Summer Days by Ashford2ashford

Disclaimers: Don't…own….yu…gi…ohhhhhhhhhhhhhh!

Rating(s): Aaaaarrrrrrrrrrrrr… no. seriously. R.

Paring(s): sighs I dunno. If any it's Yugi/Seto/Jou…but it's not much of a pairing as it is a friendship…

Genre: shrugs drama/romance?

Other Notes: I wrote this on a crappy spring day. A British spring day…so you can guess why it's 'crappy'. This is how I'd love our summers to be, but it's also a new type of fan fiction for me as it is NOT about the GHOULS! I hope you all love my impression of Seto, Jou and Yugi…and don't worry about the mindless violence at the beginning…there is indeed a method behind the madness…anyways, enough ranting…on with the show! (And I still can't resist Pandora quotes ¬¬)

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…

Yugi stirred in his sleep and opened his beautiful lavender eyes upon a world of sunshine and a crisp morning breeze. With a soft "gyahh" sound, the little one yawned and then blinked a few times, rubbing his eyes with the back of his hand dreamily. It was a beautiful summer day and at six in the morning – as it were now – the early morning air was as crisp as the frost of the Japanese Winters. The little one adored these summers, it was the only way to enjoy them without having to cope with the dehydrating heat of the afternoon, and the darkness of the night.
Gently, his soft bare feet touching the material of the rug on his floor, he stood at his bedside and stretched, his small body drawn to its full proportions in this moment. It had become habit getting up this early. Ever since the Battle City, the trip to America, and the collapse of the Egyptian bonds, the small duellist had developed unusual habits. He had become silent and subdued, coping with his own college work as he saw fit, and working until late in the afternoon, tiring himself out. To make matters worse for his friends, he had taken to going out at exactly six-fifteen every morning so that he might enjoy the morning before any of his friends (and/or enemies) awoke. In short, the affairs with the shadows of the darkness and the memoirs of the Egyptian puzzle of the Gods had taken their toll on World Champion Yugi Mutou. Even the cold and frozen heart of Seto Kaiba had sunk when the small purple/blonde/black-haired teen had come to his office personally to ask whether he could request that the Heir of Kaiba Corporation could stop inviting him to tournaments, because he really had no time for duelling any more.

Seto Kaiba was a different matter altogether. In losing Yugi, he had lost a rival, and the tournaments he often held were just a mere excuse to prove to the world that he was second best to the champion and that he was not willing to just up and retire like that. Katsuya Jounouchi hadn't given up either, and the brown-haired CEO would be damned if he let the puppy win a tournament!
Jounouchi also seemed to take duelling as a chore nowadays, Myazaki Anzu and Hiroto Honda always being there for him to support and cheer for him, but without Yugi, without that little ball of sunshine and smiles next to the duelling platforms, duelling was just another game in which he had to win, to prove that he wasn't the puppy that Kaiba had branded him as. During duels, he often turned his head to the stands, half-expecting to see those beautiful eyes full of enthusiasm, but they never appeared. From the other side of the field, Seto Kaiba would know this, and would respect the blonde for this, for he too was beginning to feel emptiness inside where Yugi Mutou had once been. Having the reputation and fame wasn't enough…he needed the person who kept his soul inside the game.

So on that perfect summer morning, when Yugi Mutou had stepped out of bed, he hadn't known, hadn't been expecting anything but routine. Clipping his belts into place, and adjusting his tiny black vest so that it covered his hips (he remembered that his old friend/partner Atemu had commented on how sexy he looked with it rising over his hips and so Yugi hadn't worn it that way since) he stepped out of his room, with nothing on him but an empty deck box at his hip and a set of keys with a few key rings attached to his belt. The deck box was always empty nowadays, his deck in the glass cabinet of his Grandfather's shop so that everyone could see a champion's deck along with the beautifully designed God cards. No one had tried to steal or buy them either…previous brushes with thieves and jealous rivals had taught everyone that Yugi Mutou always got back what was his, and that had earned him respect.

