Author's Note:

So here is chapter 12 of "The Kingdom [be]Comes"!

First, I apologize for a long delay. The reason this update took so long was because I wanted to write A LOT in chapter 12…and so I've been writing…and writing…and writing all this time until today I reached 39 (!) pages. Single-spaced. Yes, and I'm still not done! You might be thinking, "WTF" and I agree – I have no idea why it got so big. So I decided to split the huge chapter into two – and this is what this is. So Chapter 12 is 12 pages, and Chapter 13 is currently 27 pages and counting (!).

So, why didn't I split-up the chapter in two earlier? Because I suck and it occurred to me just five minutes ago. Also, I thought that I'd keep writing it and that it wouldn't be too long…but it just kept getting longer. Also (SPOILER) the whole chapter was setting up for something sexy towards the end of this long changer and I really didn't want to split it.

Okay, so thank you all for your wonderful compliments, thoughts, questions, insights, feedback, subscriptions, alerts, favourites and reviews! You guys make me so happy! And thank you for being patient!

So I hope you enjoy this (filler and not very sexy) chapter!

Thank you for reading,

NineInchNailed.

Update 5/27/2017: I made a few slight wording changes but overall everything remains the same. Like, I got rid of the Smashing Pumpkins song at the end because it doesn't belong in this place (I used to be a huge fan lol), but added it instead to the quote above the chapter. But unfortunately I still really hate this chapter after all these years and, if I could do it all again, I'd get rid of it. Sigh. But after this chapter, the story and the style of this fanfiction changes: new settings, new flow, new characters and new directions. It also gets darker.

"And now the kingdom comes, crashing down...undone. And I am a master of a nothing place, of recoil and grace."

~Billy Corgan.

Aki really, really hated her plan. And she didn't know then just how much she would soon regret it but she was about to find out.

At eight in the morning the following day – after they had all slept all wherever they could at the hospital – she drove up to the ocean harbour. She parked her D-Wheel, and, fixing her hair nervously, made her way towards a tall man with a black ponytail. Mokuba Kaiba was leaning on the railing at the ocean harbour and when he heard Aki approaching him he turned around to face her. They were back to the exact same place where Aki first met him: where she dueled for him and lost the life of another person.

"Good morning, Kaiba-sama," Aki greeted him politely. She didn't forget, of course, how awful and rude he was to Yusei and to all of them the last time she's seen him. But this was not the time to bring up poison.

"Good morning to you too, Aki-san," he nodded. "Isn't it poetic that I've chosen the same place where we first met?"

"Yes," Aki said, barely suppressing a shudder.

"I knew you were going to contact me, actually," Mokuba said. "When the news aired I was waiting for your phone call and, what a surprise, you called less than five minutes later!"

"Oh..." Aki mumbled, feeling uneasy. "How come you knew, Kaiba-sama?"

"Oh come on, it was obvious. Once the news came out that dueling games are now illegal, I figured that one of you would come running to me in order to get them legalized again. And here you are!" Mokuba explained.

"Yes, you're right, that's why I'm here," she agreed. "I don't think you really comprehend how our whole lives have become dependent on these games, Kaiba-sama."

Mokuba rolled his eyes in irritation.

"Please," Aki said. "There has to be something that could convince you to reinstate them. Please." Just saying those words made her feel repulsed though.

"You're all so stupid, you know that?" Mokuba suddenly snapped, raising his voice. "So, so stupid! Do you even know just how many people challenged me to one of those blood duels ever since I got here? Thirty. Yes, thirty. I would walk around with heavy security and still people would have the nerve to challenge me! And did you not hear just how many people have died over these games? Do you people even comprehend that people are dying because of duels? And you want them reinstated? Are you serious?"

"Yes," Aki nodded. She felt even more so disgusted with herself, agreeing to all of that. He was right, of course. And, at this point, Aki was almost completely convinced that Mokuba was not behind any of these duels and that he wasn't controlled by Set. Why would Set care about stopping games and about preventing deaths? Mokuba just happened to be at the wrong place at the wrong time, after all. He was also a total bastard but at least he didn't want to kill people. She also knew that it was time that she should begin making her escape now. She found out what she needed to find out.

