A/N: This is 95 percent lemon, so please be advised. Because as I said last chapter: it's all about the aftermath. XD

Chapter 13: Duel!

"What do you mean you didn't bring your deck with you?" Kaiba demanded coolly as they continued to walk down the hallway.

Frowning, Yami simply said, "I didn't exactly have time to grab it before I left."

"Ridiculous," Kaiba commented with a snort of derision, causing Yami to make a face at the taller boy's back. "How exactly were you planning on dueling me, then?"

Yami didn't have an answer to that and was beginning to feel frustrated by the fact that their battle would have to be delayed. Distracted by such thoughts, he was startled when Kaiba abruptly stopped before a door and Yami just narrowly missed running into him. Following Kaiba into what appeared to be some sort of entertainment room, Yami finally muttered, "It hadn't really occurred to me at that time."

"Hn. Use that, then," Kaiba told Yami, pointing at one of the decks that were sitting on the short table in the middle of the room. "If you're as good as you claim, you should still be able to beat me without the advantage of using your own deck, right?"

Sitting on the floor and picking up the cards to inspect them, he began flipping through without comment as Kaiba took a seat on the opposite side, shuffling his own deck. He had been using his deck against the new one in order to test the prototype board he had been developing and so far was pleased on both fronts. It was a strong deck, but without a doubt, his was still the superior one; plus, the prototype was almost ready for him to turn back over to the R&D team.

Yami wasn't the least bit surprised to find that this deck had an emphasis on brute strength through the use of dragon and warrior cards. It wasn't his own preferred method of fighting, but he had to admit that it was a well-crafted deck, even though it could stand to have a few more magic and trap cards to support it. Looking over at the open silver briefcase that was filled with neat stacks of cards, Yami asked, "Is it okay if I add a few?"

"Is there a problem with my deck?"

"No, not a problem, exactly, but I just want to change four…maybe six cards if you have them in there," Yami replied, glancing up at Kaiba who was looking at him with some amount of reservation and raised eyebrows.

He was torn between denying Yami because of his pride and agreeing out of curiosity to know what changes his rival would make to a deck he considered near perfect. Conceding in arrogance, Kaiba haughtily said, "It's not like six cards would make that much of a difference, anyway," with a shrug. Besides, at least this way he would have some surprises during the fight; it would at least add the element of challenge back into it.

Reaching out and pulling the briefcase in front of him, Yami angled it so that Kaiba wouldn't be able to see which stacks his hands were near. Based on the organization of the cards, he had no doubt that Kaiba knew everything's exact location and he didn't want to give anything away. Eager to start the battle, he quickly scanned the stacks, surprised at the ease in which he could find what he wanted, and pulled out the ones that he intended to use as he came across them, careful to return everything to its proper place.

Kaiba found himself inadvertently watching as Yami went through his selection process, a little surprised at how quickly the other had decided what substitutions to make. He had never watched anyone else build a deck before, and even though Yami wasn't creating one so much as he was altering one, Kaiba still found it interesting to watch the expressions on his face. Those red eyes that had been tinted with amusement for most of the evening were narrowed in intense concentration and Kaiba felt a small thrill run through him as he realized Yami was truly serious about his challenge. It made Kaiba want to fight with everything he had and he began to become increasingly eager to face off against his rival once again, although he was careful to show none of that on his own countenance.

The sight of Yami furrowing his brow and frowning made Kaiba think that most likely something that he had wanted wasn't there, but before he could ask a question, Yami shrugged and removed one more card before shutting the lid. "Ready?" Kaiba asked, trying to not sound nearly as enthusiastic as he felt. It was a different sort of anticipation than he had felt last time with Yuugi and he was taken aback at the strength of his own excitement about fighting against Yami.

Adding the new cards to the deck, Yami rifled through it one more time to pull out the ones he had just replaced. "Just about. Where are the Duel Disks? Or was I supposed to bring that with me, too?" Yami inquired with a mild level of sarcasm as he shuffled the cards with the ease of experience.

