Queer as Tachi – Chapter 75
Three days after the first real meeting at KaibaCorp, Yugi returned and was directed by the front desk receptionist straight to the development department, where Kaiba was apparently working with his people and awaiting his arrival. Yugi strode from the elevator with fresh confidence, hiding behind the badge clipped to the front pocket of his shirt, and entered the department full of computer programmers and artists to find Kaiba enthroned like a king amongst his subjects. He was seated in a squishy swivel chair before a giant projection screen, which displayed the contents of the laptop sitting in front of him. As usual, he was typing away at impressive speed, but he also wore a streamlined headset to allow him to communicate with voice-command computers elsewhere in the building. The programmers were all huddled around him or the screen watching as he explained his way through his project, blazing through four or five different program windows at once as he pieced together some game component. Yugi stared up in awe at the projection screen, unable to fathom quite what Kaiba was doing, but able to see that it was literally building a game engine right before his eyes. He came up behind everyone and stood for a moment to watch before announcing his presence with a timid, “Hey, Kaiba…”
The young CEO barely glanced over his shoulder and never faltered his work for a second. “Yugi,” he acknowledged. “Come over here and show these idiots what you meant by a turn-based battle system for dueling.”
“Uh…what?” Yugi looked curiously around at all the faces of older men glancing down at him with thinly-veiled disdain – neverminding that he was both as old and as experienced in gaming as their boss. “What’s the matter? I thought it was perfectly obvious.”
“It is to you and me,” Kaiba snorted, “but some here can’t seem to grasp that you take turns in dueling much as you do in an RPG battle.”
“It isn’t that, sir,” one programmer said hurriedly. Yugi recognized him as the one who had loaned them the copy of Suikoden the other day. “It’s just that…well, I’m not sure how a turn-based battle system like the one in those other games can be copied over and used for Legendary Heroes. The player isn’t fighting an opponent with the ability to lay cards out, but the monsters from the cards themselves…”
“Well, of course,” Yugi said plainly. “Here, do you have something to write on?” One of the concept artists nearby reached over his cubicle and handed him a pad of paper and a pen, which Yugi gratefully took and set on a table so he could scribble out some doodles that represented the game player and his cards. “See, the way Kaiba and I saw it, you set it up like this. Here’s your guy, and here’s the card field. Here’s the monster. I’ll make it…” He scratched in some fangs and claws. “A Feral Imp. Okay. So the battle starts, and you get the first move, so you lay out a monster and maybe a magic card or so. But since the attacking monster is already on the field, it’s like…he’s already made his first move, so you can attack him right away. And if you’re playing with a partner, he goes next, and lays out his monster. Then they fight, and if the other monster is still standing, depending on his stats he might cast a magic spell or something, or he’ll attack you again and it’s your turn to defend…like that. See?” He straightened up and couldn’t help but be amused by the arrows criss-crossing the card field that he had used to show direction of attack. “It’s really very simple.”
“But how can you play more than one card in your turn?” one of the others queried. “In a traditional turn-based battle, each character only gets one move. You would only be able to place a monster the first time or something. You don’t even have a hand to play from.”
“I told you, I’m working on a structure that allows the main character to carry a five-card hand at all times,” Kaiba interrupted sternly, “like an item in the inventory, or equipment.”
“As for playing more than one card…” Yugi shrugged. “Why can’t you program the game to allow you to do it? Just because turn-based battles work with certain rules in other games doesn’t mean you have to copy it word-for-word in Legendary Heroes. Make it work with your game, not the other way around!”
The programmers gave him a collective dumbfounded look. Kaiba entered some command and saved his progress before swiveling his chair around to give Yugi a cool look. “You see what I’ve been dealing with for the past two days? You and I seem to be the only ones who understand the game mechanics needed to make Legendary Heroes work.”
Yugi folded his arms, taking care not to bump his Puzzle. “So, how much have you been able to get done in the meantime?”
“More than you might think.” Kaiba turned back to his computer, gesturing for Yugi to come closer and see. “I’ve been organizing the notes we came up with and creating some of the new content. I have some storyboards in the art office for you to look at, but this is the game structure as I see it. I have a sketchy animatic of the battle graphics as well. It doesn’t run as smoothly as I’d like, but it will give you the basic understanding.”
“All right,” Yugi nodded, leaning over the computer. Kaiba hit one key, and his demonstration ran on the big screen in front of them, showing line-art versions of the character graphics interacting on a prescribed routine of battle on a mere grid rather than a rendered background. But it was something, and the way it played out made Yugi straighten up with a gasp of surprise. “Wow, that’s exactly like what I was thinking!” he exclaimed. “You certainly have been working hard over the last few days. I didn’t know you could whip out something like this in that short a time…”
“It makes sense, then?” Kaiba wondered, for once ignoring the compliments.
“Oh yeah, totally. It’s just like we talked about. I think you’re on the right track!”
“Good.” Kaiba pushed his chair back and rose, towering over everyone there. “As much as I didn’t want to have to rewrite the game engine myself and create all the content, it looks like I’m going to have to. No one else here understands where I’m going with it. I’ll show you the storyboards…”
The programmers shrank away sheepishly while their boss led Yugi through the maze of desks to an area primarily populated by artists, as evidenced by the drawings and graphic samples pinned up on the low walls separating the desks. The artists were more excited to see them than the programmers, and dropped what they were doing in order to assist Mr. Kaiba by holding up the storyboards while he pointed out certain things he and Yugi had talked about in the previous meeting. Yugi enthusiastically nodded at every point, growing visibly more excited the more he saw of it. His response left Kaiba smugly proud of himself for putting all that work into it. In the end, Yugi gave him a firm nod and a big smile. “I like it. I think it looks awesome. All you have to do now is the hard part – the computer part. The part I can’t help with.”