"You know how refreshing it is not to have a huge entourage of security following you? It's been over a day since I've been challenged to a duel by some blood-thirsty, revenge-seeking vigilante! I can now go outside just by myself!" Mokuba continued, "But you know what...fine. Since I am, after all, in the business of dueling games, this prohibition is obviously affecting my business. So yes, there is something you can do to help me change my mind – to convince me to take money and business over games and lives."

Aki was about to ask, hesitantly, what it is that he had in mind when, to her greatest shock, Mokuba pulled out a gun and aimed it at her.

Aki swallowed in a throat suddenly dry. "Mokuba-san, what are you doing?" she exclaimed, instinctually raising her hands in the air.

"Why don't you...call Fudo Yusei...and tell him to come here and to bring Mutou Yugi's letter and the Egyptian God Card. Because if Fudo is anything like Mutou Yugi - and you better pray that he is - then he will come running here and he will give up everything he has to save one of his friends," Mokuba said, coldly.

A gun? Aki was thinking anxiously, He's pulled a gun on me? What can I even do now? What am I even supposed to do to get out of this? Her plan included her simply meeting with Mokuba (knowing that he liked her at least slightly more than other) and trying to have a civil talk about Duel Cards' prohibition, all to find out if he's related to the Set business. She had no idea that this was going to happen! I never should have volunteered to meet Mokuba, this was such a bad idea. Although, I guess on the plus side, I'm now convinced that he and Set have separate agendas and no relation.

"Mokuba-san, why are you doing this?" she asked as she very slowly and cautiously reached for her cell phone and finding Yusei's number.

"Just call him and tell him to bring the letter and the card. And to come here. Alone," Mokuba demanded.

Aki heard the slow ringing and then Yusei picking up after a second ring. "What's wrong, Aki?" asked Yusei's voice, as low and as soothing as always. Aki also distinguished undeniable notes of concern.

"Yusei...things have been better," Aki said, watching both Mokuba very carefully in case he didn't like what she was saying or how. "You have to bring the Sky Dragon of Osiris and Mutou Yugi's letter and to come by yourself. And...hurry." Aki then quickly added, "I'm really sorry, Yusei." She felt awful and like a back-stabbing failure.

"I'll be there in five minutes. And Aki...don't worry about anything," was all Yusei said before the call ended.

"So?" Mokuba pressed, still aiming the gun at her.

"He's coming and he's bringing what you want," Aki responded angrily. I hope Yusei doesn't come. Or I hope that he, at least, won't bring what Mokuba wants. I hope he has a plan and that he doesn't give this bastard Mokuba anything.

Mokuba sighed and enabled the gun's safety trigger, actually lowering it. "You needn't be so angry with me, Aki-san. After all, I wouldn't do anything to harm you: I owe you my life and the Kaiba clan is anything but dishonourable. This gun is just a precaution so that I can finally get what I want from Fudo and get the hell out of here," he explained. "I don't actually want to get my hands dirty."

"Lucky me," Aki retorted, slowly and carefully putting her cell phone away.

"I mean I really just can't wait to leave. This whole trip had been terrible. On the bright side, even though I had stopped the greatest income surplus of my brother's empire by criminalizing the duels in this city, I will also have something that he's wanted for years: information on whereabouts of Yugi! My lab will run analyses on the card and the letter and voila!" he shared.

This guy really likes to ramble on, doesn't he? Aki thought, Is it because he doesn't really have anyone to talk to?

"You've told us before that Kaiba Seto used to be a duelist himself, right? So wouldn't he be extremely upset about your decision, not only on the business side, but on the personal side as well?" Aki asked, deciding to probe as much as she could.

"You know, Aki-san...I like you but with comments like these you've been really, really disappointing me," Mokuba growled. "You do not know my brother Seto, and you should never even presume to know him. You couldn't know what it's like to have your only family spending their whole entire lives on card games. I mean, that all sounds great to you, probably. But I never had a normal childhood. It was never fun for me to play duel monsters because duel monsters were all about money and about defeating Mutou Yugi. And then once I had a taste of normal life – you know, non-duel school, normal highschool and university – I saw just how much I really despised this game. And do you think my brother cared? No, he didn't. He forced me to study Business in university so I could take over Kaiba Corporation someday. But did he ever ask me what I wanted to do, what I wanted to study, who I wanted to be in my life? Noooo, of course not. For him, it was always about card games and about Mutou Yugi and about finding new cards and new ways of defeating Mutou Yugi! We have barely exchanged a word in the past three years!"

