japan’s relationship with other countries. As much as he disagreed with his father about how to run the country, international relations was something he absolutely agreed with - he knew it was important to keep sweet with countries in terms of trade and tourism.

The wedding was elaborate, of course, with guests from all around the world - if the country’s leader, or heir, hadn’t made it, other delegates were sent in their place. It had been an excellent way to show the world what the future emperor and empress would be able to do, and Irisa performed beautifully. Gozaburo didn’t know if it was love he felt for his bride, not quite yet but… he was certainly quite happy with his choice to marry her and elevate her status in life.

And that happiness only grew when she blessed him with not one, but two very healthy sons, the same way his mother had blessed his father. With the future secure, there would be no reason for people to question the stability of the royal family, not when another generation was healthy and capable to follow in his footsteps whenever he took the crown.

And he could feel the heaviness of the job slowly beginning to press down upon him. His father had been taking ill more frequently, and he could tell that the doctors were concerned.

“Gozaburo… how are you feeling?” Irisa asked him.

“I’m fine. President Owens is set to arrive right on time, and the chefs have everything prepared and in the warmers or coolers, ah, and mother has promised that she will make an appearance on Father’s behalf,” he replied, eyes rolling over the paperwork in front of him. The President of the United States was en route, and he needed to make sure the details for the evening were completely set in stone.

“That’s not what I mean,” Irisa said, breaking him from his thoughts. “I mean how are you feeling about your father…?”

Gozaburo leaned back against the chair he was in. It was a fair question, really. His father was a great man, and had led Japan for thirty-five successful years. He had inspired people and had given much to the causes he truly believed in, though Gozaburo laughed at what exactly those causes were. However… Gozaburo couldn’t deny that he was excited, eager for the chance to take the crown for himself.

“I just hope my father’s passing is peaceful,” he chose to say. Though Irisa saw more of him than the media ever dared to imagine, there were still some things he kept to himself. “I think that is what he deserves after shouldering the burden of being the emperor for so long. A peaceful journey to the next life.”

Irisa nodded, glancing over at the boys, who seemed to be too wrapped up in their Duel Monsters cards to be paying attention to their parents’ serious conversation. Or rather, Seto was trying to organize his cards and Mokuba was trying to see all the pretty pictures. Seto didn’t seem to care though, and patiently waited for Mokuba to look at them before they were sorted. “Gozaburo… promise me you won’t be too hard on Seto when the time comes. Let him be a boy for a little longer before he has to be a prince.”

Seto was a brilliant boy, excelling at a rapid pace through his lessons, and only eight years old. Gozaburo knew he was going to make an excellent emperor one day, but he had to apply himself, not pay attention to silly games. Irisa, though, encouraged it, and Gozaburo, not wanting to give anyone any ammunition against the Kaiba name, so he would allow the games… for now.

“I promise, Irisa,” he said, giving her what on Gozaburo’s face was a kind smile. “But we are going to have to tell him that his life is going to change soon enough.”

Irisa nodded again and looked over at the boys. “I know. And we will, before… it happens. He will be a great emperor one day. He is so kind and open and so, so smart.”

Gozaburo followed her gaze and nodded. “Yes, he will be a force to be reckoned with when he gets older.” There was something in his son that he could sense - a hunger to be the best, to stand at the top; the very same things Gozaburo felt in himself. He knew he needed to keep that ambition going in his son - there would be no weakness in the Kaiba name. His sons would be strong, and he would make sure that Mokuba was prepared for the throne as well, unlike when Gozaburo had suddenly and unexpectedly been put in this position.

“Your Imperial Highness? President Owens is ten minutes out,” Hobson, the family’s butler, said, wiping a bead of sweat from his brow.

“Thank you Hobson. Boys? Come on, put the cards away. It’s time to greet President Owens.”

“Papa, who’s that?” Mokuba asked, bored now that Seto was packing the cards away in his box.

Gozaburo forced himself to chuckle. “President Alexandra Owens is the president of the United States, Mokuba. She just took office this year, and this is going to be her first time in Japan. You boys will be on your best behavior, right?” he asked with a raised brow.

“Of course, Father,” Seto said with a smile. “We can let her know all about Japan. Maybe she would like to see the hall of portraits!”

Ah, the past. His son was too much like his grandfather sometimes. When were people going to focus on the future instead of the past? Yes, Gozaburo was glad his photo would hang in the hall one day, but that didn’t mean people had to be dragged through it to look at him. His mark was going to be all over Japan before he was through being the emperor.

“Perhaps she would. She is on a rather tight schedule though. But we can see if she can fit it in,” Irisa said, cutting off Gozaburo’s protest. “Come on, let’s go tell her hello.”

Gozaburo smoothed a hand down Mokuba’s hair, trying once again in vain to tame it. Honestly, where the erratic hair his youngest had came from he would never understand. Both families kept their hair neat and tidy, but Mokuba must have gotten some mutant gene from a long-dead ancestor or something.

Outside, he could see the press already lined up along the drive, waiting for the motorcade to arrive. Luckily, the news of the new president’s visit had overshadowed - for the most part - his father’s ill health. It wasn’t unusual for Gozaburo to greet foreign guests, after all, and since Seto was the heir, it was time that he started learning as well.

“Put on your suit jacket, Mokuba. It’s chilly outside,” Irisa said.

Sloppy dress would not do, so Gozaburo raised a brow at his younger son, who quietly complied and put the jacket on just as the palace gates opened and President Owens’ car pulled in.

“Welcome to Japan, Madam President,” Gozaburo greeted, smiling a little as she bowed politely (it was nice having other world leaders bend to him), and did so in return. “I am sorry my father could not meet with you.”

Claudia Owens shook her head as she followed the family inside. “It isn’t a problem, Imperial Highness. I do wish him well though.”

Gozaburo inclined his head. “My family appreciates that, very much.”

How dire his father’s health was hadn’t made it to other world leaders. Good. Despite his mixed feelings on his father, the last thing the man needed in his dying days was the press hounding him, or, God forbid, hounding his emotionally fragile mother.

“I’m looking forward to what Japan and the United States can do for each other. Right now, I’m pushing for environmental reform and better access to public transit.”

“I believe we can help you when it comes to public transit. Our trains are some of the best in the world,” Irisa said with a polite smile. “I believe Kenji would be willing to help, wouldn’t he, Gozaburo?”

Gozaburo nodded. “I believe so, yes. I’m quite interested in how the U.S. developed technology to suck pollutants out of the air to use for fuel. We can work out some sort of trade agreement, I’m sure.”

Over tea, a deal was struck - Gozaburo’s first major agreement with a foreign leader. 

Later that night, Michihito was dead, and Gozaburo's era began.

To Gozaburo, his era meant he focused on technology. Phones became smaller, more portable, and connected to the Internet, an invention not due to Gozaburo or anyone in Japan, but an invention he was happy to take advantage of. Japan flourished, technologically, with high speed internet, robots to help with intricate medical procedures, and drones… Gozaburo quite liked drones. They helped keep an eye on things in Japan, if there were any detractors to his reign, and drones were also innocent enough that whatever Gozaburo did with them, people didn’t question it, because people had drones for a lot of things. Photography, insurance purposes… even scientists used them to track wild animal populations.

Yes, he was quite happy with how drones were helping him keep Japan in line.

He was not able to keep his son in line, however. Seto was a brilliant mind, the top of all of his classes, and Gozaburo had actually allowed him to skip whatever classes he needed if it meant getting ahead but… he was distracted by that damn Duel Monsters game, to the point where he competed against others. Gozaburo had allowed it, and Seto was an excellent player, ranking high and even being the champion of Japan for several years, but he had been thinking about what Seto would need to do for him in order to keep him in these stupid competitions, and Gozaburo had finally figured out what that was going to be.

Seto was going to forfeit his right to choose a bride.

The last thing Seto needed was more distraction, since he was so hyper focused on Duel Monsters, that getting distracted by women would do him no good. He was already in college a year before most people had even graduated high school - the sooner they got his future marriage squared away, the better.

There was a young woman he had in mind, one from a family Gozaburo knew he could trust, from a family that had been taking care of the Kaibas for generations. One more favor would hardly hurt them.

“Gozaburo, are you certain this is the best path forward?” Irisa asked quietly. “Surely there is another thing he can do than you taking this choice away from him.”

“Something must be done. He is already too distracted by Duel Monsters to be distracted by women as well. Besides, she will make an excellent addition to our family, don’t you think?” Gozaburo said.

Irisa sighed. “You know I love spending time with them, I just worry that neither of them will actually love each other.”

Even after all these years, Gozaburo could honestly say he wasn’t sure he truly loved Irisa, not in the way movies and television shows seemed to think people should love each other, but it was something he would never tell her - the last thing he wanted was to cause the family to look shaky on anything.

“Even if it isn’t love, they will build a mutual respect with each other, I’m sure,” Gozaburo said, trying his best to give Irisa a smile.

“Your Imperial Majesty? Your guests have arrived, and Prince Seto is waiting for you at the bottom of the staircase.”

“Thank you Isono,” Gozaburo said. “Tell our guests we’re on our way.”

Isono bowed and quickly left the room. He had only been here a few years, but he was the best of all the guards at keeping Seto and Mokuba in line. Gozaburo was pleased.

“Father, what is this meeting about?” Seto asked. His spine was straight, his chin tilted up just so as a show of his authority, and his hands were relaxed at his side. Excellent. Even though Duel Monsters distracted him, it seemed like it wasn’t permanent.

Or at least, Gozaburo would make sure it wasn’t.

“You will find out in a moment, Seto,” Gozaburo said, gesturing to Seto to follow them into the sitting room.

“Genji, Miaka, Reika, thank you for meeting with us today,” Gozaburo said politely as he gestured in return to their bows of respect. “Please, make yourselves comfortable.”

Genji and Miaka’s daughter, Reika, was Seto’s age, and also in the dueling circles with her cousin, Yugi, though not as prominent. Sure, it was not an ideal match, but  the people who already liked Seto due to his love of dueling were bound to enjoy that their future rulers were both duelists, and if there was one thing Gozaburo cared about, it was appearances.

The Mutou family did so, hands folded in laps, but it was Genji who ended up speaking. “Your Imperial Majesties, what’s this about?”

“I have a proposition for the both of you that I think you’ll be very happy with,” Gozaburo began, his lips curling up just slightly. “I propose that we enter Seto and Reika into an arranged marriage, for when they’re older.”

He could see the jerking reactions immediately. Reika’s head snapped over to her parents, eyes wide with fear. Genji’s jaw had clenched and unclenched several times, and Miaka had placed a hand on Genji’s in order to try and calm him down. Gozaburo was a little surprised, honestly - what peasant wouldn’t want to marry into the ruling family? He could provide them with anything they desired, and all they had to do was agree to a marriage that wouldn’t even happen for half a decade or so. Twenty five, perhaps. That was a decent age to get married, and the bride and groom would be adults at that point, finished with their studies and established in their lives.

Seto had reacted to, though to his credit, the only flinching he did was curl his fingers into a fist.

“What - ah, what made you think of this, Your Imperial Majesty?” Miaka asked, her voice a little scratchy, like she was swallowing back fear. “This is rather sudden.”

“I apologize for catching you off guard. However, I believe this is in Seto and Reika’s best interests. Seto will be able to continue his studies and lessons about being an Emperor without distraction, and Reika gets the biggest elevation anyone could ever hope to achieve, and more of a platform for her musical talents. I have heard she intends to major in piano performance once she enters university, isn’t that right?” Gozaburo said, eyes swiveling to the girl.

“Yes, Your Imperial Majesty,” Reika murmured, hands clenched so tightly in her lap he could see the color leaching from them.

Gozaburo could see something in her gaze, though it was quickly dropped to her lap, her hands relaxing just slightly so they could return to their pinkish hue. 

Calculating, a look he often saw in his son. It could be useful, if it was harnessed correctly. Thankfully she was on their side instead of the side of someone who wanted to bring harm to the Kaiba family.

“Father, may Reika and I take a walk? I would like to show her around her… future home,” Seto remarked suddenly. “I would like to start with the garden.”

“Hm? Yes, yes, that’s fine. There are some details I would like to finalize with her parents anyway,” Gozaburo said, dismissing them with a wave of his hand. How strange, it felt like centuries ago, his father had done the same thing with himself and the Mutou brothers, a fateful day that had led to this moment.

Seto rose to his feet and extended a hand to Reika, who took it as she rose to hers, and the two teens swept from the room.

Gozaburo settled back in his chair and grinned. “This is the beginning of a beautiful partnership.”

There was nothing but anger as Seto led Reika through the palace to the gardens. How dare his father do this? While he had known marriage was expected of him, and while he knew there were certainly worse brides out there than Reika, having the choice ripped away from him was infuriating. Really, it was just another set of bullshit rules set upon him by his father - rules Seto knew were made especially for him.

“I’m sorry,” he said when he knew they were alone. Isono was giving them enough space that Seto’s words didn’t reach him. “You shouldn’t be tangled up in this mess.”

“Thank you,” Reika replied, her spine was straight, yet her eyes never fully met his gaze. “I take it this was news to you as well?”

He nodded. “Yes, I suspect Father did this due to my involvement with Duel Monsters. He’s tried to stop me from playing for years, but somehow I convinced him it made the family look good. I was naive to think he wouldn’t have agreed without wanting some sort of payment or deal on my end.”

Exerting even that small amount of independence from his father had come at a cost, and he didn’t just mean this current arranged marriage. But if that was what had to be done to ensure Mokuba’s and his mother’s safety, it was a price Seto was more than happy to pay… and now he had Reika that needed protecting as well.

“What happens now then? Your father seemed to imply that I’m not marrying you the second I graduate high school,” Reika questioned.

“Father likes to surround himself with successful people. You will attend your university and get your degree as normal. Where have you thought of going anyway?”

“The plan was Kyoto, but I’m starting to think I should broaden my horizons and go elsewhere in the world.”

How lucky she was to even have that option.

“I’m sure wherever you go, they will be lucky to have you. You have quite the talent.”

Knowing her since infancy helped this whole thing. They had watched each other grow, had gone to the same Duel Monsters events, and he had watched her perform several times for various events put on by the family.

“Thank you, Your Imperial Highness. That is high praise coming from you.”

It was a manufactured response, one he had heard hundreds of times for hundreds of things, which meant he couldn’t be sure if she truly believed in his compliment.

“If you decide to attend a university outside Japan, where will you go?” he asked.

“Julliard might be nice. It’s in the United States. In New York City.”

Ah. The other side of the planet. He couldn’t blame her for wanting to travel so far.

“Then I have faith you will get into Julliard,” he said. “We don’t have to be enemies in this, Reika.”

“This is just a lot to take in right now, S - Your Imperial Highness. It is not a slight against you.”

Seto nodded and gestured for her to sit with him on one of the marble benches his grandmother had installed. “I understand. It’s a lot for me to take in as well. Were you… already seeing someone?”

“Me? No, not at all. Domino High frowns upon students being in relationships anyway, so... You, though, you were rumored to be dating Egypt’s dueling champion, weren’t you? Kisara Al-Malak?”

Seto scoffed a little. “That was just a short teenage fling. Don’t worry, you aren’t breaking her heart by being in a relationship with me.”

“That’s good, I know Yugi would hate to have to destroy her and break her heart further in this year’s world championships.”

He raised a brow. “It’s awfully bold of you to assume Yugi will be Japan’s Duel Monster’s champion this year.”

“The way you dueled last year I don’t think he has much to worry about.”

That was something he liked about Reika, that she could hold her own in conversation with him, even if she was still a little hesitant to interact with him at all given their different stations in life… though, he realized, that had rapidly changed. She was on equal footing with him now, technically. She could say such things without worry that he would retaliate against her except with biting sarcasm.

Unlike his father.

