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: 8 of ?

A/N: At last, an update! Thank you so much for being patient with me. I've been so busy with student teaching this semester, that I haven't had time to write. And not writing so long kinda caused me to get some writer's block once I had some time to write! It took me a while to remember where exactly I was going with this story…

Happy reading!

START OF CHAPTER

Chapter 8

Yami sighed tiredly as the limo pulled up in front of the Kame game store, the lights inside still on, meaning that his younger brother was up waiting for him. He knew that Yugi and Joey were very close friends, and not wanting to damage that friendship, he had decided to not tell him anything about what had happened tonight. He couldn't quite bring himself to say the words anyway. This left an uneasy feeling in his stomach- he and his brother had always told each other everything. He wasn't used to keeping secrets from him. "What am I going to do…?" he murmured quietly to himself.

"You should leave him."

He turned towards the other occupant in the limo, surprised that he had heard him, as well rather confused by his words. He frowned slightly. "Leave him?" Why would Seth want him to leave his brother?

"Yes. You shouldn't be with someone who doesn't respect you."

Ah, now Yami understood what Seth had meant. Of course he was referring to his fiancé. He shook his head slightly. "That's not what I was thinking about. I was thinking about Yugi. I don't want to damage his friendship with Joey."

Seth nodded in understanding. He knew that like he and Mokuba, the Mutou brothers were very close, and probably didn't keep secrets. Suddenly, the CEO thought of something. Yesterday, Yami had mentioned that he, his brother, and Wheeler usually walked to the dueling arena together. Suppose the blond came to the game shop the next morning, and tried something once more? Furthermore, he could be inside the game shop, already waiting for Yami to come home. The younger Mutou wouldn't suspect a thing, and would have let him in without a second thought. A strong sense to protect Yami suddenly swept over Seth. He knew that he wouldn't be able to sleep a wink tonight not knowing if Yami was safe or not.

"Yami, why don't you spend the night at my place? You can deal with all of this tomorrow, after you've rested." He tried to keep the worry out of his voice.

The duelist champion smiled. He knew what the other was thinking, and couldn't help but smile at the other's concern, and the fact that he was trying to hide it. "Don't worry, I'll be fine. I doubt Joey will want to try anything in front of Yugi." Truthfully though, he wasn't really sure, and found himself wanting to be back in the safety of the brunet's strong arms.

Seth could sense that he wasn't quite so convinced. He reached out with one hand and gently let the tips of his fingers brush over Yami's cheek, staring into those crimson eyes as he did so. "Stay with me," he whispered in a low voice.

Unconsciously, the duelist champion leaned into his touch, and found himself nodding his head slightly in agreement. "I…I should go inside at least to tell Yugi, and to get some things."

The CEO nodded. "Alright. I'll wait in the limo then." Slowly, he let his hand drop.

Yami took a deep breath, and giving Seth a small smile of thanks, he at last opened the door and stepped out into the cold air. He quickly made his way up the walkway to the game shop's door, and let himself in quietly. He found Yugi waiting for him, as expected.

"Where have you been all this time?"

He couldn't bring himself to lie to his brother. "Joey found me walking out of the park. We talked and…had another fight."

Concern filled Yugi's eyes, and he sighed. "Let me guess. About Kaiba again?" It was very obvious that the blond hated the entire family.

Yami nodded, really wishing that this conversation would end. He looked toward the door, toward where Seth was waiting for him.

Another sigh came from the shorter man. "Maybe you should…you know, stay away from Kaiba then."

Crimson eyes turned back to Yugi, surprise filling them. "What do you mean?"

Yugi shrugged. "It's just that, there weren't any problems with Joey until Kaiba showed up. I think that if you just stayed away from him, then Joey would calm down and you two would be alright again."

And what if I no longer want to be with him? Yami idly thought to himself. He shook his head a bit. "I'm not sure if Joey and I are right for each other," he said quietly. "Maybe I was wrong to accept his proposal of marriage."

Purple eyes widened. "You can't be thinking of breaking it off with him! It would crush him!"

Yami shook his head once more. "I don't know what to think any more. Look, I have to get going. I'm spending the night at Seth's house, and he's waiting for me outside." With that, he quickly headed upstairs to his room. Throwing some clothes and things into a bag, he went back down the stairs moments later. His brother was still standing where he had left him, a stunned expression still on his face. "I'll be catching a ride with Seth tomorrow morning, so I'll see you at the arena. 'Night, Yugi." He rushed out the door and into the cold air, heading towards the awaiting limo.

