Behind The Mask
Mokuba was lying on his bed, drinking slowly from a glass of water when he'd come in. The boy had looked at him with shadowed eyes, before turning his gaze to a chair beside him. 'Sit down', the unheard message was. So he took it, pulling a chair over as the maid left the room to leave them alone. Katsuya decided, regardless of how pale the boy looked, to get right to the point. It'd probably be easier. "Why'd you poison me," he said, his voice quieter than usual but still rather harsh.
The boy put the cup down, taking a few quick and audible breaths as he attempted to calm himself. Though he'd gotten the antidote quickly, he was still in pain... But it was nothing compared to what could happen if he didn't warn Katsuya of what was going to happen the next day. He knew this was against what his sister had planned for the evening... Even though Yugi would be guided to a separate wing of the mansion to stay the night as requested, he was determined to keep Katsuya from facing the same fate. He couldn't die... He wouldn't let... Slowly, he allowed himself to speak. "The party... It was meant to weaken Yugi before tomorrow's events..."
"What..?" He glared, fists clenching. 'Weaken' his ass, if anything was going to happen it would have killed him! "Whadya mean, 'weaken'? Why'd you poison me!"
He shook, trembling as he sat in his bed. Ever since the end of the 'meal', all he'd been seeing was dark, dark dark, only hearing those last words...
'PENALTY GAME!'.
"Nee-sama... Nee-sama planned a tower of games, five games to test Yugi and his friends," he said, voice cracking quietly under the emotion. "They... Seto-nee is going to kill them! She has a device set up there, a 'penalty' game'..." He left out the fact that it was on his floor as well, shaking his head. "Nee-sama is... She wanted you to be there... With Yugi. But the first three levels were made to kill anyone with him... And I... I..."
Katsuya froze as Mokuba said this, the boy before him shaking horribly while he looked to him with a wide and panicked gaze. "Kill," he finally choked out, pulling back with almost as wide eyes. "She's gonna... Kill Yugi... Over a loss?" That was extreme even for her! Hell... To actually kill someone over a game? Security was one thing, same with that big secret he was somehow still alive after discovering but-
"I... I don't want you to die!" What-? He jumped at the outburst, watching as tears began streaming down Mokuba's face. "You're nice," the boy forced out, shaking his head as he wept. "And... And you don't care about money, or about what Nee-sama says! I don't want you to die... Even... Even if it means my big sister will never love me again! Even if... Even..." No...
The blond stared, rendered silent by the words. No way... No way, that couldn't be... No way he meant THAT FUCKING MUCH! 'Never again'... Katsuya grit his teeth, shaking his head almost in disgust. He didn't have the right to even replace someone's sibling like that, no matter how far from the word Kaiba was. He had no right, not at all. He steeled himself, scowl thickening as he focused on the reasoning behind what he was saying to begin with. "An' what about Yugi," he asked bitterly. "What, does he deserve death? You want him t' die instead! Is it really worth tha' much, huh, Mokuba?"
Mokuba shook his head, breathing haggardly as he stared at the blond. He didn't know, he didn't know... "N... Nnn... It... Dark..." Dark? "It was... You..." The boy continued to shake, clutching his blanket and curling into a ball. "You don't know what it was like... How it felt..." He sniffed, looking to the teen for a comfort he hadn't been able to get from his sister, his flesh and blood relative for far too long. For the comfort he didn't want to leave, that he didn't want to ever leave again like it already had and- "He did that... He did that, not... Not me," he tried to rationalize, "That was him... Not..." Just make it go away... Pull him close like before, make it go away...
The blond stood up, still scowling. "I oughta quit," he said, voice tense. "But th' fact is, losin' my job means losin' my only home thanks tah what you did earlier. Not only tha', but you'd probably find a way t' bounce my resignation back anyway." His apartment wasn't even his and his father's any more, he'd have no way to pay for anything... His nails dug into his palms, and he moved to leave the room. "Thanks but no thanks for the warnin' Mokuba," the teen muttered coldly. "I'll see yah tomorrow."
For a moment, he heard nothing but a soft 'no'. That was all the boy was saying as he left, just 'no'. It soon increased in volume, and in speed, almost a mantra as he left, a constant and rumbling mantra. "No... no... no No NO NO! No! Don't go," he screamed, voice echoing through the halls. "I don't want you to die! DON'T GO!" He ignored it, shutting the door behind him as he found the nearest maid. "K... JONOUCHI! DON'T GO!"
"Where'd y' take Yugi," he said coldly, ignoring the screams inside. The woman stood there, blinking for a moment before pointing to the left in shocked silence. "Thanks." As he took off, he could still hear Mokuba's screams.
