Title: The First Time

Author: Wintersslayer

Rating: Pg-13

Pairing: Seto/Yami, sorta Joey/Yami

Spoilers: None that I know of.

Warnings: Maybe some language. And please, LOOK at the pairings listed. If you don't like, then don't read.

Disclaimer: I don't own Yugioh.

Summary: AU- 10 years ago, Yami had a beautiful relationship with Seto that ended tragically with Seto's death. Now, shortly after his engagement to his long-time best friend Joey, Yami meets a man named Seth, who curiously looks a lot like Seto...

Status: 6 of ?

A/N: Sorry I'm a few days late. Been busy with holiday stuff. Glad that's all over. Anyways, hope everyone had a happy holiday time. Enjoy the next chapter!

START OF CHAPTER

Chapter 6

The dueling arena was packed with duelists from around the world, as well as a multitude of media. Everyone was excited, not only because of the prestige of the tournament itself, but also because it marked the return of Kaiba Corporation to Domino City. Kaiba Corp, previously known for making weapons, was now the world's leader in gaming technology. The change from weapons to games had taken place nearly nine years ago, after the untimely death of the company's then-CEO, Gozaburo Kaiba. Now, the company was run by his adopted son, Seth Kaiba, an orphan whom he had met upon arriving in America and adopted almost immediately into the Kaiba family. Seth had an uncanny resemblance to Seto Kaiba, Gozaburo's deceased adopted son. Many thought that, in addition to the man's obviously brilliant mind, that that was the reason why Gozaburo had adopted him, because he resembled his lost son so much. However, at his request, reasons being that the past was just too painful, it was never revealed to Seth about Seto's existence. He never knew that, besides Mokuba, he had had another adopted brother…

Upon Mokuba's insistence, Seth had taken to wearing a dragon mask whenever he dueled. His little brother thought that it'd be "cool" to be all mysterious during duels. As a result, no one even knew that the CEO of Kaiba Corp was actually the second-ranked duelist known as the Dragon Master. However, at the KC Tournament, Seth decided that he would reveal who the Dragon Master truly was, much to Mokuba's annoyance.

"But why Seth, do you want people to know that you're the Dragon Master?" Mokuba complained, moments before the pre-tournament breakfast was about to begin. Seth was scheduled to give a short welcome speech, and had decided that it was then he would take off his mask.

"Because it would promote Kaiba Corp even more. Just think of all the publicity we would get when I become World Champion." He smirked at the thought. "Finally, I'm going to defeat that King of Games, Yami Mutou."

Mokuba smiled uneasily. He wondered if the World Champion even remembered his brother, and what his reaction would be at seeing Seth. That was actually the reason why he had Seth wear the mask- he really didn't want to bring up the past, and Yami seeing Seth might just end up doing that…

The announcer's voice could be loudly heard over the speakers. "And now, ladies and gentlemen, here is the CEO of Kaiba Corporation, Seth Kaiba!"

The brothers walked out from where they were hidden, Seth having slipped on his dragon mask, his long silver-white trench coat flowing behind him. A murmur of surprise went through the crowd as they approached the podium. Once at the podium, Seth leaned forward into the microphone.

"As the CEO of Kaiba Corp, I would like to begin by welcoming you to the KC Tournament!" From behind his mask, Seth smirked as the murmurs continued. "Yes, as you all have probably figured out by now, I am indeed the duelist known as the Dragon Master." He paused to take off his mask. "I look forward to dueling in honor of my family name and of my company. Only the best duelists from around the world have been invited to participate, and we all are looking forward to some great duels. On behalf of Kaiba Corporation, I hope that you enjoy this pre-tournament breakfast. Then, let the duels begin!"

The crowd broke into a wild applause as Seth stepped down from the podium to join his brother at their private table. Excited murmurs ran throughout the crowd as people talked about this huge surprise. Seth Kaiba, CEO of Kaiba Corp, was actually the Dragon Master!

One table however, was not cheering, but rather was silent.

Yami had felt the color drain from his face when he first had heard the Kaiba name being mentioned, then had felt a bit dizzy as he watched the tall man walk towards the podium. He must have been the same man he had seen the night before. After all, not many wear trench coats…

When the tall man had taken off his mask, the World Champion had thought that his heart would just about stop. His eyes had widened in surprise at finally seeing the face behind the mask. The eyes seemed a darker blue, and the hair was shorter, a lighter shade of brown but with darker streaks running through it. Yami could hardly believe what he was seeing, and could not tear his gaze away from the man as he sat down next to a dark-haired man in his twenties.