"Then...why do you care so much about helping him find Mutou Yugi?" Aki pressed, although quite hesitantly at this point.

"Isn't it obvious?" Mokuba barked. "Because if I help him find that damned Mutou Yugi then my brother will finally fight him in a duel after over twenty years! And then, hopefully, after all this time, my brother would win against Yugi – especially now that he's without his trusty Atem – and then finally calm down and begin leading a normal life! This is a chance for my brother and I to reunite and to become a family again!"

Aki stared at Mokuba and, to her own surprise, began to feel pity for him. Obviously Mokuba wasn't a very good man but Seto Kaiba, his older brother, sounded like a real dick. She could actually relate as to how it was to be estranged from one's family. Although her circumstances were miles different from his, and Mokuba was definitely going on about this in very wrong ways, Aki still couldn't help feeling sympathy. At the same time, Aki still crossed her fingers that Yusei wouldn't come or that he has a better plan rather than handing over what Mokuba is looking for.

Then they heard a sound of the approaching, and oh so familiar D-Wheel, and Aki's heart yanked and flattered in her chest. Hearing it she no longer knew if she was upset or ecstatic that Yusei came for her even though of the obvious trap.

"Let's get this over with," Mokuba mumbled and raised his gun again.

As Yusei drove up to where Aki told him she will be meeting Mokuba and as he saw what was going on, he gritted his teeth in anger. He drove up here as fast as he could after Aki's worrisome phone call but he had no idea that the situation was this bad. He was glad that he managed to convince all of their friends to stay back because had all of them showed up, Aki would have been in an even greater trouble.

Yusei parked and slowly and cautiously began making his way towards them. He wouldn't do anything to risk Aki's life.

"Stop right there, Fudo," Mokuba ordered and Yusei instantly stopped at the distance of about ten metres away from them. "I want to see that you brought what I've asked for. Show me," Mokuba demanded, and Yusei reached into his pockets where he abruptly stumbled on a pack of Jack's cigarettes and a lighter which he remembered confiscating days ago at the mall. It was then that a much better plan formed in his mind. For once something good came out of Jack's bad habit, Yusei thought. He then carefully pulled out the red God card and the folded letter and held them up for Mokuba to see.

No! Aki thought, No, don't give them to him! And then, as if he was reading her mind, Yusei looked at her and gave her one of his confident smiles. It was as if he was telling her not to worry and that he had a plan.

"Okay, I'm satisfied," Mokuba said. "Now give them to me and don't do anything funny or the redhead here gets it."

Yusei remained absurdly calm on the exterior even though on the inside he was fighting a nervous turmoil for Aki's safety. He clenched the letter and the card in his fist and neared Mokuba and his hostage.

"So?" Mokuba insisted, irritated, as he held his hand out for the card and the letter.

"Do you mind if I smoke?" Yusei suddenly asked. "You're a smoker yourself, aren't you, Mokuba-san? You know how it is sometimes, especially in stressful situations. I could give you one too if you'd like."

Aki's mouth snapped open. Smoke? Since when does Yusei smoke? And then, unable to help her relentless desire for him, she began wondering, in the face of danger, what it would be like to make-out with a smoker. Why was she so sick?

Mokuba first frowned, looking like he was about to tell Yusei off, but then he began chewing on his bottom lip. "Okay, fine, but hurry up and light me one too!" he finally snarled at him.

Yusei nodded and pulled out two cigarettes, handing Mokuba one and placing the other one into his own mouth. He then flicked the lighter on and lit both of their cigarettes. As Yusei took a drag and tasted the bitter smoke in his mouth he had to fight himself from coughing. How does Jack like doing this? he thought, involuntarily. He then unnoticeably grabbed the cigarette with the same hand which held both the card and the letter, and hid it behind his back. Mokuba was momentarily too distracted by the force of his smoking habit to notice.

"Whoa, these are good. Which brand are these?" Mokuba asked as he took long drags out of his cigarette although he still held his gun firmly

"Marlboro Classic," Yusei responded, completely making it up. "Oh...oops," he suddenly said as he held up Yugi Mutou's letter to Mokuba. It was quickly burning up from the cigarette fire. Sky Dragon of Osiris, however, was safe in Yusei's back pocket.

