HAHAHA! I told you Guys I'd be back and I meant it! MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! I actually had this chapter done earlier in the week and was just waiting for the okay from my beta but her I-net is down so i decided to edit this my self and post it (but it will be reposted once I get her edit of it back) That said i apologize in advance for any gramatical errors I may have missed.
This chapter originally was going to take a very different approach then what it turned out to be: I had such block with this part due to the evils of finals, school projects and term papers but once my imagination kicked my ass for ignoring her and i got an idea, each time i went to write this chap I got a different idea in mind, better than the first. At first i wasn't sure how well this chap turned out, but in the end and after touching it up, I think it turned out really well, and served its purpose of setting up the next two chaps that act as the catalyst for the rest of this story. So on in all, not sure if its one of my best chaps, but I definetely think it turned out for the better
Disclaimer: Yugioh, yugioh GX and all its characters are the property of one Kazuki Takahashi, who i love and repsect far to much to claim any of his work as mine. This story is VERY loosely based on Beauty and the Beast, both the French Fairy tale and the Disney movie, and thing not belonging to either of those two sources, including the manor and all of Yami's outfits belong to me. I also took a creative license on this story, so any differences between the two are my own. All i own is the plot, any and everything else belongs to those stated above
As always, read, review, critique, ask questions and whatever else: And to anyone who has nothing better to do than flame people: BRING IT ON! the only you'll get from me is a well deserved kick in the teeth!
Chapter 9: The Clash of Wills
"Wow." Rose eyes widened in amazement. The daylight truly transformed the palace into a different place than it was at night. Darkness veiled the castle in a shadow, embracing its gothic appearance, but during the early hours light pooled in from the ogival windows, stained with multi-colored glass. Images of mythical creatures, with dragons being the predominant figures illuminated the hallway with rainbow lights. The sunlight behind them made the images dance to life for brief moments.
Flying buttresses splashed gray and white, invisible in the darkness, appeared holding up a golden ceiling of brilliant windows, while the hallways were a combination of flying buttresses and Gothic archways, lining the hallways like bridges over certain floors and layers. Several staircases spiraled in multiple directions, and hallways, similar in design to a Gothic cathedral, formed a labyrinth of passages and chambers.
Like a child in a toy store, Yami wandered from one place to another, admiring each artistic piece of the castle. The experience was like seeing a part of history; the walls talked of grand times and past things: kings and battles, paladins, crusades and obscure poetry, but also of inquisition and silence, and fate, and in voices that spoke more than a thousand text books, fueling the young writer's source of wonder. The fact that the Maitre d' of the castle and his new friends were very well educated in every aspect of interest the castle had to offer, only made the experience more interesting.
"How old his is this place?"Yami asked out of amazement, but Joey answered anyway.
"Not sure 'bout that." The Maitre d' replied, leaning his heavy wings against the wall, smirking at the boy's enthusiasm. "If I had ta take a guess, I'd say somewhere round the eight century was when it was built. But then again, every monarch has added or replaced something to it over time, so Lord only knows how many generations have made an impact."
"It's amazing." Wide eyes wondered from one seen to another, while the four spirits at hid heel struggled to keep up with the boy's wondering feet. His journey took him down the stairs and to another floor with the black dragon flying behind him, and the spirits hopping from the banister and onto his shoulders or flying at his side.
"Once the weather gets nicer, we should take you on a tour of the gardens as well." Chazz suggested, resting his cat-sized dragon form in the nest of Yami's hair, as Yami's eyes tilted towards the cathedral like ceiling that seemed to go up forever then darted to the statues embedded in each wall.
"Oh yes, the trees are at their loveliest in spring." Syrus added.
"Course they look cool in winter too; everything's sheeted in ice." Jesses protested. "It's like being encased in glass. It's so cool!"
"I'll just have to see them both then won't I?" Yami smiled at the Carbuncal on his shoulder and the dragonroid, squirming in his bangs. "I can't choose which one I like best unless I see them both, after all."
Yami smirked, brushing aside a large tapestry and finding himself in a large circular hallway lined with doors. Archway-like entrances led to different rooms and another staircase spiraled in the corner. A pale, blue and silver washed marble floor led to a stunning marble statue of a dragon flexing its wings, elegantly placed beneath a glittering crystal chandelier. Rose eyes widened in amazement before he choose another hallway composed of various low-leveled archways.
