Update: Most of the story is done (including post-Battle City), I've just been working on another fic called Toxicity because that's where my brain has been, story wise. Don't worry though, Flame will get finished. I only have 10 chapters left before it will be complete. I'm just slow about editing and posting the finished chapters. Thanks for being patient guys and stay safe out there (and please if you can, stay home).


Since Mai's fateful duel, Mokuba had been hard at work trying to decipher the text on the god card Ra. Kaiba had been waiting patiently since finishing up her duel, going through her deck painstakingly on the bed before Mokuba finally let out a promising "ah ha!"

"What is it?"

"Well, I connected to Industrial Illusions' network and the computer is analyzing the text now," Mokuba replied, "So we're at least moving forward. I can't believe how tricky it is to just translate some hieroglyphics."

"Do you feel like this task goes beyond your current abilities?" asked Kaiba as she took a seat next to her brother in front of the computer monitor.

"Heck no, please don't insult me, Seto," laughed Mokuba. "It's just we're up so high, the internet doesn't work too well but I'm managing. I can do this."

"Blow it up and let me take a look."

Mokuba did as asked, and suddenly Kaiba got hit by a wave of surprise.

Just like Marik had suggested, she could read the damn text. The dead language, as fluently as if she was reading Japanese or English. Kaiba blinked once and pressed a hand to her forehead, groaning before taking a look again.

"What's wrong," Mokuba asked. "Are you about to have a migraine or something?"

"No," Kaiba replied casually. "This is just strange."

"What's strange."

"This text, I can understand it," Kaiba continued. "I don't know how I can, but it makes sense."

Mokuba's eyes widened, and he made a small laugh before his face became more animated.

"Isn't that a good thing? At least you know how to use Ra now and won't end up like Mai. That's great!"

"Yes, Mokuba," Kaiba agreed, "But how is it that I can suddenly have this ability? I never learned this language. There's no reason for me to understand this."

There was a reason, but Kaiba was not going to entertain that thought.

"Maybe you're just more of a genius than you first thought," reasoned Mokuba. "You could have learned it years ago and just forgot about it. Gozaburo made you study a lot..."

Kaiba tuned Mokuba out, her eyes focusing more on the text. It wasn't even normal ancient Egyptian; it was special. Marik and Ishizu had said she was 'chosen' by the god card Obelisk to wield it, so was that the reason why she could understand the language? It wasn't logical, but it was a rational conclusion.

"Ishizu said a sorceress carved this statute, and that woman is supposed to be some dead ancestor of mine."

"That's nuts," laughed Mokuba. "We both know our family doesn't have North African in it. At least, not that I know of."

"It's all a bunch of nonsense."

Their ancestry was mixed, but Kaiba knew nothing about any Egyptians in their family lineage.

You are the heiress of a corporate empire, not some long dead ancient priestess, spoke a familiar voice. Try to remember better just who exactly you are. A Kaiba. That's it.

Collapsing her chest onto the desk, Kaiba grumbled as Mokuba looked over her with concern.

"Are you sure you don't have a migraine?" Mokuba asked softly. "You looked a little unwell during your duel."

"I'm perfectly fine, Mokuba." Kaiba sighed, not lifting her head up. "Just go to bed. It's late."

"Suit yourself."

Kaiba thought about researching more about the hieroglyphics, but she was going to be dueling tomorrow. Wasting all her hours obsessing over a question without an answer would not be a good use for what hours she had left of her night.

"May I have your attention please," spoke a clear, masculine voice. It was Isono, speaking over the PTA system. "Round one of the Battle City Finals is over. The four remaining finalists are Mutou Yugi, Jonouchi Katsuya, Ishtar Marik, and Kaiba Seto. Competition will resume tomorrow after the airship has landed at the destination. Thank you."

Kaiba clicked her tongue. Those would be tomorrow's adversaries. Mutou Yugi and Ishtar Marik in particular. They had the two remaining god cards Kaiba needed, if she wanted to be the best player in the world. To have the cards that Pegasus had feared.

"He was a silly old man," Kaiba grumbled under his breath, "Who didn't understand his own limitations."

His end had been terrible, but Kaiba hardly felt bad about it. After all the shit that American scumbag had put her through, she was almost glad he'd come to an ugly end.

After all, it was Pegasus who had helped her make Kaiba Corporation into the gaming corporate giant that it was, and he had betrayed her. After all the hard work she'd done and effort she'd made to impress him.

You see, said a voice, that's why you can't trust anyone but yourself. Didn't I teach you this a long time ago, Kaiba? I taught you to not even trust me.

She didn't want to hear those words echoing through her brain right before going to sleep.

Mokuba had fallen asleep on her computer chair. He said he was going to go to bed, but of course, he got distracted. As usual.

Kaiba picked Mokuba up, throwing the white trench coat across the seat before dragging her feet off into the other bedroom. He was heavy, but Kaiba managed to get him to his own bed, taking off his shoes and draping a blanket over him before leaving the room and closing the door. Despite his age, Mokuba seemed to try to keep up with Kaiba in all things. Maybe she should advise him not to. She didn't want him ending up all messed up.

She tried fighting back a yawn and failed. Turning off the giant computer system, she crossed the room lazily before sitting at the edge of the bed and unsnapping all the buckles on her legs and arms and slipping off her boots.

This room was much more out of the way and less accessible by the public. Mokuba and Isono had created a program that only allowed certain people past, so there wasn't any chance of Marik getting through. Only a select few could, and those individuals probably didn't even know they had the clearance.

It would make a good panic room if anything really bad happened, but Kaiba doubted anything would.

She'd left her deck by the side of her bed, and in the darkness, she began to stare blankly at it. Her eyes blurred and her mind went hazy. Between battling against Ishizu and being whipped through time, Kaiba felt mentally done with the day. Reaching up, she flipped the card on the top and was greeted by the visual of one of her Blue Eyes White Dragons. Not Obelisk.

Her most loyal servant.

Maybe relying so much on Obelisk had been a mistake. Even though it was powerful, Ishizu somehow managed to find a kink in its armor, and if she could, Yugi definitely would.

'Power is the only thing that matters', rang a voice through her head, 'And without it, you are exposed to the abuses of others. Use the god card. Doesn't lose your chance due to human sentimentality. They are all just cards, after all. Just cards.'

She didn't want to hear that voice. Putting the card down, Kaiba flipped around in the bed, lying slightly on her stomach before closing her eyes and focusing on her breathing.

But then she heard a voice speaking through the collar of her trench coat, and getting up, Kaiba walked over to it before pressing the intercom button.

"Kaiba here."

"I am so sorry for interrupting you, Kaiba-sama, but Jonouchi Katsuya has requested to see you. He will not tell me why."

"Don't worry about it Isono, just let him in."

Great. Kaiba snorted. At least she hadn't changed into actual sleepwear. Then she would have given the guy something to actually look at.