Aki gasped.

"No!" Mokuba screamed and Yusei quickly dropped the burning letter, causing the billionaire mogul to fall to his knees as well. "No! No! WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?" Mokuba was screaming as he tried to put out the fire with his hands and piece the ashes together into something even remotely resembling paper.

Yusei took those few seconds of disarray to kick the gun out of Mokuba's hand. And then, right as his opponent noticed what was going on and hurriedly stood up, Yusei slammed his fist into Kaiba Corp. heir's face with all his strength. There was a cracking sound. So powerful was Yusei's fury and so unprepared was Mokuba for that punch that he fell back nearly two metres from the impact.

"Don't ever threaten any of my friends ever again," Yusei demanded, his blue eyes slit with unbelievable anger.

Aki, meanwhile, picked up the heavy gun and threw it – as far as she could – into the ocean. She then ran to stand by Yusei's side and the two of them now stared down at the billionaire mogul struggling to get up on his feet.

"You'll pay for this, Fudo. No, both of you will pay for this," Mokuba growled, his voice slightly nasal. "Do you even know who I am? The people I know? The influence I am capable of?"

"Mokuba-san, stop it!" Aki shouted as she moved to stand in front of Yusei, as if shielding him. "These are not the means for reconciling with your brother! Talking with him, voicing your concerns...these are the ways of stopping your anger not hurting other people! And, also, you said you owe me your life, have you not? Then you don't owe me anything as long as you never come near any of us again, do you understand? Now please, just go back home to your brother and leave all of us be!"

"Aki..." Yusei whispered as he watched her, unable to believe her strength and conviction, and the power and the truth in her voice.

As Aki's words hung in the air, Mokuba, at first, looked like he was about to scream and let all hell break loose. And then he looked like he was about to call on SWAT to detain them. And then he looked sad and confused. Finally, after a long minute of silence and frustrated puffing Mokuba drew in a deep breath and notified them of his decision. "You speak wisdom, Izayoi Aki," he said, his tone of voice defeated but acidic, "I will take your suggestion and I will attempt to follow it through. However, do mark my words: if that should fail, I will come back here and I will hunt all of you down unless Fudo surrenders Mutou's God card. Consider my favour to you repaid, Aki. Also, whether you want it or not, I'm not helping them remove the current card games prohibition: I am still a moral man and this law is necessary one. So are we clear?"

"Thank you for your decision," Aki conceded, although rather bitterly. Regardless, she decided not to play it aggressively – as long as they had Mokuba off their tail for good she didn't care. These were just words, after all.

"If I never see your face again, Mokuba-san, it would be too soon," was all Yusei said. He felt that Aki was being too nice but he understood why she was saying that. He also felt like he was saying the kindest words he could ever master for Mokuba but they didn't need additional active enemies with the Ancient God of Chaos currently running around.

"The feeling is mutual, Fudo," Mokuba responded.

Silently, Yusei motioned to Aki that it was time that they make their leave.

"Good-bye, Kaiba Mokuba, I wish you well," was the last thing Aki said to him. Mokuba just nodded his head to her, rigidly.

Still carefully watching for any unpleasant surprises the billionaire might pull, Aki and Yusei made it to their D-Wheels and were off and away, both of them hoping never to have an encounter like this again. And they were also completely unaware that once they had left, Mokuba picked up his cell phone and made a few calls. "One small thing to do before I leave," Mokuba mumbled as he dialed the numbers, "It's only fair."

Aki followed Yusei, not knowing where they were going now. She was riding a bit behind him and to make time pass faster Aki decided to follow Yusei's D-Wheel's every move and to attempt at repeating them. What better way to learn than to rehearse the moves of somebody who was a master at Riding Duels? So she drew in a deep breath and concentrated, first carefully observing his D-Wheel take sharp turns on the highway and accelerate at certain areas and then trying to do the same. A few acceleration points and sharp turns she did exemplary well, others…not so much as evident by tire skids showing up on the pavement.

Yusei was oblivious to her "fun" for about a minute until he checked her out in his mirrors and noticed her trailing after him. He couldn't help a smile as he looked over his shoulder, catching her gaze. God, he could have so much fun playing with her like this. Ultimately, that had to wait until later.

