A/N: What's up, my loyal readers? Hope life is treating you pretty good, here's a little YGO/Hoops action to help you through the day. Enjoy!

Chapter 14: The Dark Side of Nathan Colby, Part I

Tristan looked up at the scoreboard of Freedom Hall. It was no where near the outcome he wanted, substitute coach or not.

Cardinals: 97

Saints: 48

He looked over his team, and couldn't figure out anything to say. Their coach was suspended, and arguably their best player was sitting out the final game of a suspension of his own. Complete chaos had destroyed the delicate chemistry of the team, and Tristan was thanking any higher power that existed that he wouldn't have to figure out how to fix things by himself.

Well, it appears the Domino City Saints have gone back to their 'Aints' form. This is a truly embarrassing loss for Tristan Taylor, who became the youngest coach to ever coach a college basketball game. Anything good you can get out of this, Don?

Seto Kaiba sat on the bench, in a warm-up suit instead of his traditional suit and trenchcoat. His gaze wasn't at the clock, or the score, or anything on the basketball coat. He was staring at the sister of his longtime rival and current teammate, and was wondering if he would ever have the chance to make up for what he had done earlier that week….

To be honest, Jimmy, the only good part about a loss like this is that you can get the hell out of here and get ready for the next game…that's about all I can think of.

Yami sat down on the bench, his eyes focused on the floor. Tristan had benched all the starters and most of the backups early in the second half, giving people who hardly play a chance to gain some experience. What was going on in this game was troubling him, but that was a distant second compared to a certainyoung womansitting in the stands...

Three...two...one...and that will be the end of this beating. Louisville wins here at Freedom Hall going away by the count of 102-54. Lousiville ups its record to 5-1, the Saints fall to 0-3. We'll be coming to you from Baton Rouge next time you hear us, as the Saints face the Louisiana State Fightin' Tigers in the Pete Maravich Assembly Center. For Don Shaefer, I'm Jimmy Garnet, we'll send it back to HQ for scores and updates after the break. You've been listening to the Domino City Radio Network, Goodnight.

The team sat in their locker room in silence. Tristan didn't even address the team. Yugi threw down his bag in frustration, kicking and shouting an obscenity in the process. Even this highly unusual occurance went unnoticed. After the events of the night previous, he had worries of his own.

Nathan turned off the T.V. in disgust, his father and brother-in-law beside him.

"That was terrible...a truly horseshit performance!"

Nathan's father glanced over at his son with a look of surprise. "Nathan, I didn't know you used such language!"

"Sorry, Dad...It's just that they can play so much better than that! I don't know what to do now..."

"Yes you do, son. Or they wouldn't have hired you in the first place. I know what I would do, but I'm just some old guy talkin'. It's your team." With that, the elder Colby got up and left the living room, leaving Nathan and Chris alone.

"Well...what are you going to do?"

"You remember what my dad did after we lost a game, right?" Chris cringed slightly at the memory.

"Yeah, but do you think they can handle it Nathan? They don't appear to really get along with themselves...are you sure you want to do this? You might lose the team!"

"I'm pretty sure." Nathan looked out the window, his view of the moon obstructed by cloud cover. "How's Susie doing? You know that I'll kick your butt if she's not happy!"

Chris laughed hysterically at the mock-threat. He had married Nathan's younger sister Susie three years prior.

"She's fine, big brother. We're expecting a baby soon."

"Really? How along is she?"

"Six months to be exact...and I'm hating every second of it." Nathan turned around to see his younger sister standing before him, her auburn hair tied back in a ponytail, her dark brown eyes full of sarcasm. "Well, aren't you going to give your little sister a hug?"

"I don't think I should..." With that reply Nathan found his ear in a painful grip thanks to his sister. "OK, OK, You win!"

Brother and sister laughed, exchanging a warm heartfelt hug. "It's good to see you again Nathan."

Meanwhile...Back at Freedom Hall:

Yami and Joey sat side by side as they rode back to their hotel in heavy traffic, an eerie silence hovering over the two. Both had something they wanted to say, but was hoping the other would speak first.

"Um...Joey...I just want to say that I'm..."

Joey cut off his longtime friend. "Yami...let's let the past stay past, OK? There's no need to apologize for what you did. Heck, if it were me, I probably woulda done da same thing."

"But...Kaiba and I...I don't know how we're going to coexist after this."

"Dats between you and Moneybags...Let me get some sleep, will ya?" Yami shook his head as Joey nodded off to sleep.