With a series of tiny and quiet footsteps, he stepped out into the cool morning air and smiled. His eyes showed the tired gaze of a thinker – one who always has a lot on his mind – but the smile was trying its best to be noticed as a genuine one, for he did feel like smiling and laughing, it was just more of an effort with the strange emotions within him. He set off at a jogging pace, breathing regularly and gently, his eyes focused only on the road ahead, and what lay beyond. A romantic image in other's eyes, a routine for Yugi Mutou…
Upon entering the park, a place that looked fresh and new in the early morning rays of sunshine, he was suddenly aware of two others within his own space of path. Two others were stood ahead of him, one with his/her arms folded, and the other with his/her hands in his/her pockets, the shadows of the cherry blossom trees hiding the faces of the two. Instinct led him to attempting to jog past them, and as he neared it seemed he would succeed…but he didn't. The two stepped out into his way, and the little one was halted in his tracks. Instead of facing up to them, however, Yugi merely turned his head to one side and looked at the floor, his eyes reflecting an emotion of hesitance, embarrassment, and sadness.

"Excuse me." His voice was low and timid, sounding much like the breath of the feather, "Umm…could you please allow me to pass. I'm not looking for trouble and I don't know what you want, but I just want to continue my jog. My grandfather is at home on his own and I want to get back before he wakes so that I can go to college as soon as he sees me in the morning. Please…"
The figures didn't interrupt him, nor did they stop him from speaking. They both listened attentively until the boy had given his un-required speech, and then one spoke in a voice that jarred Yugi into full awareness because it was so familiar. Yugi couldn't help but look up.
"We understand, Yugi Mutou, that your home life is truly more important than meeting up with low level's like us – at least, that's how you perceive us – but we have urgent business with you, and whether you like it or not you're going to have to face the fact that there are people out there that wish to speak with you, even if you are an unsociable little demon!" The figure with the low commanding air about him finished and turned to the side, his arms still folded, and then his face came into the light, and Yugi began to feel like the reality of this situation was like a slap in the face.

"Seto Kaiba!" Yugi cried out suddenly, his eyes wide and genuinely shocked, "W-what? What's going on? Why are you here? Don't you have work?"
It was not that he was deliberately trying to get away from the taller, much more muscular teen, but Yugi certainly was unprepared for a confrontation with the people he had been trying to ignore at the moment! If this figure was Seto…then the other was undoubtedly…
"He's pullin' a sick day, Yugi." Katsuya Jounouchi stepped into the light also, but instead of looking at Yugi as Seto had, he merely turned his face away and closed his eyes, speaking through gritted teeth, "He's pullin' a sick day so that he can come an' speak to you. An' we're gonna have to insist that you come with us Yugi. You been pissin' a lot of people off lately with your new found depression. If you don't come with us now…we're gonna make you, Yugi Mutou."
With that said, the blonde looked up and Yugi was taken aback for a few moments, for within the blue eyes that had once burned with passion and love, there was now anger and malice, and Yugi had a brief reminder of the time when Malik had controlled Jounouchi…the eyes were exactly the same…no love, no mercy, and no second chances…just determination to take Yugi down. Another thing which had made Yugi start was also the fact that Jounouchi had used his full name and had hissed it like a curse. All informalities and friendliness had gone…Jounouchi no longer saw Yugi as a friend…

"No." Yugi took a step back and his eyes were full of fear, "No. I don't want to come with you. I'm…I'm…I'M GOING HOME!" He turned and began to run, but as he did he saw a shadow move up to the side of him and a hard metal case swing in his direction. With a startled cry he was flung off balance, Seto Kaiba's briefcase connecting with his face, sending him running in the direction of Seto's choice. Yugi had seconds to look up into the fact of Jounouchi as the taller boy brought his fists down hard on the back of Yugi's head, rendering the boy flightless as he tripped and fell into the long grass near the running path, falling with all air pushed out of him by the impact. The last thing he saw was a bright flash and the ground beneath him…

…

…

Kaiba jogged over to the fallen boy and then placed his briefcase down on the grass gently, kneeling at the boy's side, where Jounouchi was already. He looked up into the other boy's eyes and saw that they were looking back, a cold and hurt expression on his face. With a gentle motion, Seto Kaiba turned the boy over and scooped him up into his strong and capable arms, watching and waiting with unnatural patience as Jounouchi pulled grass out of Yugi's hair and clothes, and wiped the dirt off the boy with a handkerchief from within his pocket (AN: Unnatural for Seto Kaiba to say the least).
"Was it necessary?" Jounouchi looked up into Kaiba's eyes with an unreadable expression. Kaiba cocked his head to one side and then looked down at Yugi, "You mean the way we knocked him out and what not? Yes. It was. You agreed to this, puppy, and I agreed also. This is a lost soul. We are the angels of salvation…live with it."