Ignoring the comment, Kaiba answered the actual question instead, "We won't be using Duel Disks."

Yami was pretty sure that the room they were currently in was simply an entertainment room that couldn't double as a dueling arena, so the comment confused him. Setting the deck on the table, he looked at Kaiba questioningly. "Are we relocating to a different room, then?"

"No," Kaiba answered, nodding toward the object lying on the middle of the table, "press the black button."

Confused, Yami looked at the only other thing that was on the surface and saw what appeared to be an oversized Duel Monsters card in face down position. It was fairly flat and looked to be about the size of one of his aibou's notebooks that he used in his classes at school. "That?" Yami asked, pointing at the black oval on the back of the large card. When Kaiba nodded, Yami did as he was told and watched in fascination as it began unfolding itself into a full sized playing board. "Ehh? I've never seen this before—is it the prototype you were talking about earlier?"

"Yes," Kaiba confirmed, "but I'm still working out a few minor issues with it. That won't have any impact on our match, though." Setting his deck in the appropriate place, Yami did the same and watched as a life point gauge suddenly registered.

Drawing their hands, Yami took the first turn and set one card in face down position and placed one of his dragons in defense mode, surprised to see that a corresponding hologram appeared. He remembered that these boards had once been used, but they had become less popular as Duel Disks became more prevalent and they had never had the Solid Vision technology in them. Leaning closer to get a better look, Yami couldn't help but let out a small sound of appreciation. "I'm impressed, Kaiba, I have to admit. You've outdone yourself, yet again," Yami told him, genuinely amazed. "When do they come out? Your turn."

Taking his next card, Kaiba was surprised by the feelings he had at the look of awe on Yami's face as he continued to study the board. There was something deeply gratifying knowing that those words were not just the flattery of one of his employees or from a Duel Monsters enthusiasts, but that they were a true sentiment from someone he had a modicum of respect for made it somehow mean more. Setting a trap card and two monsters in attack mode, he commanded one of them to destroy Yami's dragon, which it easily did. Instead of being upset, Yami seemed delighted by the effects produced by the projections and it made Kaiba feel strange inside, even more so since he didn't know why he was under the impression it was a good thing. "Hopefully around the holidays. Duel Disks are fine for official tournaments, but they're impractical to carry around at all times, so I came up with this solution," Kaiba informed him with a shrug, downplaying it in his desire to advance the fight, "but we can talk about that later. Your turn."

"Ah," Yami said simply before looking up suddenly, pinning the other under his intense gaze that felt positively riveting to Kaiba.

This was what he had been missing before, had been expecting and wanting to see during his duel with Yuugi, but it was still different. Every other time he had fought against Yami, it had always been through Yuugi's violet eyes, but now it was even more intense, more exciting in crimson. That look told him that Yami was going to get serious now that the game had officially begun and Kaiba couldn't wait. Earlier he had thought about switching rooms and using the new Duel Disks he was also in the process of remodeling, but now he was very glad that he had decided against that decision. Here he was close enough to see the full range of emotions within those scarlet eyes and he felt a rush at that, felt things that he didn't even have words for at the moment as he stared right back at Yami with a smirk.

It almost felt like there was a heightened sense of awareness about all things, almost like everything was amplified, Kaiba realized. Every deduction of Yami's life points through the destruction of his monsters made Kaiba feel elated, but instead of the normal anger at the loss of his own creatures, he was instead caught up in the challenge it presented. There was just something very satisfying about seeing Yami successfully utilize the deck that Kaiba had created, even if he still thought the modifications that had been made were useless, judging by the two cards that Yami had already played. But he still respected the ease in which Yami had adapted himself to the deck, even if part of Kaiba wished that the other had brought his own to use.

