Please read and review: Thanks for your continued comments
PLEASE NOTE: THIS IS NOT THE END OF THE STORYAUTHOR'S NOTES AND RESPONSES TO REVIEWS ARE AT THE END OF THE CHAPTER
CHAPTER 26: ANOTHER PARTY
YAMI'S NARRATIVE
It was hard losing, even to my lover. For the first time I felt Kaiba's burning desire for a rematch, for revenge. And I saluted a quality I had never granted him before: the resiliency to try to move on to a better dream than mere victory. It seems that the gods he refused to believe in had rewarded him. For ultimately, he had stared down his own demons, not mine.
And in the end, my bitterness at losing was less than my desire to share in his triumph, though it was a nearer thing than I would have admitted to anyone – except Seto, who knew it already. Thankfully, he did not offer sympathy, but something better, a wordless glance of understanding and an embrace, as we left the arena; still my rival and my lover.
I could not forget the words his gentle zephyr had brought me. Words that had left me as shaken and stunned as he now was by his sudden victory. He had offered himself to me so unreservedly, that the force of his devotion had left me speechless even to accept… until Kuriboh had become my voice. And I was grateful that my heart had truly resided in the cards tonight.
Kaiba Corporation's main office was the tallest building in Domino. The top floor was one enormous circular room, with floor to ceiling windows. It was only used for special occasions, Kaiba had sneered, like Board of Directors meetings… or the suicide of its founder. Now Kaiba, with his usual sense of irony, had opened it for the celebration of his latest toy. The party was by invitation, and only duelists were welcome. Kaiba met with his executives in his office downstairs.
They were his new Board of Directors, but already they looked fed up with his moods and eccentricities. They didn't seem pleased to have to follow the orders of the "boy genius," as they dismissively referred to him, no matter how rich he was likely to make them. I wondered how long this group would last.
I had thought that the meeting would give Kaiba a chance to settle down, to absorb his victory, but he looked even more shaken, as we went upstairs to the party. He had avoided my question earlier, but I had seen his eyes when he drew Saggi. I now knew what that card had meant to him. To have watched his precious Blue Eyes White Dragons destroy each other – only to be saved by the card that represented his self loathing and despair – had been almost too much for his equilibrium. It was strange that a man so physically intrepid, with so much endurance and determination, should be so emotionally fragile. But his training and his reputation stood him in good stead. He moved through the party, silent and unapproachable; I doubt anyone noticed anything amiss.
Mokuba, as usual, was celebrating enough for both Kaiba brothers. I had saved him from Pegasus. He had cried himself to sleep in my lap. Now he danced around the room with uncontainable excitement, grinning at me with undisguised glee at his Nisama's victory. He finally fell asleep, despite the noise, on a couch as usual. Kaiba had mumbled something about putting him to bed and disappeared.
Only Kaiba, I thought in exasperation, would walk out on his own victory party. Only Kaiba could leave without anyone noticing his absence. In truth, everyone was too involved with his invention, to spare a thought for its creator.
He had given each of the guests a duel cuff, and everyone was eager to see their favorite cards. Impromptu duels were springing up throughout the enormous room. As I saw my friends' cards come to life, it occurred to me what an acute observer Seto had been, as he had sat there, silent and withdrawn, through those evenings at the Turtle Game Shop. The Flaming Swordsman had Jounouchi's mischievous glint in his eyes, and the same reckless grin. The Black Magic Girl was not all fluff, but had some of Anzu's steel, as she stood on her dancer's legs. The Harpy Lady rose, tall and deadly, but her eyes held the same courage and hint of vulnerability that Mai had shown as she tried to summon God.
Finally everyone packed up their decks and went home. The staff came to clean. Kaiba had not returned.
I didn't worry until I got back to the mansion. Mokuba was in bed. There was no sign of Seto. I went to our room and saw his deck, still in its solid gold duel cuff, in the middle of our bed. Another deck had been placed on my pillow. I picked it up and sat down in shock. Seto had painstakingly recreated Yugi's entire deck. Now we each had our own matching, identical, set of cards. Yugi and I could even duel each other. I looked at the last monster, and the Dark Magician gazed back at me. Seto had carefully attached a note: "The deck is yours. But give this card to Yugi instead. Sometimes only the original will do."
I could have fingered my familiar cards as I waited, but I went through Seto's deck instead, unable to believe he had left it behind. One of his Blue Eyes still had a trace of blood in the corner; he had thrown it at Malik's minion to save our lives. His Empress Judge was scratched. He had used it to jam the gun of one of Pegasus's henchman. I was torn between affection and annoyance – was everything Seto owned a potential weapon?
I sat there waiting, as the night grew older; staring at his dragons as if to see Seto's soul reflected in their blue eyes. I remembered how stunned he had looked, and I couldn't help but wonder: just how had Seto chosen to celebrate his victory?
