Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! King of Games and do not receive profit
from it. Also, one of the events present in the storyline was derived from
the wonderful CLAMP's Clover, and I should add that I don't own that
either. However, the basic storyline is mine, as are all added characters.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
As Tomokazu made his way slowly to his room, he could feel the angry glares trained on him like lasers. Everyone at Stoneridge was furious at him. He didn't really care; it just piqued his curiosity that after such a mild attack they were all so bothered. He supposed it was because Minami had cried in front of them. It wasn't anything new; he made her cry all the time, but she was, after all, usually careful to make sure no one saw her. The event had done nothing but depress him. It had shown him that everyone, not just the people here, had his head crammed quite snugly up his ass. He would have enjoyed an argument with someone that could counter his wit.
Minami had looked very hurt. And why should he care? Tact was for those not witty enough to be sarcastic. Ignoring all the furious faces of the people, and the one closed door, he climbed his way up to his room. He had better things to do then think about the idiocy of the masses.
He had his computer.
Tomokazu was nothing if not skilled at the computer. Though he was good at everything this was where his genius truly showed. He was able to hack into pretty much any system he wanted, had actually managed to crash the mainframe of a company's computer system. Fortunately it was a small company, and the police hadn't really bothered to look into who was responsible.
He idly logged on and began to search the mainframe of the newest company he had been able to penetrate. It was really funny, how complacent people could be about secrets protected by such flimsy guardians.
PASSWORD, the screen said.
Ha. Password.
He quickly hacked through. Hmm. This wasn't the most exciting of files, now, was it? Just a game corporation. He looked through and found toy shipments, factories, very boring stuff. He was just about to leave when something caught his eye.
HOLOGRAPHIC GENERATORS
Intrigued, Tomokazu clicked on the link.
KAIBA CORPORATION
Strange, he'd heard that name before. Where? He tried to open the file.
ACCESS DENIED
What? He tried again.
ACCESS DENIED
Tomokazu felt, under his initial unwillingness to understand that he could have failed, anger. Why wasn't his program working? It had to, all the systems before had crumbled under it. What was different here?
The anger faded as quickly as it had come. This Kaiba Cooperation, this place with a name he did not know how he knew, was very big, very powerful, and so very advanced that it actually posed a challenge for him.
Fun time.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
"Sorry, everyone," Yugi apologized, for what seemed to be the millionth time. "I didn't expect it to turn out the way it did."
"It's fine, Yugi," Anzu sighed. "Really, it was fun, until the end."
Jounouchi looked at her out of the corner of his eye. She had seemed more subdued than the others, coming home. He didn't see why; certainly that bastard Tomokazu had been venting his spleen at everyone within sight, but he was an idiot and not to be paid attention to. Definitely, though, she seemed depressed.
Honda noticed it too. "Hey, Anzu, what's up?"
"Nothing," she murmured.
Yugi turned around and looked at her intently. His Millennium Puzzle glinted in the light of the setting sun. Yugi may have believed her, but his Yami did not.
Anzu stared at her feet for the longest time as they meandered toward the shop of Yugi's grandfather. As they approached the door, Anzu looked up.
"I'd like to go back there, if I can," she stated. "Is that okay, Yugi?"
For a moment, Yugi seemed surprised, but then his gentle smile spread across his face. "I'll see, Anzu."
* * * * * * * * * * * *
THE NEXT MORNING
Yugi wasn't paying much attention as he crossed the road. This is a dangerous thing, and Yugi learned as much when he was nearly run over. If it weren't for Yami, he might have been; but the holder of a Millennium Item does not die very easily. The driver, however, was unaware of this, and after neatly avoiding a heart attack, slowed down to scream his head off at the moron whose mother hadn't even taught him to look both ways before crossing the street. Then the driver realized that he was talking to Yugi Motou, the Champion of Duel Monsters, and was repentant. After many apologies from Yugi, and then from the driver, the incident was smoothed over.
"And be more careful next time," said the driver as Yugi collected the things he had dropped when he thought he was to be transformed into a pancake.