Inside the warm limo, Yami had started to nod off, and without realizing it, had ended up resting his head on Seth's shoulder. By the time the limo had pulled through the large iron gates to Kaiba Manor, he had already fallen asleep, obviously exhausted from the night's events. With a small smile, Seth scooped him up into his arms and carried the duelist into the house, up the stairs, and into the same bedroom that he had stayed in two nights ago. The driver had handed Yami's bag to Mokuba, who had then followed him to the room. As the younger Kaiba placed the bag on a chair, he watched curiously as his brother gently placed the duelist onto the bed, then proceeded to draw the covers over him. Seth let the tips of his fingers gently trail along Yami's cheek, before finally straightening and turning towards Mokuba. With a small smile of thanks for bringing up the bag, he nodded his head towards the door. Both Kaiba's quietly left the room, the elder turning off the lights and gently shutting the door behind them.

In the hallway, Seth bade him goodnight and headed down the hall to his own room. Mokuba glanced curiously at the closed door before going to his room as well. He could tell that his brother and Yami were starting to become close. Otherwise, Seth wouldn't have rushed off immediately to his rescue, the second time in three days. Though of course he wanted to his brother to be happy, he wasn't quite so sure that this was the best choice. After all, look at what had happened the last time Yami had come into the life of his brother…He certainly did not want a repetition of the past. He couldn't wait for the tournament to be over so that they could return to the States, and leave the past behind once and for all.

The next day, as he and Yami prepared to face off for the championship duel, Seth was relieved that their duel was the only one for the day. When he had first started planning the tournament, and deciding on whom to invite, he had no doubts that it would be he and Yami in the championship duel. For every tournament that they had both entered, it had always come down to the two of them in the finals. Each new tournament only heightened their growing rivalry, as well as the rivalry's expanding fan base. However, for this tournament, though of course he wanted to win the match, a part of his mind could not help but be rather concerned at seeing Wheeler standing there with Yami's brother and their friends. He noticed out of the corner of his eyes that while the blond continuously tried to catch Yami's attention, the crimson-eyed duelist didn't even look that way. Instead, those crimson eyes were focused on him. And Seth intended to keep it that way.

Not surprisingly, their duel was intense as always, and quite long. In the end, Yami won. He walked over to shake Seth's hand, and smiled slightly at the smirk that the other was giving him. The tall duelist held onto his hand just a bit longer than what was normally expected, his gaze never leaving his own.

"You were holding back," he murmured quietly, not wanting the approaching media to hear their conversation.

"As were you," Yami said equally quietly. They both smiled at one another, both knowing the reason for their preoccupations.

"Do you think anyone noticed?"

"I doubt it."

Their conversation was cut short as Yami's brother and friends came rushing up towards them, the media right behind them. They instantly dropped their hands, the smiles fading. As the champion was congratulated and hugged by his brother and friends, Seth was confronted by reporters, who kept asking him his reaction and feelings on his most recent lost to his rival, and blah blah blah. Thankfully, Mokuba came to his rescue, stating that both he and Yami needed to come quickly for the trophy presentation and ending ceremony. During all the commotion, Seth barely had the time to ask Yami to wait for him after he had finished taking care of all the small loose ends of running a tournament. Yami had instantly agreed, saying that he'd be waiting outside the arena. And it was there that Joey had found him alone.

The duelist champion heard footsteps approaching him from behind, and turned expecting to see Seth, a smile ready on his face. However, when he saw that it was not the tall CEO, but rather his fiancé coming towards him, his smile instantly faded, his body becoming tense. He crossed his arms over his chest as his fiancé stopped in front of him. For a long moment they simply stared at one another. It was Joey who finally broke the silence.

"Look Yami. I am so sorry for what I did last night. My actions were completely inexcusable. I was drunk and upset, and I shouldn't have tried to force myself onto you." He noticed that Yami had uncrossed his arms, his stance relaxing ever so slightly. Joey had been planning this little speech all night long last night, and it looked like it was working so far. "To make it up to you, I've put together a little congratulatory party tonight for us and our friends. Please, accept my apologies and say that you'll forgive me." He said this in his most sincere voice possible. As he looked pleadingly into Yami's eyes, he reached out to grasp his hand in his own. However, to his surprise, Yami pulled away and took a step back. There was an uneasy look in his eyes.

"Joey…I don't think this is working out between us." He said this slowly, quietly. He couldn't believe that his fiancé would think that by giving him a party and an apology would make things all better between them. He could sense that Joey just wanted to forget last night's incident had ever happened. But he would never forget it. "I had thought that I knew you, but I guess I was wrong. I'm sorry Joey, but I can't marry you." He slid the engagement ring off his finger, and held it out towards the other, his eyes pleading that he would understand.

