Marisay-chan scribbling here! The omakes seems to gather more attention than the story itself *Laughs*
To Chaos Twin of Destruction: I know, right? *Wide grin* Ah, get ready for more hate then, Vivian is about to do something worse. Not quite sure what you are insulting her with, but I think I got the gist of it *Sweatdrop*
To crazy and random child: Oh, not at all! And thank you so much, I'm glad that you have enjoyed the story so far *bows*
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters, only the story ^.^
In Italics are thoughts
In bold are flashbacks
In bold and Italics are thoughts in flashbacks
Story Starts
"So they are queers? How disgusting."
Yami quickly placed a hand over Yugi's when he felt the slight tightening on his arm. Maroon eyes had darkened, narrowing dangerously at the woman before them. The silence that came became very uncomfortable; eavesdroppers quickly evacuate the area, leaving only the four of them there.
"..." Yami stared into Vivian's eyes. "...I prefer the term: 'Homosexual'. I apologize if that is the way you feel. But it would not change the fact that these two here are my loves. So I would appreciate it if you do not discriminate them, Miss Wong."
Atem frowned at the politeness that Yami was still giving to this...this woman. He glanced sharply to Yami, about to say something, when he saw how tightly Yami's hands were clenching, even Yugi could feel the tension on the arm he was holding onto. It made Atem remembered whom they were dealing with. They could not afford to cause a scene here, especially with Madam Wong, even if she was unaware of the situation, in the vicinity.
"Come now, Yami." Vivian smiled, a finger pressed on her cheek to portray a look of innocence. "Surely you are not saying that you are into males. You are-"
"That is exactly what I am saying." Yami interrupted, anger boiling deep within him. He could not bring himself to care that he might have anger the woman, seeing how Vivian twitched at being interrupted. She should consider herself lucky that she was a female, otherwise she would have ended up like that one man who dared to ridicule his bond with his lovers.
"You didn't even talk about-"
"I did."
"You are not-"
"I am."
A small snarl appeared on Vivian's face at every interruption. "You can do better."
"Indeed." Yami agreed, making Vivian smiled in triumph at Atem and Yugi, until he continued his sentence. "I can do better spending the rest of the evening with my lovers, than trying to explain why I am with them."
The lady gritted her teeth at the hidden insult. 'You are not worth my time' was what Yami was trying to tell her. Being a businessman and woman, both Yami and Vivian knew about subtle insults, hidden messages, and how to incorporate them into their conversation. Atem caught the insult as well, for he was smirking gleefully.
Vivian glared at the smug look that Atem had, before turning her attention back to Yami. She pursed her lips in thought, eyebrows furrowing. Then, all those expression fell away, and a pleased smile took its place.
Atem and Yami tensed at the sudden change, getting a really bad feeling.
"Oh, Yami~" Vivian cooed. "You should be more gentlemanly towards me. It wouldn't do you any good to...upset me."
Yami frowned, letting out a small sound to show his confusion.
"After all, it wouldn't be good for your reputation if some...scandal was attached to your name." Vivian checked her polished nails and lavished careful attention on them. "It would be bad for business too."
"...Scandal?" Warning bells were ringing in Yami's mind.
None of them noticed a pale hand holding a wine glass moving downwards and, using the ring and little finger, pressed onto a pocket.
The woman gave a haughty grin. "Well, the media are always very interested in, how should I put this, the intimate lifestyle of people with high social status." She made a thoughtful look. "Surely you, being part of the Kaiba family, would definitely interest them?"
"I don't like where this is going..." Atem muttered.
"...What are you insinuating, Miss Wong?"
Vivian smiled winningly. "It would be top news for a while, should you be known because of a black mark."
Atem blinked, not getting what Vivian was threatening Yami with. But apparently, Yami did. The pale man dropped all pretense of politeness and openly glared at the one threatening him.
"You are going to accuse me of raping you?!"
"W-Wha-!" Atem dropped his jaw at the ridiculous notion.
"I was actually going for affair." Vivian shrugged uncaringly. "But with how you came in with these two? I guess rape would be better."
"And what, makes you think it will work? You have no evidence. Even if you have, nobody will believe you. Everyone knew I would rather jump off the building than touch you." Yami growled out.
"Silly Yami~" Vivian wagged her finger in a mocking way. "It doesn't matter if anyone believes it. All that matters is that a seed of doubt is planted. I'm sure your little...lovers would not want attention on their families now, would they? And like I said before, it would be bad for business. I wondered how Kaiba Corporation would defend themselves? To add on, since I am the victim, I will have to tell mother, and do you know what happens if mother finds out about this?" Vivian giggled at the rage within Yami's eyes. "That's right. Mother would be heartbroken. To know that her husband dreams to work with the Kaiba family ended up being her daughter's downfall..." Tears welled up in her eyes, showing that she could put up a great act if necessary. "Whatever would she do next?"
"You..." Atem balled up his hands.
The lady then provocatively ran a finger down Yami's chest. "You don't want to be a murderer, do you, Yami?"
Yami jerked backwards to remove that offensive finger and glared murderously at her, too enraged to say anything.
"Now, now. All this can be prevented, Yami." She extended a hand out, waiting for Yami to take it. "Escort me for the rest of the evening, and announce me as your fiancée." Vivian smiled wryly at the other two men present. "I will take care of everything else that you caused when you entered with these two."
"You disgusting woman." Atem snarled out. Knowing her, she would probably accuse him of unprovoked assault if he attacked her now.
"Careful." Vivian lifted her head in a show of superiority. "I may...accidentally forget about everything else and tell the media of my sexual assault." She smiled widely at Yami. "This is one game I won't lose. Now, shall we, Yami?" Her hand still outstretched.
However, before anyone could react, the base of a wine glass came forward and pushed Vivian's hand away.
"What the-" Vivian was surprised at the appearance of the object.
"A game you won't lose?" A figure stepped forward, covering Yami's body slightly with their own body. "Then, you wouldn't be opposed to playing a game with me, do you?" Athemyst eyes lit up in determination.