If Jonouchi had any sense, too, he would have realized that he had access into the secure hallway. Both him and Yugi could, thanks to Mokuba's insisting. "In case anything were to happen to you," he advised, "Because I know they'd do something."

Whatever.

When she heard a loud knocking on her door, Kaiba decided to just prepare herself for the inevitable interruption and hopefully if she humored him along enough, Jonouchi would take his happy ass to bed feeling like he'd accomplished whatever it was he was hoping to achieve tonight.

Pressing the enter button, Kaiba leaned against the door frame as she was greeted by a shy wave.

"I didn't think you'd actually let me in here."

Sighing, Kaiba just crossed her arms against her chest. "If you tried using the retinal scanner, you could have found out that you actually have clearance."

"Oh." Jonouchi scratched the back of his head. "Then why didn't you tell me before?"

"Because you didn't need to know."

Jonouchi didn't appear to be pleased with that answer.

"Mokuba wanted to make sure Yugi and yourself could get through to here if an emergency happened on-board," Kaiba explained. "And since we have a dedicated psychopath on board, you might get the exciting chance to use it."

"You mean I get to hang out with you in your bedroom?" Jonouchi teased. "I never thought you would ask."

"I didn't ask."

Kaiba could feel herself becoming flustered. This was not how things were supposed to wrap up tonight. Where did the sudden anxiousness while talking to Jonouchi come from? She didn't care about what he said. Flirtatious or not, he was an obstacle to her. Always had been.

"Didn't ask doesn't mean it had never crossed your mind," Jonouchi laughed before crossing his own arms. "Are you sure you don't need my excellent protection tonight? I don't see your guards around. They might be acting a little too lax."

Kaiba just smirked. "I can take care of myself."

"Yeah I know you can, but sometimes it's nice to let someone else do it for a change, you know?"

Kaiba did not know. She stared at him blankly, not replying until Jonouchi sighed loudly.

"It wouldn't kill you to let people in. To accept help. Not saying we need to have a sleepover right now... but seriously Kaiba, it wouldn't kill you to be more accepting of people who care about you and allow them into your life.

"I was cheering for you during your duel."

"Yes, I noticed," Kaiba said, stressing the words as her heart started speeding up. It was uncomfortable. She needed to get to bed. "You cheer everyone on, Jonouchi."

"That's not completely true," Jonouchi replied. "I only cheer on my friends and... I'd like us to be friends. That's it. We've known each other for a long time now, and I think I've proved to you enough times that I'm on your side. You can trust me."

"Maybe it's not about trust," Kaiba spoke quietly. Jonouchi's expression turned quizzical, his eyes way too intense. He was actually taller than her right now, a fact Kaiba only just began to notice. Usually she didn't because her boots gave her an extra few inches over his height but since dressing down, now she was standing there in her socks. He was standing rather close, too. "I'm not looking for a friend, or anything else."

"Come on Kaiba, you can't tell me that you've never felt loneliness before," Jonouchi joked lightly. He took a step forward. Kaiba involuntarily took a step back. "If you can't admit that much, I'm going to start thinking you're a robot again."

"That's not funny."

Jonouchi sighed loudly. "No, it's not, but sometimes I need things to be funny so I don't get depressed from how sad things actually are. Look Kaiba, I can't make you like me or care about me or anything else. I get that. I'm not asking to be your best friend but at this point it's a waste of time to act like we're just strangers to each other.

"Look-I'm tired of sticking my neck out for you and getting shit on in return. The fact that you never ask isn't an excuse for how you treat me. Or the fact that sometimes you actually do need my help, even when you don't want to admit it, and still act badly afterwards."

"Like when," Kaiba countered heatedly. "When have I ever needed your help, please jog my memory."

This time Jonouchi smirked. "Back in high school, when those goons trapped you in that video game world. Yugi got you out of that boss fight but I took the hit to save your brother. And when your brother came to us for help in the middle of the night, I volunteered to help you first. If you don't believe me, you can go ask Mokuba. He knows what happened."

"He's asleep now," Kaiba answered, her temper cooling down, "I believe you."

Jonouchi blinked before touching the back of his head again. "So, will you consider it? Just think about it tonight, at least? I'd rather skip the arguments between us and give you time to make a solid decision."

"Which would be?"

Jonouchi laughed loudly, taking another step forward and gently tapping Kaiba's closest foot. "To be my friend, what else? I promise, it'll be one of the best worst decisions you've ever made."

"That sounds so reassuring," snarked Kaiba. "I've made a lot of really bad decisions before. Not looking to make another one."

"I promise, it won't be."

Jonouchi had a sincere smile on his face, his eyes lighting up despite how tired he looked. He'd died nearly died two times that day (or were they past midnight already? Kaiba didn't know) and the last thing he should have wanted to do was ask this frivolous request. Was it really that important to him?

She didn't want to say yes, but deep down, Kaiba didn't want to tell him no, either.

"I'll sleep on it," Kaiba agreed, "And tell you how I feel about it when I see you next alone."

Jonouchi nodded his head. "Don't think about it too hard." His bright expression seemed so hopeful. His eyes had always been provocative, hazel with gold flecks against shades of brown and dark green. They always looked warm and sincere.

She needed to go to bed.

Shaking her head, Kaiba backed out of the doorway as Jonouchi waved goodbye to her. He seemed reluctant to leave but Kaiba pressed the button to close the door before he could get another word in. This was not the time to become distracted. Not the night before the biggest day of her competitive dueling career. There was no time to waste contemplating over personal relationships. She replayed Jonouchi's words in her head again, the hopefulness echoing in her ears. Don't think about it too hard!

Kaiba chuckled darkly as she stripped down and got into her bed.

"Believe me, I won't."

Despite closing her eyes, Kaiba did not fall into an easy sleep. She could hear every noise the airship made, and on top of that, the room had a bitter chill to it. Most of the rooms erred on the cold side rather than overly hot but now it seemed to be keeping her awake. She felt like such an insomniac. Ever since high school, she'd had trouble falling asleep on time. Now was a terrible night to find herself feeling wide awake on the eve of the most important duel of her professional life.

She'd always been the type to worry about everything when she was supposed to be in bed. After defeating Ishizu, Kaiba had become one step closer to reaching her goal of dueling against Yugi and reclaiming her title. All her hard work would be for something. All the challenges faced and sacrifices made. Everything had brought her to this point.

Marik would be a strong competitor. She'd seen the damage inflicted upon Mai, but Kaiba was not afraid of him. Dueling against him first would land her another god card, and she would need it to defeat Yugi in the finals. It was important not to fear the unknown and remember that her own Obelisk was a formidable foe. Marik could try fighting against her but her own god card would not go down easily.

Besides, he was overly confident. And unstable, to boot. Mai had lost her fortitude halfway through the battle but Kaiba was not so weak minded. She'd crush him with her power and superior strategy. Take advantage of his arrogance and knock him out of the competition.