“Miss Mutou, your parents are looking for you,” Isono suddenly said. “They’ve finished their work with His Imperial Majesty.”

There was a look of relief that flickered on Reika’s face, before she rose to her feet, following Seto’s movement. “Thank you, Isono. Goodbye Your Imperial Highness. I suppose I’ll see you soon.”

Seto nodded and took her hand before she was able to step away. “Goodbye, Miss Mutou. And by the way…” He brought her hand up to his lips, kissing the back of it gently. “You can call me Seto now. We are to be married, after all.”

He didn’t miss the flush on her cheeks before she pulled away. “Goodbye, Seto.”

When she had followed Isono back inside, he waited until they’d disappeared down the hall before following them, meeting his father in the hallway. Good, just what he wanted.

“Father, may I speak to you?”

Gozaburo paused in putting a cigar to his lips (in defiance to his personal doctor, Seto knew), and sighed. “Very well. We can speak in my office. Fuguta, inform the other guards and our family members that we are not to be disturbed.”

“Yes, of course Your Imperial Majesty,” Fuguta said, bowing and leaving them to walk to the office alone.

Seto knew what this meant - he had to choose his wording carefully unless he wanted another permanent reminder of what happened to those who dared to defy him. Though no one, even Seto, was able to prove that Gozaburo was eradicating political enemies and detractors, the fact that people seemed to be going missing once in a while spoke volumes.

That would not happen when he was Emperor. No, when he was the Emperor, he wanted to look into the future, and more importantly, he wanted his subjects to be happy, no matter what they thought of him.

And he would make sure the family name was able to live on for good reasons, Gozaburo would just be a terrible footnote in history, a nightmare Japan would be able to wake up from.

“Well? What is it, Seto? I have a meeting to get to,” Gozaburo grumbled as he took a seat behind his desk, lighter flashing and the stench of cigar beginning to fill the air. “I will be informing the governors of your betrothal.”

“I will not take up too much of your time, Father, I promise,” he said. The first time he’d done this, his stomach had been in knots, but now it felt as easy as breathing. He was numb to these games, numb to anything Gozaburo could do to him and him alone. “I want to make sure Reika stays safe before she enters our family. With her still being in school and doing public events on Suroguku’s behalf.”

Gozaburo raised a brow. “You know I will see to it that she remains safe. It would do no good for her to be injured or killed before she marries you and produces an heir.”

That had his stomach rolling. The fact that his father could discuss that so casually, like he and Reika were nothing but cattle, made him ill.

“I don’t just mean safe. I mean happy. I do not want you to control what she does or doesn’t do. She will not be the heir to the throne, I am.”

“She will be at your side and it would not do for her to be an embarrassment to our family.”

Seto’s eyes narrowed. “That isn’t fair, Father. You know Reika, you have for years. Her interests are music and Duel Monsters and there is zero reason to believe she would bring harm to the name Kaiba.” There had been no story in any sort of paper about a wild night Reika had - even though she was technically still in high school, social media had blown up recently, and though Reika was active on it, no one had said a bad word about her, and nor had she posted anything embarrassing on it.

His father’s eyes sharpened, and Seto wished he could regret speaking up against him, but he couldn’t. His father was a danger, and he needed to mitigate that danger as much as he could before he was allowed to take the throne.

Gozaburo rose from his seat, stalking his way around the desk until he was standing in front of Seto and looking down on him in the way Seto knew he metaphorically already did.

“Get on your knees, boy. You know what happens when you mouth off to me,” Gozaburo said, taking a long drag of his cigar as he waited.

Seto knew the drill by now and did what his father said. Cigar today, not the belt. His father must have been feeling generous, still in a good mood after obliterating Reika’s future. But as long as Seto could keep Gozaburo’s wrath away from her, it would be worth it. It had to be.

The only sound that escaped him anymore was a hiss as the hot ash from Gozaburo’s cigar met the marred skin of his shoulder. His body, though, rippled in pain, muscles tensing and twitching until Gozaburo granted him reprieve, and stepped back. Seto knew not to move until Gozaburo was back behind his desk.

“Clean yourself up and get back to your studies. Oh, and I expect you to make a speech to the governors after dinner regarding your betrothal.”

Of course he was dragged into this. Still, Seto swallowed back a grit of pain as he slid his shirt and suit coat back over himself, concealing what his father had done. “Yes, of course father. I’ll get to work on it right away.”

Gozaburo’s hacking cough concealed the sound of the door closing behind him.

Isono met him outside, and one twitch of Seto’s head was all the man needed in order to follow him to his room and grab the large first aid kit they kept stowed in Seto’s private bathroom.

Isono was the only guard to know the truth of why it was there. It hadn’t even been there at the start, but when Seto was twelve and got his first punishment from his father (that one had been a belt to the back, not a cigar burn), Isono, then a new hire, had found Seto desperately trying to get blood out of his shirt, unconcerned with the blood that still ran down his back.

Isono had cleaned him up, had made sure to get him painkillers and water, and had promised the soiled shirt would never see the light of day again (it hadn’t, and Seto still didn’t know where it had gone). After that, Seto had known he was the one he would trust the most, and Isono had quickly made his way to being the head of Seto's household.

“Master Seto, are you alright?”

“I’m fine. It’s nothing I can’t handle anymore.”

Isono sighed as Seto discarded his shirt and jacket on the marble bathroom floor. "You should not have to deal with this at all. What could he possibly be angry at you for now?"

"I wanted to make sure Reika would be safe from his wrath. He seemed to think I was speaking out of turn. It's not fair that he thinks he can destroy her future."

"He might destroy yours if you are not careful, sir," Isono warned, ignoring the hiss Seto let out when cool water ran over the burn, washing residual ash away and trying to heal the wound. This was an old routine now, but that didn't make dealing with the aftermath any easier.

"He won't. I already know what my future is supposed to be. He can't do anything without looking bad," Seto replied. "But right now, I want to make sure this whole thing is easier on Reika."

Isono hummed, carefully drying Seto's skin and placing a cold compress against it. "I suppose so, sir."

"Seto!! Do you wanna play Capsule Monsters with me?" Mokuba's voice suddenly boomed through the door to his suite.

Seto cursed and pushed himself up, ignoring the way the compress dropped from his shoulder and the frantic placing of gauze on the burn. He quickly pulled a clean, white shirt on, just in case Mokuba tried to come into the room. "I'm sorry, Mokuba, but I can't," he said, cracking the door open and looking down at his brother with what he hoped was a painless smile. "Father wants me to give a speech tonight. I'm trying to work on it now."

Behind him, he heard Isono pick up the discarded shirt, and knew right then that the compress and remaining gauze had been tucked away.

"Can I help? You have to make Reika sound good you know!"

He raised a brow. "Do you doubt that I will make my fiancée sound good?"

"Sometimes your speeches are boring, so yeah."

Seto rolled his eyes, but opened the door more fully for his brother. "Fine. You can help me work on it."

Mokuba bolted into the room, already chattering away about the speech.

Chapter Text

Unfortunately, peace was a rarity when you were a Kaiba. The speech to the governors had gone well, the press release of the engagement had been written to be published when Seto and Reika were twenty-five years old. Knowing the heir had a marriage prospect put the governors at ease, which in turn made the Kaiba family more popular among the Japanese elites, even if the marriage itself was being kept under wraps.

Well, it made Seto more popular, anyway. Many of the other elites just put on a brave face to spare themselves from a sudden and tragic disappearance.

A few months after the arrangement was made, Empress Irisa was suddenly struck down by illness, plunging Japan into mourning, and causing Gozaburo to tighten his control over his sons. He would never admit it out loud, but he truly did care for Irisa. She had been the brains behind the marketing campaign for Japan's tourism industry, and had helped orphanages get the funds they needed to make sure each child in their care received an equal education as their peers.

The funeral for Her Imperial Majesty was elaborate, with a black bar placed over the Japanese state flags as a show of mourning. Shinto traditions, which Irisa held dear were done, each and every funerary rite done, as Gozaburo knew that was what Irisa would have wanted. They had only just begun discussing their funerals, but nothing had been set in stone for her. The Emperor and Empress were still too young to die, in many people's eyes.

Though for some people, Gozaburo should have well and truly passed the torch to Seto.

As a test of the waters, the Mutou family were among the chief mourners, arousing the curiosity of the media, but no one dared to say anything further while the country was still plunged into darkness.

The mourning period was long - over one hundred days, though for Gozaburo and her sons, it continued far beyond that.

Seto threw himself into his studies, and his dueling, in order to escape the pain of grief, and to avoid being home as often as he could. He also took on public engagements, meeting with local leaders and foreign dignitaries in order to start establishing himself as the heir to the throne, and Mokuba worked hard at his art, channeling his pain into pieces that were auctioned off, and the money raised donated to Irisa's favorite charities.

When Seto was twenty, his grandmother, the Dowager Empress, passed away of old age. Her funeral, while not nearly as elaborate as Irisa's had been, caused another deep mourning period, another funeral where Reika was thrust back into Japanese life while trying to live on her own.

But they wore their masks, and they played their games, and soon enough, they were back in their separate corners of the world.

Reika Mutou was accepted into Julliard, and spent as much of her time outside of Japan as she possibly could. She did return for Empress Emiko's funeral, but for the most part kept to herself in New York, charming the locals and studying hard in her chosen field, though the eyes of His Imperial Majesty were never far away - she just had a hard time proving he had actually sent men to keep an eye on her, which was a specialty of his, the people of Japan well knew.

She graduated with high marks from Julliard, and dove head first into her work for the New York Philharmonic - a prestigious career, and one she was eternally grateful for. It felt so nice being able to just have a life and a career of her own, to be… normal.

The knowledge that it wouldn't last forever weighed heavily on her, and she warned her friends that she would be returning to Japan at some point (being too specific would be suspicious, and that was the last thing Reika wanted while trying to enjoy herself), that everything she had built here would be taken from her and she would be thrust into a life of politics and plastic smiles. She could still do good work, she supposed - Irisa was well known for her charitable contributions to society, but Reika constantly worried that it would make her look fake, or like she was copying the beloved empress.

(Though, Reika couldn't help but wonder how good of an empress she really was if she couldn't talk Gozaburo out of this damnedable arranged marriage).

"Are you sure you have to go back to Japan, Reika? I just don't understand why you can't stay here," her friend Jose said.

She had gotten the warning message earlier that month - Seto would be twenty-five on the twenty-fifth, and guards from the palace would be in New York to help escort her home to Japan for the engagement period. Though the calendar still said October twenty-third, she didn't trust Gozaburo to not show up early, and had planned her own going away party for that night.

"Yeah I… just feel like it's time to move back home. My grandpa's getting older now. You never know how much time you have with someone before they're gone. We learned that when Empress Irisa died," Reika said with a weak smile. "It sucks, but… I'm really proud of the work that I've done here, and I'm so grateful that I was able to meet all of you. And I mean, it isn't the last time I'll be able to see all of you!"

She hoped.

Her little apartment in Murray Hill was, for the most part, packed up. The food and drinks that had been brought for the party had all been provided by friends, including disposable plates and cups that would be quickly cleaned up. She still wasn't sure what she was supposed to do with her bulky furniture, but she supposed that would be a question for Gozaburo's goons.

"We're really gonna miss you, Reika, so we all wanted to get you something so you remembered us by," Jose said, handing her a small box.

Reika watched as her other friends pull out various boxes and gift bags, a wide smile on her face. "You guys, you really didn't have to get me anything, I swear!"

She hadn't wanted to get close to any of these people. They were supposed to just be a group of study buddies at Julliard. They weren't supposed to be super close friends to her now, but despite the worries she had about being so close to them, she was touched, really, that they had managed to worm their way into her heart and had cared about her so deeply that they wanted to show that they would miss her when she was gone.

This wasn't supposed to hurt.

One by one, the gifts were revealed - photo books of Reika's time with each friend, a playlist, a customized bag of American snacks that Reika had really started enjoying, and letters, with dates that she was allowed to open them on.

Reika sniffed and wiped the tears away from her eyes. "These are all amazing, you guys. Thank you. Thank you so much."

If she could hold on to these good memories, perhaps she could endure a marriage to Crown Prince Seto, and survive until Gozaburo was nothing but a painful memory in Japanese history.

"Good morning, Miss Mutou."

Despite knowing this was coming, Reika's hands were quivering a little as she stepped aside and allowed the movers entry to her apartment. "Good morning. I hope you had an easy flight from Japan?"

"As easy as any long flight can be," the one guard - Fuguta, she thought his name was - said, stepping into the living room and taking a look around. "You have chosen a very nice apartment, Miss Mutou. His Imperial Majesty will be pleased to have this kept in the family."

She paused and tilted her head. "I'm… sorry?"

"You had not been informed? You shall be allowed to keep your apartment. The Royal Treasurer will be assuming any fees for it once you marry His Imperial Highness."

"I - oh, no, I had not heard that," she said. "But I am very happy His Imperial Majesty decided that. It uh - answers the question of what I should do with my furniture, at least."

Fuguta laughed a little, producing a large white sheet from the bag he had and going over to her couch. "We have been instructed to protect it, in fact, before we are to take you to the airport. Our flight will leave at three. Once we land, you will be living with your parents for one month before we have the ceremony and announcement. You will have to attend some functions with His Imperial Highness… they have been scheduled already. Several duels with your cousin in attendance, the opening of the Duel Arena and subsequent tournament, a charity concert in Empress Irisa's name…"

"I see."

"The night after the engagement ceremony, His Imperial Majesty will be throwing a gala. Dignitaries from all over the world are scheduled to attend."

"Do they… know what this gala is for?" she asked in confusion.

"No, they do not. His Imperial Majesty has asked we keep it private until the announcement is posted."

What went on in that man's mind, Reika did not know, nor did she want to know.

"Miss Mutou, which of the bags did you want to carry with you on the private jet?" the other guard asked.

"The navy blue carry on, please. It has my essentials, a change of clothes, and my computer in it so I can do work. The other bags are just the rest of my clothes so they can go in storage or whatever. Oh - but I want my violin with me, just so I can make sure it stays safe. I get nervous taking it on planes."

The other guard nodded in understanding and ducked into her bedroom to give the movers her instructions.

"I saw that His Imperial Highness won the western regional division," Reika said, looking at Fuguta again.

Fuguta smiled and laughed a little. "Yes, he is quite happy to be going up against your cousin in the Japanese finals this year. You have been asked to attend them."

Reika nodded. "I have not missed one yet. Though I suppose I am obligated to root for Seto this year instead of Yugi."

Fuguta's face turned more serious, and his eye contact with her was level. "Outwardly, yes, perhaps so, but your own thoughts are something no one can take away from you. Master Seto does not wish to turn you into someone who agrees with his every move, I promise. He seeks your happiness as much as he seeks his own."

She looked at him, startled. "I… thank you. That brings me some comfort."

Seto often reminded her of such things when they spoke, but it was very difficult to grasp just how serious he was about it or if they were just pretty words aimed at calming her down about this whole situation. She knew he had been just as caught off guard as she'd been when Gozaburo had announced the arrangement, but that didn't mean he hadn't changed in the following years and had started believing in the same sort of things Gozaburo did.

It was always so hard to tell who was safe among Gozaburo's inner circle - but it seemed Fuguta was one of those people. Maybe she should start making a mental list, just to keep herself safe until the wedding and after it.

"Fuguta, sir, the bulk of Miss Mutou's belongings are on their way to the truck now," guard number two said. He didn't like someone she could trust so she simply smiled and clasped her hands behind her back.

"Good. Miss Mutou, we'll give you some time to say goodbye to your apartment. Katsuo will wait for you in the lobby, but I'll meet you at the elevator," Fuguta said. When the other guard seemed confused, all it took was for Fuguta's eyes to narrow just a hair for him to agree and leave the apartment. Fuguta followed behind, closing the door on his way out.