"A-Aibo?" Yami stared in shock-surprise at his sudden daring move. Atem, too, was stunned, as he looked towards Yugi, who had remained quiet until now.
"A game?" Vivian scoffed dismissively. "Why on earth would I play a game with a puny brat like you? I have better things to do. Come, Yami."
"Of course." Yugi spoke before she could even touch Yami. "I understand. It wouldn't be good to lose to me after all. Imagine what kind of damage your reputation would get."
Vivian narrowed her eyes, irked at the way the brat assumed that she would automatically lose. "Confident, are we? All right. I will play your game." She scanned her opponent for a while and smirked. "However, just playing normally is a bore, how about we up the stakes?"
Yugi's eyes glinted. He tilted his head in a questioning gesture.
"If you lose, Yami will come with me immediately and you," She deviously pointed at Yugi. "Will tell everyone in this ballroom that you are a slut and was trying to get Yami simply for his money only."
"What?! Yugi-"
Atem was cut off by Yugi's acceptance. "Very well. And if I win," Yugi motioned to her with his wine glass. "You will stop all these nonsense and leave us alone, won't you?"
"Sure." She readily agreed, secretly crossing her fingers behind her.
"Aibo-" Yami paused at the confident smile Yugi had.
Yugi gave a small squeeze on Yami's arm to reassure him. "To make sure you will uphold your words..." Yugi released his hand from Yami's arm and reached into his pocket. Everyone watched as he pulled out a cell phone and showed it to them.
"What about the phone?" Vivian raised an eyebrow in disinterest.
The shortest male flipped his cell phone opened and pressed a few buttons. The smug look on Vivian's face faded away as the conversation from earlier between Yami and her were replayed.
"Oh." Atem started grinning in pleasant surprise while Vivian fumed.
"Y-You recorded the whole thing!"
"..." Yugi flipped his phone shut and gave it to Yami, who took it while staring at Yugi in awe. "Shall we play the game? As a lady, I shall let you state the game of your choosing."
Vivian glowered at Yugi before taking a deep breath. She then looked around for a suitable game to play. Her eyes caught the wine glass that Yugi was holding onto. Seeing the half-full glass and how slowly Yugi was sipping on them, she gave a satisfied look and said, "Wine drinking."
"Wine drinking?"
Vivian turned around and walked towards one of the servers, gaining back the eavesdroppers and some of the other guests' attention, and picked up a wine glass from them. Walking back to the three males, she presented her glass, which was almost equal to Yugi's in water level.
"Ah." Yugi acknowledged the challenge. "Whoever cleared their drinks first, wins?"
"That's right. But," Vivian held up a finger. "We are not allowed to use our mouths."
"How are you going to finish the drinks then?" Atem asked in absurd confusion.
Not bothering to answer or getting Yugi's confirmation, Vivian snapped her fingers and said, "Let's begin!"
The moment she snapped her fingers, a man, seemingly to be her bodyguard, appeared and took the wine glass and started downing it. Vivian laughed haughtily and turned to Yugi, not wishing to miss the look of defeat on his face. After all, a brat like him would never even thought of asking someone else to-
Her eyes widened in disbelief.
Yugi's glass was already emptied, with only a few wet patches to show that it was filled before. However, her bodyguard was still drinking the wine.
"W-Wha- How?!" Vivian gaped at the empty glass. "How did you-?!"
Yugi glanced towards Atem, who proudly showed everyone his own wine glass, which was filled to the brim.
Not bothering to answer or getting Yugi's confirmation, Vivian snapped her fingers and said, "Let's begin!"
The moment the game began, Yugi moved his wine glass to Atem's and proceeded to fill Atem's half-full wine glass to the brim. The glass was emptied even before the bodyguard was halfway finished.
"Y-You cheated!"
"You never said anything about pouring the drink away, just that we had to clear the drink and without using our mouths." Yugi tilted his wine glass upside down and licked up a single drop that came flowing down. Atem and Yami were forced to swallow at the sensual sight. "I win."
"This is a swindle! You are nothing but a sl-" Vivian reconsidered her words when Yami started playing with Yugi's phone.
"Wong-san," Yugi did not bother flinching at the heated glare he received. "As stated in our deal, I would appreciate if you leave me and my boyfriends alone." He replaced his left hand on Yami's arm and sighed in content, fiddling with the stem of the wine glass with his right hand.
With no choice, and due to the fact that lots of people were watching, Vivian hissed, giving a warning, "This is not over." And left in a huff, with her bodyguard fumbling after her. Some of the eavesdroppers quickly parted ways when she came their way, while others, whom were watching the confrontation, shook their heads and glanced after her disapprovingly.
Yugi let out a sigh of relief once she was gone. "Thank goodness..." He then inhaled sharply, feeling a mouth besides his ear.
"Little one..." Atem breathed out, humming in delight at the shiver he caused. "You have no idea how arousing it is to see you like that. The way you won the game with little effort and the way you licked that droplet of liquid..." Yugi gasped softly at the possessive grip that landed on his left hip. "I know I told you that you would not disappoint us, but this is..." Atem's eyes were smoldering. "...If only we are in a room not filled with people, I would have shown you just how much I love it when you are brimming with confidence."
"Calm yourself, Atem." Yami whispered, nudging Atem to pour back Yugi's share of wine. After which, he gently lifted Yugi's right hand with his left and took a small sip from the wine glass the hand was holding. "You did wonderfully, Aibo. I must say that it was quite pleasant to see you like that, even if it's surprising."
Yugi shuffled his feet. "...No one threatens my lovers and gets away with it." He averted his eyes in slight shame for speaking that way. He tried pulling his hand away, but Yami held it firmly.
"Careful, Aibo. You don't want to drop the glass." Yami spoke softly, his gaze exceptionally warm. "...It would be rather enjoyable to see you like this all the time."