The only thing that could go wrong was the chance of dueling against Jonouchi instead. He wasn't nearly as bad of a player as years past and had finally earned his place in a major competition but it would still be a waste of time pursuing a duel against him. His deck didn't have a card worth procuring, and on top of that, dueling Jonouchi would just become an exercise in patience. Sure, he'd probably have a few tricks up his sleeve (how else had he lasted for so long) but his deck was still fundamentally weak. Gamble tactics would not hold up against brute strength and she would be stuck going against Yugi with one god card against two.

That could not be allowed to happen. She needed to face Marik first, enable to take down Yugi once and for all. She needed two god cards. Everything rested on her plan coming to fruition. The next few hours would decide everything.

"You're thinking so hard, I can hear your thoughts from across the bed," laughed a familiar voice.

Kaiba grumbled before opening her eyes. At first she didn't see anything or anyone in the room but when she turned over in the bed, a hand squeezed her shoulder gently as she closed her eyes.

"I know you're not asleep, so you don't have to pretend..." A weight on the edge of the bed moved, shifting up until the mattress was being pressed right across from where Kaiba's head laid on her pillow.

"What are you thinking about?"

Kaiba paused hesitantly before replying, "Defeating Yugi in a duel."

There was that laugh. Kaiba scrunched up her face even more. Her stomach flipped uncomfortably as the feeling of Jonouchi's warm hand left her and she felt him move around again before he spoke up once more.

"I would think that would put a smile on your face and instead you look like you bit into a lemon." Jonouchi hummed before speaking up again, "Why not duel against me? Worried I might win?"

"Hardly."

The room was unbearably cold. Even under a pile of blankets with light clothes on, Kaiba still felt cold. She didn't know how Jonouchi tolerated it. He'd been so adamant about proving his point from earlier and now he sat cross-legged on her bed, just wearing a nightshirt and shorts. Whenever she'd glance at him, his dumb happy face would start smiling and Kaiba would sharply look away.

"Jeez," Jonouchi exclaimed, his voice becoming more animated as he stretched his limbs across her bed, "Why do you keep the temperature so damn low? What are you, a polar bear?"

"Most people sleep better with the air cold," Kaiba replied, already beginning to feel irritated with his presence.

"Yes but this feels like a meat locker in here," whined Jonouchi. "Don't complain, I'm getting under there with you."

Kaiba gave a scandalized expression but didn't do anything to stop him. Jonouchi scrambled under the covers, adjusting himself until he was right next to Kaiba before grinning in that signature way of his. Moving to lie on her back, Kaiba just looked back up at him with the blankest expression she could muster.

"I would have never guessed in a million years that we'd be having a sleepover together," Jonouchi mused. "I might have thought about it once or twice before but I didn't ever think you'd agree to hang out. You're always acting so sour towards me."

Kaiba narrowed her eyes, hoping that the slight warmth growing on her face wasn't visibly noticeable.

"It's not a sleepover," she corrected. "You're supposed to be making sure Marik doesn't try to kill me in my sleep. As far as I'm concerned, you're here because you wanted to put your money where your mouth is and I don't care if you want to act as my guard dog. Neither of us should be enjoying this."

"I will anyway," Jonouchi teased. "I'm not even going to get offended by your dog jest."

She twisted around and put her back to Jonouchi just as he began laughing again. It was a half-hearted attempt at insulting him but it didn't seem to stick. Air swept between the sheets as she pulled away, and hitting her spine, Kaiba let out an involuntary tremble before pulling herself to the edge of the bed.

"There's no reason for you to do that to yourself," sighed Jonouchi.

Kaiba was trying to avoid looking behind her but she did anyway when Jonouchi began to move again. He straightened up, grabbing the bottom of his shirt before pulling it off over his head and throwing it on the ground. Unsurprisingly, he was clearly well-toned and athletic. Kaiba made it a habit not to pay attention to guys at school to avoid distractions from her studies but it was hard not to notice now when Jonouchi was lying right next to her half naked. He also had some kind of tattoo on one side of his pectoral muscle, and Kaiba stared at it for a few seconds before finally looking up at his face.

"I've done some impulsive things before," Jonouchi answered. "But don't be so nervous, I'm not going to eat you."

"I'm not nervous," answered Kaiba defiantly.

"Well, your face says otherwise."

He was grinning again. Why was he always smiling? How did that come so easily to him? Kaiba turned back on her side, and she sucked in a breath when she felt Jonouchi move up against her back. His body was certainly warm, like a heater, and as much as Kaiba wanted to push him off for invading her personal space, she also needed him in able to feel more comfortable. If she pulled away, she'd end up freezing again.

"You're like some pedigree dog," Jonouchi joked, and Kaiba could feel him putting the top of his chin on her head. She'd forgotten again that he was actually somewhat taller than her; she was always wearing boots to get some height on people. It made people take her more seriously but now that advantage was gone. "Always full of high energy and easily excitable."

"I'm not excitable."

Jonouchi snickered. "I know you are, when the circumstances call for it. I remember watching you watching Osiris being played and you looked downright aroused."

Heat rushed to Kaiba's cheeks and she couldn't stop from blushing. What the fuck was wrong with him? How much did the guy watch her and what was he noticing that he shouldn't be noticing? Maybe it was her own fault for not schooling her expressions better but she suddenly felt the urge to hit him or something. Instead of turning violent, however, Kaiba just bit her tongue and stewed internally.

"Oh come on, don't be angry about it. You tease me plenty, and usually it's not even flattering like what I'm saying about you now." Jonouchi wrapped his hands around her waist before squeezing lightly at her sides. "If I'm really upsetting you, I'll stop. You can just tell me to leave and I would."

"I'm not upset," Kaiba replied flatly. "You can't get under my skin that easily, Jonouchi. You're not as injurious as I am."

"That's for damn sure," Jonouchi chuckled, "But you know what? I'm not even mad at you for messing with me all those times. Because despite what you've said about me before, I can tell that you just might like me a little bit now."

Kaiba did not reply. She let her head lay heavily on her pillow, not speaking a word as she listened to Jonouchi's easy breathing from behind her. He had his nose just pressing barely against the back of her head, hands still settled against her stomach, and back pressed against hers. If she thought too much about it, she'd get embarrassed from how intimately close he was; all of her personal space disappeared. When his hand slipped down to hold her hip, Kaiba finally squirmed and turned her head around sharply.

"What are you doing?"

Jonouchi's eyes widened before he started smiling again, his eyes sparkling in a way that made Kaiba's stomach flip. "Keeping you safe," he answered in a goofy musical tone, "By keeping you close. I'm a touchy-feely guy, I'm sorry. If I'm irritating you, I'll go to sleep by the foot of your bed like the good guard dog you want me to be," he joked. "I'll deal with the cold."

Kaiba snorted before shaking her head. "That's unnecessary."

"Am I making you nervous?" whispered Jonouchi into Kaiba's ear. "You can be honest with me, I won't tell anyone. I mean, you make me nervous all the time, Kaiba."

She frowned slightly before eyeing him back. "I don't enjoy the feeling."

