#WeLl WhAtS iN tHe BrIeFcAsE kAiBa???

[universestreasures]

Truths Of The Kingdom (Drabble) (For @shachou )

"Here's you go, Mokuba." Yugi smiles as he presents the neatly presented box of Capsule Monsters Chess capsules, filled with a selection the younger Kaiba hand-picked himself from what availability was in the store. "Those creatures you picked out are great choices."

"Thanks a lot, Yugi." Mokuba says, taking the box and placing it neatly inside his own golden suitcase that resembled his big brother's own silver one. "Your gramps had some super rare ones even I couldn't pull from the capsule machine! He's sure lucky when it comes to collectibles."

"Yeah, he does. Gramps has some of the most amazing pieces of gaming memorabilia I've ever seen! And each one he takes care of well and cherishes with all his heart, just like I know you will do the same with those capsules."

"Don't worry. I'll take good care of them. They're going right into my capsule display case in my room at home."

However, with how many Mokuba was getting as of late, perhaps he might need to get an additional one. He had been increasing his collection steadily, wanting to get his hands on just about every capsule in existence. It wasn't just for mere bragging rights, but rather as…research for a project he wanted to develop, a secret project not even his big bro knew about.

He then closed up his suitcase upon securing the merchandise inside before picking it up to prepare to take his leave. Mokuba had to be back at the mansion for dinner with his brother, considering it was one of the nights he had the evening off. Meals with his brother were one of the times they were guaranteed to spend time with each other during the day. So, he did well to make sure he didn't dare miss one.

The sight of something on a shelf, something Mokuba can't recall having seen on display before before, stops his exit, the young fourteen year old turning around and pointing to the object of interest.

"You still…have that dueling glove, Yugi?"

"Oh, this?" He says as he moves to take the object down from the shelf, putting the unique article of clothing on one of his hands. "Yeah I still have it. Atem and I had a lot of important battles while wearing this glove. Every experience I had are all still memories I cherish. So, I thought I'd finally put it on display as a memento of my time on that island."

"Hmph. Well, glad you at least got something good out of that whole thing…" The younger boy's voice is laced with obvious disdain. His time on that island is one he couldn't call enjoyable in the slightest. The only good part of it was reuniting with his brother, and even then, that could have happened anywhere.

Yugi, seeming to notice the sudden change in mood, shifts his expression to a somber smile. His eyes look down at the glove then as he appears to be contemplating something. "What you're saying may be true Mokuba, but Duelist Kingdom had as many good memories for me as bad ones. There were times back then I doubted myself, doubted whether I could save my grandpa and both you and your brother."

"…What...did you just say about my brother…?"

"Kaiba never…never told you…?"

"Told me what? What has my brother not told me?!" His hands have long since abandoned his briefcase, instead having placed them on the counter as he closed the distance between them again. "What do you know, Yugi?! Tell me!"

"I-I don't…I-I don't know if I-"

"I don't like being kept in the dark about things, and if you know something Seto hasn't told me, then you should tell me! I…I never thought about it till just now, but I never…asked him why he was on Pegasus' island to begin with. I guess I was so happy to see him again that I just didn't even think to ask. I-If that's what you know Yugi, then please tell me! I deserve to know what happened to him!"

A period of silence fell over the shop as Mokuba continued to stare at Yugi, his body language emphasizing the desperation of his words. He just had to know this information, and considering it had been held up until this point, he is doubtful Seto would tell him if he asked. There was no other option than to seek it from Yugi, for he could think of no one else who would know all the details and relay them to him accurately other than him.

A sigh from the duelist's mouth breaks the silence, Yugi looking back at the Kaiba then. "…I understand. You…You don't deserve to be kept in the dark. Let's…Let's talk in the back. You'll want to take a seat for this."

Mokuba nods as he follows Yugi to the back of the shop, picking up his belongings to take with him. He texts Isano, who was patiently waiting outside for him to finish, that he will be a bit longer than anticipated. He then takes a seat next to Yugi on a couch out back, giving the other his full attention as he begins to tell the story.

"I guess...it's best to start at the beginning." Yugi says as his eyes close, recounting the events in his mind. "The same night that you were taken back to the castle by one of Pegasus' men, your brother arrived in that helicopter we all went home in. I gave him his deck back, and not long after, Jonouchi challenged him to a duel."

"My bother dueled Jonouchi?! But he was such a wimp! Why would my brother waste his time?" Mokuba then pauses for a moment, realizing how what he said might have come off. "N-No offense to him or anything! He just wasn't remotely in my big bro's league back then, and that's the reason I'm confused as to why my brother would even accept his challenge to begin with."

"Your brother wanted to test out his new duel disk prototype because he planned to use it in a duel against Pegasus."

"Against Pegasus? So you're saying my brother came to Duelist Kingdom to duel Pegasus?" Mokuba's question is met by a nod from the other, the teen moving a hand under his chin as he takes a few moments to think. "I guess that makes sense. That creep was trying to take over our company! If my brother crushed him in a duel, then his entire plan would have fallen apart! Just like my bro to take action."

"Y-Yes, but...that wasn't his main reason for wanting to come to the island to duel Pegasus."

"I-It wasn't? Then what was, Yugi?"

"Not what Mokuba, but rather...who."

As soon as Yugi looked over to stare directly at Mokuba, the truth hit the young teen like a truck. You would think that such a sentiment would be obvious, but...it was one he did not even think to consider due to how his brother had treated him prior to Atem's penalty game. And that failure of realization stung...like a bug bite that just kept burning and burning with no signs of letting up.

"...Me? He came to Pegasus' island...to save...m-me?" His breath was shaky as tears threatened to spill from his eyes. The sight prompted Yugi to place his hands gently on his shoulders in order to provide some comfort.

"Of course he did. Mokuba...your big brother loves you. You’re everything to him. I know that probably there were times when it didn’t seem that way, but I know deep down in his heart…he never stopped loving you.”

It was those words that caused the dam to break; for water to finally flow from Mokuba’s purple hues. Any words he wanted to say in response were drowned out by his tears. What was spoken was a truth he wanted to be true deep down in his heart, but for many years he didn’t feel it. For who Seto had become due to their experiences under their stepfather was unrecognizable to Mokuba, and he believed he truly had lost his brother’s love for many years until their reunion on Duelist Kingdom island.

But Yugi wasn’t one to lie. In fact, he was the most honest person he could think of. It’s why he pleaded with him to share this tale in the first place. So, if he believed that sentiment, then it must be true, even if believing it was still hard to swallow considering his brother’s past actions. For he would never forget all the horrible memories he tried to suppress, the ones that would haunt him as nightmares in the dead of night.

“If he did…” Yugi continued after allowing the younger a few moments to let his emotions out. His hands slowly released from the other’s shoulder and his gaze shifted downward. “He wouldn’t have…risked his chip in our duel.”

“His chip…?” Mokuba’s blood ran cold as he remembered something his brother told him once, one of the many 'life lessons' he had been told as a kid. His face turns pale as he looked at the other with a desperate and horrified expression. “You don’t mean his…”

No vocal response is given as the air in the room suddenly feels much 'heavier' than before. Nothing but silence filled the room as the duelist deliberately seemed to avoid Mokuba's gaze. This atmosphere...it could only mean that...what he suspected was true.

That his elder brother...risked his very life to save Mokuba's own...The most selfless act that one could consider...Seto had always been selfless in his protection of his younger brother, but this...? This was...on a whole other level.

It's at that moment that Mokuba can hear a small sniffle reach his ears, but not one that had come from himself. For it was Yugi that had created it, his own purple hues now also being filled with tears. He could not understand why though, despite knowing his brother's rival was a rather empathetic person. So, he decided to ask.

"Yugi...? Why are you...why are you crying too?"

"I was...so scared that he was going to die if I went through with our final attack..." He doesn't elaborate on the details of 'how' Kaiba would have died, for saying it out loud would be much too painful for him. "I had to...stop Atem, who was only trying to help me so we could save my grandpa from Pegasus, from winning the duel..."

"You...You let my brother beat you? Even though...Pegasus had your gramps?" That certainly would explain why his brother said his duel with Atem wasn't over yet shortly before they departed the island. However, Yugi's words still left an important aspect of this unexplained, leaving the teen confused. "My brother...He did...horrible things to you and your friends. Why show him mercy at all? You know...if things were reversed, he probably wouldn't have-"

"Because...I didn't want him to die, Mokuba." Yugi's words cut off the youngest Kaiba's, his words dying in his throat under the weight of the other's sorrow. "I couldn't have let him die...I couldn't let anyone die because of me, especially...not someone I consider and cherish as friend."

Yugi then moves to moves to stand up in order to access a lavender tissue box on the nearby counter. He takes it and brings it over to Mokuba, offering him some. They both took this moment to dry their eyes before continuing on.

"I regret having to fight him at all if I'm being honest with you. I didn't know why he was dueling me at that point, but I should have known it was for an important reason. He had a fire in his eyes like nothing I'd ever seen from him before, a fire that reminded me of Atem's." Yugi then clasps his hands together as if trying to stabilize himself and control his emotions. "We were both just...trying to save our family members from Pegasus. We should have...We should have been fighting him together as comrades, not battling one another as enemies...Maybe if we did...he wouldn't have had to duel Pegasus all on his own."

"So my brother did end up fighting Pegasus after all, then? And since you said earlier you had to save my brother, I guess...I guess I know how that turned out..."

It's no wonder his brother didn't want to discuss it. When it came to losses, his brother didn't handle them well. He never has, even when they were kids before Gozaboru taught him his 'final lesson'. Hearing that he did lose, though, did bring another question to his mind.

"But...how could he have lost? He had the upper hand because of his duel disk, right? That jerk Pegasus must have cheated or something!" Little did he know that last sentiment was technically correct, but that wasn't the key detail that Yugi was going to focus on.

"He...He didn't use it in that duel."

"Why not?! My brother never changes his plans! Unless he...had no choice..."

Mokuba pauses his thought there, trying his best to recall back to what he can remember. One moment, he was in Pegasus' dungeon, then he saw a golden flash of light, and then the next he knew, he was waking up in a bed surrounded by Yugi's friends. That means there was a huge gap of time he wasn't around for, and if his brother was there to save him, then...

"Where was I during all this, Yugi? Because...I don't really remember how I got into that bedroom in the castle..." In response to his asking for more information, Yugi looks to the side again, avoiding his gaze. That signaled to him that whatever happened had to be heavy, but considering what he's already heard in this talk, he imagines it can't get much worse.

"Come on, Yugi. You've already told me this much! I want to know everything, no matter how painful it is to hear! And I promise I won't ask you to talk about this again! So, please...!" The pleading nature of his tone does little to convey his desperation. He was already this far into this, he wasn't about to turn back now. Seeming to realize that, a sigh escapes the duelist's lips before continuing on.

"Pegasus...did the same thing to you as he did to my grandpa. He...trapped your soul in another place...a soul prison, using his Millenium Eye."

Hearing the name of that item caused something inside of the boy's mind to click into place, like a puzzle piece. He remembers a quick sight of a weird eye behind Pegasus' white hair just before everything went black. That must be what Yugi was mentioning. It just had to be.

"With your soul in another place, your body was...under Pegasus' control. He...He used that to his advantage to stop your brother from using his duel disk, for Pegasus wanted you...to be the one to operate it for him. And your brother...refused to fight you, Mokuba. So...they dueled on a table instead."

He sits there, eyes darting to his locket as he processes yet another bombshell of information. His brother was always...hesitant to play games with him when he started to get older. Mokuba could never quite figure out the reason why. Games were something they used to enjoy when they were younger, after all. Though, games were not just 'fun' for his brother anymore, sadly. They were seen as battles, a clashing of souls, and looking at it from that point of view, made everything become clear to him. How could he not have seen this before?!

"Seto..." His brother's name is all he can say, his eyes fixated on the locket that he opened so that his brother's picture was staring back at him. Mokuba then listened intently to Yugi recount the rest of the tale, his hands seeming to grip the picture and hold back more tears with each passing detail. Pegasus using his brother's precious Blue-Eyes against him...His brother's own trapping in a soul prison...How Honda got him out of the dungeon... All of it he became aware of, and he...he could barely handle it.

Following the conclusion of the story, Mokuba bowed his head and expressed his gratitude to Yugi, promising he owes him one for this. Yugi, being the kind of person he was, said to not worry about it and instead said he hoped he gave him what he was looking for. Upon hearing that, the vice president decides to take his leave, making sure to pick up his briefcase and telling the duelist he'll see him again when his gramps gets new capsules in stock.

No words are exchanged as he got into the car with Isano, the teen simply deciding to remain silent as they headed back to the mansion. Upon arrival, still nothing came out of his mouth. His head is kept down down as he headed to his room. He then opens the door then, placing everything to the side before plopping onto his bed face first and pressing a button to close the blackout curtains around it to block everything else out.

Mochi, as always, is there at his side, curling up right underneath his left hand that Mokuba naturally start to use to stroke her soft fur. He uses his other hand to text one of the maids, telling them that he wasn't going to eat dinner with his brother tonight. The reason he gave, that he didn't have much of an appetetie, was both a truth and a lie. It was a lie in the sense that he certainly was hungry, but it was a truth because he couldn't focus on eating when he had much more on his mind.

His heart was a mix of emotions he couldn't quite label. Frustration. Sorrow. Agony. All of those were certainly part of it, but what he felt more than anything was a pain in his chest, akin to a stab through his heart. He hid his face in his pillow as time went by, crying into it heavily as a million thoughts ran through his mind.

Some things he thought were about himself. How could he let himself not question this for so long?! How could he have been so blind to his brother's feelings again?! How could he not see what was right in front him?! What was said through actions and not words?!

Other things he thought were about his brother. How could his brother keep this a secret from him when he expressed he wanted things to be open and honest between them? If he kept this a secret, what else has he not been told? And did his brother still see him as that scared, pathetic kid who clung to him desperately to survive back at the orphanage when Mokuba was a full-blown teenager now?

The thoughts and tears continued to consume him as time passed, the younger Kaiba losing track of it altogether. He ignored the growling of his stomach. He ignored the crustyness of his eyelids. He ignored all signs to stop and take care of himself, signs he always made sure to scold Seto for ignoring, to instead drown in a storm of his own emotions, one that seemed to have no end in sight.

TO BE CONTINUED.

[mystical-flute]

Uncharted Waters 51: Wave Goodbye, But Don't You Cry, Our Memories Remain [FINAL CHAPTER]

AO3 || Ko-Fi

Well. We're finally here. This is the final chapter of Uncharted Waters. I can't believe it's been over a year since I started this crazy journey. To everyone that's read it, thank you so much. I still have ideas for this universe as a whole, so this isn't goodbye forever... it's a "see you later".

Please enjoy!

Convincing two planets of people that yes, the thing in the sky was supposed to be there, and yes, there was another world out there with people just like them, was taking a lot of time, especially among the average citizens.

The Internet, of course, had blown up with the revelation of the other world. Many conspiracy theorists were claiming victory over aliens being real, and for now, the I.D.R.A was content to let them believe it as Kenji and the other commanders dealt with Earth’s world leaders.

Which was why, for the first few months, diplomatic trips had been key in establishing relationships between Earth and Eturn.

The first of which had been set up between KaibaCorp and the new Marines, now with Kuzan as the Fleet Admiral. Seto had also asked the Young Five to attend, to show them what their mentors had known all along, and what the company was currently trying to correct.

Mokuba and Noah had insisted on coming with them, and as they were now fifteen years old, Seto had a much harder time trying to stop them.