Atem chuckled, causing Yugi to bite his lip at the sound echoing in his ear. "Don't sugarcoat it, Yami. Just admit that it was rather hot watching Yugi like that. Making you want to," Yugi blushed at Atem stroking his hip with a thumb. "Show him how much you love it."
Yugi turned even redder when Yami did not reply, only taking another sip of the wine and licked his lip slightly while staring yearningly at Yugi. The youngest male squeezed Yami's arm involuntarily, feeling his shyness taking over as he half-buried his face into Yami's arm. The weight of their gaze upon him were strong enough to weaken his body.
A clapping of hands broke up the moment. The three of them looked up to see a man walking towards them with an amused look. He had a dice earring, a red-black bandanna across his forehead and had a line drawn halfway down his right eye. The three lovers separated to greet this new guest.
"I had always wanted to see someone taking her down." He bowed flourishingly towards Yugi. "I thank you for making this the highlight of my day."
"Ah...um..." Yugi bowed back hesitantly, unsure what to make out of this man.
"Hm?" That man blinked and threw his head back, laughing heartily. "You were not joking about him, were you, Yami-kun? He was so poised earlier while playing a game, and now he's like a timid little mouse!"
Yami gave an exasperated smile and gestured a hand towards him for his lovers. "Atem, Yugi, this is Otogi Ryuji. One of the partners of Kaiba Corporation."
"Jibade Atem, Atem will do." Atem nodded and shook hands with the man. "Nice to meet you."
"It's nice to finally meet the pharaoh." Ryuji grinned at the surprised look. "Yami-kun here talks about the two of you all the time. While he was always very cool and collected, the moment he speaks about you two, his aura changes. I swear I could see hearts popping out from him sometimes."
Yami pinked and frowned at the man, who laughed and merely waved him off.
"And you must be Muto Yugi." Ryuji nodded approvingly at Yugi. "As expected of your title. No game is too hard for you to win, huh, Muto-san?"
"Just call me Yugi." Yugi smiled bashfully and handed his glass for Yami to hold to shake Ryuji's hand. What he did not expect, was for Ryuji to take his right hand, and placed a kiss on the back of it.
Yugi squeaked.
Atem raised his eyebrows.
Yami sighed through his nose with a wry look.
The moment Ryuji let go of Yugi's hand, Yugi almost jumped away from him and quickly hid behind Yami, eyes peeking out in alarm. Ryuji blinked his confused green eyes and stared at the hidden figure. He turned to Yami with an eyebrow raised.
"Is he always so timid around others?"
Meanwhile, Atem blinked. He was not sure what to think of the situation. Yami never mentioned anyone being so accepting towards them. Yugi, on the other hand, was simply shocked that he was kissed. It was only on the hand and very platonic, but the male never had any other males doing that to him besides his boyfriends.
Yami shook his head in exasperation. "Tell me, Otogi. How would you react if a male suddenly kissed your hand?"
"Would have kick them in the face. I am no lady." Ryuji replied cheekily without missing a beat. "But, pardon if I offend you, Muto-san is the 'lady' in the relationship, right? I mean..." He stared pointedly at the hand on Yami's arm. "It's only right of me to treat the lady with utmost respect."
"L-Lady..." Yugi repeated in slight displeasure. He was NOT a lady!
"He's not the only one." Atem muttered under his breath.
A foot struck out and discreetly stomped on Atem's foot.
"A simple handshake would have sufficed." Yami told Ryuji, with Yugi sweatdropping at the background, and Atem dropping his head towards the floor, fingers twitching as if to restraint himself from yelling out in pain. "Aibo is not comfortable with it either."
"My apologies then." Ryuji smiled, scratching his head. "By the way, I thought you should know, Yami-kun. But I have managed to gain Pegasus's approval for the game."
"Oh? Congratulations." Yami nodded with a small smile.
Ryuji nodded back in satisfaction. "Thanks. 'Dungeon Dice Monsters', or DDM, will soon launch once we make some more adjustments!"
" 'Dungeon Dice Monsters'?" The gamer within Yugi peeked out in curiosity.
Ryuji grinned. "I should get you to try out the game, Yugi-san. DDM is a game I had invented based on Duel Monsters, except with dice instead of cards. It's not the only game I'd created, but it is the one that I placed lots of time and effort to it. Duel Monsters had such a big impact when it first came out, it became an inspiration for DDM. Pegasus was also very impressed with it, saying that it has a lot of potential to go very far." He placed his hands on his hips. "Once we made improvements on it, I will be placing the game in my store; Black Clown."
"Black Clown?" Atem frowned. "Why does that sound so familiar...?" Not noticing Yugi looking at him in alarm, Atem rubbed his chin in thought. "Black Clown...Black Clown...Wait a-" The tanned man dropped his hand and stared ridiculously at Ryuji. "Your shop was the one that almost caused Yugi and Yugi's grandfather to-Mmpff!"
Yami and Ryuji looked on in confusion, finding the scene of Yugi pressing a hand on Atem's mouth frantically a little...well, strange. Yugi strained a smile towards them and muttered a quick 'Excuse us for a second', and pulled Atem aside.
"What was that all about?" Ryuji stared at the two figures. Atem and Yugi seemed to be having an intense conversation, judging by the faces they made while talking.
Yami blinked slowly, shifting his eyes to his lovers and back to Ryuji. Filled with questions, he decided to make an assumption, "...Have I told you that Yugi's family owns the Kame game shop?"
"Kame game shop...?" The game inventor thought about it for quite some time.
Yami knew he was in the right direction when a look of recognition passed Ryuji's face and was followed by a stricken look. He watched as the man before him turned to look at Yugi, who just happened to look back at Ryuji. Yugi smiled awkwardly, causing Ryuji to grimace and bowed his head in regret.
When the other two finally joined them, the three of them were faced with Yami's stare, looking at each of them suspiciously. "Anyone care to fill me in?"
Atem huffed. "There was once a disturbance at Kame game shop."
"And I was not told of this because...?" Crimson eyes narrowed.