“That’s fine. I assume that with as much work as I’ve made myself, it will be a while before I should have to call you in again,” Kaiba said, breezing back past him toward the other side of the development department. “If you want to stick around for a couple of hours and critique the developers, fine. I’m turning a good portion of the department over into concept design for the new elements, and they could use someone looking over their shoulder. I’m going up to my office to work on the story some more.” He glanced over his shoulder at the shorter Yugi tagging after him. “When you leave, stop by the reception desk downstairs and let them know, so I can credit you the proper hours. You’ll be getting a check in a few days.” He collected his laptop and headset and paused to give his underlings a few more orders before starting for the elevator. Over his shoulder, he added, “I’ll have to get a more complete version of the new game ready to be tested before I’ll need you again, and you can see, that’s going to take some time. Don’t hold your breath waiting for me to call.”
“I won’t,” Yugi called after him, smiling. Same old Kaiba. The programmers and graphic designers all slunk away to their computers, so Yugi decided to hang around the artists for a while instead, and talk to them about their visions of the places and people Kaiba had tried to describe to them. Most of them had either decks of cards or printed-out images of Duel Monsters in their cubes to help them design the graphics, but the concept artists were free to come up with anything they could imagine might fit into the overall design of the world. Being as he was intimately familiar with the look and feel of the fantasy world of Legendary Heroes, they actually wanted Yugi’s input, particularly because he was friendlier and easier to work with than the company president. It also left Kaiba free to sequester himself in his penthouse office and plug away at the story and the overall game. Yugi only stayed for another full hour before he decided he was just getting in the way and bid the designers farewell and good luck, figuring they were going to need it if they were going to keep up with Kaiba. Now that he had been inspired, he was going to throw everything he had into this project and wouldn’t let up until it satisfied him. It was his way. Yugi did as directed and put in his time with the main reception desk, and headed off into the sunny world beyond, excited and thrilled for now even though he guessed it would be months before he’d find himself walking through those office doors again.
Afternoon was drawing on, but Yugi was still free to entertain himself, as he had cleared the rest of the day just in case he ended up holed up at KaibaCorp brainstorming again. Now that it was not to be so, he cast about for an idea of something to do, and agreed with his internal partner that maybe stopping by Duke’s place would be fun. Everyone had been so busy lately that it had been hard to get together even just to hang out or play games, making the idea sound even better. Tristan was obviously still at work at this time of day, but Duke should have been available in some form or another. Yugi bounced his way through the doors of the giant game store and located his friend right away, as he was lounging at the front counter reading a magazine. “Boy, you look super busy,” Yugi teased him as he approached. “Maybe I should come back later.”
“Hey, Yugi,” Duke grinned, setting aside the magazine. “What brings you by?”
“Oh,” Yugi said airily, “I thought maybe I’d come down and say hello, maybe tell you all about KaibaCorp’s secret new project that I just happen to be a consulting partner on…”
Duke gave him a distrustful look. “Go on,” he scoffed. “What do you know about KaibaCorp? You and Kaiba aren’t exactly buddies.”
Yugi pointed to the security pass which he had forgotten to take off his shirt. “Then what do you call this?”
Duke leaned over the counter and peered at it, and began to soften. “What the hell were you doing at KaibaCorp? Come to think of it, wasn’t that why you were down there when the earthquake hit last month? Some kind of meeting with Kaiba?”
“Yeah, well,” Yugi said smugly, “he finally got things straightened up enough to call me back about that. Turns out he wants my help.”
“No way,” Duke laughed, going back to disbelief. “Kaiba, asking you for help? What, did hell freeze over when I wasn’t looking?”
Yugi laughed back. He had expected as much, because he knew it was a pretty far-out concept. “Make fun of me all you want,” he grinned, “but then you won’t get to find out what KaibaCorp is doing that I get to be a part of.”
“All right,” Duke said, accepting the challenge. He pushed open the divider that separated him from his customers and wormed out from behind it so he and Yugi could go find a quiet corner in which to gossip. The base of the stairwell leading up to the office seemed the best place. Duke folded his arms and leaned on the wall, while Yugi flopped down on one of the steps so he could be eye-level with his friend. “So spill, already. What’s going on?”
“I just have to ask you to promise me one thing,” Yugi cautioned. “Kaiba knew I’d tell everybody sooner or later, but he mentioned you by name because he knows your connection to Pegasus. He doesn’t want Industrial Illusions to get wind of his plans.”
“Fair enough,” Duke shrugged. “I got no loyalty to the company, I rarely hear from anyone there as it is. And Pegasus, hardly ever. I won’t spread it, I got no reason to. So out with it already.”
Yugi curled his arms around his knees and beamed. “Kaiba’s making a console version of Legendary Heroes.”
“What?” Duke’s green eyes widened. “Seriously? Which console?”
“He hasn’t decided yet…though it sounds like all of them are interested.”
