A/N: Hey loyal readers, welcome! It's a RAINY, RAINY day here in the Southeast, and here's the product of my boredom. Hope you like it…anyway, mailbox first, then the Dragon's Lair…
The Broken Bow: I was trying to stir up memories of the old "People's Eyebrow" (via The Rock)…then I realized how much the idea sucked. Some questions will be answered in this chapter, while others will wait for an answer…Thanks for reading friend!
Anime Ruthless: Thanks for reading, and you were dead on with your UNC pick! Nice. Why don't you like Illinois anyway? Just asking….
Telecoi: Don't worry…Little Yugi has at LEAST another chapter of life in him, so don't worry…yet. Glad you like the name change, and thanks for reading!
Shy and LeighC: You two are crazy! Anyway, thanks for reading, and good luck with the updates!
Jmeg: New reader! Welcome, and thanks for reading. Like I said earlier, don't worry. Yugi will not die, at least not yet anyway. I hope you continue to read.
Below this line lurks about two or three min. worth of randomness I like to call…the Dragon's Lair!
What do Roy Williams, The Baylor Women's Basketball Team, and Tiger Woods all have in common? They all won their respective championships in the last week and a half. Roy, he's been working at this for a long time, and he was WAY past due. Congratulations. Tiger, very emotional time in his life with his marriage, his father's illness and his critics' constant ramblings stating that he's already past his prime. Shut up! The guy's 29, and already has more majors than most people have WINS on tour! You go, Tiger! And what can I say about Baylor? The Athletic Department as a whole has been in the wilderness for almost a quarter century, and the tragic murder of a player (followed by a cover-up) on the Men's Team gave them an even bigger black eye. I hope this stunning victory by the women keeps the healing process going at the school in Waco, Texas.
You will rarely hear me speak about my political views here, but I have to get this out…. Bill O'Reilly is an Ahole. Really. I can't stand the guy. It's not because of his political beliefs; I have respect for values when the aim is to better our communities and our nation as a whole. But when you TRAMPLE over other people's time to speak, when you call out the Pope days after he died for his role in the War on Terror, I lose respect for you as a human being. Is he always wrong? Absolutely not. Is he likeable? Well…. not from where I sit!
That's all for that. Now on with the fanfic, and if you're a sports fan, you should enjoy this one pretty much!
"In my entire adult life, I have never used the term 'game-face'. I have no goddamn idea what it means or what you're supposed to do." Bobby Knight, former basketball coach at Indiana University.
Chapter 19: Brothers in Arms
These young men are only moments away from the biggest game of their lives! What could be going through their minds right now?
Domino East Locker Room…Joey lay asleep, in his green and white jersey and warm-up suit, his head cocked against his locker.
"Mai…lips…so soft…" He rambled on in his sleep, leaving little doubt of what he was dreaming of.
"That's our captain…" Duke spat out sarcastically as he tied up his sneakers, ready for action.
"Are you ready, Yugi?" Yami asked, stretching his limbs.
"Of course! It's only the biggest game of our entire lives!" Yugi smiled as he half-joked with his twin brother.
At this point, one of the assistant coaches came into the locker room. His blonde hair was in a buzz cut, and his blue eyes had intimidated players for nearly twenty years of coaching.
"Goodness gracious…WHEELER!"
"Whaaaaaaaaaaaat!" Joey was shaken awake by the man's massive hands.
"The biggest game of your life, and you fall asleep 10 minutes before tip-off? What are you thinking? GET YOUR TAIL UP RIGHT NOW, YOU LAZY SLACKER!"
The entire locker room burst with laughter as the blonde jumped up with a start and began his stretching exercises.
Meanwhile…Domino West Locker Room"POP, POP, POP, POP, POP! That's what I want, all of you around that ball! You will press ALL NIGHT!"
Seto Kaiba, and his brother Mokuba, sat patiently as their coach gave them and their teammates a long-winded, emotional speech before game time.
"I can't coach you anymore, men. This is your time to showcase what you have learned as athletes. YOU are the defending state champions; it's THEM that have to take it from YOU! Remember that when you step out on that court tonight…"
Well ladies and gentleman…here we are! Let's go to the PA for the starting line ups…Welcome ladies and gentlemen to the 2003 New York High School Basketball Championship. Introducing first, the starting line-up for Domino East High School, coached by Gerald Goodman…
At center, a junior standing 6'8'', Hugo Morris
At small forward, a senior standing 6'4'', Ryan Woods
At third guard, a sophomore standing 6'4'', Duke Devlin
At shooting guard, a junior standing 5'5'', Yugi Mutou
At point guard, a junior standing 5'10'', Joseph Wheeler
And now, the starting line-up for the defending state champions, Domino West High School, coached by Tony Gaines….
At center, a sophomore standing 6'10'', Joseph Orion
At small forward, a senior standing 6'6'', Robby Quinn
At power forward, a freshman standing 6'8'', Yogi Davis
At shooting guard, a freshman standing 5'8'', Mokuba Kaiba
At point guard, a junior standing 6'4'', Seto Kaiba
These Domino West Paladins are a very, VERY good basketball team, people. Rumor has it that five of their players have already signed Division I letters of intent! (1) These rivals have played three times this season, Domino West crushing Domino East in the first meeting, 108-79. In the second meeting, Domino East stunned them on the West side of the city, 89-84. In the final game of the series, Domino West came from behind on Domino East's home floor 79-76 to spoil Senior Night for the Cougars and clinch the District championship. Seto Kaiba has been big in all of these games, scoring at least thirty points in each outing.
