AN: Chapters five and six are two halves of the same evening, I enjoyed writing them and feel like I'm 'getting going' a bit more, as you know it's my first time writing – I'm starting to find my feet a bit more now…I hope!

Thanks to all who have read and particularly those who have also followed and/or reviewed, it makes such a difference to get the feedback

To those without accounts I'm only sorry I can't reply personally to your greatly valued kind comments; know how much I enjoy reading them. Those with…I think I have PM'ed you all, thank you and please keep the observations/reviews coming.

Massive appreciation this week to: SmellyBelly69, Acirederf, Secrethoodedwolf, Bella, Jackie, Kaibasbigbluedragon, Elusive Guest , Bill and Bill's Wife (more fictional hotties coming – watch out), the Daxinator, Nenya85 and the Alpha Chives.

"I cannot fix on the hour, or the spot, or the look or the words, which laid the foundation. It is too long ago. I was in the middle before I knew that I had begun." Jane Austen, P&P.

Chapter Five

Next day, Yami related to Joey all that had passed between himself and Duke. Joey was horrified as the full tale was divulged and at first did not want to accept it could be true (despite his own issues with various Mutt comments) since Mai spoke well of Kaiba and he knew she trusted him. However neither could believe someone would invent such a tale…particularly about someone who had Kaiba's legal resources.

"So rich-boy has feet of clay despite all his sneering at the rest of us mere mortals," Joey summed up eventually.

"Well, they can't both be honest men Joey," Yami said seriously, "if Kaiba has a different version of events let him share it…besides you could not disbelieve Duke if you had seen his face when he told me all this…so full of regrets, yet refusing to be crushed by them."

They were unable to continue the conversation any further as Mai arrived to give them the news of the upcoming KaibaCorp tourney (actually a great excuse to spend time with Joey). It was to be held in a weeks' time and since it was primarily a test event, designed to showcase the new dueling system- it was going to be a spectacular one evening affair. To facilitate this time constraint and also to generate further anticipation and drama - it was being organized as a speed-dueling contest. Players would be randomly paired by a computer draw, they would duel for fifteen minutes and whoever had the most life points at the end of that time would be declared the winner. All recognized gamers in town were invited along with others whose main interest would be to observe.

The whole family were invited which Yami shrewdly realized was Mai's doing, he had observed Kaiba's disdainful attitude towards them and been angered by it so knew whom to thank on their behalf. All were looking forward to the evening; Joey thought no further than the pleasure of being with Mai, his parents expected to see some fine play and Tristan and Ryou were aware that many of their gaming compatriots would be present. Marik was (suspiciously?) understated - merely saying that Tea's example made him think it would be fun and he liked to have the chance to dress up.

Thinking of Marik's view of 'dressing up' which definitely implied plenty of Egyptian style 'bling' and crop tops, Yami inwardly winced but didn't wish to hurt his brother's feelings so he merely sighed and said with a meaningful look: "try not to annoy anyone with that rod, you've been doing that a lot lately."

"Of course not." Came the complaisant (yet unconvincing) reply.

The week preceding the much anticipated event seemed to pass slowly to an unusually impatient Yami. He was (he told himself) motivated by his desire to see how Kaiba would comport himself in Duke's presence, would his behavior be confirmation of everything? Whatever he convinced himself about his motives he certainly had the intention of spending much of the evening in the company of the intriguing Duke Devlin.

Joey and Mai contrived to find reasons for passing a great deal of the week in one another's presence, Joey now 'lit up' whenever she was near him and the two were involved with each other to the exclusion of all else. Yami found that Joey showed only a passing interest in the prospect of the duels which would take place - something he would have been avidly awaiting before Mai. It seemed to Yami that his brother had found the right person to share his life without even looking and he was genuinely happy for them.

Another romantic tangle seemed to be resolving itself as the week progressed.