"I was going to tell you, but Yugi-"
"It was just a misunderstanding! Nothing much." Yugi quickly placated Yami as well as to stop Atem from continuing. He then turned to Ryuji, smiling reassuringly, "It's all in the past now. Besides, it has nothing to do with Ryuji-san."
"Misunderstanding? Nothing much?" Atem repeated with a frown. "Yugi. That crazy man tried to take your grandfather and you down to get rid of competition!"
"Atem...!" Yugi cringed. He was totally avoiding Yami's gaze, which could be felt burning into him. "It was that man, not Ryuji-san."
"Still-!"
"Atem-kun's right." All attention turned to the inventor. Ryuji sighed sadly, "Although I was not there when it happened, it is still my responsibility. I will accept any punishment you wish to give." Ryuji allowed the corner of his mouth to curl up. "I was very surprised that you did not pursue the matter and did not even inform the police about this. I wanted to apologize to you in person, but I received a mail saying not to get close to the Kame game shop." Here, Yugi shot an accusing look to Atem, who merely folded his arms. "Respecting that, I send the apology through mail...and also because I was too ashamed to face the owners. So, really, thank you for not calling the police and sending my father to jail."
"Y-Your father?" Atem and Yugi gaped at the revelation.
Ryuji chuckled bitterly, "You will know him as Mr. Clown...That old man was probably too bent on revenge to even introduce himself."
"And he is now...?" Atem frowned.
"Mental institute. Threw him there myself." Ryuji smiled wryly. "Can't believe him...getting revenge over a lost game...probably doesn't even care if his son survives or not. But, whatever happens, he's still my father. So I thank you once again."
"..." Yugi bit his lip at the saddened look on Ryuji's face. Even Atem felt sympathetic to the inventor.
A soft clearing of throat broke the silence that came.
Yami bored his eyes at the three of them. "Enough with the gloomy atmosphere. A ball is meant to be enjoyable."
"Y-You are not angry?" Yugi weakly asked. "I didn't mean to keep it from you. I just didn't want to make a scene with it..."
Yami stared for a while before sighing softly. "As you stated, it's all in the past. I'm just glad you are all right and Otogi had nothing to do with this." Yami patted Ryuji's shoulder and turned back to his lovers. "...How come Atem knew about this and not me?"
"Stopped that crazy man in his tracks before he could do any harm with that knife." Atem answered before Yugi could. For his effort, Yugi pinched him on the side in retaliation, making Atem hissed in pain.
The crimson-eyed man shot a 'We will talk about this later' look and placed the wine glass on a table nearby. "...I need details. However, for now," Yugi cried out slightly when he was pulled towards the dance floor by Yami. "For keeping me in the dark, your punishment, Aibo," He brought Yugi towards his chest, his left hand went to Yugi's back and his right hand holding onto Yugi's left. In turn, Yugi instinctively placed his right hand on Yami's shoulder. "Would be to dance with me."
Red blossomed out. "B-But...Yami, you know I don-" He was whisked away before he could even complete his argument.
Ryuji laughed, watching with the rest of the guests, as the two men danced. "Exactly how is that punishment?"
"Yugi doesn't know how to dance." Atem rubbed his sore side. "But it will be forgotten soon enough if Yami has his way."
True enough, Yugi relaxed the longer Yami held onto him. The older man was seen whispering something constantly to the younger, gaining smiles, laughs and blushes as they swayed together at the center of the dance floor. The two of them were oblivious to the stares, completely immersed with each other.
Yami's troubles part 2
The night went on without anymore incident. Occasionally, Yami would parade his boyfriends around, not matter how much he denied it, introducing them to business partners of Kaiba Corporation, while ignoring Vivian, who was pulling her handkerchief with her teeth, glaring at them. Other than that, guests would either see the three of them standing at one corner talking, or two of them dancing while the third watched contently.
Soon, the night came to a close.
"Yami." Seto came up to them with a purposeful stride.
Yami excused the three of them from a female guest they were talking to. The lady giggled and curtsied before leaving, a little too excited to share her talks about the three men with her friends. Atem and Yugi heaved out a sigh of relief while Yami shook his head, and turned to his cousin. "Yes, Kaiba?"
The brunet man did not say anything, only jerking his head to the side of the ballroom, where a woman stood regally at a garden outside the ballroom. Understanding lit up, and upon receiving nods from his lovers, Yami followed Kaiba to the woman.
"Madam Wong." Yami bowed once they reached her. Seto did the same.
"Ah, Inishie-kun, Kaiba-kun." Madam Wong smiled warmly, though both men were able to tell that the smile was a little forced, and stretched her right hand. "I apologize for bothering the both of you."
"Never." Yami denied, taking her hand and placed a small kiss on the back of it, before standing aside to allow Seto the same procedure. "I hope you have been well."
The faltering smile on her face caused the cousins to look at each other in concern. However, they said nothing and simply stood on either side of her, seemingly trying to provide support to the mentally frail lady.
Madam Wong shook her head, taking a deep breath. She opened her mouth a few times, only to close them back up. The woman closed her eyes in self-loathing for showing her weakness, and quickly bent her head to hide her expression. Seto diverted his eyes to the side, meeting with crimson ones. Then, at the same time, both pairs of eyes closed in resignation, before both of them reached inside their blazers to pull out a small present.
"Madam Wong," Each displaying regret in their eyes, the two men presented their presents to the lady. "...Happy anniversary."
A choked sob came as a response, but Yami and Seto remained firm, still offering their presents, and waited patiently as Madam Wong tried to regain her composure.
A handkerchief made its appearance. "...I'm sorry." Tears continuously ran down the already tear-stained cheeks. "Thank you so much for your kindness. May I...open them?"
Seto wordlessly placed his present on the opened palm, and watched the ribbon and wrapper falling to the ground to reveal a box.
A pendant, with a black and white jewelry, was slowly pulled out of the box, glinting against the moonlight.
