Chapter One: Fifth Blue-Eyes White Dragon

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! and never will. I am only playing with these beautiful creatures! Do not complain if this sucks because this is the first time I've done a Kaiba/Male OC pairing! Rating WILL go up.

Chapter Rating: PG-13 for violence and minor swearing.

"speaking" 'thinking' /hikari thoughts to yami/ //yami thoughts to hikari//

"I sacrifice Fairy's Gift to play Yamadron! Yamadron! Attack - Direct hit!"

Charging up flames in each of its skulled three heads, it attacked the opponent. His Life Points quickly dropped to five hundred. He growled.

"Let's hold off this beast! Ryu-Kishin Powered, I summon you!"

'Matte... I have that card...' the first player thought, then corrected himself, 'No dah... there're more than a few copies...'

"And that'll be my turn!"

"Fine! Using my Monster Reborn Card, I'll resurrect my Tyhone #2 from the Graveyard! Tyhone #2! Attack with fireballs upon Ryu-Kishin Powered!"

The fiend fell, and the winning boy finished the losing boy off with his Yamadron. He said, "I think I now have custody of your Red-Eyes Black Dragon and your locator card."

"Hmph! You got lucky," the black-haired boy sulked, tossing the cards his opponent's way. The boy caught it with two fingers.

"He-llo, Red-Eyes. Don't worry, kid. I won't use 'im as a coaster. Dragons happen to be my favorite type of cards alongside beasts... I think I'll put him in my deck." He smirked. "A pleasure fighting you. Ciao!"

He walked off, not noticing the sharp amethyst gaze on him from above. //Thank goodness I have Joey's Red-Eyes Black Dragon with me. But who is this one?// Making his way off the roof and out of the building, Yami sought out the blue-eyed opponent who liked dragons. However, he wasn't the only one following. //Kaiba?! What's he doing here?!!//

"Hey, you!"

"Hum?" The boy turned around, large gaze almost piercing. "You talkin' to me, Kaiba?"

"Yeah. I saw how you dueled. Perhaps we'll meet again in the finals."

"Doubtful," clipped the boy, turning his gaze to the edge of the lower wall to his left. "As much as I am a skilled duelist, I lack quite a bit and have lost against even some of the weaker opponents before. Namely, my brothers."

"Hm. Are they fighting in my tournament?"

"No. They all wanted ME to go in their place. They don't want to lose their Dark Magician and Relinquished, respectively from youngest to oldest, age-wise." He continued to stare at the ground when he finally composed himself to look up again.

"Anyway, I don't think that's why you stopped me."

"That's right. The records say you have a fifth Blue-Eyes White Dragon.-"

'A fifth Blue-Eyes White Dragon?'

"-There are only four, and I own three and have seen the fourth. Your fifth must be fake!"

Deep blue eyes narrowed to near slits. "I *dare* you to come over here and tell me that to my face!"

Kaiba did as said dare. "You are not allowed to use counterfeit cards. Hand it over, kid. I don't think I allowed six-year-olds into my tournament!"

Something seemed to snap. "I am NOT six years old! I'm FIFTEEN!"

"Who cares? Hand it over!"

"Seto~! Maybe he's tellin' the truth!"

"Mokuba?" murmured Kaiba, looking behind himself. His young brother dashed up to the boy who had said counterfeit card.

"Look," murmured the unnamed boy. "if you want to see if my card is counterfeit or not, here it is." He held it out, caution accenting his features. "But don't rip it."

Kaiba meant to take it, and possibly rip it - just like he did with Solomon's Blue-Eyes, but Mokuba took it and checked it instead. "S-Seto! It... It's not counterfeit! This kid actually has a FIFTH Blue-Eyes White Dragon!"

"Yes, and my eldest brother has a sixth Blue-Eyes White Dragon."

"WHAT?!"

"All from the same place. We even had them both undergo the 'fake card' check."

"Hmm."