"Nobody does," Jonouchi confessed, "But it's also kind of liberating. Haven't you ever wanted to be something besides completely in control? I'm not going to tattle on you for being human, I promise."

Jonouchi appeared completely sincere. He even lifted an arm out from under the covers to cross his two fingers together in a promise. "I'll keep your big secret," he whispered, and he moved until he was leaning across Kaiba instead of lying to her side. She could see him clearly now, looking up as he tried fixing his bangs as he spoke, "I like you a lot and I know you know that. I'm not trying to play some trick on you, Kaiba.

"And I also know that you aren't as disinterested in my attention as you pretend to be. You saved my life, and I know you feel some sort of way about me because of it."

"I only feel somewhat responsible for you," Kaiba fibbed. She wasn't even sure exactly how she felt about Jonouchi, she didn't allow herself much ability to think about him or anyone else in her life. Not outside of competition, anyway. Besides, it wasn't usual for him to be so intense, or confident. "But that doesn't mean I like you back."

"I think you'd like me if you opened up and allowed yourself to," Jonouchi replied, "You're just too afraid to try. Nothing bad is going to happen."

Kaiba felt her temperature rising. "You don't know what you're talking about. I'm not afraid of you or anyone else, Jonouchi."

"Then prove it," Jonouchi snickered, "Let me kiss you."

"Fine," challenged Kaiba back, "Do it."

Jonouchi looked mischievous, his hazel eyes lighting up before he moved to place an elbow against the bed so he could easily lean over her face. Kaiba definitely felt anxious but she also felt a little giddy. It wasn't an emotion she was used to, especially in the context of relationships with other people.

Jonouchi had placed a hand on her face, the other on her hip, before Kaiba realized she was being kissed. Keeping her eyes shut, she wasn't sure how to react or even how to respond to him but Jonouchi seemed to know what he was doing. His thumb kept tracing against her bottom lip, and he set the pace slow enough that Kaiba could try to keep up with him.

His lips were softer than she'd imagined they'd be but his kissing technique wasn't gentle. He was hungry, nipping and biting, until he started trailing down to her neck. She couldn't exactly see what he was doing but she could feel his teeth bumping along her skin, lips sucking and tongue gliding until Kaiba shuddered and he stopped to laugh.

"That wasn't so bad, especially since I did all the work," he teased as he lifted his head up, "I wasn't going to give you a hickey or anything, promise."

"You promised not to eat me," Kaiba snarked back before re-adjusting herself on the mattress, "So what do you call your kissing technique?"

Jonouchi sighed before putting a hand through his hair and shaking his head. "I got too carried away. If you don't like it, we can stop."

"I didn't say I didn't like it," Kaiba answered carefully, "But you need to work on your method."

"Alright," Jonouchi agreed, "As long as you don't complain about me practicing on you."

Kaiba rolled her eyes before looking away from Jonouchi's face. She felt his hand in her hair, holding gently before another hand settled back on her hip. Jonouchi's weight was heavy, and hesitantly, Kaiba relaxed her thighs until he pressed easily against her, his knees keeping his chest off of her own.

When he kissed her again, she felt like the breath was being sucked out of her. Keeping her eyes shut and breathing sharply from her nose, Kaiba used her hands to hold onto Jonouchi's shoulders, moving them from the joints of his arms to the blades of his back. That was when he finally laid down on top of her, and Kaiba could feel her breasts becoming sensitive from his chest rubbing against them until he stopped and started shifting down from her face.

Kaiba kept her eyes closed. She could feel his mouth on her stomach as her shirt came up cross her chest. Then she lifted her arms and the entire thing came off, revealing the black lace bra she'd been wearing since the end of high school. Jonouchi's mouth ventured there, kissing the exposed tops of her breasts where the cups didn't cover her skin, and Kaiba began trying to take it off.

Jonouchi appeared somewhat flustered. His face was pink but determined, and he assisted with the clips on the back before taking it off and dropping it by the side of the bed.

"Now we're equal," Jonouchi joked, his eyes still mostly focusing on Kaiba's face. "Although you certainly look more attractive than me shirtless."

"Speak for yourself," snorted Kaiba.

Although he didn't have the build of a gym rat, Jonouchi's upper body was pleasant to look at. She eagerly touched him with her hands, setting a palm against one of his nipples as it hardened underneath. He was leaning against her, and Kaiba had to let it slip down against his slick skin until it slid down to his abs and then the cut of his hip.

Her face began burning from discomposure when he dropped his head and his teeth started to trace against one of her own nipples. Then his warm tongue grazed against it and Kaiba squirmed as she felt the entirely of his hot mouth on her. She used to think that sort of thing was weird but with Jonouchi, it just felt extremely erotic. She didn't know what to think of him at that moment. She could feel his other hand start to pull down her cotton shorts, tugging until they were down past her thighs. Kaiba began breathing hard before she felt the light jolt of pleasure vibrate from between her legs.

Jonouchi was fingering her while kissing her chest. She could feel him slipping in and out of her, his skin grazing against her pubic hair. As embarrassed as she felt, Kaiba was even more aroused by it. Jonouchi seemed to know, and he stopped playing around with her breasts to settle on kissing her mouth.

She'd never had sex with anyone before. Was that what they were going to do? How was she supposed to touch him? Jonouchi wasn't saying to, nor was he complaining. He was too busy driving her crazy, two fingers deep and making her moan aloud until the sensation was too overwhelming. The pleasure was so intense, sharp even, that she wanted to bite something to keep from making anymore embarrassing noises. She could even feel Jonouchi's erection starting to press against her inner thigh, and the idea of touching it didn't bother her.

Kaiba wanted more. She wasn't afraid of seeing where this would take them. Fingers weren't going to be enough to get her off, anyway. Jonouchi seemed to know what he was doing thus far, so maybe he wasn't as clueless as he pretended to be. Besides, there was no one else Kaiba wanted to be with and it felt good to get all the tension out from between them.

She yanked down his boxers and Jonouchi appeared taken aback.

"What are you doing?" he asked in an anxious voice.

"What do you think I'm doing?" Kaiba answered back a tad sharply, instantly fearing rejection. "I said I wasn't afraid. You almost died twice today. What do you have to lose?"

Jonouchi made an expression between amusement and intensity, his eyes playful as he began working to take his boxers off. "Did you think that maybe I'm still a tad afraid of you," he teased, kicking off the shorts under the sheets as Kaiba felt it fall against one of her feet. " I will do my best to please you. What I lack in experience, I promise I'll make up for in enthusiasm."

Kaiba gave him a quizzical look before snorting in response.

"Don't make fun of me, come on."

They fumbled around each other for a moment as Kaiba relaxed her thighs against the bed and Jonouchi tried leaning over her. Neither of them seemed like they knew what they were doing but Jonouchi still looked like he was having fun, doing his best to kiss Kaiba's face while also stroking her inner thighs. She felt her own sweat dripping down her calves, and she took a deep breath. Jonouchi finally guided himself and made shallow thrusts, using a free hand to continue playing with Kaiba's sex while also using the other to touch her face.