“You’re sure we can trust Kuzan?” Seto had asked her as he finished putting his files into his briefcase. “I won’t have him convincing me to create tools of war again.”

“Kuzan was Sengoku’s pick to be Fleet Admiral a few years ago. He was also a member of SWORD under Garp. We can trust him, I promise,” she said, reaching for his tie and straightening it. “Roland said everyone is waiting downstairs.”

A reporting team from The Domino Daily, whom Seto had apparently known for years and actually trusted (a rare feat for a reporter, really) would be coming with them, taking photos and video of Eturn, of the meeting.

Seto let out a grunt and ran a hand through his hair as they stepped off the elevator, Mokuba and Noah at their heels. Flashbulbs popped in her eyes and reporters shouted questions in their direction, but all were ignored until Seto stood at the podium in front of the portal, temporarily moved to the lobby of Kaiba Corp until the meeting was over.

“I’ll make this quick. My associates and I will be meeting with the Fleet Admiral of Eturn. He is the man that is in charge of capturing criminals and bringing them to justice. I intend to continue the deal made in the past, where Kaiba Corp creates games for their world, and they leave us in peace,” Seto explained. “Kosaku and Eiko will take enough video and photographs for you, I’m sure. Fuguta. Start it up.”

And Fuguta did, the blue portal cracking to life in front of the stunned press, flashbulbs and shouting beginning anew.

Reika took a slow breath and straightened her shoulders, glancing back at the nervous Young Five members behind her.

“Don’t worry. I’ve met Kuzan before. It’s going to be okay.”

“Wait, you wh - ”

She left them no time to answer as she stepped through the portal.

“Oh, Miss Muto, so they sent you with the Kaibas, huh?” Kuzan asked with a small smile. “Welcome back.”

“Seto brought only his most trusted advisors. That includes me, Kuzan. It’s good to see you again.”

Kuzan raised a brow. “Trusted advisor?”

“Indeed. Mr. Kaiba and I have known each other since we were children. I’ve known his other advisors longer than that,” she said, glancing over as Hideo jumped through, wide-eyed and walking like he’d just landed on the moon.

“Young man, if you need gravity, I can have Admiral Fujitora adjust it for you,” Kuzan said with a curious frown.

Hideo looked up in surprise. “Oh - no, it’s fine! Um, thank you. I’m Hideo Ogawa. You must be the Fleet Admiral Reika told us about. It’s uh, nice to meet you.”

She had never seen Hideo so tongue-tied before, and was going to relish it as long as she could.

The former Holy Land of Mary Geoise was transformed into neutral territory, the safe haven between Earth and Eturn. Eturnian and Earthling agents worked together to restore the history of the two lands, and it was where all diplomatic meetings between the two worlds were held.

Much of it that hadn’t been occupied by the Celestial Dragons, had been transformed thanks to Morley’s Devil Fruit powers, making travel between the Four Blues easier, and it also allowed Laboon to be able to follow the Sunny around as the crew sailed along, exploring islands they hadn’t yet seen.

It also created the All Blue, which had been Sanji’s dream to find. Thinking about how far the crew had come made her emotional - many of their dreams had been fulfilled. She’d found her parents, Luffy was the Pirate King, Brook had met Laboon again, Robin had found the true history, Sanji found the All Blue, Carrot saw the dawn of the new world, Vivi had been able to go home…

What was to happen now? Surely the Straw Hats hadn’t completely reached the end of their journey, right?

“Reika! It’s so good to see you again!”

She glanced over, broken from her worried thoughts, and grinned over at Koby. “Rear Admiral Koby. It’s good to see you too.”

Koby, as ever, was full of boyish charm as he bounced over to her, and pulled her in for a tight hug, then paused and pulled back. “Huh… what’s wrong with your arms?”

Ah, her batons. She’d almost forgotten she’d been wearing them.

“I’m fine, Koby, I just have a bit of… protection with me,” she said, carefully placing a finger to her lips and letting her sleeve drop just enough so he could see the batons attached to her arms. “Just in case. Nothing you need to concern yourself with.”

“Wait, you’re -”

Smoker, Tashigi, and Helmeppo caught her eye, as they moved into the room and took a seat at the long table. “Happy to be here? Of course I am. Come on, let’s take a seat. The meeting is about to start.”

Smoker had been promoted to Admiral, taking Kizaru’s empty slot. Any Marine that was still loyal to the former government had been immediately stripped of their ranks, and sentenced to what was, essentially, house arrest. It wasn’t fair to jail them simply because of their ignorance, so re-education had been a top priority, and so, they lived in Mary Geoise, learning about Earth and Eturn’s true history together, and why the former government was as wrong as they were.

Two reporting teams sat on either side of the room - Earth one one side, Eturn on another. The table, again, was divided by the Earthlings and the Eturnians, with Kuzan sitting at the head.

“Good morning, one and all. I am Fleet Admiral Kuzan. As you’ve all been made aware, there is another world, known as Earth. The World Government had known about Earth for some time, and worked with Kaiba Corp to create a variety of things used and sold here. Most recently, they created the stuffed animals and games being sold at the Sabaody Archipelago, and other Marine strongholds.”

He paused to let the words settle in the minds of the people before he continued his speech.

“Given that the worlds are now open to each other again, I thought it would be a good idea to show you the man who has already given so much to our world.”

Seto, as always, was stoic as he gazed at the cameras ahead of him, as if daring someone to try and stop him. “We are willing to work with the Marines to get more games and educational materials about Earth to the general public of Eturn. It’s time that both worlds put the past behind them, and bury it where it belongs.” He glanced over at Mokuba and Noah, and the cameras followed his gaze. “For those of you who have seen the games and plushes available, they were designed by my brothers, under my instruction, during a deal made with Vice Admiral Garp.”

Surprised murmurs broke out among the Marines, which were quickly hushed by a look from Kuzan.

“So, uh, Mr. Kaiba, when exactly did you find out about Eturn?” Smoker asked with a frown.

“About three years ago now. When my stepfather tragically passed away.” Reika was certain no one missed the sarcasm in the word ‘tragically’. “Some of the agents from Earth found a Den-Den Mushi among the wreckage of one of his laboratories, and brought it to me. Vice Admiral Garp was the liaison.”

That seemed to ease the minds of those in the room, including the reporting team, and Reika had a sneaking suspicion that everyone watching would be calmed by the revelation as well. Eturninans seemed to be reliant on Garp for comfort.

A little overly reliant, at times.

“Mr. Kaiba, is your company responsible for the KC weapons often found on the black market?” Tashigi questioned.

Seto went stone-faced, and Reika knew that if he had conqueror's haki, everyone in the room would have been knocked out immediately. “Those were created by the Kaiba Corp under my stepfather’s control. That Kaiba Corp is dead, just as he is. Any weapons with that logo on them I ask to be destroyed immediately if the Marines come across them.”

“We’ll do everything we can to find them,” Kuzan promised. “We’re in agreement that it’s time to progress both of our worlds. And I’m glad we have such a well-known group fighting on our side.”

Seto raised a brow. “I quite agree, Fleet Admiral.”

Helmeppo cleared his throat and glanced at Seto. “Did - did you guys bring any examples of the games? The older ones were really cool, and I was wondering if you designed new ones.”

Mokuba and Noah jumped out of their chairs, reaching behind them and grabbing the large bag they’d packed with them.

“Do we ever! We’ve been pouring over the information Mrs. Muto gave us after she and her husband returned from Eturn, and we’ve come up with some trading cards and new stuffed characters based off the legends and myths of your world!” Noah explained as Mokuba pulled them out one by one and handed them over to the Marines. “We’ve also included some of our own mythological creatures, as a way of trying to educate.”

Once the Marines had started their restructuring, her parents had retired from service and returned to Japan full time. Miaka worked at the I.D.R.A as a mediator between the two worlds, and Genji had taken a job at Kaiba Corp as an engineer. Takeshi and Rei had stayed behind in Eturn, moving into the home her parents once occupied, with the older model portal tied to Kaiba Corp’s basement.

“My father was the one that created the mechanics for the game in your hand, Tashigi,” Reika said with a smile, watching as Tashigi spun a part of the game, a dial slowly landing on a frame called ‘island whale’.

“And if you need help marketing them, just let me know! I’m really good at charming people to buy products!” Hideo said with a charming grin at the cameras.

“We’re all willing to help you,” Sora clarified. “It’s part of our goals as Young Five members.”

“We’re also gonna talk to Maximillion Pegasus about getting Duel Monsters set up here. It’s the most popular card game on Earth, and Seto is one of its best players!” Mokuba said, practically bouncing on his toes. “Having both worlds combined is awesome!”

The air in the room was lighter from that point on, and eventually, the Marines took them on a tour of Castle Panagea’s grounds, the larger group breaking into smaller ones.

Reika was not surprised when Tashigi offered to take her on a private tour.

“How does it feel to be back here?” Tashigi questioned casually.

Reika couldn’t help but smile. “Figured it out, huh? Did you talk to my parents after Punk Hazard?”

“I didn’t have to. Your whole barista story matched flawlessly.”

“Good, then I did what I meant to,” she said, sticking her hands in her pockets and looking out at the water. “I’m glad this place can be used for something better. But it’s weird, it’s like I can still feel Imu’s presence. That voice in my head…” a hand rose to her temple, and she repressed a shudder.

“Yeah, I get what you mean,” Tashigi agreed. “But what I don’t get is why you just didn’t tell Smoker and I about your parents. We would have led you to them right away!”

She sighed. “I know, Tashigi, but the problem is, Monster Summoner Sakura wasn’t looking for Genji and Miaka Muto. She was looking for a couple named Mako and Kasumi. You couldn’t have helped me with that. And I couldn’t tell you the truth, even if I wanted to. It’s like I said years ago… you’re a good Marine, Tashigi. It wouldn’t have been safe for you to know at that time.”

“Do the people in your world know?”

“No. They know my parents were working for the Marines, and they know I’ve been here, but they don’t know about Sakura. Only a select few people do,” she trailed off, glancing at the Kaiba brothers. “I have a pristine reputation on Earth. I’d like to keep it that way.”

“It’s hard to imagine you as someone with a pristine reputation. I’m just picturing you sitting quietly while important men do all the talking.”

Reika laughed. “Until I was sixteen, that’s pretty much all I did with the Young Five. Smile and be polite, pretend you’re not a puppet being used by men who want to conceal how much dark shit the company has done by parading a group of next generation teenagers around. It’s not that hard to slip that mask back on.”

Tashigi frowned. “It must be hard to juggle so many roles.”

Reika chuckled and glanced back out at the water. “Who knows what the future might bring? I might be able to retire from one of them…”

“Reika! We’re leaving!” Noah suddenly called.

She glanced at Noah and gave a nod of understanding before turning to Tashigi. “Before I go, I want you to have this.” She reached into her pocket and pulled out a card. “It’s my personal number. Any time you want to come to Japan, let me know. I’ll give you the full tour.” She moved to walk away, but paused and looked at Tashigi again. “Oh, and… thank you. For being my friend.”

With that, the Earthlings took their leave back to Domino.

-----

Reika Muto could not believe Seto Kaiba actually agreed to host this party.

Granted, on paper, it made sense. He was the only one with a house big enough - and private enough - to host such a huge event, and the only one with a staff willing to look the other way at the more… criminal guest list.

Still, this was Seto Kaiba, the man known around the world for having a sense of humor drier than any desert, a man who preferred the comforts he’d been adopted into rather than the chaos that came with the Straw Hats.

“I love you.”

A grunt.

She took his hand. “Hey, I mean it. I love you and I know I’m never going to be able to repay you for agreeing to host this for me.”

Seto sighed and pulled her close. “Just make sure they know that nothing is to be stolen or broken. This place must be spotless come Monday.”

“It will be, I promise.”

She hoped.

But she hadn’t just invited the crew. No, Yugi and his friends were currently downstairs. Rebecca and Arthur had been invited, and had flown in the night before. Her parents, grandfather, Takeshi, Rei, and Kaiya were all outside, enjoying the crisp lat summer air that had settled over the region.

Fuguta would be arriving shortly, with Aiko, Ace, Sabo, Marco, and Yamato. Genji had already arrived with Vivi, Miho, Hiro, Rayleigh, Shakky, Mai, and Valon.

And, to her great surprise, Seto had extended an invitation to Pegasus. He was outside as well, chatting eagerly with her family.

It would be a grand party, a pirate’s celebration of everything they’d accomplished over the years, both legal and illegal. Most of all, though, it was a celebration of friendship.

The clock chimed, breaking her from her thoughts. “Four o’clock. I’ll go get them now. Meet you outside?”

Seto grunted an affirmative, and so, she quickly disappeared to the Sunny, which had been safely docked at Laugh Tale, still as difficult to reach as it had been before they’d found it, so no one would be able to catch them there.

Robin and Jinbei had been pouring over the books, trying to piece together the history of Eturn before the Void Century. It was a massive undertaking that she didn’t envy, but if anyone was going to figure out the mysteries, it was Robin.

It took no time at all to get the crew through the portal, with how eager they were in greeting her and rushing through to join the party.

When she arrived back at the Manor, most of the crew was standing in the atrium with their eyes wide, but she could hear Sanji in the kitchen and Luffy eagerly chatting outside.

“This is just one house? Are you sure it’s not a castle?” Carrot asked.

“It rivals the emperor’s palace, but yes, this is just one house. Come on, everyone’s waiting outside,” she said, guiding them through to the manicured lawn where the rest of the partygoers were.

Bentham stopped in his tracks. “Max?”

Pegasus glanced up and nearly dropped his wine glass. “Why, if it isn’t my old friend Bentham! How wonderful to see you again! Come now, you must tell me all about this world of yours!”

“And you promised to tell me about the game you invented!”

Joey  waved his arm in the air. “Hey, Luffy! C’mere! Yugi and I were about to duel! You wanna watch?”

And so off Luffy, Usopp, Carrot, and Chopper went. Zoro had already found the bar, and she could smell Sanji’s cooking already beginning to waft through the kitchen’s open windows.

Brook had set himself up in front of the ballroom doors, where the grand piano was as close as they were able to get it, and was playing jaunty party music with his violin. Little Kaiya had been the first on the dance floor, and Solomon joined her. This led to a makeshift dance floor on the large patio, singles and couples dancing along to Brook’s greatest hits, and eventually, a duet with Noah.

Seto took her hand and swept her off her feet, swaying to the beat of the slower song Brook was playing.

“Well, look at you dancing and being involved in the party,” she teased as he spun her.

“I can admit when someone has talent, and Brook has plenty of it.” He dipped her, then pulled her back up. “So how does it feel to have everything you want?”

She exhaled slowly and glanced around the manor grounds. Earthlings and Eturnians laughing, dancing, learning together, her parents on the other side of the dance floor, holding each other close and looking sickeningly in love, and Seto’s arms around her, keeping her safe and warm.

“It still feels like a dream,” she said. “Like I’ll wake up and something will be missing again.”

“Reika! Why don’t you come join me for this next one?” Brook called. “I think it’s time for a pirate’s favorite, don’t you?”

The pirates around her cheered immediately.

She took a seat at the piano and the sounds of Binks’ Sake filled the air, but as she played and sang, Reika couldn’t help but think of how things were changing. The crew were accomplishing their dreams, Aiko and Ace had all but retired from piracy, the Revolutionaries were still active, but with the downfall of the government had come the downfall of many overly sympathetic leaders.

Even in Domino, things were changing. Téa was going to be heading to America to study dance, Yugi was going to study game design, Joey and Tristan were still active in the I.D.R.A, and Duke Dungeon Dice Monsters was set to debut in Eturn in a few weeks. After fighting alongside each other for so long, the thought of it all ending was… almost as frightening as the beginning of their fight had been.