"This was actually fairly recent." Jou explained, landing on his feet and returning to his human form in order to follow Yami. Yami's eyes wondered, taking in the elegant molding of the arches done in a lovely baroque pattern that swirled and curved like birches the color of bleached bone.
"Once the Gothic style became popular around the seventh century and the stone of the castle began to wither, the ruling monarch, a queen at the time with a taste for the natural world, she's actually responsible for many of the trees in the garden out back but I'm getting off topic. Anyway, she had the finest carpenters, artisans and masons refine this entire hallway in the style of these arches. The baroque style had been quite popular in Rome so it spread rather fast to this part of the world. Since the style was much more flamboyant and pleasing in design as appose to the traditional stone-work it wasn't long before the style spread all throughout the empire."
Yami's mind phased in an out of the conversation as his slender fingers brushes across the smooth, polished wood, following the tracings down another hallway. Never before had he been so exposed to so much architecture and history all at once.
A large tapestry draped over two dark walnut doors caught his eyes. Like the rest of the castle the tapestry was done in a baroque style but the centerpiece was of an enormous dragon woven entirely from crystals that flashed different shades of blue in the light, woven into the thread. Upon close inspection he saw its teeth, claws and wing spikes were white marble and its eyes were piercing sapphires, woven into the thread.
"Where does that lead, Jou?" Yami asked curiously, approaching the tapestry curiously.
"That." The blond stated proudly, while Yami brushed the tapestry aside, carefully, and turned the heavy door knockers. "Is the Grand Ball room!" Jou's voice echoed, bouncing against the empty walls.
Yami's eyes widened: the room was enormous, possibly the heart of the entire castle, but the room was the complete opposite of the rest of the castle he'd been exposed to. Tapestries and banners draped the walls, unused except for celebration, and the ogival windows stretched almost towards the ceiling letting in light, but the only thing it illuminated was the dust in the air. Everything was tattered and ancient, like nothing had been touched in centuries. The thousands of mental candles littered the room lay unlit in their candelabras, covered in a thin layer of rust. A thin layer of dust covered the once pristine looking floor of frosty glass and the stain-glass windows, making them look musty and dark. The diamond chandeliers were intertwined with cobwebs. Above him, Yami could see the glass ceiling he saw from outside, but it too was covered in dust, blocking out most of the light from the room. The teen turned to his companions in confusion.
"Or at least it used be." Jesse chuckled, in a dry attempt at humor.
"It's usually lovely, it just hasn't been used in—" Syrus began then cut himself off. "A long time.
"Try a hundred years." Chazz snapped bitterly.
"It's still cool though." Jaden jumped in, sensing the question forming on Yami's face at Chazz's remorseful response. "You won't find another like it. It literally is the heart of this castle."
"Really?" Yami raised an eyebrow intrigued.
"Yup," Joseph stepped in. "Those stain glass windows tell the story of how this castle got its namesake, about the white dragon that guards the city by banished the darkness into the mountains. Not sure how much truth there is to it but the likeness in the glass is magnificent."
"And we also got stuff painted on the walls and even the ceiling is stain glass! It's the most stunning picture of the White Dragon there is, you should see it at night, with the stars are behind it, you have to remind yourself its glass, cuz it looks so real!" Jaden bounced in the air excitedly.
"And that's not all, this place is so big, it connects every wing in the castle and each doorway is done uniquely to show which way leads where." Josu explained until realizing his listener's interests has become distracted by something else.
"Wow!" Jesse, Jaden and Chazz, both jumped at the sight of Yami, taking curious steps towards a dark stairway curved around nothing and leading towards a dark corridor, despite Syrus' tugs on his coat.
Before he could take another step, Yami blinked as his path was suddenly blocked in mid-step by the three spirits in their spectral human forms.
Before he could ask, the sound of wings filled is ears and Jou gently grabbed his arm, tugging him back. "Not so fast there, Yam." The blond said sternly. Yami blinked at the seriousness in his eyes, completely opposite the cheery, upbeat personality he'd grown accustomed to.
"I'm going to take a shot in the dark and assume I'm not aloud up there." Yami teased with light humor in his voice, though no one seemed amused.
