To the Victor Go the Spoils

Oy, Writer's Block is a PAIN. I had most of this written for ages, but got stuck right near the end. . However...this is it! The very, very end!

Rating: T for dark themes: insanity, violence, language.

Pairings: Mild Puzzleshipping (on the side), some twisted, one-sided Prideshipping.

Disclaimer: If I owned Yu-Gi-Oh…aw hell. I don't :p

Italics indicate thoughts or emphasis.

Yami smiled at the little boy in front of him, handing back the card he'd autographed. He couldn't have been more than seven or eight, and he gazed at Yami with childish awe. "You have a great deck, my friend," he said. "Keep up the good work, and remember to fight with honor, and you could end up in the World Championships in no time!"

The boy beamed. His mother smiled, too, and said, "Now, Ichiro, what do you say?"

"Thank 'oo, Yami!" he exclaimed immediately, throwing his arms around the King of Games in a hug of pure excitement.

Yami laughed and hugged the boy back. "You're quite welcome." He straightened as mother and child walked away, watching as the boy babbled happily. He loved children, he really did.

"Ladies and gentlemen, your attention, please!" Yami turned to see Yugi standing on the stool behind the counter, hands cupped around his mouth as he shouted for attention. The loud chatter quieted to a soft murmur. "Thank you," he smiled, continuing in a more normal tone. "Unfortunately, we will be closing in ten minutes. Please make your way up to the counter to complete your purchases. If you need help with anything, I or Yami would be happy to assist you."

He jumped back down, greeting the next customer as the noise level rose once again. Yami felt pride swell in him. The little game shop was bustling with activity; business had never been better. Part of it, he was sure, was due to Yugi's recent success. In the few short months since the fiasco at the KaibaLand Dome, Yugi had risen in the national spotlight to become a top duelist in his own right. Quite often, they worked as a team, though every once in a while, they'd compete against each other.

Of course, Yugi would insist that the fame was mostly Yami's. His lighter half was entirely too modest for his own good, and Yami would have to playfully remind him that he'd become quite adept at autographing something with one hand while manipulating the register with the other.

Absentmindedly, he rubbed the back of his neck, catching himself after a minute or two and removing his hand. He really should have kicked that habit by now; the absence of either the Puzzle or a neck collar no longer felt odd. He still liked that style, of course…he just didn't like having things around his neck these days. The collar especially made him feel suffocated, no matter how loosely he wore it.

It was silly, really. He knew it was all in his head. But every time he tried to wear something around his neck, he felt Kaiba's hands around his neck, squeezing the life out of him as his vision went dark…

He shuddered. It wasn't something he could forget easily.

He was brought out of his thoughts by the chiming of the clock. 8 PM – closing time. There were still a few people waiting to pay, so he merely flipped the sign on the door to "Closed"; he'd lock it once they left. In the meantime, he began to straighten the shelves. Busy days like this always resulted in the shop going from neat and orderly to barely organized chaos.

In a few minutes, the bell above the door rang for the last time, and the door closed to a quiet shop. Yugi let out a sigh, and Yami looked over at him from behind a case of puzzles. His head was resting on the counter.

Yami laughed. "Tired, aibou?" he teased. "I can't imagine why."

"If I have to squint at any more tiny price tags today, I'm going to go crazy," his hikari mumbled.

Yami walked over to the counter, not bothering to hide his amusement. "You say that every time we have a busy day." He leaned on it, facing his partner, and poked his shoulder.

Yugi raised his head and his lips twitched into a self-deprecating grin. "Yeah, I know…I should be used to this by now, shouldn't I?"

"Absolutely. No excuses," Yami said, trying to look stern. Yugi's amused expression told him he was failing. "Now come on, the faster we clean up in here, the faster we'll get to have dinner." He moved to the side, heading towards a particularly disheveled pile of games.

The bell rang as the door opened. Yami mentally smacked himself on the head for forgetting to lock up; they'd often get a straggler hoping to sneak a purchase after hours.

"Sorry, sir," Yugi said politely, "But I'm afraid we're cl—." He stopped. Yami looked up. Yugi looked shocked…and wary. Slowly, Yami turned around…

…And met the gaze of Seto Kaiba.

