#he reminds me of mokuba somehow...

[darkmagiciang1rl]

Dark Magic Inheritance

“Banish 2 Spells from your GY; add Spell/Trap from your Deck to your hand, that specifically lists the card "Dark Magician Boy" or "Dark Magician Girl" in its text, except "Dark Magic Inheritance". You can only activate 1 "Dark Magic Inheritance per turn.”

[jokes/original under the cut]

The REAL dark magic inheritance 😇😇

ORIGINAL CARD!!!!!

[ask-thebrothers-kaiba]

A small gift appears to have been left for Kaiba nearby. It's a neat looking box, tied neatly with a thin deep blue ribbon. There is no card to indicate who it may be from. Inside was simply a small detailed pencil drawing of blue eyes white dragon.

Ah-! A box has appeared right outside of Seto's office door. He'd almost stepped on the thing. He considers not touching it, because who knows who left it there, what's inside, if it's laced with- No. Security was too tight. They hadn't had an incident in years, and Seto Kaiba is no coward; nor is he ignorant. Today is his birthday, he knows, and as he picks up the little box, a pair of rolled eyes accompanies a sharp sigh. How many of these had he rejected over the years, simply thrown away without a second thought? As many as Valentine's day? Perhaps not.

Seto gingerly unties the ribbon holding the box closed, and upon pulling off the lid, something in him softens just a tad. A drawing of the Blue Eyes White Dragon in all her majesty, intricately detailed little thing with no mention of its creator - no signature, no date, nothing to be found that might indicate who left it for him. It reminds him somehow of the drawing Mokuba made for him when they were children, although this was very different. Just a passing thought.

"Hm. Pity they were too cowardly to give this to me themself. This is good work."

He'd just begun to leave when he found the box, intent on heading home early as per Mokuba's request. He leaves the box, and the drawing inside, behind on the bookshelf next to the office's doorway.

[bluewavesofchange]

The guardians of the Pharaoh

Sea and shadows: the Queens of the abyss.

I don't own Yugioh or it's characters

No warnings for the chapter.

Chapter 3

While Lillian was once again thrown into yet another life threatening event for the third in 24 hours, everyone else had started to awaken. Taking in their surroundings and trying to figure out where they were. Téa gets attacked and captured by a group of Hitotsu-Me giants, Tristian and Duke find some axes to try and chop their way out of the hallway they were trapped in, Joey was wondering around aimlessly in the endless corridors of the castle he was stuck in, Serenity gets chased by some kind of dinosaur, Seto and Mokuba somehow end up in front of the orphanage they were left at after their parents passed away (more on that later) and Yugi well…he ends up at a pond and is confronted by one of the Big 5; Gansely to be specific who had taken the form of the Deep Sea warrior…because of course that’s normal.

 

Rozu had wondered around this strange world after awakening, whatever this was it was strange…nothing was real and yet it felt as real as the human world, it was a maze of moving landscapes and duel monsters…it felt almost like her home world…and yet it wasn’t. She felt no life here; everything was artificial with no soul…we except for the handful of human souls that were trapped here…7 of which had peaked her interests. 5 were nothing more than powerful men that had fallen from grace and become nothing more than lost souls in this virtual prison. The other was a little boy heal bent on revenge and the other…the other stayed hidden in the shadows, watching everything unfolding from a distance.

 

She didn’t know who he was but she could sense the depravity that festered in his spirit, the wickedness and narcissism that littered his aura and the sadism that bled through his mind. It reminded her of her father and that just made her bristle with anger. She would enjoy ripping him to pieces and feasting on his soul…not that she cared who he was, she just hated things that reminded her of her father.

 

But he was difficult to find, hidden deep in the bowls of this place. She would have to wait until he made himself known…for now she went searching for the pharaoh and his little lover boy. She stayed in the shadows as she watched the once mighty Atem struggling against a fish man and was that a Kuriboh busy trying to help him? She hadn’t seen one of those puff balls in years…they were her first creation after her father had passed. They were sweet little balls of darkness that were meant to keep her company and entertain her (in all honest they were failed attempts at flesh devouring beasts that were meant to eliminate the last of her father’s servants and followers and she just couldn’t find it in her heart to get rid of the cuddly little pomp pomp’s).

 

She had a whole hoard of them before she left the monster world…she wondered if any of them were still alive.

 

She watched as the Pharaoh struggle to defeat the fish man, a smirk forming on her face as she watched him get his by an attack and fall to the ground. A few shadows emerge from the darkness, one of them moving up her arm and nuzzling her cheek before moving up to her ear and whispered softly, “I suppose you’re right. We should help him out. It doesn’t help he dies before we get the chance for revenge…I want to hear him scream and beg for mercy as I pull his spirit apart bit by bit…” the shadow disappears and Rozu fades into the darkness…

 

Yami didn’t like what was happening, why do they always seem get dragged into some kind of nonsense involving Kaiba? This had nothing to do with them and yet here they were forced to duel (because that’s the normal thing to do in this universe) to keep their bodies from being taken by 5 ex-executive men (yes…that’s what’s going on here. The sentences this story makes me write).

 

After waking up in this virtual world he had to watch as his little angel search for his friends before being confronted by Gansely, one of the big 5 and forced into a duel, Yami taking over to face the fish man. The duel’s new Deck Master aspect was interesting to say the least…Kuriboh ending up as his somehow…he was annoyed at first because what could this hair ball do to help him. But Yugi managed to convince the spirit to give the small monster a chance and so he did, putting his faith in his deck master.

 

But he was struggling with this duel; Gansely’s deck was impressive to say the least, his attacks getting redirected back at him and ever blast was like a punch to the gut, the last burst of energy knocking him to the ground. This wasn’t good, he needed to come up with a plan or else both he and Yugi were gonna be stuck here forever…

 

He felt something hairy nuzzling his face, Yami’s eyes opening as he grunted, his body aching from the blast. He was met with a face full of Kuriboh, the little creature looking worried as he kept trying to nudge the pharaoh to help him stand. Yami somehow gets to his feet, he looked at Kuriboh and gently ruffled its head, the monster purring softly before his eyes widened, his hair standing up everywhere as tried to hide under Yami’s jacket, obviously seeing something that frightened it. Yami was nearly pushed over by the small beast, grabbing hold of it as it was flailing around, a frown on the teens face. Yugi comes out of the puzzle and floats beside Yami, ~What’s going on with him? ~ He asks the spirit through their link. The pharaoh glances at the other, ~I’m not sure. He just started freaking out. ~

 

He keeps trying to calm Kuriboh down as Yugi notices the water in front of them starting to bubble, the grass around the embankment dying and spreading fast. ~Yami look! ~ He alerts the pharaoh who turns his attention to wilting vegetation around them; the death reached the trees, crawling up the bark like an infection, the leaves catching fire. Gansely was look around bewildered as the water beneath his feet had turned into black boiling ooze, steam rising from the gunk. He tried to reach Noah to ask him what was going and if there was an error in the system or something.

 

Noah received the man alert and pulled up his screen, raising a brow when he saw what was happening to the area where Gansely and Yugi were duelling. What the heck? He leaned in to get a closer look as red error message started flashing over the screen as the image starts glitching. The letters start to morph into an evil looking face that laughs at him before the image goes black. Was this the virus that had invaded his system?

 

Yami pulls Kuriboh into his arms to protect it as he activates the puzzle to pull Yugi’s transparent form back into it to keep him safe from whatever was going here…he could feel a darkness approaching him, the hairs on the back of his neck standing on end as he searched around for the source of this evil, Kuriboh making distressed noises. Gansely glares at the spikey haired teen as more trees and plants catch fire as a raging fire surrounds them, “Is this your doing?!”

 

Suddenly the bubbling ooze explodes with black steam, filling the area and darkening the space, Yami and Gansely covering their eyes with their eyes to protect their vision from the hot gas. They couldn’t even see what was in front of them anymore.

 

All that could be heard for a moment was a hissing sound of the steam and the crackling of the fire burning down the surrounding woods. Yami was starting to have trouble breathing as the smoke and steam was filling his airways, a horrible cough starting to wreck him, Kuriboh looking up at the teen, his eyes filled with concern for the teen as he collapses to his knees, holding his neck as he tries to breath. Yugi could see what was happening to his partner and was panicking as he couldn’t get out of the puzzle to help him, Yami keeping Yugi inside the safety of the mystical item.

 

Within Yugi’s soul room he was banging on the door trying to get out as he could Yami’s soul fading slowly. He is aware of the flames surrounding them and the smoke inhibiting the pharaoh. The short teen needed to do something, he couldn’t lose Yami like this again but there was nothing he could do…

 

Gansely lowered his arm and tried to see through the dense steam and smoke when he hears a soft humming coming from within the darkness…seeing a shadowy figure slowly approaching him. He gets into a defensive stance before the silhouette slowly become clearer as his breath is nearly taken away…before him stood a tall woman dressed in a black revealing dress, her skin was beautifully tanned, her red hair flowing behind her like streams of a smooth wine, her golden eyes glimmering in the darkness like the sun, her arms covered in strange markings, her curved hips swaying as she walked, her toned stomach on full display, the bindings holding up her breasts just barely containing them and her lips blood red framing her perfect white teeth as she smirked at the man.

 

She slowly approached the man who was transfixed by her ethereal beauty, if he wasn’t a dignified man he would be drooling right now. Her skin looked like caramel and he wanted to taste it. She stopped just a few feet from him, raising her hand and motioning with her finger for him to come to her. Not even questions how such a woman could be here or even why, Gansely runs over to the goddess, entrapped by her trance. He stands before her as she towers over him, her breasts in line with his face. He wants to reach out and touch them but doesn’t as he didn’t know if he was allowed to even gaze upon her. She leans down, her hands on his face as he removes the weird helmet he was wearing exposing his face.

 

He doesn’t realize that he has fallen deep into her trap as she grips his forearms and moves them to rest on her waist, her fingers tracing over his duel disk, finding the clasp and unlocking it, letting it fall to the ground, effectively eliminating him from the duel. Gansely can’t take his eyes off her and is about to lean in for a kiss when a shadow shoots out of the water and wraps around his throat, squeezing it tightly. Two more grab his arms and more entrap his legs. He starts to struggle as the pupils of the woman’s eyes turn to slits, her mouth open to reveal elongated canines, the sides of her cheeks splitting open as her jaw unhinges like a snakes. He watches in horror as she slowly grows larger, a hiss leaving her throat before she laughs, diving in and silencing the scream that leaves Gansely’s lips, swallowing the man whole.

 

Yami vision was getting blurry with tears as the smoke and heat from the flames was burning his eyes as he couldn’t to struggle to breath. He thought to himself if this was what Yugi had to suffer through when he was rebuilding the Millennium puzzle in the middle of the burning building. But unlike last time he wouldn’t let Yugi suffer, he would take the pain and the torment as long as it meant that his little angel wouldn’t suffer. Kuriboh as still trying to help, forcing himself under Yami’s arm to get him to stand to guide him away from the flames and smoke but the pharaoh was too weak to stand…

 

Yugi kept banging against the door, tears streaming down his face as he could feel how the other was suffering, he was screaming at the top of his lungs for Yami to let him out but there was no answer…Yugi’s hands were shaking and red from slamming into wooden door…emotions of fear and terror filling him…sparks start to fly from his fingertips, his amethyst eyes glowing brightly as he lets out a desperate cry as his body explodes in a great big ball of light, filling the puzzle with its blinding glow.

 

A beam of light shoots out the eye of the Millennium Puzzle, lighting up the area as figure small figure emerges from the ancient relic, standing before Yami as a set of large white wings spreads for the persons back, giving a hard flap, sending a gust of wind through the space, blowing away the smoke and steam, extinguishing the flames.

 

Yami is panting heavily as he is no longer threated to be suffocated by the polluted air. His vision clears slightly as his sight is meant with something truly breathe taking…there before him stood Yugi glowing with a gentle light, his normally tri-coloured hair was now completely golden, a halo circled his head, his clothes were pure white and a set of the most beautiful wings he had ever seen was gracefully moving behind the boy…he truly looked like an angel…his perfect little angel that had saved him yet again.

 

Yugi’s eyes slowly opened, meeting the others gazes, the purple hues of his pupils were a swirling pond of magical energy. He floats over to Yami and holds out his hand, a soft gentle smile on his face. The spirit takes his hand his body becomes engulfed with a glowing light, restoring his strength. He’s able to stand on his own as Kuriboh is chirping with joy as he bops around both the boys.

 

Yugi giggles softly as he watches the creature being so happy, meanwhile Yami could not take his eyes off his Aibou and how beautiful he looked in this moment, he reached over and caressed his cheek, returning Yugi’s attention to him. The boys stare deeply into each other’s eyes as they lean in closer, their faces so close that they could feel the others breath against their skin, their lips just a so close…but the light around Yugi fades as his angelic wings disappear and he returns to normal, the boy passing out into Yami’s arms, his body becoming transparent again.

 

Rozu didn’t have much time to enjoy her meal as she was blown back by a gust of wind, being knocked back into the blackened water, the boiling liquid burning her skin (not that it bothered her, she’d been through worse). She growled as she sat up quickly, scanning the area for what had attacked her, only to freeze and her eyes widen when she caught sight of Yugi…he looked just like her sister in this moment. She knew that both Yugi and Heba possible had some of the goddess of lights powers but this…it was like he had basically taken the roll of this other worldly creature…he had taken her sisters place…

 

This was not good…if he could tap into that unbridled angelic power and learned how to use it, he could seriously harm Rozu…and possibly destroy her…she needed to be careful and change her plans…if she wanted to get to Atem, she needed to find a way to deal with Yugi. She needed to learn more about this boy and what the reach of his power was. The shadows slowly surrounded her body slowly became smaller as it shifted.

 

Yami holds Yugi close, worried about his little one as his spirit felt weak. Yugi whimpers softly as he looks up the other, ~Are you alright? ~ The spirit shakes his head as he chuckles, ~You can barely stand and you’re asking me if I’m alright? ~ Yugi pouts as a small blush forms on his face, ~ You nearly died! And you kept me in the puzzle! ~ He tears up as Yami smiles softly, ~ And you saved my life once again. I am forever grateful for you my little Aibou. ~ If he could kiss Yugi he would but he was remind of another problem as he helps the shorter teen stand, looking around at the ruined landscape, his eyes landing on the space where Gansely had stood, only to find the spot empty. Where did he go?

 

Before he could do come up with a thought, both boys heard a little girl crying somewhere. Yugi decided to take over and searched around, following the sound, eventually finding a smouldering tree near the edge of the now polluted water…and there sat a little girl with curly red locks wearing a frilly long sleeved dress, knee high socks and buckled shoes. She was hugging her legs to her chest hiding her face in her knees. Yugi slowly approached the girl, wondering where she had come from and how she got there, “Um…hello?” he speaks softly but the girl still jumps when she hears him, looking up at him with frightened eyes, “WH…who are you?! Stay away from me!” she looked at him with big brown eyes as she gets up and backs away

 

Yugi stops and holds up his hands, a soft smile on his face, “Hey its ok. You don’t need to be afraid of me.” She didn’t look convinced but he kept calm and kept talking, “My name is Yugi Muto. What’s yours?” she sniffles softly as she wipes the tears from her cheeks, “Ro…Rosie.”

 

“That’s a nice name. How did you get here Rosie?”

 

“I don’t know. I was out with my mom when we were attacked by some guys and next thing I knew I was waking up here and my mommy was gone.” She starts crying again as Yugi took a few steps towards her and kneeled down in front of her, resting his hand on her shoulder, “It’s gonna be ok. I’m sure your mommy is around here somewhere.”

 

~If that’s the case then she’s probably burned to death by now.~ Yami said in a snarky manner as he looked at the little girl from his place beside Yugi. Something about this didn’t feel right…something about this little girl was off. She could be a trick from Noah and his goons because seriously how did a child end up here and have survived that inferno when Yami barely survived and better yet where was Gansely?? Yugi glared at the other, ~That’s rude.~ he pulled his handkerchief from his pocket and handed it to the little girl, “Here you go.”

 

She carefully takes it and cleans her face, “Th…thank you.” Yugi smiled as he stood up, “You’re welcome. Hey my friends and sister are missing too. Maybe we could look for them together.” He needed to find them, he feared for what dangers they could be in, especially his wounded sister…

 

Rosie nodded slowly as she lifted up her arms, Yugi bending down slowly and picking her up, the little girl wrapping around him to hold onto him, “You’re really nice.” she giggles softly as the short teen chuckled and blushed softly, Yami rolling his eyes at this. He didn’t like this child…as if hearing his thoughts she looked in the spirits direction, her eyes flashing gold for a moment before returning to normal. Yami frowned and was about to say something when a path seemed to form amongst the burnt trees, clearly showing them where to go…

 

Noah finally got the screen working again and to his shock the landscape was destroyed and both Gansely and Yugi were missing…

 

 

Meanwhile the Kaiba brothers were taking a trip down memory lane…they were standing in front of the horror house that was the orphanage they were sent to years ago…they watched as they were dropped off at the gate, left there to rot while their family stole their inheritance money…

 

Seto watches the younger versions of themselves are taken inside the building by the caretaker. He gazes around at their surroundings, the details that this virtual world was capable of was immaculate. He could even smell the dust and decay that was imbedded in this god forsaken place.

 

His eyes land on a group of children that were watching their younger selves…seeing a familiar face…all the other kids leave but one stayed…a little girl dressed in a worn out lavender coloured sweater, her raven hair blowing in the wind, her blue eyes fixed on the two of them before she turned and walked away. She may be younger here but he knew it was Lillian, he never forgot the day they met and the sad loneliness that plagued her eyes…

 

Seto and Mokuba followed the pathway leading to the back of the orphanage and watched at the next scene unfold…they saw little Lillian sitting by herself on a bench while the other children were playing, watching as some brat with a baseball bat and his cronies harass the girl, grabbing her and shoving her to the ground before a younger Seto comes to her aid, hitting the bully and chasing him off…The brunet didn’t know what drew him to her that day, at first he always believed it was because he didn’t like seeing a defenceless girl getting attacked by a group of assholes but he knew there was a deeper reason…something that drew the two of them together…

 

He watched as the younger version of himself took out his handkerchief and cleaned the scrape on the little girl’s cheek, their eyes meeting…suddenly the scene changes…

 

Its night…the brothers find themselves on the steps of the museum…a hard wind is blowing as thunder and lightning rages in the background…Mokuba is confused as to why they were here before his gaze lands on another version of his brother standing in front of Lillian…the two were shouting at each other…Seto felt his heart sink…he knew this moment all too well…

 

“For heaven’s sake no you don’t!” a bolt of lightning flashes through the sky, “You don’t need to be the best, not for your brother, not for me, not for anyone. It’s what you’re step father wanted and right now you’re acting just. Like. HIM!” Seto saw red when those words flooded his ears…images flooding through his mind, words, insults and a cruel laugh echoes in his ears. He saw his step father standing in front of him, smirking at the teen…the brunet wanted this to stop as he shook, and raising his fist…

 

Mokuba can’t look away and flinches as he watches his brother strike his girlfriend out of anger…

 

Another bolt cracks in the air as a second later Lillian is on the ground, slowly sitting up as she was held the side of her face, pain spreading through her cheek. It happened so fast, one second she was standing and the next she was on the ground. She looked up at Seto, he was breathing heavily as he had a nasty snarl on his face, his fists clenched at his sides.