"No one's allowed there, Yami." Syrus explained before hoping off his head and returning to his human face. "It's not just you; it's the only place in the castle no one can enter under any circumstances."
The sudden darkness overcoming the staff of servants and the gravity behind the situation made Yami's eyes widen, then narrow and a mischievous smirk of intrigue graves his face. "I suppose there's no harm in letting me know why then?" He asked, carefully masking the slyness in his voice with curiosity.
"It's not important." Chazz cut in, and gently shoved the boy around before gently shoving him by the arms back through the ballroom.
"It's boring anyway." Jaden cut in changing the subject "How 'bout the tapestries?"
"Excellent choice." Jou added, clearing hoping to distract the teen, but Yami caught the obvious trick.
"Is it abandoned?" Yami asked, hoping for at least some clue to the mysterious, forbidden ground.
"Yes and no, don't worry 'bout it." Jesse added. "Nothin interestin's in the West Wing anyway."
"The West Wing?" Yami said aloud eyes bright with victory.
"Shit!" Jesse covered his mouth, eyes bulging in horror at what he'd just said.
"Ah so that's were Kaiba's been hiding." Yami smirked triumphantly.
"Ow!" Jesse whined when a large fist collided with his skull.
"Nice going moron!" Chazz snapped at the bluenette, not noticing their guest walking past them.
"Wow there!" Jaden and Sy blocked the path, before Yami could make the steps. "The West Wing is off limits, period! No one goes there without the Master's okay, not even Zane's allowed upstairs."
"Not even just to look around?" Yami reasoned, not willing to cease his persistence.
"Yam," Jou's hold on his arm tightened, causing the blond to turn to him. "We're not joking here. The one thing you don't do here is go in Seto's room. He likes his privacy and you're already on thin ice with him as is. Trust me, this is the last thing you wanna do." Yami felt a shiver run though him at the gravity in Jou's tone, magnified by the seriousness in his eyes.
What could be so horrible that even Seto's own staff feared him? Was he really that dangerous that he would lash out at the first person to invade his privacy? Furry boiled in Yami's veins. "I'm not afraid of him, Joseph." Yami's eyes narrowed his voice low with gravity.
Sensing where this is going, Syrus jumped in, stepping between them, with a smile. "Besides, we've only covered half the castle and there are plenty of other interesting things we could show you." He tilted his head past Yami, and motioned to his friends with his hands silently asking for support.
"We also haven't shown you the library yet?" Chazz suggested.
"Or the art gallery, either." Jesse jumped in.
"You have an art gallery and a library?" Yami asked with wide, curious eyes.
"In the same location!" Jaden boasted proudly, sensing the West wing's hold over Yami weakening.
"Really? Where is it?" Yami replied a small smile of surprise and hidden triumph graced his face at the unadulterated relief crossing everyone's faces.
"Right this way." Jou's demeanor changed instantly. "You'll love the library, if anything has art history it's that room" He announced leading the way, beginning another lecture.
"You'll love the windows too," Syrus smiled, as he floated by, Yami met his excited eyes that reminded him so much of Yugi's. "They're all stain glass. Just wait until noon when the sunlight shined through them all at once: the whole room fills with dancing lights!"
"And the gallery has the best view in the whole castle!" Jesse added.
"And of course you can't forget the books." Chazz reminded smirking as he reminded everyone why Yami loved library's so much. "You'll love our fiction section: it covers almost half the room."
"In almost every genre!" Syrus added excitedly.
Yami quickly followed, as they floated by, then slowed his steps gradually enough so no one would notice.
"Adventure! Horror! Fantasy! "Jesse's voice echoed over Joey's who still continued with his tour of the history of the castle's stain glass.
"Science Fiction, historical." Jaden added as the quartet floated from the ball room, lost in their conversation to notice, Yami taking slow, silent steps back.
"And you can't forget poetry!" Chazz added his voice fading as the four disappeared down the hallway.
Once the servants and Matri d' were a safe distance, Yami quickly turned on his heels and bolted back towards the West Wing; the ballroom seemed twice as large as it did earlier. A nagging nursery rhyme about the unfortunate fate of a feline, his mother always compared him too, tugged at his mind, but he ignored it once the idea of learning something about Seto filled his mind. The shadows darkening not only the stairs but the entrance seemed to be a warning, but also a sign.