"DON'T GO! JONOUCHI! DON'T GO, SHE'LL KILL YOU!"
Sorry kid, he told himself as he moved off to the building they'd stuck Yugi in. But he didn't abandon his friends... No matter what the cost was.
'How did I lose,' she'd said that night. 'HOW COULD I LOSE AT DUEL MONSTERS!' And all she saw in response was a cold stare as what she had thought to be the shortest, most harmless kid in class pointed at her and shouted...
'PENALTY GAME! THE ILLUSION OF DEATH!'
No... Monsters formed from the shadows of the cards, ripping her apart with their claws and teeth, tearing the flesh of her bones as she screeched in pain. No.. No.. NO... She didn't care that she wasn't using her 'voice' for this... She didn't care if anyone was listening, she was good as dead anyways..! Trying to hold back the screams would be useless, useless, useless-!
Losers die, she heard Gozaburo call out, cackling through the air. Losers DIE, she heard through the roars of the beasts that clamped their teeth on her bones, drank her blood as it poured freely from her form, ripped skin and muscle from her skeleton even as her body refused to simply die. No...
NO NO NO NO! Stop! STOP! STO-
"Hah!" Seto opened her eyes, breathing heavily as she looked around the room. "Hah... hah... hah..." She swallowed, attempting to regain her breath. That nightmare... That nightmare again... She stepped out of her bed, looking out the window as Hobson came in to help prepare for the day.
The butler bowed low, before greeting her politely. Just... Just a dream, she reminded herself again. Just that stupid, endless dream... "Good morning, Seto-sama," he began as the woman moved to check a few things prepared the night before in the room. "As you requested, Yugi stayed here, in the mansion overnight. Also," he stated with a slightly forced smile. "It would appear that regardless of interference, his friend will indeed be present at the Opening Ceremonies."
Kaiba nodded. Well, at least something had gone right. Though knowing her brother, he'd tried something stupid again. "Good," she said as she moved to the wardrobe in the room to grab her clothes. "I invited them here as planned, but it seems I fell asleep," she muttered to herself, before sighing. Really... How stupid. Hobson watched as she moved to the attached washroom to change, still talking. "All my life," she said with a slightly less cold tone, "I've had restless nights when I couldn't wait for the morning..." The butler listened as she continued, wondering if it was a bout of self-conversation or if he was meant to answer. "Isn't it ironic, that I had that nightmare..."
There was no answer, and as she walked out fully dressed, the woman narrowed her eyes. No more, she thought to herself as she left the room. No more would she have that nightmare. For today, she would have her revenge... And wouldn't it be absolutely wonderful, she thought to herself with a wicked smirk, when Yugi was suffering from the same nightmares in a hospital bed, everyone he knew gone. Until then... She walked down the hall, still smirking. Well, she could handle the acting she'd have to do for now.
"Jonouchi-kun," Katsuya jumped as he turned in his seat at the table to face Yugi. He'd been spacing out for the last number of minutes, vanishing into worried thought... "Jonouchi-kun," the boy repeated worriedly. "Are you sure you're alright?"
He nodded, attempting to laugh the situation off somewhat. "H-Hah... Of course! All I needed was a good night's sleep!" At the moment, he was only as pale as he was because Yugi kept insisting that while Kaiba WAS a jerk, last night clearly proved that whatever was in store wasn't fatal, and Kaiba wasn't really trying to kill them.
For the moment, he kind of wished Mokuba had actually dosed him with the poison. At least then Yugi would have a solid idea that yes, Seto was really going to kill them. Damn it!
"I just don' like this," he said with a scowl. "S- He's got me completely reliant, if I say anythin' I end up broke on the streets while you end up caught some other way, but if I don't..." He growled. "I'm telling yah Yug', Mokuba wasn' joking when he said the guy's trying t' kill you!" So please, LISTEN!
Yugi frowned, shaking his head. "I can't believe it! You said yourself that it's a tower right? He can't just kill people in a tower of games, that's illegal and too public to ignore!" Unless you're a billionaire, Katsuya added mentally, frowning as Yugi went on. Because then you could apparently hide EVERYTHING. ...EVERY. THING. "Hnnn.. Grandpa must be really worried now... I didn't tell him I'd be out all night..."
He rolled his eyes. "Somethin' tells me tha's the least of our worries seein' what kind a ceremony we've been invited to..." For all they knew, Gramps was in this too. Stuck in some room, for a captive to use against them in case they butted out.