 

He glared down at her…how dare she say such a thing to him! He wasn’t his step father! He wasn’t that monster that robbed him of his childhood and stole his innocence! He wasn’t—

 

His eyes met Lillian’s, seeing the tears forming in her eyes, the skin on her cheek bone starting to turn red beneath her trembling fingers. His breath caught in his throat, his eyes slowly widening as he comes to his senses. His anger quickly turning to dread as he realizes he had struck her…he had hit the girl he loved, he had let his anger and ego over take him and he laid his hand on the person that had been consoled him when his father had beaten him…he paled as he saw the fear in her eyes, a fear he knew all to well only this was worse because it was someone she loved that had hurt her.

 

The moment mirrors the couple’s first meeting only this being a much more horrible version of it…

 

He reached out towards her, wish to help her up and comfort her, “Lil I’m—“ she didn’t let him finish as she smacked his hand away and got up quickly, rushing to her bike, not bothering to put on her helmet as she started the engine and drove off as fast as she could. Thunder rumbled above the city as the first drops of rain fell over the town, Seto still standing where Lillian had left him…devastation setting in as the rain poured down, soaking the CEO as he stares in the direction his beloved took off in before looking down at his hands which were shaking, “What have I done?” he whispers to himself…

 

Seto watches her drive away as the rain starts the pour, Noah’s voice echoing around the them as he laughs, “My my Seto, I knew you were a piece of work Set but this takes things to a new long.” Kaiba’s fingers curled into a fist as his trembled both with anger and hatred, at who wasn’t clear, whether it was at Noah for throwing this moment back in his face or at himself for one of the worst moments in his life. “But then again all you do is cause the people in your life pain and suffering…” Mokuba looks up at his brother, reaching up and resting his hand on his brothers forearm, Seto looks down at his brother and he slowly calms down, “No you don’t big brother…”

 

He didn’t understand what was going on or why this was happening to them but he would stand by his big brother and defend him every step of the way…because that’s what family does…and because he knew that Seto regretted every one of the horrible things he had ever made in his life and made up for them by taking care of both him and Lillian...

 

The scene changes at they are back at the orphanage, the brothers standing in front of a window, watching as their younger selves were playing board games, chess to be exact, Lillian was sitting with them as Seto was trying to teach her how to play. Seto watched the cute little expression on her face as she concentrated, her lips in a soft pout and her eyes narrowed…she had the same expression even today when she was focusing hard on something...

 

He watches as she loses the game yet again and the younger version of himself playfully taunting her, the girl glaring at him as he rests the board and they go again while little Mokuba watches…she’s about to lose again but grabs little Seto’s queen, the little boy frowning and tries to grab it back. She keeps it out of reach and sticks out her tongue as she stands up and runs off, the kid chasing him as Mokuba laughs at their antics…

 

This was one of Seto’s fondest memories…a day where they goofed around and messed with each other, where they could play and just have fun while being themselves. However this day was special for another reason…

 

On that same day a family had come to the school and were impressed by Seto and wanted to adopt him but when he asked if he could bring Mokuba and Lillian with, they shook their heads…saying that they didn’t have enough money to take care of 3 additional children…this was one of the reasons Seto had come up with the plan to get adopted by the bastard Gozuburo and leave Lillian behind…sure he had money but he wouldn’t risk the man refusing him by involving another child for him to adopt…

 

After the family left with another child Mokuba had run off, heading to the park where the brothers use to play when their parents were still alive…Lillian and Seto had gone to find him, finding him exactly where the older brother thought he would be. Mokuba had taken the death of their parents very hard and even though the accident had been a few months before, the wound was still fresh…he missed his mom and dad…the holidays they would take, birthdays, Christmas’s…he missed his mother’s smile, the chicken noodle soup she would make when they were sick or her roast duck and vegetables on cold winters days or how she would tuck both boys in at night and sing to them…and their father, how he would pick them up when they got hurt or play with them in the backyard, the funny faces he would make during dinner time and the bad jokes he would make when they were sad to cheer them up…

 

While Mokuba took the loss hard, Seto had buried those emotions deep down, believing he needed to be brave for his little brother, to take the role of parental figure in the small boy’s life because all the other grown-ups had failed them both. He never properly grieved the loss of his parents and never thought of them as those emotions were locked away so far in his heart that they were untouchable at this point…to Seto there were only two people who were his family and that was Mokuba and Lillian…

 

The brother’s watched as they 3 kids were walking along the peer, heading back to the orphanage, little Seto trying to cheer little Mokuba up, trying to reassure him that everything was going to be ok but it wasn’t working…little Lillian took another approach…she grabbed the small kids arm and dragged him to a wooden staircase that led to the beach. Little Seto chased after them, asking the girl what she was thinking…she smiled at him and the only things she said was ‘beach day’. And sure enough that’s what they did…

 

The little boys had stripped down to their underwear while Lillian kept her shirt and shorts on. The 3 kids playing and splashing around in the soft, gentle waves that were crashing into the shore, their laughter filling the air as they kept trying to dunk each other in the water. As the sun was setting they sat on the beach to dry, Lillian ask if Mokuba was feeling better. The boy nodded but said that he still missed his parents. Seto said that it would be ok and that they were a family now…this surprised Lillian as she looked at the boy in shock. He simply smiled and said that he would be the day, Mokuba the child and Lillian could be the mom that cleaned the clothes and dishes and cooked dinner. Her face went red with rage and embarrassment as she got up to grab the boy and shake him but he got up quickly and ran off as he laughed, Mokuba watching the two of them as he got up and giggled as he chased after Seto too.

 

And true to Seto’s words from that day, the 3 of them were still a family…a little damaged and hurt but a family none the less. Mokuba looked up at his big brother, “You still kept your word from that day big brother…” he smiled at the teen who simply nodded as he continued to watch the scene in front of him till lightning flashes across the sky and the scene changes again, Noah laughing, “Some family you have their eh Seto. Especially when you keep abandoning them and letting them get hurt.”

 

The scenery changes and the boys are in Seto’s office the day he left after losing to Yugi…he is shown how his brother is taken by Pegasus’s men…the scene changes again to Battle City and how both Lillian and Mokuba were taken by Marik…his brother hanging out of a helicopter and Lillian’s necklace being used to taunt him by Lumous.

 

He reaches into his pocket and pulled out set necklace…staring at the pendant as Noah snickers, “You just can’t seem to protect the things you hold most dear…”

 

The scene changes again to duellist kingdom…replaying the events that transpired that fateful day…

 

Eventually she found the cells, relieved she rushed over to the one holding Mokuba. The boy looked up when he heard her come in, “Lillian!” she rushed over to the bars, “I’m here kiddo. Your brothers here too.” She started to look around for a set off keys. Mokuba was overjoyed; his brother was here to rescue him. However his joy was short lived as when the alarms went off in the tunnels, “Shit.” Lillian mumbles as she finally finds a set of keys and heads over to the cell, trying to rush to unlock the cell door.

 

But just as she was about to get it open, 3 guards come running in. Lillian manages to grab her combat knife from her boot and tries to fight them off, she stabs one in the leg, slices another’s arm and kick’s another in the stomach. She tries to get to the gate to get the youngest Kaiba brother but is grabbed by the man she kicked, he has his arm around hers pinning them to her side. She tries to kick and squirm but the man has a good grip on her, “Let her go!” Mokuba shouts as he tries to get to the bars but is held back by the chains around his ankles.

 

“I don’t think they will Little Mokuba.” She stopped struggling as she hears a familiar voice, seeing Pegasus enter the room, “You.” She snapped at the game maker as she kicks back, nailing the guy in the groin. He groans as he lets go of her, she picks up her weapon and charges at Pegasus but she is grabbed again, this time by the two men she had wounded. Each one had a grip on her arms, forcing her to her knees. She glares daggers at the white haired man, “You going to let your lackey’s do all the work?”

 

“Well that’s what they’re paid for. Take her to the viewing room and make sure she’s secure. This one’s a fighter.” Pegasus ordered as he approached the girl, leaning down to sneer at her gloat as she reached for the back of her neck, unclasping her Blue Eyes necklace, removing it from her person, “I’ll be needing this.” She spat in his face, glaring at the man as he pulls out a handkerchief to clean his face. He nods at the men as they drag Lillian away, “And make sure you get yourselves taken care of. You’re fired if I find a single drop of blood on my rugs.”

 

It’s strange how all these people used this necklace to torment Seto…a thing that was held over him whenever Lillian was taken from him…it was a special gift between the two of them, a symbol of the bond between them and the trust they had in each other. And every evil person that makes their way into Seto’s life used this symbol against him…

 

Tears started streaming down her cheeks as Pegasus sips his wine, “Well it would seem this is the end for you my dear…I just hope you don’t make too much of a mess…” he smirks as the man puts his finger on the trigger…this couldn’t be the end of her…this couldn’t be the end of her love…there had to be something she could do…slowly some of her tattoos started glowing as well as her eyes just like before…

 

Seto closes his fingers around the pendant as he starts shaking again…a burning pain starting to emit in his side...Noah continues to taunt him, “Ever wondered if she would’ve been better off without you? If Mokuba would be better without you?” his laugh echoes through the air as the scene goes back and the brothers are back at the orphanage, their younger selves sitting on the swing sets on the playground with Lillian, “Just image what a better life she would’ve been without you…”

 

Seto looked at the young version of Lillian, the happy carefree smile on her face…no fear of people trying to hurt her to get to Seto…she had nearly died twice now to two maniacs to torment him…the pain he was feeling grows worse as he grunts, moving his hand to his side…what was going on?

 

He looks down at the pendant and the sapphire eyes glow, the heck? He hears…Lillian’s voice calling out to him…calling for help…the pain becomes too much, it feels like his on fire, his organs burning as he falls to his knees, gripping his coat as he clenches his teeth, breathing heavily…

 

Mokuba is at his side the instant his brother keeled over, but before he could do anything, Seto lets out a scream of agony and the world is engulfed in a white light…

 

When the light fades both brothers are laying passed out on the ground…and Lillian’s necklace was missing from Seto’s hand…

[kaibasupremacy]

1 + 3 + 5 for Seto if you'd like. Thank you.

Thank you so much for the ask!! I really appreciate it

1. The Hydreigon evolutionary line. It is a three headed dragon, and the various Pokédex entries for this Pokémon are quite sad and reminiscent I think of Seto’s struggle with his trauma and mental health. The entries that remind me the most of Seto are these

For Deino:

“They cannot see, so they tackle and bite to learn about their surroundings. Their bodies are covered in wounds”

This reminds me of Seto at the orphanage, lost and trying to survive.

For Zweilous:

“Since their two heads do not get along and compete with each other for food, they always eat too much”

I see the second head as a metaphor for Seto’s suffering beginning to control him. The way it’s heads do not get along makes me think of the way Seto is in a constant struggle with the parts of himself that he is trying to repress.

For Hydreigon:

“It’s said that Hydreigon grew ferocious because people in times long past loathed it, considering it to be evil incarnate and attacking it relentlessly.”

In another entry from BW, it is said that it attacks as a response to movement, which also reminds me of Seto, with his destructive drives and his deep fear.

3. It’s so hard to pick, I love all of his looks so much. My favorite is:

It’s just too cute.

But his best one objectively:

The manga version of this outfit is just too cool. The coat and the necklace are so stylish.

5. Seto does not have many gentle memories, and I think that as a defense mechanism he has almost completely forgotten his years before arriving at the Kaiba Mansion. He has so many painful memories that sometimes his brain just has to remove some of them to make space for the new ones. But I do think that whenever Seto got injured at the orphanage, Mokuba would take care of his wounds in his own childlike way, maybe copying the way Seto would take care of his. And the feeling of being cared for by at least one person in the world probably warmed Seto’s heart in those moments. I think Mokuba continued to do so in the first months they arrived at the mansion. Seto for the first months would try to sneak in Mokuba’s room and spend some time with him. He stopped doing it after a while, because he was caught and because he did not have anything to say to Mokuba and maybe also thought that seeing his state would just worry him. Mokuba would somehow notice Seto’s scars from his punishments and try to take care of them during those first months when Seto still did that.

I think in canon (anime) some of his gentlest memories are Mokuba drawing the BEWD for him and Isono and Fuguta saying they will keep calling him President in the Doma arc.

In manga canon, I picture Seto waking up with the locket around his neck from the coma as among them, but that’s more of a bittersweet memory as it was infused with guilt and other difficult emotions.

[stormcr0w]

Far be it for Devan to pry into the personal goings on between Val and Kaiba... or anything personal concerning Kaiba really, but he couldn't help but find himself curious. Kaiba seemed to care for very few things, in fact there were only a handful of things Devan could even imagine Kaiba cared about; winning duels, Kaiba Corporation, Mokuba, and his three precious Blue-Eyes White Dragons. Speaking of which, Val somehow had a Blue-Eyes White Dragon as well, and he'd never been able to get a straight answer from her or anyone else as to how she had come into possession of it. It was known across the globe that Pegasus had only created four copies. One of them belonged to Yugi's grandfather and the other three were in the sole possession of Kaiba himself. Kaiba had even ripped the fourth card in half so that no one could ever use that monster against him. He had gone to such lengths to keep Blue-Eyes out of an other person's hands that when Kaiba Corp had been given the right to take over the creation of Cards, he strictly forbid any copies of the card to be made for any reason. There was no feasible way that Devan could think of that would explain how Val had gotten ahold of one... could it be that...? A ridiculous thought popped into Devan's head but he was sure it was impossible. Perhaps he was feeling buzzed from the caffeine already. When he noticed Val giving him an odd look, he realized he'd gotten carried away with his thoughts again. "I'm sure he will!" Devan chipped in thoughtlessly, forgetting already what they'd been talking about. Before he got distracted again, there was something he had to get off of his chest. "Val, I have to confess something... The reason I asked you to meet me here this morning, in fact... This is... probably going to sound a bit crazy, but I've just been getting a feeling that something about you is... off. I don't know how else to explain it, I just get such a different sense from you than I have with almost anyone else and it's kind of driving me mad..." Devan began to rub his temples as he tried to shake the feeling of frustration he'd been experiencing with his lack of information, then swiftly realized that perhaps he'd not worded things the way he'd intended. Although his experience with such things was lacking, several of the vague phrases he'd used reminded him of things people might say to be flirtatious. "What I mean to say is that It's almost as if..." Devan hesitated to say the words aloud... surely she would think he was crazy. He swallowed hard and forced himself to speak. "As if there is another presence within you. I felt something similar when I first met Yugi and Bakura... I know they both have spirits that reside in their Millennium Items, but you've never mentioned owning one of the items..." Devan struggled to form an actual question for Val to answer, but he couldn't pinpoint exactly what the question was. Hopefully she had something to offer after only hearing his mad ramblings. Even if she thought he was insane, that would at least relieve some of the pressure he'd been feeling and give him some form of an answer.

"So tell me something , how do you manage to deal with his behavior ? "

Val asked curiously.

Devan put a finger to his chin as his vision focused off somewhere in the distance. "I ignore him a lot..., though I only get away with that because he values my talents to some degree. It helps that our ideals align most of the time when it comes to product development. Why, what's he been annoying you with lately?" Devan responded, chuckling in spite of himself. He was almost afraid to ask, given his Employer's track record of eccentricities.

[gallusrostromegalus]

Finally reading TPOFATGIF. I think I recall seeing a post of yours saying you're not a Homestuck fan per se, but you know enough to be able to seed references in your fic in order to catch others (can't re-find it through tumblr search, so I'm just hoping I'm remembering correctly). Anyway, somehow I was expecting more subtlety than "Alterniaworks Imperious-class HS-413". (The sum total of my Yugioh knowledge is Drawfee, this fic, and that meme where Yugi shocks Kaiba by revealing what card he's holding up. Shockingly, I've been able to keep up! though I keep mixing up Mokuba and Bakura's names)

@dilfosaur together, you and I shall revive YuGiOh like Monster Reborn.

Actually, Karina gets at least some credit for reminding my YGO existed with that "Everybody draws Kaiba in a Style that's not theirs/Karina tricks the gang into making fanart of her fave" episode and kicking off this hyperfixation event, lol.

Also the HS references are in there because while I'm not Homestuck, my Housefriend and beta-editor @mazarinedrake is so I throw something in there every so often so I can enjoy the sound of him telling me to go fuck myself from the basement. <3 u.

I should draw these assholes so everyone who wasn't a huge nerd back in the early 00's knows who's who, huh.

[steve0discusses]

S4 Ep40: Fixing Dartz By Not Actually Fixing Dartz

Yo Merry Christmas, I’m quarantined as hell, so I’m just streaming and playing video games until my problems get vaccinated away.

So lets just write about Yugioh because hell a lot didn’t go as planned this year (can you believe my 2020 goal for this blog was to finish ALL OF YUGIOH?) but although my goals were halved and quartered--With this blog I don’t freakin care anymore, and somehow...that’s how it’s one of the few creative bastions I have left standing.

Wild.

I’m so done with the internet, I’m not even updating twitter right now.

But hell yes, lets update the Yugioh blog.

So onward, with the last episode of this season. We last left off with Yami getting devoured by a hate tornado which is just...a lot of 2020 energy. This whole season, in a nutshell is just...2020 energy, honestly. And this tornado is just twitter. It’s just twitter incarnated.

Rather than try to save himself and consequently fix his ghost problem, Yugi has decided to keep himself haunted by fixing Pharaoh’s inner emotional problems. Really is something, isn’t it? To do low key therapy for the ghost that basically...put you in therapy? Yugi can help fix his problems but like...he’s still a mess of problems because of it. Now Yugi shouldn’t walk away, of course, that’s effed up, but it is a little irony there.

Pharaoh, of course, has decided to submit to the hate tornado, and sees it as a manifestation of his own anger and bad vibes.

Isn’t that’s the real problem we have when we have to confront the feelings we don’t want to confront? Where we tend to feel guilt and hate for being upset, which is just sort of a thing humans naturally tend to do--instead of actually working on controlling what you do with those feelings so that way we stop lashing out and setting everyone on fire in the burger restaurant?

Like Pharaoh should be learning to count to 10, not trying to just remove his anger. This has sort of been his problem for a while--he assumes he can just...delete his rage. That’s not a thing. You can’t do that unless you have very specific medication through a doctor, and that’s why he keeps failing at it.