"Alone in the castle, the former King's golden heir began to chill, and stiffen, angered and bitter towards the world that shunned him so cruelly as a monster." He quoted, as he approached the steps then stopped just beneath the foreboding steps. "What are you hiding, Seto Kaiba."
Even if had only been a week, Yami still remembered the first thing he saw when he met the Dragon King: his brothers in chains, Yugi crying, clinging to him for dear life, Atem pleading with him to take the sick boy and leave, the arrogance and triumph on the Dragon King's face when he made the deal, the way he circled him like a shark, just waiting for him to break. The memory made his blood boil, his fists ball and his teeth clench in rage. He smirked at the opportunity to get the upper hand on his host for once. "If he thinks he can keep me in the dark, he's sadly mistaken. I meant it when I said I wouldn't become another one of his obedient servants!" Confidence and triumph charged his steps, as he took a leap forward, almost onto the staircase.
"Be that as it may, Kitten; I do recall telling you I wouldn't hesitate to punish you if you disobeyed me again." Yami froze in mid-step. Slowly, unwittingly, he turned around. Standing against the ball room door, which Yami now realized he'd left open, in all his regal glory stood the Dragon King. His arms crossed elegantly over his chest as he leaned casually against the door, wings at his sides, and one leg braced against the frame, that damned smirk slit his face as if to scream that he knew exactly what Yami was doing. . He unfolded his arms and gently pushed himself off the wall, his wings expanded to their full length. The lights danced of his scales, shimmering multiple shades of silver and blue giving him the appearance of a glass statue. He smirked when he saw Yami falter a bit, though he was quick to recover, refusing to surrender to the Dragon this time
"What are you going on about?" Yami snapped, turning on his heels and glaring at the Dragon King, knowing full well he was in trouble but he firmly stood his ground. No fear marred his features or the vibrant fire in his flaming eyes. He wouldn't surrender this time.
Seto's smirk widened, and his smile curled. "Even when you know you're vanquished your spectacular." He mumbled, eyes glittering a vibrant crystal blue. He took a long stride towards the teen. Yami instinctively took a step back, feeling his heart begin to thud in his chest. Neither broke eye-contact. With each step Seto took, Yami took one back, refusing to let the already short distance between them decrease. His blood boiled each time Seto's smirk widened.
"How long do you think it'll be before I catch you?" he teased with a triumphant smirk. He lunged towards him, but Yami was faster, ducking away from the staircase, before turning to glare at Seto. He took another step back, but Seto followed, matching his every move precisely.
For a moment Seto just played with his head, even as Yami scowled at him, keeping a close eye on each of Seto's movements. He watched as Seto maneuvered to the right, immediately he went left. Too late he realized his mistake.
Immediately, Seto pivoted on his heel, and with a single small leap and a flex of his wings he was in the air. With a single flap, Seto was on him in less than two seconds. Too overcome by surprise Yami was helpless when Seto's claws clenched his shoulders and gently pinned him by the arms against the wall: Seto's palms holding him in place and his claws sinking into the wall, effectively immobilizing him.
Refusing to remain captive, Yami struggled and moved to kick him, but Seto's tail caught the flying abdomen and pinned it back against the wall, effectively halting the fiery teen. "Get off me!" Yami screamed as he continued to struggle though it did him no good.
"What did I tell you, Kitten?" Seto glared at him still smirking.
"I'm not a cat!" Yami snapped, struggling even more, until Seto pressed him further into the wall.
"Perhaps." Seto smirked, playfully making Yami's blood boil more. "But you remind me very much of a kitten: all hisses and claws and never doing a thing that you're told." His smirk curled at the ends at the crimson shade Yami knew was spreading across his face.
Seto's smirk widened; his eyes focused in on Yami's own as if admiring the fire burning in the rose-colored orbs. "Are you scared?"
"Of you?" Yami scowled but didn't move. "No."
"That's what intrigues me." Seto teased, tilting his head, before moving Yami's wrists into his one of his hands and pinned them above his head, while the free claw moving to dance across Yami's face. Yami shivered; a breath caught in his throat feeling the cool metal claws biting against his skin. He didn't move. Remembering the first time he felt those sharp claws delicately dancing across his skin, he decided not to provoke the dragon's arrogance even more then he already had. Seto's claws danced up his shoulder and tickled his chin; the slight pressure he placed on them forced Yami to left his head to meet his eyes. "Are you afraid now?"