“Sweet!” Duke turned perplexed again. “So what does he need your help for?”
“He wanted an objective game test before he released it,” Yugi explained, “and I’m one of the few people who have been inside the virtual world as much as Kaiba. Oh man.” Yugi couldn’t resist an impish grin. “As it stands, his demo? It’s terrible! I tried to tell him as nice as I could, but…wow. It was just bad.”
“No way,” Duke laughed. “He must not have taken that very well.”
“Well, no, but once I got his attention and asked him to hear me out…he saw what I meant. We came up with a lot of ideas. He’s redeveloping it, now…and it’s going to be awesome!”
Duke smirked. “So says you.”
“Hey, I’m the secret partner,” Yugi bragged. “I have to say so.”
“Excellent. So when’s it gonna be out?”
“Not anytime soon.” Yugi sat back comfortably and leaned on the upper steps. “I think he was trying to get it released by the end of this summer, but now that he has to go back and start all over, it’s going to be pushed back. I don’t even expect it by Christmas; maybe next year sometime.”
“All the more time for him to get people excited by making the virtual pods more popular,” Duke said wryly. “It’s a win-win situation for him.”
“Yeah, now that you mention it…”
“I don’t suppose you can talk him into letting up on the arcade restrictions so the little guys like me can install the virtual Legendary Heroes in our arcades?”
Yugi threw back his head and laughed. “I don’t know, I don’t think he wants me telling him how to run his business! We’re lucky he decided to listen to my advice on the game. I don’t think I’m going to hear from him again for a while, he’s got a lot to do before it’s ready to be game-tested again…”
They hung around and chatted about the meetings Yugi had been to for a little while, until the door at the top of the stairs suddenly creaked open. Both of them looked up toward it in surprise, for there wasn’t supposed to be anyone in the office. Tristan’s broad-shouldered form darkened the doorway, and paused when he saw that his partner was right there at the bottom of the stairwell. “Tristan!” Duke greeted him, intrigued and a little worried. “You’re home early. What’s the deal?”
“Hi Tristan!” Yugi added.
“Hey, Yugi,” Tristan said in return, sounding weary. “What’s up?”
“Oh, stuff,” Yugi replied, sliding sideways on the step so Tristan could pass him if he wanted to. He descended the stairs slowly, heaving a sigh that made Yugi just as concerned as Duke. “What’s the matter?”
Tristan paused on the step next to him and made an unhappy face down at Duke. “I just quit my job.”
The other two started. “What?” Duke exclaimed. “What happened?”
Sighing again, Tristan dropped heavily to a seat next to Yugi on the step. “I just couldn’t take it anymore. You know they moved me back out onto work details last week?” he added to Yugi, who nodded. News had gone around. “Yeah, well…in all that time in the office I’d forgotten what a bunch of idiots I work with. Just today alone I was almost injured at least three times! One of the crane operators forgot to check his clearance and almost dumped a load of pipes on me and a couple other guys! I told them that was it, I don’t trust the safety of the work sites anymore and I was quitting before anything could happen to me.” He propped his folded arms on his knees and shook his head. “It’s just so frustrating. You’d think that with all the regulations and standards that safety would be the biggest concern, but somehow…”
“It’s okay,” Duke assured him, resting his foot on a step so he could lean in closer. “I told you, I have more than enough to support both of us, the store’s doing really well. We’ll be okay. I’m just glad you’re safe.”
“I know,” Tristan said heavily, “but I don’t want to be a burden. I’m not going to sit around here and do nothing all day, I’ll find another job – just so I have something to do, if nothing else.” He lifted his head and smiled at his boyfriend’s intent look. “At least I know we’ll be fine while I go about the search. I can take my time and find something I’ll really like, that suits me better.”
“That’s the spirit,” Yugi encouraged him. “Who knows? Maybe this is your chance to find your dream job.”
Tristan nodded, and then nudged him with his elbow. “So what are you doing here, speaking of dream jobs? Shouldn’t you be at your own game shop?”
“Actually…” Yugi beamed mischievously. “I just got finished telling Duke about it, but now that you’re here, I’ll tell you too. I’ve been at KaibaCorp all afternoon…”
The three of them hung around talking for a while, first about Yugi’s big news, and then Tristan’s, until Yugi realized it was getting late and he ought to head home to make dinner for himself and his grandfather. He said his farewells for now with a big smile, despite a little gem of worry for Tristan’s well-being after near-accidents and quitting his job on the spot. Tristan shrugged it off, apart from a little residual frustration lingering after his trying day, and assured Yugi that he’d be fine and he was in a good place all things considered. Six months ago it might have been a problem, but now he was living with Duke and the two of them were doing wonderfully as partners and roommates. Wishing them well, Yugi headed off on his walk home with spirits high. Along the way, he sensed the quiet chuckle of his spiritual partner deep in his mind. “You’ve had a good day,” Yami noted.
“I guess so,” Yugi responded inside his mind. “You’ve been kind of quiet lately.”
“I don’t really have that much to contribute on the subject of video games,” the pharaoh pointed out. “It’s fine. I’m content to watch. Particularly because this strange twist of fate has made Kaiba behave in all kinds of new manners that I find fascinating.”
“Ahh, so that’s it,” Yugi laughed to himself. “You’re people-watching again.”
“It’s an interesting subject.” Yami’s mental purr softened. “What’s next?”