Following the meeting with Yugi, Tea had been struggling with mental turmoil. From almost the first meeting with Yami she had been physically attracted to him and fascinated by his compelling personality but she had been unable to penetrate his reserve. He was undoubtedly friendly but she had a sensation of being 'held at arm's length', this had been frustrating and had also aroused within her a surprising predatory instinct. Tea had had every intention of continuing her pursuit (Yami would have called it persecution) until she had met Yugi and been astounded by his close resemblance to her original quarry. Not only did she find him equally desirable, they had undoubtedly formed an immediate bond…so many interests, aspirations and principles they had in common. That first evening they chatted had 'flown by' and each successive meeting this week had confirmed their compatibility. Tea was now full of indecision…who did she really want? She had the definite and slightly shameful feeling that only resentment at Yami's lack of interest in her caused the continued debate and an enlightening conversation was the final turning point…

"Hey Yami," Tea cooed, catching up with him (for once alone) in the game shop one afternoon, "what are you so busy doing?"

"Looking over my deck in preparation for Saturday," he replied casually, intent on the card combinations laid out before him.

"Won't you talk to me for a while," Tea continued, "I feel as though you've been avoiding being alone with me?"

Yami sighed, straightening and turning (she noted with annoyance) reluctantly away from his cards to face her.

"Tea," he paused, seeming to contemplate his words carefully, "I think you've gained the wrong impression of me…"

"Wrong?" She asked, perplexed…this was not at all how she had imagined the conversation would progress.

"Yes…you've built up an image which isn't reality. I thought you might have figured it out by now…Dark Magician girl is not my favorite card…Dark Magician is."

She looked at him – a sudden possibility for his palpable disinterest occurring to her. "You mean…"

"Let's just say that I duel on the other side of the table, shall we?" Yami finished for her, a small smile quirking the side of his lips.

"Ohhh…now I understand…wait! Yugi?" Tea, rushed on anxiously.

"No." He replied firmly, "he's my dearest friend and I care about him very much but it's a strictly platonic friendship. I trust you understand?"

"Absolutely," Tea replied hurriedly, with relief plain upon her face. She took a deep breath and continued, blushing slightly and looking somewhat ashamed, "I care a lot for him too, I hate to admit it but I think I only chased you because you didn't want me, my stupid pride was blinding me, I wanted to be sure…" She trailed off. "I'm sorry I forced this conversation upon you Yami, I was an idiot."

"It's alright Tea," Yami smiled looking relieved, "let me put this in a way I know you'll appreciate, a friend is one who knows you and loves you just the same."

The cousins shared a hug, all finally clear between them.

Until Yami entered the venue on the evening of the tourney and looked in vain for him, it had not occurred to him that Duke might not be present. He had dressed with unusual care all in black - leather trousers which clung to his hips and an open-necked shirt, an outfit which set off his vivid, exotic looks admirably to judge from the numerous sidelong glances cast his way. He was oblivious to this as he dwelled darkly on the suspicion that Kaiba had purposely denied Duke the right to be amongst the guests – he obviously wouldn't want to risk a confrontation on his big presentation night.

This subsequently turned out not to be the case…Tristan (after speaking to another dicer) was able to tell him that Duke had gone out of town for a few days. Yami however, was sure that a desire to avoid the author of his misery was the reason for this sudden absence and in his disappointment internally blamed Kaiba to such an extent that he could hardly reply with any politeness to the civil (if stilted) greeting from his host.

Encountering Yugi, he was able to dissipate some of his annoyance by sharing the information upon which he had been brooding and the ensuing demonstration of the holographic duel disk systems which would be used during play, succeeded in completing his distraction. Yami was far too keen a duelist not to be impressed (and secretly delighted) with the portable hologram generators, how much these would add to the dueling experience! Had he not known of the real character behind the designer of these marvelous creations he would have been forced to admire the mind that could conceive and construct them.

The computer draw to pair up all competitors for a succession of 'quick play' points duels commenced and Yami was appalled to discover that his second match was to be against Kaiba himself! The very person he least wished to encounter and whom he had determined never to duel with following the snub of their first encounter weeks before. His initial dismay was soon sublimated into a resolution to soundly defeat his nemesis and humble that intolerable pride. Yami scanned the list of competitors and then set off to collect a duel disk for his first duel, feeling surprised that neither Joey nor Mai appeared to be taking part in the proceedings.