“Beneath the moon we’ll meet again, the wind’s our lullaby!”

Wait, what was she thinking? Why was she so afraid of the future? After everything they’d been through, why would they never see each other again?

As she glanced around at the joyous faces, the silly dancing Luffy had pulled Ace and Sabo into, at Kaiya clapping her hands while sitting on Jinbei’s shoulders, at Yamato showing off his horns to Joey and Tristan, at Noah stealing shy glances at Rebecca, and Carrot listening wide-eyed and invested in whatever story her grandfather was telling her, she couldn’t help but smile.

Things changed, they always did. 

But no matter what the future held, she knew their group would face it as they had faced everything else.

Together.

[tenebriism]

Their home smelled like a bakery by the time Kaiba came home from work. She grinned and bounced over from the kitchen, an apron over her dress as she looked like a housewife to a T right now - although she did still actually work she just had today off. "I felt like baking and I think I got carried away." She spoke with a laugh. She often found herself following her whims. "Well, at least it's all delicious." And she could always give baked goods away. She had made friends with some of their neighbors much to her anti-social husband's dismay. It would get cleaned up.

It HITS him before he's even made the journey to the lower level kitchen, and it's a wonder he isn't getting CAVITIES just from the immense amount of sugar and frosting he can smell wafting through the air. Setting his briefcase down, he takes a moment to eye the CULPRIT of this culinary chaos, before reaching forward to wipe a patch of flour, gently, from her cheek. " You THINK you got carried away ? " He can only shake his head, but it's obvious he's AMUSED by this, to some degree. " Make sure you share some with Mokuba. No wonder he's attached to you already, if THIS is what you do in your spare time. "

@lachrymosestorm ;; ♥

[ygodominos]

Chapter 1: The F*ckening @ Somerfields

Bakura and Melvin make a mess and the whole village gets caught up in the escapade.

Work sucked, and I mean /sucked/ for Bakura. Just what he wanted: repetitive 9 hour shifts with short breaks and bitchy customers. No wait, bitchy dumb customers. One woman tried to shoplift some cans of soda, so naturally when Bakura spotted her he threatened to smash her face into the window. He spent the next hour in the managers office, “apologising” for terrifying the other customers. Apparently people don’t like to see shop workers screaming at customers. Tch.

3.30pm. Break. Thank fuck.  Slumping outside, taking a cigarette from his pocket, he greets Melvin at their usual spot behind the supermarket, hidden from those irritating CCTV cameras that just loved to rat him out to his boss. Melvin was already at the end of his cigarette, narrowed violet eyes glared as the albino man approached, holding the gaze until they were side by side leaning on the brick wall. 

“You’re late.” A growl laced with tobacco shot at the shorter man. 

“Apparently me wearing a coat over my uniform whilst I try and leave through the back door isn’t enough a big enough indicator to customers that I’m not on fucking shift anymore,” The lighter clicks as the tip of Bakura’s cigarettes is swallowed in flames. “fucking idiots”.

Another click fills the silence as Melvin lights his second, “I hear ya, that’s why I stick to boxes. Boxes can’t fuck me off like people.” 

A low chuckle and a slight head tilt of the pale man caught Melvin’s eye as violet met deep red.  “Oh, but we know exactly what boxes are good for, don’t we?”

It wasn’t an uncommon occurrence for Melvin and Bakura to screw on the delivery boxes on their break. They didn’t have much else better to do, and it wasn’t exactly like either were the romantic type to attract a partner. It passed the time and gave them both a chance to exert their anger out on each other rather than an unlucky customer trying to return an open can of tuna because it had ‘the wrong water’ in it. Eugh. Bakura put his mind elsewhere as he sucked the last of the nicotine from the retched fag-end before he joined Melvin in the warehouse for a “quickie” before they both had to return to the evil called ‘work’.

The next morning as Bakura approached Somerfields he was somewhat surprised at the two large black vans in front of the store. He paused momentarily, staring at a lanky figure with a briefcase and a sour face entered through the glass doors. Shrugging, Bakura carried on trudging, realising he was about 5 minutes late but lacked the ability to care. 

Before he had the chance to change his boss called him upstairs to the meeting room. Upon entering, he immediately recognised the sour-faced-lanky-briefcase-douche from earlier, along with all of the other staff members, even the ones who weren’t on the rota for today. Interesting. He settled in the furthest seat from the front so he could ignore whatever lecture his boss had arranged. Hand under chin and elbow on desk he focused his attention on the window, imagining he were anywhere else but he-

“Oi you. In the back.”

Red slit eyes rolled to catch harsh blue. Ah, briefcase douche has blue eyes. How pretty. 

“Pay attention when someone is speaking.” 

“Do you keep anything interesting in that briefcase of yours, or just your crippling need to be the centre of attention?” He could feel his manager’s eyes boring into the side of his skull, but he didn’t care. He didn’t like this sour faced man, and would be more than happy to make it known to him. 

A cool smile tinged with cynicism fired right back at Bakura. “I’m glad you asked,” Great, he’s sarcastic too, “actually, I do have something in this briefcase that may interest one or two of you in this room. My name is Seto Kaiba, and I’m the head of the Forensics Department a short while away.

It’s been reported over the last few months that there have been some...incidents in the warehouse area.”

Bakura tensed slightly, narrowing his eyes further as he began to figure out why this meeting was called. 

“It wasn’t until last night where some actual, ahem, evidence was left at the scene that I was called in.  So, I’ll put it blankly: whoever has been fucking on the Foxy Boxes Delivery boxes, just know that we’ve got your DNA and it’ll only be a matter of time before we get access to your records and are authorised to take DNA samples from each of you. Of course you could just own up now and I can arrange your arrest right now, but where would be the fun in that? It won’t be long now until you’re fucked, again.”

After ignoring his phone buzzing in his back pocket for the past ten minutes, Melvin gave in and pulled it out. 12 missed calls from Bakura. Hm. Before he could call back, however, his caller ID flashed up again as it now turned into 13 calls. 

“What?!” he snarled, angry at being disturbed on his day off. 

“Melvin, we have a problem. Meet me at the coffee shop, order something strong. I’ll be there as soon as I can.” the dial tone was the only thing Melvin could hear other than his own confused thoughts at Bakura’s cryptic and somehow threatening phone call. 

To be continued

[numberoneduelist]

It’s late - later than expected. Seto glances at the clock sitting in the bottom right corner of his screen. 

02:14. 

“Eugh.” 

He pinches the bridge of his nose, eyebrows furrowing. He hadn’t meant to work so long. He wanted to get home and maybe spend a little time reading some articles he’d been putting off for the last week. If he doesn’t get around to it soon, he’s going to have a backlog.

But time had slipped away far more quickly than anticipated. This happens... more often than he’d like. Running a business is one thing, but running the Kaiba Corporation? A whole different world of difficulty. It’s never-ending.

He hits send on his last email and finally closes his laptop for the night. With it, his eyes also shut. They ache a little, tired from staring at such a bright light with the rest of the room so dark. He’d forgotten to turn the overhead lights on when the sun set, apparently, and the moon gave some illumination - but not quite enough.

With a sigh, he pushes himself out of his seat, then grabs his jacket and throws it over his shoulders. He slides his computer into his briefcase and closes it all up before exiting the room. The halls are empty as he makes his way to the exit, save for two security guards at the front desk.

As he passes, they wave and greet him, wish him a good night. He nods in response before the doors slide open and he steps outside. The cool air hits him like a wall, and a shiver gets him before he can stop it. It’s not quite cold enough for gloves, though, which is nice.

The streets are lit in neon as he strolls down the sidewalk towards home. He could call a car, sure, but why bother? In the time it would take for them to get here, he’s halfway there.

His residence is just as barren as HQ when he arrives. This is no surprise; he doesn’t keep pets because of his schedule, and the only other people that have come by in a long time are Mokuba and Isono. This suits him just fine most days - he doesn’t see a point in having guests most of the time. Entertainment? He has hobbies. Social interaction? He talks with his employees. Fulfilment and happiness?

Well. Normally, he’d consider it weak. He’d prefer not to be tied to other people because they’re messy; he doesn’t have time to worry about their feelings. But right now, as he locks the door, hangs his coat, and heads into his bedroom to start peeling himself out of his clothes in the dark... He’s kind of... Lonely.

It’s an emotion that is not entirely foreign to him, but he’s usually able to squash it. He just has to reaffirm that he can’t rely on others to get what he needs. Tonight, no matter how many times he thinks it, it seems hollow.

He brushes his teeth in silence. He climbs into bed quietly. He stares at his ceiling. Still, it remains.

Maybe he should get a cat.

[suresha]

“Why  do  you  have  that  look  on  your  face?”  ​

:｡･:*:･ﾟ’★,｡･:*:･ﾟ’☆  ||  con’t  for  @shacchou​  ( Seto  Kaiba )

          It  was  not  uncommon  for  the  CEO  to  show  up  unannounced.  Atem  had  long  since  come  to  accept  it,  figuring  it  was  Kaiba's  not  so  subtle  way  of  checking  in  after  a  disaster  of  an  outing  months  back  led  to  an  argument  about  Atem's  state  of  living.  It  was  unbecoming  of  an  ex-royal,  and  reigning  King  of  Games ( ish )  to  be  living  in  a  neighborhood  of  questionable  company.  Atem  did  not  think  the  neighborhood  was  THAT  bad.  Certainly  there  were  worse  apartment  complexes  in  Domino,  but  their  shouting  match  resulted  in  Atem  reluctantly  agreeing  to  move  elsewhere  days  later.  It  seemed  (  at  the  time  anyway  )  far  easier  to  simply  pacify  Kaiba  by  accepting  his  offer  than  allowing  another  argument  to  fester  out  of  Kaiba's  need  to  (  and  Atem  was  certain  he'd  deny  it  )  protect  him.  (  As  if  Atem  could  not  care  for  himself.  All  evidence  pointed  to  the  contrary,  but  his  majesty  would  never  admit  such. )

          That  aside,  this  visit  was  almost  expected,  and  perhaps  long  overdue  being  that  he  hadn't  seen  Kaiba  in  over  a  week.  Figuring  he  was  out  of  town  on  business,  Atem  thought  no  more  of  it  until  now.  It  would  seem  there  was  a  possibility  that  he  had  been  right,  with  Kaiba  just  now  getting  home  (  if  the  briefcase  was  any  indication ),  or  he'd  been  very  wrong  and  was  about  to  find  out  why  Kaiba  decided  to  keep  away  for  a  few  days.  Either  way,  Atem  wasn't  certain  he  wanted  to  know  the  answer.  Kaiba's  face  all  but  alluded  this  might  not  be  one  of  his  usual  courtesy  visits.  He  looked  tense  ---  rigid  in  every  sense  of  the  word,  and  he  had  a  gaze  about  him  oddly  reminiscent  of  the  look  he'd  get  during  an  intense  moment  of  a  duel.

          Oh,  boy.

          Atem  stepped  aside,  closing  the  door  behind  them  as  Kaiba  swept  past  him.  His  majesty  was  beginning  to  feel  uneasy  now  and  so  he  called  after  Kaiba  quietly,  bracing  himself  for  some  inevitable  outburst  that  was  likely  to  confuse  him  since  he  hadn't  done  anything  lately  to  piss  him  off.  Or  at  least  he  didn’t  recall.  So  what  on  Earth  could  Kaiba  be  upset  for?  What  in  Ra's  name  had  Atem  done  now?

          Atem  watched  from  a  distance  as  Kaiba's  eyes  swept  the  condo.  Atem  kept  it  as  neat  as  possible  given  that  he  still  had  yet  to  accept  the  fact  that  this  new  home  was  a  gift.  He  kept  it  neat  (  with  much  help  from  Kaiba's  weekly  maid  service )  just  in  case  he  had  to  move  out.  But  once  Kaiba  seemed  satisfied,  the  briefcase  was  placed  atop  the  coffee  table,  with  Kaiba's  slender  fingers  moving  quickly  to  unlatch  the  box.  Atem  looked  on,  with  purple  eyes  widening  at  the  sight  of  the  rod.  It  wasn't  glowing,  but  the  sight  of  it  triggered  the  ring  about  his  neck.  The  item  burned  into  his  chest,  but  Atem  bit  his  tongue  to  keep  from  reacting  to  the  burn.  He  had  gifted  Kaiba  the  object  some  time  ago,  thinking  perhaps  it  would  be  better  off  with  him,  but  judging  by  the  tone  of  his  voice,  he  may  have  made  a  grave  mistake.

          ❝What  about  it?❞  he  dared  to  ask.  ❝And  I  should  probably  mention  I  still  have  holes  in  my  memories.  I  do  not  know  all  the  ins  and  outs  of  each  item.  They  were  forged  without  my  knowledge  and  what  little  I  do  recall  may  not  offer  you  much  insight,  but  I  will  do  my  best  to  answer  any  questions  you  have.  I  only  thought...  you  could  keep  it  safe  and... well,  it  DID  answer  to  you  during  the  tournament.  Seemed  only  fitting  that  you  should  have  it.❞  Which  was  partly  true.  The  other  factor  was  that  it  once  belonged  to  his  doppelganger  of  an  ancestor.  Passing  it  down  to  Kaiba  seemed  like  the  respectful  thing  to  do  but  he  had  a  feeling  he  was  about  to  get  an  earful.  The  items...  had  a  mind  of  their  own.

[youtriggeredmytrapcard]

@alphahydrii // Closed Starter

It didn’t happen too often, that Kaiba couldn’t sleep. It was annoying when it did happen, when he just laid in bed for hours, wasting time that could’ve been spent elsewhere. Having all this energy and drive that he was trying to stomp out! It was important to sleep, he knew that logically. But at some point, it seemed better to cut his losses. Especially when his personal lab was so close by.

Tinkering with machines had always excited him, since he was little. The rush of inventing something new never went away, and he felt like he was on the verge of something great! It was with his Virtual Reality Pods again-- he’d was bent over one of them with a screwdriver, installing a new piece, as well as typing on two laptops that were plugged into the machine. The pods were designed to transport a person’s mind into a game of his own design, which he’d proven it could do flawlessly. But the thought had crossed his mind, if it would be possible to transport someone’s mind elsewhere. Into a computer, into a different person’s body (ew), into another dimension. He didn’t believe in multiverse-theory of course, sounded a bit too mystical for his tastes, but... he was a man of science. And theories were made to be tested.

‘... I wonder if it’s good enough to boot up,’ he thought to himself, glancing to the power cord, which was currently unplugged. There wasn’t any harm in trying. Worst it’d do is cause a power surge and fry his laptops, so he unplugged those first. Then he picked up the main pod’s power cord, and just as he was about to plug it in...

"Ah!” He dropped the cord, jolting. What the hell was that!? It almost sounded like an explosion! Did it come from the pods!? No, they looked fine. Where did that come from?! It sounded close, way too close! Either from this room, or right outside! Shit. It wouldn’t be the first time someone had tried to break in here. Immediately Kaiba sprinted towards where he’d left his briefcase, pulling out his deck and duel disk and scanning the room while he mounted it to his arm. The lab was large, with a lot of places to hide. (He felt oddly naked, wearing the duel disk without his metal bracers underneath. Right now, he just had on a black turtleneck, slacks, and brown loafers, quite dressed-down by Kaiba’s standards. His locket was tucked under his shirt, out of sight.) “Who’s there? Show yourself, right now!”