…

…

There was a feeling of warmth and the sensation of being wrapped in cotton, and then Yugi Mutou opened his eyes and realised where he was. Moving his body into a sitting position, he curled up more so when he realised that he was in the Kaiba mansion and this was one of many four post beds that the CEO had inside his mansion, and this was one of many bedrooms in said mansion, etc.
He pulled aside the blankets and stepped out, his eyes wide and his lower lip trembling with a new kind of feeling that Yugi couldn't quite place. Nervously, he tiptoed across the floor and tried the door once, twice, three times, and then frantically.
He was locked in!
They couldn't do this to him, could they? When he thought about his experience this morning, he realised that they could and would and had done. Whimpering, he also realised that this was also his own fault, and his misfortune was as a result of his own rejection of his friends. He had acted cold and heartless and had been selfish…this was, in a way, his punishment…and he felt it to the very core of his being…

He sank to the floor, his knees buckling beneath him, and then bit his lips as tears flowed down his face, dripping onto his trembling hands and onto the fine blue rug of the bedroom floor. Choking, he sank even more, his eyes squeezing tightly shut against his tears, and his little nose sniffling with sorrow. Repenting. That was what he seemed to be doing here. Repenting for betraying his friends.

At the sound of a click, he looked up and to his surprise, the door swung outwards, into the hallway, and then Kaiba stepped into the room, shutting and locking the door behind him. At first, he looked around in confusion and then down when he heard the choked sniffle uttered from Yugi (his height made it near impossible to notice people smaller than him at first). With an unreadable expression, he knelt, lowering himself to eye level with the small trembling figure.
"What are you doing on the floor, Yugi Mutou? Are you feeling sorry for yourself again?" Yugi's insides froze up suddenly. When he looked deeper into Kaiba's eyes, he could see a year of hurt and sorrow, and in his voice he heard a bitter tone that sang of blood, "Are you? Well…if you are, then you are quite right to. You've turned into quite the pitiful worm. A self-centred, depressed, couldn't-care-less-about-anyone-else worm! Are you expecting me to hold you tightly because you are crying? Are you? If you are, then you're wrong, Yugi Mutou! Very, very wrong! I will sit here, and I will watch you cry and curl up like a dying maggot, and then I'll wait for you to face me! Face me like the man you will soon become! Face me and never look back on this past year! You hear me, Yugi? I, Seto Kaiba, am calling you out! Duel me! Let's see the King of Games stand up to his worst fears! Rejection, no friends, hatred, malice, darkness, and, of course, me! These are what you fear, Yugi! Face them all when you face me! If you don't…if you don't (his voice became softer and seemed to be wracked with tears that Yugi could not see)…I'll do all this again! I'll hurt you again and again until you either become a lifeless shell or stand up to what you taught me to believe in…myself!"

With that, there was the billow of the long coat in the harsh motion of Seto standing and turning, and then the brown-haired teen was gone, an echo of his words the only thing remaining, the clicking of the lock as a last motion of how serious he was.
Yugi remained on the floor for some time, his eyes wide with tears and his mind swimming with Seto's words.
"I, Seto Kaiba, am calling you out! Duel me! Let's see the King of Games stand up to his worst fears! Rejection, no friends, hatred, malice, darkness, and, of course, me! These are what you fear, Yugi! Face them all when you face me!"

It was true.
It was exactly as he feared, and he didn't know why. Seto had been a strong opponent before, mentally and physically in the duelling world, but in real life, with real consequences and real problems, he was a source of fear. An unpredictable opponent whose next move was not judged by cards or tactics, but rather by mind and emotion and physical properties. The cards were card and nothing more, but Seto Kaiba was a feeling, breathing, talking, and living creature. Not only capable of free thought, but capable of emotion and touch…and Yugi knew that, had always known that, always would know that…
"I'll hurt you again and again until you either become a lifeless shell or stand up to what you taught me to believe in…myself!"
Was that what Seto really thought? Was it true? The great Seto Kaiba influenced by his own rival? In a way, Yugi supposed this was also true. It was known that a duellist needed a rival, and once they had become rivals they had learnt from each other. Yugi had learnt about the strength of a duellist and the inner emotions that led to hate and malice being the only way to defeat some opponents – ruthlessness and getting over your own losses to come back stronger than ever! Seto had learnt about the heart of the duellist and how the soul and mind work together as one to create a chemical inside a person that allowed for flawless victory and gentle tones. Also, both duellists had learnt about teamwork, and how a rival is also a friend and ally when you want them to be, and always will be…