Reika let out a heavy sigh as she stood in her apartment and stared at the empty walls and covered furniture. She had worked hard to decorate the way she wanted it to, with posters of classical musicians, photos of Japan, of her family and friends, and a gorgeous piece of artwork done by a friend of hers. All of them were tucked away in boxes to be shipped back to Japan, to sit in a box for at least a month.

She would move to the palace the day of the engagement ceremony - would she even be allowed to decorate her room the way she wanted it, or would Gozaburo force her to use some default, boring decor chosen by the palace designers decades ago?

"Ugh this sucks. Any chance I could get an eleventh hour reprieve?" she groaned, tilting her head up to the sky like her luck would magically change. When nothing happened, she sighed. "Fine. I'll hopefully see you soon, apartment. Don't get too lonely without the sound of my violin."

The apartment, of course, did not reply to her as she took a deep breath and grabbed her purse from its hook by the door and walked out, locking the door behind her.

"Oh Reika, thank goodness I caught you before you left! I saw all of those men taking your things downstairs and was worried that I was too late!" her neighbor, Mrs. Cortes said suddenly from her doorway. She was a kindly elderly woman that reminded her of her Nana Yua before she passed away.

Reika smiled. "I was just heading to the airport now. My flight is at three."

"Then I won't keep you long, no matter how tempting it is," Mrs. Cortes said with a small laugh. "I was hoping to give you a gift before you left. You never did give me a forwarding address."

"I'll give you my parents' address for now, until I find a place of my own," she promised, taking the gift into her hand and opening it. "A book of recipes?"

Mrs. Cortes nodded. "Yes, your friends wanted to put one together for you, but they wanted a special, homey touch, so they asked me. I took the liberty of adding some of my own recipes that I learned as a child in Spain… including my paella."

Reika stared at her. "Oh Mrs. Cortes, this is so nice of you. Thank you so much, really. I will treasure this." Hopefully she would have a chance to actually use the recipes, and she wouldn't be forced to just eat what was served at the palace. Surely there would be times Gozaburo wouldn't be around… right?

"It is no trouble at all. Now, that address of yours?"

She smiled and pulled out a scrap of paper and pen from her purse, scribbling down the address and handing it to her. "I'll miss hearing your stories, Mrs. Cortes. Thank you for being so welcoming to me."

"Being in a new place is hard… I hope I made it a little easier for you."

"Of course you did." She could see movement from the elevator out of the corner of her eye and sighed a little. "I really have to go. Goodbye, Mrs. Cortes. Keep in touch."

"Of course I will. You know I would never turn down the chance to tell you about what happened at my dance class!"

"I wouldn't miss it for the world." With a small wave, Reika made her way to the elevators, where Fuguta was waiting.

Fuguta gave her a gentle smile. "That woman seems very chatty."

"If she had her way you wouldn't be taking me back to Japan, that's for sure," she joked. "Please… don't tell His Imperial Majesty I said that."

He shook his head. "Of course I won't, Your secret is safe with me."

She breathed out slowly. "Thank you."

"Everything will be fine. I promise you. We will keep you safe."

"I know that, Fuguta. I do not doubt His Imperial Majesty's ability to keep those closest to him safe."

It was a twisted sort of irony. Gozaburo and the family would be safe, but anyone else, she knew, was at a great risk of death or torture. Somehow, she would manage to be safe just because she was marrying Seto.

She followed Fuguta to the sleek, black car parked in front of her building and got into the backseat while Fuguta and Katsuo got into the front, just like she was already a princess, a future Empress.

Goosebumps broke out over her skin at the thought of it as she crossed her legs and felt the car begin to move, taking her to her new life.

-

The flight was uneventful. Long, but in a private plane it was much easier than if she'd been flying commercial. The plane itself was fine, not His Imperial Majesty's private plane, but that was only giving her thirteen hours to pretend she was a world-famous musician instead of a trapped bride going home to meet her chosen groom. Though she and Seto had come to some sort of tense understanding that neither of them was at fault, and that they respected each other as people, the idea of being married to the man did nothing but turn her stomach, especially considering what after the wedding would mean - producing an heir.

It wasn't that she wouldn't sleep with Seto Kaiba if given the chance to, he was tall, muscular, handsome, and intelligent, but she wished it was her choice to marry him. She wanted to be wined and dined, like she'd seen so many of her friends be over the years.

Fate was not as kind to her.

Sometimes she cursed that her grandfather had found Pharaoh Atem's tomb and revealed his name and his life to the rest of the world. She wondered if her being saddled with Seto Kaiba was some sort of Ancient Egyptian curse, that she was the price to be paid for her grandfather stumbling upon a millennia-held secret.

"Miss Mutou, we'll be landing shortly. The pilots are requesting you take a seat and buckle up," Fuguta said, knocking on the plane's bedroom door. "Please."

Reika sighed and put the cookbook her friends made for her back into her bag, zipping it up carefully. No need for any of the guards to report to Gozaburo that she had a commoner's sort of book in her bag after all. He might take it from her, and she was never going to let him take the gifts from her American friends. Not even if it led to her death.

That might actually be merciful, all things considered. Gozaburo's cruel plan would blow up in his face, and she would be at peace, never having to marry anyone.

She buckled herself into one of the seats and stared out at the vast ocean, the little dot that was Japan coming closer and closer, and as it did so, her stomach grew tighter and tighter. Already, she could feel the cool metal of an engagement ring on her finger, even if it hadn't been chosen quite yet - though she had been given designs of rings and had picked a few that had caught her eye. None of that had felt like getting a proper engagement ring though. None of it felt real.

But the plane hit the ground smoothly, and soon enough she was disembarking. This time, the guards hung back, wanting to be avoided by the press that might be snooping nearby.

Breadcrumbs had been left for them, especially in the past couple of years. The Mutou family had been among the closest people with the Royal Family for Empress Irisa and Dowager Emiko's funerals, two of the rare major occasions Reika had actually gone home for. She and Seto had been seen in public at duels or other events - but given they'd been that way since childhood, it had been easy to pretend it was nothing more than another friendly meeting.

This month though, she knew things were different, that they would have to act more like a couple and less like friends, and while Seto Kaiba was not the worst looking man in the world, the thought of pretending to be in love made her uneasy.

"Reika!" called her mother, and while both of her parents were smiling, as she drew closer to them, bag clutched to her form like a lifeline, she could see there was a twinge of sadness hidden in their eyes. Reika suspected she looked the same.

But perhaps for one month, they could pretend that everything was normal. Just for a month.

Chapter Text

Seto's spine was straight as he waited outside the newly re-constructed Kaiba Stadium.

It had been a passion project of his since he was a teenager to elevate Duel Monsters to the next level, and the tragic death of one of his father's warmongering friends had only led him to the excuse to buy the factory that once housed the dangerous weapons he'd created, rebuilding it into a factory that produced holographic technology for Duel Monsters when he'd only been twenty years old.

But though Seto was a brilliant genius, the wheels of construction turned slowly, and refitting a factory to become one for hologram tech instead of weapons of war had taken longer than he had anticipated.

Luckily, his schooling had been completed to he could keep an eye on everything as it went into production, and keep an eye on Pegasus, who had readily agreed to the project. The man was an eccentric billionaire, and Seto didn't exactly trust that, even if he had created Seto's favorite game and was giving him a chance at something other than princely duties.

The Stadium had been a compromise - duel events and tournaments would take place there, but it had also been outfitted to for other E-Sports, which had quickly swept the globe. As Seto had known his father wanted Japan to be the number one at everything the world could possibly hope to achieve, he'd asked for the stadium to be constructed too, and using an old, dilapidated stadium that had once housed Olympic Gymnastics to do it.

It was a huge risk he was taking. Being able to duel had been one thing, but allowing his first major motion as an adult, as the Heir Presumptive, to be building holograms for a game, and an arena to play it in, had nearly been too much for Gozaburo.

(Sometimes, Seto's back still twinged if he thought too hard about that night)

Other duelists from around the world arrived, Mai Kujaku, Rebecca Hawkins, Duke Devlin, Rex Ryuzaki, Zigfried von Schroeder, Malik Ishtar, Kisara Al-Malak, Weevil Haga, and he had to wrinkle his nose when a car pulled up containing Joey Wheeler. Seto wasn't sure what it was, but something about that man drove him up a tree. But he was one of the most formidable duelists in Japan, and was the best friend of the reigning champion, so he had no other choice.

Pegasus would make it for him otherwise, and he would be damned if he'd let another man tell him what to do.

"Yuge should be here soon. He brought Anzu with him - ya said that was okay, right?" Joey asked.

"I did. Everyone was given a plus one. I trust that's why you brought your sister?" Seto questioned with a raised brow as he glanced behind Joey to see his sister Serenity bowing deeply behind him, and bowed to her in return as the flashbulbs popped and fans cheered. "You can stand up, Serenity. Mokuba's inside waiting for you."

Mokuba, of course, had the freedom to choose his partner, and he had fallen hard and fast for Serenity Wheeler. Quiet, kind, and nervous whenever Gozaburo was in her presence, she was exactly the sort of woman Gozaburo was hoping to have in the family.

But that sort of woman would never be Empress, and Seto hoped, though he knew he shouldn't, that Gozaburo would not live to see what sort of Empress Reika Mutou was going to become.

"Thank you, Your Imperial Highness," she said softly.

"You can call me Seto." The infliction in his tone made it very clear that he only meant Serenity could. Joey would continue to call him by his title.

Joey simply nodded his head in understanding and headed inside with Serenity.

Another sleek black SUV pulled up, and Seto stepped forward, already well aware of who was inside.

"Reika," he said, reaching a hand out to his future wife. "How nice it is to have you back in Japan."

Her hand took his, and she pulled herself out of the car with a sigh. "Your - Seto. It is… lovely to be back." Though her words were sweet, her face held little emotion, resigned to what they would be doing.

"We can do this," he muttered to her. "I promise." He stepped back, not letting go of her hand, and gave her a soft smile as he guided her to the side to wait for the final two SUVs - Yugi's, and Pegasus'.

The press and the public reacted just as Seto expected, with flashbulbs popping and screams of excitement - it had been speculated for several years that the two were dating, and now the press got to have its moment of triumph, and every Internet blogger would go through the last decade or so looking for pictures that would confirm just how long the two had been together.

Her face had stretched into a small smile as their fingers were laced together, and she tucked a piece of hair behind her ear.

"How was your trip back to Japan?"

"Uneventful. Just the way I prefer flights. There was something I wanted to ask you about though. "

"Later, I promise. We won't have much privacy here."

There were a lot of things they needed to talk about, but they were in the worst possible place to have a long discussion about what their future was going to look like. Not with so much riding on how people were going to take to the holograms, and to him being the one to invent them. If his father had been anyone but Gozaburo Kaiba, he would be confident, but his father seemed to taint everything he touched - the mere name Kaiba included. Not to mention the deal he'd made with his father, the price he'd already paid in his own blood.

He needed this nigh to go well.

"Sure. Yeah. Later."

He knew that tone - it was a tone Mokuba used when Seto would promise quality time together, only to have to back out due to their father, and just like with Mokuba, there was nothing Seto could do to make it easier on her, even if he wished he could.

Yugi's car pulled up, and that is when he saw a genuine smile on her face when the door opened and the crowd roared with cheers as Yugi stepped out of the car, followed by Anzu Mazaki, his girlfriend.

"Seto," Yugi greeted, while Anzu bowed. "Reika! It's… good to see that you two have gone public with your relationship. I don't know how you two kept it under wraps for so long."

Seto knew Yugi and the rest of the Mutou's knew about the arrangement, but he hadn't known if Anzu did - judging by Yugi's words, she had no idea all of this was a ruse and that the relationship had been arranged.

"Yes well, you know how the paparazzi are, Yugi. It was safer for your cousin if we kept everything quiet until she decided to move home," Seto said with a small grin. "I hope you know that nothing is going to stop me from defeating you today."

Yugi laughed. "I wouldn't have it any other way, Your Imperial Highness. You know you are the one I look forward to dueling the most!"

That was a lie, and Seto knew it, but he would let Yugi believe otherwise. Seto knew Yugi's favorite person to Duel was Wheeler, and it always had been, since they'd been friends since high school, though for the life of him could not figure out why Yugi would have befriended Wheeler. Unless it was some sort of elaborate "enemies closer" thing.

"I'm so thrilled it seems you finally found someone, Reika," Anzu said. "Are there wedding bells in the future?"

Reika seemed to reel back at the question, but quickly composed herself enough to chuckle. "Ah come on Anzu, today's not the day for that is it? It's about the Stadium opening. And besides, why didn't you tell me that you had gotten a spot in the Japanese ballet after you graduated Julliard, hm? I had to find that one out online."

"It was meant to be a surprise! I had plans to invite you to my first performance! And, well, you're still invited of course, but I don't know if…"

Seto's lips quirked just a little. "We will do our best to make it there."

Anzu smiled. "The company will be honored to have you there, Your Imperial Highness."

Seto opened his mouth to speak, but was stopped by Isono.

"Sir, Pegasus' car is arriving."

Yugi smiled. "We'll talk later, don't worry Seto. There'll be time to before the duels begin."

Seto nodded, and Yugi stood to his other side. It was only right that the world's reigning champion greeted Pegasus alongside Seto. Even though Seto knew he should only be standing here with Reika - Yugi had only won by fifty points last year, and he knew there was still a move he could have made in order to cinch victory again.

Japan's title of King of Games seemed to ping pong between Yugi and Seto, which was great for their careers and great for Duel Monsters as a whole. Even Gozaburo had been forced to concede that the rivalry between Seto and Yugi was good for the family name, especially among the younger citizens of Japan.

It really made all of this nonsense with Reika more ridiculous. His reputation wasn't the one in the gutter. He wasn't the one throwing people in jail for looking at him wrong, or for bowing at an improper angle.

And yet Gozaburo had been given the right to date and marry whomever he wished.

Sometimes Seto couldn't help but wonder what would have happened if Gozaburo had been the one that died in his teen years.

But there wasn't time to think about that now, not when Pegasus' car was pulling up. As always, Seto watched as Pegasus sauntered over to the fans lined up on the other side of the street to pose for pictures and sign autographs. He looked like he was having the time of his life… and he probably was. Pegasus loved his fans and loved all of the attention.

When he finally approached the couples, his lips were tugged into a wide smile.

"I wondered why my social media had blown up in the last few minutes. My goodness, Prince Seto, you are just full of surprises lately, aren't you?" Pegasus laughed as he bowed. "Miss Mutou, how wonderful it is to see you again."

Reika's smile seemed to be genuine. "It's nice to see you too, Mister Pegasus."

"We have so much to discuss, Prince Seto," Pegasus said, and his eyebrow waggled with mischief.

Honestly, Pegasus should have been among those thrown into one of Gozaburo's prisons for the casual way he behaved around Seto, but the truth was, Seto liked that Pegasus was relaxed around him compared to other people Seto interacted with. He liked that Pegasus gave as good as he got when the two of them worked together. It was a breath of fresh air, and in those moments Seto felt like he could actually breathe, like he was… normal.

As normal as a prince could get, anyway.

Seto nodded. "Yes, of course, Mister Pegasus. We can talk inside before the duels begin."

Pegasus gave him another smile and sauntered into the stadium. The two couples quickly followed behind, leaving the guards and staff to control the crowds outside and deal with the general admission.

"Are you ready for this, Imperial Highness?" Pegasus asked as they were guided up the sleek elevator to the suites. "The debut of new technology can weigh on the mind, you know."

He did know. He knew it quite well.

Seto wasn't known for the healthiest sleep schedule on a good day, this had been keeping him up due to his own hidden nerves whispering to him in the dead of night.