A short pause.

"May I have my card back? I'm rather edgy about people handling my powerful and rare cards."

Mokuba handed back the card. The blue-eyed boy took the card and placed it in the middle of his deck, shuffling it once or twice. "Arigatou. It's one of my favorite cards. and I'm a big fan of the Blue-Eyes Dragons. See?" He held up a Blue-Eyes White Dragon and a Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon Dog Tag. They glinted in the sunlight. "Anyway, I don't think I introduced myself just yet. My name is Kurohi Tatsaki. I just moved into Domino Town a few days ago. (A/N: The tournament started yesterday.) and I don't know many people. I only know your name, Kaiba, because I heard everyone else call you 'Kaiba'."

"Hn. And that's all?"

'Jerk...' "Yes. Now, if you don't mind, I ought to continue doing nothing," he said sarcastically. '...That's what happens when you have no friends. You're mean to everyone else...' "so buzz off!"

"Hey! Kurohi, you can't talk to my Big Brother like that!"

'They're *brothers*?!' All he did was give the black-haired boy a somewhat dead look. "I apologize. Had I known you were brothers, I would not have said what I did." With a slightly weak flourish, he turned around, and started trudging away, but stopped and turned around slightly. "...I suppose I'll be seeing you sometime?"

Kaiba, who had been going in the opposite direction at the time, merely waved him off. "Sooner or later."

"Yeah! You're a duelist, and you're in this tournament, so sure!"

The boy's eyes shimmered a little in the sunlight. A small smile creeping onto his face. With double energy, he waved to Mokuba and dashed off in the other direction, only the front of his feet touching the ground per stride.

//Hmm... I think your abilities are getting a little rusty.// Once he reached the corner he grit his teeth a little. 'Damn... now time to let the shit hit the fan... They're gonna kill me when I get back...'

"Hey, Black Fire!"

He turned to the source. "B-Bandit-sama...!" (A/N: No, not Bandit Keith. A different Bandit.) He dashed the other way, but the back of his collar was gripped, and he was lifted from the ground. He whimpered and went limp. "Shit......"

"You're damn right 'shit'! You failed! You know the consequences!"

"Hai......"

Bandit pulled his fist back, and let it fly straight into his spine. The small boy cried out and arched away from the blow. "Itaaaaaiii...gyyaaa!!!" A few more punches landed on his form, both on front and back, and he was dropped to the ground, and left there.

He fisted his hands and whined high in his throat. He wanted to scream so badly.

"Are you alright?"

He moaned in reply, and slowly picked himself up. He looked up into a slanted pair of red eyes, and he crawled away to give himself some room. He gave the teen one more, quick glance before turning his attention to his wounds. He had a cut on his arm, so he licked it clean and looked back at the kid. "And you are?"

"Yami. Your name is?"

"Kurohi Tatsaki," he replied shortly. The beating took a lot from him.

"I heard you being called 'Black Fire'..."

"That's my...... nickname."

How he hated lying! Why did he have to?!

"...Who was that man who was treating you so poorly?"

"My... my boss."

"Do you need help getting home? No one seems to want to duel me right now."

"N-no! I'll be okay on my own!" he stuttered to the King of Games, scrambling up to his feet. He scratched the back of his head. "Really, it's only he that picks on me like that, which is quite infrequent. No one else thus far. Besides, I think I have some leftover schoolwork I need to finish. Ciao!" He dashed off quickly.

//Strange, there was no school today. Why would he have homework?//

/I don't know.../

************

Panting harshly, I dashed softly upstairs to my room. I removed my dog tags and dueling gear and rubbed my wrist. That was the downside of the newest dueling gear: If you got an itch then you couldn't scratch it.

Flopping onto my bed, I kicked a lever, which caused the drapes to open, allowing the remaining sunlight to shine inside my small room.