Please Read and Review: I know – this cliff-hanger is even more sadistic than the last one. It's also necessary to set up the ending, and not just purely from a desire to torture the people patient enough to keep reading this. Everyone was great the last time, so I'm asking once again – in addition to telling me how evil I am, please let me know what you thought of the chapter. Thanks.
AUTHOR'S NOTE: One thing that has always struck me is that no matter how much Yugi's friends at times dislike or distrust Kaiba, they love his inventions. I've always found this curious, since his inventions are so much a part of him.
I've always been struck by how necessary Kaiba's losses at Death-T and Alcatraz were. How, ironically, he needed to lose in order to grow as a person. But here, I felt, a victory was needed, another loss would have negated his struggle. I think Yami realized that. I don't think he 'let' Kaiba win, but that his cards were guided by his heart. However, I still think it would have stung his pride a little (or more than a little), and it would have been difficult for such a proud, competitive person to accept defeat – that maybe that was the final proof of his love.
Deck Note: As those following the manga translations know, Yugi created his own original deck, so they now have two separate decks. However, I wrote this long before the storyline reached that point, and I like the idea of them having matching decks – especially as this one was created originally by Sugoroku.
RESPONSES TO REVIEWS:
animebay-b, AnimeFan-Artemis, anonymous, Crimson Nightmare, Crimson Violet Eyes, Jargonelle, Kagemihari, Shadowfire, Yamato795 – Kaiba's victory, Saggi and Kuriboh: I received so many perceptive reviews, that I have little to add. I felt that just as Kaiba's earlier losses were necessary, another one would send the wrong message. I wanted Kaiba's final card to be Saggi, because that was the card that symbolized his flaws and his defeats, and he has to be able to accept what that card represents – that it can't be simply an ongoing punishment. Once I chose Saggi, to a certain extent the choice of Kuriboh was inevitable – it's the only card in Yami's deck that Saggi is capable of beating unaided. However, the more I thought about it, the more I liked the symbolism – because of all the cards, I think Kuriboh represents the loving side of Yami; the side that would most want to see Kaiba triumph, not at Duel Monsters as a game, but over his own inner demons. So while Yami didn't 'throw' the duel (I can't see him losing on purpose) out of pity (and I don't think he pities Kaiba either) I think the cards were guided by his heart. As to what's going through Kaiba's mind now – you'll have to wait until next chapter.
Shadowfire – Death-T: Actually Death-T got me to write in the first place. I had read a manga translation, and was stunned that K had been willing to kill Mokuba. I kept trying to figure out how he had got to that point, and ended up writing a one-shot, "Is there Life after Death-T?" It was the first piece of fiction I had ever written in my life. I don't think I could write about Kaiba without including Death-T, because I see it as a pivotal moment in his life – equal in importance to his chess game with Gozaburo, or the loss of his parents. Death-T is the moment when he lost himself so badly as to become a danger to Mokuba. For Kaiba, the entire rest of the storyline is about him coming back from that moment. Also I think those early duels show a real connection between Yami and Kaiba. There's a lot of anger there, but Yami is surprisingly gentle with Kaiba – there's a real sense that he wants to help him overcome his dark side as well as punish him for his actions.
samurai-ashes – Teaching Mokuba to play: Games seem to be such a charged subject in the Kaiba house. At Death-T, it's Mokuba's challenge of Yami that helps to drive Kaiba over the edge. At that point, he really believes that losers deserve to die, and that if Mokuba is old enough to be a gamer, he's old enough to take the consequences. So I think they would both be a little scared of playing each other. I think for Kaiba to be able to teach Mokuba to play Duel Monsters would be a sign of healing.
Crimson Nightmare, Desidera, samurai-ashes, vegata999 – Kaiba and Yami: Quite a few people compared the duel to a marriage proposal and acceptance. I really liked the analogy, although it wasn't consciously in my mind when I wrote it. I was, however trying to show the characters falling very deeply in love and using the duel and the cards to express this and their commitment to each other – which when you think about it is (hopefully) exactly what's involved in a marriage.
Smoocher of Evil – 2 ½ chapters: Yeah, that makes no sense. The next update will end the story. It's in two parts, but the first part is so short, I couldn't bring myself to call it a chapter – so I counted it as a ½ chapter. Then I rewrote it, and made the really short chapter a little bit longer, adding to the confusion.
Sunrise and Sunset – Sequel: I find it hard good-bye to these guys too. I find myself involved in their struggles and joys, as if I'm not the one making this all up – almost as if they exist outside of myself. But this story is almost told, and when the words "Complete" go up on the summary, there'll be nothing more I can say about this particular pair. Although I do have other story ideas, all of which involve the Kaiba brothers, and (sometimes) Yami. I'm glad that you've enjoyed the story, and want to read more. I can't think of a nicer compliment.
Female Yami/Yugi – Thank you for the high grade. I started out trying to tell myself a story. I'm thrilled so many others have enjoyed it.