"It does make me nervous," the boy admitted, ignoring Katsuya's comment on that being an understatement. "I think I've been watched this whole time, even while I slept... It's like we're prisoners here, they've even locked us in..." Even while he- Wow, either Seto was into interesting things, no offense to Yugi or anything, or... Actually, it probably was just Kaiba being overly obsessive. ...Bitch.
Locking them in here... Hell, he'd been trying to tell Yugi that this was Kaiba's plan for the last hour! Before the blond could repeat anything on the matter however, a voice came from behind them. "Sorry to keep you waiting," Hobson said as he appeared. "Seto-sama has awoken. He will see you now." Oooooh well wasn't that just lovely? Bring her over, so he could kick her in the face damn it.
As the butler said this Kaiba's voice came from up the stairs in the room, Katsuya instantly greeting the false smile on the woman's face with a glare. "Good morning, Jonouchi-kun, Yugi-kun," she said, the smile and 'familiarities' making Katsuya sick to his stomach. True he'd gotten used to hearing the voice change over. But that smile... He'd never get used to just how WRONG a smile looked on her face right now. "I've been looking forward to seeing you again," she told them. Yea... Bullshit he thought, gripping the chair-back. Bullshit, bullshit, bullshit!
He growled, Yugi merely looking up in surprise as he continued to scowl in response to the greeting. "Yea I bet," he muttered under his breath as Seto came down the stairs, continuing.
"What's wrong," she asked, smirking. "Lighten up, celebrate!" NO. And stop talking like that!
Katsuya stood up, slamming his hand on the table as he turned to face the woman. "Kaiba... We didn't want to come to 'celebrate' anything! We just finished getting out of a game where your brother tried to kill us, don't think we're going to say 'Good Morning' and be done with it!"
The teen merely smirked, shrugging. "Mokuba... Oh yes, him. Such a cheeky kid, though you should watch what you say about your boss..." Cheeky... Yes, that was the word. The smirk grew into an odd, insulting grin, eyes narrowing in a way that reminded him of a fox. "And since when were you so upset over a children's game?"
"Since that 'children's game' almost KILLED US," he bit out, before Yugi interrupted.
"Neh, Kaiba-kun," he said as he turned to look up at the teen with slight unease. "Where are we going today anyways?"
There was a silence as the woman smirked, before giving the boy another of her false smiles. Inwardly, he wondered how much more he could take before he puked. Or at least threw the chair he was sitting on. After that question though, time had practically sped up ten-fold. 'A dream like place', she said, rushing them out the door. 'I can't wait to show you,' she continued as Katsuya likened 'dream' to 'nightmare. 'Hurry' she said, and as they left to enter the car Katsuya could barely make out Mokuba's worried and panicked face from the side of the hall.
'Hurry..!'
Damn it. Damn it, damn it... He growled as Kaiba continued speaking, listening only partially as he attempted to figure out how to convince Yugi to just not go along with the 'event'. They were already in the car, what the hell was he supposed to say? Pull over, I don't feel like I'm in the mood to die? "As you know," she was saying, "I'm the current CEO of KaibaCorp, having taken over shortly before my 'Father' Gozaburo died almost a year ago..." That made sense, he thought to himself idly. After all, that was about when Kaiba actually showed up at the school. And all that aside, why was she talking... Really? Why? Why was she talking... "Since that time," she was saying with a still false smile, "I've been working on a 'dream project' or sorts. I'm sure you'll love it... Look," the woman said as she gestured to the window. "You can see it from here- a dream tower, from which you can see all of the Domino District!" Stop saying 'dream', he thought to himself, it keeps coming out as 'nightmare'.
They approached the tower, both himself and Yugi staring in shock, regardless of the former's thoughts on the matter.. "Woaaaaaah," the shorter was saying, hands pressed against the car window as he looked at the enormous building. "Kaiba-kun built all of that!" Well. Regardless of all that was likely inside, that was impressive he guessed.
They stepped out of the car, Katsuya snorting as he saw what it was called. "Kaiba-Land... Figures he'd do that..." Ignoring the conversations of it being an indoor amusement park, they watched as a horde of small children gathered around the building, cheering as Kaiba approached with an oddly genuine smile.