Since sitting at such a low table made posturing a little difficult, everything was indicated by the eyes and Kaiba couldn't get enough of it. He was used to fighting at such a distance that he normally missed the subtleties that the eyes revealed and he found himself trying to learn what every expression could reveal about Yami's strategy. It was almost enough to make him regret that such an advantage was lost at long distances. Although judging by the fact that Yami always evenly met his gaze with a fiery interest, Kaiba assumed that he wasn't the only one trying to glean extra information through their frequent stare down challenges.

Nothing else could make Kaiba feel quite so passionate, feel so alive as when he dueled against Yami. Something inside of him responded without fail every time and he leaned forward in active interest, the time passing them by unnoticed. There was no one else that could challenge him the same way that Yami did and that alone made Kaiba continue pursuing battles against him. Throughout the years, Kaiba had fought against countless people in tournaments, coming away with almost every title possible in order to improve the reputation of Kaiba Corporation, but there was very little personal interest in those things for him. When there was no challenge, he became bored with it and saw little point in wasting his time with them, but with Yami it was different. Any other time, winning was just the expected and probable outcome, but only against Yami did he burn for a win, wanted to earn it against every odd.

And he was so close now, so close that he refused to become cocky about it for fear of losing the upper hand. It was his 300 life points versus Yami's 150 and Kaiba was just waiting for the other to finish his turn so that he could play his final card. He logically knew that a few hours had to have passed, but he had never given it any thought, paid it any attention. Every part of him was focused on his opponent and their game, his emotions running high the entire time. It was why his first instinct was to feel disappointment when he realized it was over, rather than anger at recognizing his loss when Yami played his final card. He had nothing to defend against it and he watched as it reduced his life points to zero, causing him to sit back with a sigh as he set down his remaining hand cards.

"At least being beaten by my own cards means I built a strong deck," Kaiba said with a wry grin, knowing that he would be taking it a lot harder if he had lost by a more drastic margin or to Yami's own deck.

"If I had pulled any other card, I would have been finished," Yami commented, setting his remaining two hand cards in the grave pile.

Shrugging as he leaned back and rested on his hands, Kaiba added, "Well, at least I got some good data out of it."

"Data?" Yami repeated, confused by what Kaiba meant.

It was a feature Kaiba had wanted to implement for some time now and had only just recently been able to. "It records the battle and saves it on a memory card that can be uploaded onto a computer, allowing you to analyze your opponents tactics, to study and strengthen your own strategies. I'm looking to add the feature to the next Duel Disk series that are being produced, but some people seem to be under the impression that it will lead to privacy concerns," Kaiba explained with a scowl. He had been arguing with his lawyers for weeks about it and he was getting fed up with their resistance, but his Board of Advisors were split in their opinions as well so things were at a stalemate for the time being.

"I think it would be a popular feature," Yami said, knowing that he would find it useful when modifying his deck in the future. When Kaiba said nothing in return, Yami added, "Still, I'm glad."

"About what?" Kaiba asked. "Winning?"

"No, not winning," he answered with a laugh as he shook his head. "I enjoyed the battle." That wasn't everything, but it was as good a place as any to start.

Refusing to agree, Kaiba merely said, "It's been awhile."

Yami wasn't sure if Kaiba was referring to how long it had been since he had enjoyed a duel or if he was referring to how long it had been since they had last fought against each other, but it didn't really matter either way. "That's true," Yami agreed, "the last time was during the Battle City finals, wasn't it?"

"Since I refuse to count that pathetic excuse for a duel against Yuugi yesterday, that would be correct," Kaiba confirmed, still vaguely annoyed by it all. At least he understood why now, even if he found it all to be a bit preposterous.

"You've changed."

Furrowing his eyebrows at that statement, Kaiba gave Yami a hard look. "Of course I have—it's almost been two years since then. One must adapt in order to continue," Kaiba pointed out, still unsure where Yami was heading.

"Why did you fight me tonight?" Yami asked, watching Kaiba's reactions carefully.

"Because you challenged me," Kaiba answered, finding it to be a ridiculous question, his tone reflecting that.

"Is that the only reason why?"