"I'm ready to show the world that I am more than just a prince," he chose to say.

Pegasus grinned. "And you shall. I have the utmost faith in your designs. I would never have agreed to something I don't believe in. Even though you are a prince."

Seto believed him. Pegasus was fiercely protective of his game. It had taken a long time for Seto to even get a meeting with him to start the SolidVision project.

The group came to a stop outside of the large executive suite that had been set up for the duelists and guests to relax in before and during the matches, and Seto felt Reika tense up next to him.

"It's alright. No one you haven't met before," he said quietly. "Just charm them with your wit as you always seem to."

"Haven't been to one of these as your… girlfriend," she replied, watching Yugi, Anzu, and Pegasus go into the room. "Fuguta told me something interesting the other day before our flight."

"Hm?"

"He told me my apartment in New York was going to be kept and that the Imperial Family would be taking care of the bills."

"Ah, yes, I asked for that. I figured we could have a place to go when we visit."

"Why?"

"Because you deserve to have some moments of normalcy."

Reika looked like she wanted to say something else, but didn't. Instead, she entered the suite on her own, before he could stop her. Technically, they were supposed to mingle together, but given there were no news cameras in the room, and no Gozaburo watching them, it would be fine.

Seto was the last to step inside, and others bowed when they saw him.

Reika was the only one who didn't.

He couldn't blame her.

Still, he walked over to her and laced her fingers with his as Pegasus moved to the front of the room and grabbed the microphone.

"Welcome one and all!" Pegasus announced to the gathered crowd of duelists and loved ones. "What a thrill it is to have you all here today. I appreciate each and every one of you loving my game, and I am eternally grateful to you for helping it become as large as it is today. However… I know today would never have been possible without His Imperial Highness, Seto Kaiba."

Applause barely registered for him anymore, but it was the serene, loving (fake) look on Reika's face that caused him to smile, and he let the other duelists believe it was his gratitude for their applause. Which, he was grateful for every opportunity Pegasus had given him, but knowing there was genuine happiness on Reika's face was nice.

"It looks like the stadium is filling up nicely, but I think it's time the duelists start heading to the locker rooms to prepare for the first round of matches, hm?" Pegasus said with a grin. "I wish all of you the best of luck. May the best Duelist win!"

More applause, more cheering, and Pegasus sauntered out of the room to greet more adoring fans. The other duelists filed out after him, and Seto went last. He looked back only once to make sure Mokuba was okay (and Mokuba wasn't even paying the slightest bit of attention to him, and instead was deep in conversation with Serenity).

Knowing his brother was in safe hands, Seto finally prepared himself and went down to the holding rooms with the rest of the duelists.

He could hear the explosion of noise as he moved off the private elevator, and felt his chest tighten. People really seemed to be excited about this - and above the roaring crowd, he could hear his own name. His, and his alone. He had finally succeeded at something he really wanted to put his heart and soul into, and his father wasn't even here to try and destroy it. He might catch hell when they returned him to the palace, but for now, Seto intended on enjoying today, no matter how long it lasted.

"Isono, report. How is it going with the crowds?" he asked. He needed to hear confirmation everything was running as it should be.

"The lines are rather long at our kiosks, but it appears that everything is moving swiftly. People are finding their seats easily with the signage that has been provided, and on social media, there is nothing but excitement for the duels. Your Imperial Highness, you've truly done it. Your name will go down in history for what you have accomplished."

Seto nodded. "Yes… I suspect it will."

To go down in history for being better than his father made him happy. Gozaburo had done a lot in terms of technology advancements, sure, but Seto would go down as someone who freed Japan from Gozaburo's evil reign of terror, and for injecting happiness back into the people.

He needed more time for the second one, but the first would be fine, for now.

A sigh escaped him. This arranged marriage might not seem bad on paper, but he knew Reika - he knew the Mutou family in general, and he knew none of them were happy. Seto wasn't exactly thrilled either, but he knew how important it was that this go well. He did not want his father to bring harm to the family that had done nothing wrong except discover a tomb and be good at dueling.

"When will the ring be finished? I want to make the proposal as special as I can for Reika," he asked, looking at Isono. "My father is taking so much from her, and I want to do what I can to give her the normal, loving moments she deserves."

"It will be inspected by your father next week, so whenever he is done with it," Isono replied.

Seto hated that Gozaburo had decided to be included in the ring too. Shouldn't a wedding ring be up to the couple? But it was a compromise he had to make, or else Gozaburo would take something else from them, and that was the last thing an arranged couple needed - more parental interference.

"Very well. Schedule a private walk for us through the gardens, and arrange dinner at her favorite restaurant."

Seto Kaiba was a man of many talents, and he would ensure wining and dining his fiancee was one of those things.

"May I suggest a few more dates before the proposal, sir? Not parading in front of the cameras, but getting to know each other? It might help make things a little easier. I'm sure there's a lot she hasn't told you about her time in New York," Isono said. "The Tokyo Orchestra will be putting on a performance next week. The Emperor's box is reserved for your family, as always."

"Very well. Tell them Reika and I will be in attendance," he said. A date where they could discuss music sounded… well, it didn't sound like the worst use of his time.

Isono nodded and pulled out his tablet to send a message to Fuguta, who was still in the box with Reika and Mokuba.

"Ladies and gentlemen, the Round One matches have been posted!" called the announcer as the brackets flashed on the screen in the room.

His first round opponent - and the opening Duel of the day - would be Zigfried von Schroeder, and Seto smirked. He was a formidable opponent, sure, but Seto was on a different level.

And he knew it.

Still, he wanted the audience to have fun, so he wouldn't defeat him in one move… this time. People deserved to see the Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon in its full holographic glory.

"Your Imperial Highness, we're ready for you on center stage," he heard one of the employees say, bowing deeply for him, which Seto returned.

He took a deep, steadying breath and made his way to the door.

It was time for the world to see Seto Kaiba's creation come to life.

Mokuba was buzzing with excitement. Seto had worked really, really hard to get the technology just right for the holograms, and finally, he was going to show them off to the world. How many nights had he been kept up late working on them after the rigorous schedule their father had set up for him? Far, far too many, in Mokuba's opinion. Seto had always been a lover of games, and if that was what he wanted to focus on, Mokuba didn't understand why their father just wouldn't let him focus on that instead of the boring economics meetings or talking to representatives from other countries.

"Everyone's really been looking forward to this, Mokuba. Did you help Seto out at all with this?" Serenity asked. The room was buzzing as Pegasus prattled on at the center of the arena, giving another speech he knew only a quarter of the people were actually paying attention to… including most of the people currently here in the suite with him.

"I was only his cheerleader," Mokuba chuckled. "This is all Seto."

"It's really amazing that your father would agree to him having a deal with Pegasus," Serenity said. "Everyone says your father is incredibly strict."

Mokuba shrugged. "He is, but I guess he understood how much Seto liked Duel Monsters. Mother always used to say Seto reminded her of Grandfather with how passionate he gets about things."

Serenity giggled a little. "I think that's sweet."

"Yeah, it is." How he missed his mother. She would have loved to see what Seto had done.

"And Reika and Seto are dating? I didn't even know your brother was interested in anyone! I never believed those internet rumors after they said you liked to dress up and call yourself Princess Edina!"

Mokuba could only laugh - he knew full well what the relationship between Reika and Seto was, but he also knew it wasn't his job to admit it was all fake. "Yeah, well, you know Reika's been gone for a while. Seto thought it was best to keep the relationship a secret to give her some privacy. She didn't have the security in New York that she does now."

He hated having to lie, and he hated himself for being excited for the wedding. Reika had always been so kind to him, never treated him like an afterthought, so the idea of her being his sister-in-law was a thrill.

Not like this though.

Reika was sitting at a table nearby, staring out the glass window with whiskey in her hand. His father probably wouldn't be too thrilled if he managed to see Reika was caught on camera drinking anything stronger than champagne, but Mokuba couldn't blame her for wanting to.

When Mokuba saw the camera begin to pan in the direction of their box, he draped an arm around Serenity and glanced at Reika, who caught his gaze and pushed the whiskey away from her and rose to her feet to stand in front of the window instead, making it appear the drink belonged to someone else.

She was quick on her feet - a good thing to have in the Kaiba family.

" - and now ladies and gentlemen, the duel between Zigfried von Schroeder and His Imperial Highness Seto Kaiba will begin!" Pegasus said with a flourish, then disappeared beneath the floor dramatically.

Mokuba cheered and applauded as the duo came out of the tunnels and did the customary handshake and shuffled their decks before moving into position at either end of the arena.

"Mister von Schroeder has won the coin toss, and thus will make the first move of the game," came the gravelly voice of Pegasus' assistant, Croquet.

Mokuba couldn't help but bounce on his toes, even if he looked ridiculous.

Zigfrid drew, summoning one of his beloved Valkyrie cards, and allowing the world to see Seto's creation.

And the stadium erupted in cheers of awe.

When Mokuba looked over at Reika again, he saw, genuine awe on her face, and a wide, excited smile. She was happy. She was excited, and Mokuba couldn't help but smile in return.

Maybe something good would some from this arranged marriage after all.

Chapter Text

"This is a beautiful area, Seto," Reika remarked, her arm linked with his as they wandered through the grounds of the palace. Newly renovated, but not yet open to the public (because his father was never one to turn down the opportunity for a photo op), but that didn't mean he couldn't show Reika around - the gardeners had not been able to tell him no, after all.

Even if Seto sometimes wished someone who worked for them would have the guts to say no, just so he knew what it was like to have a brief second of normalcy.

"Isn't it? These flowers were my mother's favorite. Mokuba and I worked on this side of the garden together, and we wanted it to be a tribute to her," Seto said.

Despite Gozaburo not even being home, he still felt the man's piercing gaze on them, watching them, judging them as they continued their walk.

Reika smiled a little. "She was a kind woman. Exceptionally so."

There was something unsaid in her words, and Seto ignored it. It was likely something Seto had known for years now - that his father had not, in any way, deserved his mother… and that was a fact Seto would always believe.

"Thank you, by the way," Reika suddenly said. "For agreeing to invite my friends from h - New York to the wedding."

That had been an argument and a half in the back of Seto's car as Isono drove them home from one of their dates. A royal wedding wasn't exactly the place for people who weren't the elites, but Reika had brought up a good point when she'd mentioned her friends from New York thought their relationship was a natural one, and it would be normal for them to be invited to her wedding.

He had been willing to lose another piece of unmarred flesh on his back if it meant the charade could continue without issue.

"You're welcome. Anything that I can do to make this easier on you, I will do my best to accomplish," he said, and he meant it. No one should have been twisted up in Gozaburo's game, but while Seto had no choice in being born into the Kaiba family, she was just a pawn for Gozaburo to use, who had no choice but to say yes.

Which made the next part harder, and he gestured for her to take a seat on a bench, surrounded by the hydrangea plants and dimly lit by a nearby light.

"It's a bit sooner than we thought but…" Seto slipped his hand into his pocket, and her gaze followed each movement as he drew out the velvet box and opened it. "It is time for the engagement to become public knowledge."

Her eyes flickered, face falling a little. "Ah. I see." She held out her left hand, anticipating the ring, which gave Seto a bit of pause.

So he got on one knee, the way he'd seen countless times in media, though there were no sweeping words of love, no song that was considered theirs playing in the background, and no sweet memories he could drum up to form a proper proposal. But it was a proposal, and he needed to come up with something other than shoving a ring box in her hand.

"Reika… I know that our relationship is rather unconventional, and not what you had always hoped for but I promise, as a Crown Prince of Japan, I will do everything in my power to make sure you are happy in your life, and that you will enjoy the life we build together. So… Reika Mutou, will you marry me?"

A small smile formed on her face, and a giggle escaped from her. "Yes… I will marry you, Seto Kaiba."

Hearing her just call him Seto Kaiba as opposed to calling him by his title made him return the smile as he took the large sapphire ring out of the box and slid it onto her finger. There wasn't much they could control in their relationship, but at least he was able to give her somewhat of a normal proposal.

"The ring turned out quite beautifully…" she said, holding it up closer to the light. "I love the dark blue. But… if you had to give me the ring early, does that mean the engagement gala has been moved up as well?"

He shook his head. "No. Due to travel time, we had to keep the gala on the same day. But everyone will be made aware of what exactly the gala is for now."

"Right… can I ask why you had to give me the ring early?"

He could not give her the truth, so he simply shrugged. "My father's whims are an enigma even a great genius like myself can't decipher."

"Hm. I suppose that's true. What about the day I move in?"

Seto gave her a wry smile. "You are welcome to move in the day before the gala if that would make it easier on you. We can split up the events. Do the engagement ceremony with your parents the day before, then bring you here so you have time to set up your room. The next day would be the gala with the dignitaries and governors."

"Thank you. I would appreciate that. I'll have to start packing when I get home tonight."

Seto nodded, deciding to steer the conversation onto something other than the future. "Your cousin has stepped up his game again, hasn't he? I can't believe how he managed to beat me. I didn't think that last combination was even possible."

Reika laughed. "Yeah, he has. He told me he feels he has something to prove to Pegasus, since he's a new game designer on the scene. He wants to show that he's more than just a duelist, that he really is passionate about games as a whole. We can't all be like you where we get by on name alone."

"Your grandfather managed to accomplish one of the most important mysteries in history discovered an unknown pharaoh's tomb. People could say that Yugi rode on the Mutou name instead of his own talent," Seto pointed out with a raised brow.

She rolled her eyes. "There is a wide difference between my grandfather's career as an archaeologist and the literal prince of a nation and you know it. A world of difference."

"And you are about to enter the thick of that world," he said. "Are you prepared for that?"

She shrugged. "As prepared as anyone can be. Though I guess it was generous of your father to give me a few years to come to terms with it instead of making us get married as soon as I graduated from high school."

It was one of the few good traits his father possessed - the desire for people in the family and those that surrounded them, to be successful, to be educated. And Reika being good with people and now having international connections to New York was a good thing, though he doubted that was her intentions when she decided to live there for nearly a decade.

"I will ensure you are still able to do what you love once we marry," he said. "I don't want you to feel trapped here."

"I will do my very best to not feel like I am. I know you didn't plan this, Seto. I don't blame you for this. I never have."

Seto nodded. "Well, good." He pulled his jacket tighter around him as a breeze kicked up - if he were a more superstitious man, he would think it was a ghost or a spirit of his mother telling him that she was still there, but he just couldn't bring himself to believe in such a thing. "Come on, let's get back inside. I can have something hot made for you."

Reika raised a brow, but smiled. "I'll take cafe con leche then, if you're offering."

"What?"

"Espresso with hot milk. My neighbor would make it for me whenever I had an early morning and she could tell I was tired."

"Couldn't she just make you tea?"

"She was from Spain. Cafe con leche was more popular there," she replied with a shrug. "It seemed like a lot of the people who lived on my floor were outsiders to the US, so we had a bit of a community. It was nice." She looked wistful as she spoke, caught in a memory of her life in New York.

They began the long path back to the castle, and Seto linked his arm with hers again. "You don't speak about New York often… what was it like?"

"It was loud, noisy, chaotic, always something to do and see. People to meet, things to learn… and it was a veritable culinary wonderland," she explained, though her eyes drifted toward the ground at the end of her sentence. "My friends there gave me a cookbook before I left. Filled it with recipes from all over the world."

Seto's eyebrow raised. "It sounds like you had a good, respectful group of friends."

She rolled her eyes. "The way you phrase it make you sound like you're just worried that they'll cause a scene at the wedding instead of actually caring about where they are."

Well, because he was, but he knew when he was walking into dangerous territory, so he switched tactics. "I just wanted to make sure you had good friends, for your own sake, that's all."

"Sure. I get it, I'm not a diplomat's daughter. I'm not some foreign princess who had been raised in something like this. I'm… just a girl from a lower-class family than yours. You have every reason to be worried that I might fall in with a bad crowd," Reika said.