As the CEO sat eating his breakfast, he felt that someone was watching him. Sure, plenty of people were giving him stares at his unexpected news, but this…was different. Frowning, he glanced up, trying to pinpoint from whom this particular stare was coming from. Blue eyes gazed over the chattering guests, until they finally settled on a pair of crimson eyes. Of course, Seth recognized him from their many duels. He guessed the other must have been surprised (as everyone else was) at his true identity. But he sensed there was something more as well…For long moments the two young men stared at one another. Now usually, people would turn away from his stare, but this one didn't. How… intriguing. He had noticed that during their duels, the young man was never afraid to look him in the eyes. He had always been intrigued and impressed by that.

He felt a small tap on his shoulder, forcing him to break his staring contest. Seth smirked once at his rival before looking over at his brother.

"See anything interesting?" the twenty-year-old asked.

Seth inclined his head towards the crimson-eyed man. "I guess the World Champion is quite surprised at seeing me."

Mokuba glanced at said champion, who had at last turned away and was now talking to his friends. "Uhh…yeah. I guess everyone is surprised," he muttered quietly. He knew that Yami would inevitably end up dueling Seth for the championship- it always ended up that way- so it was only a matter of time before Yami would be able to talk to him. From the look on Yami's face, it appeared that he had not forgotten about his brother, even after a decade had passed. He wondered how much of the past he would decide bring up…

Brown eyes narrowed dangerously towards the table where the CEO sat. Where the hell did the Kaiba family find this guy? No one could mistake his eerie resemblance to Moneybags. He watched with growing irritation as his fiancé finally stopped staring at the brunet, turning back towards their friends. It was bad enough that Yami was always going to that stupid fountain to "talk" to Moneybags. Now, there was this stupid look-alike around as well. And to think, all this time he had been the Dragon Master! That made him even angrier, that all this time he's been losing to some Moneybags-look-alike. Well, once and for all, he's was going to beat the Dragon Master, and prove to Yami that he was better. In the meantime, it would be probably be best if Yami stayed as far away from Seth Kaiba as possible. Wouldn't want to start bringing up old memories…

Later that afternoon, Yami had escaped the thrilling and noisy tournament arena in favor of a more quiet and serene place. He had won his first duels with ease, but he really needed some time alone to think. Ever since that pre-tournament breakfast, when he had seen the face behind the Dragon Master's mask, his thoughts had been a swirling, jumbling mess. He seemed to only be able to focus during his duels. Throughout the day, he had caught glimpses of the Dragon Master, walking along briskly with a dark-haired younger man. He guessed that that must be Mokuba Kaiba, whom he had never gotten the chance to meet ten years ago. He wondered now if he had been at his adopted brother's duels in the past- he must have been around somewhere, supporting his brother. He wondered also if Seth Kaiba knew anything about Seto…or about their relationship.

With a tired sigh, the top-ranked duelist sat down on a bench, and gazed up with longing at the majestic dragon before him. Even after all these years, he still missed him so much. Of course he was happy with Joey- but a part of him would always miss Seto. Yami began to unconsciously fiddle with the engagement ring on his finger, twirling it around and around. It felt…odd there, out-of-place. Like it didn't belong there. And Yami had absolutely no idea why.

The sound of boots crunching against dried leaves and twigs snapped Yami out of his thoughts. He turned around, almost calling out Seto's name when he saw the approaching figure, his silver-white trench coat flowing behind him. However, he managed to clamp his mouth shut just in time, and simply stared as the man made his way down the path. He stopped at the bench next to Yami's, but didn't sit down, instead staring up at the dragon with a curious gaze. The top-ranked duelist's heart was pounding madly as he continued to stare up at the other. There were so many things that he wanted to ask him, so many things to say. But he wasn't sure if any of those things would be appropriate. He wasn't sure if he should bring up the past or not.

Long moments passed before the taller of the two decided to speak. "No cheerleaders this time?"

Now, even his deep, rich voice reminded Yami of Seto. He wondered why he had never noticed that before. The World Champion smiled slightly, glad that the other had spoken first. The Dragon Master had always referred to his group of friends as his "cheerleaders", usually making some sort of comment about them during their duels. "I needed some time alone." His heart started to return back to normal.

"I hope I'm not intruding then."

"Not at all." They were silent once more, Yami starting to forget about his hundreds of questions, his hundreds of thoughts, his heart no longer pounding in his chest like mad. Seto also had always had this calming effect on him with his presence alone. "So you have a little brother? I never knew that."