And this goes back to S1 when he “fixed” Kaiba and like nothing really happened. Pharaoh’s decided to wipe himself and like...it’s up to your own interpretation but like...in my book that Pharaoh brand clean cycle does freakin nothing. It gets reversed like constantly.

(read more under the cut)

So Yugi decides to hit up Plan B, which is, honestly? Not a great message. But it’s the anime trope that we keep going back to because it’s the catch-all to make any anime protagonist into the good guy.

Like...

...

.......Yeah I’m gonna talk about it.

this is a trope that is so common it’s sort of ubiquitous with the genre. You gotta have the protagonist give up on their own strength, and be lifted up by their pals at the very last second--it’s like the anime hero’s journey.

But I really don’t like it. I don’t like the power of freindship. I’ll say it.

Because there’s some things you have to handle on your own. And I don’t think it’s a bad thing to have your main character show strength and show character development by doing things by themselves at the last minute. We already know that Pharaoh’s a good pal and believes in his friends--but like...does he believe in himself?

I can’t tell you if he does by how this episode goes, that’s for sure.

The whole point of this tornado is to see Yami discover his own strength and overcome his weaknesses...and yet he still relies on that good ol chestnut, friend powers.

Like last episode I feel like they did this already and it was way better--other people offered their help willingly, then Pharaoh got to have a big ol fight solo in the clouds to prove he was strong on his own as well. We finished the whole season last episode, so what are we accomplishing now other than a last minute secret boss fight?

Why would Yami doubt himself now? It’s weird. Yugi’s right to have mentioned “yo didn’t we figure this all out in desert hell???” because...we did. Yami is retreading old territory.

And that’s a thing that happens when you write, PS, when Yugi was saying “we already did this!” Yugi was reminding the writers of the show “we did this already. Like guys. We did this.” and sometimes when you’re writing, your characters will do that to you, and you should always be paying attention to cues like that.

Anyway, he vanquishes the hate tornado by thinking fondly of all of his buddies, and then the storm that should have been over the Atlantic Ocean, as according to the dub, parted in the sky above California.

GEOGRAPHY, the secret final boss of this season of Yugioh. And they failed. In a big way.

Yugi holds out his hands in real life, and pretends to hold a ghost that isn’t there. Now I want all of you to do this position IRL. Like that. OK. It looks like Yugi is holding onto a pair of ghost boobies.

Meanwhile, actual and very literal ghosts with very real bodies show up and start picking up Dartz and like...

...The ending of Dartz’ storyline is a TRIP! Lets just get into it!

This cursed dog. I can’t stand how this dog is drawn. I hate it so much that I actually love it, and if I saw this in a thrift store I would impulse buy it and hang it over my fireplace mantle in a golden gilded frame.

AHHH????

WHAT????

He electrocuted you with LIGHTNING! He killed your...everyone! He killed EVERYONE!

Also girl, how are you HERE? Like Physically??? I saw you die! TWICE!!

Yugioh is on SOMETHING with this one, and I think that “something” is called “we weren’t allowed to give you a PG-13 sad ending.”

This is just the freakin weirdest thing. We have a character who is worse than Darth Vadar, and this show has pulled so many dark things in it’s history, but it just...

...it can’t punish Dartz at all, and I don’t know what they were thinking.

They have been poetic before--Pegasus got his eyeball gruesomely ripped straight out of his face, nearly got murdered by Bakura, and was not able to resurrect his wife. Noah hella died, had to give up his plan to rule the world and be a real boy, and had to murder his own Dad even, the moment he finally made a bond with his brothers. Marik had to lose all control of his body, live helplessly inside Tea’s bod for an entire season and accept the fact that he murdered his Dad and now has to live on without any of the magic that ever made him powerful in a broken world and a broken family he will never understand.

Dartz though?

If he does get some sort of poetic retribution, it will be off-screen because we don’t have time for it.

And that’s kind of a bummer because this is usually something Yugioh is kinda good at! I enjoy when this show goes dark, this is a great opportunity to do it...and they didn’t.

It was just the wettest fart Yugioh has ever played on me.

Just the wettest. Nice knowing you, Dartz. Glad you were here to murder everyone on Earth and then totes get away with it because we’ll just pretend like the Orichalcos was a totally different person--although it’s not. Because Yami JUST told us that it doesn’t work that way. Yami JUST told us that the Orichalcos was using his own pain and his own hate against him.

It’s not a separate person, it’s the same!

And to suggest that Yami vanquishing that hate tornado somehow cured Dartz of all his sins, is some upper level Jesus stuff that I don’t think this show would normally want to tread on. Straight up. Yami is a pretty poor stand in for Jesus Christ, and I feel I can straight up say that because it’s Christmas.

...what HAPPENED in the writing room with this one? Did they just run out of episodes? There are less episodes this seasons than other seasons have been.

Was it edited for the English version? Because I...kind of doubt they could edit that much to make it that drastically different.

I’m just boggled. Like usually I’m of the opinion to let the writers do whatever they do because I do not know what was going on behind the scenes, and I’m still of the opinion that they did the best of what they could do with the resources they were given.

BUT, this episode just feels...hella sus. I feel like they just had to make an ending. Any ending. Get an ending on there and finish the season before the power goes out and then run away with whatever paycheck you get (because in entertainment--you might not get one).

Seto and Joey made it completely back to the KaibaCopter before Tea was like “I mean it’s been 15 minutes, guys, you really didn’t hear him behind you? You really lost his tiny pitter patter of his little shoes? The little shoes that make a little tinkly noise like a kitty cat’s collar? A little kitty cat collar that he also wears around his neck? His neck that has a golden pyramid held by a tow chain that makes a little clanky clank when it hits his two belts covered in metal rivets that makes a little singsong clippity cloppity noise every time he so much as breathes? He’s a walking talking Bell of Notre Dame, you lost him?”

and Seto was like “Oh damn it, I know he’s the same size as Mokuba, and so I should be really good at not losing this kid but also have you noticed how many times I’ve lost Mokuba???”

Joey just looked into the distant tomb hut and said “......You’re kidding me.” and decided to immediately run back because Joey Wheeler knows what’s up.

Had Joey Wheeler actually made it back to Atlantis, he would have seen Dartz and his entire family hugging it out and would have immediately socked the guy straight in the dick and it would have been a great way to finally give Dartz just one single consequence for murdering everyone on Earth but you know, I did not write this episode.

I’m really glad that in the same episode that Yami called upon the powers of friendship, his friends hella ditched him to vanquish in a watery grave.

This is wild!

Seto’s words were “Good riddance” as the island went down, and you could not tell if he was talking about the island or about Yugi.

That and Kaiba Really Hates Islands. LOVES watching an island go up in smoke (or underwater, in this case). Loves nothing more.

Seto, your powers of friendship were just used to save the world.

Apparently the standard for friendship power is...not much. But they did just make Yami, of all people, do a literal Jesus in Gethsemane so...the bar for morality is just not very high in this anime.

Did the Great Leviathan stitch Weevil Underwood’s body back together or something? This is...

...Yo Weevil are you immortal now? Are you the big bad in S5 that comes out of nowhere and kick’s Bakura’s ass back to the Shadow Realm like Marik in S2? Because I’ll accept that.

I won’t like it, but I’ll accept that.

MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM

look at those toddler shoes worn by a full adult! Weevil Underwood is so over-designed for a super low-level miniboss and I low key love that they love Weevil Underwood this freakin much.

Of all people, Weevil Freakin Underwood.

Listen, listen, listen.

If Mikey was still alive, he’d be older.

He’d have been older in that Leviathan tummy, he’d be Alister’s age but he’s not. He’s uh...

Yo show that got real dark. Show this is what you should have done to Dartz. I love this sort of dark ending for a rude asshole who is going to try to put his family back together although it’s completely impossible--this would have been a good Dartz ending. But...whatever. It’s fine.

We’ll...let Dartz have his family back, it’s fine.

Meanwhile, in the first actual picture of California that really feels like California, Valon immediately accepts the fact that Mai left him.

This is also a great dark ending for Valon. To accept that the people in your life have moved on and that you, too, must move on, even if it’s alone. This would have been an excellent ending for Dartz.

And then Mai just bounces. She does not seek out Joey Wheeler, because she’s like “I have to fix some stuff, I have some serious problems, and it’s going to take a really long time before I can get over my toxic past.” and just freakin leaves us. Sorry, anyone who was hoping Joey and Mai would smooch at any point, it’s uh...it’s not legal yet.

And TBH I don’t even know if Valon is legal either, and the show decided to not reveal that to us, or allow them to smooch.

And as for Raphael? Uh...

They didn’t bother, I think. I didn’t cap it, at least. But we did get at least one person washed up on a beach.

It would be Kuribo.

I talk about 2020 energy a lot in this season but like...wild 2020 energy here, to be so freakin chill and can I say--delighted--to be stranded on an abandoned island.

The show does not elaborate any more on if the cards are dead or alive, or if the games we are playing are with actual people forced to play these horrible games for us. It’s best that they don’t tell us. Just like Mr Mime. No one wants to know.

Mr Mime as in the Pokemon Mr Mime, PS, I just realized that there is a mime in this universe and he’s just...I don’t really want to know about that guy, either. All mimes honestly, I don’t want to know anything at all about all mimes.

Luckily, for Yugi, Kaiba didn’t fly very far from this island, and so we don’t have to have some sort of weird season cliffhanger where we guess how long Yugi can live off of coconuts (2 hours. he would last 2 hours on this island)

Although it would be such a cliffhanger to wonder what Yugi’s hair would look like after that. the same, right? Like it’s the same amount of grease and nasty stuff? He’d just have his roots growing out?

And there they go--goodbye Dues Ex Machina Cards. Either the show can’t keep you on board because you’re hella broken, or the three dragon warriors died, or retired, or whatever it is when a card is like “I’m done with humanity, please leave me alone and never call me again.”

Did Seto low key just break up with his side piece just now? Tragic.

Remember that time that Yugi was so bouyant he was armpits out of the water in S2? It’s crazy how bouyant Yugi Muto is. Like if someone did one of those anime cross-sections of his anatomy, he needs like 3 or 4 duck shaped pool floaties in there.

Now, full disclosure, I have written the ending to this post 3 times because tumblr keeps deleting this post out of my drafts folder (I shouldn’t be writing this in my drafts folder, being real, it’s been really buggy lately, and I’m gonna have to make a different solution to this) So I’m just...

...gonna end on this note. This exciting note that Bakura is next. Finally, Bakura (JK of course, because apparently Bakura doesn’t show up for half the season. Bro told me this and offered that we should skip that filler and of course I told him that is not the point of this blog and we will be watching all of that gruesome filler piece by piece. Because for someone, out there--that filler is their favorite episode. I don’t know who you are--but get ready for filler.)

Now Yami could just...call up Bakura at any point at his house and make an appointment to end the world...but maybe S5 will go a different direction? We shall see.

Anyway, that’s it for this Season! Thanks all for sticking with us when I just...didn’t have an upload schedule for this entire year. It’s been a YEAR. But, I’m hoping for good things in the future, and that things will adjust back to a normal upload schedule and that...hopefully tumblr won’t die or something weird like that.

I’m gonna finish the Full Metal alchemist Live Action movie next (we’re like halfway through) and then after that--onward to to S5! See y’all there!

Stay safe!

(and here’s the link to read these in chrono order if you’re new here:

https://steve0discusses.tumblr.com/tagged/yugioh/chrono

[pale-plasma]

God has once again cursed me to be alive, so I’ve decided it’s everyone else’s problem and it’s the magical love holiday.

Here’s some Lovey dovey no nuance headcanons. Some of this is NSFW:

- Jou always forgets about Valentine’s Day until the week or day before EVERY YEAR. Scrambles around and somehow magically it all comes together and he pulls off flowers or a dinner date for Mai

- Mokuba sends flowers and gifts on behalf of Seto each year to important clients and his friends

- Yugi and Atem send Kaiba a Valentine’s Day card each year. It’s not lavish, it’s a sweet note they leave on his desk reminding him he has friends whether he likes it or not

- Anzu LOVES Valentine’s Day. If she doesn’t have a date she takes a friend out on a friend date and spends the day making them feel loved and valid.

- This year Anzu is taking Ryou out for a friend date. They’re getting drinks and going to an all night horror movie marathon

- Ryou and Yugi get unecesarily nervous about it every year. In this house we stan shy traumatised boy anxiety

- Atem doesn’t ~get the point~ of V-Day. ‘Why only have one day to shower your partner with adoration? Why not every day?’

- Ryuji and Honda compare dates each year and absolutely have no boundaries with it. They realise this was a mistake the year they both get played by Jou’s sister when she dates them both on the same day

- Mai’s love language is giving gifts, she buys Jou the ridiculous new duel disk

- Atem and Yugi buy a new game to play together each Valentine’s Day

NSFW BELOW:

- Ryuji and Anzu go to burlesque shows together. Sometimes Ryuji performs

- Ryuji absolutely gets gifted those kinky dice. It’s all fun and laughter until they realise that they LIKE THEM A L O T

- Kaiba goes to those ridiculous exclusive rich person sex clubs. He absolutely has a Domme. It’s a transaction that he enjoys immensely

- Atem and Yugi switch. Yugi does top a lot. No I won’t be accepting critique.

- Atem is into Shibari

- Atem is into Public displays of affection, Yugi is for VERY DIFFERENT reasons (doesn’t initiate just enjoys and finds it thrilling)

- Jou is submissive to Mai

- Mai and Jou are very much into public, sly dirty talk

- Atem and Kaiba absolutely get each other hot and bothered doing that public sparring thing they do at duels, Atem is better at accepting that it turns him on than Kaiba is.

- Atem was curious about women, Mai and him got drunk and had sex. It was fun, but never again for either of them

- The gang + Kaiba have all played spin the bottle. Atem kissed Kaiba, Yugi kissed Anzu. It was fun but messy in a good way

[browniesnivy]

hiii brownie idk enough abt yugioh but *insert one of ur yugioh faves* and umm maybe franziska for that character ask game :]

Franziska Von Karma 

How I feel about this character- FRANZISKA LITERALLY SO AMAZING...I love how she’s introduced as just as terrifying and cruel as her father, but then you see that she really does care about helping other people throughout her determination to avenge Edgeworth and to help Phoenix save Maya in Farewell My Turnabout despite taking a bullet to the shoulder (such a good parallel with her father on its own!)... and then with the scene at the airport she’s is allowed to be emotionally vulnerable without being any less of a competent prodigy of law! She’s just... so fucking cool I LOVE HER!

All the people I ship romantically with this character- Maya Fey! I love the contrast between both of their personalities making them seem like total opposites, but when you look at their connection to a family legacy it becomes obvious they have a lot in common. I wish the games had expanded on their dynamic more, but unfortunately lesbians are oppressed :( 

My non-romantic OTP for this character- VON KARMA SIBLINGS... Mieke I know you agree with me on this! They grew up with the same terrible expectation that come with being a prodigy, and so they’re really the only ones who’s can comfort and understand each other... they obviously both feel such an obligation to protect each other and it makes me so CRAZY UGH. BROTHER AND SISTER! 

My unpopular opinion about this character- I don’t think this is an unpopular opinion but I wish she’d kept the shorter hair design from the concept art where her hair is slicked forward to contrast with her father’s slicked back hair, not only because I’m a lesbian and that hairstyle was SO GAY but because I think it could have highlighted or even foreshadowed how she differs from Manfred. Maybe since she hasn’t been able to abandon his influences by Justice for All it wouldn’t make since for her to have such a “wild” hairstyle, but I think that if she returns it would be amazing to see her with that hairstyle to represent how she’s moved on after a decade.

One thing I wish would happen / had happened with this character in canon- SHOW HER DENOUNCING MANFRED VON KARMA FOR REAL. I can understand that it would take time for her to fully accept that her father was not as admirable as she’d been least to believe, but by this point in the timeline I think it’s time for that aspect of her character arc to be resolved. The natural conclusion of her development requires her experiencing the same acceptance of defeat as her brother, so I really hope that if they bring Franziska back at some point she’ll be allowed to admit that her father was awful and that victory isn’t an indication of worth.

Rex Raptor

How I feel about this character- HE IS MY FAVORITE CHARACTER IN ANY PIECE OF MEDIA EVER. I know that he isn’t meant to be a deep character at all and he isn’t given much narrative focus at all but he is just SO DAMN ENDEARING TO ME OKAY. I have an unhealthy obsession with how he is initially introduced as being crass and inconsiderate while Weevil is more polite and strategic, but then it turns out Weevil is a total asshole while Rex is just... a kid who likes dinosaurs and duels for fun? Like even though he’s a total dumbass (the best character trait) who can be a bit rude (not even mean-spirited if we’re being totally honest, like most of his remarks are just him being snarky), the manga describes him as “having to the spirit of a true duelist” and he never really seems as bitter about losing as his counterpart Weevil (except in the Season 4 filler arc, which although I adore for giving me so much more Rex content, makes a lot mistakes by characterizing him as basically interchangeable with Weevil... BUT that’s ANOTHER STORY for ANOTHER DAY). I mean he has more justifiable reasons to be upset than Weevil given how he was LITERALLY cheated out of the Battle City tournaments by Espa (which Mokuba the official rule enforcer LETS THEM GET AWAY WITH and then doesn’t do ANYTHING to compensate Rex), and he STILL tries to warn Joey to stay away from trouble despite him being the guy he supposedly dislikes because he took his best card, totally disgracing him and ruining his entire career. I could keep going but this paragraph isn’t probably already sickeningly long and I still need to be able to make posts about him in the future, so in a nutshell... he seems like a funny and good kid. OH AND WHEN MAI ASKED HIM THE “what can you see but cannot see” RIDDLE AND HE ANSWERED TAKOYAKI BECAUSE YOU CAN SEE THE DOUGH ON THE OUTSIDE BUT NOT THE OCTOPUS ON THE INSIDE? LITERAL CUTEST SHIT EVER KING OF COMEDY I LOVE YOU I LOVE YOU I LOVE YOU. Ahem. Sorry.  

All the people I ship romantically with this character- Weevil Underwood. They’re both teenagers who got famous, let it get to their heads, and then lost everything... considering that they seem like the types of kids who would be bullied relentlessly (they're already constantly being made fun of by mostly of the character anyway), I think the fact that they end up befriending each other is a good sign that they can find some comfort in each other and discover other things to be fulfilled by beside card games. I love how even though this friendship is framed as a begrudging alliance between two self-servings jerks half of the time, the other half of the time it’s about best friends starting a shit together for petty reasons and always being by each other’s side no matter what. The way that they tease each other constantly but then always stand up for one another when others pick on them... it’s so obvious that they actually really care about one another! I just love their dynamic so much it’s unreal, hence the blog.