Joey stared dumbfounded at the diamond ring, his desire to get Yami back rapidly turning into anger. "It's Kaiba, isn't it?" he asked in a terse voice. He clenched his hands into tight fists. "Why is it always a damn Kaiba screwing things up between us? Just what is your fascination with that family? Am I just not good enough compared to him? You had accepted my proposal, then all of a sudden when this jerk comes, you don't want to marry me any more. Tell me Yami, why won't you marry me now?" He was breathing hard, nearly out of breath now.

Yami narrowed his eyes. "Seth has nothing to do with this. You made your own choice last night, and that choice has cost you my trust. That's why I can't marry you." He still held out the ring towards Joey.

But Joey merely shook his head. "It is not over between us, Yami. I refuse it to be. I'll see you tonight at the party." He promptly stomped off.

The duelist champion stood there, stunned by his words. Who did Joey Wheeler think he was, acting as if his opinions didn't even matter? Didn't he even care about his feelings? Or was he too involved with himself? Seth had been right- he shouldn't be with someone who simply did not respect him. He put the ring into his pocket. He felt oddly…better now that it was no longer on his finger.

Speaking of the CEO, Yami noticed him walking out of the arena, a smile on his face. However, a voice behind him caused him to turn the other way. His brother was running towards him, obviously not happy about something. "Yugi?" he asked in a concerned voice.

"Yami! What happened? I just saw Joey, and he seemed really upset over something. He said something about Kaiba trying to take you away from him?"

Crimson eyes widened in disbelief. "He said what!"

"He said that you two had had another argument, and that it was about Kaiba again." Yugi shook his head slightly, his blond bangs flying about his face. "I told you last night, Yami, that you should stay away from him, before he permanently damages your relationship with Joey. You're lucky that Joey is really patient with you. Otherwise, you might have already lost him."

Before Yami had a chance to respond, Seth came up to the two brothers. Yugi immediately turned glaring eyes towards him. "Look, Kaiba. I don't know why you are doing this, but I want you to stop. Joey and Yami have a good thing going, and I'm not about to just stand around and watch you ruin it. I'm warning you- stay away from Yami."

Seth narrowed his eyes at the shorter man. "Why don't you let Yami decide on who he wants to be with?"

Yugi growled slightly, but did not have a quick answer. Instead, he grabbed his brother's hand and started to lead him away. "Come on Yami. We have a party to go to, a party that your fiancé has graciously planned for you."

Yami, however, stood his ground. "I'm sorry Yugi, but I won't be going to the party. I've already told Joey that it's over between us. That's the reason why he is upset."

"Of course he's upset! He thinks that you've chosen Kaiba over him! Which is why you really need to go to this party and apologize to him. It's the least you could do, you know."

As the two brothers continued to argue, Seth's mind raced over what Yami had just said. He had actually broke it off with the blond duelist? His sharp eyes noticed that the diamond ring was no longer on his finger.

"Just go to the party and talk to him. I'm sure that you two can work things out."

Yami sighed. His brother could be so stubborn sometimes. He supposed though, that it would be best the clear the air, and to tell their friends why exactly he was breaking their engagement, instead of letting Joey do the talking. He gave Seth an apologetic look. "I'm sorry, Seth, but I have to go."

Seth nodded. "I understand. Call me if you need anything."

He smiled. "Thank you. I will. Bye."

As the brothers walked off, Seth flipped open his cell phone and made a few calls. He did not trust Wheeler, and had a feeling that things would not go well at the party tonight. It should be quite easy for him to find out where this little party was being held…

Hours later, Yami, Joey, Yugi and several of their friends were gathered at a fancy restaurant, in a private room that Joey had gotten. Yami wanted to get this over with as soon as possible, intending on telling Joey that it was definitely over, and giving him back the ring. However, the blond had other plans, instead grabbing his hand and dragging him to the front of the room, ignoring his repeated protests.

"Not now Yami," he said in a rather impatient voice. "After I make our big announcement."

Yami raised an eyebrow. What announcement?

"Hey everyone quiet down, we have an announcement to make!" Their friends immediately quieted down, everyone turning their eyes towards them. "Yami and I have been talking recently, and we've decided that we can't wait to be married. So, we are going to have our wedding next month! And of course you are all invited!"

The crimson-eyed duelist's mouth dropped open. He stared wide-eyed as his friends started to clap and congratulate them. He shook his head slightly, shocked at what Joey had just said. Suddenly, he yanked his hand rather violently away from him, causing the room fall immediately into a shocked silence. He glared at the blond, nearly shaking from his disbelief, which was rapidly turning to anger. "I can't believe you," he said in a rather calm, but strained voice. "Have you always been this self-centered, and I've somehow been blinded to it? We have never come to the decision of getting married next month. You know that I don't want to marry you at all. Why can't you just accept that it's over between us?"