"No," Kaiba replied without elaborating.

"What were you trying to prove?"

"Prove?" Kaiba questioned, his mind suddenly understanding what was really being asked. Every other time they had met in battle, Kaiba had always been fighting for a reason. Fighting for his Blue Eyes, for the sake of saving his brother, for overcoming his past—there had always been an ulterior motivation. But tonight, it had simply been because he had been challenged, because he had actually wanted to duel. He hadn't been trying to distance himself from his past, hadn't been trying to defeat Yami for a title, or prove himself to anyone. Kaiba had fought Yami for the sheer pleasure of fighting against his strongest rival, had actually enjoyed doing as such, even despite the outcome. It was strange to realize that he hadn't experienced any of the anger and hatred that normally fueled him during a fight. There was almost a heady sensation at that realization and he found himself staring at the other in mild disbelief.

Standing, Yami picked up the deck he had been using, adding the grave pile to it and shuffling it out of habit. "I told you during Battle City that it was only after you overcame your hatred and anger that you would become a true duelist," Yami commented, walking over and standing in front of Kaiba. "That's why I said I was glad. This is the fight I always wanted to have."

Turning his body in order to look up at Yami, Kaiba studied him carefully. There wasn't a smug look of satisfaction at being right on the other's face, there was simply a contented smile that made him feel strange inside for some reason. Finding his voice, Kaiba responded, "I still lost," knowing that in order to become a true duelist a victory was required.

"Did you?" Yami challenged as he held out the deck to Kaiba to take.

Had he? Kaiba thought so, but that was because he didn't buy into triumphing over past actions as a substitute for defeating Yami. But still, he couldn't quite shake Yami's words off, nor could he stop staring at the other. Yami was now smirking as if daring Kaiba to disagree with him; it was the same smirk that pushed him during their duels, the same one that never failed to make his blood rush. Everything was a mess in Kaiba's mind; he couldn't remember the last time he had ever felt so many emotions all at once. It was overwhelming, the whole week had been overwhelming, and he could feel his mind trying to disconnect, as if by doing as such would prevent things from going any further. He didn't know why everything came back to this one bastard, why he was the only one who could stir Kaiba up this much, but Yami was standing right in front of him and everything was beginning to catch up to Kaiba all at once.

Moving before he realized what he was doing, Kaiba reached up and grabbed Yami's wrist, pulling him down hard. Yami barely managed to get the cards in his hand onto the table before falling awkwardly on Kaiba's lap. "Why don't you ever shut up?" Kaiba growled, leaning forward and aggressively kissing Yami before the other had time to respond or before his own mind could reject his actions.

The moment was fierce and real, lacking the finesse that had been present in their interactions on the dream side. It was exhilarating, the awareness of sounds and sensations spurring Kaiba on, his free hand pulling Yami closer without parting, his fingers entwining themselves in that silken hair. He could feel Yami's other hand against his cheek, could feel the warmth from Yami's fingertips, could feel the heat of the other's body pressed so close to his.

When they parted, they were both breathing heavily as they stared at each other. "Kaiba, what—" Yami started to ask, but wasn't allowed to finish.

"Round two," was all Kaiba said before shifting his weight and forcing them forward, pinning Yami on his back as he resumed the kiss before the other could complain. It was why he was so surprised to suddenly find himself on the ground staring up at Yami who looked rather triumphant over his coup.

Kaiba wasn't sure how Yami had managed to pull off such a feat, but his mind stop trying to analyze it the instant Yami removed himself of his shirt, tossing it aside. The sight of his half naked rival was quickly defeating the last voice of reason Kaiba had, even as it attempted to ask one final question that went unfinished: "What are y—"

"Did you have something else in mind?" Yami asked smugly, enjoying every moment of a slightly bewildered and lustful Kaiba looking up at him. The comment earned him a growl and another change in positions as he was once again forced onto his back, laughing as he was pinned down more effectively this time.

