Disclaimer: We have been over this. I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh in any way. Thank you for your time.

Plot: After being defeated by Mutou Yuugi in the Magic and Wizards card game, Kaiba Seto will go at any lengths to get revenge on him and his friends. However, when Jounouchi's little sister Shizuka enters the picture, how will that work to Kaiba's advantage? Nonetheless, the abduction of Shizuka is merely an "upgrade" for his ultimate plan for vengeance. Or rather, the Ultimate Game.
Genre: Romance/Angst/Drama/Suspense
Pairing(s):

Seto/Shizuka

Warning: T (PG-13) (Parent Guidance Suggested) For Scary Scenes, Cursing and Mild Sensuality
-Imperfect Paradise (Yamiko)

To Freeze Her Heart
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By Imperfect Paradise

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-Chapter One-
"Blind Aura"

"Man, Jounouchi, you need to get some better cards…"

"Seriously, even your secret weapon is weak…"

Jounouchi looked sourly up at Yuugi and muttered, "Can it, Yuugi…"

Yuugi grinned, while savoring his success, and leaned back into his chair—cradling his head with his elbows. He suddenly perked up, remembering something. He grinned and reminded his friend, "By the way, Jounouchi, you know the rules—fork over a card!" With that, he held his hand out, his eyes sparkling slightly with anticipating for his prize. Jounouchi groaned before he went through his graveyard pile. Once he found a reasonable card, (Harpy's Brother) he sighed for a moment before he handed it over to Yuugi. He muttered, "Take it—one of my best cards…"

Yuugi took it, shook his head (simply pitying Jounouchi for his terrible luck when acquiring Magic and Wizards cards through the packs he purchased) and sighed, "Just keep collecting, Jounouchi, and in time, you will get better. You know, it took my grandfather five years before he constructed a deck he was happy with—

"Five Years!" Jounouchi exclaimed—almost knocking his desk over as he stood up. However, he was unfortunate enough to have his cards get scattered all over the floor. As they landed one by one on the ground, littering themselves practically everywhere, he shook his head (not very happy) and muttered, "Man…"

As Jounouchi bent down to pick up his cards (with the assistance of Honda and Yuugi), in the back of the room, Kaiba sat in his desk, his eyes glued to his book, seemingly reading. But in truth, he hadn't really been focusing on the novel at all. He had really overseen and overheard the duel between Jounouchi and Yuugi, and saw the basis of their talent. He smirked as he thought, 'Hmph… Even the grade schoolers at the national championship are stronger than them. I could beat them and claim their strongest card without any difficulty at all—'

His eyes suddenly widened as another thought resurfaced in his mind, but they quickly narrowed once again. He remembered the events of the other day, when he had walked into that pitiful shop and saw "the" card that he had always dreamed of having. After several years of searching, he had finally found and seen the Blue Eyes White Dragon. The most powerful normal Monster in Magic and Wizards. He had never expected to find a card like that in Japan—nevertheless in a rundown shop such as that one.

Of course, he had wanted that card—but he had never thought about actually searching for it. For years, he had dreamed of touching even just one of the cards—but now his desire had evolved. He didn't just want to see that card, he didn't want to touch it—he wanted to posses it. To add that card to his collection would mean sovereignty for him in the Magic and Wizards community. Invincibility! His passion had completely exploded—and he had decided he would go at any lengths to have that card.

Still…

He sunk down into his desk, a frown quite visible on his face. The problem was, Yuugi would never sell it—that looser was too loyal to that stupid old geezer. He would never betray him in any situation. He growled softly as he clutched the sides of his hardcover book even more, nearly damaging it.

God damn it! He wanted that card! He wanted it, damnit! Moreover, to deny him that privilege was no acceptable under any circumstances. He then looked down at the ground and thought to himself, 'The question is… How do I get my hands on it?'

Just then, he heard the sound of something slamming against a desk. His vision peered over his book (he wouldn't completely look up—that was more of Jounouchi's style) and saw that the blonde haired dolt was out of his seat, and he was putting his deck (he had just finished organizing it), his binder, his notebook and school-books (he had those?) back into his backpack.

Kaiba's eyebrows rose as he thought, 'Where does he think he's going?'

Yuugi stared at him peculiarly and asked, "Jounouchi-kun, what are you doing?"

Jounouchi stopped in the midst of his packing, looked up at Yuugi for a brief moment before continuing with his preparations for his departure. He grunted as he began to cram what was left of his stuff into his super tight backpack, "Well…(grunt) My little sister gets in… (grunt) a half hour from now. (grunt) I volunteered (grunt) to pick her up."

Honda suddenly looked up at him and asked (his interest piqued), "Really? So she is coming?" Then his face fell when he realized a major problem with the situation. He then looked at Jounouchi and cleared his throat, asking, "Um… she isn't staying with you, is she?"