Yugi sat beside Seto Kaiba at the back of the bus, both reading some books to pass the time. Yugi put down his World History textbook and decided to ask a question that everybody in Domino City probably wanted to hear the answer to.

"Kaiba...do you like Serenity?"

Kaiba glared hard at the smaller Yugi, causing Yugi to slide towards the edge of his seat.

"No..."

Yugi breathed a sigh of relief, thinking that the tension between his brother and Kaiba may finally be squashed.

"I think...I think I love her..."

At that, Yugi fell off the edge of his seat, stunned.

Malik, Duke, and Bakura sat, checking their email on a laptop that Malik had brought along.

"We sucked it up tonight, didn't we?" Malik said, his spirits down.

"Yup...are you going out after we get to the hotel?" Duke said, reading an e-mail from his family.

Malik rubbed his sore shoulder. "I don't know...I'm not much in a party mood tonight."

"Let me see that Ra-damned laptop...I'm expecting some news from home." Bakura said, his voice seeping with fatigue.

"OK! Here...I'm finished." Duke nearly threw the laptop to Bakura...causing Malik to chastise him in a rather colorful manner.

"So...Duke, have you talked to Serenity since all that crap happened?"

The raven-haired Devlin shook his head. "I saw her in Chemistry class before we left, she was like a zombie. I don't think I heard her say a word all class."

"What? This can't be!" Bakura stared at the screen as if he had seen a ghost.

"What is it, man?" Duke asked, his voice filled with a mix of concern and annoyance.

Bakura stuttered, unable to get the words out. Malik looked at the screen, read a couple of lines, and laughed. "Your brother Ryou is comming here next semester? Why the heck are you so upset?"

"Because he's like you two fools!" Bakura spat out, then gave the computer back to its owner.

Meanwhile, at the Colby Residence...

"So big brother...are there any special women in your life right now?"

This question always made Nathan nervous. He really hated to talk about his dealings with the opposite sex; they usually didn't end on a positive note.

"Well, sis...there are two women...that are special to me right now."

Susie raised an eyebrow. "Are you dating TWO women at the same time?"

Nathan raised his hand dismissively. "No...that's not it. You see...one of them I used to date a long time ago. We had our problems sure, but I never really stopped caring for her. As for the other girl...she's smart, polite, and probably the prettiest thing I've ever laid eyes on. To be honest...I don't know what to do."

"All I can say is follow your heart. You have to make a choice before this gets out of hand." Susie gave her brother another hug, and went back into the kitchen.

The next morning...Nathan headed back to Domino City, his task more daunting than ever.

Next time: The team gets an up-close look at Nathan at his worst as they prepare to visit LSU. And what exactly happened the night of Joey's birthday party? WillNathan choose the girl of his dreams or the girl of his past?All will be answered!

ANIME RUTHLESS...BROKEN BOW...READ THIS! Seeing that you two won my prize for the last chapter, let me tell you what it is. Is there a character or a couple or conflict in this story that you would like me to focus on? Let me know by either review or e-mail, and I'll dedicate that particular chapter to you, with the couple, character, or conflict in mind. I know, its not exactly a great prize, but a prize nevertheless.

Now...thank-you's to go around:

The Broken Bow: Yes, the Final Four will soon be upon us! Ahhh...I've got to get my brackets ready, my popcorn poppin, and my radio dial up because my LSU Fightin' Tigers will be taking part. I just love this time of year...Oh...thanks for your review!

Telecoi: Hmm...Yami/Serenity paring...It could happen. But the question I pose to you is this: Should I? Thanks for your review.

Anime Ruthless: I know, I know...0-3 isn't exactly the best record for a team to start with. And Joey...well from the looks of things, I don't think he knows exactly what to think yet! LOL...anyway, thanks for your review.

RoseGoddess874: Interesting situation with Kaiba, Serenity, and Yami indeed! I'm not sure where this love triangle will end, but if you have a suggestion, feel free to share! Thanks for your review, and I'll be checking out your work as soon as I'm done here.

LeighC and Shy: Thanks to you both for reviewing. The thunder and lighting crack was a paraphrase of a quote from one of the Rocky movies, it cracked me up when I was writing it. I'm glad I perked up Shy a little bit, you shouldn't worry about the annoyance factor with me, because it takes a hell of a lot for me to be annoyed with anybody, much less somebody as nice as you. Thanks again you two!

Well, if you haven't done it yet, I strongly urge you to check out my other Yugioh fics, YUGIOH HEROES: BOOK ONE, and ANGRY PEOPLE. If you like this, then you may like them. Don't ask me how good they are, I just write em

That's all there is, there isn't anymore.

BigLos...out