Yusei lead them back to Crow's hospital. It was Crow's checkout today: the doctors suggested that he stays under watch longer but Crow refused. The hospital looked relieved as well, however: all the personnel had been driven to such maddening fatigue from tending to all the victims of sacrificial duels that having healthy people leave was a blessing for them.

Yusei slowed down once they reached the parking lot and parked promptly. He watched as Aki pulled up and slowly removed her helmet, effortlessly fixing her hair. The more he observed her the more he realized just how natural she was for Riding Duels. She was still learning but everything she had already mastered she did with such elegance and skill that he, believed, surpassed anyone's he's ever met, including his own. She was born to do this.

Aki jumped off her D-Wheel and neared him, still neurotically fixing her hair which always became electrolyzed under the helmet.

"I'm sorry Aki," Yusei said, saying what had been sitting inside his chest. "I never should have agreed to let you go on and meet him. I knew it was dangerous and yet I let you go on with it. I'm really sorry, Aki. You could have been seriously hurt."

Aki shook her head, reaching up to gently graze her hand against his cheek. "Don't blame yourself for anything, Yusei: it was my plan and my choice. What's life without risk? And I didn't get hurt... He wouldn't have hurt me regardless, so everything is fine. You needn't unnecessarily burden yourself with what hadn't happened."

Yusei exhaled, apparently having held his breath awaiting for her response, and nodded.

"You've burnt Mutou Yugi's letter," Aki said, completely changing the topic.

"I did. What was important was the content of the letter, the meaning of the words, not the letter itself," he justified. "Besides, I knew that it would get a rise out of him and get him to lose his concentration."

"Your predicting abilities sometimes border on psychic..." she laughed. "Is there anyone you can't read?"

Yusei smiled. "You, sometimes."

Oh god, Aki thought as she realized that her face went bright red in a flash of a second. "You can't be serious...I mean, look!" Embarrassed, she pointed at her flushed cheeks.

"What?" Yusei asked, looking at her genuinely puzzled. What was he supposed to be looking at? What was she saying?

Aki drew-in a breath and somehow mastered up some courage to move closer to him. "Yusei, I'm like an open book around you..." Aki whispered and took an initiative to kiss him, shyly and lightly.

"Well, if you put it this way...then yes, sometimes you can be," he whispered into the space between their lips and Aki's knees almost buckled when he wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her in for another kiss, that of urgency.

By the time they managed to make it upstairs into the actual hospital wing, Aki's lips were slightly swollen and she assumed that she must smell like a sensual mix of cologne and car oil - his scent - at this point. And Yusei tasted fruit flavoured lipgloss in his mouth – the one he kissed off her lips in less than five seconds – and, additionally, sensed Aki's perfume all over himself, the one he found intoxicating beyond rational belief.

They entered Crow's recovery room to find the whole gang there in addition to the attending doctor. Carly and Jack stood next to the window and were engaged in some private conversation (with Carly doing most of the talking); Bruno was showing Saiga some gadget while Sherry sat beside them, looking bored; Ushio was thoughtfully staring up at the ceiling; Mikage was saying something funny to twins Rua and Ruka; And Crow was complaining to the doctor about the wheelchair in front of him. Everybody looked in their direction when they walked in and showered them with questions about the meeting with Mokuba.

"He's Set after all, isn't he? I knew it!" Rua exclaimed.

"Did he legalize duels?" Jack asked.

"Aki-san, did everything go okay?" Ruka asked.

"Yusei, where did you go?" Sherry asked.

"Have you guys seen the new pocket-index? It calculates all the odds!" Bruno asked and Saiga added, "Yeah!"

"Did Kaiba-san explain the reasons behind his decision?" Ushio asked and Mikage added, "Because this duel cards' ban will make him lose a lot of money."

"I can walk fine, I don't need a wheelchair!" Crow said, ignoring Yusei and Aki as he instead continued arguing over hospital policy.

Yusei and Aki hurriedly responded everything they could but avoided mentioning, however, the part with the gun.