//You seem tired...//

/Try getting through a beating and running home unaided....../

//Oh. Well, try running through a desert to get away from people who want your hide, and your rival is the one who's supposed to decide your fate.//

I frowned. /Jeez, what crawled up *yer* ass and died?/ //...//

/Sorry, I'm just not in the best of moods right now. I'm not really fit for human company./

//My fault for whining.//

My frown deepened and I turned to my side, about to doze off. /You weren't whining./

//But I...//

I suddenly felt sleep claim me.

**************

The crowds of people were chaotic and rushed. Some were talking with their friends, and others walking by themselves. Kurohi Tatsaki was one of the latter. He had no current friends, and was barely even the height of five feet. His hair spiked upward gracefully, and the rest fell down in a milk chocolate waterfall ending in some soft, short spikes.

The perfect target for the most feared bully in the school: Ushio. He grabbed the soft-looking boy by the collar of his shirt, about to throw a fist into the boy's gut, when his fist was stopped by a small hand, firmly holding his wrist. The grip was so tough, you could hear the bully's bones groaning, about to shatter.

"Gy...!!"

The boy frowned up at the bully. "Yes? Something you want from me?" he asked simply, with a dull edge. He was clearly bored out of his mind.

"Let me go, you shrimp!" he growled. The boy raised one dark eyebrow suspiciously.

"And let you harm me? I think not. Then again, your attempts would be in vain." He tightened his grip, and Ushio let out a startled yelp as his bones cracked a little.

Pulling the hand near his face, he whispered, "...because you can't hurt me." The boy used the momentum of the pull to throw the bully across the hall.

He landed at the other end... many meters from the boy with a LOUD thud.

The others gawked. The shrimp bested the bully? Ushio?!

They reacted in fear, and left the area, heading toward their classes.

There were six minutes left until the first bell.

The lone boy, still in his ending throwing pose, straightened up and looked around slowly with almost dead eyes. "The hell...? Why did everyone leave?"

"I saw the whole thing. They all reacted in fear. Even us teachers don't stand up to Ushio. You're different, so they're afraid."

Kurohi turned his gaze to the teacher, eyes now almost piercing. "I'll keep Ushio in line, if that is what you're asking."

"More or less. Come, let's settle your schedule."

"Yessir."

******

"We have a new student today. Come on in!"

From outside, my shaky fingers gripped the door and slowly slid it open.

"Hurry it up, we haven't all day."

Frowning and fighting the horrible feeling in my stomach, I force it open the rest of the way. "Gomen nasai, sensei," I murmur, moving in. "Ano, Watashi wa Kurohi Tatsaki. I just moved in a few weeks ago..."

"At least he speaks decently!" a girl.

"Hey, you didn't hear yet?!" a boy in the front row.

"Hear what?" a girl beside the boy.

"He beat Ushio!!" the boy.

"He WHAT??!!!!!!" the girl.

"That shrimp?!" a stocky boy in the back row.

"Ano, I can-"

"He's too small! How did he do such a thing?!" another girl.

"The hell?! How did he beat Ushio?!" another boy.

Frowning, I remained silent. They didn't want to hear my side. That was fine. Let them believe whatever they wish. I took a seat behind a tricolor-haired boy.

Huh, I thought I saw that hairstyle somewhere before.

Where had I...

***Flashback***

"Are you alright?"

I moaned in reply, and slowly picked myself up. I looked up into a slanted pair of red eyes, and I crawled away to give myself some room. I gave the teen one more, quick glance before turning my attention to my burning wounds. I had a cut on my arm, so I licked it clean and looked back at the kid. "And you are?"

"Yami. Your name is?"

***End Flashback***

...Oh, yes, that's right. The only other possibility is that he has Sennen item.

That puzzle...! Sennen Puzzle?

Yes... I saw Yami near that dimly lit alleyway.

It only happened yesterday, but it is like it happened centuries ago. The details are already worn, and are fading quickly.

But Kaiba......