"Welcome," she said, waving to the kids before moving on to the door. "To the KaibaLand Opening Ceremonies!" All around cheers were given, some calling her a hero, others calling her a 'gaming genius'. All along the pair had to simply stare, Katsuya briefly wondering how such an ass could be so popular with kids. "Yugi-kun," she said as she turned, facing the boy. "Kaiba Land doesn't really open for another three days, but for today a number of people have been invited to come and play for free." Inwardly, Katsuya wondered why Mokuba had said 'and his friends' the day before then. He wondered... Where were the others if... "I want you two to have fun as well, understand?" He frowned as Kaiba said this, arms crossed with skepticism as Yugi scratched his cheek in confusion. As Kaiba announced the building open to the public, loudly stating to Yugi that her dream was to give kids everywhere a 'place like this', Katsuya sighed.
In the end, nothing had really happened so far. And Yugi's earlier point on publicity made sense he supposed. He turned to Yugi with a grin, his friend mirroring the expression. "You heard 'm," he said with a shout. "Come on, let's go!" Paranoid thoughts were for work- at this rate, all he was doing was ruining Yugi's day! Maybe... Just maybe Mokuba had been wrong about Kaiba, just for today. Creepy as the smile was, it had to be for show right? ...Ignoring the fact that they'd been invited for some reason despite obvious hatred...
Yugi nodded. "Yeah! Let's go!" Just as they were about to take off and actually relax a little however, a rather haggard man shouted after them. Really, was... Was Kaiba's security that bad?
"HEY, SETO!" They turned, the man angrily pointing at the woman with a snarl. "Monster..." He shook his head, eyes bloodshot as he pointed forwards. "You're a monster, you know that? You killed the company president," he shouted, Katsuya and Yugi frowning as Kaiba turned to the man with a neutral gaze. "You took over KaibaCorp and forced your own father out of business! So he killed himself! MONSTER!"
As the man shouted this, Seto pulled one of the guards to the side. "Get him out of here," she muttered, the guard pulling another one over before dragging the screaming man off the property. People around them seemed to otherwise ignore the scene, though Yugi and Katsuya were both eying Kaiba oddly. "Psh," she said with a cold stare. "Unemployed trash... It's amazing what my father had hired in life..." She crossed her arms, apparently addressing the others now. "He appears to be spreading false rumors in his anger... My father's death was sad, but I had nothing to do with it... If anything," the woman added with a cold smile, "I'd like to think he died in peace, knowing I was his heir..."
Briefly, Katsuya wondered if Yugi had seen what he had. The complete change in expression, the reversion back to what he himself knew as 'the real Kaiba'. Something that was just creepy enough to pull the earlier thoughts of paranoia back to the front of his brain. 'This might be a bad idea', his head kept shouting. 'A bad bad BAD idea!' He frowned as Seto uncrossed her arms, before walking ahead of them. "Come on, Yugi-kun," she said with the sickeningly false smile back in place. "I'll show you around the Park, a grand tour if you will..."
He had a bad feeling about this... But as they were shown ride after ride, Katsuya felt the feeling drop like a stone. From standard arcade games to intense 3D illusions on a roller-coaster, all Seto was doing was proving that she WASN'T going to kill them. In fact, aside from the nagging point that Kaiba was seemingly bored the entire time, not taking part in anything, and overall just watching... ...Which was Yugi's defense when he brought the point up, thereby making it even harder to convince him that they were possibly about to be killed. Well. Aside from all that... Things were going rather well to say the least. The blond hid his dying suspicions, watching as Yugi clearly enjoyed himself before caving. Maybe Mokuba was being paranoid. Maybe, just maybe, the woman was being truly nice for once. Hell, even Kaiba had to have a 'nice' moment for once right? After all... Well, if she didn't, she'd be completely screwed over in the afterlife!
She had to believe in at least that right? ...Or maybe not. She... Did act like she was a god half the time it seemed to him.
"There's still more," Kaiba said later on as she led them over the park on a long and clear bridge of sorts. "It's time to see today's 'special' attraction, something I've prepared just for you, Yugi-kun!"
Katsuya froze, his suspicions coming back to him all at once while conflicting with emotions he'd been feeling earlier. Hadn't he been paranoid enough, he thought as Yugi commented on that being far too much for someone like him. Hadn't he already essentially ruined the day for himself by keeping a look out for some sort of sniper the entire time? They approached a pair of double doors, Kaiba stepping to the side with an out of place grin. "It's on the other side of this door," she said as Yugi and Katsuya both walked forwards. "Let's go, you have a front row seat..!" Ahahaha, yea, because hey. That couldn't possibly mean anything bad right?
They entered the room, a large crowd meeting their ears and eyes as the looked towards the glass box in the middle. It was almost coliseum-like actually, the way the crowd circled the box. Idly, he wondered if the results would be any similar. For now though, he opted to see what was inside first. A pair of chairs, a table, and locked within...
