Domino City, Japan had been the home of the three most competitive skaters on the face of the earth. Domino's skaters alone brought home so many gold medals that some were starting to believe the sport originated there. How could it not with the three finest skaters having been born and raised there? Collectively speaking, two of those skaters had always paired together. The first time they were seen on the ice was when they had been very little. Even then, their rhythm was impeccable and their movements were always so twined that sometimes you had trouble believing they weren't the same person in two different bodies.
Mutou- Atem and Yuugi. Maybe related by blood, maybe not. There was little back story on the two of them. They kept their lives very private despite the swirl of press and fans that followed them because of their prestige. Atem had grown into a fine young man, twenty three years of age. He had fiery crimson eyes, a straight stance and a warm smile. Yuugi was the younger and gentler of the two; twenty, a wide violet stare and a cheery grin. Atem's features were sharper, Yuugi's softer. The two worked so well together. They were never seen without one another, and any spare time they had either on the ice or off (and it was usually on) they were seen hand in hand. It was hard to disbelieve that they weren't related given their shared last name and their very weird shared hairstyle. But that didn't stop speculation of their relationship.
Then there was Kaiba Seto. The tall, dashing, but so ice-cold young man that had tasted defeat too many times. Silver was a defeat, he'd been taught. And against the Mutous that's all he'd ever gotten. His moves were precise, strict, and graceful- but not as fluid. Everything had to be perfect for him. Not a skate out of place not a toe over the line. Once he knew a song enough to gather a routine for it, that routine was practiced night and day. Twenty three years old, chilling blue eyes that matched the ice he'd come to loath, and a brunet mop of hair. He didn't have a permanent skating partner. Every single competition he appeared with somebody new. They all, in the end, weren't good enough. He was so very tired of watching his scores hit just mere points below Yuugi's and Atem's. It frustrated him. It angered him.
It was just another national championship. The Olympics were on the horizon again. This didn't determine their spots; it was almost just for fun, at least for the Mutous. As they took their place out on the ice, the crowd hushed completely. As usual, their outfits matched one another's except the slight color difference. All black, flowing and yet somehow so straight and tight. Atem's was touched with finer points of red, Yuugi's violet. Their hands touched briefly as they waited for the start of the music.
Once the first chuff of the skates hit the air along with a gentle melodic brilliance, the world faded away. It was just the ice and them, always. They traded places in and out, moving around each other with such ageless grace that it almost felt like they'd been doing this for three thousand years. Their routine made the audience feel so warm inside it was a wonder they didn't melt the ice itself. When Atem grabbed Yuugi to hold above his head, eyes widened. And when he threw him for a spiral, breaths were stolen. Yuugi was the lighter and smaller of the two; this was their routine, always. And it always worked. It was always flawless. It was fluid and amazing the way they glided around together.
They spun so tightly together eventually they became a whirl of colors. Atem's hands clutched Yuugi's keeping him safe and out of harm's way. He would never let his partner fall. They had complete trust in each other. Even the more dangerous stunts were pulled off with quiet dignity and such an untouched pride; no fear whatsoever. Their look had been described as timeless. It was easy to see why. The way they danced with each other was mesmerizing. Finally the piece drew to a close, dulcet tones harmonizing with the way their skates hit the ice, not the other way around. Atem supported Yuugi as he moved to lay back midair, his own leg extending, staring into each other's eyes with a secret smile.
Thunderous applause broke the hypnotic moment. The two hadn't even realized how hard they were breathing until the lights let up and the world came back in. Atem helped Yuugi up, the two taking a bow, skating around to wave to their fans before exiting the ice. Their trainer met with them as they stepped off the ice and into their booths. All cameras were on them as the numbers were being tallied. Of course the press needed to get their first reactions to the scores. But Atem was fussing slightly over Yuugi, making sure the younger was okay. He was stopped when Yuugi clung to him tightly after the perfect-across-the-board scores were announced. Atem looked up in question, apparently not even having heard them, too caught up in Yuugi. Then he smirked, arrogant but happy all the same. They embraced and the crowd roared.