Jounouchi almost spat before turning towards Honda. He hissed at Honda between clenched teeth (for the hatred he held for his father was unimaginable), "Are you bull shitting me? If I let her stay with me and my dad—god knows what could happen if I was to go off on my own. For instance, what if he comes back home with his friends after Drinking hour? I can't let her be alone with him at that time! That is when that bastard is the worst…"

Yuugi looked up and asked, "So where is she staying? It's obvious that she isn't going to come home with you…"

Jounouchi looked up and motioned his head over towards Anzu. He muttered, "Anzu has already agreed to take her in." As he finished packing away his things, he looked over at her and smiled. "Thanks a bunch, Anzu… You have no idea how much this means to me…"

Anzu looked up from her book and smiled, "Don't mention it, Jounouchi. Friends help each other, right?" With that, she looked back at her novel and continued to read.

Jounouchi smiled and nodded towards her direction just as he swung his backpack over his shoulders. He took in a breath before he stated, "So… Let's get going…"

Anzu nodded for a moment (still reading) before she realized what he was implying. She perked up and chirped, as she closed her book, "Oh! Of course! Forgive me—I am just as dense as you are right now…"

Jounouchi narrowed his eyes. He asked, "What is that suppose to mean?"

Anzu, paying no mind to his words, slipped her book back into the small pocket of her backpack, and walked off with Jounouchi. Yuugi and Honda watched as they walked out the door, leaving the classroom. Honda then looked up at Yuugi and grinned, "Hey, Yuugi… Want to duel?"

Yuugi nodded once, gathered up his cards and organized them into a perfect deck once again. Honda reached into his pocket and pulled out his deck (which was rather small—barely over the forty card limit) and sat down into Jounouchi's seat, ready to take off where Yuugi and Jounouchi had left off.

As they began to draw their five cards, Kaiba continued to watch them out of the corner of his eye. Kaiba, naturally, had overheard the whole thing. He closed his eyes and thought, 'Hmmmm… So, Jounouchi's little sister has come into town. Interesting…' He didn't know what he found so compelling about this news. In fact, a part of him shunned himself for even caring! Then, something severely sinister began churning within his mind, rising higher and higher with anticipation. A mischievous grin formed itself upon his features, and his eyes narrowed dangerously.

With that, he causally closed the book and placed it into his briefcase. He then stood up off of his desk, turned towards the front of the classroom, and began to walk away, the briefcase in his hand. As he passed by Honda and Yuugi, he purposely swung the briefcase directly into Honda's side, causing his eyes to widen. As Honda cried out in pain, Kaiba muttered (emotionlessly), "Forgive me…" and walked away as if he didn't do anything.

As he closed the door behind him, in the classroom, Honda rubbed his side and hissed, "God, that guy is a pain in the ass…"

Yuugi sighed and shared his concerns. "Honda, I am sure he isn't that bad. It was probably just an accident."

Honda muttered, hand at last leaving his side, "Yeah right…" glaring into the direction where Kaiba had left.

As Honda continued to stare at the door vehemently, Yuugi took the liberty of lightly kick Honda in the shin, attempting to get his attention. Honda turned towards his direction, still a little angry from what Kaiba had done and snapped, "What!"

Yuugi raised one of his eyebrows and reminded him, "Your move…"

Honda, finally snapping back into reality, said aloud, "Oh! Right!" He then looked back down at his hand, and tried to come up with a fair combination. After a few moments, he fianlly pulled out a card out from his hand and grinned as he placed it face-up on the field. He grinned, "I will place Hour Glass of Life onto the field and activate it's special ability." With that, he crossed out one thousand life points on a sheet of paper and added 500 attack points to his monster. (A/N 1) He then sat back in his chair and added smugly, "and end my turn."

Yuugi grinned as he took out a card from his hand and placed it on the field. He smiled, "I Play the Evil Knight Gaia (Gaia The Fierce Knight) and attack! I win again!" With that, Honda's face turned into a pure look of utter disappointment…

"Welcome back, Shizuka-Chan…"

Jounouchi reached out for Shizuka's hand, taking it within his own, ready to help his sister off the bus. Shizuka paused for a moment, just before she cautiously took stepped down from the bus. Once she was secure on the Earth, she looked back off into empty space, Anzu eyeing her oddly. Jounouchi's happiness flickered, understanding what was going on. He asked, "Your eye-sight is getting worse, isn't it?"

Shizuka put a smile on her face, trying to clear up any unhappiness and chirped, "I guess, but at least I can see you, Onii-chan." Jounouchi looked at her sadly. "Just barely, yes, but I can make you out. That is what matters, isn't it?"