"Grandpa!" Yugi ran forwards, his grandfather pounding against the glass with a clear expression of worry on his face. "Grandpa," he shouted, before being moved aside by one of the guards. "Hey! What are you doing!"
Katsuya swallowed as he moved to stand by Yugi, watching Seto move towards the box with a cold smirk. The crowd cheered wildly as she walked, briefcase of cards in hand as the other two frowned. "What the hell is he planning!" the blond shouted partially to himself, listening as Kaiba addressed the crowd. Suddenly, Mokuba's haunting words were coming back to him all too clearly. 'She's going to kill you,' he was screaming in his mind. 'She'll KILL YOU!' Damn it... Why the hell were his earlier suspicions true? Seriously? What the fuck was fate doing to him! He clenched his fists, bodyguards pushing them back with an all to hidden gun as Yugi's grandfather gave up on trying to warn them of the inevitable.
As the crowd roared, Kaiba merely smirked, turning as she gestured to the box in the center of the arena. "I've been challenged," she stated clearly and loudly with her well disguised voice, "By an elderly gentleman who claims to be an undefeated master of Duel Monsters!" She said the last few words with a harsh, sarcastic tone, a majority of the crowd already laughing at that comment. After all- who would dare challenge 'Kaiba-sama'?
Katsuya swallowed, while Yugi merely grew pale. "Duel monsters... Grandpa is facing Kaiba-kun in.. Duel Monsters?" Yea, something told him the challenge wasn't issued by Sugoroku. The blond growled as the crowd began to poke fun at the old man, Kaiba stepping into the box to begin the match.
They couldn't hear anything that happened. But they sure could see. As Kaiba placed a card down, he jumped as the image of the same monster appeared from the walls. Yugi as well stood, shocked as his grandfather just about had a heart attack from the sight. He appeared to calm down however, though Seto's cold smile at the sight was all too happy about the event. The battle moved on, the winner seemingly undetermined for a majority of the match. And then, Katsuya thought with wide eyes, the bitch summoned three of the same dragons he'd heard Yugi and his Grandfather call the most powerful in existence. 'Only four of its kind', he was told. Watching as Kaiba all too cheerily tore the old man's own edition in two, Katsuya very quickly realized why Mokuba had been so set on not wanting him to come. Most of the match had been spoken not shouted. Speakers were located around the crowd, but for some reason in their little 'niche' of the arena, he and Yugi had been unable to hear a damn thing. But the next part...
Even from outside the seemingly sound proof box, they could hear the screams. The could hear Kaiba's laugh as she called out with a wide and manic grin, "PENALTY GAME!" Illusionary monsters surrounded Yugi's grandfather, Kaiba walking out to pass the two teens. Clouds of 'smoke' filled the room, blocking the view of the old man from the crowd, and as Kaiba came close one could make out an all too smug look on her face.
"You asshole..." Katsuya was blocked by Yugi, who pushed forwards to look at the teen with wide and unforgiving eyes.
"You-"
Kaiba chuckled as the boy stood there, Yugi apparently unable to speak for a moment. "Hnhnhn.. We've tested this simulation on many people," the woman said coldly, chuckling as she turned to the glass box. Her smile, no doubt real this time, was menacing and unforgiving as she continued. "A normal human will go insane after a mere ten minutes. If it isn't stopped soon, he'll be crippled for life..." At those words, her eyes flashed back to her self-claimed rival, narrowing dangerously in mirth.
"Kaiba!" He shook, fists clenched as he listened to his grandfather's screams. "Kaiba! Let my Grandpa out! Right now!" His face grew red in panic, and the crowd seemed to laugh even at this, much to Katsuya's disgust.
The woman merely chuckled at Yugi's frightened expression, her rival trembling as she spoke. "If you want me to stop this simulator," she said quietly, "You'll have to agree to participate in Kaiba Land's secret attraction, 'DEATH-T'; the Death Theme-park I've constructed as my revenge for that duel we had weeks ago..!" As she finished, her voice seemed to raise to an almost crazed tone, the woman clearly certain that she would succeed this time around. As though nothing would stop her... Nothing..!
Death T... Katsuya froze, knuckles cracking as he stood there. 'Death Theme'. Damn it all... Damn it! Nothing. He could do nothing here, and if he'd just pushed Yugi to not go it could have been solved... Or could it? Knowing Kaiba she'd have just called and told them that Yugi's grandfather was officially insane and it was their fault.
The screams picked up, Yugi's eyes wide as he nodded furiously. "What ever it takes," he shouted. "Just turn it off!"