I turned my head, blushed, and quickly turned away.

Aaaaah! He's here! Kaiba goes here, huh?!

Just my luck...

************************

I... I lost.

I lost my Blue-Eyes White Dragon...

Blue-Eyes...

My eyes become watery, but nothing spills. I kick a lone pebble across the sidewalk, dueling disk folded up. My locator card was gone, too. "K'so..." appears to be my only vocabulary, and I am so absorbed in my loss that I fail to sense the presence coming up swiftly behind me.

The back of my collar is snagged, and a solid fist lands across my face. For the first time in years, I cry out in pain, going all but slack in my boss's grip. I growl harshly as he continues to throw his fists into my lean form, and I vaguely hear in the distance, "If you value your life, you'd better get out of here."

'Boss' drops me to the hard ground and I find no strength to rise. It is taxing to even open my eyes.

I hear fading footsteps, followed by approaching, lighter ones. A hand is laid on my arm and I visibly shrink away, opening my eyes as quickly as I dared. I blinked to confirm my vision as a set of cold blue eyes are set on me. "K......ai...ba..." I whisper. It hurts to speak.

"Why was that guy beating you up?"

"I... lost..."

"To whom?"

"Rex Raptor... K'so... Blue-Eyes White... 's gone... K'so..."

His eyes narrow. "You lost your Blue-Eyes? How did you..."

I tried to rise, sitting up with little help from the other male. I glared at him, forgetting the odd sensations that tickled my nerves whenever I saw him. "...K'so..." I was a nervous wreck and I *KNEW* it. "...K'so..."

"Yeah, you just said that, so how did you lose it?"

"Rex Raptor beat me... Blue-Eyes..."

"Hmph. Maybe Yugi'll wind up getting his hands on it. I wouldn't worry about your card."

I blinked. "Uh?" Did he just reassure me? How odd of him.

"Don't make me repeat myself, kid. Now, tell me about that guy who was beatin' the shit out of you."

"My boss. He don't like losers," I replied rather fluidly. "I lost, so, in his book, I'm a loser. I don't deserve to hang out with him. That beating just, pretty much, fired me."

"What did your group do?"

"Card theft, more or less. If I won a card, I had to give it to boss, er, Bandit Soronto."

He frowned. "That jerk? Come with me. We're gonna bust him up."

I stood up, but my leg went out from under me as soon as I placed weight on it, and I fell over with a loud grunt. "Itai..."

"What now?"

"My leg doesn't want to work..."

"Then make it."

I rose to my one good leg, and my other leg throbbed. My ankle - it had nothing to do with it. It worked but it was like the calf and knee were malfunctioning. "How?" He lifted me up by the shoulders, slinging one of my arms around his neck. I almost panicked, but remained calm externally.

I could feel his pulse near my fingertips, throbbing normally.

Inside, a part of me wanted to flee. I leaned my head a little bit closer. "Arigatou... it just... went out from under me..." 'And it's been happening more and more often... This is the forth time this week.'

"As soon as you can walk, I'm dropping you."

"Fine. As soon as I feel I can walk, I'll walk..." I snapped back softly.

"Good."

The walk continued for a second, before he asked, "Where do you live? I have a limousine that can take us to your place."

"Really? You'd do that?" A short pause. "Thank you." I heard my heart pound loudly against my chest, radiating up my throat and down to my stomach. I tried my best to ignore it. "I've heard about you. You seem much nicer than what everyone else tells me you are like..."

"Hn. I'm not like this often. I don't care to be. And it would be to your best interest on your health if you would shut up."

So, I shut up, but I added before I did, "Um, my home is near the Turtle Card Shop."

"I know where that is. All right, I'll take you there."

***

"Thanks, Kaiba. I don't think how I could have managed getting home without your help. I'll have to make it up to you sometime... Perhaps a duel?" I asked, cautiously leaning a little weight on my previously injured leg.

