Yu-Gi-Oh! Fan Fiction ❯ The King and Prince of Games ❯ Green Sleeves ( Chapter 3 )

"Speech" 'Thoughts'

Chapter 3- Green Sleeves

" Ok I've handled all the technical work. Our duel will be broadcasted on the outside of Kaiba Land; it will be displayed on a TV screen larger than most houses in Domino. There's no way our duel will go unseen or unknown by anybody wandering these parts." Kaiba announced to Yami as he entered the dueling stadium, which was where the phony duel between the Legends themselves was to be played.

Yami had been scanning the perimeter; it was his call to leave the entrances to the Dueling Arena open for the smallest hope that two henchmen would fall for the bait. Yami then turned to acknowledge the brunette as he stormed into the arena. The place had been empty, which was of course all in the plan. Kaiba Land had been announced closed for the day. ' This plan had better work, this may be which the only means we have to lead us to the location of those held captive. Kaiba and I had designed a plan with absolutely no flaws in the making, which only left the two henchmen to do their part. They were in fact the key to this entire operation without them there would be no plan only two hopelessly lost souls engaging in an even more hopeless duel.' Melancholy, were Yami's thoughts yet he savored and embraced that tiny spark of hope he had left. Determination was his fuel; Kaiba's fire was also ignited by this. Without determination they would be blind and lost and fall victim to depression, which would consume them and eat them alive leaving nothing but as an empty shell.

He and Kaiba had lost the pride that they held so dear, never in their lives would they have thought they'd turn their expert skills of tactics into the sham that was this duel. It was almost sickening the very thought, yet Yami shook it off. ' This is for those I care for most in this world, never for Marik', he thought as he approached Kaiba. As he stepped toward the direction of the C.E.O. it came to him that there was only on thing he needed to complete this plan and that was the bait; Slifer the Sky Dragon. He carefully opened the small pouch that was located on his belt and pulled out the God card; he glanced down at the second card that he kept treasured. It was the Red Eyes Black Dragon, he felt a wave of sorrow and guilt wash over him. ' Jonouchi...' Yami quickly closed the pouch once again as an attempt to forget when he held the God card tightly in his grasp.

Footsteps were heard throughout the arena, the loud clanging noise bringing Yami's mind back to the present task at hand. The sound echoed since the building had been vacant, it bounced off the walls, seats, and equipment and was redirected excruciatingly in Yami's ringing ears. Then suddenly it stopped, a graceful hand had found its way on Yami's shirt, and he welcomed the touch.

Kaiba then spoke, " This is a communication device, and top of the line in fact it can pick up even the slightest whispers." Yami blinked and raised his head to face Kaiba as he spoke; the brunette opened the burgundy lining of his white coat to reveal his communication device to the smaller male. " With this we can keep in contact during the duel, in case something suspicious happens."

' Of course, he just wanted to attach the receiver' Yami then remembered the card he held in his hand, and he needed to inform Kaiba that Slifer wasn't the only card they required for the trap. " I need you to give me Obelisk the Tormentor."

(Seto Kaiba's point of view)

Kaiba insolently crossed his arms over his chest, his voice tinged with dark humor, " You expect me to give you my Egyptian God card that easily by you simply asking me? Have you lost your edge in battle or are you finally out of your mind?"

" No, Kaiba! I'm not asking you to give me the card to keep; the God cards will serve as tempting bait. You said it yourself last night that we needed something that would draw them out no matter what, what better than the God cards themselves?"

Kaiba thought long and hard about what Yami had just said he hated to admit that his rival had a point. Reluctantly he pulled out his deck and fiddled through the cards till he came across Obelisk. With his middle and index fingers he held out the prized card. ' I know Yami better now, I know that I can trust him enough to not take my card and make a run for it. He..' Kaiba's thoughts made a sudden 180 as his eyes wondered Yami's form. '..He's so beautiful; does he realize the affect he has over me? True I agreed to his terms, as much as I tried I couldn't refuse him.' Kaiba grunted then all but shoved the said card in Yami's face, as he swiftly strode past him.

