26. Savin' Me – Nickelback
"So what's it to be, Yuugi?" Kaiba's coattails blew in the stiff breeze that whistled through the battlements of Pegasus's castle. "Will you murder me to achieve your goals?"
Ryou's head throbbed. He felt sick. This was … rather beyond anything he'd ever had to deal with. What was Kaiba thinking, putting himself in such danger? And worse, making Yuugi choose between this terrible act and his grandfather's soul? That was just despicable.
He's thinking about his brother, a part of Ryou whispered.
Kaiba was doing what any true big brother would do, albeit with a lethal, selfish edge – he was trying to protect his little brother. Ryou could understand that. After all, if it'd been him and someone had taken Amane's soul, he'd fight against his own gentle nature to get it back. How many nights after she died did he lay awake trying to make a deal with God to give back his little sister and his mother, even though he knew it was useless? Love made you do reckless, stupid, and useless things like offer your own life in exchange.
Still … Yuugi had done so much for Ryou already. Kaiba's goals may have been noble, be he couldn't be allowed to torture someone as good as Yuugi Mutou.
Ryou edged along the battlements while Kaiba went into his diatribe, unnoticed because everyone was too dismayed at Kaiba to notice what he was up to. After years of perfecting the skill, Ryou was good at blending into the background
So when Kaiba pointed melodramatically at Yuugi, exacting him to make his choice, he wasn't expecting another pair of hands to reach out of nowhere and yank him from his perch.
Kaiba tumbled forward. Ryou's grip wasn't good, and apparently, besides being the youngest CEO in Japan, Kaiba has also taken lesson in marital arts or something. He kicked out and all the breath whooshed from Ryou's stomach, his ribs saved only by the awkwardness of the angle.
"Quick!" he wheezed. "Help me!"
Broken from their horror by this fresh surprise, Anzu, Honda and Jounouchi ran over. Between them they were able to subdue Kaiba. Ryou found himself sitting astride the taller boy's back, Honda and Jounouchi pinning his arms and Anzu sitting on the backs of Kaiba's knees to prevent him kicking anyone again.
Yuugi just looked stupefied at this unforeseen turn of events, his face flickering oddly between sharp and soft features.
Jounouchi grunted as Kaiba spat insults and threats, twisting his arms to free them. "A thank you might be nice, Yuugi. Not that I didn't enjoy beating on Seto Kaiba, but I'm gonna have a real shiner in the morning."