"I believe they called this the Yin-Yang pendant, said to symbolize perfect balance." Seto explained as Madam Wong examined the pendant. "It reminded me of Mr. Wong and you. Yin representing him and Yang representing you..."
Madam Wong smiled ruefully, understanding what Seto was trying to tell her. The reason why Seto chose this gift was to show that she, without her husband at her side, was spiraling downwards. And if it were to continue...
"May I?" She reached for Yami's present, which was immediately given up to her.
"My apologies that I could not find the perfect present for you. It was..." Yami trailed off.
Madam Wong nodded to show that she understood. It was probably hard for them to present the gift, let alone buying them in the first place.
"However..."
Another box was revealed underneath the wrapper. When the lid was opened, music came out, echoing into the night.
"...I heard that Mr Wong loved music boxes."
A drop of water landed inside the box.
"Yes...yes..." Madam Wong cradled both the gifts to her chest. "He loves them...Thank you...Thank you..."
"Thank you so much..."
Yami's troubles part 2
A hand slowly closed the lid of the music box that was placed on the bench, cutting off the music. The Yin-Yang pendant glittered demurely against the chest. A handkerchief then slowly made its way down onto a lap.
Madam Wong gave one last rueful smile at both of the gifts before turning her attention to the two men standing in front of her. Both men had their head bowed slightly in order to give the woman some privacy. Her black eyes shone with gratitude as she sat at the bench. Her husband had really made a fine choice in working with these two men.
"I apologize that the two of you had to witness such an unsightly scene of me." Her smile came back at the denial coming from Seto and Yami. "Our company is really proud to stand beside yours."
Seto closed his eyes in satisfaction while Yami gave a small smile.
"However," Madam Wong's eyes went half-lidded. "The same can't be said to you, am I right?"
"...Madam Wong?" Yami questioned confusingly, glancing at Seto, who was furrowing his eyebrows. "...Did we give you that kind of impression?"
"No." The woman assured the both of them. "Please. There's no need for any kind of pretense here." Seeing that the confusion was still there, she explained further, "I may not have mingle with the business even since my husband..." She trailed off, eyes getting hazy from memories. She shook her head and continued, "But, rumors will always spread like wild fire, no matter how well kept they are. There will be no escaping my ears..."
She closed her eyes for a few seconds and opened them, staring straight into the men's eyes.
"...Especially those concerning my daughter's."
Yami immediately dropped his head, glaring furiously towards the ground when he recalled the earlier incident with the said daughter. Seto shifted his gaze to his cousin, noticing how tightly Yami was clenching his hands.
The mother nodded, almost despairing, looking at Yami. "She had done something earlier, didn't she?" Yami looked up at her warily, wondering if she had heard what Vivian had said. "I've seen her going up to you and your partners...I was about to intervene when I saw the conversation going sour...but it seemed that one of your partners took care of things."
Seto narrowed his eyes suspiciously at Yami when the crimson-eyed man coughed into his hand and was giving a rather silly smile. He, too, had saw Vivian confronted the three of them. He did not miss the way Yami had glared at the daughter, or Atem's scowling face. However, when he saw Yugi taking over, surprising as that was, he merely blinked and went on entertaining his guests. Although Vivian was trouble, he had other troubles to deal with.
Yami cleared his throat and wiped off his smile. "I apologize if my partner had offended you with his action."
"None at all." Madam Wong stood up, bringing the music box and handkerchief into her hands. "Whatever it was, I'm sure my daughter had it coming."
Jerking slightly, both Seto and Yami were not expecting for the woman to slander her own daughter in front of them.
Madam Wong paid no attention to that, only turning her back to them. "The reason why I asked the both of you out here was to make my position clear."
Crimson and blue eyes glanced at each other.
Madam Wong took a deep breath and let it out slowly.
"Today…shall be the last you will ever had to see me regarding business."
Eyes went wide.
"My husband worked hard to maintain the company. It was during those times he was the happiest." Fingers played with the Yin-Yang pendant. "...Those times has long past. He has-" She shook her head, reprimanding herself inwardly. "Had moved on."
Madam Wong looked behind her. "...And so shall I. Kaiba-kun, Inishie-kun."
The mentioned people straightened their backs in attention.
Madam Wong stared at them. "To flourish or to destroy..." Her black eyes became hard. "It shall be in your hands now."
The boss of Kaiba Corporation could only stare while the co-boss hitched his breath at the implication.
"But," Her eyes softened. "I hope that we could still get together for old time sake?"
The brunet man nodded without hesitation.
"It would be our honor, Madam Wong." Yami confirmed, a hint of wonder in his voice.
"Call me Mei Fong from now on." Mei Fong smiled one last time before turning back, leaving without a backward glance.
Seto and Yami bowed in respect as she left.
"...She will be missed." Yami looked fondly at the direction Mei Fong had went.
Seto hummed. "On the plus side, it seemed we no longer had to deal with a certain devil."
The smirk on Yami's face spoke of future chaos.
Yami's troubles part 2
"This is not good..." Mokuba commented blankly, his dark slate blue eyes following a certain figure across the ballroom.
"Mokuba-sama, that man is heading towards Jibade-sama and-"
"I have eyes, Isono." Mokuba interrupted, eyes still pinning on the man heading towards his cousin's boyfriends. "...This is not good. Why is he approaching them? Yami is not even with them."
"U-Um. What should we do, Mokuba-sama?"
"You," Mokuba pointed a finger at the bodyguard. "Need to find Nii-sama and Yami. I am going to find out what is going on." The teen quickly went after the man.
"Yes, Mokuba-sama." Isono saluted.
Yami's troubles part 2
Yugi unconsciously leaned into Atem as a man with black-teal hair approached. Atem wrapped an arm around his young lover, giving a polite smile at the approaching man despite feeling a little tense himself. Both Yugi and him were merely guests, so they left most of the talking to Yami, and since he was not around, well...
The man smiled warmly, seeing the wariness he had caused with his presence. "Please, do not be alarmed. I merely wish to introduce myself."