"I will," he replied, grinning embarrassedly.
The driver was about to go when the need to gossip overtook him. "Hey, did you hear about Stoneridge?"
Yugi stopped suddenly. "What about it?"
"Some kid. He went missing last night. Apparently it was after this huge disaster that occurred earlier in the day."
"Really?" Yugi said, trying to sound innocently curious and not offended by his brainchild being called a disaster.
"Yeah. Can't remember his name though; and I just read about it, too."
"Where?"
"Let's see, could it be the newspaper stand?" Then, noticing a sort of intentness about Yugi's face, he added, "If you're planning to do some detective work, I wouldn't bother. I'm a journalist, and we like to pump things up because then more people read your paper. There was just a teeny little article on it. This is a sob story. Teeny sob stories mean that someone big is covering this up." Then, a little sardonically, "Bigger even then a popular celebrity like you. Though you could give an interview."
"Um, thanks for the advice," Yugi replied, feeling stupid.
"Sure. And if you do find anything out, do me a favor and don't get yourself run over anytime soon. I'd like to hear what really happened."
* * * * * * * * * * * *
STONERIDGE CHILD GONE MISSING
An odd whoosh of emotions rushed through him as he looked at the paper. It drew his attention like a magnet and he forgot that he had a full cup of coffee in his hand, releasing his grip. The antique cup shattered on the cold marble floor, a splattering of coffee on everything in the near vicinity.
Seto Kaiba cursed and deftly grabbed each and every piece of porcelain in a single swipe. Some sliced through his skin, drawing blood, but as there already was a mess he didn't care, not even when it began to drip on the floor. Fine, he'd ruined an atrociously expensive cup and the worth of the whole set as well. Just fine.
He remembered Stoneridge quite clearly; the fresh lawns, stupid people, Mokuba clutching his hand in terror as he realized they might be separated.
But they hadn't. And he had his own house now, an entire company, and he was just fine. Emotionally he was as twisted as possible, but financially? Fine.
The article itself was very brief, mentioning one Tomokazu Akane, and that he had been missing since late last night. His last actions appeared to be web-surfing.
Seto dimly remembered someone audacious enough to actually try to hack into his own company's system at the same time. He'd quickly detected whom and had IMed him, as was his way, to shock him. They'd actually begun to chat, the perpetrator seeming a little suspicious and trying to deny his act before he realized that Kaiba wasn't intending to use it against him. Neither had told each other who they were, but Kaiba had passed himself of as a fellow hacker.
Not that he wasn't, but sometimes situations call for hidden truths.
The article was surprisingly short. Usually stories like that took up a page and were mentioned for at least a week. Normally he would have been glad, if not it had been one of the few that he'd have had any interest in reading. He could smell a cover-up.
And he was bored. Maybe he'd look into it sometime.
Probably not, though, as he really didn't care. Anything it might have to do with him was trivial, he reasoned as he logged on to his account. Tripe, he told himself, as he looked it up on his search engine.
Delusion.
He began to search. No, he didn't care about that child, it could rot in hell for all he cared, for it had no possibility of affecting him. Or that one. Or that one. Pedophiles, it seemed, were on the rise.
He tried various other names, and was feeling incredibly frustrated when he stumbled onto a page that answered all his queries.
SEARCH: "Cover-up"
RESULTS: "Cover up those stains!"
No, that wasn't very helpful. Though his kitchen floor.
And then. Seto saw a banner, labeled CLAW PROJECT
His heart stopped. He glared at the banner, as though he could melt it away with sheer will, but it defiantly stayed put.
He clicked.
WARNING
WARNING
WARNING
He ignored the flashing words on the screen.
WARNING
WARNING
WARNING
Then, a small screen popped up.
~This site has been banned by the national government for inappropriate and defiant content. Any visitor will be arrested~
Arrested for visiting a website? Rather touchy, neh?
Of course, he went.