“Just hang out, I suppose,” his partner replied. “I gotta call Joey when I get home, though. So he can hear all about today.” Joey had been the second person Yugi told about Legendary Heroes, after Grandpa Muto, naturally. He had found particular gratification in hearing that Kaiba produced anything crappy and wanted to know everything, regardless of whether it would give him snickers of delight or truly make him as excited as Yugi for the console game. “I’m glad Kaiba didn’t sign me to a confidentiality agreement, I would hate to have to go through all this and not be able to tell my friends about it.”
“At least you have me,” Yami reminded. “I may not be under any contract but I’m still there with you, and can find out everything you’re doing.”
“If you have any ideas, don’t be afraid to speak up,” Yugi suggested. “Kaiba won’t know the difference whether it comes from you or me.”
The pharaoh chuckled warmly. “As I said, Yugi…I’m not very experienced with video games. What you’ve been thinking up has been amazing, I don’t mind sitting back and observing. I’m very impressed.”
A big, bashful grin crossed Yugi’s face out of nowhere as he walked. No one else got to hear the sweet words that evoked it. “Thanks,” he said in his mind.
Yami’s inner voice quieted even more. “Would you be interested in coming to see me, tonight?”
A blush rose in Yugi’s cheeks. He lowered his eyes shyly to hide it from anyone walking past. “Sure, I think I can do that,” he responded demurely. “We haven’t done it as often as we used to. Are you feeling a little neglected?”
“Not neglected,” the gentle murmur assured. “Just hungry to see you.”
That made Yugi smile all over again. “All right, then. After dinner, you’ll have my complete and uninterrupted attention. I promise.” Images rather than words crossed his mind, as he eagerly thought of venturing inside the Puzzle and leaping into his partner’s mystical arms, then being swept into the secret room created out of the pharaoh’s need…
The spiritual presence inside him wrapped itself around him like a cooling, gentle breeze, making him shiver with thrill. “I look forward to it,” Yami murmured. “But in that case, let’s make sure to call Joey right away. I have a feeling that if you waited, he would keep you on the phone all night.”
“And we can’t have that!” Yugi declared. Outwardly, he only put on a determined smile and quickened his step to get home. It would be a pleasing reward at the end of a busy day.
It was a good thing that the difference in time zones meant that Kaiba could log in to the wireless dueling network while at the office and expect not to run into Shandy, it was too early in the morning in England. He had deliberately avoided her since the revelation which had sent him headlong into Alastair’s arms, to the point of not even logging in for a week or two at a time. But he had administrative duties to perform as the supreme moderator of the network, which necessitated dropping in at various times under both usernames in order to apply and then beta-test new measures and features. With Legendary Heroes growing by the hour into a massive project that would take much of his attention and any spare time he might have, Kaiba figured he had better implement these new measures for the network now, because in a very short while he wouldn’t have time to monitor the dueling platform at all. Thus, long after Yugi had left and the work day was winding down, Kaiba set aside his project and turned to the dueling network, tweaking a few things as admin and then logging into “Blue-Eyed-Dragon” to test their viability. Within seconds of connecting a message window popped up, startling him, but it wasn’t from Shandy. Only one name on his watchlist was highlighted, the last one he expected. Well, surprise surprise, DynaDude47 said. I never thought to see you here at this time of day.
Kaiba started, though his body flushed hot as he saw who it was. What are you doing on the network? he challenged. Actually dueling or just being a nuisance?
The latter, Alastair freely admitted. You can probably see by my record, I don’t duel all that often.
Kaiba smirked to himself before typing a response. What’s the matter? Scared you’ll find out that you’re not the world’s greatest duelist after all?
Hardly, came the message back. I just don’t have the time.
Seto glanced at the clock. Where the hell are you, anyway?
Malaysia.
With a little downtime, a wireless hotspot, and my duel disk. Therefore…
I see that. A sudden realization made another smirk cross Kaiba’s lips, sending him pounding out a snarky message. Wait a minute. You have the wireless setup…that means you had to surrender and buy one of MY duel disks.
The response was not at all what Kaiba expected; he wanted to get a rise out of
Alastair and failed. Duh, his partner typed. I lost mine
when your plane crashed. Not that I
couldn’t have hacked my duel disk and forced it to play with your wireless network,
but I’m getting lazy. There was a
short pause, and then another message. So, what’s going on?
Just checking on some bug fixes I just loaded, Kaiba responded.
Another pause, as if Alastair was thinking out his next move before making it. How are you?
Fine. Kaiba’s hands remained poised over his keyboard, tempted to add something, but he sat paralyzed. He didn’t know what he could say, even though part of him curiously yearned to know things like when Alastair could expect to be in Japan again or whether his search for a permanent job was making any headway. His inexperience with these emotions tangled up inside him caused him to fail to ask any of it.
I’m sure you’re hard at work, Alastair messaged after a longer pause, so I won’t keep you. I just wanted to poke my head up and say ‘I see you.’ Oh. Question.
Oh?
You don’t have to answer if you don’t want to.
What?
What’s the screenname of the chick who played you?
Kaiba’s eyes flew wide open. His nerves screamed with protest at being torn two ways at once – between gleefully providing it or burying it along with any other reminder of Shandy under the need to forget and ignore. At last, he simply typed, Why?
Just in case I happen to run into her online. I want to see if she’s as good as you say she is.