Yami beamed in the direction that Kaiba headed, if only he'd turned around that very moment he would have seen the pleasant smile that graced Yami's face.

" Thank you Kaiba, I'll place the two cards on the side/center of the Dueling arena. As the duel is filmed the God cards would be in clear view to our audience."

Kaiba had already made his way to the top of the dueling platform as Yami set the cards.

"Assume your position at the other end of the dueling platform, we don't exactly have another second to lose. I had preprogrammed the cameras to film the duel at exactly noon; it's currently 11:58.

Word got around rapidly in Domino that the two masters or rather legends of Duel Monsters were now engaged in a duel that would determine who would be the rightful owner of the title as the King of Games. This was a duel worth watching for most; well those of which whom weren't in a duel themselves as of the moment. Dozens of people stopped to watch the event unbeknownst to the general public that this was only an elaborate scheme forged out of sheer desperation.

Monsters upon Monsters were summoned, followed by their destruction shortly after. Strategies where played and wits challenged, the duel had been purposely drawn out as long as possible. There was only one motivation for the duel this one time and that had been to drag out the plan long enough to lure the enemy. The hours flew by like minutes and still not a sign of a single intruder, henchman, nor mind slave. Yami's voice grew horse from the yelling of attacks directed to the other side of the field, the 'pharaoh' did tend to voice his strategies rather loudly so it was no wonder after 5 hours of continuous cries he began to lose his voice.

Kaiba noticed this, yet, he him usually was the calm and collective type and spoke out during the match only when absolutely necessary.

" I don't think I can carry on with this duel any longer" Yami voiced barely above a whisper into the commutation device placed on his shirt previous to the duel.

"You brought this upon yourself, you yell too much." Kaiba responded then cleared his throat " Keep talking to a minimum."

" No, that's not what I meant. I can't handle this, I can't ...I just can't continue this duel!" The weight on his shoulders finally crumbled down, and the walls had broken. The crimsoned-eyed boy lost his will and all hope that drove him this far in the first place. He fell to his knees, the reaction had been the same feeling he faced when he had dueled Strings; Marik's mind slave that challenged him with Slifer. Yami felt he had already lost, he almost gave up until his rival, Seto Kaiba arrived. Kaiba's words moved him and gave him the power he needed to stand again then pushed him into defeating Strings. When Yami doubted himself, Kaiba still believed in his spirit as a fighter the very spirit that defeated Kaiba in the past. The distressed boy held his head in one hand as the other still clutched the cards; his golden bangs shielded his eyes as his head hung low.

The simulations of monsters turned off, Kaiba was at loss in what to do next. Running a company came natural to him yet when it came to humans and their emotions, and how to handle these delicate matters were difficult if not impossible for him to understand. The brunette collected the two God cards then climbed down the platform as he walked along side the dueling field he noticed a jumble of cords that seemed out of place. It appeared almost as if someone had tampered with them. 'That's odd.' Kaiba pushed that thought aside, that was ridiculous he was the one that dealt with the high tech equipment and such, and everything leading to the broadcast was nothing less than perfection.

Kaiba heard every sound emitted from Yami, from his shallow breathing to his incoherent murmurs. ' He forgot that I could hear everything loud and clear.' Kaiba mused as he reached the top of Yami's dueling platform were the other duelist sat; he flinched when he felt the brunette's presence behind him.

"Why did you stop in the middle of the duel?"

(Yami's point of view)

"Isn't it obvious? I don't have the willpower to continue this torment Kaiba."

" Then this is what you do, give up? You're no longer the person that I've come to look upon as a formidable opponent with inner strength and confidence. From what I've seen and witnessed these past couple of days prove everything that I thought of you to be nothing but a facade."

Yami's eyes flew open then; he was enraged that Kaiba would think of him as a fake or a phony. ' How dare he even judge me at times like these, he assumes that people stay exactly the same even in a time of crisis. He doesn't understand anything about people, he's absolutely blind to the emotions of other people.'

Yami knew he would take a chance by speaking since his voice was unstable and his head was reeling with anger, yet he needed to lash out at Kaiba. There was too much pent up anger.

