Yu-Gi-Oh: A Past and Future Pharaoh

Written By: Lady Lunar Phoenix

Beta By: Lady Lunar Phoenix

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Kaiba snapped shut the phone and put the phone away without taking his eyes off of Yugi. There were questions he had, recalling that Yugi sent Isono away made him wonder if the man was going to pick up Mokuba. Though if Yugi was willing to take the heat from Mokuba that was going to be his problem. Mokuba was bound to be clingy for a time, and Kaiba was used to it, yet Yugi had provided a neat package of excluding Mokuba. Only Mokuba was 'his' little brother and Yugi was treading dangerously close to overstepping boundaries. "Yugi what am I supposed to do with you?"

Yugi answered with a shrug, a playful, enigmatic expression worthy of the the Sphinx or the Mona Lisa. "If I'm that complicated, then you should go ask Bakura for help. What with you both being old men in a sense."

'That' was the Other Yugi, and reflexively Kaiba narrowed his eyes in suspicion. Suddenly the room felt different, he felt his hackles rise as his gut told him that Yugi wasn't being honest. Yugi was plotting something, and Kaiba felt himself going over everything that had happened so far that morning.

The introspective thinking in the limo, the small conversation with Isono when they arrived, the teasing... All of it was starting to make sense. As Kaiba went through what he heard between Yugi and his dad. Something had happened while he was recovering. Something that got Yugi into a near 'game mode' serious enough to go Pharaoh.

Their gazes were locked, Yugi having stayed silent and offering no insight into his thoughts. But that he ended the conversation with his dad in 'that' manner started to send red flags in Kaiba's mind. Made worse by how Yugi smiled at that moment, as though he really 'was' reading Kaiba's thoughts and knew where those thoughts were going. A melancholy type of smile of someone with sad information that wasn't being shared. Something that raised all of Kaiba's concern as his memories whispered of the 'last' time he saw 'that' particular type of smile.

There was a sharp rap against the door that seemingly reverberated through the room and Yugi just smiled. As though he was drinking in the sight of Kaiba sitting there trying to out think him and failing. Kaiba stood up and strode to the door and nearly ripped open the door to look at whoever knocked. Before him stood Fugata, while beyond his trusted servant was the stage with the curtains up expanding far enough to hide Kaiba from any reporter. The stage stood between them and, by noise alone, a sizable collection of reporters who were getting their recorders ready for the press conference. Milling on the other side of the black fabric waiting to see what Kaiba was about to announce.

"Ahh Mr. Kaiba, as you can see..." Fugata began, his years of experience teaching him how to handle when Kaiba wasn't in a particularly happy mood.

Kaiba checked his watch and mentally sighed in annoyance at the timing. "Fine."

He turned his head towards Yugi and barely restrained a snarled, "Its time."

Yugi gracefully stood up and gave Kaiba a casual glance that would have suited the Other Yugi just fine, as he walked forward. And just the idea that Yugi was plotting something without telling Kaiba infuriated him. There was no point in repeating himself, Yugi knew they were going to talk after this press conference. But what was originally going to be a superficial conversation about responsibility had just become a serious discussion.

Fugata neatly stepped aside as Kaiba stalked forward, slipping back into his 'CEO' mode, with Yugi taking up the rear. Before him was the dark curtains that divided the stage from the office where he had been waiting inside. The announcers' voice could be heard preparing the audience of reporters for Kaibas' arrival allowing for the CEO to shut out Yugi for a time. Allowing him to deal with something simple, like running a company.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, allow me to direct your focus to the stage as our esteemed CEO, Kaiba Seto has graciously invited you to be the first to hear of his plans!"

The voices below the stage silenced immediately as Kaiba climbed up the steps leading to the front of the stage. Two toadies pulled back the curtains for him, allowing him to walk forward, star of the stage as the lone bright color on a field of black.

"A lesson I learned early in life, was to do nothing is a death sentence. Standing aside and waiting for someone to bequeath you with what you want is for the petty. Any future a person wants is a future they need to reach out and grab with their own two hands. Yet we do not live in an age where that is acceptable. We live in a time where it is not the hard work and effort of the person who achieves greatness. Rather it is the sons of those who strove for greatness, a weak groveling prostrated belief that children should never have to earn what they want. Rather it should be passed on like candy during a holiday."

"I chose to forge a different path for myself and for KaibaCorp. No longer would we be a company that profits from the limited vision of warmongers. Where potential of imagination and creation is stifled under the ideal that 'every corpse is a yen sign'. Instead I have turned this company to one where the vision that everyone in KaibaCorp holds is 'how can I expand the limits of creation.'"