The lightness she felt was intense; Jonouchi's fingers made a slow circular motion until they were both fully connected. Then he made deeper thrusts and the pressure felt more pleasurable, Kaiba holding onto his hip until he shifted his angle and suddenly she couldn't hold back the edge any longer. She closed her eyes as her legs sank into the bed and her insides erupted into a spasm of tight, controllable squeezing that took Jonouchi by surprise. Kaiba felt like her body had plunged from cold into incredibly hot water, the heat wave flowing through her entire body until the last trembles died away and she felt like she could breathe again. It didn't even occur to her that she was moaning loud until she noticed that her voice felt stuck in her throat.

Jonouchi looked into her eyes in that moment and Kaiba felt completely exposed; he grabbed her face and kissed her hard before groaning against her lips, his hips jerking as he finally came. Kaiba kissed him back languidly. Her entire body still felt sensitive as Jonouchi rocked gently into her a few more times before collapsing on top of her.

Jonouchi felt heavy but it wasn't unpleasant. Kaiba couldn't stop herself from touching his damp hair with her fingers before he got up and rolled onto his back. Despite still feeling exhausted, Kaiba managed to pull herself up and move to lying on her side, looking at Jonouchi's face as he turned to look at her.

"You're gonna still try to kick my ass tomorrow if we meet in the arena, right?" he asked.

"Of course," Kaiba answered, "This happening doesn't change the fact that we're both in a competition."

"And you don't play for fun," Jonouchi laughed as he fixed his hair. "You can admit to me now though that you like me, right? Even just a little bit?"

Kaiba opened her mouth to speak but she hesitated while looking at him. He'd been watching her as she orgasmed. Probably pointless to try to lie about her feelings.

"Just a little bit. You're easier to appreciate when you aren't busy running your mouth at me."

"I could say the same about you," teased Jonouchi. "I'm glad you're satisfied."

He rolled onto his stomach then, moving closer to Kaiba while also pulling the blankets back up. Kaiba watched him, feeling more relaxed as her eyes threatened to close. She finally felt tired enough to sleep, comfortable and secure. She closed her eyes as she felt Jonouchi's hand in her hair.

"I know you know already, but I love you."

The sensation of being touched faded and suddenly the room began to shake. Kaiba's eyes blinked wide open, and in a panic, she suddenly realized that she was not in bed with Jonouchi but in fact alone. The bedroom was lit by the morning sun, and Kaiba woke up still feeling the pulsing aftermath of an intense orgasm, her inner thighs wet and uncomfortable. At first she felt embarrassed but when the memory of the dream came back, loneliness and emotional angst over took any indignities she might have felt about fantasizing over Jonouchi.

It made her feel absolutely miserable. As silly as the dream's contents were, she had never felt that happy with someone before. Never that relaxed, or vulnerable, or safe. It was confusing to feel all of that at once from one dream but Kaiba knew where it had stemmed from. Her teasing subconscious desires had played a painful trick on her. As if Jonouchi could ever be that captivating, or her that liberated. It was not possible.

And that impossibility made her feel even more depressed.

Isono's voice erupted her thoughts as it went through the PTA system.

"Preparing for landing, be advised. Potential for rough air. Crew, muster at Captain's cabin at 0700. Thank you."

Now everyone would be awake. Getting up, Kaiba tried to fix her messy hair, looking across the bed and staring at the apparent emptiness of it again. There wasn't anyone else there but herself, and she could smell the mixture of sweat and her arousal in the sheets. Twitching her nose, Kaiba got up and stumbled over to the bathroom. She needed to try waking up and leaving the dream behind her.

Taking a shower did nothing to set her mind at ease, however. Even though it hadn't been real, the fact that she'd imagined it was unsettling. Why on earth would she want Jonouchi like that, anyways? He acted so immature, more times than not. Sure, he cared for her and was good looking, that much was apparent, and he was honest with his intentions towards friendship, but...

But what? Was there any reasonable, logical explanation for disliking him as much as she did?

She gathered her soiled clothes and threw them down the laundry chute, along with her soaked sheets. Standing only in a towel, Kaiba marched around the room, dripping on the floor while walking back and forth for a few minutes before taking a seat on the edge of her bed.

At least the dream hadn't been sexually frustrating. Kaiba wasn't a stranger to erotic dreams, but she wasn't used to actually climaxing in them. Nor had she ever had an actual romantic interest in them. Usually it was just someone without a face. Or just herself masturbating, which all people needed to do from time to time to stay sane. The dreams had never played on her actual feelings over somebody she knew before.

It had felt extremely real. By the time it was over, Kaiba had felt physically winded. She had enjoyed it, too. All of it. That was the surprising part.

Why did she choose to think of Jonouchi in that sort of context, though?

After fixing her hair and face a little in the bathroom, Kaiba quickly got dressed in her usual garb, save the jacket, and went into Mokuba's bedroom.

He was still fast asleep.

"I'll be in the banquet hall," she said loudly, reaching over and squeezing Mokuba's foot over the covers before hitting it once lightly. "Breakfast will be over in an hour. Don't miss out, I won't feel bad for you if you sleep past it."

Mokuba grumbled. He'd be up fifteen minutes before closing, which was bad form but Kaiba didn't care.

She took her deck and put on her duel disk before leaving the comforts of her personal quarters and ventured out to get herself breakfast. The sooner she returned to normal, the better. This was not the day for dwelling over the contents of a silly dream.

At least in the beginning of the morning, the banquet hall was silent. The only other person around was Isono, who was the only human being on earth who could trace Kaiba's whereabouts. She had a GPS tracker attached to the necklace she wore with Mokuba's photo on it; Isono could always be ten steps ahead of her and god forbid if she was ever kidnapped, he'd at least know where to start looking.

"Seto-sama, I hope the morning announcement didn't cause you any unpleasant interruptions from your sleep."

"I slept fine, Isono," Kaiba lied. "Would you please get me a cup of tea?"

"Of course, Seto-sama."

Kaiba watched him as he walked back into the kitchen. Knowing Isono well, the man would come back with an entire tray of food, only selecting the best of what was being served and having picked the courses he knew Kaiba would like. Isono might have known Kaiba better than even Mokuba. He was literally her human shadow. They didn't speak much but they needed need words to understand each other.

Then came the sound of laughter, and Kaiba snapped her head across the room to see Jonouchi, Honda, Otogi, and some girl walking into the room, apparently having the loudest conversation known to man. Kaiba prepared her face to not to react. She sipped on her green tea when it arrived and looked through her phone, trying to catch up on the latest news but unable to due to the distraction.

Jonouchi's voice rose above all the others, his casual language a stark contrast against his sister's more polite tone. How did he never learn to tone it down? Was Jonouchi incapable of it or did he just not care? Or maybe he liked being loud, so people would be forced to take notice of him.