" And," he coughed to clear his hoarse and shaky voice " And from what I've seen these past couple of days proves correct in every aspect that you are a coldhearted bastard that lacks all emotions! You don't have a single humane bone in your body; your heart is black and carved from a block of ice! You're a horrible person full of hate and bitterness! You know nothing of the person that I am, you know not of what I have been through, You know nothing!"

(Seto Kaiba's point of view)

Kaiba knew that would work out perfectly, he'd just played a mind game of his own with Yami. Kaiba redirected Yami's despair and loss of hope and turned him into the fighter he knew Yami still had in him with only one simple insult. Kaiba knelt down next to his rival; one thing had bothered him from what Yami had moments ago spat out. It was very true that Kaiba didn't know what exactly Yami had been through prior to becoming a part of Kaiba's life. What Kaiba knew he didn't believe and that which was Yami had come from the golden puzzle which hung around his neck on a silver chain. Heavy it seemed, yet Kaiba knew all too well that Yami's body wasn't weak or frail as it seemed. Maybe he had thought that since he was short in stature, all the same Yami proved him otherwise that first night they spent together. Kaiba felt every muscle wrapped in smooth skin against his own, it made Kaiba hot just recalling Yami's muscular body.

There was so much of Yami he wanted to explore still, and Yami had given himself to him in the most personal way imaginable when he'd given his body to Kaiba. The brunette had but to ask, to learn what was in his mind, may it be his thoughts, experiences, or his past.

" If I don't know anything, then tell me all, enlighten me. Give me some idea of what I should know. You're not being reasonable."

(Yami's point of view)

Yami stopped to think. 'Did Kaiba actually sound concerned? No he couldn't, that's not like him, he..but I want to tell him, I need him. Why must this all happen? My life is such darkness, and once I was released from that darkness, I had friends. They gave me my strength, yet now......'

Yami sighed bitterly he was too weak to fight Kaiba, " I'm darkness, I've lived in it so long that I became it. I fear it, yet that is what I am." That was the easiest way possible to explain it.

There was a silence now, all that was heard was the labored breathing released from the crimsoned-eyed duelist. The said boy was a nervous wreck, not to mention pale from lack of proper nutrition, his eyes distant and mind scattered.

"Seto, help me." Yami's body went limp, his mind followed as he lost consciousness.

Alarmed crystal blue eyes blazed at the vision before them as the boy's body came dangerously close to crashing down on the solid ground. Kaiba caught Yami before his head painfully met the floor; Kaiba shifted then cautiously drew Yami's legs over his arms as he held the boy in his arms. Kaiba firmly held his balance with that one knee on the ground, since he'd been still kneeling. Yami's head rested itself on Kaiba's chest; he upheld a steady breathing pace now, which relieved Kaiba greatly. The brunette traced his fingers lightly over the frame of Yami's face with one hand as the other supported Yami's weight.

He smiled at the breathtaking sight that was his rival.

"Seto?" Kaiba questioned the fallen 'pharaoh' he held in his arms.

The smell of vanilla filled the air in a dimly lit room, the room was simple in decor: two cherry wood nightstands, various paintings hung on the beige coloured walls, an antique lap, and a bed. The bed itself put to shame the other objects that were displayed in the area of the room; there was no doubt about it that this room was purely meant for sleep. It was adorned with black silk drapery that hung loosely off the canopy, the framing of the bed itself seemed to be chiseled out of black marble. Placed above the mattress were many unique types of materials all delicate and soft to the touch. There were silk sheets, an Egyptian cotton comforter, and dozens of tiny velvet pillows scattered over the king sized bed. Black, was the colour scheme; there was not a single trace of anything save that colour.

Something stirred between the thick sheets, as crimson orbs opened and adjusted to the candle lit room. Yami licked his dry lips as he tilted his head to the side resting his check against the softness of the silk pillowcase. He was thirsty and to his astonishment to the side of him someone had so kindly prepared him a drink and sandwich over silver china. Yami regretfully tore himself away from the comfort of the heavenly bed to reach for the contents inside the cup; he noticed a small glass figurine that was also on the nightstand. It was a magnificent replica of the Blue Eyes White Dragon.