Yami eyes glittered with defiance. "I'm not afraid of you."
Seto's eyes softened but his face turned to a neutral mask. "Why not?"
"I have no reason to be." Yami answered, remaining still in the Dragon's grip, even as he moved his hands from his chin and wrists preferring to use them to brace himself against wall, while still cutting off any and all of Yami's escape routes. The defiance in Yami's eyes and the control in Seto's never faltered.
For a few moments they stayed like that. Neither of them willing to back down or break. Seto's hard eyes bore in to Yami's smoldering crimson. Then a moment later, Seto smiled a small smile and dipped his head towards Yami. "Kiss me."
"What!" Yami exploded in shock and infuriated Seto would even suggest such a thing, and started thrashing, his arms rose to shove Seto off him, but the dragon was fast and pinned the boy's wrists above his head again. He chuckled loudly, making Yami glare at him harshly, growling like a caged wild cat.
"Don't tell me you've never been kissed, kitten?" Seto taunted, laughing.
"Of course I have!" Yami's face went scarlet. He may have preferred books to flirting but he was by no means naïve when it came to things like courtship: he'd had personal relations before, not everyone was a pompous, aristocratic, bore like Rebbecca after all. "How dare you even ask me that!" Yami screeched, thrashing in the King's grip. "Let go of me, Kaiba!"
"And what if I said no." Kaiba smirked, leaning closer until his face hovered only a few inches from Yami's. Yami growled as the sudden invasion of space, then shivered when he felt Seto's tail unwrap from around his leg, and wrap around his waist instead. "L-Let go!" he hissed.
The stutter made Seto's frosty sapphire eyes light up. "Why do you always put up so much resistance?" the tone was teasing, but the question was serious, like it was trying to preach the shield of defiance Yami cast around himself. "If you stopped fighting for once, you might actually enjoy yourself."
"Shut up!" Yami snapped. "I'm not one of your playthings! You can't order me around like you do your servants."
Seto raised an eyebrow in confusion at the statement then leaned closer, meet Yami's eyes with a small smirk. "I'm aware of that, but what if I told you I didn't want you as a servant?"
Yami's entire demeanor shattered, his anger plummeted replaced by shock, disbelief and slight horror at what Seto was suggesting. "You think I'm won over that easily?" Yami spat.
"Whoever said I trying to 'win you over'?" Seto demanded, casually. "If I wanted to 'win you over' as you call it, I would've told the servants to give you the best place in the castle and do whatever you said, but I didn't did I? Because I knew you wouldn't like it. You're far too independent for anything like that."
Yami blinked, before his pride kicked in and he glared again. "How do you know anything about what I'm like?" he demanded. Seto didn't flinch, despite the harsh tone.
"I don't." He said flatly, letting of Yami's wrists and stepping back, while still keeping him in place with his tail. "But contrary to what you may think, you're not that difficult to read, Yami." He paused then continued noticing the bewilderment on the teen's face. "I can tell by that sharp little tongue of yours, your fiery attitude, and that thick skull that you are: too reckless for your own good; that you would never accept anything given to you, you hate anything fancy or over the top, but you're fond of anything simple yet elegant, and" a small smile graced his face as he gazed at Yami's wide, surprised eyes alerting him that everything he said was true. "If you stop letting your pride get in the way and actually allow yourself to enjoy what you have you'd be much happier."
The comment made him angry. Hurt and anger suddenly festered in him when he tried to put everything into perspective: only for the images of Yugi crying and coughing, Atem terrified, and both of them trapped and chained in a dark, freezing tower; the King hiding in the shadows, telling him flat out that anything and everything he ever cared for was eternally lost to him.
With a sudden strength, Yami threw his arms forward shoving the taller, stronger being away from him, the tail around his waist loosening, and freeing himself from his confinement. He let the anger boil in his blood until it festered like a glass bubble. Then he let it drop.