Jounouchi shook his head, a small smile slowly morphing itself onto his lips. 'So much like Shizuka,' he thought, 'Always trying to keep the happy mood up. I have missed this personality so much.' He then smirked, and reached out for Anzu's shoulder, dragging her over next to him. Anzu narrowed her eyes and while trying to shove Jounouchi's hand off her shoulder, complained, "Hey! Not so hard!"

Jounouchi ignored her and grinned in his little sister's direction, "Anyway, Shizuka-Chan, this is Anzu! You are going to room with her during your visit to Domino City."

Anzu smiled, deciding to let Jounouchi's actions slide for a moment, and reached her hand out towards her, hoping for a handshake. She smiled and commented, "Nice to meet you, Shizuka-Chan!"

Shizuka looked taken aback by this. Not even taking Anzu's hand, she looked at Jounouchi sadly and asked, "Why? I can't stay with you and dad?"

Jounouchi remained silent for a moment. He then sighed deeply, before he answered, "Don't get me wrong, Shizuka… I would love for you to stay with us—but, um… (he exhaled deeply) Dad isn't the same person he used to be." Shizuka looked at him with a confused expression. Jounouchi continued, "Not by a long shot. Trust me Shizuka; it's for your own safety. Besides, Anzu will take good care of you…"

Shizuka looked at him with concern, "What's wrong with him?"

Jounouchi rubbed his hands together and abruptly changing the subject. He said with a happy expression, "Now, let's get your bags and go. This places smells bad." With that, he walked over towards the other side of the bus. Once he was there, he bent over and reached into the side of the luggage compartment and pulled out Shizuka's suitcase. As he stood up, the suitcase firmly in his hand, he noticed a familiar reflection staring at him through the metallic silver metal surrounding the buss. He blinked for a moment, taking into account exactly who that person was. After doing so, he snarled quietly to himself. He cocked his head out behind him, (catching Anzu's and Shizuka's attention) and saw someone he knew all too well, watching them from across the street.

He narrowed his eyes and dropped the suitcase, clutching the hand that was holding it with into a fist. Anzu, staring at her friend oddly, asked, confused, "What is it, Jounouchi?" She then looked over as she saw the figure crossing the street, his silver briefcase in hand. Her eyes widened, before they rolled slightly as she thought, 'Oh, for heaven's sake… He couldn't still mad for what happened yesterday, could he?'

As he walked over towards them, Jounouchi looked as though he was going to explode. His blood boiled inside, clearly remembering what this guy had done to him the other day. Once the boy stood before them (Jounouchi twitching violently), he grinned and said, "Well, well, well—if it isn't the good friends of Yuugi Mutou…"

Jounouchi growled as he flung his index finger out towards him, hissing furiously, "Kaiba, what the hell are you doing here!"

Kaiba closed his eyes, cocked his head over to the side and spoke in an arrogant manner, "Jounouchi—why the negative attitude? Is there something wrong?"

Jounouchi shook violently, his chocolate eyes flashing, a vein pulsing dangerously in his forehead. He spoke through clenched teeth, "You didn't answer my question, you asshole—what are you doing here!"

Kaiba sighed and while clicking his tongue, shook his head back and forth. He explained, "I am not here to cause trouble. I simply forgot to return your photo-graph from the other day." With that, he reached into his pocket and pulled out the worn photograph of his sister (he had straightened it up a bit before he came). Jounouchi stared open mouthed before he took snatched it out of Kaiba's hand. He calculated the damage, quickly analyzing what it had become since the time Kaiba had taken it. His eyes squinted tightly and his teeth bared. He slowly turned towards him and growled, "What did you do to this!"

Kaiba narrowed his eyes and smirked. He then shrugged and said innocently, "I used it for a coaster—is that a crime? It is an extremely beautiful coaster. Oh, and I kind of squeezed it in my hand when something irritated me. Other than that—I would say I didn't do anything to it."

At those words, Jounouchi looked ready to kill Kaiba. But he couldn't. He was barred from doing so. Why? Anzu and Shizuka were watching the scene from directly behind him. No matter what, he had to set a good example for his sister. It was his duty as her older brother and as her temporary guardian…

As Shizuka and Anzu stared at them, Jounouchi growled before he shook his head. He then pointed over towards the other side of the street and growled, "Whatever. You have returned it—now, could you do us all a favor and go away!"

Kaiba smirked and countered, "Why?"

Jounouchi growled, and ran his hands through his hair, hissing angrily, "There is no why about it, you tenacious son of a bitch, now, leave!"

Kaiba simply smirked and walked right past him, as if he was walking by a normal pedestrian who couldn't care less about what he did. This severely pissed Jounouchi off. Jounouchi tried to aim a punch at him, but Kaiba countered by slamming his briefcase into his stomach, sending him directly onto the hard concrete ground. Jounouchi hit the ground with a tremendous force and used all of his power to keep himself from crying out.