Upon arrival, Joey had immediately sought out Mai, their close contact over the previous week had made up his mind…they needed to have a private discussion and he was too agitated either to wait or to duel. He whispered something of this into Mai's ear and she was amenable; having been using the disks regularly for several weeks now, she knew all about them anyway. The two spoke to the duel registration clerk – who deleted their names from the list of those competing – and found an empty room where they could talk without being disturbed.

As the door closed behind them, Joey turned to look at Mai, a mixture of entreaty, longing and apprehension naked on his face. Mai moved towards him anxiously, "What is it Joey? You're worrying me, whatever it is…tell me now."

Joey replied with the air of someone who thought they might be 'burning bridges' behind them, "We're friends Mai and I'll always be here for you…no matter what, but I've got something that I've got to tell you Mai, something I should have told you before."

"For heaven's sake, just tell me, it'll be alright…"

"When I first met you, you told me that all you had to care for was yourself because you had so few friends. Before I tell you, I want you to know, I'll always stand by you no matter what. I'll never forget our friendship."

He paused and took a shuddering breath, seeming to gather his courage.

"I love you Mai," not meeting her eyes, he continued, "I don't know if you're going to want to hear this but you've pushed yourself inside me…if I sleep I dream of you…I couldn't leave things as they are any longer…I need to know if there's a chance…"

He got more of an answer than he had expected as Mai flung herself upon him, knocking him off balance so that both fell to the floor.

Brushing her hair from him, Mai looked full into his face, "Kiss me idiot, I've come way too far to back out now."

His disclosures had gone considerably better than Joey had expected and continued to do so, all the uncertainties and pent up passion burst from them both as they tore into each other's clothing. 'Maybe all that worrying had been unnecessary' was Joey's last coherent thought as he sank deep into Mai's embrace and just…let go…

Back in the dueling areas there had been plenty of different action.

Yami had not required the full fifteen minutes to defeat his first opponent and was aware that Kaiba's adversary had fared equally (that poor fellow had left the duel followed by a scathing comment rather than the gracious manner in which Yami had left his own).

Snatching a few words with Yugi (whose own duel had proceeded along similar lines), Yami quickly informed him of the imminent Kaiba situation. Yugi, with his perpetual desire to see the best in people, and knowing Yami's implacable views about honour, urgently tried to ameliorate the situation.

"We don't know both sides of the story Yami, don't let your infatuation (here he actually got a scowl) with Duke blind you to other possibilities." He hurried on before Yami could respond, "at least try not to let your anger run away with you, don't humiliate him in public, he has too much influence." He observed the stiffening of Yami's shoulders, and with the clear intent of 'pouring the last despairing drop of water on an out-of-control fire', finished with, "you might enjoy the duel you know, it will at least be a challenge."

As Yami walked away to take his place opposite Kaiba, the posture of both betrayed how effective Yugi's words of caution had been. Yugi's shoulders betrayed a slight slump; Yami's spine was stiffly erect.

Many flocked to observe this duel. The local gamers present had spread word of Yami's dueling skills and however unpopular Kaiba might be personally, no one doubted his expertise in this area.

The duel began in silence, opening plays clearly testing nerve and probing for weakness. Curse of Dragon defeated Ryu-Kishin; Swordstalker failed against Curse of Dragon as Monster Replace switched it with Dark Magician.

"Wow, Yami's really putting the moves on Kaiba!" Was heard, 'sotto voce' from an excited spectator. There followed a Genie of the lamp/La Jin combo which equalized the points once more.

"I still have the Dark Magician, the heart of my deck, and he's never failed me," Yami uttered challengingly.

Kaiba smirked, clearly intent on his own strategy, and his blue eyes pierced the air between them as he taunted, "You look worried Yami, your little 'magic show' may have been entertaining but I have a tactic you cannot stand against. I think you need to be taught a lesson and I'll be happy to make my next play painfully instructive."