A/N: Jumbled, weird, pointless, I know, but I added the prologue at the beginning, and that's going to have to satisfy you until I can get the next chapter out. THAT'S the one. *_*0 I'm aggravated by my own writing.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
As Tomokazu made his way slowly to his room, he could feel the angry glares trained on him like lasers. Everyone at Stoneridge was furious at him. He didn't really care; it just piqued his curiosity that after such a mild attack they were all so bothered. He supposed it was because Minami had cried in front of them. It wasn't anything new; he made her cry all the time, but she was, after all, usually careful to make sure no one saw her. The event had done nothing but depress him. It had shown him that everyone, not just the people here, had his head crammed quite snugly up his ass. He would have enjoyed an argument with someone that could counter his wit.
Minami had looked very hurt. And why should he care? Tact was for those not witty enough to be sarcastic. Ignoring all the furious faces of the people, and the one closed door, he climbed his way up to his room. He had better things to do then think about the idiocy of the masses.
He had his computer.
Tomokazu was nothing if not skilled at the computer. Though he was good at everything this was where his genius truly showed. He was able to hack into pretty much any system he wanted, had actually managed to crash the mainframe of a company's computer system. Fortunately it was a small company, and the police hadn't really bothered to look into who was responsible.
He idly logged on and began to search the mainframe of the newest company he had been able to penetrate. It was really funny, how complacent people could be about secrets protected by such flimsy guardians.
PASSWORD, the screen said.
Ha. Password.
He quickly hacked through. Hmm. This wasn't the most exciting of files, now, was it? Just a game corporation. He looked through and found toy shipments, factories, very boring stuff. He was just about to leave when something caught his eye.
HOLOGRAPHIC GENERATORS
Intrigued, Tomokazu clicked on the link.
KAIBA CORPORATION
Strange, he'd heard that name before. Where? He tried to open the file.
ACCESS DENIED
What? He tried again.
ACCESS DENIED
Tomokazu felt, under his initial unwillingness to understand that he could have failed, anger. Why wasn't his program working? It had to, all the systems before had crumbled under it. What was different here?
The anger faded as quickly as it had come. This Kaiba Cooperation, this place with a name he did not know how he knew, was very big, very powerful, and so very advanced that it actually posed a challenge for him.
Fun time.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
"Sorry, everyone," Yugi apologized, for what seemed to be the millionth time. "I didn't expect it to turn out the way it did."
"It's fine, Yugi," Anzu sighed. "Really, it was fun, until the end."
Jounouchi looked at her out of the corner of his eye. She had seemed more subdued than the others, coming home. He didn't see why; certainly that bastard Tomokazu had been venting his spleen at everyone within sight, but he was an idiot and not to be paid attention to. Definitely, though, she seemed depressed.
Honda noticed it too. "Hey, Anzu, what's up?"
"Nothing," she murmured.
Yugi turned around and looked at her intently. His Millennium Puzzle glinted in the light of the setting sun. Yugi may have believed her, but his Yami did not.
Anzu stared at her feet for the longest time as they meandered toward the shop of Yugi's grandfather. As they approached the door, Anzu looked up.
"I'd like to go back there, if I can," she stated. "Is that okay, Yugi?"
For a moment, Yugi seemed surprised, but then his gentle smile spread across his face. "I'll see, Anzu."
* * * * * * * * * * * *
THE NEXT MORNING
Yugi wasn't paying much attention as he crossed the road. This is a dangerous thing, and Yugi learned as much when he was nearly run over. If it weren't for Yami, he might have been; but the holder of a Millennium Item does not die very easily. The driver, however, was unaware of this, and after neatly avoiding a heart attack, slowed down to scream his head off at the moron whose mother hadn't even taught him to look both ways before crossing the street. Then the driver realized that he was talking to Yugi Motou, the Champion of Duel Monsters, and was repentant. After many apologies from Yugi, and then from the driver, the incident was smoothed over.
"And be more careful next time," said the driver as Yugi collected the things he had dropped when he thought he was to be transformed into a pancake.
"I will," he replied, grinning embarrassedly.