[kyonetsu]

Okay: A Yugioh Fanfic

A/N: This is an old fan fic I wrote back in 2014 based on some real life experiences. I’ll probably be posting more of these later; hopefully no one minds! It’d be nice to get into a groove for writing these again, but for now I’m just gonna reread them and try not to cringe.

Warning: Depicts anxiety, depression, poor self talk

Genre: Angst, Hurt/Comfort

Pairing: Hints at Seto x Katsuya

I won't break. I can't let that happen—not now, not ever.

Seto Kaiba stared down at his shaking hand and quickly stifled the tremor with a sudden grip to the wrist. There were so many emotions reeling through his mind and body, and he didn't know how to deal with them. You have to beat it. You have to, he thought to himself as he stared hollowly at his laptop screen. Familiar voices wafted into his ears and the trembling in his hand threatened to return.

I just have to make it through the day. Then and only then can I deal with this stupid... So stupid. Why am I being like this? I'm so stupid.

The brunet leaned forward to hide his face behind the screen as his eyes tried to focus, eyelashes fluttering and eyebrows tensing.

It hurts. Why does it hurt so much?

More students filed into the classroom where Seto sat in the very back. His eyes darted to the bottom of the monitor, noting that the teacher would begin the lesson in only a few minutes. That meant...

"Oh, man. I thought I was gonna be late," a grumbling and somewhat out-of-breath Katsuya murmured as he took his seat, a seat right next to the teen CEO.

Please don't look over. I don't want anyone to see me like this. No one can see. Only me. I don't even want to see this. I don't want to be this person anymore. I just want to be okay. I just want to be okay.

"'Ey, Kaiba. Ya got a pencil I can borrow?"

Seto's eyes widened at the sudden query and his mouth went dry. He pretended to be reading something on his laptop to avoid answering, but of course that would not work on the persistent blond.

"What, ya got cotton in yer ears? Hello?"

Seto gathered all the strength he could muster and turned his head to glare at the teen to his right. "Does it look like I have a pencil, Mutt?" he whispered harshly in return and went back to looking at his screen.

Good. That was good. Good and convincing.

Katsuya rolled his eyes and continued. "Okay, do ya have a pen? I bet all you big wigs have fancy pens."

The brunet scowled. "Fine, if it'll shut you up..." He reached down to his briefcase and pulled out a ballpoint pen, tossing it over to his classmate. Just as the object entered the air, his hand began shaking again. Instantly he slammed it down onto the desk with his other hand and mentally prayed that the other boy hadn't noticed.

"Thanks, man," Katsuya replied with a smile. The smile slowly melted into a slight frown and a hand reached out for the CEO. "Kaiba, what's wrong? Are ya okay?"

That question... Why did you ask me that question?

Seto visibly stiffened as the question swirled around in his mind. His eyes were wide with fright because he knew what was going to happen. He looked over at Katsuya as a single tear slipped down his cheek.

The blond stared dumbly at the sight. "Are you..." Before he could finish his question, Seto roughly pulled his arm away and wiped at his face.

Why did he have to ask me that? Why? Can't he see that I'm not?

The taller teen froze as a new thought occurred to him.

Can everyone see that I'm not?

A strange fear filled Seto Kaiba's chest as he abruptly slammed his laptop closed and shoved it into his briefcase. I can't let them see me like this, his mind screamed. I can't.

Faces turned in confusion as the young businessman rushed out of the classroom, the door rattling as it closed from the sheer force of its opening. Hush filled the room; the only sound that remained was the tick of the clock on the wall.

Katsuya blinked at the classroom door. "What just happened?"

What's wrong with me? Why am I like this? How did this happen to me? Why me? I don't want to be like this. I just want to be okay.

Seto raked his hands through his hair as he slid down the wall of the bathroom stall, more tears spilling down his face. He lowered his arms to his lap and stared blankly at the metal partition. His right hand shook as both rage and terror coursed through his veins and his fingers involuntarily curled to form a fist over and over again.

Why won't it stop? Why won't it go away? Please make it go away. I just want to be okay. Please.

"Kaiba? Kaiba, are ya in here?" Katsuya's concerned voice echoed through the men's restroom. He noticed that the very end stall door was closed and he could see what looked like someone sitting on the floor. The blond rushed over to the metal door, crouching down in front of it. "Kaiba, is that you?"

"Go away," Seto said roughly, his voice cracking and hoarse. "J-just leave me alone."

Katsuya knitted his brow, placing his hand on the stall door. "C'mon, ya know I can't do that," he replied. "Now how about ya unlock this thing and let me help ya?"

"No! No, just go!" the older boy shouted, his heart thumping louder in his chest than ever before.

Please, just go. Please. I can't let anyone see me like this—especially not you.

"Fine, then I guess I'll just hafta force my way in."

Seto's eyebrows lowered as he took in the other boy's statement. "What..?" His eyes darted to a sudden mop of golden hair inching in from underneath the stall door. "No! Get out of here, Jonouchi! Please, just go!"

"Nothin' doin'," Katsuya replied as he slowly pulled himself fully into the stall and sat up. His heart stopped as he took in his classmate's appearance. He was sitting with his knees up to his chest and his eyes were wide with fear. Even in the poorly lit stall, the blond could see the ruddy color blotched across Seto's face. He had been crying. "Kaiba..."

"N-n-no, stay back!" the young CEO pleaded, his hand shooting out as if to keep the other boy from approaching further.

"Kaiba, I'm not gonna hurt ya. I just wanna help," Katsuya reasoned and tried to get closer. "Just let me help ya."

The brunet quickly got to his feet and backed into the corner of the stall, his hand still outstretched. "You can't. You've done enough."

"What? What're ya talkin' about?" the younger teen asked, standing up as well. "What've I done?"

"Everything," Seto practically growled. "You... You did this to me. This is your fault! Your fault!" In one swift motion, he picked up his briefcase and hurled it across the stall, barely missing Katsuya's head. "Y-you... You did this..." he murmured as he slid down the wall once more, staring listlessly at the cowering boy across from him. "It was you. It's always been you."

Kaiba stared at the laptop screen as he typed out his thoughts. One of his therapists had mentioned stream of consciousness writing to help him sort out his feelings, and with much trepidation, he decided to try it. Words flew from his fingers and tears fell from his eyes as the thoughts he unleashed took hold of his heart.

"I gravitate toward him and I'm obsessed. He's there in my mind when I don't want him to be. I don't want him to get the wrong impression of me because that would be unfortunate. I want him to be my friend and I can't help flirting because he's so handsome. He's very manly and he's got this face that I'm drawn to. I can't quite put into words what it is but my eyes go to him. I think that he likes me and that's unfortunate, too. I don't want him to like me in any way more than friends but the idea of someone showing that interest in me is kind of invigorating. I'm still attractive. Why do I feel so ugly sometimes? I can't let anyone see me like this. I'm so ugly. My insides are rotting with these ugly thoughts. I don't want to die. I just want this to go away. I don't want to freak out anymore. I don't want to push anyone away anymore. I don't want to hurt anyone. I just want to be happy. It's so scary out there and in here. Why doesn't anyone seem to understand? I just want to be okay. I just want to be okay. Why can't I be okay?"

Seto stared at his words with a newly found panic.

I'm not okay.

[combuskenisawesome]

Transcript for

https://youtu.be/XDCK2Ge4w9w

(there was no way i was going to be able to caption it like usual without entering some very bad pain)

Narrator: Long ag-[every instance of "OH"], when the pyramids were still young, the Egyptian Kings played a game of great and terrible power. But these Shad-[every instance of "OH"] Games erupted into a war that threatened to destroy the entire world. Until a brave and powerful phara-[every instance of "OH"] locked the magic away, imprisoning it within the mystical Millennium Items. Now, five thousand years later, a boy named [every instance of "YU" ][every instance of "GI"] unlocks the secret of the Millennium Puzzle. He is infused with ancient magical energies, for destiny has ch-[every instance of "OH"]-sen him to defend the world from the return of the Shad-[every instance of "OH"] Games, just as the brave Phara-[every instance of "OH"] did five thousand years ag-[every instance of "OH"].

---

♫ ("Yu-Gi-Oh! theme") ♫

Your move, your move, your move, your move, YOUR MOVE

( the beat kicks in )

[every instance of "YU"]-[every instance of "GI"]-[every instance of "OH"]!

♫

YOUR MOVE

♫

[every instance of "YU"]-[every instance of "GI"]-[every instance of "OH"]!

♫

Yami: IT'S TIME TO D-D-D-D-[every instance of "DU"]UEL!

♫

[every instance of "YU"]-[every instance of "GI"]-[every instance of "OH"]!

♫ ( theme ends ) ♫

---

[every instance of "YU" ][every instance of "GI"]: Hey J-[every instance of "OH"]-ey! Earth to J-[every instance of "OH"]-ey! Hey, are [every instance of "YU"] in there? It's your turn.

J-[every instance of "OH"]-ey: Ummm...

Tristan: [every instance of "OH"], isn't he cute when he's thinking?

J-[every instance of "OH"]-ey: Hey Tristan, [every instance of "YU" ][every instance of "GI"] here's teachin' me how to play Duel Monsters.

Tristan: Drooling monsters?

J-[every instance of "OH"]-ey: Duel Monsters, [every instance of "YU"] nimrod.

Tristan: Sheesh.

Téa: They've been at it for hours. J-[every instance of "OH"]-ey's starting to get the hang of the game, but [every instance of "YU" ][every instance of "GI"]'s like an expert.

J-[every instance of "OH"]-ey: [every instance of "OH"]-kay [every instance of "YU" ][every instance of "GI"]. It's time to duel.

Téa: See, each card has an attack number and a defense number. The first player to eliminate the other player's life points wins the duel.

J-[every instance of "OH"]-ey: Pretty good move, huh [every instance of "YU" ][every instance of "GI"]?

[every instance of "YU" ][every instance of "GI"]: Yup! Pretty good move, but not good enough.

J-[every instance of "OH"]-ey: What?! Thanks a lot. A card that powerful totally wipes me out.

Tristan: Whoa, [every instance of "YU"] stink at this game, J-[every instance of "OH"]-ey.

[every instance of "YU" ][every instance of "GI"]: (laughs) [every instance of "YU"] did fine, J-[every instance of "OH"]-ey. I just have better cards. See, my Grandpa [every instance of "OH"]-wns a game shop and I get all my best cards from him.

J-[every instance of "OH"]-ey: Your own game shop. What're we waitin' for? Let's go!

[every instance of "YU" ][every instance of "GI"]: [every instance of "OH"]-kay, maybe I could even get my Grandpa to show us this super rare card he's got.

Kaiba: Rare card? Could they have found the card that I've been searching for?

---

[every instance of "YU" ][every instance of "GI"]: Grandpa? I'm h-[every instance of "OH"]-me.

Grandpa: And I see [every instance of "YU"]'ve brought company.

[every instance of "YU" ][every instance of "GI"]: Gramps, could [every instance of "YU"] show my friends your awesome, super rare card?

Grandpa: Rare card? My special card? Hmmm...

[every instance of "YU" ][every instance of "GI"]: Please! Please!

J-[every instance of "OH"]-ey: Pretty please?

Grandpa: Hmmm... Hah hah! How could I ref-[every instance of "YU"]-se? [every instance of "YU"] kids are in for a treat. I d-[every instance of "OH"]-n't take this card out too often. Ready? Here it is. The Blue-Eyes White Dragon, s-[every instance of "OH"] rare, s-[every instance of "OH"] powerful, I never let it leave my hands.

J-[every instance of "OH"]-ey: Awesome!

Tristan: It doesn't look all that special to me...

Grandpa: Ahh! This card is priceless. There are [every instance of "OH"]-nly four of them in all the world.

J-[every instance of "OH"]-ey: Speaking of priceless, I'm ready to trade!

Grandpa: Not for this card.

J-[every instance of "OH"]-ey: Huh? Nah, I didn't mean that card. I meant, sh-[every instance of "OH"] me some other cool cards to get me started.

(door open)

Grandpa: Hell-[every instance of "OH"], can I help [every instance of "YU"]?

Téa: Huh?

Kaiba: If [every instance of "YU"] can't, it certainly wouldn't surprise me.

[every instance of "YU" ][every instance of "GI"]: Set-[every instance of "OH"] Kaiba!

J-[every instance of "OH"]-ey: Kaiba?!

Tristan: Doesn't he have a big fancy company to run? What's he doing down here?

Kaiba: Not that it's any of your business, but I came to see the card.

J-[every instance of "OH"]-ey: [smiles and steps forward] Hey, are [every instance of "YU"] into Duel Monsters too? This is perfect. Maybe we could all duel together sometime.

Kaiba: Me? Duel [every instance of "YU"]? I'd have more of a challenge playing solitaire.

J-[every instance of "OH"]-ey: What?

Kaiba: I am the number one ranked duelist in the country, and the favorite to win the Duel Monsters championship. Hah, [every instance of "YU"] wouldn't last two minutes in a duel against me.

J-[every instance of "OH"]-ey: Ooh, I'm shakin'. Maybe [every instance of "YU"]'d like to settle this with fists instead of cards.

[every instance of "YU" ][every instance of "GI"]: Wh-[every instance of "OH"]! Take it easy, J-[every instance of "OH"]-ey.

J-[every instance of "OH"]-ey: But [every instance of "YU" ][every instance of "GI"], Kaiba's asking for it.

Kaiba: Now does this shop have any worthwhile cards or not? (gasp) Can it be? The Blue-Eyes White Dragon in a dump like this? It is. The card I've been searching for.

Grandpa: Well, enough wind-[every instance of "OH"] shopping. Is there anything else I can help [every instance of "YU"] with?

Kaiba: (grumbles and exerts himself lifting his briefcase dramatically)

Grandpa: Huh? [every instance of "OH"]

Kaiba: Listen to me, [every instance of "OH"]-ld man. Gimme your Blue-Eyes White Dragon card and I'll trade [every instance of "YU"] all of these.

All: Whoa!

Grandpa: Ahh, nice. But n-[every instance of "OH"] thanks.

All: Huh?!

Kaiba: (grumble) Fine. If [every instance of "YU"] w-[every instance of "OH"]-n't trade, maybe [every instance of "YU"]'ll sell it. Name your price. I can pay anything [every instance of "YU"] ask.

Grandpa: I'm sure [every instance of "YU"] could. But this card is worth more than [every instance of "YU"] could ever offer. Not because of its power or because it's s-[every instance of "OH"] rare, but because of what it means to me. This card was given to me by a dear friend and s-[every instance of "OH"] I treasure this card as I do that friend. S-[every instance of "OH"] parting with it is completely out of the question.

Kaiba: N-[every instance of "OH"]!

[every instance of "YU" ][every instance of "GI"]: [every instance of "YU"]'d feel the same even if it were a common card, right Grandpa?

Grandpa: Exactly. [every instance of "YU"] see, this precious card has bonded with my heart.

Kaiba: Fine! I've heard enough of your nonsense. Senile [every instance of "OH"]-ld fool.

---

Kaiba: (thinking) Heart of the cards. Ridic-[every instance of "YU"]-lous. Cards are all about power. And one way or another, his Blue-Eyes White Dragon card... will be mine.

---

Kaiba: Gentlemen, there's a little something I'd like [every instance of "YU"] to pick up for me at the Game Shop.

Hobson: Gladly, Master Kaiba.

---

Grandpa: Good morning. Hmm?

Hobson: My master, Set-[every instance of "OH"] Kaiba, challenges [every instance of "YU"] to a duel. [every instance of "YU"] may come with us now.

Grandpa: And if I were to decline?

Hobson: I'm afraid I must... insist.