When Kaiba raised her eyes to look at him over her tea mug, Jonouchi immediately met her eyes. His lit up in instant recognition before he grinned at her. Immediately Kaiba's insides twisted; she set the tea down before feeling the need to bolt out of the room. Jonouchi looked like he was considering walking over to her. There was no way she was ready for any kind of confrontation Jonouchi might inspire.

This was not the time to feel embarrassed.

Well, she was. When another staff member came walking by, Kaiba waved them over, her facial expression sour as she spoke curtly, "Have Isono take my breakfast to my room, and Mokuba's too."

"Yes, ma'am."

She got up, shoving her chair back a little too loudly before quickly crossing the room and walking out the doorway. Kaiba was about to stalk off back into the fortress of her security room when she nearly collided into Yugi, Anzu trailing behind him.

"Oh good morning Kaiba-san," greeted Yugi, his smile wide and eyes bright. "If you're about to go eat, you could join Anzu and myself. We're both starving."

Glancing at them both, Kaiba shook her head. "I don't think so," she replied, "I'm not in the mood for socializing."

"What a shame." Yugi looked disappointed but he didn't stop smiling. "Well, I guess I'll see you later, then. Maybe we'll even duel each other today."

Kaiba decided not to reply to that. She hoped that they'd be dueling; that was literally the entire point of creating the competition. Yugi was still so ridiculously naive sometimes... But she was not in the mood that moment to say that to his face.

If Kaiba had dreamed about Yugi, she would have been able to laugh it off. It wouldn't have felt so revealing. At least then she would have been easily able to cast the silliness of the dream aside and put it all behind her. Yugi certainly didn't have romantic feelings for her, and she was in no danger of ever finding him enticing. Yugi was as far away from being sexually appealing to her as one could get without being downright ugly. His weird hairstyle and lack of height certainly didn't help, nor did his sweet nature ever do anything for her. Kaiba was sure Yugi found her equally as off putting, even if he never would say so.

It was easy to cast aside things that were complete impossibilities. Things that held no kind of real truth behind them.

When she reached her room, Kaiba sat down at one of the chairs and was greeted by Isono, who had came back with her food and tea. He was deft with his hands, preparing everything in front of her before taking a quick bow and leaving. She didn't even get a chance to thank him before he'd left the room.

"I thought we were eating in the banquet hall."

Mokuba stood in front of the doorway in a robe, furiously drying his mess of dark hair.

"I changed my mind," Kaiba answered curtly. "Do you mind?"

Sticking out his tongue, Mokuba shut his door and went back to get dressed.

Within minutes, Mokuba's food had appeared as well and they both ate together, Kaiba always having been the slowest between the two. It was her habit to finish drinking something before eating, and Mokuba often teased her for 'avoiding food', although Kaiba didn't consider it a diet measure. It just kept her hydrated. Ready. Prepared.

"I heard voices last night," Mokuba began as he finished his bowl of rice.

"Oh, did you now?" Kaiba replied. "Must be going crazy."

Mokuba squinted his eyes, "No, someone came by last night. Don't joke, who was it?"

"If someone did come by," continued Kaiba. "I would have woken you up if it had concerned you."

"Anything to do with you concerns me," Mokuba quickly asserted. "I'm your VP."

"Hmm," Kaiba disagreed. "Not quite in this case."

"Well, who was it? You wouldn't keep a secret from me, would you?" asked Mokuba. "I can't think of why anyone outside of the corporation would approach you after hours."

"Good," answered Kaiba. "Keep thinking that."

Mokuba looked at her quizzically before sighing. "I'll figure it out on my own."

"I know you'll try."


The announcement that they would land on Alcatraz very shortly only made Jonouchi's stomach lurch. He knew that a four-way duel awaited him, with three competitors he was very nervous about. Obviously, Marik was the most conventional threat, but he felt even less prepared to face Kaiba.

She had barely looked at him since the night he'd spoken to her, which was truly astonishing, because he'd thought they'd made a breakthrough. There had been some real hope there. But the next morning, she had (seemingly) been unable to bare so much as eating in the same banquet hall. Had she been scared off by his attempt? Had she slept on it and awakened more paranoid than ever?

Maybe he was thinking too much of himself. Who was to say her avoidance was in response to their discussion? She probably had a lot on her mind-her face-off with Yugi, Marik running around, people dropping like flies on her ship, for all he knew she was still running the company in her spare moments from up in the sky…

It was too coincidental, though. Something must have happened, and for the life of him Jonouchi couldn't figure out how he messed up. He tried to remember the advice Yugi had given him, and allowed Kaiba her space. He would only seem needy if he badgered her about the topic. She was a pensive person; it could be that she just needed more time to consider the entire idea of categorizing Jonouchi as a friend. That was totally understandable. Jonouchi could wrap his mind around that.

But the avoidance. That didn't make sense. That seemed like something that had been triggered by an event. Kaiba was notorious in the media for dropping off the face of the earth when she was preparing for a tournament, and Jonouchi admitted to himself that his little speech had been untimely. Kaiba was about to establish her place in the finals and had to plan everything perfectly to her vision. Jonouchi knew this about her, and he knew it well. So really, he shouldn't expect that her behavior had anything to do with him. He worked to convince himself that he was being insecure, and maybe even presumptuous.

Still. It did really, really seem like she felt the need to be scarce anytime she met his eyes. Kaiba was, typically, a confident aggressor. Not an avoider. Jonouchi couldn't help but worry that something was seriously wrong, whether it involved him or not. He had been waiting for the right time to broach the topic with her, but it was hard to do that when she was primarily out of sight.

It was almost like living with a feral cat, thought Jonouchi. He knew it was around, and he might catch the tip of an ear or the shadow of a twitching tail, but mostly he just had to guess because food and vermin alike were suddenly missing and his allergies were acting up. Jonouchi was in that same position now with Kaiba. He knew she was around somewhere but it was reaching the point that he couldn't completely prove that she was even still on the ship. Or, it felt that way. Maybe she had secret passages on the blimp to avoid people.

Isono announced over the speaker that both duelists and spectators were expected at the looming tower at 10am. Jonouchi felt everything leave his mind except the sudden, brilliant idea that had struck him. Kaiba was punctual, to a fault. Kaiba would want to be there ahead of time to make a big noise when they all met at the tower. Jonouchi was notoriously bad at time and didn't have any flair for the dramatic whatsoever.

So how would she-or anyone-expect him to show up early? She couldn't avoid him if she would never have guessed he'd be there. Jonouchi started toward the tower without even thinking to check the current time. If he was extremely early, Kaiba would hardly be likely to turn tail to escape him when she approached. If she was already there, she'd be pinned between him and the tower. And he had a valid fallback excuse; it was the biggest duel of his life, thus far. He couldn't possibly sit back on his laurels at the ship, and heaven forbid he be late.