"Because it's not, Yami. I refuse to believe that it is. I'll never believe that it is. And as soon as that damn Kaiba heads back to America, or wherever the hell he goes next, you'll come to realize that we are meant to be together."

Yami rolled his eyes in exasperation. "This has nothing to do with Seth, and you know that." He was really starting to get tired of this argument. He took the ring out from his pocket on tossed it onto the table next to him, causing a loud clatter in the stunned-silent room. "The engagement is off, Joey," he said in a tired voice. "It's over."

His brother gently picked up the ring. "Yami, don't say that," he said in a gentle voice. "I know that you've been feeling rather confused ever since Kaiba got here, probably because he looks so much like Seto Kaiba. But with the tournament over, he should be leaving soon, and then things will return back to the way they were." He held out the ring towards his brother. "Now put back on the ring and just enjoy the party."

He shook his head. "No, Yugi. You don't understand. Things will never be the way they were."

"Of course they will be!" Tea said, cheerful as always. The rest of their friends nodded in agreement.

"Yeah," Tristan chimed in. "Yugi's right. Once that Kaiba leaves, everything will be fine."

Yami stared incredulously at his friends. Why was everyone thinking that Seth was the reason for his and Joey's break-up? What has Joey been telling them? It certainly hasn't been the truth. "This has nothing to do with S-" he started, but was cut off abruptly by Yugi.

"It has everything to do with him. You guys have never argued before he arrived."

The champion duelist started to protest once more, but was once again cut off by his friends. His friends started saying all kinds of things about Seth, how he was a Kaiba, how he had always hated Joey, how he just wanted to cause trouble. And this just really ticked Yami off.

"ENOUGH!"

His sudden outburst was enough to shut everyone up immediately. He looked at them, breathing heavily. "You have NO idea what has been going on between me and Joey. No idea whatsoever. And how dare you try and blame everything on Seth. I had always thought that you were all so caring and thoughtful, but to see you all turn against one person for unjustified reasons…I just can't believe it. You want to know the real reason why I don't want to marry Joey? Then why don't you have him tell you about last night." By now, Yami was shaking with anger. Without waiting for their reaction, he turned and fled the restaurant as quickly as he could.

The room was silent, everyone wondering what had just happened. They all turned towards Joey expectantly. "What is he talking about?" Yugi asked in a quiet voice.

Joey had no choice but to tell what had happened last night. He did so with his eyes downcast, not wanting to see the shocked and disapproving faces of his friends. Yugi shook his head sadly. "Poor Yami," he whispered. "What have we done?"

Outside the restaurant, Yami paused to catch his breath. He buried his face in his hands. Everything was so wrong now. He was angry at his friends, angry at Joey for apparently spreading lies. And he was sorry for Seth- sorry for damaging his good name. He had no idea how he was going to be able to face him now.

"Yami? What's wrong?" a concerned, familiar voice asked.

Yami looked up in surprise, and found none other than Seth standing next to him, a concerned look on his handsome face. He blinked a few times. "How did you find me?" he asked in amazement.

Seth smiled. "I had a suspicion that things wouldn't go very well tonight. So I made some calls, and here I am." He raised a hand and gently brushed his fingertips against Yami's cheek, pleased when the other leaned into his touch.

Fatigue suddenly washed over the champion duelist, and he buried his face into the taller man's chest.

An eyebrow raised as he held the now-trembling duelist in his arms. Something really bad must have happened. "Come on," he said softly. "You need to rest. Let me take you away from all of this for a while."

He nodded into Seth's chest, allowing him to wrap his arm around his shoulders and lead him towards the waiting limo. They both got in, Yami immediately leaning against Seth and resting his head on his shoulder, the CEO's arm still tight around his shoulders.

As the limo started to drive off, Joey rushed out from the restaurant, hoping that Yami had just stopped outside. He saw the white limo with its familiar KC logo. "Yami! Wait!" He started to run after the limo, but was already too late. The limo drove off, leaving a rather frustrated blond duelist behind.

END OF CHAPTER

Whew, this took a while to finish. Why does it feel like to me that these characters are acting like they are in high school or something? I have to keep reminding myself that they are 25, 26 in this story. Gah, I hope it is just me.

Well, so looks like Joey is digging himself into a deeper hole. He's in denial, big time right now.

Next chapter- Yugi and the rest of Yami's friends all seem to take Joey's side, leaving Yami rather depressed. Good thing there is Seth there to cheer him up! Unfortunately, Joey is still up to no good, and does something rather drastic to get Yami back…

Thanks for reading and please review! ;)