Yugi relaxed a little and let out a smile.
"You have a beautiful smile." Aqua eyes gazed on Yugi.
The recipient of the praise blushed and ducked his head while muttering a small 'T-Thank you'.
A maroon eye twitched. Perhaps it would be imperative for Atem to start knowing about the business associates in Kaiba Corporation. While he was glad that homosexuality were not that openly scorned here, with the exception of Vivian's episode, was it really necessary for this person to come onto Yugi like this? He had noticed the looks while Yami was parading them around, some of which were aiming at Yugi, with most of them having the intent of discrimination. Compared to the 'King of Games', Atem and Yami held themselves in a way that caused them to be unapproachable. If it were not for Yami's or his presence, he was sure that Yugi would have been harassed.
However, either Atem's presence alone was not enough to warn this person off, or that he was just extremely bold. Atem cleared his throat to bring those aqua eyes away from his love.
The man blinked and glanced at Atem, making a show of scanning him up and down. Tilting his head, the man raised his eyebrows in an amused way. "The co-boss of Kaiba Corporation is really blessed to have such a beauty and an enthralling man by his side."
...Now that was unexpected. Beauty, with no doubt, was definitely referring to Yugi. Enthralling man...? Atem blinked a couple of times, his mouth opening and closing.
The man chuckled at the flustered looks he received. "Let me introduce myself, my name is-"
"Sir Timaeus." Mokuba came up from behind, his lips thinning.
"Oh?" Timaeus stood aside, allowing Mokuba to pass by him and standing slightly in front of Atem and Yugi. "Ah. Mokuba, right? It's a pleasure to meet you."
A strain smile appeared on Mokuba's face. "Pleasure. Are you looking for Yami? Or perhaps my brother?"
"Oh, no." Timaeus shook his head slowly. "I'm sure I could meet with either of them at a later time. Right now," He gestured to the men Mokuba was trying to protect. "I simply wish to learn more about these two."
"I'm sure there are other interesting people out there in this ballroom." Mokuba injected.
"Mokuba-kun...?" Yugi whispered, realizing that Mokuba was trying to get this person away from them. But why?
Timaeus caught on to that as well, for he smiled a little dejectedly and took a step back. "You seemed to think that I came here with ill intentions. However, allow me to assure you that nothing of that sort will happen."
"It would be really hard for you to do anything with everyone watching." The teen bluntly told him, his frown becoming more visible. Mokuba then lowered his voice, "I know exactly whom you are working for."
"..." Aqua eyes closed in resignation. "It seems our reputation have become really bad, have they not?" Timaeus glanced behind him and looked at a man with light-blue hair. "But please, believe me when I say that I shall not bring any harm to any of you." He turned back to the other three, eyes narrowing determinedly. "I swear that upon my life."
"...I'm sure that an introduction won't do any damage." Yugi tried to dispel the tensed silence. "I am-"
"No!" Mokuba quickly cut in. "You don't understand, Yugi! He's-damn it!" The teen hit himself for saying out Yugi's name when he was trying to prevent it in the first place.
"You do realize that I will find out one way or the other, right? They were being introduced to everyone in the ballroom." Timaeus smiled wryly.
"Look," Mokuba folded his arms. "Just what do you want? I'm sorry if I am going beyond rude, but I was specifically told by Nii-sama not to let any of you close to them." He gestured towards Atem and Yugi.
"Seto did?" Atem blinked in surprise. What do you know? No matter how much he tried to hide it, Seto did cared for them.
"As I had said earlier, nothing." Timaeus let out a soft sigh, almost bordering on frustration. "I only wish to know these two better and," He directed a smile to Yugi. "Maybe have a dance or two. I will do no more than that."
He then extended a hand out to Yugi.
"May I?"
Yami's troubles part 2
"I noticed that you were trying to warn me about something earlier." Yami tilted his head as the cousins headed back to the ballroom.
"Vivian is the least of our problems." Seto glanced at him. "You know about the new company that just recently bonded with Kaiba Corporation?"
"Paradius?" Yami furrowed his eyebrow. "Other than they are selling game products and mostly jewelries...as well as a product they are, now, developing called 'Orichalcos', nothing else. They have a rather huge base of consumers too." A frown appeared. "Shady activities?"
A nod made the frown deepened. "We bonded with them because they had a large base of consumers. They even had control of other companies, or at least, parts of other companies from all over the world that we did not partner up with. It was invaluable to have them with us. We could spread our products to places we could not before..." Seto paused just before entering back to the ballroom, causing Yami to stop as well. "There was nothing suspicious about them at first...However, words started leaking for the past few days, that they were dealing with unauthorized activities."
"Unauthorized activities...?"
Seto twitched his eyes, staring into the ballroom. "...Human trafficking."
Yami inhaled sharply.
"It's only part of it." Seto murmured. "Illegal drugs, kidnappings, and I even heard that they were assassinating people to...harvest their organs. The chief executive officer (CEO) of Paradius, Dartz, denied everything...and it was then hushed up. Only a selected few still know about this." He turned to Yami, who was looking quite sick at the information. "The reason I brought this up is because people have been disappearing lately. Children, adults, elderly...mostly homeless people or people with no other relatives, but disappearing nevertheless...and because he suddenly had three new people at his side."
"Three new people?"
"I only managed to get their names: Critias, Hermos and..." He jerked his head into the ballroom. "Timaeus...who is dancing with Yugi now."
Yami frantically searched the dance floor, seeing that Yugi was indeed dancing with an unknown man.
"S-Seto-sama! Yami-sama! I-I finally found you!" Isono came running up to them, panting slightly. "One of the Paradius man just went up to Jibade-sama and Muto-sama and now he's-"
"We have eyes, Isono." Seto cut in, making the bodyguard gawked at being told the same thing twice. "...Mokuba could not stop him, then." He looked to the side, finding his brother standing next to Atem, looking quite agitated while speaking to Atem.
"Kaiba..."