Alastair… Kaiba huffed a sigh to himself. Don’t go making trouble, I don’t need you to go and be some kind of noble hero standing up for me.
I won’t, Alastair replied, and then entered a smiley-face that was sticking its tongue out. That’s not what I’m into. I’m just curious. She’s the only one besides me and Yugi who’s ever held their own against you, she might be worth challenging.
Kaiba still hesitated, his fingers resting lightly on the keys. Some small part of him deep down under all the
layers and walls felt he might have been pleased to have Alastair go ranting at Shandy out
of indignance or protectiveness, but he told that small part to shut the hell up and just
heaved another sigh. Fine, he relented, but only if you promise you won’t do anything
stupid. And it’s not my fault if she
kicks your ass.
Fair enough, Alastair agreed.
Kaiba typed in the name, which automatically converted to a link to the user’s profile on the network. Alastair was quiet for a moment, leaving his companion free to check those links and bugs he was supposed to be checking, and then the window flashed again. You were interested in HER? Holy shit, man. She’s nowhere near your type.
Says the man who wears less clothing than she does, Kaiba briskly typed, not caring if he insulted Alastair at the moment.
I thought you liked it when I wear less clothing, came the response.
Kaiba’s face flushed brilliantly red; it was a good thing he was alone in his
office and his secretary had already left for the day.
That isn’t what I meant…
A big, grinning smiley proceeded Alastair’s next comment. Well, good. Now I know what I’m up against. I can take her. And no, I don’t mean in terms of winning your affection.
This conversation is getting in the way of my real work, Kaiba messaged, frowning at the screen.
Fine, I’ll let you go. Good to talk to you.
Yeah. One more time, Kaiba hesitated, and very nearly added “So when can I see you next?” But he didn’t.
Don’t work too hard. I’ll give your cell a call if I get any more jobs in Japan, Alastair said, and then his screenname vanished. He hadn’t logged off, just switched over to the duel disk itself to challenge duelists. Kaiba glanced briefly to make sure he hadn’t missed Shandy coming online, but no, Alastair hadn’t gone off hunting her specifically. With a sigh of relief, the CEO logged himself out of the network and forced himself to put it aside. He had the bliss of a deserted executive wing in which to work for a little while longer, and there was a nagging plot hole in the Legendary Heroes storyline that needed to be filled. He rose from his chair to stretch first, to get the blood flowing again so that his brain could be stimulated for all the imagining it needed to do, and as he paced the length of the glass windows behind his desk, he glanced out at the skyline. The sky over Domino was a pale blue from the lateness of the day and the growing heat haze, but from the flags atop the financial building a few blocks over, it appeared there was a stiff breeze. It must have been a nice day. The tiniest smile lightened Seto’s features as he considered himself relaxed enough to sit back down and resume his work.
Only a day or two passed, but Yugi was already feeling impatient about Legendary Heroes. He knew it would be months before he would hear from Kaiba again, and understood that they had a contract which meant Kaiba wouldn’t just brush him under the rug after two consultations, but he still desperately wanted to know how the game was going. Any more ideas he might have had, he couldn’t share, the game was entirely in Kaiba’s hands now and he wasn’t likely to be receptive to any suggestions emailed or phoned in uninvited. At least Kaiba was as good as his word – the check arrived in the mail that day. Yugi forced himself to just forget about it for now and trust that things would happen in their own time, while he resumed his normal schedule manning the game shop. He knew the KC store across town was open, he would occasionally see ads on TV for it, but he hadn’t been to have a look at it himself perhaps out of a desire to protect himself from bad news. The last thing he wanted was to go and find out that it was the greatest, most amazing monument to retail outside of Tokyo, he didn’t think he could handle the heartbreak. But KC’s existence hadn’t slowed Kame’s business any. Yugi was now helping his grandfather balance the books, in preparation for having to do it alone someday, and their receipts were the same as this time the year before, perhaps marginally better compared to the days right around the typhoon that had hit. It seemed the competition was doing all the game stores good. Not that it seemed like it in the middle of the day – Yugi found himself leaning on the counter, bored as usual when the slow days came around. Fall semester would be starting very soon at most schools, so kids were already disappearing from their favorite haunts in expectation. There wasn’t even any shipment to check in or stocking to do, so he found himself wishing for even just one customer he could diligently attend to in order to prevent him from having to dust the shelves for the millionth time. Fortunately, a jingle at the door answered his prayers and then some, for he looked up with surprise to see Bakura come in. “Hello, Yugi!” he said brightly upon spotting his friend.
“Bakura!” Yugi cried happily. “Hey! What’s up?”
“Not much,” Bakura said with a cute little chuckle. “Actually, I have some gaming business to talk about with you. If you have a moment, that is.”
Yugi held out his hands to indicate the empty store. “I have a lot of moments. Sure! What’s on your mind?”
Ryo crossed to the counter where Yugi stood and began fumbling in his back pocket. “I know your store doesn’t usually buy rare cards on consignment,” he said cautiously, “but I was wondering if you might take a look at a few I want to sell and appraise them for me. If you don’t want to buy them, I’d at least like to know what they’re worth so I won’t get ripped off when I take them somewhere to sell.”
“Oh yeah, sure, I’d be happy to,” Yugi assured him, leaning his elbows on the counter. “What have you got?”