Grandpa: Young Kaiba doesn't understand. But I'll teach him a lesson about the heart of the cards.

---

J-[every instance of "OH"]-ey: Man, I h-[every instance of "OH"]-pe he has some cool cards today.

[every instance of "YU" ][every instance of "GI"]: Me too!

Téa: Yeah!

J-[every instance of "OH"]-ey: [every instance of "OH"]-kay Gramps, I'm back to get more cards. Hey, hey Gramps!

[every instance of "YU" ][every instance of "GI"]: Grandpa, I'm h-[every instance of "OH"]-me.

Téa: Maybe he... went out?

J-[every instance of "OH"]-ey: Maybe. But why would he leave the door unlocked?

(phone)

[every instance of "YU" ][every instance of "GI"]: Hello. Game Shop.

Kaiba: Ahh, [every instance of "YU" ][every instance of "GI"]. Perfect.*

[every instance of "YU" ][every instance of "GI"]: Kaiba?!

Kaiba: Your grandfather's here visiting. But he's not feeling well. Why d-[every instance of "OH"]-n't [every instance of "YU"] come by my office and pick him up.

[every instance of "YU" ][every instance of "GI"]: Kaiba! What've [every instance of "YU"] done, Kaiba?!

---

[every instance of "YU" ][every instance of "GI"]: Grandpa! Grandpa. A-are [every instance of "YU"] [every instance of "OH"]-kay?

Grandpa: [every instance of "YU" ][every instance of "GI"]. I failed. I wanted to teach that boy Kaiba a lesson about the heart of the cards, but I lost. (groans)

[every instance of "YU" ][every instance of "GI"]: Grandpa!

Kaiba: How's the [every instance of "OH"]-ld man feeling, hmmm?

J-[every instance of "OH"]-ey: Kaiba, [every instance of "YU"] sleeze. What've [every instance of "YU"] done to him?

Kaiba: We had a duel, that's all. With each of us putting up our m-[every instance of "OH"]-st valuable card as the prize. But I guess playing against a champion like myself was just too much stim-[every instance of "YU"]-lation for the [every instance of "OH"]-ld fool.

Téa: Kaiba, [every instance of "YU"] should be ashamed of yourself.

Kaiba: It was fair. And look at the sweet prize I won. (tears card)

All: (gasp)

[every instance of "YU" ][every instance of "GI"]: Grandpa's m-[every instance of "OH"]-st treasured card!

Kaiba: Yes, the Blue-Eyes White Dragon is a rare and powerful card and this one will never be [every instance of "YU"]-sed against me.

Grandpa: Ahh, my Blue-Eyes White Dragon! My treasure...

[every instance of "YU" ][every instance of "GI"]: Grandpa! H-[every instance of "OH"]-ld on. How could [every instance of "YU"] do such a thing?

Grandpa: [every instance of "YU" ][every instance of "GI"], here. Take this.

[every instance of "YU" ][every instance of "GI"]: Huh? Grandpa.

Grandpa: I built this deck. I put my s-[every instance of "OH"]-ul in these cards. And I taught [every instance of "YU"] everything I kn-[every instance of "OH"], [every instance of "YU" ][every instance of "GI"]. Take them. Take my cards and teach him respect. Teach Kaiba respect for the heart of the cards, [every instance of "YU" ][every instance of "GI"].

[every instance of "YU" ][every instance of "GI"]: But Grandpa, [every instance of "YU"] need help. I've got to get [every instance of "YU"] to a doctor.

Kaiba: That sounds like an exc-[every instance of "YU"]-se. Your friends can care for your grandfather while [every instance of "YU"] and I duel.... unless you're afraid?

J-[every instance of "OH"]-ey: Take him [every instance of "YU" ][every instance of "GI"]!

[every instance of "YU" ][every instance of "GI"]: Huh?

J-[every instance of "OH"]-ey: We can take care of your grandpa while [every instance of "YU"] take care of creepy Kaiba. Teach that rich, spoiled brat what a real duel's all about.

Téa: For your grandpa, [every instance of "YU" ][every instance of "GI"].

[every instance of "YU" ][every instance of "GI"]: I d-[every instance of "OH"]-n't kn-[every instance of "OH"]...

J-[every instance of "OH"]-ey: Trust me, you're like the best player I've ever seen, and [every instance of "YU"]'ve got the Millennium Puzzle. [every instance of "YU"] can do this [every instance of "YU" ][every instance of "GI"]! I kn-[every instance of "OH"] [every instance of "YU"] can!

Téa: We all do.

[every instance of "YU" ][every instance of "GI"]: [every instance of "OH"]-kay, Grandpa. I'll do it.

Grandpa: I kn-[every instance of "OH"] [every instance of "YU"] will, my boy.

Téa: Everyone, put your hands together and I'll mark us with a special sign.

J-[every instance of "OH"]-ey: What gives, Téa?

Téa: It's a symbol of our friendship s-[every instance of "OH"] when [every instance of "YU" ][every instance of "GI"]'s dueling, n-[every instance of "OH"] matter how tough it gets, he'll kn-[every instance of "OH"] that he's not al-[every instance of "OH"]-ne, we're all right there with him.

(ambulance pulls up for Grandpa)

Téa: J-[every instance of "OH"]-ey, Tristan and I will take [every instance of "YU" ][every instance of "GI"]'s grandpa to the hospital. Why d-[every instance of "OH"]-n't [every instance of "YU"] get back in there and cheer [every instance of "YU" ][every instance of "GI"] on?

J-[every instance of "OH"]-ey: [every instance of "OH"]-kay, take good care of him, Téa.

---

Kaiba: I designed this virtual stadium myself. Impressive, hmmm? I think [every instance of "YU"]'ll agree, it adds a bit more life to the game. We each begin with 2000 life points, the first player to hit zer-[every instance of "OH"] loses. Are [every instance of "YU"] ready to play, runt?

♪ (dramatic transformation music) ♪

[every instance of "YU"][every instance of "GI"], fading to Yami: [every instance of "YU"]-[every instance of "GI"]-[every instance of "OH"]!!!

Kaiba: Huh? What the-?

Yami: Now, Kaiba, prepare yourself, because it's time to duel.

Kaiba: Virtual systems ready. s-[every instance of "OH"] let's begin. I attack with the mighty Hitotsu Me Giant. Brace yourself, [every instance of "YU" ][every instance of "GI"]. [every instance of "YU"]'ve never dueled like this before.

Yami: He's brought the monster on the card to life.

Kaiba: It's my virtual sim-[every instance of "YU"]-lator. It creates life-like holograms of every Duel Monster.

Yami: S-[every instance of "OH"] this is how [every instance of "YU"] beat my grandfather. Well now it's my turn. I call on the winged dragon- Guardian of the F-[every instance of "OH"]-rtress.

J-[every instance of "OH"]-ey: Wh-[every instance of "OH"], monsters!? Real monsters!?

Yami: Fireball attack!

Mokuba: Big brother!

(life point meter sound)

Mokuba: Are [every instance of "YU"] alright?

J-[every instance of "OH"]-ey: Alright! G-[every instance of "OH"] [every instance of "YU" ][every instance of "GI"]!

Kaiba: Hah. Well played, [every instance of "YU" ][every instance of "GI"]... for a beginner. But how will [every instance of "YU"] deal with this?

Yami: Sag-[every instance of "GI"] the Dark Clown? But that card has hardly any attack strength.

Kaiba: True, your winged dragon's attack is 1400, while my dark clown's is [every instance of "OH"]-nly 600, but if I combine it with this card...

Yami: Ah, a magic card!

Kaiba: Exactly. The Negative Energy Generator. It multiplies my monster's attack by 3. Dark Clown, attack with Dark Light!

(life point meter sound)

Kaiba: As [every instance of "YU"] can see, combining cards can be very effective.

[every instance of "YU"][every instance of "GI"]: (thinking) He's good. He kn-[every instance of "OH"]-s every aspect of this game. But my grandpa put all of his gaming knowledge, his wh-[every instance of "OH"]-le heart, into assembling this deck. I have to believe that it h-[every instance of "OH"]-lds some secret strategy. ... Ah, this card is useless. I can't beat the Dark Clown with this. I'll have to [every instance of "YU"]-se a different monster in defense m-[every instance of "OH"]-de. The monster will be sacrificed, but my [every instance of "OH"]-verall life-points will be safe.

Kaiba: Dark Light Attack!

J-[every instance of "OH"]-ey: Hang in there, [every instance of "YU" ][every instance of "GI"]!

Kaiba: [every instance of "YU"]'re not faring any better than the [every instance of "OH"]-ld man did, [every instance of "YU" ][every instance of "GI"]. Your deck is just as weak and feeble as your grandfather.

Yami: My grandpa is a great man, and a better duelist than [every instance of "YU"]'ll ever be. He entrusted me with his cards and I can feel his heart in this deck. I doubt [every instance of "YU"] have that kind of faith in your cards, Kaiba.

Kaiba: Wha-?

Yami: But I believe in my Grandpa's deck!

(a very weird sound effect for dramatic card draw)

Yami: And my faith rewards me with Gaia the Fierce Knight! With a destructive power of 2300!

Kaiba: (grunts)

J-[every instance of "OH"]-ey: Way to go, [every instance of "YU" ][every instance of "GI"]!

Yami: Alright, Kaiba, your move.

Kaiba: Hah. This'll be [every instance of "OH"]-ver sooner than [every instance of "YU"] think. Hmm. I call on the Blue-Eyes White Dragon.

Yami: N-[every instance of "OH"] way.

J-[every instance of "OH"]-ey: Impossible! We all watched Kaiba tear that card in half.

Kaiba: Surprised? Did [every instance of "YU"] think your grandfather was the [every instance of "OH"]-nly one to possess a Blue-Eyes White Dragon?

Yami: Ugh!

(life point meter sound)

Kaiba: Your Fierce Knight is destroyed. Faith or n-[every instance of "OH"] faith, [every instance of "YU"] will fall before my superior monsters, [every instance of "YU" ][every instance of "GI"]. Power is what this game is all about, [every instance of "YU"] fool. Faith is for losers... like your pathetic grandfather. In your entire deck, there's not a single card that can stand up to a Blue-Eyes White Dragon. ... S-[every instance of "OH"] what h-[every instance of "OH"]-pe do [every instance of "YU"] have against two? ... Why d-[every instance of "OH"]-n't [every instance of "YU"] just admit defeat, [every instance of "YU" ][every instance of "GI"]?

Yami: (groans)

---

Grandpa: D-[every instance of "OH"]-n't give up... [every instance of "YU" ][every instance of "GI"].

---

Yami: I w-[every instance of "OH"]-n't give up. Grandpa's counting on me.

[every instance of "YU"][every instance of "GI"]: (thinking) Huh, a magic card.

Yami: Swords of Revealing Light! It stops all monsters on the field for three turns.

Kaiba: How desperate. What possible good will a three turn delay do [every instance of "YU"]?

[every instance of "YU"][every instance of "GI"]: (thinking) He's right. What do I do? I can't figure out what to do with these cards. They're just a bunch of... pieces. How can I [every instance of "YU"]-se them to battle an expert like Kaiba?

Grandpa's dismbodied voice: For someone claiming to have faith, [every instance of "YU"]'re giving up too easily, [every instance of "YU" ][every instance of "GI"].

Grandpa: Listen, sometimes the cards are like a puzzle. [every instance of "YU"] have to put all the different pieces in their proper place.

[every instance of "YU"][every instance of "GI"]: Ahh, like the Millennium Puzzle?

Grandpa: Exactly. Each piece helps build a greater entity.

(Grandpa recedes into the void)

[every instance of "YU"][every instance of "GI"]: Grandpa!

Grandpa's disembodied voice: Like the pieces of a puzzle, [every instance of "YU" ][every instance of "GI"]. Remember...

[every instance of "YU"][every instance of "GI"]: (thinking) Puzzle? When are the cards like a puzzle? Wait! Grandpa once said...

Flashback-Grandpa: Duel monsters contains [every instance of "OH"]-nly one unstoppable monster- Ex-[every instance of "OH"]-dia. But he can [every instance of "OH"]-nly be summoned by drawing all five special cards. A feat that, to this very day, n-[every instance of "OH"] one has ever accomplished.

(flashback ends)

Kaiba: Quit your stalling, [every instance of "YU" ][every instance of "GI"]. Or [every instance of "YU"] will be forced to forfeit the match.

Yami: I never forfeit.

[every instance of "YU"][every instance of "GI"]: (thinking) Huh? Another piece of the puzzle.

Kaiba: Draw any card [every instance of "YU"] like, it w-[every instance of "OH"]-n't change a thing. My dragons may be fr-[every instance of "OH"]-zen for another two turns, but my new monster is under n-[every instance of "OH"] such spell. The Judge Man, with an attack power of 2200.

(Judge Man attacks the shit out of the defense mode monster Yami played)

[every instance of "YU"][every instance of "GI"]: I can attack with the Dark Magician. But he w-[every instance of "OH"]-n't stand a chance once Kaiba's dragons are free of my spell.

Yami: Dark Magician... attack!

(life point meter sound)

Yami: Your Judge Man falls!

Kaiba: Ahh, a sacrifice that doesn't even phase me. And though neither dragon can move for one more turn, my next card is... the third Blue-Eyes White Dragon!

Yami: (an 'are you fucking kidding me' grunt)

Kaiba: Now my dragon, attack!

(life point meter sound)

Kaiba: S-[every instance of "OH"] tell me, [every instance of "YU" ][every instance of "GI"], how's your faith now? On my next turn, all three Blue-Eyes White Dragons are free to attack. This game's [every instance of "OH"]-ver n-[every instance of "OH"] matter what card [every instance of "YU"] draw. [every instance of "YU"] can't possibly stand against my three Blue-Eyes White Dragons. It's [every instance of "OH"]-ver, [every instance of "YU" ][every instance of "GI"]. [every instance of "YU"] were never a match for me.

J-[every instance of "OH"]-ey: D-[every instance of "OH"]-n't listen, [every instance of "YU" ][every instance of "GI"]!

[every instance of "YU"][every instance of "GI"]: (thinking) Kaiba had three Blue-Eyes all along. He [every instance of "OH"]-nly wanted my grandpa's card s-[every instance of "OH"] it couldn't be used against him! My [every instance of "OH"]-nly chance now is to assemble all the pieces of Ex-[every instance of "OH"]-dia. But the odds are against me. I d-[every instance of "OH"]-n't think I can do this.

(the deck slides out of reach)

Yami: The deck! It senses my doubt!

[every instance of "YU"][every instance of "GI"]: Uwaaaa!

Yami: D-[every instance of "OH"]-n't lose focus, [every instance of "YU" ][every instance of "GI"]. D-[every instance of "OH"]-n't lose faith. Concentrate!

[every instance of "YU"][every instance of "GI"] (thinking) Wha-? Our friendship symbol!

Téa: [every instance of "YU" ][every instance of "GI"], we're right here with [every instance of "YU"].

Tristan: [every instance of "YU" ][every instance of "GI"], [every instance of "YU"]'ve got to believe in yourself.

J-[every instance of "OH"]-ey: [every instance of "YU"] can do it. Just kick Kaiba's butt.

Yami: They're right. I've got to believe in the cards like my friends believe in me.

Kaiba: Draw your last pathetic card s-[every instance of "OH"] I can end this, [every instance of "YU" ][every instance of "GI"].

Yami: My grandpa's deck has n-[every instance of "OH"] pathetic cards, Kaiba! But it does contain... The unstoppable Ex-[every instance of "OH"]-dia!

Kaiba: (dread) Ahh! Impossible!