It was additional twenty minutes before they all wheeled out frustrated Crow: he continued bitching and moaning over having to be in a wheelchair until he's out of the hospital premises, a mandatory hospital policy. So the second he was out of the hospital doors, Crow jumped out of the chair and ran up to his D-Wheel, beginning to shower it with kisses.

"I missed you, baby...I hope nobody touched you while I was away..." Crow was murmuring lovingly.

"If only you spoke that same way to a woman then you'd probably have relationships lasting longer than two weeks," Jack chuckled.

"Hey, shut up!" Crow retorted, "I so had relationships longer than that! Besides, nowadays there is always Ashanti and...OH MY GOD!"

"What happened?" they all asked, worriedly.

"OH MY GOD!" Crow exclaimed while pointing at the palm of his hand, "Her phone number! She wrote her phone number on my hand a day ago! And it got erased! NOOOO!"

Everybody either let out sighs of annoyance or rolled their eyes over a false alarm.

"Seriously...that's it? You know you can just ask Sherry to give it to you. I'm sure she'll help out," Saiga mumbled.

"Oh..." was all Crow could say. In a moment he ran up to Sherry and looked at her with puppy eyes and a sweet smile.

"I guess I'll oblige," Sherry smiled. "But before calling her up you should probably know her actual name. It's not Ashanti, it's Mirabelle."

Casual conversations resumed while the whole gang walked with Crow to his apartment, which was very close to the hospital, while wheeling their D-Wheels along. And then, as they turned around the corner onto Crow's street, the world became just a tiny bit darker for all of them:

Crow's apartment building was on fire.

Furthermore, it looked like the explosion had just happened, because only then did all of them hear approaching sirens and screams all around them. They, however, resumed standing in complete silence for minutes to come, watching the inferno before them with mouths wide open.

Ushio picked up on the voices on his cracking walkie-talkie, and said, gravely, "Guys...this isn't the only place to catch fire tonight."

They all drove urgently this time and were horrified to find out that Yusei's and Jack's and Carly's places were targeted. Unimaginable anger pumped sickening hatred in their veins: they all knew in an instant who did this and why.

"But why just these guys' homes?" Sherry inquired.

"Because he didn't like them and/or because they stood up to him when he was being an asshole," Saiga explained.

"But why not me?" Aki whispered, feeling horribly guilty. She didn't know whether that guilt came from the fact that she might have pushed Mokuba to do this or if it was because her family possessions were the richest...and they were intact.

"Because he liked you and because you're the senator's daughter. He wouldn't dare get into politics especially after approving on the duel prohibition," Yusei was the one to give an explanation this time. He touched Aki's shoulder, as if telling her not to worry and not to take this as a horrible thing but rather as the truth.

"You guys can stay with me at the hotel," Sherry suggested, "It's all paid for expenses and-"

"No, it's only fair that they stay with me," Aki interrupted, "There is a lot of space in my home. My father would be more than happy to welcome all of you."

Sherry and Aki looked at each other angrily.

"Actually...do you guys mind if I bring up a suggestion?" Bruno spoke up timidly.

"Go ahead, Bruno," prompted Yusei.

"Wouldn't it be safer to go for a place that's unknown and unpredictable to Kaiba? There is this one place we could go to...and there is no way he'd figure out that this was our choice, in any case," Bruno said.

"You don't mean..." Jack uttered hesitantly.

"But he does!" Crow exclaimed, having regained a bit of his usual eagerness.

"Poppo Time garage," Yusei concluded and sighed, rubbing his tired eyes.

So holy shit, now they're all going to be roommates! How fun! Mmmm…so many fun things to write about (and imply)! By the way, if you don't know/remember what Poppo Time Garage is - it's where Jack, Crow and Yusei live in the anime right after the Dark Signers arc. Bruno also joined them there in a couple of episodes.

So here is what you should (definitely) expect for Chapter 13 (which should be up today or tomorrow): a brief Sherry vs. Aki duel (this was suggested by fabrefan and I freaking loved it!), lots of sexual conversations, more sexual conversations, then some sad stuff, and then…(maybe, possibly, hopefully, supposedly) something sexy.

And here is what you shouldn't expect for Chapter 13: anymore Mokuba. Mokuba sucks, I hate him and I won't bring him back (at least not for a looooong time). So I think he's gone for good after fucking up their lives. And, also, don't expect any actual plot exposition.

Stay tuned!