The boss knew what Yami wanted. "It's all rumors though, there's simply no proof. It could not even be them...I rather take precautions."
Yami nodded stiffly and quickly headed towards Atem and Mokuba, with Seto and Isono following behind.
Yami's troubles part 2
"So, how long have you known Inishie Yami?" Timaeus twirled Yugi around, before bringing him back to his chest. "You and your other partner...Atem, was it? The news of the both of you spread through the business roughly a year ago."
"U-Um..." Yugi hesitated slightly. Since he helped out in the game shop, he knew some form of business tactics as well, but not enough to deal with people here. He was unsure, wondering if telling his information would jeopardize Seto or Yami in some way.
However, Timaeus knew what he was thinking of. He smiled, "You don't need to tell me anything. I was making a conversation to ease up the tension. You seemed really nervous."
"S-Sorry." Yugi unconsciously tightened his hand around Timaeus'. He took a sharp breath when Timaeus pulled him closer. A squeak escaped at the close proximity. What was Timaeus doing! He knew he have lovers, so why-
"You are going to trip if you continue to be so." Oh gods...! Why was Timaeus whispering in his ear?! "I just wanted to make sure that does not happen."
"P-Please don't do that...A-Atem and Yami...!"
"Ah." Timaeus lifted his eyes above Yugi's head. "Of course, your lovers. If looks were weapons, I'm sure I would have been stabbed several times."
Yugi looked behind and saw that his lovers, along with the Kaiba brothers, were staring furiously at them...well, mostly directed at Timaeus. It made Yugi so uncomfortable that he just wanted to stop this dance and go back to the safety of his boyfriends' arms. But his dance partner had other ideas.
Timaeus maneuvered the both of them deeper into the crowd of dancing couples, turning to ensure that Yugi would not be able to see any familiar faces. It was done so elegantly that it made Yugi wondered how long his dance partner had been dancing.
"The song is coming to an end..." Timaeus observed. Yugi was able to detect a hint of remorse in his voice. "I must thank you for taking the risks to dance with me. It's been a while since I felt this free...however backhanded it was."
"Eh?" Yugi looked up at the other man in question.
Been a while since he felt that free? Backhanded? Wha-?
"I'm sorry..." The murmur caught Yugi by surprise. Then, for a split second, Timaeus' face twisted into a look of despair, but it disappeared so fast that Yugi thought it was just a trick of his eyes.
The song ended with the soft hum of a violin. Couples that had been dancing separated and thanked their partner with a curtsy or bow. A round of applause echoed across the ballroom for that was the last dance and brought the ball to an end. However, all those became background noises as Timaeus and Yugi froze in their ending pose.
Aqua eyes stared into Athemyst eyes.
Yugi felt a lump in his throat.
"Timaeus."
And just like that, the spell broke. Timaeus leaned back and turned his head. A man with reddish-brown hair stood there, his yellow eyes darting between Timaeus and Yugi.
"Hermos." Timaeus slowly released his hold of Yugi. "Is something the matter?"
"...The ball has ended." Hermos kept looking between the both of them. "It's almost time to leave and...Dartz wants to speak to you."
"..." Timaeus stared for a while before turning his attention back to Yugi. He bowed gracefully, a hand over his heart. "Thank you for this lovely dance. I shall escort you back to your lovers."
"Ah..." Yugi nodded awkwardly, taking the hand that was extended to him. He could not help but noticed Hermos giving a very controlled sigh through his nose as they walked past him.
What was that all about?
The moment Timaeus offered Yugi's hand back to his loves, Atem immediately snatched the hand out of Timaeus' grasp, bringing Yugi to his side and tightened an arm around his waist. Yami did not react like Atem, but he did grabbed one of Yugi's hands and rubbed his thumb on the back of it, as if trying to reassure himself.
Yugi glanced at his lovers. Their action just screamed protectiveness. What had happened during the time he was dancing with Timaeus?
Despite the rudeness, Timaeus was not offended. He stood with his head held high, facing the hostile stares bravely. He tilted his head, "Thank you for allowing this dance. And thank you for hosting this marvelous event, Chairman Kaiba."
Seto gave a short 'Hm' in acknowledgement. The rest stayed silent, watching Timaeus intently.
Pausing for a few seconds, Timaeus looked like he wanted to say something but seemed to have changed his mind at the last moment. Giving one last look at Yugi, Timaeus closed his eyes, nodded at them, and took his leave.
"Are you all right, Yugi?" Atem questioned the moment Timaeus was out of hearing range. "Did he do anything? He suddenly took you further away from us. Although we could still see you, we could have missed something. He might have-"
"I'm fine!" Yugi quickly cut in, looking shocked at all the accusations. "We just danced that's all..."
Aqua eyes stared into Athemyst eyes.
Yugi felt a lump in his throat.
"..." Yugi averted his eyes when he remembered that moment. There was a...feeling when Timaeus looked at him...a feeling he was unsure of. He shook his head. He would analyze the feeling at a later time. Right now, he need to convince his lovers that nothing had happened to him.
"I need to see all the guests off." Seto started walking away as the lovers fussed over Yugi. "You may leave. Come, Mokuba."
"Yes, Nii-sama."
"He made it sound as though we are only allowed to leave with his permission." Atem raised an eyebrow at Seto's and Mokuba's leaving figure, Isono trailing behind them.
"Are you really all right, Aibo?" Yami furrowed his eyebrow in concern. "He really did nothing?"
"Yes..." It was Yugi's turn to furrow his brows. "Why are all of you acting this way?"
Yami and Atem looked at each other. A frown appeared on both of them at the reason, Atem having heard everything from Mokuba.
Yami looked towards the entrance, just in time to see Seto talking with four men, Timaeus, Hermos, a man with blond hair and another man whom Timaeus was looking at earlier. He sighed. "We will talk more at home. Right now, let's just enjoy the rest of the evening without any more events. I have good news and bad news regarding the Wongs."
"Oh, how did it go?" Yugi asked sympathetically.