Yami: I've assembled all five special cards. All five pieces of the puzzle!

Kaiba: Ex-[every instance of "OH"]-dia! Ughh, it's not possible! N-[every instance of "OH"] one's ever been able to call him!

Yami: Ex-[every instance of "OH"]-dia... [every instance of "OH"]BLITERATE!!!

(Ex-[every instance of "OH"-dia does the thing)

Kaiba: UGHHHH!!! (echoey) AAAAAAHHHHHH!

(life points meter-hitting 0 sound)

J-[every instance of "OH"]-ey: [every instance of "YU"] did it! [every instance of "YU" ][every instance of "GI"], [every instance of "YU"] won!

Mokuba: This can't be! My brother never loses.

Yami: [every instance of "YU"] play [every instance of "OH"]-nly for power, Kaiba, and that is why [every instance of "YU"] lost. But if [every instance of "YU"] put your heart in the game, there is nothing [every instance of "YU"] can't do.

Kaiba: But... but how? How could I have lost to him?

Yami: Kaiba, if [every instance of "YU"] truly want to kn-[every instance of "OH"]... OPEN YOUR MIND!

(Mind Crushes)

(Kaiba's mind fucking shattering)

Kaiba: (grunts as he falls to his knees)

Yami: There Kaiba, maybe now [every instance of "YU"] will begin to see...

---

Grandpa: Huh?

Téa: Grandpa's awake!

Grandpa: [every instance of "YU" ][every instance of "GI"] won.

---

Croquet: Mr. Pegasus, sir. Set-[every instance of "OH"] Kaiba, our uncontested champion, he's been defeated in a duel, sir, by someone named [every instance of "YU" ][every instance of "GI"].

Pegasus: Hmmm...

(Millennium Eye flashes)

♫ ("Yu-Gi-Oh! credits theme, which is just the opening theme but shortened) ♫

YOUR MOVE

( the beat kicks in )

[every instance of "YU"]-[every instance of "GI"]-[every instance of "OH"]!

♫

♫

[every instance of "YU"]-[every instance of "GI"]-[every instance of "OH"]!

♫ ( theme ends ) ♫

---

[every instance of "game"]

[mcschnuggles]

“You’ve activated my Emotional Support Card!” Yugio! For your older Joey and Kaiba fics!

Okay, so at first I thought “oh easy Kaiba is hurting and shuts himself off and Joey barges his way in” BUT THEN I thought of something so much better. (This one isn’t as long as the previous one, forgive me!)

So Joey’s been in a funk for the past few days. It’s not just one thing, but a lot of things at once, some involving family, some involving school, and none of them pleasant. When Kaiba texts him, politely asking -- well, polite for Kaiba -- when they could meet up again, he can only manage short, snippy responses, and Kaiba knows something’s immediately up. Maybe they’d been planning to go to an amusement park? Something big (and expensive and also completely on Kaiba’s dime) that they’d both been looking forward to, so when Joey suddenly ducks out Kaiba can tell immediately that something is wrong. Cue him barging into Joey’s house, plopping his briefcase down on Joey’s desk, and opening it to reveal kid’s movies, store bought popcorn, and maybe a plushie or two. But instead of acknowledging any of it, Kaiba takes out his laptop and resumes his work. It’s not like he could ever regress in a dump like this, but the offer is what really counts in Joey’s eyes. Fluff ensues

[iced-blood]

A Battle of Attrition.

What time is it?

It’s Dragon Dad time.

“With these tokens all in order, I split the heavens wi —”

Seto Kaiba never took creative writing or drama classes at school, but anyone watching him would have been quickly forgiven for assuming he had a background in theater. Most of his duels were recorded these days, and no one could accuse him of not playing to the camera. His gestures, his expressions, his speeches, were all carefully calculated to elicit a response from his audience.

Even, and sometimes especially, if that audience was his opponent.

Young as he was, Seto Kaiba was already a master of manipulating his challengers’ emotions.

This day, however, his mastery was in question.

Seto sighed heavily. “Excuse me,” he said, “I was pontificating. Ahem. Now. With these tokens all in order, I sp —”

Mokuba, seated across a conference table from his brother, let out another peal of laughter.

“With these ...”

Mokuba cackled, rocking back and forth in his chair.

Seto rolled his eyes and shot a glare at Roland, who was standing across the room, in the open doorway. “Do you see what I have to deal with?” The elder Kaiba gestured sharply to the younger. “Look at this. The disrespect.”

Roland snickered. “Truly unconscionable, sir.”

“With. These. Tokens.”

Mokuba’s fit of giggling seemed to bounce off the walls, surrounding his brother like a choir of tiny bells. The youngest corporate president in the hemisphere stood there, hand on his dueling deck, prepared to engage with that age-old ritual he knew so well. He glared at his miniscule opponent and shook his head, looking at once mystified and ready to chew glass.

“I. Split.” The golden child’s laughter grew even louder. Seto all but shouted to compete: “The. Heavens. To —”

Mokuba fell out of his chair and started rolling around on the carpet, squealing and flailing his little arms around. By now, Roland was not the only person bearing witness to this circus.

Seto closed his eyes. Chewed on his lip.

“You are not cooperating right now.”

Mokuba was too busy kicking at the air, apoplectic with glee. His laughter was infectious, as by now fifteen different employees were covering their hands and snickering. They averted their eyes when Seto-sama swept his raptor’s gaze over them, but none of them tried particularly hard to hide their smiles.

“It would seem, sir,” said Roland, mustache quivering as he strained to keep a straight face, “that the young master is … distracted.”

Seto’s face was murderously neutral.

“I have no idea what you mean.”

With supreme dignity, Seto set the tips of his fingers against the top of his deck, signaling his surrender. He set about clearing the table of his private battlefield, where he had met with complete defeat by a toddler’s private hilarity. His briefcase clicked with quiet authority as he set his things inside.

He then sat, folded his hands in front of him, and manufactured a welcoming smile.

“Now, then,” said he, “shall we begin?”

Sixteen grown adults joined a three-year-old on the floor as the entire hallway burst into laughter.

[alectoperdita]

Fictober - Day 9

prompt: 9. “There is a certain taste to it.” fandom: Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters pairing: Jounouchi Katsuya/Kaiba Seto rating: G warnings: none a/n: have some (literally and figuratively) tooth-rotting fluff as a palate cleanser Kaiba froze in the doorway, speechless at the ghastly sight of his kitchen. It looked like someone had dumped a satchel of flour across the granite countertop. A chest-high stack of bowls, each filled with questionable brown sludge, sat in the sink. Something had been and was still burning. Jounouchi, draped in a splattered apron with his hair tied in a short ponytail, stood at the epicenter of the disaster.

“What the hell?”

Jounouchi jumped at the sound. As he spun around, his spatula spattered more brown goop across the tiled floor in elaborate Jackson Pollock streaks. “Kaiba! You’re home early!” he yelped, guilt written across his face.

“Good thing I did. Otherwise, you might have burned down the mansion first.” He left his briefcase by the doorway before crossing his warzone of a kitchen. Along the way, he sidestepped multiple puddles congealing at various stages. Up close, Jounouchi smelled sweet, laced with notes of vanilla and cocoa. 

“Hey!” protested Jounouchi.

Jounouchi once said he was responsible for most of the cooking in his household growing up. Kaiba had sampled his tamagoyaki, curry, and tonkatsu before. Jounouchi was perfectly proficient in the kitchen. Usually. But based on the kitchen’s present state, Jounouchi’s skills didn’t include baking. 

“What are you making?” 

Valentine’s Day was two months ago. White Day was last month. Mokuba’s birthday wasn’t until July, and Kaiba’s was even further out. Though they'd dated for a while now, Jounouchi didn't often veer off into sentimental directions. He'd never tried to bake anything for Kaiba before.

“Honda’s birthday’s next week,” Jounouchi muttered without meeting Kaiba’s gaze directly. He scratched his cheek sheepishly, smearing chocolate cake batter along his jawline.

“Honda’s... Birthday...” he repeated. He needed to make sure he hadn’t misheard while distracted by the urge to lick Jounouchi’s jaw. 

Jounouchi nodded, flushing pink under Kaiba’s incredulous gaze. Kaiba ignored the twinge in his chest. 

“Look, Honda and me were hanging out last week. He was giving me crap and comparing me to a housewife,” Jounouchi explained and launched into a long-winded story that ended in the most bizarre contest of machismo Kaiba’d ever heard. 

“So now you’re baking a cake for Honda’s birthday for a bet?” 

“Yeah, I guess.”

“What do you win?” demanded Kaiba. 

“Uh, nothing. C’mon, that’s not the point. It’s a matter of pride!” Jounouchi exclaimed. 

He raised a sardonic eyebrow and cast a skeptical gaze up and down the length of Jounouchi’s body. He let his expression speak volumes. 

Jounouchi huffed and stomped to the other side of the room. He returned with a slice of crumbly cake sitting in a puddle of half-melted icing. He then thrust a forkful of cake into Kaiba’s face. “Tell me what you think.”

Kaiba sighed and leaned in for a taste. The cake was a little dry. The somewhat watery icing helped offset that dryness though. All the necessary ingredients were present in the right ratio. It wasn’t a bad tasting cake.

Jounouchi slung an arm across his shoulder and asked expectantly, "Well?"

“There is a certain taste to it,” he replied flatly.

"I didn't think it was that bad..." Jounouchi immediately deflated and started to untangle himself from Kaiba.

Kaiba caught his boyfriend by the strap of his apron and planted a firm kiss on his lips. Jounouchi even tasted like chocolate. Kaiba wondered just how much cake he'd eaten today. When he broke the kiss, he scowled, "Don't put words in my mouth, Jounouchi. I didn't say it was bad. But if this bet is meant to prove your worthiness as a 'housewife,' shouldn't you bake for your boyfriend before your guy-friend?"

A crooked grin slowly spread across Jounouchi's lips. "Aw, Kaiba! You're jealous!" 

He threw a death glare at Jounouchi as a warning.

Too bad Jounouchi grew immune to his glower a long time ago. "That's adorable!" he cooed.

"If you don't stop—"

Jounouchi put the plate down and threaded his arms around Kaiba's waist. While rubbing comforting circles into the small of Kaiba's back, he pressed close. His lips hovered atoms away from Kaiba's as he whispered, "Don't worry, Kaiba, promise you're the only person I do this with."

Check out other puppy/violetshipping ficlets I’m writing all #fictober19 long

[ryuunoyuki]

Flurries

Happy Christmastime to all! And especially to @melodiousramblings who was my partner for this year’s Secret Santa in the Puppyshipping channel on Discord. I hope you enjoy this delightful tale of two guys who still consider talking back to each other to be the equivalent of flirting. XD;

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

Flurries by Raykushi Seto Kaiba did not appreciate winter.

For the CEO, the season was rife with additional annoyances that he didn't have to contend with at other times of the year. Employees were absent more often as illnesses struck; commutes and deliveries took longer in the worsening weather. Everything down the line, from design to production, was delayed.

Of course, Kaiba Corp had handled winter in Domino City for years. Kaiba was well prepared and had made adjustments to account for such things. This did nothing to abate his annoyance, especially when his projected preparations were not quite in line with what the season was bringing.

And to be completely honest, a large portion of his current bitter feelings was reserved for the fact that Mokuba had missed almost a week of school after catching some bug that had hit him hard. Although it was nothing more than a bad cold, the deep rasping cough that still emanated from his room was clinging to the edges of Kaiba's consciousness, even at work. And it was much preferable to be annoyed than to be worried.

Finally in late afternoon Kaiba finished what he needed to for the day, dealt with the many emergencies that had come up, and loaded his remaining files to the cloud to work at from home. It took longer than he planned, of course. The prickle of frustration simmered inside him as he stepped from his personal elevator that went from his office to the lobby, briefcase in hand. That prickle became an electric ripple as he looked ahead and saw through the building's glass doors that a fresh layer of powder was now falling from the sky.

Kaiba also spotted a familiar form coming into the building, lanky and blond. Jounouchi Katsuya had a part-time job at the small extension of the Tower Records Cafe on the ground floor of Domino City's most impressive office building, and apparently had afternoon shift today. He was dressed in work slacks and a black woolen coat. Someone with common sense had convinced him to use some of his funds to purchase a weather-appropriate jacket. This common sense had not, however, extended to any sort of winter hat, and Kaiba couldn't help but notice the red tips of his ears and how the messy fair hair was dusted with white specs that caught the lobby's overhead lights like glitter.

The other teen was focused on whatever cacophony passing for music was coming from his earbuds; he hadn't noticed Kaiba's presence. Impulsively the CEO turned and followed Jounouchi toward the cafe.

He took a seat at a table in the corner, waving away the waitress that started in his direction with one sharp hand gesture. While he waited, he slipped his cellphone from his pocket and sent a text to his limo driver to inform him that he would be delayed. Then he followed it with one to Mokuba. His brother replied right away, a good indication that he was bored but probably feeling better if he was awake and not napping through the afternoon, as he had been the past few days.

"Oh, the boss-on-high's come down to rub elbows with us commoners?" a voice drawled next to his table.

Kaiba looked up. The maroon shirt and brown apron that made up the Tower Records Cafe uniform were colors that worked well with Jounouchi's complexion. His ears were still slightly red from the cold outdoors, though the snowflakes had now melted into his damp hair.

"Not for the scintillating conversation, evidently. And do you need a babysitter to remind you how to dress appropriately for the season?"

Jounouchi shrugged. "It's just flurries," he dismissed. "Are you just here to get comfortable, or do you actually want somethin'?"

Kaiba's eyes narrowed at the implication that he had come to socialize. "Coffee, black," he snarled, letting the frustration of the day layer his voice.

Jou raised an eyebrow. Without further comment, he turned and retreated to the back of the cafe. Kaiba watched him go but didn't make it obvious.

He was immersed in his phone, responding to e-mails and to Mokuba's text inquiries about their upcoming holiday plans, when Jounouchi returned and a cup was placed on the table in front of him.

Kaiba raised his chin a millimeter to eye his order. The drink was held in one of the simple but elegantly designed Tower Records teacups, but judging by the soft brown color of the liquid and the spicy smell of the steam wafting up from it, it was not black coffee.

Icy blue eyes snapped up to Jounouchi's face. "How have you not been fired if you can't fulfill one simple order correctly?" he demanded.

The blond tipped his head to the side, smirking, and pointed at his own chest with his thumb. "I know what the people want, chief," he insisted. "Even if they don't."

Kaiba snorted. "I doubt you know one drink container from the other. I'm amazed you've managed to keep this job for this long."

"Wouldja just try it, moneybags!?"

Grudgingly, Kaiba lifted the cup to his nose and inhaled. The smell was sharp and warm, a chai with some seasonal blend of something, perhaps gingerbread or nutmeg. At least Jounouchi knew better than to give him something without caffeine in it. He took a cautious sip. The warmth from the spicy drink spread down his chest and he felt some tension drain from his shoulders.

His reaction must have shown on his face; Jounouchi let out a chortle. Kaiba put the cup down sharp enough to make the porcelain clink against the saucer. "Don't you have work to do?"

Smirking his satisfaction, Jounouchi took a cloth from his apron pocket and bent over to wipe down a nearby table. Kaiba kept his eyes on his phone, but watched the lanky form from the corner of his vision, taking advantage of the other teen's provocative position.

"How's Mokuba?" Jounouchi asked as he cleaned.

"Recovering." Kaiba kept his response short. Jounouchi had an annoying habit of poking at him until he elaborated, so he added, "He's no longer spending the day in bed, but the doctor hasn't released him to return to school yet."

