A hush fell over the rowdy party as a tall, robed man strode into the centre of the room. He bowed deeply to the Emperor and the Senator, then rose again and extended his arms.

"Tonight the Bacura School of Gladiators shall give a private performance worthy of only the great Emperor Kaiba himself. For your entertainment, I proudly introduce the gladiators specially selected for this occasion. Diodorus the swift, boasting a strike like that of a cobra! Rumius the merciless, with great power and strength! Finally, Eugi the vengeful, whose soul burns with the flames of loathing! Three great gladiators, each facing the other for better or for worse! May the gods themselves fill each of them with the roar of Titans and the might of Vesuvius!" Eugi swallowed nervously, clutching his trident. Bacura certainly had a way with words. "I present to you… Diodorus versus Rumius! Pugna!"

The two moved into the ring that had been formed by tables, watched from every angle by the wealthy spectators that had the privilege of eating at a Senator's party. The two men circled slowly, their swords raised parallel to the floor, their eyes smouldering behind the visors of their helmets. Diodorus' feathered adornment swayed behind him as he stepped tentatively sideways, following the movement of his friend-turned-opponent.

One of the audience members shouted something along the lines of "get on with it!" and Diodorus leapt forward, swinging his blade with a nimble grace that surprised Eugi. There was a scraping noise as the weapons clashed together, and both men put their weight into their swords, trying to force the other back into a stumble. Strength won out over agility, and Diodorus cried out as Rumius pushed him back. He lashed out blindly, and his strike must have been guided by the goddess Bellona herself; the blade scored across Rumius' face. Though he wore a helmet, the clout was enough to throw off his balance and render his attack futile.

The onlookers cheered, and though the Emperor gave off an air of being indifferent, the truth was that even he was on the edge of his triclinia. Diodorus and Rumius circled again, and Rumius struck first, eager to gain the ground he'd lost. The blades clashed and drew apart, then clashed again as Rumius attacked ruthlessly, Diodorus defending with, as Bacura said, "the swiftness of a cobra's strike." Their swords glittered wickedly in the light of the oil lamps, the smoke let off adding to the dangerous atmosphere.

Sweat trickled down Rumius' exposed back, shining off his skin like olive oil. He paused a moment, panting heavily under his helmet, and regretted it instantly. Diodorus struck out, leaving a long gash across his chest. Had he not jumped back just in time, it would have been a deep wound. They both blinked perspiration out of their eyes, breathing heavily in the warm surroundings. Their strikes became more desperate and erratic, and the air whistled around them as they were caught in a dance of strength, speed, and skill. An awed silence settled around the room, the only sound the intermittent clangs of metal on metal.

Suddenly, Rumius bellowed and charged at Diodorus, running into him with his shoulder. He felt a sharp pain in his side as Diodorus fought to defend himself, but wrenched him back and forced the man to the ground. His blade was at his opponent's throat, and the near-silence was broken as the audience burst into applause. They pulled apart, and a couple of men cheered. Bacura pat both of them on the back, murmuring congratulations to Rumius and consolidations to Diodorus.

There was a break in the action for a moment and the party-goers struck up conversation with each other once more, eating all the while. A couple slaves ran up to Bacura with a basin of water and a cloth. Setting it down, one of the slaves went to tend to Rumius' wounds, when Bacura stopped him.

"You don't know what you're doing. You'll make it worse- go away." He grumbled under his breath as the slave left, and took the cloth and soaked it in the basin of water. Rumius eyed him nervously, obviously unsure of the schoolmaster's abilities as a doctor. Bacura caught his glance as he wrung the extra water from the cloth, bringing it to the slash across Rumius' chest. "Don't give me that look. I've been around wounds for longer than you've been alive. I know what I'm doing."

Despite the reassurance, he flinched as Bacura's calloused hand gripped his shoulder to hold him still. The men chattered on in the background, oblivious to the pain that the gladiators were in. Diodorus had been lucky- he'd only suffered bruises to his side and legs. Rumius, although he'd won the match, was in much worse shape. Blood trickled down his torso, and the wound in his hip was fairly deep.

Bacura wiped away the blood, a dark frown frozen on his features. Senator Holconius' bellowing guffaw was heard over the din made by the rest of the crowd, and the ex-gladiator's frown deepened. Eugi watched his expression change, and had the feeling there was something Bacura knew about the Senator that he didn't.

When Rumius' wounds had been cleaned out and wrapped, Bacura stepped forward once more into the centre of the tables. The chatter slowly died down around him, and his voice cut through the remaining conversation.

"Gentlemen, on to the second battle! I give you the victor of the first battle, Rumius!" The listeners cheered a bit, and said man stepped forward. "Facing him, Eugi!" There was applause again, but it was merely in the interest of being polite. Eugi joined Rumius in the ring, his heart racing like a chariot and his knuckles white from gripping his trident.

Bacura strode out of the battle area, and the fight began.

The two circled, but a nervous tension filled the air, and the pause didn't last long. Eugi swung his trident, but Rumius parried it quickly with his own weapon. The retiarius lashed out again from the side, and the previous victor just barely caught it. He tried to get in close with his sword, but was held off by the sharp, wicked prongs that branched from the pole.