Seth smiled fondly. "Yes. He's the one that made me wear that mask. Thought it'd be "cool" to be mysterious during the duel." He shook his head slightly. "Actually, it's rather bothersome to have on."

Yami laughed at this. This was possibly his longest conversation he had ever had with his long-time rival. He didn't think that their bantering during duels counted.

"So do you come here often?" His face was still turned towards the dragon.

The top-ranked duelist's smile, which had been there since Seth had started talking, finally faded. "Every week…" was his quiet reply, almost to himself.

Something in his voice made Seth finally turn towards his rival, who was now looking at the dragon with a somewhat lonely look in his eyes. Something was definitely going on that he wasn't aware of. As the other man continued to stare up at the dragon, Seth took a good look at his rival. He had never really bothered to before. His rival still had his trademark wild, spiky hairstyle- that hadn't changed at all over the years. He knew that he still favored wearing his leather outfit with all the odd assortment of buckles- though right now, it was covered up by his thick leather jacket. His crimson eyes had always intrigued them- he had stared into them many times during their duels. However, now, they weren't the fierce competitiveness that he was so used to, but instead were filled with a sort of longing as he gazed up at the dragon. Everything about his rival suddenly seemed so…familiar to him. Like he knew him. But of course, the only way that he knew him was from their previous duels. Yes, that must be it.

There was one thing, however, that seemed rather out of place to Seth. It was the diamond ring that was on his left hand. It just didn't seem…right there, for some reason. He shook his head abruptly. Now that was a ridiculous thought. Why should he even care? He was starting to think way too much into this.

Seth's movement brought Yami back out of his daze. He glanced at the other, and noticed that he was staring at his left hand. He began unconsciously twirling the ring around his finger once again. "Joey Wheeler proposed to me two days ago."

An eyebrow rose. "That blond duelist?" He would have thought that Yami would have found someone more… worthy. Not some second-rate duelist. From what he had observed from dueling them both, their personalities just didn't seem to… fit together. Like Wheeler wouldn't be able to hold Yami's interest for long. Like he would never truly understand him…

"Yes. We've been best friends since we were kids. I guess it was only… natural that we would get together."

Something in his voice led Seth to believe that Yami wasn't so convinced by his own words. "Congratulations," he muttered faintly.

"Thanks," came the equally quiet reply.

The two duelists stayed in silence for several moments, till Seth cleared his throat gently. "Well, I should probably head back to the tournament, and make sure there aren't any problems." He started walking back down the path.

"Dragon?" Yami called out from behind him. It was always what he had called him during their duels, since he never knew his name.

He glanced back at the other. "Yes?"

"How did you find this place?"

The tall CEO paused briefly. Truthfully, he wasn't quite sure. There were many fountains throughout the park, but this particular one was rather hidden, one having to take several turns in order to get there. It was almost as if something had been calling him towards the fountain, leading him through the right twists and turns. But of course, that was absolutely ridiculous. He finally shrugged his shoulders. "I just…knew where to find it."

"Oh…" A small, barely noticeable smile crept across his lips as memories of a cold winter night in the mountains flashed across his mind. Seth's response was much like the response that Seto had had when Yami had asked him how he had found him.

"Well…see you around then. And you can call me Seth by the way." Seth continued his walk down the path, but not before giving the dragon one final curious glance.

The smile widened. "Good bye, Seth."

The next night, after a particularly easy day of duels, but a long day of watching over the tournament with his brother, Seth Kaiba sat alone at a nearby coffee shop. His spiky-haired rival was there as well, sitting several tables over with his back towards him. But he didn't feel like talking- he needed to think, and figured that the caffeine might help to clear his head a bit. Since his talk with the World Champion yesterday at the dragon fountain, he could not seem to get the other off his mind. It was strange too, because even though they had had numerous duels in the past, as soon the duel was over he would be pushed far away from him mind, not to return till their next duel. Not once has Seth thought of Yami when they weren't dueling. Now, after one short talk, he couldn't stop thinking about him. It was starting to annoy him, and he hated being annoyed.

Seth's thoughts were suddenly distracted as his sharp sense of hearing picked up on a nearby conversation between three men in their thirties or so.

"Is he almost finished yet? It's been nearly 15 minutes already!"

"Just be patient. He's almost done with his "congratulatory" drink. Man, who knew it'd be this easy to trick the great World Champion?"

The third man laughed. "Yeah, he doesn't even suspect that we've spiked the coffee with Rope to knock him out cold."

