And Then There is Chaos
:xXx :
Disclaimer: I do not own yugioh.
Title: And Then There is Chaos
Fandom: yugioh
Rating: 'T'
Genre: Action/Adventure; Romance
Brief Summary: Takes place after-series. Yugi and Kaiba get invitations to a strange dueling tournament. They go, but find that they're the only ones with invitations. The man who arranged the whole thing-- whose idol is Pegasus--kidnaps one of their comrades, and sets the rest of the gang to a trek through his jungle. Will they rescue their unfortunate friend? Will Yugi find the strength to duel? Will they ever get off the island?
Date Posted: July 2, 2006
Chapter: Prologue- The End of the Beginning
Rating/Warnings: 'K'-- I don't think there's anything objectionable
Notes: Give this a chance. It's different from what I usually write (I'm trying something new), so don't be too harsh.
A/N: Enjoy!
: Prologue :
Yugi hung up the phone and sighed. So it was true. He shouldn't have expected the moment of serenity to last. Another madman no doubt, trying to set up another dueling tournament. And apparently Yugi had been first on the list to receive invitations. He felt a headache coming on, the hammering pain already pulsing at his temples.
"I've got to call the others," he said absently to no one. He picked up the phone again and dialed a familiar number. After a brief conversation with the person, he dialed two others.
Feeling suddenly weary, he trudged over to the living room and sat down on the old, saggy couch. There wasn't anything to do but wait for them. He put his head in his hands and sighed again. There wasn't anything to do but wait.
"Are you sure it's for real?" Anzu asked about an hour later, the four familiar friends gathered together at Yugi's. "I mean... You're sure it's not some trick to get you to wherever this tournament is supposedly taking place?"
Yugi shook his head. "If it is a trick, it's a well-planned one. I called the number that's on the invitation immediately, and they thanked me for confirming my place and wished me good luck. I also called the place where it's being held and found out that it's already been booked by some new company for a, yes, dueling tournament."
"Man," Jounouchi said, shaking his head. "I wonder what all this is about. For some reason, I thought the dueling craze had died down a lot."
"Did you get an invitation?" Honda asked him suddenly.
Jounouchi frowned and shook his head. "No. I didn't."
Anzu smiled hopefully. "Maybe it's coming. You're a good duelist– I'm sure it'll be here."
"If you do get one, Jounouchi, I wish you the best of luck." Yugi set his own invitation– made of thick white paper– on the coffee table in front of him and stood. "Because I'm not going."
"Wait!" Anzu called as he started walking off into the kitchen. "Why not, Yugi? Don't you want to duel?"
He smiled sadly and shook his head. "No. I really don't."
His three friends all exchanged a worried, knowing look.
As he headed into the kitchen, they were suddenly filled with a sort of loss– remembering how much dueling had once meant to their friend, it hurt to see him so dejected and utterly against it. Ever since... Well, ever since that time they had all solemnly agreed never to mention, Yugi hadn't dueled. Sometimes he claimed to be too tired, sometimes he claimed that he'd rather watch a duel than participate in one. On occasion that might be true, but it happened far too often to be coincidence. Yugi didn't– they were sure he felt he couldn't– duel anymore; and nothing they said or did could change that.
Anzu voiced what had been going through everyone's mind. "I'm worried about him." She put her arms around herself as though she were cold. But there was no chill in the air. "He hasn't... He just hasn't been the same. I mean he's as happy as ever, and he acts the same, but he won't duel. And that's such a big part of who he is!"
"I know," Honda agreed. "But what are we supposed to do?"
"Well if this duelist guy issuing the tournament wants to take over the world," Jounouchi said slowly, trying to think things through, "Yugi's got to duel. He's the best in the world! The best ever."
"That's it!" Anzu exclaimed. "We should persuade him to enter this new tournament! It's just what he needs, don't you think?"
"I don't know," Honda said, clearly unsure and hesitant. "We can't force him into anything."
"Oh, we wouldn't force him," Anzu replied. "We're just worried– and this will be good for him. Don't you think?"
"Yeah, I guess so," Jounouchi said.
Honda nodded his head as well. "Maybe so. I mean... It certainly couldn't hurt him."
So it was agreed.
And all that was left to do was to convince their friend that they knew what was best for him.
Across town, another person was just opening an invitation that they, too, had received for that very same tournament.
Kaiba Seto smirked.
"Mokuba," he called, almost eager to impart his new knowledge. "We're going on a little trip."
His younger brother walked into the office looking puzzled. "A trip? What's this about, Seto? Where are we going?"
Seto smiled slyly, an expression that made his handsome face seem more than just a little sinister. He held up the invitation between two fingers. "This, Mokuba, is an invitation to the newest, exclusive duelists' tournament." He pulled the card back and re-read it, fingers caressing the edge as though it were something precious. "And we will be going."
Mokuba groaned. "Dueling? Seto, you promised me that you were through with all that. You don't still have a grudge against Yugi, do you?"
Not at all pleased by his brother's response, Seto looked down. Egypt had affected him– more than he had let on to anyone. His sneer had remained firmly in place, and his arrogance had been as high as ever. But there were dreams... Since everything had been put to rest, shouldn't the whole business be forgotten? Why was he plagued? That girl, the one with the... the... It was her. He, if that had really even been him, had loved her, and had only realized it when it was too late. It almost seemed as though the priest was trying to warn Seto not to make the same mistake. Which, of course, was ridiculous, as Seto didn't make mistakes. Or fall in love.
And then... there was Yugi.
No, Seto didn't still have a grudge against the shorter man, but to have such an abrupt end to their rivalry, with no real conclusion... It bothered him, and left him wondering what to do with himself.
"Mokuba..." Seto began tiredly, "I'm not going for the sole reason of destroying Mutou. I'm going... because I don't have anything else to do. I am an excellent duelist; so I'm going to duel."
He stood up. "You'll need to get your things together soon."
: end prologue :
End A/N: Thanks for reading! I have big plans for this story, including a very interesting villain. Don't forget to review. The next chapter should be up sometime in the next week.