"Seto…" Yugi weakly gave a squeak of fear and then looked down at his own tiny form, still half-fallen half-knelt on the ground. He hadn't known how thin he had become, nor had he seen the fact that he was now dirty and bloodied from his fall in the park.
Seto and Jounouchi were doing this to help him. They had wanted to help him for so long and he had refused to listen. Only now that it was too late, now that he had lost respect, that he realised that…

…

…

"I hope you weren't too harsh on him."

Silence.

"I heard you shouting from all the way down here you know."

More silence.

"He's probably crying again. There's been no noise."

Silence.

"Seto?"

"Yes, puppy?"

"Are you feeling alright?"

"Like a dog that's been kicked. Why?"

"So you're having second thoughts about doing this to him too, huh?"

"It wasn't so bad when we got him in the park. He looked stronger then. But now that I've seen him in…that state…I just…I don't know how to react. He's Yugi Mutou. Whenever I saw him in the past, however upset or hurt or angry he was, he'd always be strong, able to pick himself up from the dirt and rise from the ashes like the phoenix.
"However…seeing him looking so vulnerable like that, lapping up each word in his beautiful eyes, seeing my expressions, and taking in everything I was saying, shivering and flinching at each movement…it reminded me of a lost soul…and I felt for the first time in my life that my limits were there. If I had carried on, I would have been breaking my limits of how much you can say to one person…
"I've lived a life without limits, without something to tell me to 'stop' or 'go'…not for a while anyway…and now…with Yugi…with the rival…I have my limits…I have limits…"

"A life without limits, huh? I wish I'd had that good a life. I've lived my life knowing my limits. But limits or no, we have to find a way to help Yugi! Even if all you want to do is duel him again…we have to try…"

Both teens sat in silence for many precious moments and then turned to each other at the same time and opened their mouths as if to speak, and then turned away again.

Weird, Jounouchi thought, It was like he had something to say but didn't. I know that sounds kinda corny…

Strange, Kaiba mused, his eyes locked on Jounouchi's, He was going to say something, but didn't…the puppy is acting strange today…

The pair sat in silence and then Kaiba leaned forwards, resting his arms on his knees. His gaze was thoughtful and his eyes dulled with some kind of mental turmoil – as was in his name (AN: Just so you know, one translation I heard of the name 'Seto Kaiba' was 'Turmoiled Seahorse' so this is where that reference comes from). Jounouchi watched him for a few minutes, hardly daring to say anything in case the taller male snapped at him, and then he placed one hand on Seto's shoulder, leaning in to say, "Umm…are you okay, Kaiba? If you were about to say something to me…well…I'm listening now…and you seem…like you have…something on your mind…so…I'm here if you wanna…uhh…talk, ya know?"
The gesture was a friendly one, and Jounouchi prayed that Seto wouldn't take it in any way that he saw as offensive. He even flinched slightly when Kaiba moved to get eye contact with him, his beautiful blue eyes reflecting some sort of sadness.

"Yugi reminds me now of myself back then…" He murmured, his lips barely open, his eyes seemingly becoming blurred and unfocused, as if seeing some past memory within his mind. The other male waited patiently for the brown-haired CEO to continue, hanging upon every word that was uttered.
"He's a broken boy…broken by all the stresses of his life…it reminds me of myself back then…back when he was alive…my stepfather." Kaiba's eyes glowered at the very mention of the name, but he gritted his teeth and continued with a much more gravel laden voice, "My stepfather tried to break me…and at one point, with my lack of sleep and with the pain, I believe he did. I wandered around in a daze, much like Yugi has been…and I…I sympathise with Yugi…but I have to be harsh with him. I have to snap him out of it like I was snapped out of it. Not because he's a friend…but because I owe him this…for all the times he's saved me…"

Jounouchi stared at the ground and lowered his gaze, "Yeah. We have to help him. You have your reasons…and I have mine…"

The two sat in silence, the only noise between them the crackle of the fire in the hearth, and then Seto Kaiba stood up, his face solemn and dull.
"Come." He commanded, "We'd better go and prepare him for the duel that may or may not save him…"

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Chapter Two – Innocent Eyes – COMING SOON