Kaiba smirked. "A wise decision." She turned to the nearest bodyguard, giving him a curt nod. "Stop the simulation, now!"
"Yes sir!" The guard walked off after giving a salute of sorts, disappearing into a well hidden door on the side. For a few moments, nothing happened. However, there was a loud hissing noise, and Katsuya blinked as the doors abruptly clicked open. The screams died down, holograms fizzling out into nothingness as Yugi rushed inside to comfort his grandfather.
Katsuya, in the meantime, turned to Kaiba with gritted teeth. "You're a real BITCH," he hissed under his breath, just low enough for only the woman to hear. "You know that? Using an old man against him... I hope you burn in fucking hell..."
The woman merely scoffed, before smirking again. "How harsh, Mutt," she said with a low chuckle. "Didn't you know? In business," the woman continued, walking past the teen, "You do anything you need to succeed." He tensed, watching her stop beside Yugi for a moment and then disappear into the same door her guard had walked into. Katsuya looked back at the room, gritting his teeth. Damn it... He looked to the side, spotting an emergency phone. Damn it damn it damn it..! First thing was first! He rushed over to the device, picking it up and quickly calling for an ambulance. A few seconds later, he called another of Yugi's friends to help them out with keeping tabs on the guy, before walking over to his friend.
"Yug'," he said, frowning as he watched the teen hold his grandfather's deck of cards close. Kaiba had stayed beside the kid far too long for comfort... Far too long. They'd been talking about... Something, he thought with a grimace, and quite frankly he didn't want to know what it was. But even so. "I'm comin' with yah, got it?"
The boy looked up, eyes wide. "You're coming... But... Jonouchi-kun!" He shook his head, pale. "You can't... You can't do that! You even tried to warn me before, you'll die if you come!"
He snorted, shaking his head. Honestly, he'd likely die regardless. "Whatever... The fact is, I want nothing more than to punch Kaiba's pasty face in right now, but it'd be pointless with all these stupid bodyguards of his..." He looked down at his friend, gritting his teeth a moment before continuing. "But I know you'll beat him- An' I know that no matter what, we'll figure somethin' out, got it? And until then, I'll help yah!" And maybe after Yugi won he'd go and punch the bitch in the face anyways. While she was caught of guard, and while everyone else was too shocked to really pay attention. The plan was flawless!
"Jonouchi..." He looked down at the kid, smiling. Besides, they were friends!
A voice from behind them interrupted, Katsuya paling as he saw Honda appear. 'Yugi and his friends'... Damn it, this really was rigged! How the hell did they convince Honda to come to a place called 'KaibaLand'! "Hey," the teen said, smirking. "You forget someone?"
As Yugi grinned with the appearance of another of his friends, Katsuya frowned. "Nyh, Honda? Who's the brat on your back?"
As the toddler currently strapped to Honda's back scowled at the insult, the teen shrugged. "This guy? My big sister's kid... Kept whining about going to Kaiba land, so I ended up stuck with him for the day while she's at work... Anyways." He turned back, expression serious. "I'm glad I came now; saw the entire thing from the stands. Something tells me you guys will need me... So count me in too!"
At that moment, the kid began to cheer about Kaiba or something, and Honda proceeded to yell at the kid. Said kid did not take it well, what with him likely being about 3. "Oi oi! Honda, don't make the kid cry!" Come on seriously, there was enough going on as it was!
"SHUT UP! THIS KID IS A ROYAL PAIN IN TH-"
The baby screamed, pounding on his uncle's back. "That hurt! Hiroto-oji! I'm gonna tell Mama!" Wow. Oddly well versed for a three year old.
"Shut up!"
At this moment, one of the guards arrived and coughed, pulling the attention of the three boys to him. "The gate to Death-T is open," he said curtly, gesturing to the door with a blank expression. "You three may pass through now."
The three nodded, stepping through the gate as it shut behind him. "Great," Katsuya said nervously. "Cause that ain't creepy at all right?" Bad enough that it was completely dark in here...
Honda snorted, adjusting the weight of his nephew before turning to the blond. "Oh come on, we just got here and you're panicking?" They walked down the hall, looking around in the dark. "Damn," he said after a while. "Where does this passage even lead? I thought this was supposed to bring us to some sort of special event!" Oh that's right, 'Death-T' was just a special event to the crowd
He swallowed, hands in his pockets as he looked around with a paranoid stare. "Trust me Honda, I think that 'special' is puttin' it really lightly at this point..." The word 'Death' came to mind. English as the term was... Even he knew what 'Death' meant. As he said this, they came to a door labeled 'Death-T 1', the boys blinking. "Well, here we are..." The door opened, releasing a hissing noise as steam hit their faces.