My non-romantic OTP for this character- Although I primarily think about his relationship with Weevil, there is still a lot of potential to be explored with other characters! Mako is another minor character obsessed with a type of animal, but where’s he differs from Rex and ESPECIALLY Weevil is his sportsmanship, being able to become friends with Yugi and Joey even after being defeated by them. I think that difference mostly comes down to Mako being significantly older than Red and Weevil and therefore having more perspective on gaming fame, so I feel like he would be a great influence on them. On Rex specifically, I think Season 4 missed a big opportunity to expand on Rex and Mai’s relationship. Mai had been a major contributor to Rex losing in Duelist Kingdom, but now they both feel like washed-up failures. I think given the circumstances they could have comeback to an understanding, maybe even have Mai apologize for throwing him under the bus to screw with Joey? I think showing Rex that not everyone who has wronged him in the past had/still has bad intentions would be really good addition to his character arc in Season 4. Then of course there is Joey... to me, the main difference between Rex and Joey is that Joey is stupidly lucky while Rex never seems to catch a break. Otherwise they’re both recklessness dumbasses who prioritize brawn over brain, but Joey is nevertheless able to triumph through sheer dumb luck while Rex gets anihilated over and over with basically the same strategy (minus the RNG cards, Joey’s strategy is just big monsters after all). While the previously mentions she relationships were hypothetical, this dynamic between Joey and Rex is actually given some focus in canon, and I found it very compelling! I only wish this difference between them hadn't only been used to increase Joey’s confidence in his skills as a duelist (which I will remind you is mostly LUCK, no offense to Joey because I do love him BUT I MEAN... only being able to beat Rex because of a lucky Time Wizard isn’t peak strategy ), but to develop Rex’s character somehow as well. 

My unpopular opinion about this character- JUST LIKING THIS CHARACTER IS AN UNPOPULAR OPINION MAN... tons of people hate him so much! I know he isn’t an important character at all but he isn’t nearly as much of a jerk as people make him out to be, and I mean even if he was he’s just a kid! I won’t pretend that he is always portrayed favorably by the narrative, but the fact that some people feel nothing but disdain for a child whose accomplishments were robbed from him by forces outside of his control and who received no sympathy for it, causing his self-worth to deteriorate... it’s a bit concerning to me that so many adults in particular are so disgusted by that. 

One thing I wish would happen / had happened with this character in canon- I’ve talked QUITE a lot already about things that I wish had happened to develop his character more, but above all else I wish his character arc in Season 4 had been given a proper conclusion. The writers set up this interesting conflict where the insignificant minor characters are upset that they aren’t allowed to be successful when the more important characters aren’t involved and shows the consequences that their defeat had on their lives and self-image... BUT THEN AFTER THEY’RE DEFEATED THEY ARE FORGOTTEN ABOUT FOR THE REST OF THE SEASON UNTIL THEY WAKE UP IN THE HOSPITAL AND INSTANTLY REVERT BACK TO BEING COMIC RELIEF GRRR GRRRRRRRR! There wasn’t no resolution to this arc AT ALL and it drives me UP THE GODDAMN WALL because it absolutely captivated me in concept... but like with many things in Yu-Gi-Oh! the execution was totally ruined :( 

[sevi007]

Sevi experiences YGO: DSOD

 Promised a rambling, and ramble I will! Took notes of what stood out to me while watching, so, have a jumbled of hyped thoughts here guys! =D:

* The animation is so amazing! I love it!

 * More grown-up Yugi looks so much like the pharaoh – but somehow still like himself – it’s like… a mixture. Makes me both nostalgic and so very proud of Yugi. He used to be this nervous, chubby-cheeked kid, and now he’s… all grown up! He’s even holding a SPEECH! Boy’s a man now! So proud. =D

 * It’s kinda weird to here Tea and Joey call the Pharaoh “Atem” now – they didn’t get to use his name for long before he left, it’s still so new to me that hearing it like that is… weird XD  

 * Diva – or Aigami – has an interesting design, looks-wise as well as his drive and goal. It especially the later reminds me of Yami Bakura (initially) and Marik both. Poor kid who wants to change the world with his power, wants the pharao’s power for it? Yeah, I see both of them in there. The mix makes it just unique enough to be interesting though. (Also, his powers are quite unique. I like them!)

  * I actually love that the dreams and goals of the characters from way, way back in the series were picked up again and it shows them going for them after the whole Millenium Battle is over. Tea becoming a dancer, Ryou living his life without a ghost taking over all the time, Tristan working with technical stuff, Joey still a passionate duelist all the way, Yugi planning to design games… I’m so happy they focused on that. It all was ignored completely during the series - predictably, but still, it made up a lot of their character, and that was just never developed during the series… I’m happy they are doing it now, at least.

 * Kaiba is still… well, Kaiba. It’s actually kinda reassuring to have his snark and pride right there – refusing even to be sent into a different dimension by magic by just… not wanting to. (Okay, by his new technical advancement, but you know what I mean.) Or calling back a god who was not even supposed to exist anymore. “It’s no monster – it’s a god!” Nice to see some things don’t really change. XD

(You know, at least he finally accepted the magic, the pharaoh and Yugi being two different entities, and so on. That took a whole damn long time, okay.)

  * Dimension summoning? Really? Hello? They just made up an entire new duel monster summoning for one movie instead of a whole series. Okay then. (I like it, I was just speechless for a second.)

  * Nice to see that Bakura’s trauma of having been the vessel to a murderous ghost – forced to kill people with his body, but no chance of stopping it – is actually addressed. Painful to watch, but very nice that it isn’t just glossed over. (Also, Ryou is just… so sweet and good. There’s a guy trying to kill him, and he… feels sorry. Com’ on, give the guy some slack already!)

  * Not really happy how they turned the story of Bakura’s father though – he was supposed to be just a naïve guy who didn’t know what the Millenium ring was and ultimately, a good guy. Here he was… just a crazed, greedy dude, asking for the ring even when his worried son was right beside him. And anyway, wasn’t Shadi still alive much later? He met Yugi – a teenage Yugi – before he was killed. I am confusion  

  * Pharaoh not only appearing in the great finale, but also to help Joey out… you know what? I’m gonna go ahead and think he’s just constantly watching over his friends, only appearing to help when it’s absolutely necessary – choosing to let them handle it themselves as long as they can because he believes in them. (It’s also interesting to note that in Ancient Egypt, pharaohs who went to the afterlife were believed to become gods – so technically? Atem’s a god now. Basically explaining why he can still influence the living world if he wants to.)

  * “Back off, or we’re gonna have a problem!” – can I once again point out how proud I’m of Yugi? Yelling at Kaiba? Threatening him? Making him chance his mind? (That’s like a miracle in itself) I want to hug Yugi. HE’S SO GROWN UP NOW

  * I like how Yugi’s – and Kaiba’s – monsters are still the same at the core, but got a little glow-up fitting for the new animation and new story. Nice mix of nostalgia and hype for the new stuff!  

  * Does “Cool motive, still murder” apply to Diva, too? I see where’s coming from – I feel sorry for him - but if someone has the power to chance reality itself why go around and send “bad people” to another dimension, instead of going around and bringing good things into existence? I’m just saying. (Shadi, I’m looking at you, too. Never really liked your methods, either.)

  * Kaiba not realizing that Yugi is right there and he could have him as his rival – the guy who beat the pharaoh after all – is also… just very Kaiba. It took an entire series of over 200 episodes for him to accept that there is magic, there are rebirths (he was one of them) and now it takes kicking his ass for another few years until he realizes that Yugi is the rival he is looking for. Sigh. XD

  * “You really hate dragons, don’t you” – no I more hate that Kaiba gets the funniest lines all the time. XD

  * Yugi solving the puzzle and nothing happening… I think what hurt the most was that Yugi didn’t look surprised. He was absolutely calm. He knew all along. He knew very well, because he was the one who felt pharaoh’s passing the most. He had to live with that every day and he had accepted that all along. Not like Kaiba, who was still chasing after – well, a ghost.

That was so well done – especially given that the series was sometimes unnecessarily dramatic. Here, it wasn’t. It was completely silent as it told you “He’s not coming back (fully) guys”.

  * “Well, he has looked better” – “I’m getting really tired of that laugh” - again, Kaiba with the freaking lines.

  * Kaiba sacrificing himself to have Yugi win – look, sometimes I want to slap him, but honestly, he’s not that bad of a guy. How many times has he done something like that now? He always comes through in the end.

  * Not even embarrassed to say I had tears in my eyes when Atem made an appearance. I was a kid when I watched the final episode. Seeing him return in such a fashion - in almost complete silence, no words needed there, not fully returning, but only a support for Yugi – I’m emotional, okay. That’s my childhood coming by to say hello. (Also, Yugi wasn’t just along for the ride – they were doing this together. Made it even better.)

  * “How is he doing?” – that’s probably the best reaction they could have had to that. Not “Is he coming back?” or “Will we see him again?” Nah, just is he okay?

  * EVERYONE GOT THEIR NEW BEGINNINGS and Kaiba literally just went back in time. Is there anything he can’t do? Is there someone who can stop him? AND HE JUST SAID THANK YOU TO MOKUBA. Out loud! On cam! He has lost his mind! Where will this madness end?! XD (I’m kidding)

 Ah well. I’m happy everyone is gonna be alright and happy. This was a fantastic way to say hello again and goodbye to all of them at the same time. I’m absolutely hyped and delighted by this entire movie. =D

[dxmichelle]

The 12 Days of Fic-Mas (Day 4): The Visit

Summary: Yugi travels to see an old friend.

The only one who knew he was going was his grandfather. If he told his friends, they would just insist on making the journey with him, and in any other situation? Sure, the more the merrier. But this time, he wanted to go alone. And if he had to see the disappointment on his friends’ faces, he would have given in out of guilt in a heartbeat.

He met the Ishtars at the airport, and held the strap of the bag on his shoulder a little tighter. They didn’t talk much on the long drive other than idly catching up with what everyone else was up to.

Yugi was surprised that they didn’t drive to the site of where the Millennium Items were laid to rest, though, he did remember the tomb entrance did collapse after Atem passed through the doors to the afterlife. Nor did they go to the place where he and the others, with Shadi’s help, entered the Millennium Puzzle to help Atem save the world. Again.

Instead, they stopped at the entrance to a nondescript tomb.

“Is this it?”

“It is,” said Ishizu. “Will you need a guide?”

Yugi shook his head. “I don’t think so. …In a way, I’ve been here before.”

Marik handed him a torch and stepped back. “We’ll wait here for you.”

“Oh,” said Yugi, “Well…I might be a while.”

“It’s fine,” said Ishizu. “Be careful, and take as long as you need.”

Yugi took a deep breath and started the journey down. It took less time than he initially thought to get through the first chamber, and was surprised at himself that despite not remembering where all of the floor traps were located, none of the giant serpent statues along the walls shot their poisoned needles.

Were all of the darts deployed by visitors in the past? By the tomb keepers that had come through recently? Was he just lucky?

Or…a fleeting thought passed through his mind. Was his presence detected, and he was allowed safe passage?

He waved the idea away. The magic was gone.

Wasn’t it?

Yugi continued onward, down the stairs and into the next chamber. The passage maze along the chasm was exactly as he remembered it, though the armed statues weren’t in the same places.

He stole a glance behind him. The spike wall was naturally reset. Knowing where the pressure switch was on the floor meant he could pass without activating it, alleviating the need to hurry across the pit.

Yugi looked down at his feet and then across the field before him. The first statue was about ten paces away. He hesitated a moment and then inched his right foot forward, drawing it back almost immediately once he saw the sword-raised arm of the first statue shift ever so slightly.

Any lingering idea that the traps would just let him pass instantly dashed.

Good to know, he said to himself. They still work.

It was a wonder the tomb keepers managed to get through that room at all, knowing the cargo they carried at the time.

Left foot forward, one step at a time, until he reached the other side, and onwards through the next room. Grandpa had mentioned how his guide through the tomb had betrayed him here along the bridge all those years ago, and somehow he was saved by the Pharaoh’s spirit, though he didn’t realize it at the time.

The far end of the chamber housed an empty pedestal, but Yugi’s focus was what sat just behind it.

Grandpa had made it sound like no one else had managed to get this far into Atem’s tomb before he did, so Yugi only had to wonder where this particular artifact was actually found. Was it earlier on in one of the smaller chambers? Or in another place entirely. Ishizu never made mention if tombs to any of the other members of the court were found.

Shifting the bag off of his shoulder, Yugi set it on the ground beside the pedestal and sat down on the floor of the room, staring up at the massive Tablet of Memories. He reached into the bag and pulled out the small golden box that once housed his Duel Monsters cards, and more importantly, the pieces of the Millennium Puzzle.

He placed it carefully in his lap and looked up at the carving of Atem on the tablet, forever poised in battle.

“Hi Atem,” Yugi began, “It’s…it’s been a while.”

He sighed. “I know that you can’t really hear me. That’s okay. I know that you’re out there, in your Afterlife. I just wanted to talk. Grandpa said he used to do this sometimes at his father’s gravesite. And, well, this is the closest I’ll have to doing the same thing…. I won’t stay too long – I know you’re finally at peace now, and don’t want to disturb, but I thought I’d just give you a quick update on things, in case you were interested…”

He ran a finger along some of the etchings on the golden box. “It’s been…two years now. Grandpa is doing okay. Moving a little slower, but at his age, I can’t blame him. He went off last year with Professor Hawkins to oversee a dig in South America. His last hoorah before he officially resigned his archaeology hat and settled down in the shop. We were all worried, of course. You remember the last time he went off, and we had to save him from that weird pyramid. But no, he came back safe and sound, and more than a little sunburnt.

“Joey is doing great! There’s something new starting soon. A dueling “Pro-League” and he’s almost got himself a sponsor. It’s not set in stone, not yet, but so far it looks promising. And he could use the break, with him out on his own now.

“Téa is off in New York studying dance. We weren’t able to go visit her, but she brought back a recording of the production she was in. She didn’t have a large part, not in this show, anyway, but it was really cool to see! It’s really exciting to see her living her dream!”

“Tristan’s been helping out at his dad’s factory. He’s saving up to open a garage soon. I think he takes more care of his bike than himself, if that makes sense. But at least he and Duke have stopped fighting over Serenity. …At least I think they have. We don’t see her around too much. She still lives with her mom, and they recently moved a little further out from Domino. She hasn’t come back to Domino since the Battle City tournament, but I know Joey took the train up to see her a few months ago.”

Yugi leaned back, his hands pressed against the cool floor, trying to think of who he hadn’t mentioned yet. “Oh! Kaiba and Mokuba have opened up their second Kaiba Land park! It’s just like the first one, just a little smaller. I made sure to get on the crazy coaster, just for you.” He smiled at the memory. Atem hated that ride. “The one where the Puzzle almost fell off while we were upside down. That one’s at the new park, and it goes faster. It’s great!”

Yugi shifted one hand back front to open the golden box, and then stopped. “I know you’re wondering – but no, Kaiba still hasn’t beaten me yet. I don’t know if he’s getting discouraged – ludicrous, I know – but he doesn’t take part in tournament duels all that much anymore. Téa thinks he’s too busy, and I have to agree with her. There’s a lot on his plate now. But if I had to guess, I think it’s because you’re gone. I mean, I’m still here, but you were his real challenge. I’ve noticed that if I’m not dueling, he’s not dueling.”

Yugi smiled up at the tablet. “I know you’re going to ask too – I’m fine. A bit lonely at times. You would think that wouldn’t be the case, if anything, we’ve all gotten closer over the years, even if some of us aren’t always at home. But…it’s like something’s missing. I can’t quite put my finger on it…”

He narrowed his gaze up at Atem’s profile. “Don’t go blaming yourself for leaving though! Your soul deserves to be at peace after all those years of being trapped in the Puzzle and having the weight of the world on your shoulders! I…I just got so used to you being here, that sometimes it still takes a little reminding that you’re not sharing thoughts anymore.”

Yugi waved his hand dismissively. “But enough about that. I have some exciting news for you. I don’t know if you remember, or if I was considering it before you left, but that strategy sphere game? I made a mockup of it. Mokuba was all over it, showed it to Kaiba, and there’s a real chance that he might put it into production. I’m heading to Kaiba Corp next week and the two of us are going to sit down and play it.”

He laughed. “It’ll be a bit weird, to be sitting around at a table with no cards or fancy dueling holograms. But it’ll be nice. I’m looking forward to it. I have a feeling he was going to move forward with it even without playing it himself, but sometimes he’s still hard to read.”

Yugi kept going, rattling off the news of anyone and everyone that they came across. How Mai was dueling again professionally, but still hadn’t returned to Domino yet, to Joey’s dismay. What Rebecca was up to now that she was just about finished with college. How Duke’s shop was faring, and that Mako managed to get his boat after years of saving from his job at the aquarium….

Finally, Yugi looked down on the golden box, and he frowned slightly. “…And with that…brings me to my visit. I don’t know if you were aware, I mean like truly aware, but ten years ago today, Grandpa gave me this box full of puzzle pieces…”

He leaned back against his hands again. “I think…if child-me knew just how much utter chaos we would get into by putting the Puzzle together, I’m sure I would have buried this box somewhere in the back of the shop where it would never get found. But then…I wouldn’t have met you. Joey and I wouldn’t be friends – maybe – and…well, you’d still be trapped.”

“Speaking of friends…” Yugi tilted his head, still focused on the box. “I’ve sought all sorts of advice about this…. Joey and Tristan – they think this is a mistake. Haven’t been able to talk much to Téa over it, but I was surprised Kaiba was on my side. We talked for a long time actually. You’d be surprised….”

He shrugged, and then hoisted himself up off the floor. He hesitated, a moment unsure, before carefully placing the golden box on the empty pedestal.

“We think it’s best that the Egyptian Gods remain here, watching over this place. I know that the Shadow Games are gone now, and so are the Millennium Items, but as the most powerful cards in existence, I don’t want anyone trying for them anymore. Too many people got hurt trying to collect them. And I don’t want to risk someone finding a way to bring all that magic back.”

Yugi folded his arms across his chest.

“I know, Pharaoh. This is a really big decision. I didn’t come to it lightly. And I know we always kept our cards in this box, but I think…giving the Gods their proper resting place in a way puts them at peace too….and I think, after all this time, they deserve it as well. And I don’t see a better place than here. They were yours to command, after all.”

Yugi removed the lid to the box and glanced inside. Four cards lay along the bottom.

“There’s something else…I told Pegasus what had happened. With the last Shadow Game, and how you moved on. I…also consulted him about what to do with the God Cards…and he was of the same mindset as Kaiba. Anyway…he made us something.”

He pulled the fourth card from the bottom. “I told him about your past, and about a week ago, he came to visit – I know, Grandpa nearly had a heart attack when he showed up at our door. But he had a special card for us. It’s made to work alongside Dark Magician, and I’ve put it in my deck. But he made another one, for you, so in a way we’ll still be connected, even though we can’t communicate anymore.”

Yugi cradled the card close to his chest and looked up at the tablet again, his heart heavy. The other reason for his visit...and it hurt to think about it.