"Thus two years ago when I took over Kaiba Corp I made a decision that both changed the lifes' blood of this city and revolutionized the world. After years serving as a Weapons manufacturing company Kaiba Corp was reborn as a gaming company. No longer in the service of making weapons that ended lives, my first task was proving that this company could do more than be a mere death dealer. Weapons might be good for a select group of people and only politicians may profit from it, however; I've proven that there's a much larger market out there. A market that is self renewing and eternally sustainable as the nature to challenge others is given an arena that doesn't take the lives of people."

"In this day and age there was a stagnation growing in all sectors of development in KaibaCorp, where people would be hired based on backroom deals. Rather than actual qualifications, where the ruthlessness to build the best killing machines was applauded while the estimation of life loss was a number to bank on. When I took over the company, I made a promise to myself. When I made this company surpass what my father, with his limited vision, had accomplished; I would show the world what KaibaCorp could do. While I had sorely underestimated just how minuscule his reach and abilities were. I am ready to unveil the next part of KaibaCorps growth into the gaming world."

"No longer restricted to just paper and pencil, the Dueling fields brought the first in new dueling presentation. And while the Dueling fields are fine for grand presentations in tournaments, the duel disks afford the ability to duel any time or place across any country. However; I refuse to be contained by petty things as 'limits', to be told that there is only so much a person can do. It may take time, but anything and everything can be overcome. Even those who believed it would be impossible to turn a weapons manufacturing company into a high tech gaming company in less than a year were proven wrong. I won't settle for following the trodden path of others, I set my own path, my own destiny, and no one will ever change that."

Kaiba looked out among the large group of reporters, the cameras and microphones that were held up. Grateful that he was past getting his eyes blinded by all the camera flashes, and somehow that idiot behind him was going to have to make his introduction. In all honesty, Kaiba had yet to figure out how long it was going to take for everyone to get over themselves when they 'officially' saw Yugi. Or for that matter how long it was going to take for that loud mouth mewling kitten to actually be able to see straight enough to see in front of him. If school was any indication, Yugi was going to get flash fried the moment he stepped up on stage to announce his part of the tournament. Probably get blinded and walk right off the front of the stage.

"So I'm going to start by fulfilling a promise I made to my younger brother when we were growing up. As of today invitations are being sent out to the top duelists across the globe. A private invitation to the first grand tournament for my new level of gaming entertainment, as I announce the grand opening of KaibaLand! The first amusement park that caters to creativity as well as entertainment. A place where orphans such as we were can go and enjoy themselves despite not having parents. I will not allow there to be barriers barring those with the drive to create the next wonders of the world! While KaibaLand 'is' open to the public, it will also function to help support local orphanages. So to celebrate the grand opening of both KaibaLand..."

High above behind the glare of lights, Kaiba could see the repetitive rows of windows. The overhead lights that were fitted below the windows obscured any clear view. A row of teeth with one tooth missing as the lack of glass caused a pure shadow. While the activity below his eye level suddenly swirled as violently as a disturbed ant bed. Causing him to take his eyes of the worrisome spot above. On his lower left he could see several reporters have their attention sharply taken from him to someone behind him. Someone grabbed his elbow and shoved him to the side before he could register what was going on.

"Kaiba get do-"

They were the only words out of Yugi that he heard.

From the corner of his eye was a blur of Yugi's hair as the teen rushed forward only to be struck by something then once more. With its combined force sending Yugi into a complete stop and even shoved him back. Yugi hair that had flowed out behind him suddenly whipped forward and hid the teenagers' face. While a deep spray of blood from Yugi's chest exploded outward into the air where Kaiba had just been standing at.

Yugi barely caught himself. Eyes wide as his hands lifted up to his chest pulling forward to reveal the hands soaked in blood. Knees giving out, he turned his head as gravity began to claim him, just enough to see Kaiba. A pained apologetic smile curled the corner of Yugi's mouth even as blood began to trickle out. Trickling down, a reverse smile that was getting longer and longer. For a moment his skin changed color completely, losing its pale Japanese tones for the sun kissed tone of an Egyptian. Suddenly Yugi wasn't an 18 year old Japanese teenager. He was a 10 year old Egyptian pharaoh. Black leather flashed between frantic camera bulbs into dirty white linen as the silver metal turned gold. All the while Yugi's eyes were sympathetic, and aware.

Aware.

Those amethyst eyes were the eyes of someone who 'knew' this was about to happen.

Reality fell away and Yugi was getting further away, even as the Japanese Yugi fell limply to his knees. As Yugi knelt there his spine seemed to go from ram rod straight to something made of noodles as he slid limp to the ground while Kaiba seemed to sink into the ground. Even as Kaiba began to struggle, needing to return to Yugi as the blood began to pool under the black leather. The bleeding needed to stop and no one was attempting to stop it.