Kaiba's fists clenched by his sides. There wasn't even any way to beat those two damned clones now. The best he could do was tie and even the prospect of that was unsatisfying. He stole a glance to his partner for this round; a bright eyed Anzu Mazaki. She was good. Kaiba had gotten her life story enough to know how badly she wanted the gold. Wanting it that bad would surely breed success. They matched, enough for fans to be cheering once they entered the ice. Brunet and blue eyed, their outfits white with slight touches of azure. They were not touching as the music started up; an upbeat tempo.
Atem watched on from the sidelines as Kaiba skated. He'd always had some sort of sick fascination with the other skater that he just couldn't put his finger on. It was easy to see, from his point of view, how badly this was going to turn out. Kaiba's distaste and distrust for his partner shone through his moves. He was abrasive and rough with the girl. She, on the other hand, looked tired and nervous. Kaiba must have been training day and night with her. That's how he and Yuugi trained, but when you had a passion and love for the ice it wasn't a job. He traced Kaiba's form with his eyes, willing the brunet to be a little bit more fluid. For all their rivalry on the rink, he really wanted the man to succeed. And he wasn't even sure why.
Something sparked in Kaiba, a feeling he'd never really felt before. There was a bit more ease to his skating once he embraced the feeling instead of pushing it away. Their routine became a little better. Behind the glass Atem smiled to himself. Kaiba's routine was almost all flare, going after dangerous moves to gain higher points. Anzu already knew if she messed up even once her life was over. As the two skaters moved to embrace, Kaiba didn't look at her, and instead for a flash of a second, just a split in time, he imagined a smaller form in his arms. Those blue eyes staring at him from all too naive eyes were a passionate red instead in his mind. The focal point of their routine, another dangerous move that could have easily ended in a trip to the hospital was completed with grace and unity, and an amazing pull off.
When he realized what he'd done, he closed his eyes, blinking the image away. That hadn't just happened. Absolutely not. And it would never happen again. But even Atem was staring wide eyed at it. Kaiba was doing better than usual. Something about his brown haired rival was beautiful tonight. He'd never forget it.
The music stopped abruptly on a crashing final note, their pose tense again. It seemed whatever Kaiba had captured in his routine had fled from him. But did that really matter now? As they parted and exited the ice, Atem and Seto shared a split-second stare at each other. No smirks, no glares, just quiet acceptance for the first time in their lives. It was over once the two blinked in an oddly synced time. Kaiba moved to sit with his skating partner who was gushing and waiting for the scores. Atem's eyes raised upwards, Yuugi's hand slipping into his as they awaited.
Perfect. A perfect score. The two Mutous exchanged confused glances before Atem turned away from Kaiba and Yuugi waved at him instead with a bright smile. He was so happy for them. Atem wasn't sure what to feel. Kaiba wasn't either for just a moment, but in the end his dark mask came down. A tie still wasn't good enough, even if it was as close as he'd come to winning against Atem in his life. He looked up at the skater who was turned away from him and wondered what was on his mind. How did this make him feel?
The two pairs of skaters that had won the gold went out to the ice, followed by the silver and bronze earning teams. They waved to their fans. Atem and Yuugi were happy to accept one gold medal instead of their usual two. It was alright by them, having a tie for the gold in skating had to be just about the rarest thing ever. And they didn't mind sharing. Atem moved to place the medal around Yuugi's neck, a gentle kiss to the younger's forehead and a whisper of "Good job" before taking his hand and bowing to the crowd. Kaiba and Anzu just held the medal together in their hands before departing from the ring.
Back outside the ring, Kaiba was telling Anzu to keep the stupid medal. He didn't need it, even if it would have been his first gold against Atem and Yuugi- but it was still a failure. Tying wasn't winning, and he wanted to win. But she left it with him, knowing how much he probably needed it in the end. It didn't bother her. She was happy for a job well done, even if her partner was a jerk. She could see how much he wanted to win. At least she hadn't lost him that, no matter what he thought.