The absolute passion of the two combatants was palpable in the room, the desire of each to be victorious an almost tangible force. Magical box aided one duelist while Sagi- infected with a crush virus decimated the deck of the other and gasps were heard.

"You'll need more than a virus to win this duel Kaiba." Yami retorted, disparagingly.

"Yami, your mundane magician may have been entertaining but I know you have nothing left which can withstand my monsters. I'm looking forward to subjecting you to a debilitating array of cards."

"You know nothing! It is the heart of the cards that will see me through your contamination."

Yami played Silver Fang in defense mode, he fell to Battle Ox.

"Your puppy has been put down; lucky you have another in the family." Kaiba taunted. "Your crude defences can't even withstand my Battle Ox; soon you will know what fear is."

"I don't fear you Kaiba, I will never surrender to the likes of you."

Card, followed card and monsters rose and fell, both played to the limits of their abilities, inspiring each other at every turn…a clash of the Titans…as ice met with fire.

As the minutes ticked away, Kaiba seemed to have the upper hand. He had managed to assemble the Blue-eyes ultimate dragon, a deadly combination which all present felt must surely bring the end, and allowed himself a triumphant curl of the lip as he gazed at his beloved beasts. Yami however, defended with an impenetrable wall of Kuriboh, his fierce stare undaunted.

"Hairballs!" Kaiba spat, "Provided by your mutt of a brother for the occasion?"

"That's enough Kaiba!" Yami was white with rage as he revealed his own attack, Mammoth Graveyard and Polymerization sped forth to penetrate the Ultimate predator by living arrow, ironically symbolic of Yami's desire to pierce Kaiba's own wall of haughty superiority.

The buzzer sounded, the allotted time was up…nothing had been able to separate them and those present groaned that this monumental struggle should come to a close before an outright victor could be established. They were equal on points, where might this have gone next? The pair stood… reluctantly parted…before the climax could occur. Before the onlookers they were exposed - revealed in their joint supremacy, a tableau of equals.

No one present had ever seen a comparable contest, would they ever again? Someday there must be a re-match!

As the crowd slowly dispersed to watch other, lesser conflicts, while his face gave away none of his inner conflict, Kaiba was unable to resist coming closer to Yami. The heat of battle over, he again felt that inexplicable draw and like a moth to a flame his body followed, however unwillingly.

Yami had no such sensation. The derogatory remark about his brother was fresh in his mind and his look was ferocious as he flung out a verbal assault, "Leave Joey alone Kaiba! You have no right to take out your frustrations on him and how dare you insult him in public."

When Kaiba made no response to this, merely 'looking down his nose' scathingly, he sought for another topic to goad him with…

"As you saw the other day I have made a new acquaintance, I understand he has been so unlucky as to lose your friendship in a manner which he is likely to suffer from all his life!"

The effect was immediate, hauteur spread across Kaiba's features and his lips tightened, but for several moments he said not a word. As the silence lengthened and Yami with a derisive snort was turning to leave, he spoke, "Devlin is blessed with such happy manners as may ensure his making friends – whether he may be equally capable of retaining them, is less certain."

Yami paused, "I remember hearing an interview you once gave in which you said that you hardly ever forgave, that your resentment once created was unappeasable. You are very cautious, I suppose, as to its being created."

"I am," was the reply.

"You are never self-serving or prejudiced? If you never change your opinion, you ought to be sure of judging properly at first?" To Yami's aggravation, his confidence in his own judgment was slightly diminished by Kaiba's air of unshakeable certainty. "I find you impossible to understand…"

He turned away for a second time and they parted in silence, on each side, dissatisfied.

AN: Chapter Six is the second half of the same evening, lots more happened that night…hope you are back next week to find out what. I am now writing chapter nine.

PLEASE continue to review/follow – during the week between uploads it really helps to give me the enthusiasm/ confidence to keep writing when I get the (often hilarious) feedback, I love hearing from you.