"I know you'd never. It's my father."

"Yeah, I know that. And that's why I'm letting you know all of this, so you can report back to him, heir to current ruler."

"I will not allow him to hurt you, Reika. Nor those you care about."

She looked up in surprise. "Oh - uh, of course not. We are going to be husband and wife, after all. We look out for each other, don't we?"

Looking out for each other sounded nice in theory, if they were a normal, average couple worrying about normal, average things, but Seto had the world at his fingertips, he had connections and the power to destroy whatever was in his path, in his way… but so did his father, and until Gozaburo Kaiba was dead and cremated, it was up to Seto to protect anyone caught up in Gozaburo's web.

"… Are you up for a late night meal?" he asked, rather than answer her question.

Gozaburo was, mercifully, gone for the night, which meant the entire palace could breathe for the next fifteen hours, and Seto wanted to know what sort of recipes she was talking about.

She paused, caught off guard. "Sorry?"

Seto glanced toward the palace. "I can call in one of our chefs. They could make it for you… if you would like."

She was quiet for a moment, considering, then, to his surprise, shook her head. "No. I would rather make it myself."

He frowned in surprise. "Yourself?"

"I am also the granddaughter of a formal Imperial Chef," she said with a shrug. "I know my way around a kitchen."

A laugh barked out of him. "That is true. Fine then. You can cook us a late dinner."

She smiled, a genuine one this time. "Thank you. You won't be disappointed."

And then she did something that caught him off guard, and leaned up to press her lips against his. It was hardly their first kiss, but it was the first time either of them had willingly engaged in one. Normally, they kissed for cameras, for dignitaries who doubted their relationship, but never just for the two of them.

It was rather enjoyable, and he kissed her back, his hands coming to rest on her hips as hers looped around his shoulders.

"Master Seto!" Isono suddenly barked, practically invisible in the darkness of the garden minus the flashlight that was bobbing toward them as he and Reika broke away from each other like two teenagers doing something they shouldn't be. "There has been a change of plans, sir. Your father is on his way home tonight. Hobson says they should be home within the hour."

Seto cursed under his breath. If his father was returning early, that was a sign that something was wrong, and his father had not wanted to have his weakness exposed to the world. Though Seto was loath to do anything Gozaburo wanted, Reika knowing the truth would enrage his father and put her in harm's way - and he couldn't have that. "I apologize, Reika, but I have to take a rain check on the dinner, and the coffee. We'll take the official photos and then Fuguta will drive you home."

"Seto, is everything alright?"

"Of course," he lied. "Father is just going to be very tired when he gets home. I just do not want to disturb him. He gets… rather crabby if so."

His words seemed to settle in her head, and she nodded a little in understanding. "Of course. Though I hope we can get together for dinner soon."

Banter. It was nice, being able to banter like this.

"Yes, I would very much like to try some of your homemade cooking," he replied. "Come, let's get our official engagement portrait taken."

He felt her shudder a little when he put his hand on her back.

The official portrait looked too stiff, too posed. Realistically, nothing like what a happy, normal couple looked like, but on the other hand, they did not look any more staged than the one of his parents or grandparents, and that would be enough to get Gozaburo off their backs… for the night, anyway.

And then in a flash she was gone, and Seto let out a breath of relief when the car was gone long before Gozaburo's pulled into the driveway.

"Father, welcome back," Seto said with a deep bow. "I hope your meetings went smoothly."

Gozaburo grumbled something under his breath, but Seto understood. Someone had disagreed with his father about something, and a punishment would be dealt out in due time. Perhaps there was something he could do, though, to mitigate his father's wrath.

Seto also noticed the small inhaler in his father's hands. Ah, so he had also been doing some disagreeing - namely, with his doctors. Again.

"Your Imperial Majesty, the engagement photo has been taken," Isono said "I can show them to you if you would like to select which one will be published in the morning."

"Yes, give them to me now, Isono," Gozaburo replied, the photos given in a flash. Glancing down at them, Gozaburo spoke again. "And the proposal went smoothly?"

"Of course, Father. There was no argument from Reika. She also spoke highly of the ring."

"Good. Maybe she's learning to not ask for unnecessary things." A coughing fit overtook his father, and Seto couldn't help but wonder if it was a furious ancestor angry with his father's behavior that caused it.

The next morning, news of a local Kyoto official's sudden departure from office was nothing but a footnote in the morning paper, and the front headlines instead spoke of the exciting royal wedding that was on the way.

“Reika, it’s time.”

Her teeth ground together as she pushed herself away from the window with a sigh and turned to face her mother. She supposed normal mothers were happy to see their daughters dressed in white (even if Reika was just in a simple tea length dress), but Miaka Mutou looked like she was sending her daughter off to die.

“You look so beautiful, little star,” Miaka said, brushing a stray piece of hair behind Reika’s ear with a watery smile. “We love you very much, you know that, right?”

“I know you do, mother. I love you both too.”

At the very least, her family would be with her tonight for the Engagement Ceremony and for the dinner afterwards.

Looking around her bedroom, devoid of any personal touches she'd once given it minus the couple of suitcases and violin case that had yet to be taken to the palace, she took a deep breath.

It was time to confront her fate.

Reika moved downstairs to where her family was waiting with Isono, the engagement gifts on the coffee table in the living room.

Isono bowed to her and gave her a kind smile. “Ms. Mutou, His Imperial Highness Crown Prince Seto has sent these gifts as a show of his commitment to your engagement, with the full approval of the Emperor."

Reika’s throat was dry as she spoke, bowing in return to Isono. “I humbly accept His Imperial Highness’ gifts.”

It was over that simply.

“His Imperial Majesty has requested your presence at the palace following this ceremony,” Isono said. “I will take your immediate family. Fuguta will take your other family members.” He gestured to Fuguta, who was still standing near the front door and nodded once at his name.

"That sounds like a plan," she said with a small shrug, because what else was there to say when your life was written for you like you were a character in a book?

Isono gave her the barest hint of a smile. “We will leave for the palace whenever you are ready but… but His Imperial Majesty has requested we be there by two to give you ample time to settle in and start to unpack before dinner."

“Thank you, I won't take too long. The suitcases are in my bedroom. Be careful with my violin, please."

"I'll take care of it personally," Fuguta spoke up, following Isono upstairs.

Reika stepped away from the staircase and moved into the bathroom, standing in front of the mirror and pretending to fix her hair.

"You know, Rebecca says she's willing to harbor a runaway future Japanese Empress and her family. All you have to do is say the word," Yugi said, leaning against the doorway with a wry smile.

"Don't even joke about that, Yugi," she sighed. "I'm not going to do anything that would risk any of you getting hurt. Besides, as far as the world is concerned, I am hopelessly in love with Seto Kaiba, and I would never run away from such a willing marriage, right?"

"I know, I know. Still, I wish there was a way to get you out of this so you can be happy."

She sighed and leaned against the sink. "It's not going to be the worst thing in the world, I don't think. Seto and Mokuba are kind, and so is most of the palace staff, from what I've seen so far. The biggest issue is Gozaburo. If I can survive until he's gone, I'll consider that a win."

"Gozaburo seems like more of an issue than everyone in the palace combined," Yugi pointed out.

"And yet Seto is his heir, and far more popular than Gozaburo. I don't think he can do as much as people might fear. Not to Seto and… hopefully not to me."

Yugi sighed as laughter erupted from the living room, their grandfather's voice clear above the rest. "At least gramps' health has stabilized."

She nodded in agreement. Two heart attacks had very nearly ripped him from them, but gramps, stubborn as ever, had pulled through. "I'm just glad Anzu agreed that you two should take over the shop. I don't think he would have been able to continue it on his own since your mom moved in with your dad in Tokyo."

"Yeah, agreed. This way we know he'll be safe."

She nodded and put another bobby pin in her hair, making sure there were no strays outside of her bun. "Right. I guess this is it then."

Reika stepped into the living room just as Isono and Fuguta re-entered the house. Outside, she could hear the snapping of cameras and the excited chatter of photographers and well-wishers who had started camping out the night before.

"I can't tell you how proud I am of you, Reika," Uncle Takeo said with a wide smile. "What an honor this is for our family."

She gave him a weak smile. "Thank you, Uncle Takeo. I will bring all the lessons I learned growing up into my role as future Empress." By which, she of course meant a love of music and dueling, and kindness to everyone who stood in front of her.

"Shall we, then? Miss Mutou, you will exit last with your parents," Fuguta said with an inclination of his head. "Per His Imperial Majesty's request, of course."

Of course it was.

She watched as the other members of her family exited the house, chuckling under her breath as she heard an uproar of cheers as Yugi and Anzu stepped outside. She waited a few moments for them to get situated in their car before following Isono out into the roaring crowd.

Posing had become easier. Her face didn't feel as wooden or fake, even if she was still just as nervous and unsure as she'd been the moment she'd debuted as Prince Seto's official girlfriend. Her phone had exploded that day, and her friends had suddenly understood why she'd returned to Japan - just without the force and arrangement part. But they believed it was a natural, beautiful relationship, and she was not going to correct them and risk Gozaburo attacking international civilians.

"As interest around your family grows even further, His Imperial Highness has asked us to increase security around the family residences, Miss Mutou," Isono said as the car began to move.

"Thank you, Isono, I appreciate that," she said with a small sigh of relief that she couldn't hide.

"We'll be okay, Reika. You don't have to worry about us," her father said, squeezing her shoulder. "It's you we need to worry about."

Isono's eyebrows lifted in a way that acknowledged and understood her father's words. "Mister Mutou, I promise you that Fuguta and myself are taking your daughter's safety as seriously as we take His Imperial Majesty's and His Imperial Highness'."

"I am still a father at the end of the day, Isono."

"I know you are, sir."

The journey to the palace was far shorter than she ever wanted it to be, the tall towers and glittering lights of Domino disappearing and being replaced by the beautiful, rural Japanese landscape. There were lots of places to hide out here, but not so many places to get a ride back to civilization, so Reika was slowly crossing off potential escape routes if the worst happened and she felt she had no choice but to leave.

It wasn't built that way on purpose, at least, she didn't think, but a small part of her couldn't help but wonder if this would be exactly the sort of palace Gozaburo would build for himself.

Pulling through the large gates had her stomach churning with nerves, and the sapphire ring on her finger suddenly felt like a very small handcuff.

Seto was standing outside, and made his way over to the car as Isono pulled the door open, allowing Reika to step out.

"Good afternoon, Reika."

"Good afternoon, Seto."

He looked tired. She probably looked the same way.

"Your Imperial Highness," her father said, bowing deeply. "What a… special day this is."

"Genji, Miaka…" Seto replied, bowing in return to them. "I promise, Reika will be a highly valued member of this family, and she will always be kept safe from harm."

"We will hold you to that, Imperial Highness," her mother replied softly.

Seto gave her a ghost of a smile. "I would expect nothing less from the Mutou family."

"Master Seto, we really do need to move things along…" Isono said. He seemed nervous, and while Reika had seen Isono nervous before, something about this was… different, especially with the terse nod Seto gave in return. "Mister and Missus Mutou, Kemo will escort you and the rest of your family to the gardens while Miss Mutou is with His Imperial Majesty."

Seto's hand never left hers as they went inside and to the throne room.

"Your Imperial Majesty, I present His Imperial Highness, Prince Seto, and his fiancee, Miss Reika Mutou."

Something was… off about the way Gozaburo was seated on his throne. He looked bored, powerful, but he was also sweating under the collar, and staring Seto down like he wasn't fit to clean the dirt off Gozaburo's shoes.

Seto was staring at him with barely concealed rage in his blue eyes, turned almost navy blue instead of matching the stone in Reika's engagement ring.

What the hell happened in the palace?

"Yes, well, as you know Miss Mutou, your engagement has been approved for years. I trust your time away from Japan has taught you much?"

"Yes, Your Imperial Majesty. I will use what I have learned in the United States to continue the great Kaiba name," she replied, her voice light and timid. "I think you for your kindness in allowing me seven years away to learn."

Her eyes remained trained on the ground, even as she heard Gozaburo shifting in his seat. "You are most welcome. Whatever is best for the future Empress of Japan. Seto will take you to see your suite. There are gowns more befitting of a future empress waiting for you there. You can select one for the gala tomorrow."

"Thank you, Your Imperial Majesty. To your continued good health."

Or not.

"Dismissed."

Reika took a deep breath as soon as they were out of the throne room, the door closing behind them sharply.

"You handled that remarkably well," Seto said. "Did you practice?"

"Of course not. I just spoke from the heart," she replied. It wasn't a complete lie - she was already using what she'd learned in the US regarding people from other cultures to improve relations between Japan and other nations but… she had zero reason to thank Gozaburo for anything and wished him nothing but the worst in life.

Seto began to lead her toward the staircase. "Your suite is this way. It faces the garden. I requested it for you myself."

"You didn't have to. I don't mind which room I would be staying in."

"I do, as the future emperor. I only want the best for my bride."

She rolled her eyes.

That seemed to be the end of the conversation until they reached a set of double doors, and he pushed it open with a mocking bow. "This is your suite until the wedding day."

Reika stepped inside slowly, eyes scanning the lavishly decorated room curiously. There was a small living area complete with a television. Another set of doors revealed the bedroom, with a larger bed than she'd ever had before, decorated with more pillows than one human being could ever hope to use at once, and sheets Reika knew cost more than a month's rent in New York.

The walls, at least, were mostly bare, leaving room for the artwork she'd had displayed in her apartment in New York - and she could see those frames delicately leaning against the opulent vanity near the window.

It felt too big, too expensive, and she itched the back of her neck in discomfort as she walked into the large walk-in closet. She saw her suitcases along one of the walls, but there were also gowns, jewels, and shoes near one of the floor-length mirrors.

“Ah, you’ve found the gowns Meyumi made for you. Excellent,” Seto said, moving to stand behind her.

She hated that she was so entranced by their beauty, and she reached out to brush a hand down a navy blue one. “I did. They’re some of the most beautiful gowns I’ve ever seen.”

He smirked (and dammit, she felt her face begin to burn and she hated it) and wrapped an arm around her waist.  “Of course. Only the best for the future empress.”

She wasn’t scared, despite her heartbeat quickening at his touch. “What are you doing?”

“Just thinking,” he mused as he rested his chin against her shoulder, swaying with her in some sort of mindless dance. “Did you ever go to The Midnight Club while you were in New York?”

Her eyes widened. “Wh - ?”

“Perhaps the Halloween before last, when they had their masquerade night?”

Ice cold horror shot through her system. “You can’t possibly - ”

“Do you remember dancing with a stranger who was dressed like the Blue Eyes White Dragon?”

Her legs actually gave out, and he caught her with ease. “That was - that was you?! What the hell were you doing at that club?!”

“I wanted to understand what drew you there and figured the best way to do that was to do it on Halloween when everyone is wearing a mask. It just happened to line up with the exhibition match you and I went to together."

Horror changed to anger as she wrenched herself from his grasp. “How did you even know I was there? Did your father have something implanted into me?!”

“Reika - no, of course not! All I did was ask the cab driver to take me to a club that had a masquerade party going on, and he dropped me off there,” he said. “As for how I found you, well, I’ve always been aware of how you carry yourself. Besides, you were dressed like the Blizzard Princess card. When I heard you singing in Japanese...”

Reika put her head in her hands as the memories of that night flooded her. She’d been drunkenly singing Thriller in Japanese because her friends had wanted to know what it sounded like, at least until Seto had shown up and asked her for a dance. 

“So you know it was me. You know that I broke your father’s rule for me to not flirt with other men or get physically close to them. Now what happens?”

“Nothing. I never told Gozaburo about that night. I left my phone in my hotel with Isono,” Seto said. "I had a burner on me that he picked up."