As Jounouchi grimaced, Kaiba stood before Anzu and Shizuka. Anzu pushed Shizuka behind her, shielding her from Kaiba's wrath. Kaiba narrowed his eyes and asked, "Mazaki, what do you have against me?"

Anzu narrowed her eyes and asked (or hissed), "How can you badmouth people so casually? We have never done 'anything' to you—so why are you doing this?"

Shizuka looked out into open space, while at the same time, tried to throw a glance at the young man. Although she had said otherwise, in truth, her sight wasn't very good! In fact, it was close to terrible. She had only been reassuring Jounouchi—saying that her sight was better than it actually was. In truth, one of her eyes (the left) had completely failed her, while the other only sent blurry images to her mind—only being able to register movement. Kaiba stared at Shizuka and noticed that she was looking off into empty space. He taunted, "What? Can't see me?"

Shizuka lowered her gaze and spoke, "As I matter of fact—I barely can…"

Kaiba narrowed his eyes and asked, annoyance laced malice in his voice, "Why not?"

Shizuka spoke, tears beginning to form in her eyes from fear of the boy in front of her, "I c-can't help it… I was b-born with it…"

His eyes flashed dangerously (Shizuka unable to know) before he chuckled, "Well, that is a pity, now isn't it?"

With that, Kaiba smirked and used the freedom of his other hand (the one which had not been clasped around the briefcase) and shoved Anzu to the side, away from Shizuka. Anzu screamed as she hit the edge of the bus, causing Shizuka to gasp. However, before she could run over to help her (or at least try to), Kaiba had reached out and grabbed her by the shoulder, preventing her from moving. He then released her shoulder, giving Shizuka a little relief, before grasping Shizuka by the chin, forcing her to look straight at him. He smirked as he stroked her soft skin with his strong, thin fingers. Shizuka shuddered at his touch, his fingers were so cold. Kaiba then leaned closer to Shizuka and he spoke, "Jounouchi's sister, neh?" Shizuka whimpered as his grip tightened a bit. She prevented herself from crying out, yet continued to grimace from the pain. He continued, (not caring in the least that he had hurt her) "I wouldn't have expected him to have a sister like you. The exact opposite reflecting his stupid, ugly and clumsy nature." Shizuka could feel his hot breath against the side of her flesh. He was so close to her—so close. He then spoke, "After receiving the good genes from your parents, I wouldn't be surprised if you were the one who also received the brains, now would I?"

Shizuka's eyes finally hit home and released her tears, causing Kaiba to frown. It was common knowledge to him that tears were instruments of the weak—and he held a great immunity to them. Kaiba, however, hid this feeling, smirked and released her face (Shizuka letting out a sigh), and used the freedom of his hand to stroke one of his fingers across the base of her eyelid, wiping away one of her tears.

Jounouchi, as he finally stood up off the ground, felt rage course through his body. He could only take so much in and his anger was finally unleashed. He roared before running to tackle Kaiba from the side, hands extended before him, ready to give Kaiba his all. Kaiba , however, saw this coming and simply smirked. With that, he forcefully pushed Shizuka foreword, tailing her closely. Shizuka was pushed right against the bus and Kaiba pinning her there with his own body. He then watched from the corner of his eye as Jounouchi missed him and hit the trashcans on the other side of the parking lot in a nose-dive. Garbage scattered everywhere just as Jounouchi made contact.

As her brother moaned in pain on the ground, Kaiba turned to Shizuka and leaned close to her again, perhaps (this time) even closer. He then caressed her cheek with one of his hands and grinned, "Until we meet again…"

With that, he casually left the scene—leaving Shizuka crying in the parking lot, and Anzu rushing over to help Jounouchi. As Anzu peeled bits and pieces of garbage out from his hair, she sighed, "Jounouchi, you shouldn't have done that…"

Jounouchi didn't respond. He was still quite pissed off at what Kaiba had done to him and his sister. He narrowed his eyes and watched as Kaiba turned the corner of the street. He growled (kicking one of his shins out towards his direction), "Kaiba! You are so going to get it some day! Mark my words!"

- TO BE CONTINUED-

The following is not meant to be counter fanfictionDOTnet format. These are merely author notes. They are not meant to counteract the rules or restrictions of the webmaster's policies in anyway. Thank you for your attention.

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Author Note 1 – I am aware that Hour Glass of Life is a normal monster. However, in the video game "Reshef of Destruction" it actually had a special ability. You can add 500 attack strength to Hour Glass of Life and all the monsters on the field—with the cost of one thousand life points. It is very handy at the beginning of the game—but once you move on to Malik, it is pretty much useless.