Any chance of Kaiba's self-control returning was ruined when his fingers brushed against Yami's bare skin, when he felt the body under him arching at his touch; instinct completely took over and he released Yami's wrist in favor of supporting his weight as he starting kissing the other again.

Yami wasted no time in trying to rid Kaiba of his shirt as well, his fingers lightly tracing up Kaiba's spine, bringing the shirt up with it. He could feel the other shiver at his touch, couldn't help but be amused at the way Kaiba paused in his activities only long enough to impatiently pull it off and throw it in the same direction as Yami's before trying to resume again.

Kaiba didn't get very far because he was so distracted by the way it felt when Yami pulled him closer, gasping at the feeling of the other's body so close to his, the sensation of flesh against flesh entirely different than anything he had felt previously in their dreams. It made him more aroused and suddenly his hands were exploring, tracing their way down Yami's body even as he began kissing the other's neck. He thought he could taste a hint of leather on the other's skin, but he ignored it and continued on, forgoing his former speed as he began slowly kissing down Yami's body. The small part of his mind that was still barely functioning was cataloging every moment, marveling at the reactions of the lithe body responding to his every touch. He began experimenting, randomly kissing and licking in order to gauge the reactions, frustrating the hell out of the other.

Part of Yami was thoroughly enjoying being ravished, even if he got the feeling there was something rather scientific about it in Kaiba's mind. The other part of him was demanding action now, figuring foreplay could come later when they both were a little more rational. Right now, his desires were entirely in control and the fight and aftermath had been more than enough to get him going. Pressing against the other insistently, Yami only had to say, "Kaiba," and things instantly began progressing again with another breath stealing kiss.

There had been something oddly thrilling about the vaguely threatening look in Yami's eyes, even if Kaiba found his reaction to that unusual. It had been a look that said move on or else he would take over and Kaiba would be damned if he would let that happen. In the kiss there was a threat of dominance from the other and Kaiba was fully confident that he had been the victor in that confrontation as his hand worked its way down to Yami's pants, awkwardly managing to undo the top button. Breaking away from the kiss in order to focus, he was vaguely annoyed that such a remedial task was taking any amount of effort at all, but the remaining three came undone more readily. Somehow he wasn't surprised by the fact that Yami wasn't wearing any underwear and he muttered, "Fucking pervert," as he laughed.

"Shut the hell up," he groaned as he felt Kaiba's hand running down the length of his member.

"Hn."

"I haven't exactly had time to go shopping," Yami defended himself. It wasn't his fault that his body had different proportions than his aibou's. Well, maybe it was, but he was just trying to be accurate to his memories, after all.

"Uh huh." Kaiba snorted in disbelief at the excuse, but Yami didn't care at the moment. Removing his hand and sitting back, Kaiba started to slowly slide Yami's pants off, watching in fascination as the other raised his hips to help facilitate the process. Casting them aside and removing Yami's final article of clothing, he couldn't help but quip, "And yet you wear socks."

"Will you just shu—" Yami began to say, but was interrupted by a kiss that he could feel the smirk through, annoying him.

"Why don't you take your own advice?" Kaiba suggested in a low tone, his hand tracing down Yami's body once again.

Feeling somewhat belligerent, Yami countered, "It wasn't advice."

Letting his hand slip between the other's thighs, he slowly traced along the inside on his way up again. "Are you going to get technical?" Kaiba asked in a tone that sent a shiver through Yami, although it might have been the way Kaiba's fingers were touching everywhere but where he wanted.

Irritated, Yami snapped, "Just take off your fucking pants, asshole," causing Kaiba to laugh in genuine amusement. Yami's sexual frustrations were heightening his aggression and he decided to take advantage of the fact that Kaiba had remained in a sitting position. Launching himself at the other, he successfully managed to get Kaiba on his back for the second time that night. Instead of wasting time gloating, he quickly began stripping Kaiba of his pants and underwear, doing his best to try and ignore the way Kaiba was still chuckling.

