After the three duelists climbed up the set of stairs, they found themselves in an immense lobby furnished with cushioned seats scattered about the sea of blue carpet and large, potted plants. They headed towards the first available desk. A tall, woman with a headfull of ebony curls greeted them. "Konnichiwa!" she chirruped. "Welcome to the Tokyo Convention Center Hotel. I'm Yuriko. How may I help you?"
"We-"
"Oh of course!" Yuriko clapped her hands together. "You three are competing in that Duel Monsters thing, right? Yea, we're providing you guys with lodgings."
"Um-"
"It's so exciting, isn't it?" Yuriko continued. "I myself want to be a duelist, but who has the time? An-"
"Woman!" Seto banged a fist onto the marble counter. "We just need three rooms, can you do that WITHOUT all that ceaseless chatter of yours?!"
Behind the angry Seto, Yugi and Kyara giggled helplessly as the now frightened Yuriko began to hurridedly type into the hotel computer in order to sway herself away from anymore of Kaiba's wrath. "H-Here you go," Yuriko said in a trembly voice as she produced three keys. "Rooms 156, 157, and 158."
In one fluid, catlike motion, Kaiba snatched the objects up. "Thanks."
As they walked away, Yuriko summoned up the last of her nerve to cry, "E-Enjoy your stay!"
Kyara shook her head sadly and glanced one last time at the flustered Yuriko. "Did you have to do that, Seto?"
Kaiba scoffed. "Please, if I hadn't, we'd still be standing there. God knows how long that woman might have bantered on."
* * *
"Kyara?"
"Yea, Yugi?"
"Just curious. This is my my second tournament. Exactly how long will this competition last?"
"Well..." Kyara tapped a finger to her chin thoughtfully. "The first week is mainly for all the first-round elimination matches. Then, the next week is mainly the final rounds of competition to determine the winner."
Yugi nodded in understanding. "Oh, I see! So it's kinda like the Olympics, huh?"
"Yes. And did you know that every hosting city also sets aside some land as a kind of 'tournament village' for the competitors?"
"Really?"
"Yep."
As they neared their rooms, Seto distributed the keys among the three of them. "Here. I'll take room 156."
"Thanks, Kaiba!" Yugi said as he stuck his key into the room door.
* * *
Seated on her room floor, Kyara stared at her cards carefully as she arranged them in different combos. "Let's see..." she set two off to the side. "I can use the Trap card, Two-Pronged Attack along with these two, then I can eliminate one of my opponent's Monsters. And...if they try to get rid of my card with Remove Trap, I'll be ready for them with this," she turned another card over. "De-Spell."
After collecting her cards together, Kyara shuffled them again and drew six cards from the top. "Let's see...the Magic card, Soul Release, Yami, Neo the Magic Swords-"
A knock on the door pulled her away from her cards. Kyara got up, letting her cards fall in a shower to the carpet. "Who is it?"
"Kyara, it's me, Seto." the person on the outside said.
"Hey!" Kyara greeted when she opened the door. "Need something?"
"Uh, well," Seto leaned against the door frame. "Since we have a couple of hours before our first matches...I was wondering if you would, well, y'know, like to go for a drink with me?"
Kyara smirked. "Are you asking me out on a date, Seto?"
"N-No, I just thought-"
"I'll go." Kyara gave him her finest, most angelic smile. "I don't have anything else to do anyways."
"Um, did you want Yugi to come with us?" Kaiba asked as Kyara joined him and closed the door behind her.
"I'll ask him."
Striding over to the room across the hall, Kyara rapped the door smartly with her knuckle. "Yugi?"
After a moment, the door swung open to reveal Yugi seated on the floor, his cards scattered all around him in different piles. "Oh! Hello!"
"Hey, Yugi. Listen, we're going out to get something to drink, wanna come?"
"No, that's okay," the boy continued to arrange his cards around on the carpet. "I wanna prepare myself as much as possible for my first duel. You guys go on without me."
"Suit yourself." Kaiba shut the door.
As they couple headed back out to the parking lot, Kyara remarked, "Y'know, I don't know this part of town really well, and we're supposed to stay within the tournament village."
"That's okay. I know a good cafe that near here that I used to go to a lot with Mokuba."
"Really?"
"Yea, I do believe it's called the Cafe Shrine."
" 'Cafe Shrine'?"
Kaiba gave a shrug. "I didn't name it, don't ask me. Besides, it's pretty close, so you wanna walk there?"
"Fine with me."