Domino East in it's green jersey, they are the visiting team, Domino West in it's white and purple home jerseys… There's the tip and this one is underway!
Flashback To Be Continued…now in the present…As Nathan sped down the streets of Domino in his Ford, the upcoming tussle with Naval Academy slipped further and further down the priority list. First, he silently prayed that something could be done for little Yugi, whether he played basketball again or not was far from relevant. He wanted to make sure he was alive first. Soon his thoughts turned to Yugi's twin brother Yami, and Nathan hoped that the boy wouldn't have to relive the painful fate that had befallen him more than a decade earlier…
Flashback1992 Football Season
Glenmora High vs. Holy Savior Menard High
Ratliff Stadium
First down and ten yards to go for the Glenmora Wildcats, they have the ball on the Menard Eagle 36…Nathan Colby under center, his brother Mike lined up as the tailback in the Maryland I formation…Nathan calls the signal and tosses the ball out to his brother on the sweep play to the left side…Mike breaks a tackle, turns the corner, IT'S A FOOT RACE! Down the sideline he comes, He's to the 20, 15,10, 5, that's a Wildcat touchdown! The LSU commitment with his third touchdown of the day, and the Wildcats lead is now 41-18 with 3:36 left in the fourth quarter.
Nathan smiled as he went to the bench. His brother, an All-American in both basketball and football, was his idol, and Nathan treasured the time they spent together, on and off the field. On his way to the bench, he could hear his brother joking with their head coach.
"You're gonna let me kick the PAT this time, right coach?" Mike had green eyes like his younger brother, but his muscular, lean build and his blonde hair, medium length, made him the envy of all the males on campus and every girl's dream date.
"Not this time, son."
"Hey, you promised! Pleeeeeeeeze?"
"You've done enough. Go on and sit down on the bench, save your strength for the playoffs."
"You were awesome out there, Nathan."
Nathan sat down next to his long-time friend Chris as they watched the final seconds tick away.
"Me? I didn't do anything! All I did was give the ball to Mike, and he scored."
The redhead shrugged his shoulders. "Doesn't matter. You didn't fumble the ball, and you didn't get hurt…good enough for me."
Nathan laughed. "Uh-oh! Menard just scored…Wilkins is gonna blow a gasket!"
"Yeah right, that old fart keeps on screaming like that, he'll wind up in the morgue."
After the game…
"Hey, Mike! Me and Jessie were gonna go out for a while, let me use your car."
Nathan knew that he was facing an uphill climb, but decided to surge on anyway.
"I'll fill it up after I'm done…so you gonna-"
"Sorry little bro…got a date tonight." Mike was combing back his blonde locks, making sure that every strand was neat and in order. He had on his "Glenmora Football" T-shirt, blue jeans, and his Letter jacket, adorned with patches displaying numerous honors.
"C'mon…Mom said that we were supposed to share the car, remember?"
"Take it easy, kid. You and Jessie can go and make out somewhere else. Doesn't she have a truck or something?"
The younger Colby quickly frowned. "It's not like that…me and Jessie aren't in that kind of relationship."
Mike restrained a laugh. "Horse shit! I've seen the way she looks at you, she wants it bad. You know it, and I know it! You better get her now before some 6'2'', blue eyed mountain of muscle sweeps her off her feet!"
Nathan rolled his eyes at his brother. "Whatever…just be careful, OK?"
"Always little bro…see ya!"
With that…Mike Colby walked out of their shared bedroom to the Volvo that they shared.
Nathan would not see him alive and well ever again….
End of Flashback…Meanwhile…in Downtown Domino
Serenity slid her fork around the spaghetti that had been served to her minutes earlier. "I remember that game, I was in the pep band that year, and we came to the game. I think Tea was a cheerleader too, I'm not sure…"
"No wonder she's so stupid…" Kaiba muttered under his breath. He had come across Tea several times, and found her to be nothing more than a nuisance.
"I heard that! She's my friend, and you shouldn't make fun of her." Serenity had put down her fork, and was shooting Kaiba a steely glare.
"Whatever…"
Kaiba took another sip of his drink as he reminisced more on the championship game of years past.
It's been all Domino West so far, they lead early on here in the second quarter 23-10…Carlos Smith (2) has come into the game for Mokuba Kaiba, and he will get the ball in the half-court set. He dribbles, OH! A KILLER crossover on Yami Mutou, he blows by and lays it up and in! The Arkansas signee, who was benched in favor of Mokuba at the beginning of the season, having an impact off the bench…
Smith with the steal…he and Seto Kaiba running on the break, Smith throws it off the backboard…and Kaiba slams it home! What a fantastic play by the senior! Coach Goodman calls time-out, his Cougars down 38-20…Seto Kaiba and Carlos Smith have as many points as the entire Cougar squad combined at the moment, and Domino East just can't get anything established right now on the offensive end.
(1) Letters of Intent are just papers saying that a player has committed himself to play for a college or university on an athletic scholarship.
(2) Carlos Smith is just an OC version of lil ole me, who can play basketball a helluva lot better!
Well, that's it people. I think this one is a little longer than some of its predecessors, and I hope you enjoyed it. Anyway, thanks for taking time out of your day (or night) and please leave a review on your way out! Off to update more fics, I'm out!
BDB…out