Kaiba would be more pissed if it weren't for the fact he was enjoying watching his rival be the one who was losing his cool for once. Plus there was something incredibly erotic to Kaiba about Yami being so aggressive; it made him want to pin the other down that much more and he waited for his chance to take back control as he continued to snicker as Yami muttered about socks even as he obliged Kaiba by removing them. He could already feel himself responding to the almost feral look in Yami's eyes as he slowly slid his body along Kaiba's, grinding against him with a gasp as he made his way back up to look at Kaiba.

Their impromptu staring contest ended explosively when Yami abruptly began kissing Kaiba roughly, an all out war between their tongues commencing as their hands began running over each other's bodies, chasing the sensations. All of his previous bemusement was gone and he used more force than was necessary to regain his position on top in order to continue. Yami stared up at him defiantly and Kaiba met it with a confident glare of his own, reaching down and beginning to stroke the other, his fingers quickly growing slick with precum as they rubbed over the slit. Even as Yami raised his hips in an attempt to increase the friction, he was returning the favor in earnest. Kaiba could hear moaning, and he was unsure whether it was him or Yami, but it didn't matter.

Taking cues from the dreams and letting his natural instinct guide him, Kaiba stopped stroking the other in order to let his hand move further down, pressing one of his fingers against Yami's entrance. Yami's pace faltered and in that moment, Kaiba attempted to insert one of his fingers, watching in curiosity as Yami's breath hitched, his hips shifting slightly when Kaiba began to move his finger. He was surprised when his second was allowed in without too much resistance, but he knew better than to try to add his third that quickly. Leaning forward and kissing Yami, he continued moving his fingers, occasionally spreading them as if to test that anything more could be accommodated. When he felt Yami's body starting to move in response, he added the third, ceasing movement when he heard Yami gasp sharply at the intrusion. Kaiba said nothing, did nothing until Yami nodded; only then did he resume slowly stroking inside, surprised when he heard Yami make a noise that sounded less like pain and more like enjoyment. He continued for a little while longer, but he was quickly growing impatient and feeling more than a little ridiculous because of his foreign actions.

Eventually removing his fingers, he pulled back in order to reposition himself over the other. Stroking himself lightly, he looked at Yami and saw no fear or trepidation in those blood red eyes, not even when he pressed the tip of himself against the other's entrance. Figuring he already had all the permission he needed, Kaiba pushed into Yami, hearing the other cry out as his body arched up against Kaiba's. It made him want to move, but he remained still, waiting until he felt Yami's body relax beneath him. Only then did he try to move again, getting in about halfway before he felt Yami's muscles tightening around him as the other gasped again.

It was more painful that Yami had thought it would be, but he was touched by the flash of concern he saw pass through Kaiba's eyes, the way the other was tempering his desire against the limitations of Yami's body. Yami himself was frustrated by it, but there was little he could do at the moment except wait for his body to get accustomed to it. Although as masochistic as it might have sounded, there was something reassuring about the pain; it was proof that he was alive, proof that this body was his, that these sensations were entirely his. Wrapping his arms around Kaiba's neck, Yami leaned up and gently kissed the other, pleased when the other didn't try to escalate it.

Kaiba was a little taken aback by the almost tender affection in the kiss, but he continued engaging in it, trying not to think too much about it. He could finally feel Yami's body starting to lose its tension and he once again pushed further in without warning. Their kiss was interrupted by Yami crying out again and Kaiba was surprised by the feelings he had of guilt for causing the pain and frustration of his own inexperience to prevent it. But he was so close to being completely in now, too close to even think about stopping; Yami had thus far remained wordless, so he continued to wait, focusing instead on how incredible that tight warmth that surrounded him felt, how strangely pleasant it felt as Yami's muscles clenched around him tightly.

