Summary: Tragedy strikes. Joey Wheeler is gone forever. Or is he? Joey POV. Post Duelist Kingdom AU. Will eventually be Seto/Joey shounen-ai.
Author's Notes: Well, I thought I'd try writing a YuGiOh fic. And it's still going.
Thanks for all the reviews ^_^
Ryan: I'm too busy, but you can chain Joey to your desk after I'm done with him, instead. Just to write stories, of course.
Andrea-likes-Yugi&Ryou: Possession seems like a highly specialized skill. Joey probably won't be able to do it.
Why do I write short chapters and update almost every day instead of posting longer ones every few days? Answer: because if I don't post every day, I have a nasty habit of not finishing a fic at all. That's happened to every single multi-parter I've attempted. I'm hoping that if I write it this way, I'll actually make it to the end…
Warnings: Character death (sort of), language, angst, eventual Seto/Joey.
Disclaimers: I don't own YuGiOh or any other brand names you might come across. No curiously strong mints were harmed in the making of this fic.
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Being Dead Ain't Easy
Chapter Ten: Confrontation
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They clear off the table and whip out their decks. Hey, cool, a non-lethal game for once! It's not quite as thrilling without the holograms and stuff, but it's still fun to watch. Everybody comes over to watch, but Kaiba glares at 'em until they leave. The two duelists shuffle each other's decks and get started.
The other Yuugi, I guess I'll call him Yami Yuugi, smirks. "Let's see how much you've learned about the heart of the cards since we last dueled, Kaiba."
Kaiba rolls his eyes. "Oh, please, Yuugi, don't get started with that. Save your 'heart of the cards' for someone who cares. You go first."
"As you wish." Yami Yuugi looks at his hand. "I place this card face-down in Defense mode. That ends my turn."
"Pathetic."
"Just play, Kaiba. Unless you're already admitting your defeat?"
"Ha! You'll be the one admitting defeat! I summon... Ryu-Kishin Powered!"
I go over to Kaiba and peek at his hand over his shoulder. Wow, those are kick-ass cards. He must've added some new stuff to his deck. I check my buddy's hand. Not-Yuugi's in for a tough game. Beaver Warriors do not a victory make. I go back to Kaiba. "Looks like ya might win this one, rich boy." He doesn't answer, but did he just smirk a little more?
They play back and forth for a while, insultin' each other every turn. Funny, I wonder why Kaiba never calls Yuugi a dog? It's not fair, I tell ya!
Yami Yuugi summons his Dark Magician, only to have it trashed by Kaiba's Blue Eyes White Dragon. They insult each other some more before the other Yuugi wipes out the Blue Eyes with some strategy using Kuribohs, Multiply, and a Catapult Turtle. No idea how that worked. I'd never be able to pull something like that off. Not that I could even try; I don't have my deck. I wonder what happened to it?
After Kaiba's done hissin' about how "it's not possible! Those furballs couldn't have destroyed my mighty Blue Eyes White Dragon!" they get back to playing. It's not looking good for my buddy. Yuugi's down to 100 Life Points, while Kaiba's at 300. Kaiba really is gonna win this one... no, wait! Yuugi's smirking! I rush over and see what he's got. Hey, Yami Yuugi has Swords of Revealing Light! That's gonna totally screw Kaiba!
"Heh, I guess you're not gonna win after all, Moneybags! Yuugi's got Swords o' Revealin' Light!" Yuugi's gonna win! Yuugi's gonna win!
Kaiba's about to end his turn, but pauses, changes his mind, and puts another card face down on the field. Then he ends his turn.
Yami Yuugi pulls a card outta his hand and slams it on the table. "I play the magic card... Swords of Revealing Light!" That's it, Kaiba, it's Game Over!
Kaiba smirks. Uh oh. "Not so fast. I knew you'd do something of the sort, so I placed this trap card on the field." How'd he know?
"It's not-!"