He tensed automatically, his expression becoming guarded. The last time he'd seen him, he was being dragged away by two security guards in the Dome, after trying to hurt Yami one last time. After Kaiba had almost killed him, his sanity spiraling away…he still remembered the wild look of rage, hate and glee on his face as his hands crushed his windpipe. The images still haunted his dreams every so often.

Yami knew, of course, that he was no longer a threat to anyone. His title of CEO had been handed to Mokuba; he'd spent weeks in a private psychiatric facility and had been released home a few days ago. The last he had heard, Kaiba was recovering, but would never be the same.

The man in front of him barely resembled the Kaiba he remembered. Physically, he looked much the same as ever, though it was decidedly strange seeing him in casual clothes; jeans and Kaiba were not two words one often used together. But his expression no longer held the cold arrogance of someone long used to being on top; his posture was slightly slumped, no longer ramrod straight. His eyes no longer held that wild, obsessive rage.

This Kaiba looked broken. He was stoic as ever, but there was an air of tired defeat about him, as though he'd given up. He met Yami's gaze steadily, his stare much softer than it had ever been, but it seemed as though it was costing him strength to do so. He stood on the threshold of the shop as though he was unsure what to do next. Almost as though he was…nervous.

It was painful to observe. Of all the people he had fought – or even known – Kaiba was the last person Yami would have expected to break like this. Before he'd lost his mind, he'd been strong and sharp, bending to no one's will but his own. It was sad that things had turned out like they did. Out of the corner of his eye, Yami observed his lighter half wearing an expression of surprise and sorrow, clearly thinking along the same lines as he was.

Yami willed himself to speak. "Can we help you, Kaiba?"

Kaiba blinked. Then, he nodded, looking uncomfortable. Slowly, he walked towards the counter, reaching into his coat pocket. He stopped in front of them, pulling out three cards. He looked at them for a moment, and spoke.

"I meant…to do this sooner," he said softly, his tone mirroring the defeat in his eyes. "These…" he swallowed, "these belong to you." He held out his hand, which Yami now observed was holding three pieces of stiff paper.

The three God cards. The cards Yami had been half-coerced into handing him at the press conference, that seemed so long ago but was really only a few months behind them.

Slowly, Yami reached out and took them. He looked up at Kaiba, and realized that this was his way of apologizing…of trying to make things right.

"Thank you," he said quietly. He meant it.

A weight seemed to lift off Kaiba's shoulders. He nodded acknowledgement at him, and then at Yugi. Then, he turned to go.

"Kaiba," Yugi called softly, his tone sad. He stopped, but didn't turn around. "Are…Will you be okay?"

Silence for a moment. Then, so softly they could barely hear him, he whispered, "I don't know."

"Well…good luck," Yami said. He wasn't sure what else to say. Kaiba nodded once again and left. Yami saw him get into a short limousine, which drove away at once.

Yami looked at the cards in his hand. It seemed a cruel twist of irony that everything that Kaiba had tried to take from him was his again. But instead of things just going back to the way they were, Kaiba had lost everything. His mind, his title, his company, his reputation…he'd laid it all on the line in his drive to best him. And it had all backfired, blowing up violently in his face. And now…he was ruined, a shadow of his former self. Somehow, it didn't seem fair.

"Yami?" He looked up to see Yugi standing in front of him, the key to the shop in his hand. Yami knew without having to say anything that Yugi's expression mirrored his own.

"I never thought…" he said, trailing off, suddenly unsure of what he'd meant to say.

But Yugi understood. "I know," he said.

He took his partner's hand, and they exited the shop, heading up to the living quarters above it. Yami pocketed the cards. They seemed heavier than usual. They'd always meant a lot to him…he looked at them and saw the key to his past, his triumph over evil itself, finally coming to know his identity in the process.

They still symbolized his greatest triumph. But now they were also laden with the scars of defeat. The symbol of a man, who had striven so hard to taste the fruits of victory…and ended up paying a price so steep, he would never be the same.

The last card had been played. The final turn had ended.

And now, the game was over.

And thus, the journey that has been this story has come to an end. I had a lot of fun writing it...and it's really exciting that I finished it, since the last time I started writing a multi-chapter fic (several years ago), I was never able to complete it.

Thank you so much to everyone who has read this and reviewed. Your feedback means a lot to me :) And also, a huge thank you to Toxic Hathor for being kind enough to beta this entire story for me, from start to finish.

So long for now, and thanks for all the card games. ;)