Yami was finally beginning to grow accustomed to the sensation and his own impatience was finally becoming unbearable. Not minding the pain, Yami wrapped his legs around Kaiba's waist and used the hold to force himself against Kaiba, taking him in completely as he made a sound that was somewhere between pleasure and pain. Kaiba was shocked to find himself completely buried into Yami at the motion, watching as the other finally lay flat on his back once more, taking deep shuddering breaths. Instead of the pained expression Kaiba had been expecting to see, there was almost a light teasing present in the other's intense gaze as he let his arms fall away from Kaiba's neck. He was impressed by the fact that Yami somehow managed to maintain a smug look in such a position and some of Kaiba's previous emotions were beginning to return, urging him to move. Yami could sense it in Kaiba and he had no complaints at the moment, so he rocked his body forward a little, giving Kaiba all the encouragement he needed when there was no sound of discomfort accompanying it.

Setting such a slow and shallow pace was driving Kaiba insane, but in the interest in not injuring Yami further, he forced himself to behave. Gradually increasing the length of his movements as Yami's body began to more readily accept him, they finally got to the point where Kaiba could pull out almost completely and slam back in, causing Yami to moan and arch his body in pleasure. Their moans and gasps began reawakening the aggression they had both set aside and their movements were soon becoming fast and harsh, Yami bracing himself with a hand on Kaiba's shoulder as his other stroked his neglected cock. Their bodies were quickly growing damp from their efforts, their voices reduced to wordless cries as they both were brought closer to their release, occasionally managing to say the other's name. Neither could think about anything except the current moment, the feelings and sensations overwhelming everything else.

Yami was the first to cum, his breath catching as he did so, the way his muscles tightened tempting Kaiba to do the same, but he resisted, even as he heard Yami moan, "Seto."

Refusing to relent, Kaiba warned the other, "I'm not done yet," thrusting extra hard as if proving the point.

"Good," Yami managed to say, his body still continuing to enjoy it.

He knew that he wouldn't last that much longer, especially the way his body was responding to Yami's shudders from earlier, but Kaiba continued mercilessly, driven by the continued sighs of pleasure coming from the other. Eventually he gave in, pushing in as deep as he could before finding his own release, his movements finally stilling. They stayed unmoving like that for a time, both breathing heavily and looking at each other as they tried to recover. Kaiba finally pulled out, hesitating about what to do next. Looking around the room, he was surprised to see that there actually was a box of tissues on one of the end tables and he couldn't help but mutter, "Damn maids," as he stood up to go get it. He didn't know why they insisted on having them in every room, but for once he was somewhat grateful. Washing sheets was one thing – having to get the carpet steam cleaned was another. Taking one and wiping himself off, he walked back over to Yami who was far more in need than Kaiba. A shower was sounding like a pretty good idea to him at the moment.

"Maids?" Yami repeated in confusion, tilting his head back and watching an upside down Kaiba drop something next to his head.

"Don't worry about it," Kaiba said dismissively, wandering over to get his clothes next, not watching as Yami cleaned himself as best he could. Picking up Yami's as well, he glanced over at the Duel Board and was pleased to see that the automatic off feature was functioning properly. "Now hurry the fuck up."

"Why?" Yami asked, even as he stood up and began making his way over to where Kaiba was standing.

Getting a face full of his clothes, the only other answer Yami got was, "Shower," as Kaiba led the way out of the room, shutting off the light as he went.

Deciding that a shower sounded like the perfect idea, Yami didn't argue and he followed Kaiba as they stopped in the kitchen to dispose of the tissues and grab cold bottles of water to drink. Kaiba then led the way over to the main staircase, feeling odd walking around his own house naked. The feeling was increased whenever he got the distinct impression that Yami was taking full advantage of it and Kaiba looked over his shoulder at him with a glare, catching Yami checking out his ass with a lewd grin. "Fucking pervert," Kaiba muttered, resisting the urge to yelp whenever he felt cold fingers cup one of his ass cheeks.

"Your point?"

Swatting the hand away as he turned around to face Yami, Kaiba began, "My point is that—" but was interrupted when the other pulled his head down and initiated an aggressive kiss.