While the time was irrelevant to Jonouchi, he was able to stop reveling in the most inspired, foolproof plan he'd ever developed long enough to think he should check his appearance. He was about to walk onto a wind-torn hunk of rock, but he could at least make sure there wasn't shit stuck between his teeth. Just in case. He dipped into his room, fortunately remaining unseen by anyone on the way. He was approaching the bathroom when the familiar white noise of a shower reached his ears. He realized he'd forgotten about Honda completely.

The water stopped, and Jonouchi tensely waited for his turn to enter (his own!) bathroom. He didn't wait long-the door flew open, giving way to rolling clouds of humid steam, and the silhouette of Honda vigorously scrubbing his head with a towel. He was halfway in the suite by the time he wrapped it around his waist and blinked his eyes fully open at Jonouchi.

"Were you just going to just walk around in here naked like that?" barked Jonouchi. "What if I had my sister with me?"

"Uh, well," Honda stammered, "I didn't really think about that. Maybe she wouldn't mind as much as you do."

"You have to be seriously thick to say something like that to her brother!" Jonouchi shouted. Normally at a time like this, he'd have Honda in a headlock, but at this moment-this strange, tense moment-he felt like it would be inappropriate, somehow, to touch him. Why? Hadn't they been in states of less dress together before? Was Jonouchi just now developing a sense of shame? No, obviously not, given the plan he'd just constructed to trap Kaiba into a conversation. No shame to be found.

Jonouchi had to think quickly if he didn't want to be stuck in an awkward eye lock that may leave him open to questioning himself. He snatched a pillow from the armchair nearby and chucked it at Honda with as much force as possible. Honda's mouth fell open, but he didn't have time to move before he was pelted in the face. Like most things, it didn't seem to stagger him, but it gave Jonouchi time to slip into the bathroom.

He closed the door while he brushed his teeth vigorously. He didn't know why he closed the door. He didn't analyze why. He gussied up quickly, slipped back into the suite, and got into the hall outside while Honda was jumping clumsily into his jeans.

The tower was further away than it looked. Why Kaiba had arranged for transportation by air to an island, knowing that the airship had to be a particular distance from the site of the tournament, without arranging for any ground shuttle, was a mystery. Maybe she just really liked walking that slow walk she did. Maybe she didn't completely think it through.

He snickered, then laughed almost hysterically at the very idea as he walked top-speed toward the tower. Kaiba, not thinking something completely through? Had that ever happened? Would it? Probably not. Jonouchi liked to think he had a more realistic perspective on Kaiba than ever, but he was still pretty sure she had an inhuman capacity for logical prediction.

The closer he got to the tower, the more evident it became that Kaiba was also on her way. Jonouchi quickly gained on her-he was on a mission, and she was on a much slower, more measured mission. Her head turned when his hurried steps grew closer, but for once her pride and stubbornness worked to his advantage. She wasn't about to pick up pace to evade him. When Jonouchi did catch up, he first walked beside her, waiting to be acknowledged. It didn't happen.

"Hey," he addressed, crude and informal as always, but if that surprised or upset her at this point, there was no hope. He decided to take a chance on attempting casual conversation. As he pointedly situated himself between her and the road ahead of her, he asked, "How's it going?"

Mokuba laughed before immediately darting off. Kaiba halted; her face looked a little stunned before her mouth fell into a slight frown. She immediately crossed her arms, and Jonouchi could tell that she was irritated, or maybe uncomfortable. Or possibly both at the same time.

"What do you want?."

"To talk," Jonouchi answered simply. She must know that was what he was after. He was stating the obvious. "You've been preoccupied and this is the first opportunity I've had."

He said 'preoccupied' to avoid words like evasive or perplexing. It was possible she knew that, too. She was far too formidably smart for him to even bother trying to dance around her. Better to just keep things simple, in his opinion. Hadn't failed him yet.

"So knowing I was preoccupied, you decided to try to talk to me right before the start of the finals?" asked Kaiba. She sounded slightly amused, but mostly irritated... definitely irritated.

"Well, it's the only time available before the last stretch of the tournament starts," Jonouchi reasoned, "And I'm pretty sure that's going to be insane no matter what. Now seemed like a good time to come see you."

He reassured himself that this was a totally good reasonable decision. Coming early was not him being anything like a stalker, nor was he being too forceful. Kaiba was a hard person to get a hold of.

"Look, you've been scuttling off every time I walk in a room," Jonouchi continued in a lower tone, "So I didn't have many options if I wanted to find out what was up with you."

"Oh, so you've been studying me again?" accused Kaiba, her voice rising sharply before she started to glare. "I've only seen you once this morning. That's it."

"Because you're so good at avoiding," Jonouchi argued. He might have been exaggerating, but Kaiba would be defensive regardless of what he said. "I'm not staring at you from the corner all the time, Kaiba, but I can't help noticing you."

Kaiba's face twisted up more before she looked away and sighed. "Maybe you should try harder not to notice next time."

"This isn't about me noticing you," Jonouchi stated, tiring of the distraction, "That's a given. I'm asking what's up with you. We had a perfectly reasonable, halfway pleasant conversation last night and today you can't tolerate being around me. What gives?"

"I'm not quite done 'sleeping on it'," replied Kaiba. "Maybe you should try talking to me after the tournament is over."

It wasn't an unreasonable request but something in Kaiba's voice gave him the feeling that there wouldn't be a time to talk after the tournament. He didn't have any concrete evidence, but he trusted his gut.

"You don't have a reputation for procrastinating," he pressed, "Is the decision so serious that you need complete focus to think it over?"

It had seemed simple enough the night before. Successful, even. He couldn't come up with any reason why she would need to weigh the decision that much more, or how it would seriously detract from her attention on the tournament. Hell, the more he thought about it, and the more she avoided an answer, the more likely it seemed that she was just trying to blow him off. Which was a massive step back from the night before.

Kaiba's mouth formed into a slight smirk before she rolled her eyes. "Your time is up and I have other responsibilities to attend to outside of your need for my attention. Goodbye, loser."

Jonouchi could only blink, stunned, for a split second it took her to brush past him. Then anger set in, but it still took a moment for him to formulate words out of it. Mokuba was running to his sister, laughing, as if the whole thing was just a show to him. It didn't improve Jonouchi's mood.

"Are you serious?" Jonouchi yelled, borderline spastic. "Now you're going to run away? How can a loser scare you off, huh?"

No response. She continued walking. Her pace was as measured and deliberate as ever, as if there wasn't anyone screaming at her back with a reddening face.

"Kaiba!" He shouted, his volume incredibly disproportionate to her distance. He was only getting angrier in response to her indifference. He couldn't believe they were really back to this. "I'm talking to you! See if I waste my time on you again!"

Jonouchi could have kept yelling, but the sound of footsteps behind him made him turn. His face was still twisted up in anger, but he schooled his expression when he saw that Shizuka was approaching-with Honda and Otogi behind, as per usual. Jonouchi didn't want to make a fool of himself in front of her, at least more than he had already. Moreover, he didn't want her to know how out of control his temper could get. He had a much better disposition as a child, and to an extent he wanted to preserve that idea she had of him.