There was no suspicion as to where he was now. 'This must be Kaiba's bedroom', Yami thought fondly as he visually scanned the area. His spirits darkened once he realized there was not a trace of the cerulean-eyed brunette, thoughts of the brunette produced morbid ones as he remembered why he had been with Kaiba in the first place.

'My friends are still missing, and Mokuba, and what became of the duel?'

(Seto Kaiba's point of view)

It had been hours since Kaiba reached his study and played the recording from the duel, it was five minutes long and after it had been done and played he rewound it again and again. This process continued till Kaiba's eyes burned from staring so hard at the television screen. What'd been recorded was not the duel; someone had tampered with the electronics just as he imagined when he first came across the suspicious wires in the dueling arena.

There were two cloaked figures cast in shadows on the recording their voices seemed oddly familiar to the C.E.O.

" You think you're so smart the two of you, but master Marik is smarter!"

After hearing that first sentence Kaiba always thought the same about the speaking shadoweach time he heard it. ' This guy sounds like his education was limited to only preschool.' Yet Kaiba sustained absolute focus on all information given in the video. The second shadow spoke then, he mentioned something about how master Marik knew everything, and how he knew how much Yami and he fought and he knew the origin and history of their rivalry. Kaiba thought nothing of this, he simply assumed that Marik had found out about that duel with 'Yugi' for the first time, and how he'd been defeated for the first time. That was no mystery since everyone in Japan and the rest of the world knew.

" We will meet you both at the top of Domino's tallest building at 4:00pm sharp, for a duel, and in the event you two don't decide to come, your friends and family will suffer."

" Oh and bring the Egyptian God cards, or else!" Then static, Kaiba finally switched off the television. 'At least we have some direction, and a connection. This day proved to be useful after all.' Kaiba clasped his hands behind his head then leaned against the cushion of the leather chair as he stared at the black screen before him. He thought of today's events, the preparations of the duel, the duel itself, the conclusion of the duel, then thoughts of the other duelist; Yami.

" Seto, help me."

He recalled Yami's very words.

' Why did he call me Seto and not Kaiba? What exactly did he mean by that?' Kaiba glimpsed at the digital clock then stood, it was now well past midnight. ' Yami should be up by now, I should inform him about our duel tomorrow with the two mystery duelist.' It wasn't that they were really that much of a mystery, to Kaiba it had been the idiots that registered under the same name, tomorrow wouldn't even be a challenge.

Leaving the room Kaiba made the long journey to his bedroom, what had possessed him to put Yami in his bedroom aside from another guestroom in the mansion was beyond his understanding. When Yami had collapsed earlier that day he left Slifer in Kaiba's care, not to mention the brunette had all he needed to aid him into finding his little brother. He could have left the game king there if he wanted. Instead he welcomed him to his home, to his own bed no less, and supplied him with food and drink. He had helped Yami just like he had asked. What else could he possibly ask from Kaiba?

Once he reached his room, on the other side of the door Kaiba could hear the faint melody of Green Sleeves. It belonged to an old music box he received when he was thirteen; a Christmas present from Mokuba. He remembered that Mokuba had said he wished one day Kaiba would be as happy and in love as the porcelain couple that twirled in sync to the music and popped up from within the box. Yami was relieved to see the familiar face of his rival as he slowly walked in almost unsure of himself.

There was tension in the air mixed with the scent emitted from the vanilla candles; one was comforting while the other unnerving. Then again tension wasn't something that was physically there, yet it had affected the two duelists all the same. Kaiba noticed the meal he'd left for Yami was gone, this pleased Kaiba to know that Yami was feeling better and his colouring looked healthy again in fact.

" It's a good thing you decided to eat; you're going to need your strength for a duel we have tomorrow against two of Marik's henchmen. They left us a tape, it seems our little duel wasn't a complete waste of time and the plan worked. We now have a chance."

Yami smiled weakly after Kaiba had finished speaking he was actually paying more attention to the box that produced music with the dancing man and woman he found in an open drawer. Kaiba was truly mind-boggling; he proved to be loyal, strong, and kind hearted behind that cold exterior and here he had a precious toy that seemed very out of character for Kaiba to even have in his possession.