“…I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to come back here. Marik said the tomb keepers who moved the tablet down think some parts of this place are a bit unstable…it may not be safe for much longer…”

He was honestly surprised that the Ishtars let him down in the first place. 

“I was shocked then that they decided to put the tablet here, but I suppose, now that your mission is complete…there’s no need to keep it anywhere else. Pharaoh Set created it to bring you home, after all. Or so I think – that’s what Ishizu believed. And…a part of me was thinking…maybe it is best to let it all fade away.”

He sniffed suddenly, and wiped away the tear forming in his eye. “But, you know? Despite everything that’s happened since I finished the Puzzle? I’m grateful for the chance to have met you, and I’ll really cherish the time we had and the adventures we went on. Time will move on, memories may fade, but you will always be my dear friend.”

Yugi smiled, and looked down at the card in his hands. Palladium Oracle Mahad. He gently placed it back in the golden box and replaced the lid before turning back to the tablet, taking a long sweep over the entire thing, committing as much of it to memory as he possibly could. The Puzzle at the top with the Gods, the Blue Eyes and Dark Magician, Set and Atem…all the way down to the worn, jagged edges along the bottom and the cartouche where Atem’s name used to be.

“Good-bye Pharaoh…rest well.”

[ohmaiwhathavewedone]

Setting Mina's phone back on the counter near Mina, whispering "I'll be right back", slipping away before the boys could noticed. Leaning up against the wall of the shop, she waited for Kaiba to arrive. To her surprise he drove up himself.

Mokuba jumped out if the Ferrari's front seat. "Hey Mai! Oh man, were we... suppose to wear pajamas?" Looking at her genuinely confused.

Rolling her eyes at the young Kaiba. "These are not pajamas. Is a girl not allowed to be comfy?" shooting him a glare.

"Whatever floats your boat!" Mokuba replied, running off inside, leaving Mai to face Seto.

Thinking about how exactly she wanted to word her apology to him for the 100th time. 'This should not be so hard. Besides he is more than likely gonna be a jerk about it anyway.' She thought to herself, collecting her thoughts now as Kaiba stood before her.

Arms crossed leaning on the car, looking unamused, giving Mai a once over then breaking the silence. "What's with the homeless look?", managing a sneer.

Taking a deep breath now. "So I've been told the line was crossed the other day. That it cut into you deep and set something off." Cocking her head slightly to the side, matching Kaiba’s agitated stare. Releasing a sigh but before he could answer a hand rise to silence him. "Well whatever the hell happened later that day also hurt Mina. That doesn't settle well with me. I am sorry, what I thought would be a harmless thing turned out to be an insecurity or whatever." Studying the other face now for any sign that he may actually be listening. "I know I can say things without thinking and even caring about the consequences. You do realize the way you carry yourself would lead one to believe you couldn't be bothered by anything."

Pausing again and hardening her expression. Sighing, she continued "Even though I am wasting my breath, at least I know I'll feel better in the end. Look Seto, I get it, we ALL have battles nobody knows about. Ones we wish would go away as if they never happened. Trust me I know. Bottling it up is going to destroy you and everything you love. For possibly the first time in your life you have people who actually care about you." Passion burning in her eyes, relaxing her body. "I'm as much of a fan as the "F" word as you but this group has grown on me. I'll say it, we are all family now" a small grin formed on her lips as he cringed at the F word. "You also now damn well there is not another soul on earth worthy of Mina." Looking at the ground now "I will be more mindful now, I guess I forgot you are a part of an internal fight club also… and I know we don't talk about it." Feeling uneasy now as painful memories flooded her mind. She just wanted to somehow get through to him so he wouldn't look right through her. To remind him that he is only human. "Next time I say something that triggers you just challenge me to a duel, think of it as our safe word, so at least I know and don't find out from an upset Mina. Speaking of her she is probably resisting the urge to make sure we aren't killing each other. So tell her whatever you want happened out here. I'm done wasting your time."

Turning away from Kaiba she could hear him let out a slight laugh. "I'll tell her everything is fine." Voice relaxed, the tone of annoyance long gone.

Mai was pleased with that, 'so he did listen.'

"I was worried you were going to give a sobby friendship speech like Tea." Poking fun at her now. Spinning around arm raised pointing at him "DON'T YOU DARE." She admired Tea and her loyalty but could not stand her speeches. Whipping herself back around storming up the stairs.

[melyaliz]

Night Person

Fandom: Yu-Gi-OH

Summary: All the best things happened to Amie at night. 

Pairing: Seto Kaiba x OC 

Notes: Ok so @speedypan reminded me of my TOTAL and UTTER love for Yugioh. Honestly, I have both my DC fanfic revival and now Yuigoh credited to her. Just wait, soon I’ll be bringing back Avatar and Naruto soon 😂😝

Like as we speak I am working on re-editing my old series and posting it on archive but I figured I could post some of my NEW stuff here? I promise I am still working on Nancy’s second part and @werewitchling’s Charlie request :P Life has just been rough and I guess Seto calms my nerves (weird) 

All Masterlists @melyalizarchive​

Connect with me! AO3 / Instagram / Pinterest

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Amie was a night person. She had her best ideas late at night, her breakthrough on projects, and adventures late at night.

Honestly, she hadn’t thought too much about it but her best moments happened at night too.

-Thursday 10:32pm-

Everyone was gone. Most of the lights were off. At least they were in the rest of Kaiba Corp  As for the animation lab, everything was still bright and cheery.

WHY?

Because Amie was still hard at work and she was NOT about to be stuck in some creepy Freddy Kroger style office. If she had to stay late to cover her idiot co-workers the world around her better be bright and cheery.

A large soda at her side and music blasting in her ears while she tried to get the Dark magician’s hat just right. It just wasn’t folding the way she… wait, was that a kid?

Glancing over their screen she blinked again before rubbing her eyes. Contacts starting to dry out. Honestly, she should just go home but she was sooo close. Maybe if she just…

There it was again.

Leaning out of her chair she studied the doorway. Ok, now she was getting slightly creeped out. This was some Chucky style shit. Glancing back down at her screen she clicked save several hundred times on her project. Never can be too safe. Then glancing up, her brown eyes locking onto a pair of dark blue ones.

“Uhhh Hello child of the corn.”

“What?”

“Nothing… are your parents around”

The boy laughed shoving his hands into his pockets. “Are you new?”

“Yes… oh fuck… I mean fudge… oh, fudge. Sorry... Mokuba right?”

“That’s me.” he shrugged waving his hand at her apologetic smile, “It’s kind of late why are you still here?”

“Because of the hat from hell.”

“What?”

“Why are you?” change the subject, no point in bitching about the design issues with the big boss’s kid brother. Would he be considered the Big kid? The small boss?

“Because my brother is a work-a-holic.”

“I feel it.”

Mokuba walked over to her screen glancing over at the screen studying her work, “looks good to me.”

Amie couldn’t help but snort, “Yeah but that hat.” clicking the space bar the small magician started to move making the hat flip in rather unrealistic movements causing Mokuba laugh.

“It looks like… it looks…”

“Oh yeah, I’m very aware...”

“Well can I hang out with you while you work on it?”

“Only if you tell me about your day, I like listening to things while I work.”

“Well you’re in luck, I happen to be a GREAT storyteller.”  

-Friday 11:53pm-

It was late and Amie was just finishing up. That total complete moron Jeff had ONCE again spectacularly destroyed the files they needed to get to Seto that Monday for the pitch.

And instead of staying and cleaning up his mess the wonderful oh so hard working moron ditched saying something about “having to go.” Amie was about 90% sure he was just going to see his girlfriend and probably get an early start on his weekend.

Something Amie had hoped to do. But no, instead she was trapped cleaning up his mess working well into the evening.

“Fuck that guy,” Amie grumbled to herself as she walked down the halls holding her 4th mug of coffee hoping that would jump-start the creative process for her. Although it was really just helping her brain come up with a million ways she hoped Jeff would suffer for his idiocracy. Maybe some burning diarrhea or maybe he would get a HUGE dent his beloved car?

“What are you still doing here… wait…”

Amie winced as she paused looking up from her thoughts to see the CEO himself Seto Kaiba. The only time Seto had bothered to pay attention to Amie the intern was when her brother had faked her submission to get her in. After that, he had never sent her a second glance.

Which was good because she was too young for this position and if anyone found out she was NOT a college student she could lose this opportunity of a lifetime.

“Yes Boss Dude?” she muttered glancing up at him from under the dark black bangs of her work wig.

“Don’t I go to school with you?” Seto asked taking a step closer, his piercing blue eyes studying her. Ok, it also didn’t help that Amie found the dueling champion super hot. Like not in a “we’re soulmates” kind of way but more of a “You’re eyes make me nervous” sort of way.

“If I say yes will you fire me?”

“Humm” he studied her for a moment, “Why are you here so late?”

“Just finishing up the prototypes for the pitch on Monday.”

“And your supervisor couldn't do that?”

“He had a hot date.”

“Then no.” with that he turned and walked off.

“Wait!” a weird rush of confidence came over it. Maybe it was the 4th cup of coffee or the fact it was almost midnight and she had been listening to Paramore on repeat for 3 hours. Regardless of the reason, her command made Seto pause glancing back over his shoulder, “If you fire me then I can go home and if the images aren’t perfect it won’t be on my conscience?”

At that moment a million puppies died as hell froze over because… Seto cracked a small smirk.

“Make it perfect and I’ll promote you.”

“Deal.”

-Tuesday 9:06pm-

Tap tap tap, Amie hummed along with the Supremes as she tapped her stylist on the table waiting for the computer to render. She was oh so close to being done. A stack of science books next to her because she also had a quiz tomorrow she may or may not have studied for.

“Jeff ditch you again?” A voice broke into her song as the rude voice pulled an earbud out.

Lucky for this intrusive voice Amie had a soft spot for him.

“At this point, I would be annoyed if he didn’t,” she said spinning around in her chair which caused her headphones to unplug the song blasting across the editing bay.

“What is this?” Mokuba asked raising an eyebrow. Amie let out a gasp.

“Mokuba! Don’t tell me you have never heard the Supremes!”

“Nope. It sounds kind of… Chick”

“It’s very chick. They are in love with love, listen.” clicking on You Can’t Hurry Love she started swinging around in her chair to the music.

“I guess it’s ok…”

“Chair dance! Grab a chair”

“Ooookk” Mokuba knew better than to argue with Amie once the clock passed 8:45. That was when she had her third cup of coffee and the weird ideas started.

Three songs later Mokuba and Amie were rolling in a very impressive choreographed routine across the isles of computers screaming “I Want You Back” By the Jackson 5 at the tops of their lungs.

“Good to see there is a lot of work going on in here.”

Amie laughed turning to see Seto leaning   the door frame, “Are you the only one who ever stays late?”

“I would say yes but you are here.”

“I’m here too!” Mokuba said scooting his chair next to Amie reminding her that he was, in fact, also there.

“Yeah, but you don’t work here, just make everything better.”

Mokuba laughed flipping his thick black hair, “I do don’t I.”

“Well, It’s time to go,” Seto said nodding toward this brother. Mokuba nodded getting up pushing his chair back to its rightful desk. “And Amie.”

Dear God, he knew her name… did the world just stop spinning or was that her heart? Amie wasn’t sure if it was that annoying crush on his pretty blue eyes or the fact that he was basically her boss and had the power to ruin her animator dreams.

“Go home, the project will be there tomorrow.”

Ok, the world really had stopped, had she somehow entered some paralleled universe? Had THE Seto Kaiba just told one of his employees to STOP working? “Uhhhh, Yes sir.”

Mentally she kicked herself as she slowly rolled back to her desk feeling her cheeks heat up. Mokuba watching her as she quickly saved the project before closing down her computer. Shit girl, could you get any weirder?

-Monday 10:17pm-

Nothing had changed yet everything had changed.

Amie had quit last week. Jeff had blamed her on the whole project crumbling and when she stood there in front of a angry Seto she broke. She didn’t deserve this. She worked harder than anyone else at this fucking editing lab and had covered that dick weed’s back so many times and he just threw her to the flipping wolves.

I mean SURE Seto Kaiba’s rage was probably the most frighting thing Amie had EVER seen in her life but even facing his dragon size temper she wouldn’t have thrown a teammate under the bus like that.

She didn’t deserve this.

Which is what she told Seto.

He had stood there wide-eyed in pure shock. No one had EVER quit Kaiba corp before. With the best pay and benefits, there was a reason people put up with the companies CEO.

But not her.

She had been done.

Until the famous CEO showed up at her apartment door telling her that he needed more people like her on his team. People who cared about their craft and did this because they loved it not because of the money or prestige of it all.  

So goodbye Jeff and hello personal editing lab.

This didn’t mean she still didn’t have late night because… well, nights seemed to be her magic time.

A cup of coffee slid into her peripheral. Glancing over Amie almost had a heart attack seeing Seto standing over her desk.

“You just jumped almost a mile.”

“Well, you just scared the hell out of me.”

“Mokuba will literally rip your headphones out of your ear and you will not flinch.”

“But I’m expecting him…” Amie bit her lip trying to find the right words as she took the coffee taking a sip her dark brown eyes not leaving Setos, “What’s up?”

“Just checking in,” he said taking a chair and sitting down next to her.

Well fuck, there was NO way she could work with those blue eyes watching her. And at this close range, he smelled good too. Of course, he would smell good, he’s a rich CEO he probably bathed in Versace. She, on the other hand, probably smelled like coffee and insecurity.

They both sat in silence for a moment then Amie turned to him, “Do you want me to like explain where I am or something?”

“If you want.”

“Helpful”

“Pardon?”

Shit, did she just say that out loud? Whoooops. Maybe she could quit again?

“Uhhh I mean… well at the moment I am coming up with color pallets for each character. Like what shades we want for them so that regardless of who is animating the character they will always look the same.”

Seto nodded as he watched her click through the files copy and pasting the code into a document before going back to the Coral Dragon she had been working on adjusting the shades trying to brighten up his wings just a little bit more.

“I would add more undertones of red”

You can’t say no to the boss, so she pulled up the color wheel moving it, “Like that,”

“Just a bit more… yeah there.”

“Ohhh I like that. Guess you’re the boss for a reason.” Amie could feel his eyes on her but for the first time, she didn’t feel so tense like maybe they had just had a breakthrough. Bonded? Maybe just a little.

Mokuba found his brother and Amie a few hours later still in Amie’s new office going over characters. Seto pointing out changes and Amie suggesting ways to make it work. Both of them seemed to relax and just working in harmony that Mokuba didn’t want to bother them.

It was nice to see his brother actually enjoying himself.

-Friday 11:11pm-

“No stop touching!” Amie snapped swatting away Seto’s hand as he tried to direct her on the computer. It was already very late and everyone else had left for the day but Amie had stayed trying to fix the editing issues they kept running into. Her pink hair pulled up in a messy bun several pencils lost inside the mess. Must like her mood at the moment.

“You are doing it wrong”

“No, you are just messing me up being this close”

“I don’t see how me being close would mess you up, just do your job.”

“It’s the blue eyes.”

“What?”

“They need to be at least 5 feet away from me,” Amie said turning to look at her boss who was only a few inches from her looking over her shoulder trying to direct her work on the new dueling virtual game. This seemed to be happening a lot more. Seto popping in and not leaving. Normally Amie didn’t hate it but today… today something was just bothering her about how close the CEO was to her.

Seto turned slightly as if he finally realized how close he was to her. Something she had been feeling all night.

“Then again they are pretty nice this close up.” Amie snickered coffee brain kicking in. Words she was thinking seeming like a good idea said aloud.

“Are… you flirting with me right now?”

“Wait you haven't been?” Amie laughed deciding to call him out, “You had your arm on my shoulder for like 20 minutes telling me how to do my job while we worked on the graphic for the points counter.”

This caused Seto to pull away. Amie felt her stomach clunch. Shit, shit she had just made things super awkward. Deciding to just play it cool she turned back to her screen, pushed some loose strands of her hair away from her face.

She continued her work trying to ignore the mess of butterflies in her stomach until they all lept and died at the feeling of a hand on hers. She turned, confused about to ask what Seto was doing only to have him kiss her.

Soft and sweet. A little clumsy as if he really didn’t know what he was doing but he was confident in it. She found it funny how confident he was really. It was one of the things she liked about him. How confident he was. That and how dorky he was. Her confident dork.

Leaning forward she kissed him back trying to fight back the smile that was on her lips.

They were never going to get this project done in time.

Yep, Amie was a night person. How could she not be when all the best things happened?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~Who Wants to be tagged?~

[uglifish]

HALLOWEEN STORY!

Title: Body-Swap! -- A 6,000 word short, written by TEN people, (yes, 10 writers, 10 friends, 10 fandom authors) in the spirit of Halloween!

——————————  YLJE

“Lightning struck, and for a moment the room was lit, and he saw a woman in the room, and she whispered ‘yooouuuu kiiillleeeed meeee!’”

Thunder rumbled in the distance, and Yugi shivered. That wasn’t a true story, was it? It couldn’t be.

“And, it’s a true story,” Jounouchi said with a grin, still holding the flashlight under his chin to cast long shadows across his face.

“Oh, you’re so full of shit! No way that’s real.” Honda lightly punched Jou’s arm, and caught off guard, he dropped the flashlight, which clattered to the floor and went dead.

The room was dark and silent, the occasional roar of thunder the only sound.

“This reminds me of—” Ryou hesitated before he continued, “the...ring. The world in the ring.” The last part was a barely audible whimper.

“You don’t have to worry about that anymore, it’s safely locked away,” Yugi said with a gentle smile.

At the mention of the ring, Yami appeared by Yugi’s side. He hadn’t been interested in the so-called ghost story, but the Millennium Ring was a real danger.

What are you talking about, Aibou?

“A-ah, I just told Bakura-kun not to worry about the ring-spirit anymore.”

He should. There is power in the Millennium Items we cannot possibly comprehend.

Yami’s grave tone left Yugi feeling unsettled, and though the others had not heard the silent conversation, an uneasy tension hung over them all.

”Oh, I just remembered! I have some candy in my bag, anyone want some?”

Yugi didn’t wait for an answer as he hurried over to his backpack, desperate to lighten the mood.

‘I wonder…’ Yugi thought as he reached into his bag, ‘...how it was for Bakura-kun…’ his hand brushed against the leather cover of a book, ‘...in there…’

A blinding flash of light erupted in the room, and Yugi felt like he was being torn in half. His ears were ringing, he couldn’t see, and he blindly grabbed for the puzzle around his neck, trying to find some comfort.

What he found, however, was something soft and round.

He blinked a couple of times, his vision slowly returning, and looked down at himself.

Breasts.

Breasts?!

He heard Anzu yelp, and looked around frantically to find her.

“Anzu, are you okay?” A comforting hand on his shoulder. Yugi looked up to find Yami standing over him with a concerned expression. Yami, in his own body!

Yugi was about to speak, but his tongue didn’t obey.