The blond tsked sympathetically. "Nasty stuff going 'round this time of year."

Kaiba sipped his chai tea as he deleted e-mails. "That adequately describes everything about this time of year." The words came out harsher than he intended.

Jounouchi hmmed and said nothing else. It wasn't common for the blond to give such a noncommittal response, but Kaiba failed to pick up on it as he got a text from one of his suppliers notifying him of another delay. He growled in annoyance.

"Hey," Jounouchi said suddenly. Kaiba ignored him, furiously tapping out a response on his phone.

Jounouchi waited, tapping his foot impatiently in time with the clicking of the phone. He cleared his throat once. Then again, louder.

Kaiba snapped, "What."

"Tomorrow's my day off. They put up these really cool decorations in the park. Everythin' looks like ice and all lit up. You want to go see 'em with me?"

"In this weather!?" Kaiba asked, incredulous.

Jounouchi glanced out the cafe windows at the light snowfall. He shrugged. "It's just flurries, Kaiba, geez."

Kaiba snorted to show what he thought of that.

Jou rolled his eyes. "Chill. It was just a suggestion," he muttered, perhaps thinking the words were too low for Kaiba to hear. They weren't. Still grumbling under his breath, Jou turned away and started aggressively scrubbing at a dried stain on one of the tables.

In no way stalling for time, Kaiba lifted his teacup and slowly finished what remained of his tea. His relationship with the exasperating blond was still new. Often he wondered what he could possibly have been thinking when he agreed to such a thing, and just as often he contemplated what the other teen could possibly see in him. Kaiba's position and his money were not things that impressed Jounouchi; indeed the blond flat out refused any gifts or offers of assistance that might be taken in the vein of pity or compensation he hadn't earned. In a world of courteous respect--or fear--from all his employees and every duelist both in the city and beyond, it was solely the blond who would find harsh words to attempt to cut Kaiba down to size. They failed, of course, but the attempt was refreshing. Truthfully, figuring out the other duelist was a game that Kaiba's mind had not yet tired of playing.

"Jounouchi."

Jou had just about given up and started to step away, but Kaiba's voice stopped him in his tracks. He turned around.

"I do have some time tomorrow, for lunch. If you want to take a walk in the park."

Jounouchi looked surprised. "Oh yeah? What if it's snowing?"

Kaiba glanced up at Jou's hair.

"Hn. As long as it's just flurries."

[conseille]

he's been much busier and the house is far too large for just one person--which is why when she arrives with usual delivery in hand, his place just seems so much brighter... or maybe that was just her smile. he fondly watches her prattle on, hues studying the way her brows move, the rosiness of her cheeks, and the curl of her lips... " sorry, yeah ... i was listening, " he quickly amends as he realizes she's pouting. he can't say he was trying to memorize her face. that would just be .. creepy.

with fingers dusted white and floury, she’s in the middle of folding dumplings with her co-worker when her phone suddenly buzzes from her apron pocket. apologies and anticipation wash her cheeks pink as she rushes to finish, then rushes to the sink. with clean hands she determines that sure enough, the source was a little sticker from sid: a chubby hamster curled up on the floor, claimed languished and starving despite the roundness of his cheeks. she smiles, and in a moment her fingers are at work pilfering his favorites from what’s already been prepared. an older cook turns to scold her, but knows the helpless cause all too well ( only one could turn even yerin into a cheeky thief ! ). most of the time, yerin prefers to make his food herself, stuffing the gimbap and dumplings plump, plump, plump ♪ …  but it’s been a while since she’s seen sid. today she’ll trade the intimacy of cooking for a sooner glimpse of him.

with portions-a-plenty carefully parceled away into the box of her scooter, yerin follows the usual route to his door. no matter the number of times, the nod from the security guard at the gate still manages to elicit that pinch of joy from her when she imagines the first time sid gave them her name. they know her face now, and that just means it’s minutes quicker to see him. and he greets her, a living picture in the frame of the door as always – even in relaxed clothing, sid’s made regal, a simple shirt on him turned into artistic drapery on bronzed effigy as it touches sculpture, muscle. yerin, by contrast …  still in uniform and lacking in glitz & glamour though she may be, her blush colors her a peony placed in admiration. not out of place, but worlds beneath.

though they meet at the door, they’re in the kitchen in seconds, and yerin’s moving fluidly to unearth his plateware ( she knows his cupboards as well as the curves of him ). she chats while she works to prepare the food, ponytail swishing – low today, the style an afterthought subsequent to the outside heat – as she brings up the customers she saw earlier. how the kids shuffling monster cards at the tables had reminded her of the days they played yu-gi-oh before, and ❝ … remember ? ❞  how they had “borrowed” a briefcase from yerin’s dad to hold their cards just like kaiba, only to dramatically scuff up the edges after dragging it all around the park.

❝ – i didn’t get any allowance for three months, ❞ she laughs, lightly scratching her forehead where her bangs tickle. when she turns to sid with a plate piled high for him, however … there’s no response. for a moment, she wonders if she rambles too much – it seems she can’t help but mention the past whenever they’re together; memories spill from her lips like endless pages worn loose from the photobook, faded, fond. but he usually doesn’t seem to mind. her pout turns to concern, wondering if he’s been overworked lately. ❝ you’re not working too hard, are you ? ❞ a hand passes gently to his forehead without thinking, but then, blinking back, it’s her own temperature that rises in succession.

[heartoftheyugi]

Kaibagge squished his cheeks together. This is nothing new. But the excuse he used was brand new. "Vibe check." Squish squish.

"Bibe bhjeck?" Yugi repeated, as best as he could in his current situation, eyebrows scrunched together and draw high up on his brow.

Well, at least this method was better than a briefcase to the face, he reasoned.

He pried Kaiba's hands away, and mock dramatically asked "Oh Oracle, what vibes did thou perceive?"

[synthient]

Could you elaborate on what you mean about Death T re stanning and fairness? It sounds interesting and I'd love to hear about it if you don't mind sharing.

ajhfakj hoo boy. Okay.

So some time around the summer before last (judging by the point where the first baffled and frustrated readmores start showing up on this blog), I read Death-T. It made me feel…some kind of way. An…unpleasant kind of way.

Here’s the thing about me: I can’t just let myself have an emotional reaction to a piece of fiction. I have to, first, pick apart my own emotions to figure out why I had that reaction, and second, pick apart the story to figure out how it works and how it made me feel that way.

On the Feelings Front, I’ve isolated two main causes:

1. I have a brain that Needs Things To Be Fair. That doesn’t mean I can’t handle unfairness in a piece of fiction. Unfairness creates conflict, and conflict is what makes for good storytelling. But it does mean that I need the story to be aware of its own unfairness. I need the unfairness to be the point. Otherwise I start vibrating at high speeds and shaking my fist at clouds.

2. I’m a Kaiba stan. I accidentally got emotionally attached to the Funny Card Game Boy from the Funny Card Game Show. 

There’s the feelings part. That leaves the “picking apart the story” side of the equation. And I’ve been trying to do that in nice punchy little one-or-two-paragraph text posts for the past year or so, but I don’t think I’ve ever really done the argument justice that way. So I guess that leaves only one option: writing a giant wordvomit essay on Yugioh (1996-2004).

Why This Is A Death-T Hateblog: The Masterpost

An important note: I like being able to back up my thoughts with Evidence From The Text, but I’m specifically working off the (Viz translated) manga. You can read Cards with Teeth here, Capumon here, and Death-T starting here if you want to check any of my facts or draw your own conclusions. Keep in mind that the Toei anime made pretty huge changes to the s0 Kaiba storyline, and the DM anime skipped most of it entirely–if you’re more familiar with those continuities, there’re some major differences in the manga.

(Also this thing probably reads better on desktop. I think the formatting got screwed up on mobile)

How We Got Here

Before we can actually dig into Death-T, we need to start at the very beginning (♫a very good place to start♫). So that means taking a look at “The Cards with Teeth (Part 1)” and “The Cards with Teeth (Part 2).”

For its first 8 chapters, the Yugioh manga chugs blissfully (if repetitively) along with an episodic, conflict-of-the-week formula. No overarching plot. Next to no sense of continuity. No trading cards in sight.

Then this asshole shows up. 

His name is Seto Kaiba (or “Kaiba,” at least–not sure if this is just a Viz thing, but my copy of CwT never mentions his given name). Not that he bears a whole lot of resemblance to the Seto Kaiba we later come to know and love (and/or love to hate).

Almost none of his most defining traits are there yet. There’s no mention of Mokuba, no mention of Kaibacorp, no indicationthat he’s especially rich (besides the fact that he’s carrying around a wholebriefcase of trading cards), no reason to believe he has a specific obsession with Blue Eyes (he just thinks it’s a strong card and it’d help him win tournaments), and no sign of any special hacking/strategy/hand-to-hand-combat/etc. skills (the kid is hilariously incompetent). 

This dude was never supposed to be a recurring character, and it shows.

But anyway, let’s run through the basic series of events:

- Kaiba wanders into the game shop looking forbooster packs. Yugi recognizes him as an acquaintance from school (not as a famous kid CEO, and not as a recent transfer student)

- Kaiba happens to notice the Blue Eyes card lying out onGrandpa’s counter (in this version of events, he hasn’t been stealing rare cards for months before this, he didn’t creep on Yugi’s conversation and followhim home, he had no idea going in that the Blue Eyes was there, and he didn’t already have the other three)

- He offers to trade all the cards in his briefcasefor the Blue Eyes (although he doesn’t tell Grandpa to name his price—again,the millionaire CEO element isn’t a thing yet)

- Grandpa refuses, so the next day Kaiba comes up with alaughably badly thought-out plan to steal the card

- Shockingly, Yugi notices that the “color copy from the catalog” isn’t the real deal. He gently tries to confront Kaiba about it in private

- Kaiba (without showing an ounce of the cool head you’d think you’d need to take over and run a company) panics, starts stammering and unconvincingly denying it, and then smacks Yugi with his briefcase

Annnd then Part 2 plays out like a standard s0 chapter.

“Yami Yugi” takes over. They play a shadow game. Kaiba cheats by slipping the stolen Blue Eyes out of his sleeve (Atem’s like “That’s my Grandpa’s card!” and Kaiba straight up goes “Whaaat, nooo, that’s my card that I, uh, found on the street just now.” A teen genius criminal mastermind, everybody). The shadow magic gives him a spritz from its metaphorical Karmic Cat-Training Spray Bottle and makes his Blue Eyes dissolve (I’d like to think that was Kisara going “I’m not mad, just disappointed,” and Memory World tries to retroactively make that connection, but it’s pretty abundantly clear that nothing about this series was planned that far ahead). He loses. Yadda yadda yadda.

And then Atem goes in for the penalty game.

To recap: 

Some random 10th grader from Yugi’s school stole a trading card, hit someone, and was generally kind of a jerk. As punishment, he was trapped in a hyper-realistic illusion of being ripped apart and slaughtered by half a dozen monsters at once.

Y…ay…?

Let’s Stop and Reflect for a Sec

In theory, I shouldn’t be that much more upset about Cards with Teeth than I am about any other part of s0, right? It’s not like the manga framed it as horrific and wrong when Atem set off an explosion in some teenage bully’s face a couple chapters ago. Giving us the vicarious pleasure of punishing our bullies in over-the-top, Carrie-style ways without actually exploring any of the consequences is, like, the early manga’s whole thing.

But even taking into account the fact that I already had an attachment to this Nasty Bowl Cut Boy thanks to the anime, I do actually think that there are at least two factors that set CwT apart.

The first is that Atem’s karmic punishments are usually…well, karmic. If he inflicts physical harm on someone, it’s because they already inflicted or tried to inflict roughly the same amount of harm on Yugi & co. If the crime was relatively minor, then he only gives out a minor punishment–like, say, when the homeroom teacher was Just Kinda Mean, all he did was allow the class to see her without her makeup on (…setting aside the Let’s Get Into Gender Politics-ness of that chapter).

There’s even a few cases where you could argue that the punishment is too light to fit the crime. Ushio beat Jonouchi and Honda half to death and tried to murder Yugi with a knife, and all he got was this lousy t-shirt an illusion that made the trash on the ground look like money.

In another chapter, the villain of the week tried to rape Anzu, and the only punishment he faced was having his side business exposed as a scam (Let’s Get Into Gender Politics).

Yet in CwT, we see one of the most harmless villains in all of s0 (no prolonged beatings or attempted murder? unheard of!) receive what’s arguably the most horrifying penalty game in the whole manga. At least when that guy got set on fire, it was over fast.

And that brings us to factor number two: Kaiba is the first penalty game victim in s0 who comes back. 

Capumon: Gotta Catch ‘em All!

Well, technically he doesn’t come back in person, at first. Someone else shows up to fight in his name.

Oh hey Mokie. How’s it going?

Rather understandably (imo), Mokuba wants the guy who tortured his brother last week to face some actual consequences for it.

Now here’s an interesting opportunity that the manga has set up for itself. Is it going to dig deep into the balance between defending yourself vs lashing out and causing undue harm? Is it going to remind us that most of the penalty game victims so far, whatever their crimes,have been children? Is it going to demonstrate that when you take out your anger on someone, you don’t just hurt your immediate target, but their loved ones as well?

Nah, who am I kidding.  

Hurting or inconveniencing the Good Guys in any way is Bad. Anything the Good Guys do is Good and Justified. Using magic to stick an already-hurting eleven-year-old in his own personalized hell? Good and Justified.

Before he’s shoved screaming into the Giant Vending Machine Capsule Where Bad And Naughty Elementary Schoolers Go To Atone For Their Crimes, Mokuba mentions that the other penalty game he heard about “made my brother go crazy!”

He also drops a hint of things to come with all the subtlety of an anvil. So I guess by this point, the numbers had come in and the card game chapter had proved unexpectedly popular enough that a sequel was in the works.

Death-Twink? Death-Tastic?Death-Two: Electric Boogaloo?

I’ve been pretty hard on Cards with Teeth and Capsule Monsters Chess so far. But you want to know the truth?

On their own, they aren’t necessarily that bad.

What really matters in a story isn’t the literal events: it’s how those events are framed. At the moment, we’re only midway through an incomplete storyline. Maybe we’re supposed to be horrified. Maybe we’re supposed to be questioning whether or not the hero is really in the right. It all hangs on what these chapters are building to.

As it turns out–as Mokuba just helpfully clued us in on–they were building to Death-T.

And that’s where the shit hits the fan.

Over a dozen chapters after we first met Kaiba, a whole bunch of completely-unforeshadowed facts about him are suddenly dumped on us all at once. He’s rich! The kind of rich that allows for limo rides, a giant mansion, and flouncing around in a fur-lined cape like feudal European nobility! And he’s the president of a company, even though “Whaa?!! But he’s still in high school!” Speaking of which, apparently Kaiba “hasn’t been at school recently.”

The Death-T arc opens with Yugi and Jonouchi attending the world’s most awkward sleepover–the host never shows up, and they don’t even get to paint each others’ nails or watch movies. Also Mokuba tries to murder them in the night, but you know what? If someone tortured my brother, “made him go crazy,” and left him huddled in the house feverishly working on a bizarre project and refusing to go to school for the next few weeks, I’d probably poison them too.

The morning after the sleepover, we learn another new Kaiba Fact…

Ever since the Experience of Death happened, he’s been having horrible recurring PTSD nightmares about it. As you do. When you get tortured.

(This is why, even though I know intellectually that it’s Not That Deep and people arejust having fun, I still get a little skeeved out when I see jokes about howDeath-T happened “just” because Kaiba was that mad about losing a card game or “just”because he had a crush on Yugi and he didn’t know how to deal with it. I’malways internally like “Nnno, I’m pretty sure it was the torture?”)

