Heart of the Cards

Duel Monsters had only been out for a month and Kaiba Corp had already begun plans for a tournament. It was all anyone did anymore. The set date was Friday, July 18 at the Kaiba Dome. Two days had passed since Yugi called Seto. No calls, texts, no Facebook posts, nothing. He could only hope for the best.

That didn't stop his friends, though.

The three were sitting in a circle on Yugi's bedroom floor. Tristan and Joey sat with their legs crossed and sneered at each other over the top of the cards they held. Yugi sat on the side to watch-but really to make sure they didn't cheat. Joey placed a card on the magic/trap zone and set a monster in defense mode before ending his turn.

"Alright, announced Tristan, drawing a card. I think the first thing I'll do is rid the field of your face down card. I attack with gadget soldier!"

This caused Joey's lips to curve into a wide smile. "Flip! The effect activates at the same time! He proceeded to turn over his face down card, a man eater bug. Now I get to destroy a monster on your side of the field, regardless of position. So you know what that means..." The pointy haired teen sat back, placing his hands on his head. "Are you freaking kidding me!" Yugi snickered at the scene in front of him. He wasn't surprised Joey had that one planned out. The way he was dueling lately, it wouldn't come as a shock if he made it to the finals, however that would mean... "I'd have to beat him", thought Yugi. It was times like this he really wish he'd listened to Seto's advice about not going anywhere by himself. If he had, he'd probably have his deck, and then he could join his friends.

Yugi rustled at the thought. He reached in his shorts pocket and unfolded the invite he got in the mail. "Come one, come all! The title read. It was a simple invite with not to his surprise, a blue-eyes white dragon watermark. Seto seemed to have a fetish for that particular monster since the launch of the game. He somehow got ahold of not one, but three copies of that card, which happened to be all that was made according to his grandfather. The card had 3000 attack and 2500 defense points making it a tough customer to beat. Not to mention that the Kaiba dome was in the shape of its head.

"How am I supposed to beat something like that"?

Joey looked up at him inquisitively. "Beat what, Yug"?

"Kaiba's blue-eyes white dragons, was the grumbled reply. How am I supposed to compete with those? I mean, I haven't had any practice and I don't have my deck-let alone anything that can stand up to them. It all just seems...so hopeless." Yugi put his head on his knees.

"Don't give up so easily", came a familiar voice. The three looked over to see Solomon Moto standing in the doorway.

"Grandpa! Yugi shot up. What are you doing here"?

"Well it's closin time and I just wanted to let you know that both Tristan and Joey's parents called for them to come home for dinner. He looked down at the mess of cards at the floor. ...And I happened to overhear you kids' conversation about the upcoming tournament. Speaking of which, there's something I should talk to you about."

Mr. Moto and Yugi now sat on the end of his bed. "Grandpa's never this serious. What could he want to talk to me about", wondered Yugi. He was slightly concerned he was in trouble. He was about to find out.

After a moment, Mr. Moto spoke, looking his grandson in the eyes. "What I wanted to talk to you about was the tournament coming up, he stated in a serious tone. There's something I know that will help you win."

"What's that, grandpa"?

"The heart of the cards, Yugi. This game isn't all about power, despite popular belief, he began. When you duel with honor, you are much more likely to win. The cards have a heart, Yugi. When treated with respect, they will in turn respect you. You see, I put my heart and soul into all I do and that's why I have been so successful. I know if you do the same, you will be, too."

Yugi stared at his ceiling in thought. The heart of the cards...he wasn't entirely sure what it all meant. It was hard to try out when he didn't have a deck to do it with. Kaiba's tournament was coming up fast. Either he was going to get his deck back or get another. He was convinced that the whole reason why Seto was hosting the tournament was to humiliate him. Seto was a nice person, but when it came to competitions, he did not mess around. "I'm sure the reason is to prove that Kaiba Corp is the best when it comes to games, he said aloud. He's nice and all, but he'll do anything to boost his ego."

Morning came quickly, shining its rays into Yugi's room. They were split into a small rainbow once they hit the crystal in his window by his bed side. The light shone brightly, hitting his face. The small boy regretted opening his eyes in the direction he had, because it was enough to partially blind him. Feeling dizzy, he got up and struggled to his bathroom, nearly tripping into the door. He rubbed his eyes and picked up his phone.

"Hey there's something I want to talk to you about. Meet me at In N Out for lunch." Message Sent.

He towel dried himself off after a quick shower. Today's outfit consisted of a short sleeved, light blue plaid shirt and white/blue Volcom board shorts with the usual accessories. Doing up the last buckle on his collar, he started for the stairs and jogged up them. The pantry let out a small creak as he opened it. Yugi began the every day ritual of pouring himself a bowl of cereal. Today was a good day for some Lucky Charms, he decided. He took a seat at the bar and read the new text from Tristan.

"Alright, I'll let Joey know and meet you there at one."

Two hours away...what was he to do until then? Out of habit, he logged into his Facebook. His face lit up upon seeing two notifications. One new message. His heart pounded in his chest. Not bothering to read the other notification, he proceeded to his profile to see what his cousin had to say.