Kaiba laughs like a crazy person. "It is! I activate Magic Jammer! Your precious magic card is negated! And since I activated this trap card, I discard one card from my hand to the Graveyard." He picks a card and tosses it.
Yami Yuugi's not happy. "Very well. I place another monster face down in defense mode and end my turn." I take a look before he puts it down. Giant Soldier of Stone. It's got 2000 Defense Points. Kaiba hasn't got any monsters in his hand that can get through that. All he's got on the field is a Battle Ox with 1700 Attack Points.
"Good move, Yuugi! If Kaiba attacks the Giant Soldier o' Stone, it's game over for him! It'll wipe out his life points!" I go back to Kaiba and check over his shoulder to see what he's gonna do.
"Running away, Yuugi? Ha! I attack with-" Kaiba suddenly stops. "Giant Soldier of Stone..." he says softly. He blinks and takes his turn. "No, I play the magic card... Black Hole! That destroys all monster cards on the field. So much for your monster." Aw man, Kaiba really is gonna win...
Yami Yuugi narrows his eyes. "How did you know that my face-down monster was the Giant Soldier of Stone?" He glares at Kaiba, but then his gaze drifts to Kaiba's shoulder.
The other Yuugi's starin' at me.
He's staring RIGHT AT ME.
"...Kaiba."
"What."
"What do you see?"
"You. Why?"
"Look behind you." YUUGI CAN SEE ME! YUUGI CAN SEE ME! "No, wait, he disappeared."
Darn.
Kaiba cranes his neck and looks at me. I look right back at him. "There's no one there. Now play the game or forfeit, Yuugi." The other Yuugi frowns, goes back to his cards.
This is really pissing me off. Make up your minds already! Can you see me or not!? "I'M RIGHT HERE!"
Yami Yuugi's head shoots up. Oooh yeah, he can see me. Or at least hear me. "Uh, Kaiba..."
"Yuugi, can you see me? Come on, say somethin'!" I wave my arms so he can see me better. I'm still standing behind Kaiba just in case he's some kinda 'ghost battery' or something. Maybe he makes me easier to see.
"Kaiba."
"Shut up and play." Kaiba's refusing to look behind him.
"KAIBA," he growls.
"PLAY."
Mind Crusher Yuugi slams his cards on the table and stands up. "Seto Kaiba, I REFUSE to play Duel Monsters while Joey is hovering over the table helping you cheat!"
"Joey Wheeler is dead and rotting in the ground," hisses Kaiba. Thank you so much, ya jerk. I really needed to hear that. "How DARE you tell me that he's here with us right now! And listen to yourself: 'helping me cheat'? If the dog was around, he'd be helping you cheat!"
"Open your eyes, Kaiba! He's right there!" Not-Yuugi points straight at me.
Kaiba looks, sees nothing... or pretends to see nothing. He grabs his cards off the table. "Enough with this, Mutou. I don't know what you're playing at, but..." he seems to come to a conclusion. From the look on his face, it's a bad one. "It was you who broke into my mansion and left that message, wasn't it!?" he snarls.
Yami Yuugi's puzzled, no pun intended. "...What?"
"I'd assumed it was that thug friend of yours-"
"His name is Tristan."
"-that thug friend of yours, but it must've been you all along. Really, I thought you were better than that, but I guess I was wrong."
"Look, Kaiba, I don't know what you're insinuating, but I will not stand here and let you insult me!" Suddenly, a glowin' eye shows up in the middle of Yami Yuugi's forehead. Seriously bad sign here. Not good.
But just as suddenly, it disappears and nice-Yuugi's back. He grabs Kaiba's arm. "I'm really, really sorry, Kaiba. I don't know what came over me." I run over to Yuugi and get in his face. He doesn't blink and his eyes don't follow me. I guess this Yuugi can't see me. Bummer.
Kaiba yanks his arm away. "Whatever, Mutou." He yanks his arm away so fast Yuugi goes flyin' into the table and his cards go all over the place. A Dark Magician goes flying through my head.