A tsunami heralded the sounds' that Kaiba had yet to process allowing all the noise he missed start to register in his brain. The puncturing sound of leather being pierced, while another sound bore just the slightest sharp ding of metal on metal. The explosion of sound hit his ears like a physical force causing him to wince before it melted into the screams of people. Another sharp whirl of the air sliced the space between Kaiba and Yugi and amid the screams, the shouting he heard someone distantly calling for a 'Kaiba' person.

Whoever 'that' was.

There was an arm wrapped around his torso, and a large body pressed itself against his right as a type of human shield. While Kaiba was dragged off the stage and his mind finally registering why he felt like he was 'sinking' into the ground. Time, frozen by shock, was starting to thaw out, straining to catch up with him. Yet not fast enough given that Yugi still on stage, no one going towards him.

'Of course not you idiot, not with an assassin in the building!'

An angry Egyptian voice snarled into his mind making his eyes shift to the right and scan where the shooter could have come from. He could see the glass windows of the upper levels that surrounded the arena with a single one that was open mostly. He couldn't be positive but it looked perfect for a shooter, so why didn't he notice it in time to stop this?

"Don't worry, Sir, we're already on the move to get them! You, however, need to get to safety," Some voice by his head spoke, while his eyes were drawn, seemingly eternally, back to Yugi. There were no medics on standby, what reason was there for there to be any? It was a simple announcement for a tournament and a grand opening. There was no one to take care of a pair of bullets to the chest, and even as Kaiba crouched there he could see a few people tentatively approach the stage and Yugi. Eyeing the rest of the arena as though the mysterious shooter might just appear again.

From there Kaiba couldn't see anything as his vision was cut off due to the swarming of people and a deep well of anger spilled over inside of him. He forcibly shoved whoever away from him and stalked his way back to the stage. The sea of colors were shoved aside as he picked up his pace. Somewhere on the ground Yugi was bleeding his life away and damn it someone needed to be there. Partly because Kaiba wanted to kill Yugi for this stunt of his.

The suits fell away more quickly until Yugi was in his sight and Kaiba fell on the tricolor haired duelist. The teen was on his back a sizable pool of his own blood forming beneath him and his fingers twitching slightly. Yet the sight of Yugi's chest made him pause and panic began to fill him. There were holes in Yugi's black leather top, that only afforded so much protection. Though, reasonably more than what Kaiba himself was wearing at the moment.

Yet like an evil star the top buckle that crossed Yugi's chest was bent inward, its silvery glint tarnished deep red. All around was the sound of shouting and general disorder, but for all of that, it was quiet once more to Kaiba. Nothing violating his thoughts as he knelt down. All he could hear was the wet sucking sound of Yugi struggling to breathe as he laid dying.

But it made sense, one bullet looked to have pierced open Yugi's lung, and despite what kid shows liked to pretend. There was no getting around adult knowledge that the bullet pierced the metal of the buckle digging it into the flesh as well. Tore past the black leather of Yugi's top with a dogged amount of determination to take a life. Kaiba didn't have medical training, just the stuff taught in school hence his brain deciding to fill in the blanks.

That while the less conditioned might have given away to mere panic Kaiba's brain went into a near mechanical mode. Pointing out that bullet had pierced flesh, probably the rib cage, and slammed right into Yugi's heart. With side notes that the bullet didn't go 'through' Yugi, there was no exit wound so the bullets were clearly still INSIDE Yugi. Either in his flesh or maybe, just for kicks cuz the universe CLEARLY hated Kaiba. In his spine.

Was there a point in trying to stop the bleeding? If it was just going to dig metal or bone into a damaged heart?

Kaiba knew what happened to damaged lungs, Yugi would soon drown in his own blood if the medics didn't arrive. So Kaiba reached down and placed his hands over the two open wounds, but couldn't find it in himself to press down. He could still recall the last time Yugi was prone on his back, he was ten. And Set had been possessed by his bastard father. The poor child never stood a chance, not when Blue Eyes begrudgingly obeyed and defeated Mahaado. Not when Set's older, stronger hands began beating him. He could even remember how it felt when the child's ribs shattered upon impact, the feeling of his fists sinking deeper than normal.

After that why stop? One hand gripped the Pharaoh's throat and began crushing it, the other was trying to gouge out his rulers' eye. The Pharaoh was only ten summers old, his small frame easily straddled as Set crushed the small boy's throat. At least this time Atem wasn't staring up at him in disappointment. Atem had trusted his General to return in time to lead the army against the Thief King and his Demon. Trusted that their kingdom could be saved so long as his faithful priests were at his side, and while Set 'did' return in time.

It wasn't to save their homeland.

And just like last time, his Pharaoh had to save him.