"You're on. Tomorrow?"

I nodded. "Sure. I'm all freed up then. During school? Lunch?"

He nodded, and left.

I limped into my apartment. "Mom! Dad! I'm back!"

"We were worried about you, son!"

"Where were you?!"

"Tournament week. You don't have to worry anymore... I lost, and with it, my Blue-Eyes White Dragon."

"YOU LOST YOUR DRAGON?!"

I glared up at my younger brother. It was SO not fair! He was two years my junior and still. "Shut up, Jake. I'll manage to get another, or get it back eventually," I clipped. "For now, I'm going into my room."

"Without dinner?"

"I'll come down in a few hours."

***************

"I sacrifice Petite Dragon for Yamadron [1600/1800] in Defense Mode. Your turn, Kaiba."

"Fine, then. I summon Ryu-Kishin Powered [1600/1500]. Attack that Set card to the left!"

Flipping the card over, the brown and silver-haired boy chuckled. "Ha, it was the Wall of Illusion! According to its affect, since you attacked this card, Ryu-Kishin Powered` now goes back into your hand and you have lost 250 Life Points."

"Damn."

"It's still your turn, unless it is now mine."

"It's your move."

"Okay..." He drew a card and gazed at it a moment. 'I know this card so well it isn't even funny...' "I play Drill Bug, and attack your Life Points. Now, I get to find my Parasite Paracide Card, shuffle my deck, and place it facedown on top of my deck. Once I draw it, it goes face up in your deck, and that is shuffled. Once you draw it, you must special-summon it onto your field, and all your monsters become insects." He flicked through the deck, found the card, shuffled his deck in one fluid motion, and placed the card facedown on top of the deck. "Your turn."

They played for a while longer. Kurohi's Parasite Paracide card transformed Kaiba's cards into insects after six turns!

Kaiba still won, even if his Blue-Eyes White Dragon was an insect.

"Good game," murmured the small boy. "Even with my cards, I still lost."

"I'm only rival to one person: Yugu Mutou. There's no way you should have even had a chance against me."

A light eyebrow rose in query. "I may have lost, but I lasted twenty turns."

"That was twenty turns?"

"Yes."

Standing up quickly and gathering his cards, he strode out of the courtyard. Leaving the other boy with an odd sense of loss lingering in his chest. He frowned slightly at the strange sensation, gathered his cards, and stalked out the opposite door. He was going to be contemplating about this for a WHILE.

"Hey kid, wanna duel?"

He looked up at the blond-haired, brown-eyed youth. "Um, I just finished a duel with Kaiba and I'm a little tired..."

"Oh? Who won?"

"Kaiba; I lasted twenty turns."

"Twenty?"

Nodding once, the boy walked right past him. It was good to know that some people were decent to others half their size. Perhaps, it was only because he beat that creep, Ushio?

He suddenly wondered why he felt odd when he was near Kaiba. As if he wanted to see Kaiba again.

Well, of course he did. Kaiba was a nice guy, once you got deep down to it, right? Right? He helped him when he harmed his leg somehow. Rubbing his eyes, he thought nothing further of it. There was a dance coming up, and, whether he liked it or not, he was going to attend.

After all, he HAD to wear his black leather attire sometime.

**********************

He gazed at himself in the mirror, shining blue eyes glowing brightly in the dim light. He smirked at himself, satisfied with how his attire turned out. A black shirt hugged his chest tightly as a leather black vest gripped his shoulders almost as tightly as a vice, but eagerly curving at his every motion. His dark pants clung to his slight, almost feminine curves and a strange belt looped loosely around his slender waist, a striped tip draping across one side of his waist. Tall boots that went up to his knees barely hindered his range of movement, and a diamond-shaped bangle hugged his left arm, two thick chains twining up said arm and looping around his neck tightly, but not so much to choke him.

//You look good.//

/Thanks./

Nodding, he spun around with a flourish, and went to the dance.