"Yugi, I have found your deck. However, upon looking through it, I can see why those rare hunters targeted you. You have some things that I want...if you want your deck for the tournament, come and get it by tomorrow morning. My office." -Seto

He would have jumped through the ceiling had his grandfather not been reading over his shoulder. Yugi slowly turned to look at him, half smiling. "As excited as I am for the news, I'm a little concerned..." Mr. Moto nodded before walking out the back door. "There's only one way to find out, Yugi. Just be careful, hmm"?

"You have some things I want..." He wouldn't take anything...would he? He groaned after he read the message for the third time. Why couldn't he just show some compassion and just give it to him?

He had over an hour to meet his friends and he simply couldn't stand to wait any longer to get his deck back. That was it, he was on his way to get his deck back. Only problem was, he couldn't legally drive, and he had no desire to get in as much trouble as Tristan did when his father found out about the jeep. He walked over to the back door and looked out the window. Solomon Moto was busily working away in the garden, pulling weeds and doing some general cleaning up. Yugi closed the back door and went over to where he was.

"Hey grandpa"?

"Hmm"? He continued to work away.

"I was hoping that I could drive the Corvaire to Kaiba's office and go pick up my deck. He tapped his fingers together nervously. The only catch is, I can't go by myself since I only have my permit. Will you come with me, please"?

"Yes, I suppose. I've been anxiously awaiting the day you would get those cards back. He turned around and got up. Let's go right now before we get a lot of customers."

Yugi carefully backed out of the driveway, grinning. He hadn't had a chance to drive the Corvaire since he had his permit over a couple of weeks. He passed the test with ninety percent right after his injuries were bearable. The spiky haired boy drove a car like a natural. It was probably from playing a lot of G.T.A. He drive downtown, keeping the speed to the limit. The only skyscraper soon was in view. It had large KC letters on its doors along with two blue-eyes white dragon statues out front for all to see. He pulled over to the curb and smoothly stopped.

"This shouldn't take very long", he said as he undid his seatbelt.

"Okay, just hurry back. I forgot to lock the shop and it would be disastrous if someone came by with no one at the counter."

"Okay! He called back to the car. He turned and looked up at the massive structure. Alright...here goes." He walked towards the glass doors and pushed against the elaborate brass. He was quickly impressed and otherwise not surprised as he looked around the sight before him.

The lobby was more like a hotel than it was a commercial building. There was a stone fountain in the with a blue-eyes white dragon in the middle with water coming out of its mouth. It was surrounded with some fancy looking stones at the bottom. What caught Yugi's attention were it's eyes. They appeared to be gems, specifically sapphires. Yugi looked around at the floors which were made of some obviously expensive marble with elaborate designs and noticed the assortment of leather furniture that decorated the room. The front desk was made out of the prettiest wood he'd ever seen. It was a redish brown color with a receptionist sitting behind it. He quietly approached her. "Um, where can I find Seto Kaiba"?

The receptionist wore a light blue shirt and tie. She had snow white hair that came to her waist and eyes that resembled sapphires. She smiled down at her visitor kindly. "Do you have an appointment"?

"Uh...no, he said looking down. I'm just supposed to meet him in his office. I'm his cousin, Yugi, if that helps."

"Oh, we've been expecting you, Yugi. He's on the top floor. You go on ahead."

"Thanks..." He turned and walked around the corner. In front of him were three elevators, probably made of gold, he guessed. He pressed a button with a ^ on it. Seconds later, the doors slid open, emitting a ding while doing so. A bellhop dressed in a burgundy three piece suit with a white shirt and black tie greeted him. "Going up"? "Uh, yeah to the top floor." The bellhop pushed "14" and up they went.

Yugi looked around, curious. The elevator had a large mirror on its ceiling in which he could see himself and the bellhop. Another ding sounded as it reached the destination. He turned and thanked the bellhop who nodded as the doors slid closed again. Almost immediately he spotted his cousin's office as he looked around. A large, wooden door was before him with a brass name plate which held "Seto." He was surprised to see a doorbell on the right side. Shrugging, he pushed on it. "Come in!" He recognized the voice as Seto's.

Yugi pushed the door opened and was delighted to see his cousin sitting at his desk. Seto looked up and lightly smiled. "Ah yes, I wondered when you'd be dropping by. Come, have a seat." He pointed to the large black sectional couch a few feet from the desk. Yugi did as he was told and sat down.

"How are you, cousin? How's your summer"? Seto sat back in a casual manner.

"It's good, thanks. I want to get straight to business, though."

"Of course, he said reaching into his desk and pulling out the all too familiar black tin. As promised, here is your deck."

Yugi practically ran up to get it. "Finally. Where it belongs. Thank you so much."

"Anytime you need anything, you call. And you're welcome, Seto smiled. I hope you'll be ready for the tournament here in a few days."

Yugi looked down at his shoes. "Me too. He remembered his grandfather waiting. I need to get going. I'll see you at the tournament", he closed the door behind him.

Seto grinned widely. "Yes Yugi. Yes you will."

Yugi was on a full out sprint when he came through the doors. He closed the car door before catching his breath. "Sorry if I took a long time."

"You were quick, was the reply. Come, let's go back to the shop."

The engine hummed smoothly as he turned the keys. He started down the street. A stop light came up and to his delight, turned from red to green. The Corvaire moved into the turning lane. The car was more than halfway complete with the turn when a large black monster truck going much too fast t-boned the passengers side.

Sorry about ending on such a sour note! (I know I'm cruel) :p

Please review and let me know what you think so far!