* * *
"There it is." Kaiba pointed to a red-bricked building as they entered the tournament village. "Its been quite a while since I've been here."
"Great place." Kyara remarked at they stepped through the cafe's glass doors. "Hey! They even have a arcade!"
"Hmmm..." Seto said as they sat themselves down at an empty table. "That wasn't there last time I was here."
"Can you order me an iced latt'e or something?" Kyara headed towards the row of games. "Its been a while since I've played X-Men vs. Streetfighters!"
With a smile, Kaiba ordered their drinks, then joined Kyara at the games. "Can I try?"
"Sure!" Kyara moved aside and allowed Seto to position himself in front of the controls. "Here, pick Chun Li! She's the best."
"Chun Li?" Seto echoed. "Wouldn't one of the X-Men be better against Ryu?"
"Trust me."
* * *
"...now, dodge left. Watch out! That's Ryu's hadoken attack. Quick! Negate it with Chun Li's kikou ken."
Obediantly, Seto punched three of the console's buttons. At once, Chun Li produced a bright blue orb of energy and shot it at Ryu. Kyara patted her boyfriend's shoulder eagerly. "Great! Now, before he attacks again, back him up into a corner, and use her Kikou Shou super combo!"
Kaiba grinned as Ryu's health dropped to zero. "Thanks. You really like this game, don't you?"
"Yep!" Kyara inserted a coin into the machine. "Wanna fight against me now?"
Seto smirked at her. "Are you challenging me?"
"You better believe it!"
"All right then." Kaiba said as they selected their own characters. "This time, I'll use Wolverine."
"As for me, I'll use the lovely Chun Li!"
For about five minutes, the two fought in silence. Kyara grimaced at Kaiba's Wolverine knocked her back with a vicious Beserker Barrage. "Very good."
"Thank you."
"But not good enough!" Kyara jerked her joystick about. "Feel my wrath!"
"Argh!" Kaiba cried. "You killed him!"
Stifling a giggle, Kyara steered Seto back to their table, where two cups of iced coffee sat waiting to be drunk. "C'mon, the coffee's here."
Nodding agreeably, Seto sat next to Kyara and sipped slowly at his drink. "That's one of the first game's I've ever lost at."
Kyara's face fell. "I'm sorry."
"No," Kaiba smiled at her fondly. "I could get used to losing. To you, that is."
"Really? I could get used to winning against the 'Great Seto Kaiba'!"
Kaiba tapped his mug to her's in a toast. "All right then."
"We-"
"Oh of course!" Yuriko clapped her hands together. "You three are competing in that Duel Monsters thing, right? Yea, we're providing you guys with lodgings."
"Um-"
"It's so exciting, isn't it?" Yuriko continued. "I myself want to be a duelist, but who has the time? An-"
"Woman!" Seto banged a fist onto the marble counter. "We just need three rooms, can you do that WITHOUT all that ceaseless chatter of yours?!"
Behind the angry Seto, Yugi and Kyara giggled helplessly as the now frightened Yuriko began to hurridedly type into the hotel computer in order to sway herself away from anymore of Kaiba's wrath. "H-Here you go," Yuriko said in a trembly voice as she produced three keys. "Rooms 156, 157, and 158."
In one fluid, catlike motion, Kaiba snatched the objects up. "Thanks."
As they walked away, Yuriko summoned up the last of her nerve to cry, "E-Enjoy your stay!"
Kyara shook her head sadly and glanced one last time at the flustered Yuriko. "Did you have to do that, Seto?"
Kaiba scoffed. "Please, if I hadn't, we'd still be standing there. God knows how long that woman might have bantered on."
* * *
"Kyara?"
"Yea, Yugi?"
"Just curious. This is my my second tournament. Exactly how long will this competition last?"
"Well..." Kyara tapped a finger to her chin thoughtfully. "The first week is mainly for all the first-round elimination matches. Then, the next week is mainly the final rounds of competition to determine the winner."
Yugi nodded in understanding. "Oh, I see! So it's kinda like the Olympics, huh?"
"Yes. And did you know that every hosting city also sets aside some land as a kind of 'tournament village' for the competitors?"
"Really?"
"Yep."
As they neared their rooms, Seto distributed the keys among the three of them. "Here. I'll take room 156."
"Thanks, Kaiba!" Yugi said as he stuck his key into the room door.
* * *
Seated on her room floor, Kyara stared at her cards carefully as she arranged them in different combos. "Let's see..." she set two off to the side. "I can use the Trap card, Two-Pronged Attack along with these two, then I can eliminate one of my opponent's Monsters. And...if they try to get rid of my card with Remove Trap, I'll be ready for them with this," she turned another card over. "De-Spell."