“Why though? Why would you do this for me? It would be so much easier for you to tell him and then have my family executed. Why do you want to keep me safe?”

“I don’t want to spill innocent blood. Marrying you is a guarantee to keep your family safe,” Seto explained. “I won’t tell Gozaburo anything you don’t want known if you do the same for me.”

She had no reason to believe he was lying. Every interaction she’d seen between Gozaburo and Seto had been anything but pleasant.

“Okay,” she agreed.

The look he gave her in return was not quite a smile, but it did look like he was relieved with her words. “Thank you. And…” he leaned down to draw her closer to his body again, his lips brushing against hers. “I hope we can continue that night in New York one day soon.”

Was this really happening? She felt dizzy and overwhelmed but in the best possible way as her dark brown eyes met his stormy blue. “I - I think I would like that…”

Seto’s grin was that of a starving man before he pressed his lips firmly against hers, and for the first time, Reika felt sparks exploding between the two of them as her hands came up to wrap around his shoulders, drawing them closer together, and she could feel his heart beating through his shirt. Seto’s hands began to wander, one sliding down to -

“Seto? Where did you go?”

Reika jumped in surprise at the voice of Mokuba coming from the doorway of her suite. She pulled herself away from Seto and refocused her attention on the dresses in front of her.

“We’re in here, Mokuba. I was showing Reika around,” Seto said, his voice calm and clear like he hadn’t just been trying to get under her skirt seconds ago, and he adjusted his suit jacket as if to get rid of the evidence.

“Oh good, Father wanted me to tell her something anyway,” Mokuba said, appearing in the doorway. His typically wild hair was pulled back in a long ponytail, and he wore a button up shirt with black slacks, with the shirt only half-tucked into his pants. He carried himself the exact opposite of Seto did as he gave Reika a beaming smile. “Reika!"

She had to force herself not to bow, reminded that they were nearly on equal footing now. “Hello Mokuba. What did your father want?”

“Oh, he wanted me to let you know that he and Seto are going to be gone overnight tonight after dinner, so if you need anything, Fuguta will be here to work with you."

Reika smiled. “Right, of course. I'm sure your father and brother will have a lot of meetings to attend to."

“Yeah!" Mokuba said, pulling her in for a hug that was more like a squeeze. “It’s going to be nice to have a sister.”

She smiled softly. “Thanks Mokuba.”

“I’ll be sure to let the staff know you aren’t to be disturbed until dinner is ready,” Seto said, running a hand through his hair.

“Thank you, Seto.”

She watched them leave the room, and finally, finally let herself exhale, alone for the first time since she’d woken up that morning.

And her lips still felt like they were buzzing from his kiss.

A groan escaped her as she flopped onto the bed. Today had been a rush of too many emotions, and the gala tomorrow was going to be an even longer night of fake emotions and way too many people talking to her. What she wouldn’t give for an excuse to play sick and not go, because she was practically dizzy with everything in her head.

Seto, though… she couldn't believe he'd actually come to a New York club just to see what life had been like for her. She also couldn't believe they had actually met up there.

What were the odds of that?

Chapter Text

The lights had been blinding in the club, and the music was loud enough that people practically had to shout in order to hear the person next to them. It was wild and untamed, even more so with it being Halloween. People dressed as all sorts of things surrounded her, all with masks on, and she had never felt more free, despite being in New York for years already.

This was nowhere near anything that she'd done before, she normally spent her time at quiet cafes and more upscale events. Just that morning she'd been with Seto at a dueling event. Dueling wasn't exactly the most upscale of hobbies, but it was not a pulse thumping club with people grinding all around her and a sticky floor.

“Hey, come on Reika, you’ve got to sing this in Japanese for us, please?!” her friend Anna had said, tugging her away from the bar and closer to a wall away from the main speaker. “I bet it sounds so cool!”

And so she threw her head back and laughed before beginning to sing and doing the dances she’d seen on TV. It felt so, so good to be free and happy, and to see something other than Japan.

“You speak Japanese too?” a deep voice suddenly rumbled from behind her.

She had jumped in surprise and turned to find a man dressed in a white and blue suit, topped with a helmet that looked like the Blue Eyes White Dragon. It wasn’t exactly a mask, but his eyes were covered at least, so she supposed the bouncers at the door wouldn’t have been upset at his appearance.

“I do,” she finally answered. “I am from Japan.”

He grinned. “I am too. Tokyo.”

“Domino.”

“Ah! So we are practically neighbors! Would you like to dance?” He held out his hand and bowed, and if it were any other circumstance she would have found it suspicious, but with it being Halloween, and with her being a little buzzed, she simply laughed and agreed, moving onto a clear space of dance floor while her friends cheered behind her.

“It’s funny, how the colors of our costumes match in terms of color,” the man said as he spun her. “It’s like we planned it. You are dressed as the Blizzard Princess card, right?”

She nodded. “That’s right, and your helmet reminds me of the Blue Eyes White Dragon.”

“My favorite card, even if I will never be able to play it. Not with Crown Prince Seto owning three of them.”

“I’ve heard the Crown Prince is a spoiled brat so it doesn't surprise me that he’s hoarding them like a dragon.” Her darling fiancé had tried to get the fourth one from her grandfather - for what reason she didn’t know considering the rules of Duel Monsters said only three of them could be summoned at the same time, but whatever.

The mystery man’s laughter rang out like a bell even among the noise of the club, before he drew her closer and she went willingly, leaving little space between them. “Yes, I have heard that myself. He always looks like he’s smelled something disgusting whenever he’s in the news.”

“Must be the stink of all us commoners,” she snorted.

“You? No, I doubt it’s from you.”

“Oh well, aren’t you a charmer?”

The smirk he gave her sent a shudder down her spine. “Only for those I deem worthy of charming.”

She wished she could stop the pink flush that bloomed over her face. “So I’m worthy, huh? Why don’t you tell me your name then, stranger?”

“But it’s Halloween. What’s the fun in being who I really am for the night?” he questioned with a wolfish grin. “So sorry, Princess, but you’re just going to have to go to bed wondering who I am.”

He pressed his lips against hers, and disappeared in the crowd.
—

Reika jolted out of her memory at the sound of her phone vibrating next to the stupidly-large shower stall. Ten minutes until her stylists arrived. With an almost sad sigh, she turned off the water and dried herself off, dressing in her fluffy robe before heading back into the bedroom as she scrolled through her phone and smiled weakly at the texts she had from her friends in the States, talking about upcoming concerts and events they were attending, and one from Mrs. Cortes saying how excited she was for the wedding.

The fact that Gozaburo allowed her to keep contact with them was something she was eternally grateful for, and she couldn't quite believe it had actually happened.

But texting with them just reminded her of everything she would be losing by getting married and becoming a princess. All the friendships, the freedom, the career she was so proud of… it was enough to make tears flood her eyes, and she leaned against the vanity, head in her hands trying to stop herself from crying. She could survive this. She had to be able to survive this.

Through the open window, she could hear workers in the garden and in the ballroom getting ready for the gala tonight. She couldn't imagine how stressful it must have been, having to do that sort of work knowing it was for Gozaburo Kaiba, of all people, and not knowing if you would be able to escape a sudden disappearance or not.

“Pardon me, Ms. Mutou? Your stylists are here,” she heard Fuguta call as he knocked at her door.

“Send them in, thank you,” she replied, pushing down the sudden wave of emotions and replacing it with a stoic mask as she rose to her feet to greet them.

"Miss Mutou, it is a great honor to meet you. I am Yume, and this is Mei. Please be assured that we will see to it that you look like your best self tonight," one of the women said as each of them bowed deeply to her.

Fuck this was weird, but Reika nodded. "I have no doubt of your talents," she said with a weak smile. "Please come in."

She didn’t feel like herself after everything was said and done. The navy blue gown was beautiful, and to her taste, but the hair and makeup just felt like too much for someone who had been a musician in a philharmonic and for Broadway for the past few years.

She couldn't imagine what sort of ribbing she'd get from her friends back in New York. They'd seen her in formal outfits before, even since she'd been back in Japan, but nothing quite like this. She looked, she supposed, like a proper monarch ought to, reminiscent of Empress Irisa or Empress Emiko in photographs and videos she'd seen of their engagement galas.

A knock startled her out of her thoughts. "It's time."

Seto, brisk as always.

Reika pulled the door open and took in his appearance. Standing tall, eyes sharp, and dressed in a navy blue suit matching the color of her gown.

"You look beautiful," he said, the ghost of a smile on his face as he took in her form when she pulled the door closed behind her.

"Thank you. You don't look too bad yourself."

He scoffed. "I should hope not, given this is my engagement gala. Come, everyone is waiting for us."

"My family?"

"Included in the 'everyone'. They're inside, safe and sound. My father has not hurt Mokuba, and he won't hurt your family, or you. I promise."

Just what was that supposed to mean?

She straightened her spine as they moved to the grand staircase. This all felt wrong. She had been at events before, supporting Seto or having her own endeavors, but to have all of the attention on her was making her uncomfortable, and watching people bow to her as they entered the ballroom only made that feeling worse.

"Ladies and gentlemen, presenting His Imperial Majesty, Gozaburo Kaiba."

Bowing to Gozaburo felt more natural, and she relished the normalcy for a moment, before reality set back in.

"His Imperial Highness and Miss Mutou will now have the first dance," Hobson announced to the awaiting crowd, who allowed them a wide berth of room on the dance floor.

She tried to keep her face neutral, but he must have seen something flicker in her eyes the way he squeezed her hand, trying to calm her fears. She knew how to dance - they had danced dozens of times, especially recently.

The first notes of the waltz began, sweeping them into a romantic dance on a world stage. In the crowd, Reika could see ambassadors from various countries, leaders in the business world and -

She couldn't believe she was actually relieved to see Pegasus. Good. Someone to talk anything but the future about. Besides, nothing slipped by Pegasus - he had an uncanny ability to know what was happening before anyone admitted to anything. Maybe he, of all the people here, would be aware that all of this was fake and… she didn't know. Pegasus wasn't married. Hadn't been for decades since his wife died. If theirs had been a marriage of love, would he even be able to offer her any advice?

Regardless, talking to him had to be better than only talking to the stuffed suits that were here.

She moved gracefully with Seto, not fumbling even once, and finally, the music came to an end, and they bowed to the crowd before leaving the floor and allowing other couples the chance to dance when a new song began. Among the couples, she could see her parents.

They looked… happy, content to be in each other's arms. It looked natural, like they both wanted to be where they were, instead of looking like they would rather be anywhere else. She had taken for granted what that looked like, always being someone to wrinkle her nose whenever they had PDA with each other, or rolling her eyes when her father called her mother a cute nickname. Now she understood it just meant that they loved and respected each other.

She respected Seto, of course, but love…? Could she say that -

Seto's hand on her back broke her from her thoughts, and she looked up at him dutifully.

"Reika, this is Henry Dawson, America's ambassador to Japan," Seto said, pausing in front of a tall, dark-skinned man who gave the couple a smile.

"An honor to meet you, Miss Mutou. I actually saw Beauty and the Beast on Broadway while you were in the orchestra," Henry said. "I hope you enjoyed your time on our side of the pond."

Reika felt her shoulders relax. Someone else she could talk to. "Thank you, sir. My time in the United States was quite fun. I plan to use all I learned there to become the best empress I can, though I admit my mother-in-law will be a very difficult one to follow."

Henry laughed. "Well, knowing Seto as long as I have, I know he made the correct choice in a bride."

Reika smiled. "I suppose it helps that we've known each other since we were children," she laughed.

"Yes, that's right, I've read about your grandfather's relationship with Emperor Michihito. It sounds like they were very good friends."

Reika nodded. "Yes, they were. And my maternal grandfather was the head chef here for many years. I guess you could say it was fate that drew Seto and I together."

What a cruel mistress fate was.

"Henry! I hope you are not occupying all of the couple's time tonight!" came another voice, this time in broken English. "The whole world wants to get to know Mademoiselle Mutou."

"And they will, Emile. If I recall there will be an interview done with one of the Japanese media channels," Henry laughed. "But fine, I yield. It was lovely to meet you, Miss Mutou, congratulations again."

With a bow, Henry departed, and a parade of boring, ass-kissing delegates began, and Reika's desire to be drunk in order to numb the anxiety she felt grew. But with each sip of champagne or wine she took, Gozaburo's eyes seemed to dig into her back, causing the anxiety to get worse.

"He won't hurt you," Seto repeated, finding a quiet spot for them to take a small reprieve. "He hasn't hurt Mokuba, and he won't hurt you."

There was an insistence there that had her frowning in alarm, but she was given no time to question it before a familiar laugh drew closer.

"Well there you two are. I was beginning to think I was never going to be able to congratulate you," Pegasus said with a wide grin. "I must say, Seto, this is quite a party your father has thrown. Tell me, how is he feeling?"

There was something unspoken shared between the two men with Pegasus' question and Seto's gaze. She couldn't figure out what it was, but whatever it was, it couldn't have been good given the grim look that briefly crossed Seto's features.

"Father is doing well, Pegasus," he replied. "He has thrown himself into the wedding planning, as you can imagine."

Pegasus smirked a little. "Yes, I imagine there are a lot of logistics to deal with when it comes to planning a royal affair. Though with you marrying a commoner with ties to other countries, I expect it will be a unique one among your family, won't it?"

Seto nodded. "Yes, Mokuba is quite excited that there are others invited besides the usual elites."

"I imagine he is!" Pegasus laughed. "I know I am very keen to see how beautifully everything is put together. The Mutou family can have such a… unique touch on lives. I should know - Yugi-boy is working on a game that would be an excellent competitor to Duel Monsters if he hadn't come to me to produce and distribute it! And he has asked that you keep your schedule open for some of the technology he wishes to implement in it."

Seto nodded, looking a little relieved to have a break from royal duties. "Of course. I will send him my schedule so we can make time to meet."

Pegasus nodded, finishing his wine with a flourish. "See to it that you do. And congratulations again. If I may offer some unsolicited advice… don't forget to cherish each other. Love can be… such a rarity in this world."

There was a flicker in his gaze, and Reika couldn't help but wonder if he knew the relationship was a facade, or if he was being sincere and thinking of Cecilia.

For the elites of the world, it wasn't hard to suspect that Gozaburo Kaiba, of all leaders, would choose to have his son go through an arranged marriage, and, with the world knowing who Gozaburo Kaiba was (cruel, bloodthirsty, and possibly killing detractors for his own gain), no one liked to actually say anything to the contrary.

But people knew, and they all played the game as they should.

Pegasus (for once), gave the duo a bow and stepped away from them, and it only took Reika a few moments to realize why he'd suddenly decided to follow Japanese protocol.

Gozaburo appeared before them, his face pulled into his trademark scowl. "Well, you two are acting,,, acceptably at the gala. It is quite appreciated."

"Of course, Your Imperial Majesty… why wouldn't we?" The question slipped from her before she could stop it, and she felt like swallowing her own tongue when it came out.

Gozaburo's eyes narrowed at her, and she could feel Seto stiffen next to her.

"You are still new to living here, but let me be clear, my sons have been rather… uncaring when it comes to decorum, despite my warnings. I expect you to be a better influence on them despite your rather… common upbringing. Do you understand me, girl?"

She shrunk back, gaze cast to the floor instead of keeping eye contact. "Yes Your Imperial Majesty. I understand."

"The people already seem to approve of you. It would do well for you not to screw it up, especially so soon."

That was a threat. She knew it, and she swallowed thickly, nodding in response.

"Yes what?"

"Yes Your Imperial Majesty, I promise not to screw anything up."

"Good."

With that, he was gone.

They waited one, two, three heartbeats before either of them moved or spoke, and it was Seto who did so, one of his larger hands taking her small one and lacing their fingers together.