-EMERGENCY- "What?" Yugi blinked as sirens began sounding, the steam blocking their vision as it clouded up in front of them. -EMERGENCY- "What's going on?"
The hall around them was built similarly to the one they'd left, cold metal with the occasional wire visible as they moved. "H-Help! Help me!" A woman's voice cried from the end of the hall, drawing closer in the darkness as the three paled. "Somebody, help me!" A figure could be made out through the steam, and the boys squinted at the sight.
"What the, someone's-" The stopped as the source of the voice came close, the three now recognizing its owner clearly.
Katsuya stared, before shouting as Anzu came from the hall. "WHAT?" ANZU?
The woman blinked, before pointing at the three with a frown. "What the... What are you three doing here?" She was wearing a really weird outfit to say the least... All spacey and metallic. Huh.
He shook his head, still shouting. "Gh... I think that's our question, Anzu!" Seriously, was everyone here?
She shrugged, before leaning against the wall. "Today's the first day of work here for me," she explained. "I got fired from my Burger World job for knocking out a customer after he grabbed my ass..." Yea, he could see that. Anzu sighed, shrugging again before she smiled. "So I came here and ended up hired as a guide for this attraction. Didn't think I'd see you guys here though!"
The others blinked, before Katsuya frowned. "Kay... Why were yah shoutin' for help..?" Idly, he found himself looking around Anzu with those thoughts. He didn't see any axe-murderers...
Anzu blinked again, before grinning. "Oh that! That's my line! Part of the attraction," she said as she crossed her arms. "After that, there's another line I say to the guest, like this..." She resumed her panicked pose, continuing in the same frightened voice she'd used before. "The space station is being destroyed by an enemy raid! You're the only ones here who can save us! Please put on these cybervests and laser guns, and defeat them!" She paused, gauging their reactions before smiling. "See?" Actually, that was pretty lame. But back on topic now.
The blond groaned. "Anzu you are one careless twit yah know that..?"
She scowled. "Sheesh, my acting couldn't be that bad! I've been practicing for hours..."
Katsuya shook his head. "Moron! You don't even know what this theme-park is really about, do you!"
At the questioning frown he got in response, Honda merely shrugged. "Ignorance is bliss I guess... Just think Jonouchi, another time, this could've been you..."
He scowled. "Yea, cause I'd definitely be th' one screamin' down the halls for help right?" The look deepened as Honda gained a 'welllll' sort of look. "Why you... What th' hell is that supposed to mean!"
"Nothing, Nothing," he said with a smirk. "Anyways, this outta be easy! Looks like this first stage is a shooting battle!" Oh yea, didn't he like... Take out someone with a BB-Gun once? From some impossible distance..? (He hadn't been there to watch that day, so...)
Yugi nodded, grabbing a vest from the side and slipping it on. "There's vests and guns over here," he muttered, ignoring Katsuya's mumblings of 'real bright, reaaaal bright' to Anzu. He grabbed another of the odd looking vests, passing it to the blond. "Lets put them on!"
A few seconds later, the boys stood there in the vests with fairly neutral expressions to cover the distaste for the fairly nerdy looking vests and 'lasers'. "They look good on you," Anzu said with a smile, clearly holding back a laugh. "Really, they do!" Still holding the laugh back, she shook her head and typed a few things into the panel by the door. "Alright! Now this is a three-on-three shooting battle guys." She pointed over to the door, smiling. "The battle will take place inside that room, in an electric field understand?" Electric field? Huh?
As Anzu went on to explain the rules of the game (Aim at the sensor above the heart on the opponent's chest, and if you're hit there, you're eliminated), Katsuya frowned. It couldn't be this easy, he told himself. From what Mokuba had been saying, this was going to be fatal some how. Yea, Anzu said a 'light shock', but something told him that wouldn't be the case for now.
As they headed into the next room, Honda turned to hand his nephew to Anzu. "Hey Anzu," he said bluntly. "Watch this brat until we get back, alrigh'?"
She blinked. "Er, ok..." She held him, smiling a moment before the kid suddenly burried his head in her breasts. "W-What the!" So the child was both oddly well spoken and a pervert... What kind of things were going on at Honda's seriously?
"Alright! Lets go," Honda said as he ran up to join the others. "Time to shoot some enemy raids!"
The three left through the door, Anzu nervously shouting a 'Good Luck!' as they left.
Well. Here went nothing. As the steam blew in their faces, the three walked inside.