“About a dozen, actually.” Bakura thumbed through the cards and laid them out on the glass counter before Yugi so he could see the range of them. Gold, lavender, and aqua mingled together, monsters, magic and trap cards, with a great deal of foil shine indicating super-rare cards. “Most of them are just rares from booster packs I didn’t want to use,” he explained sheepishly, “though one or two…”
Yugi’s violet eyes suddenly went wide as he picked up a trap card. “You’re getting rid of your Destiny Board?”
Ryo nodded shyly as his friend spread the five cards that worked together for the combo in a group in front of him. “And Dark Sanctuary,” he pointed out.
“How come?” Yugi asked incredulously. “These are part of your deck!”
“Not exactly,” Ryo said, looking away. “I didn’t really construct my deck, the spirit of the Millennium Ring did. When I’ve dueled by myself, for fun, I just…went along with it, because I didn’t know what he’d do if I changed it around. But I haven’t sensed his interference since you talked to him, so I thought maybe it was time for a change.” He glanced timidly back toward Yugi and chanced a smile. “I haven’t done anything except duel with Marik for fun over the wireless, so I didn’t think it was necessary to keep cards like this any longer.”
Yugi nodded understandingly. “Yeah, that’s probably a good idea. They’re powerful cards, though. And really rare.”
“I know, but…they’re not as useful as you might think.” Bakura reached across and picked up the main Destiny Board card, studying it thoughtfully. “Between entering the tournament last winter and all the dueling I’ve been doing online, I’ve been able to see my deck’s true weaknesses. My victories have never involved playing either Dark Sanctuary or the Destiny Board…” He waved the card. “And this is far too easy to beat. I’ve gotten it out a few times against Marik, but I’m never able to keep it in the game. All it takes is one Remove Trap or De-Spell card and it’s through.” He tossed the card back down on top of the letters that went with it. “Come to think of it, the times I’ve lost tended to involve these cards more often than not. I’m better off rebuilding my deck with less sinister cards that could actually help me to win.”
Yugi smiled wryly. “Well, used in combination, they almost had me once, but you’re right, I never drew anything that could remove a trap or magic card from the field.”
“I blame extenuating circumstances,” Ryo said. “They haven’t been much use to me, and considering how rare they are, I would rather have the money that they’re worth. I plan to restructure my deck completely. I don’t like the Ring spirit’s reliance on wicked, unpleasant cards – nor do I like the way he plays fast and loose with life points. Given the choice I would rather play my way, and now that he’s keeping himself quiet, I feel like I have a chance to do so.”
“That makes a lot of sense,” Yugi agreed. “So everything’s going okay? You haven’t had any problems like that?”
Ryo shook his silver-haired head. “Not a one. No matter how seriously Marik and I talk sometimes, or how heated our duels become, I haven’t sensed that darkness stirring in me at all. It’s rather refreshing.”
“That’s great,” his friend enthused. “I’ve always been so worried about you. I know you’ve been busy over the summer, with your work-study, so we haven’t chatted as much.”
A sunny smile reawakened on Ryo’s face. “Everything has been fine. You’ve been getting updates from Marik, haven’t you?”
“Ah, we’ve only crossed paths online once or twice in the past couple of months,” Yugi admitted. “But yeah, he sounds really happy, too. You guys are handling the long-distance relationship, it sounds like.”
Bakura closed his eyes and nodded, with an expression that made him look angelic. “We talk in some form every day, whether it’s online or on the phone. It’s making for outrageous bills,” he admitted with a grin, “but it’s worth it. He’s always so supportive and friendly, in addition to being affectionate and sweet and everything I could want in a lover.”
“Except physically here with you,” Yugi said with a wistful sigh.
“Funny you should mention that.” Bakura donned his cutest smile. “There’s another reason why I’m selling off some of my rare cards. I want to have a little extra in my pocket before my birthday.”
“Oh yeah, it’s next week!” Yugi remembered. “You’ve got to have a party! Or at least do something with your friends, it doesn’t have to be a bash like mine, but…you’re coming of age! You shouldn’t be alone on a birthday like that.”
“Oh, I won’t be, I know that,” Ryo said with a grin. “That’s where my important news comes in, and my reason for needing money. Marik is coming…and this time, for good.”
Yugi’s mouth fell open in shock. Inside, even Yami recoiled with surprise. “He’s moving to Domino?” Yugi exclaimed. “That’s awesome!”
“I know!” Ryo exclaimed right back. “We’ve been talking it over since…oh, about the time of the earthquake. He’s very uncomfortable living in Egypt, knowing that his entire family could suffer if anyone found out he was in love with me. He approached his family about it and talked to them, and finally received their blessing to seek his happiness even if it meant leaving them and Egypt.” A kind light appeared in his brown eyes. “I even spoke to Ishizu myself. She wanted to get to know me, before she could let Marik go out on his own like that. She’s very kind, and strong. I admire her.”
“I never thought I’d see the day,” Yugi said with a shake of his head. “That’s a big move for him. He was estranged from his family for so long…”
“Yes, but we’ve said, this time, he’s leaving for a good reason, and he has their approval. I believe he’s also cleared it with the remaining tombkeepers, to assure them he’s not abandoning his duty. I think the fact that you’re here in Domino helped that a great deal.”
Yugi grinned. “Yeah, he can keep a close eye on the pharaoh himself from here.” He clasped Bakura’s hands excitedly. “I’m so happy for you! When, when is he coming?”