"You did well, all things considered," he said, looking at her with what she could have sworn was mischief in his eyes. "I don't think he expected it."

"Is he going to retaliate?"

"No. I've told you, he won't hurt your family. Trust me on this."

"How?"

Seto took a deep breath and pulled her further into the private alcove. "I'll tell you tonight after Gozaburo goes to bed."

Saying his father's name again, and the anger that burned between the two men…? Something was brewing, and she didn't have any reason to not believe him, so… she nodded, and, after taking another few moments to gather herself, followed him back into the ballroom to get through the rest of the gala.

Reika spent the rest of the night being paraded around, meeting dignitaries and other privileged guests, none of which she would remember the names of, but she played her role of an excited bride-to-be well, humble and honored at the prestige of the guests in the ballroom with them. She was able to spend some time with her relatives, quietly reassuring them that she would survive this and she would be fine, though despite her assurance, she wasn’t sure Yugi believed her.

Mercifully, the gala ended, and she was able to return to her suite of the palace with Seto at her side. None of the guards seemed to raise a brow at him entering her quarters. A relief, she supposed, that the guards respected privacy, or what little of it she would be able to afford.

She reached up to pull her hair free from its confines as Seto shut the door behind them.

“Your hair is quite long. I don’t think I’ve seen it this long before,” he said, reaching forward and threading some of the strands through his fingers, and she tried not to jolt at his touch. Their kiss in her closet was still fresh in her mind, as was the promise of continuing that night in New York.

“Thank you,” she breathed. “So. What happens now?”

“Now I think it’s time you know what the plan is going forward. Gozaburo plans to go over it in the morning but… I don’t want you to panic at breakfast,” Seto replied, leading her over to the sofa in the room and sitting down. “Our wedding is planned for June, and Gozaburo expects you to be with child by this time next year.”

She felt the color drain from her face. “He… he what?” She knew they would have a child, an heir to the Japanese throne, but for it to be planned out like this, like she was nothing but an incubator… it made her nauseous as she wrapped her arms around her middle, like she was protecting a child that wasn’t even there.

She also didn’t want her child to grow  up with their life planned out for them, not like hers was.

Seto’s hand on her back, warm and very, very real, drew her back to reality. “Are you alright?”

“No, I’m not. I was free for seven years and now I come back to the news that I have to be pregnant next year!”

“You won’t be. Not if you don’t want to be.”

“You just told me that Gozaburo - ”

“He’s dying, Reika.”

She froze again, her eyes wide as she stared at him. “What? Dying? I didn’t hear anything about that.”

“No one will. Not until he’s gone. But I assure you, he has less than a year left, especially with the way he ignores his doctors when they tell him not to smoke. All we have to do is survive another year, and I promise, we will have children whenever you're ready.”

“I don’t know how you plan to do it considering the grasp Gozaburo has on us.”

“The way I’ve been doing it since I was twelve years old,” Seto replied, rising to his feet and discarding his suit jacket. He turned his back to her and undid the buttons of his shirt, and it too, dropped from his shoulders.

To her horror, his back was riddled with scars. Several of them looked like belt marks, but others were too circular, and looked like they were caused by burns. Oh God, were they cigar burns?!

He was hurting himself to protect others, and suddenly, all of the things she had fought with him about regarding the wedding had guilt washing over her. Was this how he had gotten Gozaburo to agree to her American friends attending? Or how she'd suddenly been able to keep her apartment in New York?

“How - how many of these are because of me?” she whispered, afraid that if she spoke at a normal volume the bile in her throat would continue its journey upwards.

“It doesn’t matter.”

“It does! Seto, you’re hurting yourself to protect me!” She could see several marks that looked more fresh than the others. Had all of those been because of her? Slowly, she rose to her feet, approached him gently, ran her finger down one of the scars and felt him shudder beneath her touch. “Mokuba doesn’t know about this, does he?”

“No.”

She exhaled slowly and wrapped her arms around his waist, drawing herself closer and pressing her face into the firm muscles of his back. “You won’t endure this alone anymore. I won’t let you.”

“Reika - ”

“You told me I needed to trust you, and I do. But I won’t sit by and watch you suffer this alone. So please, just… let me do this,” she replied, then pressed her lips against one of the fresher scars gently, lovingly.

Seto shuddered beneath her touch again, and his hands came to rest on hers, holding her in place. “Do that… do that again.”

And she did, obliging him for every kiss and caress he wanted, and she slowly felt him become more and more relaxed under her touch. When was the last time he’d felt this? A loving touch of concern?

He moved before long, turning to face her and cupping her cheeks in his hands, his blue eyes staring into her brown, before he leaned down and captured her lips in a deep, passionate kiss, thumbs stroking along her cheeks in soft circles, before he broke apart from her lips and started trailing kisses down her neck as her starving lungs heaved in air.

“S - Seto, what are you doing?” she gasped out.

He smirked against her skin. “I promised you our night in New York, didn’t I?”

“You - you did but - “

“Let me do this.”

And she did.

When they were done, left in an exhausted heap on her stupidly-big bead with the stupid amount of pillows and bedding, he pressed a kiss against her forehead and pulled away to right himself.

She stared up at the ceiling, dazed and feeling a thousand different things in her mind. He had been hurting himself to protect her, to protect her family, to protect Mokuba… how was she supposed to repay him for that?

She thought to her mother and father as they danced so in sync with each other it almost hurt, how she'd spent nights after the arrangement listening to them have loud words - not to each other, but for each other, in defense of her, against Gozaburo. She remembered watching from the shadows as her mother cried and her father held her. They were a united front, a near-impossible wall to penetrate.

A team.

"Seto…" she croaked, sitting up and pulling the sheets to her chest. "Whatever happens, we do this as a team, right?"

He paused for a moment, straightening the collar of his shirt. "A… team?"

Reika shrugged. "I mean… we are getting married, right? And you'll be the Emperor. I don't want to be someone that just sits on the sidelines and cheers for you. I want to help you, and give you my thoughts on what the people want… and until Gozaburo dies, we have to look out for each other."

"I have to look out for you."

"Then who looks out for you?"

"I don't need - "

"Your back says otherwise," she said, then sighed, running a hand through her hair. "I told you earlier, I'm not going to let you go through this alone. And I want to be a team with you. Like your grandparents were."

That had been a golden era in Japanese history, from all that she'd studied. The Emperor and Empress in sync with each other, leaning on each other, and cheering for each other. In a way, she and Seto had been doing that already, even if they were arranged.

"Okay," he agreed, reaching to take her hand and pressing a kiss to the back of it. "A team. But I'm keeping you out of physical danger from him."

"Deal."

She wanted to say no, but that wouldn't get her anywhere.

"Breakfast begins at seven. Gozaburo gets downstairs at five to, so be there by quarter to."

She nodded and reached to adjust her phone alarm to the correct time. "Thank you Seto. Goodnight."

"Goodnight."

With his clothing put back together, Seto closed the bedroom door behind him, and a few moments later, she heard the exterior door to the suite close as well.

Once she was alone, she took a deep breath and pulled herself up out of bed to freshen up and get her pajamas on.

She was locked in now. A team with the future emperor of Japan.

Until death did them part.

A shudder went down Reika's spine.

A year. Maybe less.

She could survive that.

Chapter Text

Mornings always seemed to come too quickly to Seto.

In the peace and comfort of his suite, he could plan and design without worrying about his father coming into the room, and he could rest for a few hours knowing Gozaburo wasn't going to go after Mokuba.

But mornings were the start of a new day, and there was never any telling if Gozaburo was going to be in a good mood, or a terrible mood, or if he was going to feel well or not. He had been having more bad days than good lately, and yesterday had been an exceedingly long gala. Would his father even make it to breakfast?

Seto adjusted his tie in the mirror one last time and tried not to feel Reika's phantom fingers dancing along his skin. That hadn't been planned - not a second of it, but something about the gentle nature of her touches had felt… so good, so right to Seto that taking her to bed had been all he could think of to do.

And it was rare when he was rendered speechless like that.

He grabbed his suit coat and pulled it on before pulling the door open and heading toward the staircase, knocking sharply on Mokuba's door as he moved. He only continued in his motion when he heard Mokuba's confirmation of being awake on the other side of the door.

"Good morning, Your Imperial Highness," Hobson said, bowing to Seto before he could make his way to Reika's suite. "Miss Mutou is already awake and in the kitchen, and Isono has your schedule for the day downstairs."

Huh. He hadn't expected to be beaten downstairs, but Seto gave him a quick nod and made his way to the dining room to meet Isono.

When he reached to grab the list of tasks for the day, he heard laughter coming from the kitchen, Reika's voice rising above the rest.

"She has been going at it with them for ten minutes. I don't remember the last time I heard such joy coming from there," Isono remarked with a smile. "It is nice to have laughter back in the palace."

Seto nodded a little. Being in constant fear of doing something wrong was no way to live, but since his father had taken over as Emperor, no one had known anything else. Things had to improve, somehow, some way.

"At any rate, sir, you have your morning meeting with your father straight after breakfast. I expect he'll want a more thorough run-down of how you believe last night went," Isono said. "At ten o'clock, you and Miss Mutou will have a meeting with Tanaka-san regarding the schedule of the wedding day. He will be bringing the prayers and rites from the temple so you can go over them. After that will be lunch, and then the rest of the early afternoon is dedicated to your television interview. I have a list of questions the station sent over for you to look at. We can make changes if you deem them necessary."

Given how Gozaburo was a puppet master, Seto doubted his opinion would even be needed. Still, he took the paper into his hand and scanned it carefully, making sure there was nothing his father would disapprove of on there.

Ah… perhaps Gozaburo wouldn't be the one that needed to worry about the interview. Seto felt the paper crumple in his hand when he saw a question about how they actually started dating come up. That had always been hand waved away, but he knew the interviewer - Hikari - would not rest until she actually had something detailed, which meant they needed to hurry and figure out what they were even going to say - and quickly, because there was a chance his father was going to ask about it as well.

"We will be serving your grandfather's miso soup," he heard the chef say. "It was passed down to us after his retirement."

"Oh - really?! I haven't had that in years. Don't tell my mom, but she gave up trying to crack his secret recipe years ago," Reika replied with a laugh. "She tried though, believe me. Especially after we lost him."

He pushed the door open, and the chatter ceased, the staff falling into deep bows, and Seto, to his own surprise, felt an uncomfortable twist in his gut.

"Reika, may I speak with you for a moment?" he said, meeting his fiancee's gaze. "It's important."

The only sound in the room was the bubbling and hissing coming from the stove.

"Of course, Seto," she replied, her voice even with his as she stepped toward him, then paused and turned back to the kitchen staff. "Thank you again for making the miso soup. I'm sure it will be just as delicious as my grandfather once made."

Huh. He didn't know that her grandfather had only passed the recipe down to the Imperial Household, though, Seto supposed, it did make sense, given his father's control over every little thing. He wouldn't have been surprised to find out that his father imported insects into the gardens, just to control everything that was in there.

"What's wrong?" Reika asked as the door swing closed behind them. "Do I not look presentable for my first royal breakfast?"

The truth was, he could tell that she had just pulled out something she'd brought from home, and nothing with a designer label. It wouldn't be what his father would want - but maybe his father's health would be in a bad enough state that he wouldn't notice.

But there wasn't time for her to go change, and at this point, the only designer things she had in her closet were the gowns that had been made for the gala last night, which were far too formal for his father's preferred breakfast style.

"It's not about how you look," he promised. "We need a solid, concrete story as to how we fell in love. Hikari Kobayashi is our interviewer tonight."

Realization dawned on her. "Ah, right, okay. Um, how about this? We've known each other our whole lives, but when we were sixteen, we were hanging out together when your father had a meeting with my parents and… sparks just flew. But due to us being underage, all parties agreed to keep it under wraps until we became adults."

"And where exactly did sparks fly?"

"In the garden, by the sakura tree planted by your great-grandmother," she replied smoothly.

He raised a brow. Damn, she was quick on her feet. Which was good.

"The sakura tree planted by my great-grandmother," he repeated, the nodded, committing it to memory. "He'll ask about it, I'm sure. I can't imagine he hasn't seen the interview questions already."

"Interview?" came the exhausted voice of Mokuba. "Who's got an interview?"

"We do, Mokuba. Don't you remember?" Reika asked with a small smile. "Your brother and I are interviewing with TokyoTV today about the engagement."

"Oh, right. Better you than me, I guess. Really makes me glad Seto's the oldest. I couldn't do all of that boring stuff like interviews."

Seto rolled his eyes. "Your support is, as always, appreciated, Mokuba."

"I'm always here for you bro,"

Fuguta let out a cough, alerting them to Gozaburo's imminent arrival. Mokuba straightened up immediately, and tied a few more stray hairs out of his face, while Reika folded her hands, spine straight and chin tilted down toward the ground.

It was Seto who stood proud and tall, meeting Gozaburo's gaze when he entered the room. He looked tired, a little pale, and worse off than he had the previous night. Perhaps the long galas were finally starting to get to him.

If they were lucky, he'd be gone before the wedding even happened… though Seto couldn't help but wonder what they would do in that case. There had been so much put into the facade, and, arranged or not, the breaking of an Imperial engagement had never happened, not in modern history, anyway. Not to mention, the public respected and adored Reika, and she'd only been in the major spotlight for a few months.

Would they continue to be a team, even after Gozaburo was gone?

Gozaburo met Seto's gaze and narrowed his eyes just a hair as he moved to sit down, the rest following, and breakfast, as always, was a tense affair. Seto did his best to keep Gozaburo's attention away from Reika and focused instead on what the interview would be about and the early plans for the wedding. It worked, and soon enough, breakfast was over, and Seto was following his father to his office for their meeting.

"They were charmed by her," his father began, taking a seat at his desk. "I received very good feedback from the ambassadors and business leaders."

"She is a very charismatic person, Father. It doesn't surprise me that she won people over." She had been doing it for weeks already. "But I'm sure you are pleased about it."

"Indeed I am," Gozaburo said. "It is one of the few things you have done right lately."

Seto's jaw clenched, but he didn't dignify his father with a response. He could see his silence bothered him.

Good.

"I was also impressed with how you handled Pegasus. If he weren't an American citizen, I would have had him hanged for how disrespectfully he treats our family."

"Pegasus is a colleague of mine, my equal in the business world. It is normal to have banter the way we do."

"You are a prince, boy. You walk above those ants, even if he's worth five billion dollars."

Seto kept his gaze even with his father. "We had a deal that you would not interfere with Duel Monsters. I will interact with Pegasus how I choose."

"You are not the Emperor yet, Seto." Gozaburo grabbed his shoulder with a startling amount of strength Seto didn't realize he even still had, and forced him to his knees. He felt pain shoot through them as he landed roughly against the - thankfully - carpeted floor of Gozaburo's office. "And until you are, you will listen to me."

The putrid stench of cigar met his nose, and Seto had to fight back a sigh as he pulled his jacket and shirt off. Eight-thirty had to be an early morning record for this.

As always, he tried not to make a sound when the cigar was pressed against his back, but Gozaburo pressed harder than he usually did, and he couldn't stop the hiss of pain that escaped him. Dammit, he really hoped this wasn't going to heal any worse than the other marks. Isono had told him in the past that they needed to get a doctor involved, but Seto hadn't dared to. The world did not need to know about this.

Gozaburo let go, and Seto inhaled sharply.

"Get out."

Seto didn't need to be told twice, straightening his clothing and leaving the room. Isono, as always, was at his side, even as Seto turned toward Reika's suite.

"Sir, we need to - "

"She knows. It's fine." They had ended up putting a first aid kit in most of the rooms in the palace, including Reika's suite. There was nothing to be concerned about.

As they approached the door to Reika's suite, he could hear the faint sound of violin music.