"You think it's simple! You think you can just show up and demand such things when you've done nothing but avoid me since I got here, after everything I lost—no, everything you stole from me! I can just forgive and forget! Well, you're wrong! Do you have any idea what I gave up for you? How dare you act as if anything you've done even begins to compare to that—"
His outburst was interrupted when—before he even had a chance to even comprehend it—the Dragon King shot forward. The tightening of his coat and collar was the only warning Yami got before he suddenly felt his back slam harshly against the wall, the impact knocking the wind right out of him. His hands instantly flew to the pull at the clawed hands holding him in place. His legs started kicking wildly, when he realized he was at least two inches off the ground. He opened his eyes and mouth to protest but was instantly silenced by the fierce look Kaiba gave him…like a wild animal, but behind the anger Yami could see something else…pain…sadness …anguish.
It pierced right through him.
But then again he did something that Yami didn't expect. He burst out laughing: a dark, sinister laugher as if he were chocking on tears. "You think you're so wise!" Kaiba glared at him, furiously, letting all his anger and pain bleed into his voice. "You have no right to judge me! You don't have any idea what I've been through. You think you've suffered just because you can't go home? Back to your precious little village of idiots and your family! Huh! At least you still have a home to go back to! At least you know you're family is still alive and safe! I'm a prisoner in my own home, I don't even know if my brothers even still exist! Let alone if they're safe?"
"You have brothers?" Yami asked subconsciously, his mind still trying to process the heartbroken rant the normally cold and collected Dragon King just displayed.
He screamed when he was suddenly dropped to the floor, panting heavily, as he tried to replenish his lungs. He looked up only to see Seto, taking a step back as if he'd been shocked. He looked at Yami like he'd asked a ghost how it died. Yami's eyes widened. Bewildered at the pain, confusion and conflicting emotions blazing through those fierce ice-blue eyes like a glittering kaleidoscope. But as quickly as it appeared it vanished, and that scowl the Dragon King was known for returned even fiercer then before. "Get up!" he ordered, not even attempting to mask the anger in his voice.
Yami growled and jumped to his feet, hands balled into fists at his sides. "Don't tell me what to do!"
Another dark smile slit Kaiba's face. "On the contrary, kitten." He chuckled darkly. "You chose to follow my rules when you surrendered your freedoms to me, and," he paused taking another step towards Yami, before leaning down to meet his eyes, his smirk widening when Yami stepped back. "I said I wouldn't hesitate to punish you if you disobeyed me again."
Realization suddenly hit Yami like a ton of bricks, he tried to keep it hidden but his mask slipped. Seto's smirk expanded.
"You. Wouldn't dare." Yami said firmly, in a last ditch effort.
"Want to bet!" Before Yami could do anything or protest, Seto had seized him by the arms and up heaved his lithe body over his shoulder, keeping him in place by wrapping his arm around the boy's waist. Yami screamed in rage but before he could object to any of this, he was forced to hang on as Seto took to the air and started flying through the ball room, up another staircase, and down the second floor.
"Hey! What do you think you're doing! Put me down! Release me this instant!" Yami screamed, thrashing his limbs and clawing at Seto's back, he braced his arms on the dragon's scaly back and pushed in an attempt to wrench his waist free from the iron grip around it. All attempts failed. "Hey! Kaiba! I said Release me! Dammit Kaiba, let go of me! I said let me go! Kaiba!" Struggle and thrash as Yami might, it did him little good. Kaiba said nothing, he didn't even look at him, but he growled when Yami started hammering his fists against his back where his wings connected and lashed at them with his tail, making the teen scream and retreat.
"Kaiba!" Yami screeched like a banshee, hammering his back until Seto rolled his shoulder, making him whimper. "Dammit! Kaiba! Put me down this instant! Hey!"
Yami's rants and the sound of Seto's wings echoed all throughout the house. The servants rushed from their duties to see what was happening. Ryou's eyes bulged out of his skull, while Bakura—who couldn't leave the kitchen—demanded to know what was happening. The seamstresses and Malik paused in their work and jumped when Seto ordered them to vacate Yami's room and returned to their sewing rooms.