“The papers he needs just came through. He’s scheduled to arrive the day before my birthday.”
“That soon?” Yugi clapped a hand to his forehead. “That’s going to make it hard to get everybody together for a party on short notice! But we can do it. Don’t worry, leave everything to me!”
“Oh, no…” Ryo held up his hands. “You don’t have to do that, Yugi. Really…”
“Come on, don’t be shy!” Yugi laughed. “I won’t do anything outrageous, you know me. We’ll get everybody together, welcome Marik to Japan and celebrate your birthday all at once. You may as well go out and have a good time – school’s going to start a few days after that, and then you won’t have any time for fun.”
Ryo chuckled uncertainly. “I suppose. You’re not going to take no for an answer, are you?” Yugi beamed and shook his head, making his friend laugh some more. “All right, fine. Just be mindful, I have a lot to do. Marik is moving in with me, we have arrangements to make and I’m sure he’ll be jet-lagged when he arrives.”
“I know,” Yugi assured. “That’s why you should leave the planning to me. I may not be able to throw another Kaibaland birthday bash, but at the very least, we’ll all take you out and have some fun. Okay?”
“Okay,” Ryo consented. “Thank you, Yugi.”
“Anytime. Now, let’s take a look at these cards.” Yugi fumbled under the register for a dog-eared guidebook to card prices, thumbed through it, and rejected it in favor of a different book that came from under the counter. “I think this is the most recent price list. Yeah, it is. It gives a basic value for all the rare cards in Duel Monsters, and lists any factors that may make the price go up or down. It does kind of depend on who you sell it to,” he added as a warning, “but if you at least know the current market value, no one can undercut you. If somebody offers you less than it’s worth, just say thank you and take your card somewhere else.”
“Do you know which shops in the city still buy cards?” Bakura asked him, blinking innocently.
“Yeah, and I’ll tell you which ones to avoid.” Yugi laid out the paperback guide and leaned on it, so both he and Bakura could hover over the pages and look up the values of the rare foil cards. Besides the ones from his fiendish deck, Bakura was selling some rare cards he had acquired the normal way and just never used, hoarding them for days like today when money overruled game play value. Dark Sanctuary was an ultra-rare going for thousands of yen, and the others weren’t too far behind. He even had a secret-rare first-edition Gate Guardian that he had never used because he only ever owned two of the three monsters needed to form it. The market price listed for that one made Yugi’s eyes nearly pop out of his head. In the end, he scribbled down his honest assessment of the card values for Bakura and told him which shops to go to in order to get the best consignment deal. Bakura thanked him profusely, pleased at the prices some of his cards might fetch him if he was courageous and didn’t settle for less than that. “Just don’t give in if they try to haggle,” Yugi advised. “If they do that, tell them you know how much it’s worth and you’re going to get it elsewhere. You have all the advantage, just don’t be afraid to stick up for it.”
“All right,” Ryo nodded. “And I shouldn’t try selling them online?”
“No way,” Yugi replied emphatically. “It’s a trap. People go that route looking for cheap cards and good deals, they won’t bid up the price where you want it. About the only time that happens is if it’s a limited-edition sort of deal, like tournament prize cards. I did some searching, and you wouldn’t believe it – the cards me, Joey, and that other girl won at the world tournament aren’t even on the market, and people are offering tens of thousands of yen for them. One site keeps a want-list of cards and it’s shocking how many people are begging one of the three of us to sell them. I’m not using mine, but I’m not selling it, it’s a badge of honor. I don’t want anyone else bragging that they got a prize from the world tournament when they weren’t even there.”
“That’s incredible,” Ryo breathed. “But then again, we saw what lengths Kaiba was willing to go to for one Blue Eyes White Dragon.”
“Which he never got,” Yugi pointed out. “At least not permanently.”
Ryo gazed intently down at the scrap of paper with his cards’ values on it. “I don’t like haggling with people over cards, but I won’t back down from these. I could really use that money – then I wouldn’t have to take from my usual budget if I want to treat Marik to something when he gets here.”
Yugi grinned wildly again. “I can’t believe it. He’s really coming.”
“He is.” Bakura grinned back. “And he’s going to live with me. I’m going to have a real boyfriend.”
Yugi giggled. “You’ve had a real boyfriend since the last time he was here!”
“It’s not the same!” Ryo insisted. “I know we have a lot against us, but…I’m really looking forward to it.”
“What do mean, against you?”
“Well…” Ryo sobered. “I still haven’t told my father that I’m seeing another man. Or that he’s moving in with me. Our relationship is already strained, I don’t intend to make it worse. Not to mention, I’ve always been alone, I’ve never lived with anyone save family and even then I often had to look after myself. I don’t know what it’s like living with a roommate…much less a roommate who I love and don’t want to hurt or chase away.”
“It’s okay,” Yugi assured him, coming around the end of the counter. “You and Marik are good together. I’ve seen you two, you really have a sense of care for each other. As long as you can be open and honest about things like your past and the spirit of the Ring, you can handle telling each other when it’s your turn to clean the bathroom.”
A nervous giggle spilled out of Bakura before he could stop it. “Yes, I suppose you’re right…”
“It’ll be fine!” Yugi pounced on him and hugged him happily. “It’s about time something so good finally happened to you. You deserve it. You should be happy and in love and spending your life with someone you care about.” He stepped back and held Ryo at arm’s length, beaming up at him. “I’m just so amazed that it’s really happening! And so soon! You guys did a good job of keeping it quiet, I would have never expected it!”