The driver was about to go when the need to gossip overtook him. "Hey, did you hear about Stoneridge?"
Yugi stopped suddenly. "What about it?"
"Some kid. He went missing last night. Apparently it was after this huge disaster that occurred earlier in the day."
"Really?" Yugi said, trying to sound innocently curious and not offended by his brainchild being called a disaster.
"Yeah. Can't remember his name though; and I just read about it, too."
"Where?"
"Let's see, could it be the newspaper stand?" Then, noticing a sort of intentness about Yugi's face, he added, "If you're planning to do some detective work, I wouldn't bother. I'm a journalist, and we like to pump things up because then more people read your paper. There was just a teeny little article on it. This is a sob story. Teeny sob stories mean that someone big is covering this up." Then, a little sardonically, "Bigger even then a popular celebrity like you. Though you could give an interview."
"Um, thanks for the advice," Yugi replied, feeling stupid.
"Sure. And if you do find anything out, do me a favor and don't get yourself run over anytime soon. I'd like to hear what really happened."
* * * * * * * * * * * *
STONERIDGE CHILD GONE MISSING
An odd whoosh of emotions rushed through him as he looked at the paper. It drew his attention like a magnet and he forgot that he had a full cup of coffee in his hand, releasing his grip. The antique cup shattered on the cold marble floor, a splattering of coffee on everything in the near vicinity.
Seto Kaiba cursed and deftly grabbed each and every piece of porcelain in a single swipe. Some sliced through his skin, drawing blood, but as there already was a mess he didn't care, not even when it began to drip on the floor. Fine, he'd ruined an atrociously expensive cup and the worth of the whole set as well. Just fine.
He remembered Stoneridge quite clearly; the fresh lawns, stupid people, Mokuba clutching his hand in terror as he realized they might be separated.
But they hadn't. And he had his own house now, an entire company, and he was just fine. Emotionally he was as twisted as possible, but financially? Fine.
The article itself was very brief, mentioning one Tomokazu Akane, and that he had been missing since late last night. His last actions appeared to be web-surfing.
Seto dimly remembered someone audacious enough to actually try to hack into his own company's system at the same time. He'd quickly detected whom and had IMed him, as was his way, to shock him. They'd actually begun to chat, the perpetrator seeming a little suspicious and trying to deny his act before he realized that Kaiba wasn't intending to use it against him. Neither had told each other who they were, but Kaiba had passed himself of as a fellow hacker.
Not that he wasn't, but sometimes situations call for hidden truths.
The article was surprisingly short. Usually stories like that took up a page and were mentioned for at least a week. Normally he would have been glad, if not it had been one of the few that he'd have had any interest in reading. He could smell a cover-up.
And he was bored. Maybe he'd look into it sometime.
Probably not, though, as he really didn't care. Anything it might have to do with him was trivial, he reasoned as he logged on to his account. Tripe, he told himself, as he looked it up on his search engine.
Delusion.
He began to search. No, he didn't care about that child, it could rot in hell for all he cared, for it had no possibility of affecting him. Or that one. Or that one. Pedophiles, it seemed, were on the rise.
He tried various other names, and was feeling incredibly frustrated when he stumbled onto a page that answered all his queries.
SEARCH: "Cover-up"
RESULTS: "Cover up those stains!"
No, that wasn't very helpful. Though his kitchen floor.
And then. Seto saw a banner, labeled CLAW PROJECT
His heart stopped. He glared at the banner, as though he could melt it away with sheer will, but it defiantly stayed put.
He clicked.
WARNING
WARNING
WARNING
He ignored the flashing words on the screen.
WARNING
WARNING
WARNING
Then, a small screen popped up.
~This site has been banned by the national government for inappropriate and defiant content. Any visitor will be arrested~
Arrested for visiting a website? Rather touchy, neh?
Of course, he went.
A/N: Jumbled, weird, pointless, I know, but I added the prologue at the beginning, and that's going to have to satisfy you until I can get the next chapter out. THAT'S the one. *_*0 I'm aggravated by my own writing.