Chapter Eight: The Silver Cross

                Several hours had passed since Kaiba had commanded his servants to lock Yugi in The Room where It would take place.  Several hours now Kaiba had been readying himself.  Following his victory over his greatest rival, it had taken his entire mental prowess not to tremble.  In all respects, he had overcome what he deemed to be the greatest trial in all of his life.  Now he would crush his rival so that he would never stand again.  He, Kaiba Seto would dominate and overpower.  His rival would know powerlessness and shame.  Yugi would be brought low before Kaiba, who was now, in all respects, a god.  So much Kaiba thought as he returned to his own chambers.  All his careful planning would be undone if he betrayed himself with trembling fingers, quickened breath, even a droplet of sweat!  For Yugi, though defeated in the duel, was crafty, and as dangerous as a dancing live wire.  He had to do this the same way he had defeated Yugi at Duel Monsters – in a manner that was cold, detached, yet triumphant.  Like a god.  So as the hours had passed, Kaiba had replaced his hot blood, singing with victory, with wine that cooled him.  His skin became as icy as marble. 

He stood before his full-length mirror clad in a dark silk robe open wide at the chest.  After a moment of indecision, Kaiba deftly hooked a silver chain around his neck.  Upon it hung a sizeable cross of the same color.  Its coldness burned against his white skin.  Outfitted in the cross, Kaiba at last felt ready to quench the last of the fire that burned in his rival's soul.  With a passionless smirk, Kaiba turned from the mirror and began the long walk down the shadowy corridors of Kaiba Corporation.  His blood began to sing again the songs of victory.  These feelings he quickly stifled, wishing to be as hard as ice, knowing he would have to be in order to obliterate his opponent finally and forever.  At last he reached The Room.  It was no prison cell, for Kaiba had no wish to take his slave in squalor.  For that reason, The Room was as grand as the rest of Kaiba's ostentatious mansion, if not more so.  Kaiba paused outside the door, his breath sounding shallow in his ears. 

Annoyed with himself, Kaiba pushed the door open.  There was no need to lock it, for Yugi lay, as per orders, his arms tied to two of the four bedposts.  Somehow, his rival had managed to fall asleep in the horrendous position.  Or perhaps he was only pretending.  All of Kaiba's instincts warned him to caution.  Though beaten, Yugi was still sly.  Kaiba shut the door silently, this time turning his key in the lock.  There was no point in having to chase Yugi across the mansion, after all.  He drew closer to the bed, feeling much as a priest offering sacrifice.  His eyes, cold though they were, lingered on Yugi.  In the dim room, shadow muted the many details of sight, yet sharpening the other senses.  Kaiba could make out Yugi's body, sensual even in slumber.  He could smell the leather of Yugi's pants and a sweeter scent, perhaps that of Yugi's hair.  Darkness hung heavy on the sleeping figure, making his slender frame seem even more fragile.

As if the chill of Kaiba's gaze penetrated his slumber, Yugi started awake with a cry.  He thrashed in his bonds, breathing so hard that Kaiba thought that he heard the rapid beating of the younger boy's heart.  Slowly Yugi turned to Kaiba and a moan escaped him.

"Yugi."  Kaiba lit a single candle that stood on the bedside table.  It flared to life, illuminating the pyramid that Yugi always wore around his neck, now hanging from the closet doorknobs.  Somehow it seemed fitting that Yugi no longer wore it.  Shadows cowered in the corners of the room.  Kaiba's cross glinted harshly.  Yugi squinted against the glare.  Kaiba came closer, soundless and terrifying, a king amongst the other shadows.  Then as swift as a striking snake, Kaiba took Yugi's chin in his hands.  The boy's face was warm and smooth against his fingers.  Kaiba felt a suspicious wetness against his knuckles but decided to ignore it.  His blood rose, roaring like a giant wave.  Kaiba jerked Yugi's mouth to his own, thrusting his tongue between the boy's teeth.  Yugi's mouth yielded disappointingly.  But more than that, Kaiba tasted tears in Yugi's mouth.  Somehow that did not seem befitting of his greatest rival.  Still Kaiba continued his coarse invasion of Yugi's mouth, soon forgetting the taste.  Suddenly Yugi jerked away, gulping for air.  Kaiba smirked at first, but before long, his characteristic scowl took the cynical smile's place.  Yugi wasn't just gulping for air after the long kiss; he was…  Kaiba was so shocked that he stood up from the mattress as if he had been burned. 

Yugi, his greatest rival, who always had met Kaiba blow for blow, retort for retort, card for card had folded completely with one aggressive kiss.  Sobbing wildly as if his heart would shatter, Yugi turned away from Kaiba.  Kaiba waited for a long time in the darkness until Yugi's cries died into pitiful mewling.  "Kono yaro," Kaiba hissed.  "I suppose you're a virgin…" he muttered.

In reply, Yugi sniffled loudly. 

A strange feeling came over him.  With much grudging and considerable curiosity, Kaiba lit the other seven candles he had placed in The Room.  To his horror, his greatest rival, the one whom he had hated for years, lay red-eyed, puffy-cheeked, with snot running down his face.  Kaiba turned away in disgust so he could recover his wits.  Finally he turned back to Yugi, a handkerchief in his hand.  Since Yugi's hands were tied, Kaiba wiped the snot off himself.  More and more, Yugi was starting to look like a little kid.  Suddenly Kaiba froze, paying no regard to the dripping cloth.  Always he had kept a particular vision of Yugi in mind.  Lanky-bodied, fierce of eye, deadly at cards and all other games – that was his rival.  This Yugi upon the bed, however, had tender, open eyes.  Though he too sported Yugi's leather garb, complete with its buckles and bracelets, his body was childlike and soft.  Kaiba grimaced.  He seemed to remember this smaller, more vulnerable Yugi from younger days.  However, fierce competition with the more man-like Yugi had eclipsed those old memories.  How there had been two by the name of Yugi, Kaiba could not conceive, nor could he recall how one vanished and the other appeared.  However, he did know one thing.  Kaiba had no desire that the little Yugi be his slave, for he was not the rival whom Kaiba had defeated. 

Yugi blinked at Kaiba, and two tears raced down either side of his face.

Rage built up in Kaiba's body.  He seemed to recall that little Yugi's stronger half emerged when he was under duress.  Slowly Kaiba let the handkerchief fall.  He balled up his fist and turned back to Yugi.  "Yugi…  You aren't the one who I want."

Yugi's eyes widened.  He did not speak for fear.

"You know of whom I speak.  The other Yugi is my rival, not you.  Now tell me.  How did he accomplish this little disappearing act?"

"What are you talking about, Kaiba?  Your wealth has made you completely crazy!  There is one "me" who you called to duel with you, and I am he!"  With each word, Yugi's voice gained in strength.  "I am Yugi, and no one else is!"

Suddenly Kaiba began to doubt himself.  His thoughts began to whirl.  Was it possible that he had made Yugi, a rather pathetic-looking rival, into a taller, more commanding figure?  Was it possible that the "other Yugi" was a mere product of Kaiba's imagination, formed so that he could 'pick on someone his own size?'  Had he fallen in lust with a rival he had almost completely invented?  With a roar of fury, Kaiba whirled on his heel.  He unlocked the door with fumbling fingers.  It swung open.  Kaiba stalked out of The Room and slammed the door behind him.

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Hello again, everyone.  I just wanted to apologize for the possible appearance of identical chapters.  That was a little mistake I may well have made while uploading.  FF.net has been a little ticklish for the past few hours, which irritates me, since it slows my updating time.  I wonder (with a grim sort of amusement) just how many evil twin chapters will be lurking about once the smoke clears from this.