When they finally reached the second floor, Seto stopped flying and walked the rest of the way to Yami's room: the teen still fighting against his capture's embrace while demanding his freedom. Not to Seto's surprise, the servants were outside Yami's room in a panic wondering where he was. He stopped and grunted, directing their attention towards him. Their eyes widened at the sight before them. Chazz froze; his eyes nearly bulged out of his skull. Syrus covered his mouth in shock, Jaden covered his ears, Jesse covered his eyes. Jou just blinked like someone had slapped him for no reason. Dismissed with a glare from their master the group fazed out of the way, turning their heads away guilt at Yami's demanding, half pleas for help.
"Dammit Kaiba! Put me—" Yami screamed again as Kaiba kicked the doors to his room open, and with one swift motion, threw him on to his bed with such force he bounced back up and rolled off the side.
He groaned as he got to his feet, just in time to see Kaiba exit his room, grabbing the door on his way out intending to lock it. "Kaiba, you are not leaving me in here!" He made a mad dash for the door, but was too late and instead crashed into it as it slammed in his face. "Shit!" he stormed rubbing his nose, before turning back and wresting the door knockers, and banging on the door. "Hey! Kaiba! Let me out!" Yami screamed, so loud his voice echoed through the door.
"Uh, Kaiba…" Jou dared to ask, only for Seto to grab him by the collar of his shirt and pull him up to meet his eyes.
"Listen up mutt." Seto commanded, pointing to Yami's room. "That door does not open. He doesn't come out and no one goes in until I say so, understood?" Jou nodded mutely.
"Is that clear, no fazing either?" he turned to the servants. The four boys all nodded.
"Good." Seto nodded before dropping Joey to floor and stormed down the hallway like a white dash.
Once he was gone and the five had time to recover from the shock, Syrus, Jesse and Jaden collapsed against the wall, Chazz bolted down the hallway towards the West wing, almost crashing into Malik holding a pile of clothes, and diving past Ryou who had a tray of food in the process. Both Malik and Ryou tuned to Jou, who had yet to pick himself up from the floor. The only sounds heard among the silence were Yami's howls of rage.
Finally Jaden spoke. "What the hell just happened?
Yami growled loudly in frustration and kicked the door, harshly. He panted heavily, his throat raw from constant screaming. Syrus and the others would've no doubt come in by now demanding what had happened if they had permission, which meant Kaiba had kept his word and he was now completely trapped: a prisoner in the castle he'd been forced to call home.
He punched the door in anger before pressing his forehead against the wood, trying to process what had just happened. His mind back-tracked to what had transpired and every time he recalled Seto's behavior before effectively locking him in his room. He remembered the pain and anguish on his face when he readdressed the reasons for his confinement and Seto's reaction. Realization struck him like a bolt and he stood up straight, his eyes widened in shock as he tried to remember another important line from the book—which he was starting to realize was based more on fact than he originally believed: "Seto has brothers…like I do."
The realization came like a whiplash across his side. Emotionally and physically drained from the night's event's he crashed onto the side of the bed and held his head trying to think. "If that's true, than what else are you hiding Kaiba?" he pondered to himself, as he removed his jacket and placed it on the back of a chair and stripped out of his shirt and pants, in favor of the rose colors silks, Malik had set on the edge of the bed.
A smirk crossed Yami's face. He decided at that final moment, he didn't care how long it took him, or what he had to risk or sacrifice in order to do so, he would learn the Dragon King's secrets. "Whatever you're hiding, I'm going to figure it out."
MWAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Long Live the Queen of Plot Twists! How many of you thought I was gonna have Yami go into Seto's room and not get caught? huh? Gotcha! Hey I said i wanted them to interact more before it got to that point and i meant it! And as a master and lover of characterization and development i will be damned if I let Seto and Yami get together that easily!
Enter Phase one: The First Line. As i said the ending of this chap turned our very different from what i intended (I certanitly didn't plan on Seto literally carrying Yami back to his room and locking him in, but somehow it worked: I'll leave it to you to figure out what just happened and maybe guess what's gonna happen next. I am gonna have so much fun writing this story from here on out.
I already have the next chap half-way done and THEN after that chap, it will pick up and return to the events you're all familiar with...then again maybe not: but chapter after next you WILL all be reintroduced to the true enemy in this story (guess are still open, i won't give a straight answer but I love seeing controversy!
As always, read, review, ciritique, comment, ask questions, quess what's gonna happen and what ever else you life. As for my Flame policy see above.