"Yuugi! You okay, pal?" I can't do anything, but the gang's comin' over now.
Kaiba heads for the door.
Not so fast, ya creep! "Where do ya think you're goin'!? Yuugi could be lyin' there with a head injury or something!" I yell after him.
Kaiba stops at the doorway.
"Well!?"
He turns around and goes back to the table. "...Still alive, Mutou?"
"...I think so..." Yuugi's trying to get up. He looks okay, thank god. Tristan's glarin' murder at Kaiba while Bakura and Tea help Yuugi.
Kaiba starts pickin' up Yuugi's cards. There's a lot of 'em scattered around on the floor, tables, everywhere. Yuugi must've been carryin' a spare deck or something that got loose when he hit the table. Kuriboh, Beaver Warrior, Baby Dragon, Dark Magician, Flame Swordsman, Summoned Skull, Kunai with Chain, Time Wizard, Red Eyes Black Dragon...
Waitaminute.
"This isn't your deck, Yuugi Mutou."
Yuugi stops brushing off his clothes. "I know. Joey's dad found it in his room. He didn't know what to do with it, so," Yuugi swallows, looks down, "...so he gave Joey's deck to me," he finishes.
Kaiba scowls. "Then you should take better care of it. Here." He gives him the cards he picked up. "I have to get to class. We should duel again sometime. Just keep dog-boy out of it," he tosses on his way out. Since he's going to class, I guess I hafta, too.
Dog, dog-boy, dumb mutt, chihuahua...
I shoulda haunted Yuugi. Now that I think about it, maybe I'll go pay him a little visit later.
~~~###~~~
A long time later, Kaiba's classes are finally all over. I have fun making faces at the teachers. Once the final bell rings, he pulls a cellphone outta his pocket and calls for a limo to pick him up. We head outside to wait for it. Yuugi and the gang walk past him on their way home.
"See you tomorrow, Kaiba!" he chirps. Nobody else is talkin' to Kaiba.
"Hn," he grunts. Kaiba's still angry about the whole 'Joey's right there!' mess.
The gang heads off. No, wait, Tristan's hanging back.
Kaiba lifts an eyebrow as Tristan stalks up to him. What's he gonna do to Kaiba?
He gets right in Kaiba's face. "It should've been you, you bastard," he grits out. "It should have been you. He was a million times better than you'd ever be." Who's he talkin' about... oh. Uh, thanks.
Kaiba looks bored. "Do you have nothing better to do than harass me? Go join those brainless twits you call friends."
"WHY YOU-!" Tristan shouts. He pulls back a fist.
Tristan, you're smarter than this! Kaiba's, like, a black belt or something! There's no way you're gonna be able to kick his rich ass. I should know; he always wipes the floor with me. I try to grab him and stop him from doin' anything stupid, but I'm not doin' too good, it's not working. The gang realizes something is wrong and they all come back and rush over here. It takes Bakura, Tea, and Yuugi to hold him back. Not so much Yuugi 'cause he's, well, you don't need me to say it, right?
"Don't fight, guys!" pleads Yuugi.
"Fighting won't solve anything," adds Bakura. I can see the outline of that ring of his through his shirt.
Tristan's still struggling, still looking like he wants a piece of Kaiba. Kaiba's standing there, emotionless.
Tea somehow gets an arm around Tristan's neck and drags him down. She forces him to look into her eyes. "Listen to me." He's not payin' any attention to her. "Listen!" She whaps him on the head. That got his attention. "Kaiba's not worth it. Joey wouldn't want you to get hurt, Tristan," she says softly. "Kaiba's not worth it."
The limo gets here and Kaiba sneers at everyone before hightailin' it outta there.
"Come back here, coward!" screams Tristan. The gang leaps on him and they all fall down in a mess o' arms and legs. Everybody's shouting and trying to calm him down.
Kaiba doesn't even look back. He walks so fast I hafta run to catch up. We get in the limo, Kaiba snarls "Drive!" and we're gone.
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