“Don’t touch me, Pharaoh!” Anzu spat, and slapped Yami’s hand away.

Confused, Yami took a step back. Something was wrong. Something felt wrong. His mind was too quiet. “Anzu?”

“Stupid Pharaoh, I’m not that little friendship bitch.”

The grin on Anzu’s face made Yami’s blood run cold. He knew that maniacal grin.

“Bakura,” Yami growled. He took a threatening step forward, and was about to take another, when there was a knock at the door.

—————————— SEPPO

The knock was quiet, but it was enough to catch Yami’s attention.

Was that Kaiba? Yami wondered distractedly. No, probably Mokuba.

While Kaiba had been somehow convinced to let the gang use one of the many spare rooms in the mansion, he had turned up his nose at the mere idea of hanging out with those dorks, no matter how much Mokuba had pleaded.

Yami swore. Shit. At least Kaiba stood half a chance against the spirit through force of will alone. He wasn’t as sure about Mokuba.

The lapse in attention had been enough for Yami’s grip to slacken, and Bakura squirmed out of his grip and sprinted toward the door.  

Clearly unaccustomed to his newly-possessed body, he stumbled and staggered his way across the floor without even one ounce of Anzu’s grace, running into the door before Yami could even make a move to stop him.

“Give Anzu back!” Yami shouted. He chased after Bakura and began to close the distance between them.

“And ruin this chance? You wish! Have fun with this mess!”

Bakura pushed Yami away, giving himself enough time to open the door and sprint down the hall, making a quick escape.

Left in Bakura’s wake was a very confused Kaiba.

He held his hand up, still poised to knock on the door. His jaw was slack with surprise and his eyes were as wide as saucers. He looked at Yami, then over his shoulder at the direction that Bakura had left, then did a double-take.

Then Kaiba’s voice made a very un-Kaiba like sound.

“Waah? What happened? Who managed to scare Anzu?” He froze in horror, before fearfully raising a hand to his throat, patting down the column on his neck with unsteady fingers. “Heeeeeh?”

—————————— KAILYN

Yami stared at Kaiba in confusion, letting himself forget for a moment that Bakura had just stolen Anzu's body and run away with it.

He wasn't the only one having a hard time processing their situation.

Kaiba began touching his own body, running his fingers through his hair and patting down his torso. Shock crossed over his face and his jaw dropped again, which made Yami raise a brow in surprise. It was as if Kaiba had never ever taken a proper look at his perfect hands, his brown silky hair, his muscular chest…

Kaiba prodded at his face, his lips twitching a bit when he felt soft skin, a strong jaw. Then, his long fingers ghosted across his well-defined stomach. At the same time, he muttered curses between his teeth, curses like shit shit shit, what the fuck is happening—curses that were definitely weird and unusual in the mouth of the young billionaire…

“You and all your magical nonsense!” Jounouchi snarled behind Yami's back. “I should've never let Mokuba talk me into letting you guys borrow a room for your little Halloween party!"

Jounouchi shoved Yami aside roughly, almost pushing him into the wall, but Yami was still too dumbfounded to shout his indignation. He watched his friend make a dash for Kaiba, grabbing him by the collar of his shirt and violently jerking him forward, before releasing him and pushing him back with a look of utter disgust on his face.

"If anything happens to Mokuba, I swear..."

Yami did not listen to the end of Kaiba’s sentence.

Kaiba…was in Jounouchi’s body…which meant that Jounouchi was…

As comprehension slowly dawned on him, he turned around, looking at his bewildered friends, who were still sitting together in the middle of the room.

Ryou, eyes wide open, buried his hands in his mane of white hair as if he was about to have a mental breakdown.

Just in front of him sat Marik, who was busy inspecting at his own tanned hands. One would have thought the Egyptian had never taken a proper look at himself before.

"No, no, no! Tell me it's a nightmare!" he wailed, tears of disbelief filling his violet eyes.

"A nightmare?" Ryou asked indignantly, voice lilted with a soft British accent. "At least you have my body!"

——————————LAFEAE

“And how’s that meant to make this any better?” Marik retorted, his trembling voice softening. He brought his knees to his chest and wrapped his arms around them, curling in on himself protectively, as he surveyed the room.  

“Whether it’s your body or anyone else’s...the fact remains that none of us are where we should be...” he mumbled, trying to blink away the tears. The spoken realization, the same connection that Yami pieced together as the pair spoke, was drowned out by the argument that exploded between Jounouchi and Kaiba. “It ain’t like we were planning for this t’ happen,” Kaiba spat, planting his hands on his hips. Jounouchi’s lip curled. “I’m meant to believe that?” “It was a just party, Kaib’!” “And yet here I stand, staring at my own body,” said Jounouchi, swinging an arm toward Kaiba. “Which, by the way, mutt, almost makes you sound intelligent.” Kaiba jeered. “Heh. So ya jus’ like the sound of your own voice. What a fuckin’ surprise!”

As he spoke, his hands slowly slipped from the curve of his hips and traced inward, along the crease of his thighs. “I wonder...” he drawled, a wicked grin appearing. “...if your dick’s as big as your ego.” “Don’t you dare put your filthy hands—“ “Your hands,” Kaiba corrected, smirking.

Jounouchi seethed, reaching out to grasp at Kaiba’s collar, this time with less hesitation.

“Ooh, I’m so scared. What are ya gonna do? Punch yourself in the face? Go on,” he said, his hands pulling away from his groin to tap gently against his cheek, “I’ll take the pain for a sec. Ain’t like I’m the one wearing the bruise...” “That is enough!” Yami said, pulling away from the wall and orienting himself between both parties. “Marik...or Ryou is correct. We are not where we should be, and fighting will not solve it. We need to figure this out.” He pointed toward Kaiba and Jounouchi. “Calmly. Rationally.” The weight of the sudden shift in atmosphere, from jovial to terrified, became palpable once silence fell over everyone.

In the midst of it, uneven footsteps, fighting for momentum, clattered in the distance. “Yeah....” Honda’s frightened voice agreed. He sat on his knees, not far from the circle, eyes wide and hands balled tight at his chest. “My...my body ran off! We have to get it back, like, now I...” he shivered, looking down at himself before squeezing his eyes closed. “I don’t want to be like this forever....” —————————— SETOKAIBAES

“Hey, you don’t gotta worry. We’re gonna fix this, ‘kay?”

Joey’s comforting words sounded strange and unsettling from Kaiba’s mouth. He drew Honda into a friendly, one-armed embrace, reassuringly squeezing his wide shoulders, while Jounouchi watched with a sullen expression.

Yami ignored the touching scene, trying to tap into the mental connection he shared with Yugi.

Partner, if you can hear me, I need your help, he thought desperately, and closed his eyes to concentrate, tentatively searching for any indication that the mental link between himself and Yugi hadn’t been severed.

He was met with static silence.

Yami swallowed down his rising fear and exhaled slowly, mind racing with far too many thoughts, a flurry of potential solutions to a problem he didn’t even know how to approach.

“What are we going to do?” Marik asked quietly, violet eyes flashing with concern. He raised a hand to his shoulders, reaching for a strand of hair to twirl around his index finger out of nervous habit, before he appeared to remember that his blond hair was now eight inches shorter.

Marik frowned, crossing his arms tightly across his chest, and when he spoke again, his voice was distinctly annoyed. “Whatever it is, we have to act quickly. I don’t like this.”

“You’re telling me,” Ryou muttered, pushing his hair out of his face and twisting the long waves that spilled over his shoulders into a knot at the nape of his neck. “Haven’t you ever heard of a haircut? It’s so dead.”

“While you losers talk about personal grooming, I’ll actually do something about this,” Jounouchi growled, stomping forward two paces, before Yami stepped between him and the door, effectively barricading it. “Get out of the way.”

Yami didn’t budge. Jounouchi glared. “Are you just going to stand there like a feral little man? I said, get out of my way!”

“We have to stick together,” Yami insisted, raising a hand to Jounouchi’s chest, distinctly aware that he would never dare to touch Kaiba this way. He ignored the violent shudder beneath his palm and harmlessly let his hand fall away, fingers innocently brushing down the flat plane of Jounouchi’s firm stomach.

“Don’t be stupid,” Jounouchi snapped, grabbing his arm to push him to the side. His fingers wrapped around that lean bicep and squeezed. His intentions were threatening, but he automatically registered the sensation of the sinewy muscle hidden beneath his silky soft skin. “The mansion is enormous. We’ll get this thing over with quickly if we split up and search the rooms individually.”

He was still holding Yami’s wrist.

Recoiling, Jounouchi pushed him away. “Whatever. You geeks can do what you want. I’m getting my body back.”

“Kaiba! You can’t go out there alone!” Yami shouted, forcefully enough to make Jounouchi freeze mid-step. “I agree that we should split up, but not alone.”

He pointed at different people around the room. “Marik and Ryou, you two stick together. Téa, I’m sorry, but you should stay here in case Yugi somehow finds his way back here… Kaiba, you and I will go with Jounouchi.”

Kaiba immediately scrunched his face and raised his voice in protest. “But Yams, I don’t wanna go with him!”

“Do you think I want to be paired with you? Get a grip.”

“Hey, your attitude is not making this any easier, Kaiba!”

Yami stepped between them, stretching onto the tips of his toes, straining more than usual, to cup Kaiba’s face in his hands. It felt strange and different, but right, and he swiped his thumbs over the high apples of Kaiba’s cheekbones.

“It won’t be long now. Try to be patient.”

Kaiba sighed and nodded glumly, and Atem released him.

“Good. The three of us will work together.”

“We checked this room already.”

“You sure?”

“Yes, I’m sure. I think I’d recognize the rooms in my own damn house, Wheeler.”

Kaiba came to an abrupt stop and spun on his heel, violently jabbing a finger into Jounouchi’s chest.

“What’s your fuckin’ beef, Kaiba?”

“My beef?”

“You’re bein’ more of a dick than usual, so what’s the problem?”

Jounouchi glared at him. “Are you really that stupid? We have many problems and you’re asking me to pick one?”

Kaiba took a step forward, looming over Jounouchi by a solid few inches. It was satisfying to see the flash of surprise and fear in his own honey eyes, and to know that the real Seto Kaiba finally saw him as a real threat.

Or himself, at any rate.

“Stop complainin’ or I’ll give you something to complain about!”

“Is that a threat, Wheeler?”

“Nah, just consider it an invitation to square the fuck up, Kaiba!”

“Enough!” Yami barked, stalking between the two and forcibly pushing them apart from one another. “We’re never going to accomplish anything unless you two learn to behave!”

“If you want Wheeler to behave, you’ll have to sign the mutt up for training classes,” Jounouchi sneered, and not even Yami could stand between them when Kaiba lunged all six-feet-and-spare-inches of his gangly body at Jounouchi.

The endless corridors in the Kaiba mansion were fearsome in the dark. Ryou clung to Marik’s arm tightly, sinking his jagged fingernails into his own skin deep enough to leave white, sore crescents into the smooth brown flesh.  

Marik tried not to wince. He didn’t comment on Ryou’s shallow breathing and his wide, panicked eyes— an instinctive and near-primal reaction to the oppressive darkness that had tormented him nearly his entire life.

“Hey, Marik?”

“What?”

He ignored the sharp tone. “You didn’t have anything to do with this, did you?”

Ryou froze, and a strange, suspicious expression crossed over his face. “Did you?”

Marik stared at him quietly.

—————————— INUKISAMA

A distant scream made Ryou and Marik freeze in their tracks. They tried to guess where the screaming had come from, eyes flitting back and forth and looking all over the room.

Ryou gripped Marik’s arm tightly — his own arm, he thought distantly, and he would have laughed at the sheer ridiculousness of it all if he wasn’t so afraid.

“What was that?” Marik asked, feeling the lump of fear traveling up his throat. The scream had sounded feminine, and that meant…

“Anzu?”

Yami couldn’t think, just couldn’t focus with so many grunts, complaints and constant arguments which only ended up wearing out his patience. Couldn’t Kaiba and Jounouchi just shut up for once? He needed to think and find out what had caused this sudden change of bodies. He was also terribly worried about Yugi, who had to share Anzu’s body with Bakura.

This thought made him shudder — his friends were in danger, and nobody seemed to want to cooperate.

Yami rubbed his face in frustration and to calm down, but a distant scream made him freeze in his tracks. It sounded like Anzu — no, Yugi!

“What is it now?” Jounouchi’s voice  interrupted his thoughts in Kaiba’s typically impatient tone.

—————————— CRIMSONDREAMS

“Didn’t you hear that?”

“Hear what?” Kaiba asked, worried.

Of course they hadn’t heard it — they had been too busy arguing and arguing with each other.

“Anzu! She was screaming!”

“Anzu?” Kaiba blinked in confusion.

Yami raked his fingers through his hair desperately.

“Anzu, Yugi, whatever! He’s in danger! Let’s go!” he said impatiently and began to run without exactly knowing where to go. The shout had been faint, but there was no doubt that it was real.

“Yami!” Kaiba shouted, trying to stop him from running and make him go back. But Yami was too fast, so he was left with no option rather than following him from behind with those long legs he was unaccustomed to.

“Where do you think you’re going?!” Jounouchi growled, furious.

On one hand, he would be finally alone, without having to deal with that filthy mutt and his annoying owner. But on the other hand, he didn’t want any more trouble happening in his mansion, with an idiot using his body and running through the dark while chasing his rival. It made sense to follow them.

For some reason, Kaiba felt upset when seeing those two together, so close to one another.

Sometimes he thought that the further they were from him, the better. But it was in moments like these that he wanted Yami to stay away from that filthy dog, even though he couldn’t begin to explain why.

There was also fearful pressure weighing down on his chest and he felt suffocated by his own worries. One question continued to buzz inside his head—

Was Mokuba okay?

——————————AJ

At the time of Anzu’s escape, in another part of the mansion, Mokuba yawned as he switched off his video game console.

It was only when he caught a glimpse of the window that he realized just how late it was. The sun had been high in the sky when he had crept into his room to play his video game, and now the sky was dark, only lit by the moon and a few bright stars.

Mokuba yawned again and registered that his whole body ached from sitting in the same position for hours. He stood up and stretched, raising his arms above his head to try to relieve some of the stiffness in his muscles.

His stomach growled, and he realized that he was starving! Why hadn’t anyone called for supper?

Oh well, I’ll just go and raid the pantry.

It was only when Mokuba reached for the doorknob that he remembered Isono and Seto had made themselves scarce because Yugi and his friends were having a party in the mansion.

The party that I left, Mokuba thought to himself, remembering how out of place he had felt when the party had started. Why do I have to be so much younger than the rest?! It’s not fair. They all look at me as if I’m a baby...well, I’ll show them!

Rather than heading down to the kitchen, he decided to rejoin the party. After all, where there was a party, there was food! Plus, he figured, it might be more fun hanging out with Yugi and the others instead of sulking and playing on his game for another hour or two.

Mokuba reached for the doorknob, excitement bubbling up inside of him at the prospect of joining the Halloween festivities. As he opened the door, someone flew past him, ungracefully disappearing around the corner at the end of the corridor.

It took him a moment to recognize that it was Anzu.

What’s she running from? Mokuba wondered, concern rising.

“Anzu!” he cried and ran after her to find out.

Meanwhile, Anzu’s body (with Bakura at the helm) clumsily turned yet another corner. This mansion was like a maze!

“Finally!” Bakura exclaimed.

He finally found the grand staircase that led straight to the front door.

Oh no, Yugi thought as he looked on while Bakura led Anzu’s body down the stairs. Yugi felt powerless to stop him. Bakura’s presence was too strong for him to overpower.

They were near the front door now. Yugi felt the nausea curl in his stomach just picturing the destruction Bakura could cause if he managed to escape.

“I won’t let you leave!” Yugi shouted, fighting Bakura with all his strength to regain control of Anzu’s body.

Bakura could feel his own control slipping as Yugi’s presence gained strength in their shared body.

“This can’t be happening!” he growled. He was so close!

Snarling, Bakura attempted to squash Yugi’s presence completely, but to his dismay, he realized Yugi had more control than he first thought.

He was beginning to lose control of Anzu’s legs. Every step was slow and heavy, as if he was wading through thick mud that reached his knees.

He stopped only a few paces from freedom.

Bakura heard the dull thud of footsteps behind them, and he turned around to glare at the idiot who had foolishly followed them, expecting it to be the Pharaoh.

It wasn’t.

Glee rose within Bakura as he watched Mokuba slide to a stop in front of him and try to catch his breath.

He doesn’t know about the swap! Bakura realized. This will be easy.

“What’s going on?! Why are you running?!” Mokuba panted out, gasping for breath.

“Something happened, something I can’t explain. But I have to get out. Now!” Bakura replied, trying hard to imitate Anzu to quell any suspicion that Mokuba might have.

It worked.

“Let me help!”

Mokuba approached Anzu and reached out to put a comforting arm around her. Bakura took his chance. He grabbed the young boy’s arm and twisted it behind his back, forcing Mokuba to his knees.

Mokuba grunted in surprise and pain shot through his arm and knees. He was too shocked to make any other noise.

Yugi, however, started shouting and pleading with Bakura. Let him go! He’s just a child, please!

Bakura knew Yugi well enough to know that he would do anything to keep his friends from being hurt.

“Give up any control you have over this pathetic body, and then I shall consider it,” Bakura replied out loud, tightening his grip on a very confused Mokuba.

While Bakura and Yugi fought for control, Mokuba ignored Anzu’s strange behavior and tried to make out the noise coming from the second story. He didn’t understand what was going on, but when he noticed that Anzu was distracted, he twisted his head around and bit Anzu’s forearm.

Hard.

She screamed and let go.

Taking his chance to escape, Mokuba clambered to his feet and raced up the stairs. He had to find Seto! Full of adrenaline, Mokuba ran, not watching where he was going. As he turned a corner, he slammed directly into something, sending him flying backwards.

Before he could crash onto the ground, strong hands flew out to grip him. He looked up to see light brown hair, falling in front of clear, blue eyes that were full of surprise, and concern.

“Seto!” Mokuba exclaimed, relief flooding him as he threw his arms around his big brother.

——————————FICTIONAL SADIST

Jonouchi received the younger Kaiba swiftly and hugged him back instinctively, his brotherly reflexes kicking in faster than his brains. A low growl behind him, however, reminded him what was going on.

A heavy hand landed on his shoulder, gripping it so forcefully that he heard his shoulder give way with a quiet crack! from the pressure.

Katsuya noticed his own body, now inhabited by the pompous prick, was strong, and right now, facing Kaiba’s murderous gaze, he also realized that size did not count for everything.

“Just what do you think you’re do-” Seto began irritably, just as Yami zoomed past them, blowing off the end of his sentence. This made the elder Kaiba pause a fraction, though he soon recovered.

“Anyway, paws off, mutt, now,” the elder Kaiba demanded. Jonouchi scoffed, blue eyes flashing challengingly, and did not deign to answer.