As Kaiba watched the cameras in the building, she scowled. "Who hired that girl," she finally shouted to one of the employees in the room. "She's one of their friends, didn't I say to do a complete background check on any employees?" Honestly, why was it that everyone she hired...
The man bowed his head in apology. "My mistake, Sir..."
"Tch," the woman shrugged, crossing her legs as she leaned back in the chair. "It's fine... They're entering the field of Death-T 1 'Shooting Stardust'," she said calmly, before continuing on. "Is everything ready?"
He nodded, a set of three profiles appearing on the screen. "Of course three opponents have been arranged, each one professionals as requested."
Seto chuckled as she read over the notes on the three, before grinning maliciously. "Heheheh..." 'Yugi,' she thought to herself with a cold smirk. 'You and your friends are armed with little more than malfunctioning toys... But of one of the others shoot you, it'll send a shock of almost a million volts through your bodies!'
'I have the front row seat to your deaths,' she thought with a grin. 'I hope this will be as fun for you as it is me!'
"Hahaha... AHAHAHA!"
AN: Cue WTF-ery. Granted even AFTER the mind-crush incident there are still some moments of complete spazz for Kaiba... Can you say 'Star Power'? (ORE NO CAADO! -bricked-)
In any case. Watch, watch as the overkill seeps into your every being through this arc... Because that is how I felt when reading it in the manga... ('Seriously Kaiba? A MILLION VOLTS? Are you sure they're alive Kaiba? Are you? ARE YOU?') This chapter is filled with moments where in the manga, everyone wonders what is wrong with Jonouchi and Yugi. ('Yugi... Yugi Kaiba hates you. He HATES YOUUUUUUUU. Why... WHY are you going along- Why. WHYYYYY.') Granted, it's likely they'd have been forced in regardless. But still.
On a more 'original' note! As you can see, Mokuba has latched and latched HARD. Because up until that 'few weeks' in Tanaka's story, Kaiba was still doing his... Rather... 'Her' protection deal. Given that his sister was so afraid of them both being tossed back to the orphanage if Gozaburo found out 'Oh hey. My apparent son lied about gender of all things during adoption. MORON.' Silly silly young teen brain... For all the knowledge in the world, humans can be morons when fear is thrown in; hell I'm technically certified to save ALL OF YOU, but when it comes down to it, I'll still think of stupid things when someone starts choking. Mostly 'OMFG. ARE THEY CHOKING?' - Heeeeere's your sign.
Needless to say, being cut off from that is a BIG CHANGE for poor Mokuba... So when someone offers that kind of comfort again, he turns into a little black-haired leech. And he does not want that comfort to go away again. You'll see just how far this goes later... Trust me when I say, you haven't seen the 'worst' of it yet!
Usagi's Manga Guide/Corner!
The section so amazing it's spotlighted in bold!
When Katsuya makes a call to one of Yugi's friends, he's calling a young boy from their class named 'Hanasaki'. He shows up a few times in the early manga, one of those times being a game all to himself (Rather, Yami playing a game against a bunch of jerks who beat the shit out of the poor kid)... This happened earlier too, though Yugi was also on the beaten end, so one could argue that it was Yami getting revenge for wrong-doings against his 'other self' that time. Hanasaki doesn't appear anymore after you see him watching over Yugi's grandpa in the hospital though... So sad... (He's a really likable kid to tell the truth.)
As with most chapters 'ripped' from the manga, this script is... Well, mostly from the manga! Some of the lines that Kaiba says in public are just a little shocking, though at least he didn't add 'THE ILLUSION OF DEATH' to the end of her sentence! (I'm refering to Kaiba as a 'she' in the AN's of this fanfic. Mostly because if I say 'he' in a fanfic where Kaiba is genderbent, I will confuse not only other people but also myself.) By the way, Kaiba's laugh... Think of Higurashi, and be very, very afraid.
Ahhh Anzu... Such a badass in the manga! Or at least to start. The job she references was actually one of the earliest 'games' in the manga; and one of the deadlier ones. It involves her getting a job against the permission of the school rules (No Part-Time Jobs unless otherwise specified), at 'Burger World'. When the others find out, she goes so far as to write threatening messages on their burgers with heaps of ketchup... In any case, that game ended with her being blindfolded and held hostage, and Yami Yugi setting a person on fire. Talk about your super-powered evil halves there! And you thought Bakura was bad, sealing people's souls in things... (And killing/maiming Pegasus depending on manga VS anime issues, but that's besides the point. You name any number of people Bakura and Malik killed, I will give you TWO from Yugi's side. SCARY SCARY.)
That ends this chapter! On to the next one!