"Perhaps she should play a piece tonight as part of the interview," Seto remarked, lazily knocking at the door. "I think it would be enjoyable for the public."

"Yes sir, I'll speak with the producers," Isono said, already pulling his phone out as Seto knocked on the door.

Reika seemed to realize something was wrong the moment she opened the door and ushered them in. She said nothing, simply pointed at the bathroom before she took Seto's hand and guided him into her small living area.

"Keep playing," he said. "Please. We might have you perform as part of the interview."

Reika did so, and Seto watched how she seemed to come alive without even saying a word.

—

Gozaburo had found the interview adequate, even if the musical interlude was a bit strange, but the public's raving reviews had been enough to spare Seto that day, even after his son had asked him for yet another favor, this time allowing Mokuba's supposed girlfriend to attend official events.

It wasn't that he disliked Serenity, on the contrary, she was polite, reserved, and reminded Gozaburo of his mother in the very best of ways, but while Reika had also come from a non-royal, non-political family, Serenity's family was… low, even by Gozaburo's standards. A father who preferred drinking to, well, doing anything, a mother who only took one of her children in the divorce, and a brother who rode the coat tails of the world's biggest name in dueling, with little else in his life to show for it.

It was pathetic, and that family was not worthy of being associated with the Kaibas. But… Gozaburo was a man of his word, and he had sworn to Seto that Mokuba would be able to be happy, and choose his future partner in life. Besides, the boy was only nineteen. There was plenty of time for him to get rid of her and find a more suitable woman.

He coughed into his handkerchief, frowning at the blood that appeared.

A temporary setback. He just needed another day to rest and recover from the events he'd been attending regarding the wedding, and he would be fine.

"Hobson!" he called.

"Yes, Your Imperial Majesty?" Ah, Hobson, so loyal, some would say to a fault, and always keeping a second pair of eyes on Seto when Gozaburo couldn't.

Gozaburo sat up further in his bed (the damn bed, how weak he felt to be stuck in a bed). "Give Seto my meetings for the day. I'm sure Reika can take care of whatever dueling meeting nonsense Seto had planned. It will be a good test of her strength in the business world."

Hobson bowed again. "Of course, sir. Is there anything else?"

Gozaburo huffed out a sigh. "Get the doctor here."

Hobson's face gave nothing away, but something changed in his demeanor. "Yes sir. Right away."

Gozaburo leaned back against the pillows when Hobson was gone, and let out another cough.

A temporary setback. That's all this was.

-

The popularity of Prince Seto and Reika Mutou continued to climb with each event they attended. Business openings, holiday events, duels… whatever it was, the people of Japan were happy to see the young future rulers. The Japanese people could see the love that sparkled between the two, unaware that the two were even an arrangement to begin with.

They moved as a team. Seto, the serious, kept-together heir to the throne, and Reika, his outgoing, charismatic, passionate bride, who had shown nothing but grace in her elevation to future empress. The cheers that had once been fake adoration for an emperor they feared grew loud and confident for future leaders they actually saw hope in.

While Seto took the lead when it came to dueling events, the future Empress hosted concerts, raising money for arts programs around the world. She performed gracefully with national and international orchestras, and personally delivered instruments to orphanages that asked for them. The music events were where she felt the most at ease, but even at political events, she was graceful and kind.

As far as the media was concerned, the wedding plans were going smoothly - there wasn't much to edit, just the date and time of the ceremony. The Imperial Family had been married at the same temple for centuries, it was routine, and a cherished part of the history of the Kaiba family. The tradition would remain stable, even if there would be commoners, and Americans, present - but with each detail of the wedding that made it to the public, the more people seemed interested in knowing more and more, which only painted the family in a better light, to the delight of the Emperor.

But while there was a sense of control on the outside, inside the palace, a storm was brewing: Gozaburo Kaiba was declining, despite his insistence to the contrary, He was determined to make it to the wedding - only a few short weeks away, and determined to show the people of Japan that he was still as strong as he had always projected himself to be.

He did in fact make a grand appearance at the wedding, staring down his son and daughter-in-law with his cold eyes as they entered the temple for the private marriage ceremony.

The ceremony itself was a solemn, formal affair at the family's temple. Everyone, even the American guests that Reika had insisted on inviting, was quiet and respectful, not making a peep until the Western-style reception that night.

Gozaburo watched as the couple danced, twirling gracefully on the dance floor. He could see something in their gaze as they looked at each other, and he couldn't quite be sure what it was, but it didn't appear to be total disdain.

Even her low-class friends seemed to understand the sort of party they were at, and were behaving well… even if it seemed like some of them were spending too much time at the bar.

Gozaburo gazed out at the crowd, and had never felt more in control. Now, all he had to do was ensure his son and new daughter-in-law would carry on the family line.

But first, perhaps some rest.

"I will be in my office, Hobson," he said.

"Yes, of course, sir."

As he walked away, Gozaburo didn't notice the flash f knowing that crossed Hobson's features.

In the days following the wedding, the newlyweds were sent off on their honeymoon, and in the palace, plans that Gozaburo had in place years before, after Irisa's sudden death were pulled out and studied once again. The inevitable was coming - it was just a matter of when.

Until that time, life went on.

A year later, during the coldest November Japan had ever seen, Gozaburo didn't leave his bed for three days straight. The doctors knew there was nothing further they could do, and Seto and Mokuba summoned to his bedside to say their final farewells.

Mokuba's was brief, a promise to his father to keep bringing pride to the family name, to not allow the Wheeler family to mess up everything that had been built, before Mokuba left his brother and father alone.

It should have been a tragic moment of contemplation, a symbolic passing of the torch to a new generation, but Seto Kaiba didn't see it that way, and as he stared down his father, a sneer crossed his face.

"If you expect any soft words from me, you will die disappointed," Seto said.

"I expect nothing from you, Seto," Gozaburo wheezed. "Except one thing."

"I'll see if I'm interested in following your dying wish."

"Ungrateful even to the end," Gozaburo hacked out a cough in between attempts to insult him. "A child. Tell me your wife is with child."

Seto's face was stone, his blue eyes darkening at the mention of his wife. "No. Reika is not pregnant."

It was a lie - Reika was nearly ten weeks, but there wasn't a chance in hell Seto was going to give his father the satisfaction of knowing a new generation of the Kaiba name was going to be born, and the doctors Reika saw were quick to understand, and had kept her pregnancy quiet in her medical records on the off chance Gozaburo asked for them - Seto had taken no chances.

It was his first act as a father - protecting his child from their grandfather's scrutiny.

"You cannot fail in this simple task, Seto. The very foundation of our family depends on it."

"Yes Father, I know. But I cannot control what our bodies do or don't do. I want you to rest knowing I will make it my mission to ensure we have a healthy heir."

The look Gozaburo gave him was familiar, a warning to listen to his will, that he was a god among men. But as he lay in his bed with machines and wires surrounding him, Gozaburo Kaiba looked much less like a cruel dictator, and more like an average human. The hands that had once caused Seto pain and misery were limp at his side, bruised from the needles used to administer pain medications and IV fluid.

It was the last thing he would want to look like, and Seto knew it, so Seto was going to relish every moment of this that he could.

"Japan will be in capable hands, Father. I promise you that."

That was true at least. Japan couldn't have been in better hands now that Gozaburo was on his way out.

"You better not be lying to me."

"I am not lying, Father. I will be the best ruler the Kaiba name has ever seen," Seto said. "My reign will be a prosperous one, a peaceful one."

He had already started working on a list of people to pardon.

Gozaburo huffed out. "Taking after me, aren't - aren't you? A prosperous, glorious reign where people know exactly who is in charge. Ruling with an iron fist…"

He was looking in Seto's direction, but it was obvious he was looking straight through Seto and at whatever phantom his dying mind had conjured up for him.

"Yes Father, just like that," Seto agreed. He knew it didn't matter what he said now - the combative, angry Gozaburo had finally gone to rest, and Seto gave Hobson a slight nod to allow Reika, Mokuba, and Serenity entry once again.

Reika took a seat next to him, her fingers lacing with his, and he gave it a squeeze. Love… was a complicated word for him, but having her at his side was nice, very nice, and honestly, his father could have done much worse at picking a bride for him.

He glanced over at his brother and Serenity and smiled just a little. Serenity's head was resting against Mokuba's shoulder, his arm wrapped around hers. He wasn't sure if it was an intentional display of affection, Mokuba's way of thumbing his nose at their father, but he appreciated seeing some genuine love in the palace again.

Gozaburo's eyes slipped closed, and slowly the heart monitor stopped.

The weight of responsibility seemed to crush Seto as he rose to his feet and stepped out of the room to the awaiting staff members, spine straight and face stone.

"Isono, send a message out to the governors. Fuguta, inform the media of what's happened. Hobson, gather the household and prepare for the Presentation of the Three Sacred Treasurers."

With swiftness, it was done. Gozaburo's body was removed from the palace for preparation for funeral, and the news spread quickly across the world.

The air in the palace was strange - almost fake. Seto expected it, of course, his father was not a well-liked man, and ran the palace on fear rather than respect. It didn't surprise him that the sadness that appeared to be projected from the palace staff might not have been completely genuine, and he certainly wasn't surprised to get a sense of excitement as he passed everyone by on the way to the throne room for the first ceremony, already prepared for what a long night it was going to be.

He paused in his steps, taking Reika aside for a moment.

"If you need to rest, I am asking you to rest."

"It's only five-thirty, Seto. I'm fine," she replied.

She had been up half the night with nausea, so he didn't quite believe she was fine. "Please. Promise me you'll go rest if you need. No one will question it." Not now, not when they all had been getting little sleep as his father's health declined, and certainly not now that she was the Empress.

"Alright, alright. I'm not going to argue about this today," she agreed. "But you have to promise not to come to bed at two-thirty again."

He sighed. "Fine."

"Your Imperial Hi - Majesty, we're ready for you," Hobson said.

Seto nodded, following Hobson into the throne room, forcibly reminded of watching this ceremony after his grandfather passed on and left Japan in Gozaburo's hands. In that moment, his whole life had changed, and he had barely been a teenager. But Japan had known that there were at least two generations coming. As far as they knew, currently, it was just him and Mokuba. Would there be pressure from the governors for Reika to get pregnant before they felt comfortable enough to put out their own press statement? For Mokuba to marry, even though he was only twenty?

Seto had vowed to never be like his father, but when it came to pressure over heirs or his brother, he would draw a line and be as nasty as Gozaburo as he needed to be.

The ceremony was brief, a bow and acknowledgment of the duty he now bore, and a promise to the people of Japan that he would protect them from harm, and then the items were taken away, to go back to the careful place they were stored until Japan's next enthronement.

"What happens now, Seto?" Mokuba asked. "I trust you're going to ask me to do more important things? More official duties?"

"Of course I am, Mokuba. You're not a child anymore," Seto replied, lacing his fingers with Reika's as the quartet left the throne room and headed back in the direction of the living quarters. "You know we have to be mature about this. We only have one chance to show the world that we can rule without our father."

"I know, I just - part of me wants to just scream and jump for joy. "

"I know. I feel the same way, but we have to just get through the funeral, Mokuba. I expect you to be on your best behavior until then."

Mokuba held his hands up in defeat. "Okay, okay, I will, I promise."

"Good."

"Your Imperial Majesty, there are calls coming in from the governors. Do you wish to answer any yourself?" Fuguta asked. He looked tired - all of the palace staff did. Seto couldn't blame them. It was like everyone was finally able to breathe now that Gozaburo was gone.

"No thank you, Fuguta. Tell them Mokuba and I are spending some private time together and dealing with funeral plans."

"Of course sir."

Seto took a steadying breath. "Mokuba, do you want to take a walk in the gardens?"

"Yeah. I'd like that a lot, Seto."

Seto glanced over at Reika and Serenity. "We'll be back in for dinner."

"Take all the time you need, Seto. We'll be here."

Serenity hadn't exactly moved into the palace, but she had stayed with them so frequently over the past few months, she might as well have moved all of her stuff in. Gozaburo had been so out of it Seto doubted he'd ever noticed much of her presence. Now that he was gone, Seto wouldn't be surprised if she was living with them full time within the next month.

Seto pushed the door open, and took another deep breath, the crisp November air flooding his system as he looked around the gardens, immaculate, even as some of the plants retreated for the winter months.

"It doesn't seem fair that Mother is going to be stuck with him for all eternity," Mokuba remarked, hands stuffed in the pockets of his coat. "He seriously wanted to share a tomb with her?"

"I think it's just tradition," Seto replied with a frown, though he couldn't deny the thought of both urns being together did not exactly make him feel good. Their mother had been too good for him, and always had been.

"It's an awful tradition. Are you sure we can't just chuck his ashes in the ocean?"

"You would have too much fun doing it and be caught immediately," Seto snorted, tempting as the thought was.

"Yeah yeah," Mokuba sighed. "I have to say, I didn't think I'd be an orphan at twenty-one. It's not a great feeling."

"No, it isn't, is it?" Seto took a seat on their mother's memorial bench and glanced at the setting sun. "Even if our father was a monster."

"So what happens after? Once the funeral is done."

"Then we put the plans for the coronation into motion, of course," he said with a frown.

His brother shook his head, wild mane flying in the breeze. "That isn't what I mean. I mean your great duty of having a kid or two, to 'keep the family line going', or whatever Father said. Are you actually going to do it?"

Seto smirked a little. "Are you that keen to be an uncle?"

"Well, yeah, especially now that Father is dead. I'd be the best uncle ever."

"I know you will."

"So have you talked about it? Are you and Reika going to have kids?"

"Yes."

"Do you know when?"

"In about seven months."

Mokuba furrowed his brow in confusion. "That's rather specific isn't it?"

"Not when the average pregnancy lasts forty weeks and it's already been ten."

Mokuba blinked, the words settling over him for a moment before he jumped up from the bench. "Ten weeks? Wait - Reika's already pregnant?"

"She is. No one knows except the doctors."

Mokuba laughed. "And me, now."

"Yes, and you."

"Does she know you told me?"

He shook his head. "But I'm sure she won't mind. She adores you after all."

Mokuba glanced behind them, at the guards that were distantly behind them, then back at Seto. "We should head back inside. Dinner's probably almost ready."

Seto nodded. "Alright."

Mokuba practically ran inside, and for a brief second, Seto saw him as a child, making up a game in his head that Seto would never fully know the rules of.

For another brief second, Seto imagined his own son bolting ahead of him in the same way.

And he smiled.

-

"Are you nervous?" Reika asked, months later as they prepared for their proper enthronement ceremony.

"Of course not. I've been preparing for this day my whole life," he replied, his hand smoothing down her stomach. "How are you? Are you alright?" The Jūnihitoe she wore was heavy on a good day, but now that she was six months pregnant, he knew it must have been even heavier on her.

"I'm fine. I promise," she replied, raising a brow at his disbelief. "What sort of Empress would I be if a little fabric was enough to knock me off my feet?"

"An excellent one."

She smiled up at him. "We're a team, right?"

He nodded. "A team."

"Your Imperial Majesties, it's time," Isono said.

Seto and Reika took their places for the ceremony, and, when Seto was prompted to, he pulled out his speech and looked right into the group of cameras pointed at him.

"My people… I take this solemn oath to protect and defend you from enemies near and far, and to nourish and help our country grow into a prosperous world leader. A country where there is no fear of speaking displeasure with the government, where there is healthcare, and happiness, and the freedom to pursue whatever makes you happy. I know it will be a long road to undoing what my father wrought, but I promise we can and will accomplish it. A new era has begun in Japan, and the era will be peaceful, and happy. I make this promise to you as your anointed Emperor."

And around Japan, euphoric cheers rose up from the crowds gathered.

A new dawn had finally risen on Japan, and its citizens were ready for it.