"When we are home." Yami reminded Yugi, tapping his nose with a finger.
"Ehhh...Don't tease by withholding it!" Yugi pouted. "You can't just say something like that and expect us to wait!"
"You have yet to tell me about the incident at Kame game shop."
"Urgh..."
"I will be more than happy to tell!" Atem raised a hand to volunteer himself.
"Atem!"
Yami chuckled at the sight of his boyfriends, one in exasperation while the other trying, and failing, to look innocent. At least the stress of all the events that occurred during the ball were gone.
For now.
~To Be Continued~
This chapter had a lot of hidden messages within conversations, so if you are confused, it will explain further below.
I have almost zero knowledge about businesses, so…*shrug* Did you love the game being played? I loved how Yugi became so confident when he played it! (Gyahhhh~!) And there are a lot of new characters here! I really enjoyed writing about them, and hoped that you like them as well!
Regarding the disappearing people…is actually a real life situation happening at my place and neighboring countries. Some elderly found actually ended up dead. Be careful when you go out alone, dear readers.
Things to note:
Vivian's threats – As mentioned, a business man/woman knew how to incorporate hidden messages or insults in their conversation. It's not very clear, but there ARE implications that Vivian will accuse Yami of rape. Key words are 'Scandal', 'Intimate' and 'Black mark'. When she said 'You don't want to be a murderer, do you, Yami?', it was implied that Mei Fong will commit suicide should she know about the false rape.
History between Ryuji and Yugi – Long story short, Ryuji's father tried to kill Sugoroku over a lost game as well as to get rid of competition, Yugi got caught in the crossfire, and Atem managed to arrived in time to save them.
The presents – Seto and Yami made it a tradition to present Mei Fong with gifts as she always wanted to meet them during her wedding/death anniversary.(Yes, her husband died exactly at their anniversary) It's painful because it reminded her of her dead husband, and yet, gifts must be given to maintain a good relationship between business partners.
The situation with Mei Fong and Seto and Yami – Basically, Mei Fong had given them permission to do whatever they want with the Wong company; to continue working with it, or to toss it aside without needing to face her.('To flourish or to destroy') She's washing her hands off from everything and anything regarding the Wong Company, telling Seto and Yami that she will take care of herself when she said "…And so shall I.". In other words, Vivian attempts to bring her mother in, in forms of blackmails, will no longer have any effects in the future.
Madam Wong – Everybody knows her as Madam Wong. Her name, Mei Fong, means 'Beautiful Wind' in Chinese
'Lady' Yugi – As mentioned before, Atem was seen as the 'Man' of the house, and with how Yugi came in with Yami (Holding an offered hand, something only females do), it was automatically assumed by everyone that Yugi was the receiver.(His petite figure not helping at all) So, he was treated as such by Ryuji and Timaeus. Yami was not seen as such mainly because he is the co-boss, and everyone respect/fear him.(Although, between you and me, he is just as much of a receiver as Yugi *Gets hit on the head* Atem hinted it too) With this, Timaeus only focused on Yugi when asking about dancing. It would just be weird if two dominant males were dancing.
Timaeus' eye color – I don't exactly know his eye color, the anime is not very clear on this, so I am using the eye color in his dragon form
Timaeus not using honorifics –They (Timaeus, Hermos, Critias, Dartz) are Greeks. Same situation as Atem.
Chairman Kaiba – CEO, Chairman, boss…Seto has a lot of titles since he held one of the most successful company in Japan.
Omake:
~After Yami and Seto left~
"Please don't come this way, please don't come this way…! Please don't-oh he went away…" Yugi breathed out a sigh of relief, glad that one of the male guests hesitated and went back to where he came from instead of continuing towards Atem and him.
A chuckle rambled into his ears.
"Are you going to pray for each and every person that comes our way?" A smile was trying not to make its way to Atem's mouth.
"Don't tease me." Yugi muttered, a small frown appearing. "You have no idea how scary it is to see someone coming this way with the intention to…talk."
Atem hummed. What Yugi did not know, was that Atem felt the same way. Being a photographer, he knew little about businesses, even less about talks that involved that. However, despite that, he did not show any of that apprehension, and chose to show that he was not called a pharaoh for nothing. Every time someone came near them, Atem stood up straight and stared piercingly at them right in the eyes, forcing them to reconsider approaching them.
"I would rather you pray for something else."
"Oh gods. Why?!" Yugi darted his eyes around the ballroom, trying to find the 'something else' that Atem was telling him to pray for. "Please don't tell me something is wrong!"
A whisper floated into Yugi's ears. "I would rather you pray to someone…namely me."
Wide eyes turned to Atem, who actually winked.
A blink. And another. A helpless laugh then involuntarily escaped the shorter man. "I…Atem…you…oh gods…" Yugi pressed his face to Atem's arm, a blush surfacing up. "You are so impossible…"
"And that's why you love me, isn't that right?" Atem smirked proudly, his chest puffed out.
"…" Yugi smiled embarrassingly. "…Yes…That's why I love you so much...my pharaoh."
Atem blinked in surprise this time; his heart had skipped a beat at the way Yugi had called him. He looked down and saw Yugi coyly looking up at him before hiding his face back on his arm.
Yugi allowed Atem to shift a bit, face still hidden by the arm. He then felt Atem lowering his head to his. The husky tone that came caused Yugi to bury his face deeper into the arm.
"…Don't start a fire you can't douse, my little consort."
Atem smiled at the heat burning through the sleeves of his blazer and undershirt. The trio had often joked about how Atem was named a pharaoh, and that since he was one, both Yami and Yugi should be his wife. However, Yami and Yugi did not like the term, and so the word consort was used instead.
The teasing moment ended when maroon eyes caught another person heading their way. "Someone is coming this way."
"Oh gods." Yugi immediately paled, eyes stealing a quick look. "Please don't come this way, please don't come this way…!"
Atem gave a small laugh and straightened his back.
It was time for the pharaoh to emerge again.
That's all folks! If you have any questions, just leave a review!