If looks could kill, there would be a pair of dismembered, bloody bodies on the floor right now. Silence built up a tension so thick that even the ruckus downstairs could not pierce through.

Meanwhile, the Pharaoh went straight toward the mess that Anzu had become, jumping down a flight of stairs and tackling her at full speed. He hit her with the force of a bulldozer and sent them both rolling on the magnificent tiled floors. His knees protested when they hit the hard, cold surface, and he winced inwardly when he saw his opponent felt the same kind of pain.

“Sorry, Anzu,” he apologized quickly, thinking of the bruises he would have to explain later.

It was as if a wild beast had taken over his friend. Anzu’s usually friendly face had contorted into a strained sneer, while her eyes burned with rage and deadly threats.

Yugi was there as well, somewhere, and fighting for dear life, but at the moment Yami could only see the thief glaring at him.

The next moment, a strangled cry escaped the girl’s lips and she thrashed frantically to throw him off.

In what he thought to be Seto’s arms, Mokuba let out a shaky breath and looked up.

“Big brother, what’s happening?”

Said brother glanced back at him, hesitating, his gaze both soft and clouded with something akin to panic, and alarms blared in the boy’s head.

In the corner of his vision, he noticed Jonouchi was stiff as a board, his mouth a tight line and his left eye twitching in barely contained anger. The blond was quite open with his emotions and his short temper often showed, though something was definitely wrong here. His normally fiery pupils held an icy, merciless glint. Never had Jounouchi shown such an attitude, glaring as if Seto was an obstacle he could disintegrate with his gaze alone.

It appeared that Anzu was not the only one acting out of character. Had the entire manor gone mad?

“Some help, maybe?” Yami shouted, effectively drawing everyone’s attention back to the urgent matters at hand. The trio forgot their feud temporarily and hurried down.

The Pharaoh was desperately trying to control Anzu. She was clawing at his arms and kicking as if the devil was possessing her, which, in a way, he was. Even in this body foreign to him, Bakura was fighting with impressive strength.

Noticing his friends coming to him, Yami groaned in relief. Really, they had taken their merry time. That had been a perfectly chosen time for Kaiba and Jonouchi to tear into one another while he was busy struggling for their friend’s soul. Not.

If he did not already have his hands full, he would have gladly smacked both morons - his blond airhead of a friend and the other, er, friend, rich ass, something-more-maybe? - into next week. He was tired of them and their stupidity.

But as things stood, he was busy wrestling against one hell of a harpy-like demon that was trying to kick his balls off and punch his teeth in. He had never considered that he and Anzu would clarify their unexpressed feelings this way.

While Yami was distracted, Bakura managed to flip their positions.

Jounouchi pushed a confused Mokuba to where his brother was trying to glare holes in his own body and leapt on top of the struggling pair.

The impact smashed Yami’s face into Anzu’s. Their lips connected briefly before Yami found himself hauled back. He was about to shout at whoever was holding him when he found himself looking down into his own eyes.

“Oh crap…” Yami gasped in Anzu’s voice as saw his and Yugi’s body staring right back at him.

“Yami?! Is that you?” Yugi squeaked.

The rest of occupants of the room froze when Bakura’s dark chuckle echoed around them.

Bakura lifted the puzzle and pressed it to his lips.

“Thank you for this lovely gift pharaoh,” he purred, before turning and making a dash for the door. He grabbed the door handle but when he pulled, nothing happened.

Mokuba showed Seto an app on his cellphone. “I don’t leave my room without it. It can trigger the security system my brother programed which locks the doors.”

Jounouchi put Anzu down and charged at Bakura, slamming him into the firmly locked doors. Yugi and Yami both winced as they heard their skull crack against the door, then watch their body slide to the floor.

“Good job, little brother,” Kaiba whispered fondly and ruffled Mokuba’s hair.

Mokuba blinked. “Is somebody gonna tell me what is going on? Why was Anzu going psycho? Why did Yugi tackle her? Why did he go psycho?”

“More importantly, how did Yami and Bakura switch bodies?” Kaiba asked.

“Wait-what? Somebody please explain to me what the hell is happening?!” Mokuba demanded.

“Unexplained magical shenanigans and now everyone is in different bodies. You know, the usual.” Yugi explained with a roll of his eyes. “I’m Yugi. That was Bakura...who was in Anzu’s body with me...but now he’s in mine and Yami is with me...but  how did that happen?”

“I’m not sure, Aibou,” Yami muttered. “It happened when Jounouchi got involved in the struggle my head hit Anzu’s.”

He felt their face heating up.  “...What?”

“You...um...may have accidentally kissed her— us…” Yugi admitted.

Jounouchi began laughing, muttering something about how of course that was what Yugi noticed.

Kaiba rolled his eyes, then cringed. “Well...as much as I don’t want to test this, it might be worth the taste of wet dog.”

Mokuba watched Seto, (or Jounouchi, or whatever) march over to Jounouchi and grab him by the front of his shirt to pull him forward and to plant their lips firmly together.

The room went quiet.

Jounouchi turned three shades of green before shoving Kaiba back. Both men wiped their mouths before checking that they were in the proper place.

Kaiba immediately ducked a puch from Jounouchi before turning and  heading over to Yami and Yugi, while Jounouchi fell on his face.

Seto pulled Yami and Yugi to their feet, only to pull their bodies flush.

“To get rid of the taste,” he told them before sealing their lips together.

That was the only reason, he thought privately. Not because he was jealous that Yami had kissed Anzu.

Yami felt Yugi’s soul faint in embarrassment before he opened his eyes, now staring down at Anzu’s face, which mirrored Yugi’s confusion.

“What the hell?” Yami asked. He could feel Seto’s soul there with him. “How in the name of the gods did you do that, Kaiba?” Yami asked incredulously with Kaiba’s voice, only to feel their shoulders shrug in response.

——————————UGLI

Yami tentatively wiggled his fingers.

His fingers moved, but the most unnerving thing was the image of Kaiba’s fingers moving at his side in response.

He could feel Kaiba’s anxiety rising the longer they shared his body.

It was very similar to the way Yugi’s soul felt when he was struggling during a particularly hard duel, so Yami let himself to take comfort in this before speaking again, trying not to let his surprise show, because he was speaking with Kaiba’s voice.

“Yugi?” he asked carefully, directing his question toward Yugi’s body, but he saw Anzu nod stiffly in the corner of his eye, and he turned to face her instead. “Are you alright, Aibou?”

Yugi nodded again and shivered, hugging himself tightly, feeling another cold draft passing by, causing goosebumps to rise along his arms.

He spied an odd movement across the room in the semi-darkness, and he found himself staring at Honda, but he was entirely transparent, and his legs had faded into the dark wall behind him. Shocked, Yugi pointed frantically at Honda and stammered nervously, “You’re a ghost! What happened to you?!”

He turned to stare at the solid version of Honda standing behind him, who had his arms wrapped protectively in front of his chest. Anzu frowned sourly at Yugi and shrugged the muscular shoulders of Honda’s body, hating how stiff everything felt. She had had enough and wanted to be back into her own body. The longer Yugi spent occupying her body, the more embarrassing it would be for them later on.

“Dude! Yugi, I’ve been trying to get someone to look at me for the past hour!” Honda cried, whipping his head around to stare at all the strange expressions on everyone’s faces. “Am I...dead?”

“Are you dead?” Yugi echoed uncertainly, and the Honda behind him spoke up, sounding very much like Anzu. “Yugi…? W-Who are you talking to?”

“Me!” Honda exclaimed loudly, dancing comically on the spot, making faces in Jounouchi’s direction but receiving no reaction from his friend. “And I haven’t moved from this spot, funnily enough. It seems like I can’t!”

Yugi frowned, feeling all eyes in the room on him, and he fixed his gaze on his backpack, lying neglected on the floor against the wall, right behind Mokuba...right where Honda’s body was sticking strangely out of the wall.

He moved instinctively toward it and bent down to rifle through it, remembering he had brought a fun book he had found in Grandpa’s stash of artifacts, but had completely forgotten to mention it.

He was certain that this had to be the cause of the odd body switching that had been going on in the past hour.

Mokuba watched Yugi pull out a thick, dusty book and fanned the pages open carefully. He crossed his arms, eyeing the door, losing interest quickly. This party had started out exciting, but now it was beginning to suck.

“I hate reading. I’m leaving,” Mokuba announced brattily, marching toward the door.

“Wait! We might need your help since you’re the only one who is unaffected!” Yugi cried shrilly in Anzu’s voice, and Mokuba nearly choked as he found himself caught around the collar by his older brother.

“Mokuba…” Kaiba started, opening and closing his mouth oddly, feeling Yami’s presence hovering obtrusively on the tip of his tongue, clearly also trying to speak, but he had spoken first, so…this meant he was in control...for now….

“Lemme go!” Mokuba squirmed against his brother’s one-armed hug, and Yugi held the book up triumphantly, looking relieved. “This is how we fix it!

“What in the— is that…the Millennium Tome?” Bakura asked quietly, and Yugi nodded anxiously, staring at his own body across the room, wondering if he always looked that small from afar.

“The what?” Mokuba asked obnoxiously, roughly re-adjusting his shirt and composing himself proudly. “Another Millennium item?”

“Great! I’ve become Yami!” Honda added unhelpfully, and Yugi began to protest, but before he could speak, a crescendo of loud footsteps came echoing up from the hallway.

Marik and Ryou burst into the room, breathless with excitement and glee.

“Look what we found!” Ryou sang playfully, swinging the millennium Ring in front of his face steadily for everyone to see. “Say, Kaiba, why is this h—”

Ryou paused mid-sentence as the ring began to pulse with a strange glow, brightening and fading every few seconds like a rapidly beating heart, while the book and the puzzle also began to blink and pulse in sync with the ring, until the entire room was filled with the odd flickering lights emitting from all three Millennium Items.

“Now are we dead?” Honda yelled anxiously, and no one but Yugi heard him as a familiar blinding light flooded the room, causing everyone’s eyes to sting and their bodies to sweat.

A strange, hollow tone rang in everyone’s ears before it all grew quiet, and they found themselves staring at each other, safely back in their own bodies and standing right where they had been before, but with one key difference: a second Yugi.

A Yugi with wilder hair and narrow violet eyes was standing apprehensively beside another Yugi, with a round, friendly face.

“Aibou, it worked,” Yami said warmly, completely unaware that the entire room was gaping at them shocked into silence. “You’re back in your own body!”

Kaiba blinked rapidly, thoroughly amazed, and fighting a series of conflicting emotions.

True indeed.

Everyone was back in their own bodies...but somehow, the Other Yugi had managed to obtain a body too!

This man, who looked exactly like Yugi, standing beside Yugi, walking and talking like Yugi, was real, right? This was him, right?

This was...the Other Yugi!

                        —————————— END —————————— 

AUTHOR’S NOTE:

A 10 person fic omg!!!!!!!!! happy spoopy season!!! YLJE | AO3 | -- n/a                      SEPPO | AO3 | TUMBLR  @techno-scorcerer        KAILYN MEI | AO3 | TUMBLR  @kailynmei LAFEAE | AO3 |TUMBLR @lafeae SETOKAIBAES | AO3 | TUMBLR @setokaibaes XXXCRIMSONDREAMSXXX  | TUMBLR @xxxcrimsondreamsxxx AJ | TUMBLR @itsajb1ch INUKISAMA | AO3 FICTIONALSADIST | AO3 | TUMBLR @fictionalsadist UGLI | AO3 | TUMBLR 

[bluejaytaco]

Superhero AU(12)

I comepletely forgot to post this here... Better late than never, I guess.

Remember, you can find this AU here on AO3 or check out the Superhero AU tag!

Sugoroku remembered the first day he met Yugi.

It was two years after Anubis was dropped off and put in his care. Seeing the subject out of his mask was a shock all on its own. The boy was so small and innocent looking. He had the type of lost eyes that would melt even the most stubborn of hearts.

It was too bad for his 'attack to kill' quirk. It really put a damper on the whole thing.

Anubis was slowly introduced to animals first. He took to them well. Sugoroku took that as a good sign; the boy wouldn't try to kill something so small and innocent. He had to remember; baby steps.

The plan fell apart when it came to introducing him to people and children. While a lot of kids went by unscathed, anyone who was even close to resembling a bully was on the chopping block. Kids in the park learned to stay away and left Anubis to play alone.

Sugoroku started checking Anubis for anything that could be a weapon. Even something as basic as a virtual pet came into question. Later, it became imperative that he make sure his nails were kept short and blunt. Anything could be dangerous was stripped from the boy. There was a firm rule of never using his powers in public or around other children; a rule that was broken only once. Sugoroku had to be especially harsh on that; he couldn't help but feel guilty when Anubis actually began to cry.

And for a while, that was good. He thought Anubis was learning. Sugoroku began feeling comfortable enough to take him out on errands to try and get him acclimated to the real world.

But then, Anubis encountered his first true target.

Sugoroku had turned his back for just a moment. He only moved to pay for some ingredients for dinner. He turned back to see no Anubis in sight.

Panic didn't set in right away. He thought, hoped, maybe the boy got distracted by some kind of sweets or saw some children and thought it was time to play. Sugoroku realized later it was an older man who had another idea of 'play.'

The moment he found Anubis, the man was bleeding profusely, babbling nonsense, and crying at the blank look on the child's face. A broken taser laid on the ground near the boy's feet. He could only imagine what the man had planned for his victim.

Sugoroku carefully walked up to the little boy. In response, Anubis turned and looked at him. His eyes widened.

And immediately filled with tears. “G-Gampa.” It was the very first time Anubis spoke.

Sugoroku was reminded of the labs. Back when Horus and Anubis were forced to interact for the second time and Horus sobbed in fear. Just like back then, he scooped the boy into his arms.

“Shhh, it's okay. You're safe.”

He thought for a while, Anubis had found a new game to play. A fun game where he pretended to be someone else. Someone soft and more like the other children. Sugoroku began calling the identity 'Yugi' in homage to that.

But Yugi never went away. He wondered now if Yugi would ever come back.

His eyes fell to Atem as the wind from a helicopter tossed his hair around. His eyes stayed on Anubis -Yugi- in disbelief as men in black suits jumped off the helicopter and grabbed Ryo and Bakura.

Atem didn't let them take the last unconscious form. He lifted the other and marched back to the helicopter.

“I can't let you take him,” Sugoroku shouted over the sound of the blades.

“No need to worry.” Atem looked up at Sugoroku. “You're both coming with me.” His eye glowed as he glared at the old man. The eye contact broke when Atem continued his stride to the helicopter, right behind the man in the suit carrying the Anubis mask.

Sugoroku felt a tremor in his gut as he followed behind Atem. There was no avoiding this anymore.

-

It wasn't often he allowed himself to sleep. And when he did, it was extremely rare for him to remember his dreams. Occasionally they would be so warped, he wouldn't even know where to begin to explain it.

Other times it was a nightmare of memories with pieces thrown in that hadn't been there before.

He was eight when he was first brought into the lab. Their new father told his brother it was only a few tests. Nothing to worry about. It wasn't that he was lying but he wasn't exactly telling the truth either.

“It will only take a few injections. If an infantile immune system can take it without worry, I'm sure you'll be fine.”

“How many infants died because of this?”

Mr. Kaiba didn't acknowledge the question. He just allowed his assistants to take his adopted son into one of the lab's rooms. The one with a tank where a boy about his age was floating in a little ball.

He stared at the boy and, in this dream, the boy stared back.

“Seto, look this way.”

He turned to look at the assistant. It was the woman who started this mess. He felt himself begin to wake up.

Kaiba felt as though his chest were on fire. Sharp pains shot through his whole body. His eyelids were heavy.

Still, he opened them slowly and stared up at the ceiling of his own bedroom. His last memory involved the taste of blood and falling to his death. Who or what saved him?

“Thought you'd rather be here than at a hospital. A few less questions to answer.”

He looked to his right. Jounouchi was sitting in a chair right next to his bed.

“You see, I only have one question: the fuck is going on?”

Kaiba looked back at the ceiling. He wondered how long he could just lay in silence. But he knew better than most just how tenacious Jou could be. And, despite what might be the hardest thing he could ever admit, the blond deserved an explanation.

“I never wanted you to get dragged into these problems.”

Jou watched him and tried to cover his surprise for how quickly the answer came.

“Becoming a Kaiba wasn't everything I imagined... And a lot of people were hurt in the name of some asinine science project. I was the last person to get those powers.”

“...Who was the first?”

Kaiba glanced at Jounouchi.

The blond just stared for a moment before he spoke again. “Atem's not really your cousin, is he?”

“Mokuba had me free him from the labs. That in itself... was a fight. He wasn't the same person you see now. We had to make sacrifices.”

“The night... we broke up.”

“That light you saw was him. He was still mostly instinct at that point and had somehow managed to get out of the labs. I imagine he was only trying to protect his food source. Like a stray cat.”

“...I remember blood on my hand.”

“You were probably still mostly asleep. You reacted by punching him and broke his nose. The reason I reacted like I did was I wanted to stop him before he could retaliate.”

“So... your response to all of this was to break up with me?”

His eyes slipped closed. “It was the only way to guarantee the safety of both of you. I didn't know him well yet. For all I knew, he would attempt to kill you for the broken nose. Keyword being 'attempt.'”

Jou snorted.

“It turns out that was one memory that didn't stick as hard as I thought. Atem's memory is of the situation, not the people involved. Even if he did remember, I doubt he would harbor any ill will.”

The room filled with a deafening silence.

“Guess an apology would be meaningless.”

“For him? Yes. The bleeding had already stopped by the time I got to him. But-”

“I ain't apologizing to y-”

“I'm sorry.”

Jounouchi stopped short.

“I didn't want it to end the way it did. I thought it would be for the best to have you as far away from here as possible. You... didn't need this.”

Jounouchi stared at Kaiba for a moment. A smile twitched onto his lips and let a soft chuckle slip out. “Seto Kaiba; the all-caring altruist.”

Kaiba's lips turned up into a smile all his own as his eyes slipped closed. “Shut up.”

“Love you too.”

-

“I don't know for certain which one he'll be when he wakes up. I've only had to use the collar one time before today. He missed a week of school because of it.”

Mokuba glanced at Sugoroku before he looked back at Yugi. The collar had been removed to make sure there were no burns on his neck. While he was covered in his own share of scrapes, there was nothing caused by the collar itself.

He looked down at the mask in his hands. “After all this time of searching, Anubis was right under our noses.” In the most unassuming form. How would Seto react?

Mokuba glanced at Atem. He'd been completely silent from the moment he carried Yugi onto the helicopter. He didn't acknowledge anyone passed a short nod or head shake. His eyes stayed on Yugi. Mokuba couldn't tell what was going through Atem's mind; there was too much to decipher in his face.

He turned back to Sugoroku. “Last time, when he missed that week, did he wake up as Yugi?”