Rumius leapt to the side and swung skilfully, cleaving a deep gash into Eugi's arm. A jovial cry arose from the onlookers and a background murmur started up as men exchanged bets. Eugi turned swiftly, fear flashing momentarily in his youthful, unscarred face, then it was gone and a cold determination took over.

Rumius struck again and Eugi met the blade halfway with the staff of his trident, his arms shaking as they pushed against each other. Then Eugi forced him back, a considerable feat considering the difference in size, and jabbed out with his trident. It slashed three long lines into Rumius' chest, and he let loose a shout of pain. Eugi felt bad for him, and stepped back a bit. It was a signal- an opportunity to surrender.

The brawny young man raised an arm in defeat, dropping his sword and clutching his chest in unvoiced agony. There was a general whistling and shouting of praise throughout the room, although a couple curses could be heard as several men lost a few good denarios to the lure of gambling.

Eugi looked around at feasting men, and suddenly made eye contact with none other than the Emperor. A sudden hatred burned in his soul; this man embodied everything that had killed his family. Greed, power, and the Roman Empire were what murdered everything and everyone he'd ever loved. His fist clenched subconsciously, and the two stared each other down, unblinking. Suddenly, Eugi knew what he had to do. He knew where his revenge lay. He had to kill this man. He was the reason that his life had been torn to pieces. He was the cause for all his suffering. He would pay.

He was about to take a step in the Emperor's direction when he felt a firm grip on his shoulder. Eugi turned around and met Bacura's forceful gaze.

"Let it go, shrimp." He hissed, as if he'd read Eugi's thoughts and knew his intentions. "You've many more battles to fight before you die at a body-guard's blade." The gladiator sighed heavily, and let his balled fist relax and unclench. Bacura's frown lessened, and he went back to Rumius to try and help as much as he could.

Emperor Kaiba turned to the Senator, waving a finger absently at Eugi.

"That man- what did you say his name was?"

"Eugi, my Emperor. They say he comes from a village in Gaul that was burnt to the ground several months ago." Seto snorted, turning away and leaning on his crossed arms with a certain air of ennui that threw Hoclonius off his speech.

'Indeed…' Seto thought to himself darkly, 'I can still see the fire of his village burning in his eyes. I shall have to remember that name. I could make a good amount from a determined one like him, so long as he never loses.'

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Eugi got back to the gladiator school late into the night, the cart bumping and jostling the wounded, exhausted warriors all the way there. Diodorus volunteered to walk Rumius to the infirmary, and so Eugi walked the dark halls on his own. There was something eerie about the way the small oil lamp he carried flickered and cast strange shadows on the walls. As he wandered past someone's room, a face was illuminated against the darkness.

Eugi almost jumped, almost having forgotten that there were no doors separating the rooms from the hallways. The stranger stepped out from the gloom, and Eugi released a sigh when he recognised his friend.

"Iami, you startled me." The taller man nodded, his face giving off an ethereal glow as the light of the lamp danced across his smooth cheeks and supple jaw. Eugi inhaled volubly at the sight of Iami draped against the framework of the door, clad in only a loose cloth that hung poised around his hips in a manner that Eugi was sure defied gravity. The glow of the flame danced across his athletic figure, his lean chest smooth and soft next to the rough, marred beams of wood that supported the doorway.

"You're wounded." Iami stated, waking Eugi from his reverie with his low, purring voice. Eugi absentmindedly moved his hand to the deep lesion in his forearm, wincing.

"Yeah… it'll heal." The young man looked up when a hand was placed on top of his own, the confusion evident in his glittering, violet eyes. "…Iami?" There was no reply other than the gentle stroke of Iami's thumb against the back of Eugi's hand, and then he pulled away and was gone.

"Get some rest, parvior. It's late." Eugi grinned sleepily, taking his palm away from his wound and touching it to his heart lightly. His pulse raced, and soft tingling in the back of his hand served as a reminder as to why.

"Little one? I'm no more than a year or two younger than you." Iami smiled from the shadows of his room, sitting on the edge of his bed.

"True. But I speak not of age; you still have the soul of a young child. It's a shame…" his voice became a touch bitter at this, "…a damn shame that you're forced into a life where you cannot embrace that. I would hate to see this hell turn you into a cold-blooded murderer." He lowered his gaze, dark crimson eyes glittering with an unknown emotion. "Like me." This last part was muttered inaudibly, and Eugi didn't catch the tone of his voice. "Anyways, get to bed. The sun will rise in only so long, and I should think you like sleep as much as the next man."

Eugi nodded, his friend's stern tone not one to argue with. Besides, the truth was that he was exhausted. He went down the length of the hall and turned a corner, finding his way to his room and throwing himself down on the straw bed with a sigh. He set the lamp down and extinguished it clumsily, his eyelids already sagging from want of rest.

As he floated off at long last into dreamland, his fist closed loosely, recalling that shockingly gentle touch. He wondered absently what had been going through Iami's mind, and then forgot it as he allowed his mind to be swallowed up into the dark, forgiving bliss that was slumber.

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Pugna! – Fight!

Bellona – A Roman Goddess of War

Triclinia – A sort of couch… type thing… I'm tired, can you tell?

Denarios – Ancient Roman currency

Parvior – Literally translated to mean "smaller" or "littler" but used by Iami as "Little One"

Thar' ye go, guys. Hope you liked it. Battle a little fluff. Please review, it gives me a reason to work on new chapters. : ) Keep reading and I'll keep writing!