The first man nodded. "When the drugs start taking affect, he'll start to feel dizzy and will probably leave. We'll jump him then."

The others smiled and nodded. "I don't think he'll be dueling tomorrow…"

By now, the conversation had Seth's full attention. He knew that Rope was short for Rohypnol- a tranquilizer-type drug. He had read about it back in the States, where it is illegal, and knew about its dangerous effects. He had no idea if the drug was illegal here in Japan or not. Not that it mattered anyhow. He quickly glanced around the small coffee shop, and realized with a start that Yami was already halfway out the door, a bit unsteady on his feet. He saw the three men exchange sly grins as they got up from their chairs and followed the young man out. He hesitated briefly, wondering what he should do, before hastily throwing down some money to pay for his drink, then rushing out of the building himself. He stood a few feet from the door, looking around and listening for sounds of a struggle. The CEO feared that he was too late, that those men had already grabbed Yami and taken him somewhere.

Growing frustrated at his own hesitation, something in his mind suddenly told him to go left. He did as he was told, letting his instinct guide him. Approaching the nearest alley he suddenly heard sounds of a struggle. This time, he didn't waste a second as he rushed into the alley. What he saw really ticked him off: Yami was being pinned to the wall by two men, the third hovering over him. The man was reaching towards Yami's belt with one hand. With an angry growl, Seth strolled over, pulled the man away from Yami and slammed his fist into his jaw, knocking him out completely. The two men holding Yami let go of him in surprise, and he slumped to the ground, giving a small moan. The two men took one look at Seth's steely death glare, and wisely bolted out of the alley.

The tall brunet quickly walked to Yami's side, kneeling down beside him. He gently lifted Yami's chin with his hand. The duelist's eyes were half-closed, and he was groaning softly. "Yami? Are you alright? Say something!"

"Head…spinning…" was all he managed to slur out before closing his eyes fully and falling against Seth's chest with another groan.

Seth frowned. The drug must be taking its full effect. Well, since he had no idea where the duelist lived, there was really only one choice. Holding Yami against his chest with one arm, he fished his cell phone out from his jacket pocket with his other hand and dialed for his limo. Replacing his phone, he scooped up the sleeping duelist into his arms and carried him out towards the street. The limo arrived shortly, the driver giving Yami a surprised look but not saying anything. Seth instructed his driver to take him home, then climbed into the limo, holding Yami in his lap.

As the limo sped home, the CEO sighed tiredly. The Kaiba's had bought a large mansion well outside the town's limits, away from prying eyes and nosy reporters. He knew that his adopted father was from Domino City, and that he had a mansion somewhere in the city still under his name. However, at Mokuba's insistence, he had decided to not return there, opting instead to purchase a mansion of his own. He had the feeling that something bad must have happened when the Kaiba's were last in Domino. Mokuba rarely brought up memories of the past, and Seth respected that. Growing up an orphan, he too knew how painful the past could be, and knew the feeling of just wanting to forget that. So, he never once tried to pry into his adopted family's past. But that didn't mean he didn't have questions…

At last, the limo pulled through the large iron gates of the new Kaiba Manor, and strolled up to the front door. Seth glanced down at the still-sleeping duelist in his arms, wondering what the hell had caused him to suddenly become so…caring towards someone other than his little brother. Something deep down was telling him that he knew this man, and not just from their previous duels either. But how, he had no clue. It seemed to him that Domino City was just full of mysteries to be solved. It was a challenge he was looking forward to.

END OF CHAPTER

Gah, this chapter took so long to write! I think it's because I'm making it WAY too complicated for me. Originally, I hadn't planned on having Seth as the Dragon Master, but since I threw that in it ended up changing things quite a bit. Sorry if this is all rather confusing- hopefully it'll get cleared up in later chapters.

So some of you may be wondering why Yami was at the coffee shop alone. Where were his friends and fiancé? Let's just say that he was kinda feeling the same things that Seth was, and needed a caffeine boost to clear his mind.

And yes, Rohypnol/Rope is an actual drug, and it is illegal here in the US. Have no clue about Japan though. I guess I'm a bit lazy when it comes to research…

Next chapter- Yami wakes up, has a chat with Seth, and then the tournament continues. Joey ends up making a terrible mistake, one that he'll definitely be regretting for a while.

Not sure when I'll update. I start student teaching on Jan. 3, so I'll be quite busy. Maybe I can update before the 3rd, but no guarantees.

Thanks for reading, and please review! ;)