Sugoroku nodded. “It was as if nothing happened. It was almost concerning how easy he shrugged off the loss of time. Anyone else in his position would be panic-stricken.”

“You kept this a secret from him.”

Both turned and looked at Atem. He still hadn't broken his eyes away from Yugi.

“All this time, he could have become this killer. He could have been hurt with no recollection of ever doing anything deserving.”

Sugoroku frowned. “I did what I could to protect him.”

Atem glared at him. “You failed!”

Mokuba stared at his 'cousin.' He wanted to say something to calm the rage bubbling inside. Just by looking at him, he could tell it hurt. His eyes were tearing up again. “Atem...”

“Master Kaiba? Anzu Mazaki and Honda Hiroto are at the front gate.”

Mokuba turned to the woman. “Oh. Thank you.” This was a surprise. He didn't call them. And he knew Seto was currently incapable of that. Jounouchi may have, but he would have no reason to if he didn't know Yugi was here.

Mokuba gave Atem another glance. He didn't look back and just kept his stare down with Sugoroku as the boy trotted out of the room.

Sugoroku continued to stare at Atem. The small child they left behind in those labs could have easily become bitter and angry at the world. Instead, he did what he could with his abilities. He was honorable.

“Sugoroku, this lie has gone on long enough. If you don't tell him, I will.”

Sugoroku didn't get a chance to reply. Atem was out the door right before Anzu and Honda burst in. Surely, they would demand answers.

He didn't know what he would tell them.

-

He couldn't tell the moment he took his last breath. Everything was very hazy for a second as he tried his best to claw his way out of the abyss. He remembered not being able to breathe and pain in just about every part of his body. He remembered Ryo's scream. He remembered rain.

Then... nothing.

He still tried his hardest to wake up. He could see his body in the bed as Kaiba's best doctors tried to bring him back. He could see Ryo's tight grip on his hand. He could hear the other begging him to wake up. To make this all some kind of morbid joke. To roll his eyes at how worried he was.

Bakura couldn't do anything. He couldn't feel the touches. He reached out for Ryo.

And was immediately consumed by the darkness he knew all too well. He could feel a mask on his face and a presence behind him.

“Welcome, Kuk.”

If he didn't turn around, it wouldn't be real. If he just stared at the spot where he'd seen Ryo last, he would wake up and be in the worst pain of his life.

'Life' being the keyword. At least he would be alive. Not here with the ghosts who are chained to this fucked up limbo.

“Kuk... You can't stand there forever.” Hathor spoke to him in that sweet, calm tone. He hated how clear she sounded.

“Watch me,” he snarled and continued to stare. He could open it before, maybe he could open it again.

“We can trust that Ra and Horus can take this from here.” Thoth's voice was near his shoulder.

Still, Bakura didn't look. “We can barely trust Horus to do anything. He's the idiot who fucked Anubis without even knowing it was him!” His fists clenched at his sides. “I'm the only one who can properly protect Ryo from that psycho.”

Thoth hissed and prepared for what would definitely be a harshly worded comment. But then Osiris spoke from his post.

“We can't force him to let go so easily. Leave Kuk be for now, you two.”

They did so.

And Bakura just stared at the shadowy abyss and wondered how Bast was able to connect herself to Jounouchi. Maybe it wouldn't hurt to try.

But how was Bast so easily able to leave the others behind? Was it even that easy?

Bakura took a step.

“Kuk, it would be best to stay here and wait for Ra to connect with us again.”

Hathor nodded. “With you here, there's no doubt he'll be back.”

Bakura growled. “You idiots. The only reason he was able to contact you in the first place was because I could get here. Not all of our abilities were created equal.”

“We all know.” Thoth crossed his arms. “And you decided to run off to face the one who benefitted the most from the project.”

Bakura finally turned to face him. “Don't be talking shit, Bird Boy. You and I could be stuck here together for a very long time. And I tend to hold grudges.”

A thick silence flooded the room. It locked on and refused to let go. Hathor looked between the two before she turned to Osiris.

Osiris just glanced back at her and subtly shook his head. The two would have to work this out themselves. At least according to Osiris.

Hathor didn't agree. “Kuk.”

“Stop calling me that!” His glare snapped to Hathor.

She tensed but didn't back down. “You should go. Bast was able to do it and she didn't get to live the life you did. So you must have a better handle on how this works on the physical world, right?”

Thoth turned to look at her in surprise. “He could get hurt.”

“I'm dead, Thoth. How much more 'hurt' could I get?” Bakura ripped the mask from his face and tossed it to the ground.

“You'd be surprised.”

Everyone turned and looked at Osiris. The man in the green mask wasn't looking at any of them, he just stared down at the nonexistent floor, mind far away from everything. He slowly began to turn to the other three. “Besides, we're not only worried about your pain in this situation.”

Thoth nodded at Osiris and turned back to Bakura. “Ra will no doubt suffer in this. Not to mention the reaction sure to befall Anubis when he finally wakes and becomes aware of his abilities.”

“It's not only that.” Osiris piped up once again, “I feel as though there is something more. Something worse than Anubis brews just beneath the surface.”

“I'm callin' bullshit on that.” What could be worse than the arsenic-laced lollipop that was Yugi Mutou?

Both Hathor and Thoth ignored Bakura as the woman tilted her head. “What else could possibly be out there?”

Osiris shook his head. “I'm unsure. Let's hope I'm as wrong as Kuk thinks.”

-

It wasn't often she was able to get Isis out of the house. She mostly had to convince the other woman there was an errand she had to run that would require an extra set of hands. She knew the reason was the people who watched her. While the abilities were kept under control, everyone still had a vague memory of the years back when the Ishtars were something to be feared. When they put the oldest to death for terrorizing a large portion of Egypt.

Malik and Isis never forgave themselves for that. And that regret just ran into another.

“You know, I think we should travel more,” Mai said as she watched a man eye Isis and whisper a prayer under his breath. “Maybe take a trip to America. Or Europe.”

Isis eyed Mai. “Just say it.”

“...Or maybe Japan.”

Isis sighed.

“I know you said you'd think about it but it's more than just, you know. It's getting away from all of this,” she gestured vaguely to the streets, “if only for a few weeks.”

“As beautiful as that sounds, I have a moral debt to pay here.”

Mai's eyes hardened and she opened her mouth to speak only to be interrupted by her phone. She pulled it from her pocket and watched as the screen twitched and glitched before showing her a Japanese phone number she didn't know.

She didn't need to know it. The glitch from before was enough of a caller ID. “So, you were able to crack my little code. Clever boy.”

Isis snapped her head around. Mai was holding the phone away from her ear and between the two of them.

There was an intake of breath from the other end. “So, it is a phone number.” The deep voice was almost hard to hear with the noises around the two women.

Still, Isis knew who was speaking. Her throat closed up as a lump formed that she couldn't swallow.

Mai smiled. “Indeed, it is. How are you, sweetie?”

“I would like to know why you left me your number in such an odd fashion.”

“Well, I didn't want Kaiba to find it and try to call me.”

“... How did you know I live with him?”

“I know so much about you. Horus.” Her eyes darted to Isis. She knew the boy on the other end would take her bait.

The woman stared intently at the phone and covered her mouth. Her eyes were welling up.

The line was silent. It was possible the one on the other end was stunned. Then, “My name is Atem.”

Isis sucked in a sharp breath.

Mai fought the urge to try and comfort her partner. “Sorry. Atem.”

Atem shifted slightly. “If you knew both names surely you know...” He trailed off as if he were debating on what to call Isis.

Mai chuckled. “Yeah, you could say I know her.”

“Is she there now?”

The blonde looked at Isis as the woman shook her head and clasped her hands in front of her mouth.

But the option to answer was soon taken away as Atem snorted. “I should assume so, considering you have me on speaker.”

Isis shut her eyes. The boy was more clever than she thought.

“Either way, I'd like her to know that... there's little more I want more in my life than to meet her. I feel that we're coming to a time where none of us should be separated like this. It's... it's becoming too much.” His voice sounded thick with emotion.

Mai frowned. “Atem, is everything okay?”

There was a shift again and long, shaky breath before he spoke. “I... k-zztch.. vvrckkk!” The phone let out a high pitch shriek before a garbled voice picked up.

“Horus is no longer your concern.” The line went dead.

Mai and Isis both stared at the phone with wide eyes. A stunned silence fell between the two.

Then, Isis's eyes narrowed. “I think it's time we take a vacation.”

-

Atem couldn't be sure what happened. One minute he was ready to spill everything to the woman he just met, then next his signal became corrupt and his eye picked up on something else.

It was like a projection meant for only him. A boy possibly ten years younger than him stared a little too close and smiled slightly too wide. He looked like Kaiba, with eyes decades older and hair a strange shade of blue-green.

Atem tried to back away, but the projection followed.

“Ah, so you are still alive. Pretty healthy looking too.”

“Who...? What..?”

The projection smiled even wider. “This must be all very confusing for you. I'd say 'sorry' but that'd be a lie. I'm not the least bit sorry!” He shrugged and pulled back just a little. “It's a shame I couldn't find a way into your head. Gaining powers at the source and all that. Plus, I was hoping for something a little... older than this. But, we're falling on desperate times now. We must purge everything.”

Atem blinked and shifted back again.

“I could just let Anubis take care of it but I don't know. We can't really trust a mad dog, can we? Either way; one down, four to go!” The projection blinked out and left Atem on the roof wondering what he just witnessed.

-

Yugi woke up with a start.

He wasn't sure what happened. He remembered Anubis in his room. The jackal had been gentle and pretty non-threatening as far as crazed killers go. He remembered feeling tired. And now he was in a large bed that just screamed 'Seto Kaiba Guest Room.' But that couldn't be right. His grandfather was there.

He sat right next to Anzu and Honda. All three of them looked worried. He pulled himself up and rubbed at his pounding head. “Hey, guys. What happened?”

“You... don't remember anything?” Honda frowned. “You've been gone for a week.”

Yugi blinked. “A week?!”

Anzu nodded and threw her arms around the other. “We were so worried about you!”

Yugi returned the affection with a frown. What did Anubis do to him? How was it possible so much time had gone by? Was truly he unconscious for that long?

Sugoroku cleared his throat. “Anzu... Honda... could you give us a moment? I would like to talk to Yugi alone.”

Anzu reluctantly pulled back and gave the old man a nod.

Sensing her reluctance to let him out of her sight, Yugi smiled. “It's okay. I'm not going anywhere again. I promise.”

Sugoroku clenched his jaw at that as he silently walked the two to the door. Once it was shut, Yugi's smile fell and he gripped the blanket tightly. “I guess I was a target of Anubis. Does it have something to do with being too close to Atem?”

Sugoroku turned and frowned. “You really don't remember anything?”

Yugi looked up and shook his head.

Sugoroku moved slowly and silently. He returned to his seat next to the bed and eyed his grandson. “Yugi, I wasn't... completely honest with you. I thought keeping this secret would allow you to live the rest of your life happy and without worry but... but I was just fooling us both.”

Yugi frowned. “... Grandpa?”

“Maybe there's a reason you're so attracted to Horus and why he's so infatuated with you. Because you two are cut from the same cloth.”

Yugi stared at his grandfather. His stomach dropped and his blood ran cold at what he was implying. He didn't need it said aloud. He didn't want that hanging in the air. “...What have I been doing this past week?” He barely managed to speak above a whisper.

Sugoroku took a deep breath. “I can only say what you've done in the past few days.”

The details of the situation made Yugi tremble. He didn't want to believe he was capable of something so dark. Yet... he could feel the rain and smell the blood. He couldn't see it; some part of him wouldn't let him see it.

He...

He killed someone.

The truth of it hit him hard. His grandfather wouldn't say the words but he knew in his heart of hearts it was true. Someone was dead because of him. Someone with powers like his own. He held them in his hand and...

“Where's Atem?”

Sugoroku stopped speaking, hardly realizing Yugi hadn't been listening. “Yugi-”

Words continued to fall on deaf ears as Yugi launched himself from the bed. He threw open the door, heart thundering in his ears as he ran down the hall. He could barely hear himself shouting for Atem, much less his friends chasing after him and calling out to him.

Yugi remembered the door to Atem's room. He didn't knock; his fears largely outweighing any manners hammered into his head at a young age. His eyes landed on the other as Atem climbed back in through his window. There were bandages on his arms and around his neck. But the other just blinked in surprise. “Yugi...?”

Yugi's eyes teared up as he strode across the room and wrapped his arms tightly around Atem. “You're alive.”

Atem tensed at the contact before he remembered himself and slowly hugged Yugi back. “So are you.” He glanced up as everyone crowded in his doorway. It would seem Yugi's cries alerted both Kaibas and Jounouchi to the room as well.

Atem kept his arms tight around Yugi as he looked at Kaiba. While the taller man could walk, he was still covered in bandages, moreso than himself.

Judging by Yugi's reaction, he knew he had something to do with the injuries. Atem couldn't be sure how to let him know about Bakura.

It wouldn't matter. As soon as Ryo appeared in the doorway, realization struck and all the color faded from Yugi's skin. He'd done the headcount and noticed the absent member. He noticed how worn and distraught Ryo looked.

He felt sick. He could hear his own heartbeat and the distant sounds of sirens in his memories. He felt shadows with glowing eyes engulf him. He would drown in them. And he deserved to do so.

Bakura... Bakura had smiled at him just before dying. He whispered something his brain could not process. The smile had faded when the light left his eyes. They were glassy and bloodshot when he fell still.

How could he do that? Bakura. He didn't deserve that. No one deserved that!

“Yugi...” Atem's gentle voice tried to pull him back to reality. Fingertips brushed against Yugi's shoulder as he stumbled away from the group and to the bathroom attached to Atem's room. There, his body began trying to reject the contents of his nearly empty stomach.

The group outside just stood by with a mix of concern and confusion.

Ryo and Atem looked at each other. A second later, Ryo walked into the bathroom. “Yugi?”

He shook and sat back on his legs as he stared into nothing. His arms wrapped around himself. “I... I... I...”

Ryo bit his lip. This whole situation left him with mixed feelings. He should harbor nothing but hatred for his friend right now. The moment he saw Bakura collapse, all he wanted to do was avenge him. But...

Sugoroku filled them all in on what happened and why Anubis stayed inactive. The appearance of the mask was most likely what set him off. Yugi couldn't stop it any more than any of them. Hell, he didn't know Anubis existed up until a few days ago.

And now he sat on the floor, staring off as his mind tried to process everything. Kind, gentle Yugi Mutou had blood on his hands. The blood of a friend.

Yugi sucked in a shaky breath and became to sob. “Ry-Ryo... Bakura... I-I'm so sor-sorry. I couldn't... I..”

Ryo moved in closer. He gently put a hand on his friend's shoulder. “Come on. We have a lot to talk about.”

Yugi nodded but continued to look off into the distance as he was guided out of the bathroom and back to where everyone waited.

[awnyaa-blogs]

A Violet Christmas (2)

25 days of Kaiba and Jonouchi being festive. [Puppyshipping/Violetshipping]

Fanfiction

A03

December 2nd, 2018.

Prompt: Pretend boyfriend/girlfriend for family Christmas party

How the hell did Jonouchi talk me into this?

Kaiba frowned, watching as all of Jonouchi’s friends laughed and smiled as Honda told some story about his interaction with an aggressive chihuahua.

I should not be here.

He took a drink from his wine glass, savouring the taste of the wine that he specifically gifted to Yugi, knowing the younger man would be too polite and offer Seto the first glass. . . and the second. . . and the third.

“Damn blond and his friends.”

“What was that, Kaiba?” Anzu asked, appearing from behind him.

He didn’t answer, just glared and drank from his glass again.

“Why are you just standing there, Kaiba?” Honda asked, pausing in his extravagant storytelling to face the tall brunet, “Come sit down, Jou looks lonely.”

Kaiba refocused his glare on the male, his eyes shifting to the blond beside him.

A deal is a deal I guess.

And so he moved, taking a seat on the floor bedside his ‘boyfriend’.

-

By the time Kaiba had made it half way through the bottle, he had somehow been dragged into a conversation with Mai Kujaku.

“So, tell me, if you and Jou have been ‘together’ for so long, why are we only meeting you now?” she hummed, her own glass swaying in her hand.

“I work a lot.” He answered simply.

“Umhmm, I know, you’re the CEO of the game company. But still, Jou’s always with us, how come you haven’t made any time to meet us. If you’re so busy, how do you have time for Jou.”

“I’m my own boss,” he answered, “I make time for him.”

“How roman-tic.” She sneered, hiccupping in the middle of her statement.

Kaiba rolled his eyes.

He then felt a warm arm wrap around his shoulder.

“Hey Mai, leave ‘im alone, he’s a busy guy, ya know?”

Ah, my knight in shining armour. Kaiba subconsciously mocked.

“I’m just saying,” the female responded, “a good boyfriend should make time to meet his partner’s friends.”

She stood up then, moving on to Anzu and Yugi.

“I’m sorry about her, she’s a nosey one.” Jonouchi smiled, taking the seat Mai had left empty.

“It’s expected.” Kaiba responded.

“Thanks for this,” the blond started, taking a drink from the can of soda he held in his hands. “I just couldn’t stand being around all of these guys and having them bombard me with questions about my non-existent love life.”

“You got my brother out of a very dangerous situation, I promised you I would make it up to you. I just wasn’t expecting you to ask this.”

“Hah, yeah, I know it’s weird! I just panicked, and I was really stuck!”

Kaiba nodded, he may be uncomfortable, but he always paid his dues.

Jonouchi continued talking, switching from conversations about his friends to his little sister in Tokyo.

The way he spoke about his sister reminded Kaiba of how he himself sounded when he spoke about Mokuba.

At least we have one thing in common. He thought.

As the night continued on, Kaiba found himself becoming more relaxed, eventually responding back to the blond and engaging with the conversation.

Kaiba’s phone buzzed and as he swiped to read the message, he realised that it was already past 1am.

“I have to go.” He said standing and brushing himself off.

He thought he saw a flash of disappointment in the brown eyes of his companion.

“Oh, ok, let me walk you out.”

Kaiba quickly said his goodbyes to the blonde’s friends as he made his way towards the door.

“Listen, thanks again for this. I know you’re busy and stuff and this probably wasn’t how you wanted to spend the evening.” Jonouchi apologised, sheepishly scratching the back of his head.

Kaiba gave him a smirk and replied, “It wasn’t so bad. Your friends are weird, but not too bad.”

“Really?” The blond questioned, hope shimmering in his eyes.

“So maybe we can meet again?” Jonouchi asked, hopeful eyes looking up into cobalt blue ones.

“I guess I’ll free up some time then.” He responded, winking before walking off in the directing of the black care waiting at the edge of the street.

-

Prompt list by Verobird on tumblr!

Next: You made me a Christmas playlist but it’s just Mariah Carey’s “All I want for Christmas is you”. I can’t tell if you’re hitting on me or if it’s a joke