Separating from it, Yami smirked and watched as Kaiba instantly became enraged by the expression and the impish way he asked, "Where's your damn shower?"

Rolling his eyes, Kaiba began heading back up the stairs, muttering, "Deviant bastard," as he did so. Grinning, Yami hurried after him with a laugh, slipping in behind Kaiba as they entered his bedroom.

A/N: Ohohoho, thank god that one is over with. I haven't had this hard of a time trying to finish a chapter since the last dueling one! At least there were some other benefits, though. But no more duels after this, I swear. At least none involving card games. XD And yay for the Briefcase of Doom making a cameo!

I still like the Blue Eyes White Dragon alarm clock more, but I think it would be neat to see Kaiba Corporation put out a portable board for Duel Monsters. It would probably be a huge hit and confiscated consistently at every school. XD And in case anyone was wondering, in order to get the data card out, you would have to push the KC logo, of course. I think the R&D team (research and development) would be fine with the recording features, but lawyers would raise issues over it. But I was totally seeing a website with stats and rankings being connected to it. Why I keep thinking about those things is beyond me, but it's the little details that I have fun with. Eheee.

And everyone knows that fighting is foreplay for those two. XD It was important to me that things didn't go as smoothly in reality as they did in the dream, though. There's also the issue that Kaiba is completely out of his element and wouldn't know what to do afterwards. I can't imagine affectionate kisses immediately afterwards or curling up; it really would be business for usual for him, even more so in reality than in the dreams. Plus given how neat everything is portrayed around him, I have the feeling the OCD desire to get clean afterwards would be strong. Plus I get to have a shower scene. Ohohoho. That's a reason all by itself.

NEXT CHAPTER: Again?

"Wait, what are you—wah!"

I love how the previews are getting progressively shorter. :laughs: Well, since the next chapter will be about 89 percent lemon, it's no wonder. But for those of you looking for the softer side, it makes an appearance here as well. Because we all know that Kaiba actually cares, even if he's too stubborn to admit it.

I think Sunday is basically becoming my new regular posting day, even if the hour is a bit irregular. Guess who is so not going to class today? Yeah, that would be me. But in the last eighteen hours, I've written almost 25,000 words so it can be forgiven. Plus I don't really like my Monday teacher, so meow. Next chapter, next Sunday most likely.

In other news, while I was procrastinating/struggling with this chapter, I accidentally wrote my next story completely from start to finish in one sitting, so that's exciting. It was a spin off of a line in the next chapter here and a completely unrelated story sprung up out of it. Whoops. I told myself I wouldn't until I finished this one, but since it won't interfere with me completing this story, it should be fine. Its tone is different and it lacks the humor and smut of this one, but I was having a lot of fun with the psychology of these two, so there it is. It takes place on the Battle Ship the night before the finals and involves memories and Egypt and Kaiba, so you can image that there's some amount of fun to be had there.

I'm not sure about the posting schedule for it, but it'll go up in four parts once I edit it properly. Yeah, I don't know the meaning of "one shot," apparently. It was supposed to be that, but it ended up being almost 20,000 words by itself, so it's getting broken up into four pieces. I thought about waiting until this one is over, but I may put up the first chapter later in the week. Not really sure yet. But here's a preview paragraph from chapter three:

He didn't want to feel what was going on in Seto's head, but Kaiba couldn't stop the powerful emotions that were coursing through him and all of the images that were accompanying them. Clutching his head as if he were in pain, he fought against it, not wanting to remember things that weren't related to him, not wanting to know what their last night together had been like, the way the smaller man's body had felt under—no, Kaiba didn't want to see, didn't want to feel those things, but they were slipping past every defense he had as he watched Seto pull Yami into his arms and whisper, "Pharaoh," so softly that he wouldn't have heard it at all if his own lips weren't saying the same words.

XD Poor boy just never catches a break, does he? Anyway, hopefully you enjoyed that and I'm looking forward to hearing what you guys think of this chapter! Until next Sunday, then!