"Hey Jonouchi," Honda greeted, and he grabbed Jonouchi by the shoulders before jostling him. "Were you just getting played out by Kaiba again?"

"Wouldn't kill you to have a little more faith in me, would it?" Jonouchi griped, swatting at Honda. Aside from the fact that Honda was embarrassing him in front of Shizuka, Jonouchi didn't want him draping himself over his shoulders at the moment. He still had mental images from that morning that he needed to forget.

"I have plenty of faith in you, brother," laughed Honda as he nudged Jonouchi's closest shoulder, "But I also know how Kaiba is. Who cares anyways when you might get a chance to duel her and win, right?"

Shizuka's face brightened up.

"Nii-san, who are you hoping to duel today?"

Jonouchi turned to her. He didn't have to think hard about that, honesty. She looked a little surprised by the serious expression on his face.

"Marik," he stated. It probably seemed to his friends-aside from Yugi, at this point-that he'd be gunning for Kaiba's head first. But Jonouchi knew that if he dueled Marik first, that meant he could beat Marik and make sure no one else could lose to him. Yugi wouldn't, of course. Jonouchi knew that without a doubt. It was Kaiba he was concerned about. She was capable, to be sure, but Marik was a formidable opponent that even Yugi would have to face with caution.

Better to just eliminate the chance of disaster himself, in his opinion. And he wasn't about to forget what had happened to Mai; if he took Marik out, he could save her. His chest stung when he thought about her, and more specifically about the fact that the last conversation he had with her wasn't the best. That whole situation was a mess.

It didn't matter. He was sure he'd face Marik, and when he did he would wipe the floor with him. It would be one hell of a change of pace if he saved everyone out of nowhere. The thought brought a goofy grin to his face that alleviated his sister's concern about his low tone before. She probably thought he was being lighthearted about his desire to face Marik. He decided it would be best if she continued thinking that.

They approached the tower together. It was an insanely massive structure, and only became more foreboding as they walked closer. Honda and Otogi were alternating between goofing off and verbally abusing each other the whole way, and for once Jonouchi was quiet and focused. It was easier not to start yammering when he was with Shizuka, who was quiet on average and contentedly silent at the moment.

By the time they reached the base of the tower, and stood before Kaiba, Jonouchi had settled into a distinct feeling of resolve. He squelched the immense discomfort (and, inevitably, anger) that threatened to distract him when he came back into Kaiba's vicinity. He wouldn't get anywhere if he focused more on being pissed at her than he was on being pissed at Marik.

Yugi and Anzu were there before he arrived, standing silently in front of Kaiba. Honda and Otogi were the only people making any noise, and even they came to a hard stop when they realized Marik was approaching them. Jonouchi's skin crawled at the thought that Marik had been none too far behind him for a solid chunk of time. He supposed he should count himself lucky that Marik overlooked him enough not to think he should stab him in the back.

"Are you all ready for today's fun activities?" He began, addressing everyone in the group with a laugh. "I hear we're about to do a four-way duel to pick who gets to battle who in the semi-finals." Marik grinned, looking at Kaiba first, and then turning to Yugi. He gestured to them both, "I think I want to get in between those two. You and Kaiba look like fun!"

Honda was gaping while Jonouchi sucked in a breath.

"Did he just say-" the words left his mouth, but Honda was unable to finish them.

"Sucks for you, fuckwit, 'cause you're dueling me!" Jonouchi shouted vehemently. Just like that, his temper had flared, and whatever good sense had made him initially nervous about facing Marik had fled in the face of his fury. His eyes blazed when Marik could only be bothered to spare him a sideways glance and a dismissive smirk. Jonouchi growled and was damn near lunging, but he found himself restrained by Honda on one arm and Otogi on the other.

Jonouchi struggled against them, but as he was unable to move, he started regaining control of himself. He felt eyes on him and looked toward Kaiba, who was glaring at him with disproportionate scorn. Shouldn't she be shooting nasty looks at Marik?

"Will all the Battle City Semi-Finalists please take position in one of the four dueling platforms located at the four corners of the tower," announced Isono loudly into the room. "It is time to commence the tournament and the first match four-way duel. The player with the least life points will reach the top first and pairings will be set accordingly."

So that was how it was going to work. That actually made Jonouchi more hopeful than he had been previously. If he wanted to make sure he dueled Marik, he only had to be directly above or below him. And more than likely, Kaiba would be doing everything and anything to get herself matched against Yugi, so her strategy would actually work in his favor. Yugi and Marik would probably both be trying to face each other, but that meant Jonouchi could fall through the cracks and position himself below Marik. Marik and Kaiba might end up both trying to knock him out early, but they wouldn't be able to commit to that without getting wrecked by Yugi.

Jonouchi continued internally weighing the odds, trying to choose the best starting strategy as he approached the dueling platform assigned to him. Yugi was walking in front of the group of four, which was surprising. Maybe it was "other Yugi". He was opposite to Jonouchi's Yugi in many ways, not least the fact that he was extremely competitive and proud. No way was he going to be skulking at the back of the group. If he really was some ancient king, Jonouchi would assume he wouldn't be caught dead following Marik.

With Yugi at the front and Marik bringing up the rear, his sporadic muttering and quiet cackling to himself echoing around them, Jonouchi was nearest to Kaiba. He did his best not to look at her. He didn't want to give her the benefit of even his anger. Besides, any reaction she would have would just tick him off, and he needed to focus. That was hard enough for him as it was.

Yugi had already taken his place, and Jonouchi was about to walk onto a platform when Kaiba shoulder checked him. It wasn't excessively forceful-he could have walked through it if he'd really wanted to, but he was so surprised by the physical aggression that he took a step back to find out just what it was she was after. Obviously, she wanted his attention, but somehow the feeling wasn't as good as he'd always assumed it would be.

"That's my fucking platform," Kaiba directed at Jonouchi, stepping right into his path, "and I'm dueling Marik. Do not try getting in my way, Jonouchi. If you know what's good for you, you'll go fight against Yugi and lose like you're supposed to."

"What the hell is your problem?" Jonouchi snapped, still incredulous but quickly becoming more mad than he was shocked. "You started this whole tournament to face Yugi and now you're trying to stop me from dueling Marik?"

Jonouchi had never expected to think it, but he kind of wished that Kaiba would have kept blowing him off for a while. At least until after his duel with Marik. Especially if she was going to come out of nowhere with a hostile attitude.

"I'm doing this for Mai," he declared, telling half the truth, but it was all she needed to know. "All your reasons for dueling him are completely selfish. Stop wasting my time with your bullshit and go focus on losing to Yugi. So far you've been good at that."

She probably hated him now, but Jonouch didn't care. He wasn't going to stand around to listen to whatever insults she would hurl at him; he did a quick 180 and found the last platform, deciding to just not try with her anymore. Kaiba was a lost cause. The sooner he stopped making an effort to be something more to her, the better.

It would never go anywhere.

Mai needed to be saved. Jonouchi was going to do it.