After collecting her cards together, Kyara shuffled them again and drew six cards from the top. "Let's see...the Magic card, Soul Release, Yami, Neo the Magic Swords-"
A knock on the door pulled her away from her cards. Kyara got up, letting her cards fall in a shower to the carpet. "Who is it?"
"Kyara, it's me, Seto." the person on the outside said.
"Hey!" Kyara greeted when she opened the door. "Need something?"
"Uh, well," Seto leaned against the door frame. "Since we have a couple of hours before our first matches...I was wondering if you would, well, y'know, like to go for a drink with me?"
Kyara smirked. "Are you asking me out on a date, Seto?"
"N-No, I just thought-"
"I'll go." Kyara gave him her finest, most angelic smile. "I don't have anything else to do anyways."
"Um, did you want Yugi to come with us?" Kaiba asked as Kyara joined him and closed the door behind her.
"I'll ask him."
Striding over to the room across the hall, Kyara rapped the door smartly with her knuckle. "Yugi?"
After a moment, the door swung open to reveal Yugi seated on the floor, his cards scattered all around him in different piles. "Oh! Hello!"
"Hey, Yugi. Listen, we're going out to get something to drink, wanna come?"
"No, that's okay," the boy continued to arrange his cards around on the carpet. "I wanna prepare myself as much as possible for my first duel. You guys go on without me."
"Suit yourself." Kaiba shut the door.
As they couple headed back out to the parking lot, Kyara remarked, "Y'know, I don't know this part of town really well, and we're supposed to stay within the tournament village."
"That's okay. I know a good cafe that near here that I used to go to a lot with Mokuba."
"Really?"
"Yea, I do believe it's called the Cafe Shrine."
" 'Cafe Shrine'?"
Kaiba gave a shrug. "I didn't name it, don't ask me. Besides, it's pretty close, so you wanna walk there?"
"Fine with me."
* * *
"There it is." Kaiba pointed to a red-bricked building as they entered the tournament village. "Its been quite a while since I've been here."
"Great place." Kyara remarked at they stepped through the cafe's glass doors. "Hey! They even have a arcade!"
"Hmmm..." Seto said as they sat themselves down at an empty table. "That wasn't there last time I was here."
"Can you order me an iced latt'e or something?" Kyara headed towards the row of games. "Its been a while since I've played X-Men vs. Streetfighters!"
With a smile, Kaiba ordered their drinks, then joined Kyara at the games. "Can I try?"
"Sure!" Kyara moved aside and allowed Seto to position himself in front of the controls. "Here, pick Chun Li! She's the best."
"Chun Li?" Seto echoed. "Wouldn't one of the X-Men be better against Ryu?"
"Trust me."
* * *
"...now, dodge left. Watch out! That's Ryu's hadoken attack. Quick! Negate it with Chun Li's kikou ken."
Obediantly, Seto punched three of the console's buttons. At once, Chun Li produced a bright blue orb of energy and shot it at Ryu. Kyara patted her boyfriend's shoulder eagerly. "Great! Now, before he attacks again, back him up into a corner, and use her Kikou Shou super combo!"
Kaiba grinned as Ryu's health dropped to zero. "Thanks. You really like this game, don't you?"
"Yep!" Kyara inserted a coin into the machine. "Wanna fight against me now?"
Seto smirked at her. "Are you challenging me?"
"You better believe it!"
"All right then." Kaiba said as they selected their own characters. "This time, I'll use Wolverine."
"As for me, I'll use the lovely Chun Li!"
For about five minutes, the two fought in silence. Kyara grimaced at Kaiba's Wolverine knocked her back with a vicious Beserker Barrage. "Very good."
"Thank you."
"But not good enough!" Kyara jerked her joystick about. "Feel my wrath!"
"Argh!" Kaiba cried. "You killed him!"
Stifling a giggle, Kyara steered Seto back to their table, where two cups of iced coffee sat waiting to be drunk. "C'mon, the coffee's here."
Nodding agreeably, Seto sat next to Kyara and sipped slowly at his drink. "That's one of the first game's I've ever lost at."
Kyara's face fell. "I'm sorry."
"No," Kaiba smiled at her fondly. "I could get used to losing. To you, that is."
"Really? I could get used to winning against the 'Great Seto Kaiba'!"
Kaiba tapped his mug to her's in a toast. "All right then."