“I am having a little trouble believing it myself,” Ryo said shyly. “But it’s true. We’ve gone over all the details, we looked into the legalities, we got the papers, we talked it out with his family…” The more he said about it, the more reality sunk in, making him smile as widely as Yugi and bounce a little in his excitement. “And next week he’ll be here! He’ll be here, with me, living in my flat, sleeping in my bed…our bed…”
“That’s right,” Yugi said with a naughty little grin. “I bet it’s been a long three months…”
“Is that how long it’s been?” Ryo feigned innocence. “Well, we have had some interesting chats in the meantime…”
“You haven’t!” Yugi gasped.
Ryo placed a finger to his lips and looked away. “Hmm…well…”
His friend laughed and then clapped a hand to his mouth to stifle it. “Uh oh. What have I started?”
“Well, as you said, it’s been a very long three months,” Ryo tried to explain. “I don’t think we could stand to be apart if we hadn’t…entertained ourselves in other ways. I felt silly,” he admitted, “but I was more worried about Marik. He couldn’t say things like that just anytime he wanted to, he had to make sure his brother and sister weren’t around to overhear first.”
Yugi’s eyes twinkled with amusement. “That’s so crazy. I can’t believe it! You can’t fool me, I know you’re not as innocent as you look.”
Ryo tilted his head and gave him a dry look. “I might say the same about you, you know.”
Yugi perked up and clasped his hands behind his back. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
They both laughed themselves silly, then, and leaned on the counter while Ryo pocketed his cards. “Thanks again, Yugi,” he said. “This will really help.”
“I hope you get what you need. I’m sure Marik won’t mind if you’re not rich, but he’ll be really surprised if you can sweep him off his feet when he gets here.” Yugi smiled sidelong at his friend. “It’ll be an interesting change. I know how you must be feeling…this is a big change for your life. And his. At least both of you have lots of friends around to make you feel at home.”
Ryo nodded once. “And I’m sure you’ll be seeing a lot more of both of us. I’m still in school, yes, but…maybe it’s time I lived a little. After all, I have a boyfriend to entertain.”
“Well, the first round is on me,” Yugi grinned. “I’ll make sure you have the best birthday party ever next week. I’ll let you know the plans once I’ve come up with them, but we’ll do it right on your birthday, okay? I know Marik will only have been here for one day, but I’m sure he’d agree with me.”
“You could always go online and ask him.” Ryo winked. “I am planning to meet him on the wireless network later tonight.”
“Oh, no, I would never interrupt the two of you.” Yugi’s hand came up to cradle the Puzzle resting on his chest. “The only thing is, Yami won’t be able to be there. It’s…not the right time for the ritual, we just did it a couple weeks ago. He’ll be there in spirit, though.”
“That’s fine.” Bakura smiled cutely down at him. “It’ll still be a party worth remembering, I’m sure.”
They chatted a little while longer, and then Yugi figured he ought to hunt around for some real work to do. Consulting on card prices didn’t bring income to the shop. Bakura had some paperwork to do for the upcoming school semester anyway, so they departed with promises to keep in touch over the coming week until Yugi could make plans with the rest of their friends to celebrate two big events together. The news of Marik’s coming drove out all thoughts of Legendary Heroes from his mind, and gave him something entirely new to huddle down and discuss with his spiritual partner, who had been keenly listening to every word. “Yes, it is a big development,” Yami agreed. “And a surprise, though we haven’t been in touch with Bakura since the earthquake. I had hoped things were going well with him.”
“What about what he said, about the spirit of the Ring?” As long as there were still no customers, Yugi felt free to lean on the counter and let his eyes go out of focus while he concentrated on the internal conversation. “He hasn’t shown up in a long time. Do you think he’s really going to lie low and let Bakura have a life, now?”
The pharaoh’s spirit hummed thoughtfully under his breath. “I don’t trust him at all,” he said warily. “He may be lying low for now, but he will be back. I am somewhat concerned that Marik’s presence might provoke him – a visit was something he could endure, but now Marik is going to be around Bakura constantly. Time may bring about a reaction that none of us want.”
Yugi’s mood darkened as he heard that. “I want to hope for the best for Bakura,” he said defiantly. “I know the spirit of the Ring is still capable of doing a lot of harm, but I’d rather have hope. Maybe Marik is the one thing Bakura needs to find his strength, and resist the spirit once and for all.”
“I should like to hope as well,” Yami murmured, but left it at that. “At the very least, Marik will enjoy being here with friends. We can see more of him, and support him. It sounds like he needs it.”
“Yeah, if he’s practically running away from Egypt.” Yugi then gave a little laugh. “As long as Ishizu doesn’t call us to check up on him! The last thing Marik needs is chaperones.”
Yami chuckled as well, finding himself slightly cheered by the thought of him and Yugi tailing Marik wherever he went in Domino City just so Ishizu could know that her little brother was safe. “From the thoughts I’ve already picked up in your mind about what to do for Bakura’s birthday, chaperones are the farthest thing from it.”
Yugi just stood there with a silly grin. He certainly did have some ideas, putting him in the position of being more of an instigator than a chaperone. But first, he needed to make some phone calls.