Hatred is of the Darkness
A/N: Well, I'm back . I said I would be, ne? Katsuya, Yuugi and myself have returned, along with a few other guests, some you've been introduced to from "Behind Closed Doors," such as Yuugi and Jounochi obviously, and the oh-so-sexy introduction of Mr. Sexy Kaiba… I mean, ahem, Seto Kaiba. Please feel to contact me with any suggestions or ideas for new chapters, fics, or anything in general; my information is on the last authors note in "Behind Closed Doors." Well, onto chapter two: "A glint of gold…?" is writing up a storm, so to all of you that have watched me faithfully, I thank you, and I hope you enjoy.
Chapter 1: "Time to duel…"
"Yuugi! Hurry up, man!" Jounochi was racing down the street, tearing around the corner, a big grin stretched across his face. Yuugi scrambled to keep up with his friend, running as quickly as his short legs would carry him, puzzle banging against his chest.
"Jounochi! Wait up!" he called, panting, blinking sweat out of his eyes. Jounochi wasn't going to stop for anything, and Yuugi knew that that included him. He sighed and sped on, trying to keep in stride with him.
The two were heading to Kaiba Corporation, run by the infamous, ostentatious, and outrageously vulgar millionaire, Seto Kaiba. Seto Kaiba was tall, with dark brown hair and deep, cold cobalt eyes. Clad in his duel disk, he stood atop the looming skyscraper that was Kaiba Corp, the epitome of his fame. Yet today, no tournament was being launched, no new card or dueling device was being released, and no new titles would be crowned. Today he stood determined to do what he had intended for years. Today, he took Yuugi down.
"C'mon Yug!" Jounochi shouted, stopping at last. "We're almost there, an' I know it's gonna be something big!" Yuugi nodded, and the two walked the rest of the way, behind the growing crowd of people. Confusion wrought itself across Yuugi's face as Kaiba himself stepped forth from the building. What was he planning this time?
"I hope this is an excuse for you to kick his can, man." Jounochi sniggered. With a deep enmity toward Kaiba, Jounochi relished every defeat the man suffered, especially if it was to his best friend. Yuugi felt the exact opposite of Jounochi. He hoped this didn't concern him (although he doubted it); he hadn't dueled in a long time, not since the death of Yami no Yuugi. He wasn't sure he had the strength to.
"Jounochi, I…"
"Attention!" Kaiba's voice rang over the tumultuous crowd of people; their voices dropped to silence instantly. Kaiba's eyes flashed, hostility radiating within them. "Yuugi Mutou, step forward." Yuugi's heart sank; he had seen this coming.
"Jounochi…" he whispered, "can we leave?" Jounochi was startled to see pain in Yuugi's face.
"What's the matter, man?"
"I… I can't duel Kaiba." Jounochi's eyes widened with realization; his stomach dropped and he felt a twinge of ache in his chest.
"Man, I know this is gonna sound harsh, an' it ain't just 'cause I wanna see Kaiba get his butt kicked across the arena an' back." Jounochi said softly. "But you gotta move on, Yug. It's hard, yeah, and you know that better than anyone, but you can't live your life in this kinda shadow, man!" he pointed to the Millennium Puzzle.
"Look there," he said smiling. "Would he want you to drop everything you love just 'cause he ain't there? Pharaoh-sama would want you to be happy. And what's happy if it ain't kicking Kaiba's can?" Yuugi smiled thinly.
"You're right." He stepped forward, eyes determined, face hard. Jounochi couldn't help but smile in the slightest bit of admiration. Yuugi, although he appeared to so many as a small, emaciated teenager with a little luck when it came to Duel Monsters, was stronger than he thought himself to be.
"Will Yuugi Mutou step…?"
"I'm here, Kaiba." Yuugi's voice rang through the area. Kaiba's eyes flashed and narrowed.
'Mehehe… prepare to lose it all, Yuugi.'
"What do you want?" It was more of a statement than a question. He knew what Kaiba wanted. All Kaiba lived for was to taste…
"My perfect win." His duel disk launched; hologram projectors shot from the sides. People moved simultaneously to one side or another; Jounochi's face grew perplexed. They were dueling right here in public? Somehow, that wasn't like Kaiba. His eyes darkened with suspicion.
Yuugi couldn't help but sigh as he launched his duel disk. Projectors flew and lights appeared; the life points showed on the calculation drive.
"Time to duel, Kaiba." He breathed, fighting the pain in his chest. He could do this without the Pharaoh; Jounochi was right. He just had to move on.
But looking into the merciless, malevolent eyes of Seto Kaiba, he wasn't sure that he would be strong enough to.