So far we’ve been shown in pretty brutal detail that our “hero” psychologically broke a fifteen-year-old for no good reason. The manga’s going to have its work cut out for it if it really wants to do a convincing redemption arc for its protagonist. And there’s no way it could possibly try to spin that random act of torture as an acceptable thing, right?

…right?

Crime and Punishment

That’s one of my first big problems with Death-T: to me, it reads as a way of trying to retroactively justify the Experience of Death.

That seems to be the purpose of suddenly giving Kaiba all this wealth and power that was never hinted at in Cards with Teeth. See, he wasn’t just some random high school kid who had the bad luck of crossing someone with magic powers; he was (however improbable that is, as the story lampshades) a high school-aged CEO. He’s so ludicrously powerful that he can torture an old man in front of a live audience and get away with it. Punching up looks a lot better than punching down, doesn’t it?

And you can’t really fault the hero for torturing someone evil, can you? Kaiba used Grandpa’s sanity as a blackmail chip! He ran experiments on human test subjects! He wants to kill Yugi and everyone he loves! Surely a little torture is no worse than he deserved.

There’s only one one problem with that: the Experience of Death happened before Death-T. There’s no way Atem could have known any of this was coming. The audience couldn’t have known it was coming. Takahashi didn’t know. Chronologically speaking, the Experience of Death wasn’t revenge for Death-T. It’s the other way around.

Best Served Cold

So Death-T is a form of eye-for-an-eye vengeance: “Yugi” beat Kaiba at Duel Monsters and tortured him, so now Kaiba’s gonna beat Yugi and torture him, using his own perfect virtual recreation of “Yugi’s” penalty game (oh yeah, that whole “the average person goes insane in about 10 minutes” thing? Kaiba was able to program that detail from personal experience).

But wait! This isn’t really eye-for-an-eye! Kaiba’s going after Yugi’s loved ones, not just Yugi, and that’s worse than what Yugi did to him! And even if it was proportionate, revenge is bad and wrong. That’s how you get endless back-and-forth chains of vengeance and generational blood feuds and stuff. Two wrongs don’t make a right!

And those could all be reasonable points, except…

This entire story is about how great and badass eye-for-an-eye justice is.

“Wouldn’t it be cool if you could take everyone who ever hurt you and make them suffer even worse” is practically the thesis of Season 0. You can’t make something look awesome when the protagonist does it and then turn around and make it seem evil and inexcusable coming from anyone else.

And while Kaiba does wind up targeting Yugi’s friends, that wasn’t part of his original plan. He’s surprised when random people start jumping out of the bleachers/the Kaibacorp employee roster and insisting that they won’t let Yugi do this alone. The writing uses his surprise as proof that he just doesn’t understand The Power of Friendship, but it’s also evidence that his original target was just Yugi.

“If you’re gonna side with my torturer, then you can have the same fate as him, I guess.” It’s not even that far outside the logic Atem’s been using all this time. Just because there’s only one main gang member who personally hurt his friend, that doesn’t mean that Atem won’t rope every random mook who gets in his way into the death game too. (Granted, this doesn’t really apply to Kaiba’s treatment of Grandpa. Or the offscreen experimentation/blackmailing. Or Mokuba, but…we’ll get to that).

…But like I said before, the big issue isn’t the events. It’s the framing. Maybe the point will ultimately be that if penalty games are wrong when the bad guy does them, then they’re wrong when the hero does them too. Maybe this is all leading up to a big reexamination of Atem’s moral code and some much-needed character development.

Maybe. Let’s keep going and see.

*Great Gatsby comic voice* Baby? What Baby

Death-T runs for 14 chapters, but Kaiba isn’t actually there for, like…half of them.

I mean, he’s technically there? Occasionally? He’ll show up long enough to dramatically play chess for a panel or so, or to stick his head on a TV monitor and provide some Helpful Death Game Hints. But for all practical purposes, he’s pretty much absent for the entire middle section of the story arc.

And, uh…let’s just say I 100% understand and respect the DM anime’s decisionto go straight from Grandpa’s heart attack to the final duel and skipeverything in between.

If Kaiba’s real goal is to beat Yugi at Duel Monsters, then all the death games leading up to that one are basically filler. And they manage to be just as contrived and nonsensical as any anime filler arc, without a fraction of the fun.

It’s largely a tonal issue. The writing swings wildly between grimdark dramatics, sentimental conversations about friendship where everyone hugs and cries (tbh that’s one of the few redeeming qualities of the arc), and “comic relief” where the “““comedy””” is all either bodily function jokes or sexual assault jokes (L̠̤̯͍̦e̮̪͎̞t's̞̮̳̱̰̦̲ ̲G͖͉̹̻̯͉͖e̜̝̗͓̟͚t̖͚ ͚̰̞̮̝̫͎I͓̜̦̳̭͚͎n̪̪͈t͍̥̰̼o͚͎͇̣̘̝ ̪̼̜̣̳G͈̠̫e̳̝̗̪ṋ͚̞͎ͅd͔̙͓̯̹e̯̺̯̩r͔̣̲͔̳̗ ̘͙P̖̦o̩̺͖͎̞̬l͎̺͕̹i͇̣̼̦t̰i̬̰̝͙̗̝c̜̼̺̪̲̞s).

Honestly, in terms of the “stanning and fairness” argument, there’s not much to talk about here. It just adds insult to injury that not only does Death-T throw my fave under the bus, but it’s really badly written.

The Mokuba Thing

Okay, let’s fast-forward through the filler zone and stoppp…here. 

In the context of the anime, where we know (and see multiple flashbacks demonstrating) that their whole life has been an “us against the world” story, this scene is tragic. Seto’s trust in people has been eroded so much that he even thinks Mokuba is conspiring against him? Their love and support for each other, which has survived through so much hardship, has finally cracked under the weight of this latest trauma? There’s a lot of dramatic and tearjerking potential there.

I think it’s pretty safe to say that most of us bring our baggage from the anime with us when we read the manga. The vast majority of the western Yugioh fandom did start with DM. 

But if we look at this purely in the context of the manga–if we can pretend, for a second, that none of us have ever heard of the anime–this is the first time we see the two of them interacting onscreen. And none of those touching flashbacks of Seto comforting Mokuba and defending him from bullies and promising to be his father exist here. All we ever really learn about their relationship before this point is “They used to be a little closer when they were younger. Source: one (1) photo of them playing chess.”

So instead of serving as the tragic lowpoint of their relationship, this scene sets the baseline for it: Mokuba desperately wants to make his brother happy and earn his approval, while Seto responds with dismissal and cruelty.

In the anime (and to a certain extent in the later manga), Mokuba’s purpose in the narrative is to humanize Seto. But in Death-T, he serves the opposite function. Every interaction they have is an opportunity for Seto to kick the dog and prove what a monster he is.

And it’s all downhill from here.

………………

…So.

I have…mixed feelings about this.

On one level–a meta level–I think this scene serves the same purpose as taking that random high schooler from CwT and suddenly giving him ridiculous amounts of money and power and mustache-twirling levels of villainy. It’s a way of making the Experience of Death seem retroactively justified (and also a way of making the upcoming penalty game look fair).

On the other hand. It’s. 

Horrific.

This scene is supposed to make us hate Kaiba, and it does it’s job really really well.

Personally speaking? I’m of the opinion that trying to hurt the child under your care as badly as you conceivably can is a “don’t pass go, don’t collect $100″ kind of deal. There’s no coming back from that. There’s no fixing or salvaging this relationship.  

(God, this whole thing is wrapped in so many layers of fantasy that I’m not even sure what the real-world equivalent would be. Trying to beat your child not quite to death?)

Mokuba should not have had to continue living with his brother after this, any more than the Ishtars should have had to stay with their dad or Seto should have had to stay with Gozaburo. Mokuba forgiving Seto for this isn’t touching to me, it’s gut-wrenching. Every “heartwarming” brotherly moment in the later manga (all, like…2 and a half of them) feels hollow and sad.

As far as I’m concerned, this scene doesn’t “complicate” their relationship in any interesting or meaningful way. Their anime relationship already has plenty of complications–their sometimes unhealthy co-dependence, the fact that Seto is still a kid himself and he’s not really equipped to be a parent,Mokuba’s difficulty understanding that Seto can’t just “go back to who he was” before his trauma, the times when Seto is too caught up in his own pain to really be there for Mokuba, the manipulation involved in Seto’s takeover plan, etc. This just makes their relationship outright child abuse.

But hey, they hugged that one time in Duelist Kingdom, so it’s fine, right?

ExODiA iiiIIIIT’s not pAHsible

The final duel happens. The big Blue Eyes vs Exodia showdown.

*Bill Wurtz voice* So that’s pretty nifty, I would say.

It’s..? A genuinely cool and dramatic duel. There’s a reason it’s one of the, like, three Death-T elements the DM anime actually bothered to keep. Not much to say about it.

Sure was a whole lot of buildup just to end things with one (1) deus ex machina instawin card, tho.

The Tragic Backstory

So if all this happened because of a penalty game, what do you think the solution could be?

Did you say “another, even harsher penalty game”?

Ding ding ding!

This time, instead of torturing the fifteen-year-old, our hero puts the fifteen-year-old in a vegetative state as he begs for mercy.

Yaaaayy! 

Some fun facts about the Mind Crush that we don’t actually learn until Duelist Kingdom:

1. It lasted for 6 months

2. Mokuba spent that entire time alone, in the big empty mansion, with no parental guidance or adult supervision except the butlers and maids, caring for his brother’s comatose body 24/7

3. When Atem put Kaiba in that coma, he had absolutely no idea if he’d ever be able to wake up or not. He thought he could, maybe–Kaiba’s pretty strong, right? But he also finds the idea that Kaiba died in his coma and came back to haunt him perfectly believable. “Fixed,” dead…eh, it was kind of a coin toss.

But wait, the story’s not over yet! First we have to find out Why Kaiba Is The Way He Is (“Because your buddy tortured him last month” isn’t enough of an answer, apparently).

This is communicated in the most natural way possible: Mokuba just starts monologuing about all his brother’s deepest darkest traumas to a bunch of strangers his brother hates.

The claim that Kaiba’s backstory is “more complex” in the manga than it is in the anime has always confused me, because this is…it. These three pages are the whole backstory. I mean, in Battle City we do get one more passing line of dialog about how Kaibacorp used to be a weapons manufacturer and Gozaburo “sold Seto’s soul to the military industrial complex,” but other than that… The anime took these bare bones and fleshed them out significantly, but from a pure manga canon standpoint, it’s not a whole lot to work with.

But there’s still enough here to rub me the wrong way.

For one thing, this sequence is almost an exact parallel to two later moments in the manga: Pegasus’s backstory dump at the end of Duelist Kingdom, and Malik’s backstory dump mid-Battle City. In both of those cases, the purpose of the scene is to take a villain whose motives seemed cruel and inexplicable and finally reveal the reasons behind his actions. We’re supposed to be seeing these characters in a sympathetic light for the very first time.

But Kaiba’s motives in Death-T, uh, weren’t exactly a mystery. He already made it pretty explicitly clear that this was about the torture. So as a narrative tool, Mokuba’s monologue:

1. seems a little superfluous

2. seems like a way of taking any responsibility out of the protagonist’s hands. Kaiba didn’t snap because of anything Atem did, he just had a bunch of fucked up baggage that Atem couldn’t possibly have known about or accounted for. Who knew some people take it badly when you torture them??

3. seems to suggest that we weren’t supposed to be sympathizing with Kaiba before this point. If this is the big “oh, now that I know why he did it, I guess I feel a little bad for him :(” moment, then that means the part where he got tortured…wasn’t?

And, as always, there’s the issue of the framing.

The grace note of the monologue–the thought it leaves us with, the intended takeaway–isn’t “If only he hadn’t gone through years of abuse, in circumstances he had no real control over because he was a child.” It’s “If only he hadn’t brought all this upon himself by cheating.”

Even if we ignore the fact that it’s physically impossible to cheat at chess (which seems like kind of a big oversight for a gaming manga, but oh well, That’s Yugioh Babe)…

How can you possibly present a ten-year-old cheating at a board game in a desperate gambit to get himself and his brother out of an orphanage as his start of darkness?

Yet that’s exactly what the writing does. This is a story about how games “reveal the true hearts” of their players and bring karmic retribution down on anyone who doesn’t respect the game and follow the rules. The implication is that the child abuse Seto suffered was karma. He rightfully earned it by cheating at chess, just like he brought the Experience of Death upon himself by cheating at Duel Monsters.

Oh yeah, speaking of which…

Wheel of Morality, Turn Turn Turn, Tell Us The Lesson We Should Learn

What was the outcome of Death-T? What impact did it actually have? 

Did it bring about any big moral reckoning? Any questioning of the heroes’ values? Did Atem learn the difficult but important lesson “torture bad”?

Nnnnope!

Death-T is immediately followed by a series of episodic chapters that take us right back to the status quo like nothing happened. Atem keeps merrily handing out penalty games all the way up to the very end of Duelist Kingdom. When he does finally stop doing them, his decision has nothing to do with Death-T. It takes a comment from Pegasus about the Millennium Items having an “evil intelligence” to make him wonder “wait…I’m from a Millennium Item…I’m an intelligence…could evil…maybe include…torture????”

And even after the manga lukewarmly reverses its position to “torture sort of bad I guess,” it never really does anything with that revelation. None of the past penalty games are ever reexamined. No apologies are made. The Experience of Death is quietly swept under the rug, and the Mind Crush, when it’s brought up at all, is framed as noble act that “fixed” Kaiba (because “if you make someone suffer badly enough, you can hurt them into being a better person” is a great message).

Basically, we learned nothing from Death-T, nothing changed, and our takeaway is supposed to be “Atem was 100% in the right and Kaiba was 100% in the wrong, and also he’s an evil monster who deserved everything he got.”

Guess I Need A Satisfying Conclusion of Some Kind Even Through Death-T Didn’t Really Have One, Huh

Wow.

That was…a whole lot of words of Death-T rage that I apparently had in me zjkghzkkf. 

I tend to feel less justified about constantly harping on Death-T then I do when it comes to, like, the racism in Memory World, or the series’ general Miss O’Gyny. It’s not like “magical vigilantism” is exactly a real-word social issue that’s being reflected in this piece of fiction. I realize a lot of my anger pretty much boils down to “hey,, ! thats…my fave. stopp...being mean to him >:(”

But I also feel like the issues in Death-T aren’t limited to Death-T.

The manga has this…this thing where it wants to be able to pinpoint a few clear, unchanging moral rules (“cheating is bad!” “graverobbing is bad!” “patricide is bad!”) and just apply them neatly to every situation, without having to take into account any of that inconvenient stuff like “what were the circumstances of this specific situation,” or “how many choices were actually open to this person,” or “how much harm was done by this choice compared to its benefits in terms of basic human well-being.” Yet at the same time, that moral absolutism is somehow coupled with a reluctance to apply any moral judgement to its protagonists at all. 

The two points where that becomes clearest are Death-T and Memory World. And I feel like even when people acknowledge the issues with those arcs, they still want to be able to write it off as “oh, that was just a problem with the early chapters, it was fixed as the writing matured,” or “oh, that was just a problem at the end because of the mad rush to finish the story before it got canceled, it was never a thing before then.” But it’s not an isolated problem. It’s there at the beginning of the story, it’s there at the end, and it’s baked into everything in the middle.

…but anyhow. 

hey,, ! thats…my fave. stopp...being mean to him >:(