Kaiba sat himself on the dark bed and returned Slifer to its owner when he placed it in the case of Yami's belt that was sprawled on the nightstand.

For some reason or another Kaiba changed the subject." There's nothing like the smell of a burning scented candles it's quite sensual don't you think?" Kaiba's voice was relaxed, like the boy himself. He then took off his boots.

" I prefer incense.", was Yami's reply. They both laughed; this was something the two of them had almost forgotten, what it was to feel joy and happiness even if it was only for this one second.

" The music is so sad yet it's absolutely lovely, what is this?" Yami's crimson eyes shined even brighter than usual as he turned to Kaiba for an answer just when the pace of the music began to slow down preparing to stop all together.

Kaiba wound the key then took the box and set it on the now crowded nightstand, Kaiba didn't like messes and right now there were too many things that were out of place, he sighed and let it slide just this once. He was too tired to put the plate and cup back in the kitchen, which felt like it was miles away right now.

"That is a music box and the song is called Green Sleeves, it's a very old song actually it's about...well never mind it's late and we should rest now."

The music gently played as Kaiba and Yami fell silent.

" I want a relationship with you." Those were Yami's words and were spoken loud and clear enough to make sure he didn't need to repeat himself to the blue eyed brunette that sat to the side of him. Shocked Kaiba reared his body to face Yami, to see if he had been serious. He was in fact serious to the point that it almost scared Kaiba. ' Why are you doing this to me? You liar!', Kaiba mentally screamed at Yami.

"It's hypocritical of me. Why would I make such a mockery of love, when I cherish every aspect of friendship? Shouldn't love be just as special?"

Kaiba was furious though his face betrayed how he felt inside. 'Why must he always complicate things damn it?! Does he expect for me to accept his terms and play by his rules? My emotions are not a game to played around with, he can not pretend to care about me or even love me, and for what reason to then discard me when his precious Jonouchi and other friends were found? Even so I do not care for him, what we had was just sex, plain and simple no strings attached! You don't care about me, you never did Yami!'

Yami waited eagerly for an answer. Kaiba arose from the bed then walked over to the door then opened it and just before he walked away into the shadows of the hall he glanced over his shoulder as he coldheartedly rejected Yami.

"I don't want a relationship with you." He turned then and just before he shut the door on a devastated Yami he concluded, "I don't care about you at all!"

The door slammed shut. Tears formed and dropped on the silk sheets that had been twisted about his legs. Yami buried his face into a plush velvety pillow as he sobbed, he was alone the feeling ached his soul. He had'd been isolated for thousands of years inside the darkness that was the puzzle he despised it, and feared loneliness. While Yami couldn't bare it, Kaiba welcomed the thought of being alone; they were in fact complete opposites.

The dancing porcelain pair came to a halt as the music stopped.

A.N (edited version, though there might still be some typos since I'm stupid and choose to edit my chapters around 3 am)

As for the story I think this chapter came out well they're both so moody ^.^. I can't believe I wrote about velvet, I really hate the way that material feels. I think it feels horrible, and it gives me the chills! But I wanted to make Kaiba's bed sound really comfy and I know velvet and silk are popular in that area. Then I was thinking about making it a waterbed but I thought wouldn't it scare the crap out of poor Yami? He wouldn't know what the hell was going on with a wobbly bed; he's 3,000 years old for crying out loud. By the way just to clear things up no one ever saw a duel broadcasted at Kaiba Land since the 'mystery henchmen whatevers' messed with it hence no show for the people, they felt ripped off .....so sad.

hmm and why do I keep bringing up Jonouchi the way I do? Well read and find out dammit. The next chapter should clear up something or maybe not, or maybe yes. I'm so annoying

Green Sleeves is one of the most beautiful songs of all time ^_^ besides Kaiba does seem the type to prefer classical music as opposed to Yami who (according to his dress code) would like some Metallica, Korn, and possibly Radio Head.

If there was one band they could agree on it would be the Transyberian Orchestra, they're awesome they take classical songs and turn them into rock songs, etc.

meep!