Queer as Tachi – Chapter 87
Flyers and program announcements posted everywhere broadcast the information that there would be some king of big presentation at the KaibaCorp booth at ten a.m. sharp, even though half of the public fans were still standing in line to get their passes inside. The announcement was mainly for the press and industry, but any fans who had come early and already gotten into the exhibit hall were bellied up to the edge of the corporate display right with the cameras and suits. Yugi and Grandpa Muto were there, standing at the back of the crowd where they could get the best view of both the trailers themselves as well as the audience’s reaction – since Yugi had already seen the cinematics. He was more eager to see the reaction, though it was going to be very exciting to watch the trailer on the enormous projection screen dominating the stage area of Kaiba’s booth. He glanced at his grandfather with a grin. “This is going to be so cool.”
“I can’t wait to see this game for myself,” Grandpa admitted. “If it looks half as good as the virtual version, it’s going to be light-years ahead of the other games out there.”
Yugi bounced a little on his toes. “It should be. I can’t believe I’m involved with it – look at all these people! They don’t even know what Kaiba’s going to announce, it’s going to be a huge surprise.”
“Well, considering the reaction he got a year ago over the online duel disk…” Grandpa Muto grinned widely. “I think the man knows what he’s doing.”
Backstage at that moment, KaibaCorp suits were running around frantically, mingling with black t-shirted techs making sure the sound and media were working perfectly. Much of the impact of the presentation depended on their timing being impeccable, and while Kaiba had already drilled it into their heads, he stood among them with his arms folded and usual curt glare, reiterating the point. Everything checked out, there was nothing missing or broken, and Mokuba was sitting down with the written cheat sheet beside him. He had agreed to be the background game tester, and would play through the demo level for the audience to see while his brother ran the show from the stage. Kaiba had set him up backstage with a monitor and game controller, and took up position looking over his shoulder as the minutes ticked closer to ten. He had provided Mokuba with the instructions on precisely how to proceed through the level successfully, how and when to do what in order to pass through the first few monsters, but after a certain point he would be out on the stage and Mokuba was on his own. The younger Kaiba had watched Seto perfect the demo over the past month and knew it more or less intuitively, but the written instructions helped. He glanced them over one more time as lackeys came to tell Mr. Kaiba that it was just about time and the show was ready to start. Kaiba glanced down at his brother and the menu screen on the monitor before him. “Just remember,” he muttered over the din of voices around them. “I want a good show, and no player death before I get out on the stage. I’d prefer if you didn’t die at all,” he added, “but if you happen to lose a battle while I’m out there, at least people will know it’s not me playing.”
“Yeah, yeah, I know,” Mokuba assured him. He had gotten more than enough reminders on how to run the demo, it just needed to happen already. “It’s gonna be fine, big brother. Just trust me.”
Kaiba frowned, but nodded. At least it was better than having to trust Yugi with yet another facet of his work. He had shown Kaiba up at his own booth once before, Seto wasn’t about to let it happen again, hence the choice of Mokuba as ghost player instead. Besides, it went a long way toward family cooperation and the company’s image.
The big moment arrived, and at ten on the dot, the lights around the KaibaCorp booth dimmed. A huge projection screen hung above the otherwise empty stage, and an image flickered to life on its face as the area grew dark enough to afford the screen its best ambiance. A few fans near the back of the crowd hooted in anticipation, but for the most part, the waiting crowd went completely silent as if on command. Yugi nudged his grandfather and perked up, craning his neck to see over taller heads. The first image on the screen was a static KaibaCorp logo, but it lasted for only a few seconds before fading to black, and then the trailer began. There was no announcer voice underneath it, only tense music, leaving the audience able to read the introductory slates between screenshots and images for themselves and begin to grasp just what was being presented to them. From the company that revolutionized the art of gaming, it bragged, comes the next step…in cutting-edge video gaming. There were shots of the virtual game pods in the Kaibaland park first, and screenshots from that version of the game, which led the way into art images, cinematics, and game sequences that revealed the nature of the story being produced. The three-minute trailer filled the eyes and minds of watchers with all its high tech, artistic, amazing glory, showing off concept art blossoming into fully-rendered screen detail, characters looking as exciting and real as movie stars, and larger-than-life Duel Monsters rearing up on the battlefield. Together with the pounding orchestral music underneath, it was utterly spectacular. Then, up flashed the Legendary Heroes logo, which faded dramatically in front of a movie-realistic scene of a fantasy landscape, as if a helicopter were flying over it to film the wonder and grandeur of the landscape. Down, down the scene dove, until it was slipping through tree branches and slowing enough to come up and do a 360-degree spin around the armored character standing at the edge of a village, looking all noble and brave. It was the perfect segue to the live shot of the game, and Mokuba took his brother’s cue to begin playing. Those watching from the audience never realized when the trailer ended and the demo game began, they thought they were still enjoying the trailer until the first monster popped out of the bushes. A collective “ah!” went up as Mokuba followed directions perfectly to set up his cards and take down the enemy in one turn. Seto hovered behind him, ready to dispense hints or strategies to quickly defeat the opponents, but these weren’t hard. He waited until Mokuba reached the first real challenge, which required a team strategy with the second character, and quietly breathed a tip or two in order for the battle to progress in an impressive manner. The audience applauded at the splashy destruction of the monsters and the heroic victory, at which point Kaiba himself walked out from behind the screen. He had timed it just right, the applause rose into a deafening roar. Yugi stood grinning in the midst of it, unnoticed in the darkness as lights swirled and came to rest on the company president’s white-coated figure, defining him sharply against the dark backdrop and the game on the screen which was still in motion. From the smug look on his face, Kaiba knew he had the moment firmly in hand, and he stood for a moment basking in the attention before the noise died down and allowed him to speak.
“What you see behind me,” he began without any pleasantries, “is the completed demo for the Legendary Heroes console game. Yes, that is a live game in progress, the duels you see going on are being played for real. Legendary Heroes has been a dream of mine for many years, and from the way the virtual reality game has been embraced so quickly and completely, despite only being released to the theme parks and KC arcades for a few months, it’s clear to me that the world shares that dream. I am pleased to announce that KaibaCorp will take its first steps into home video gaming with this established title, which will be created entirely in-house. Many of the industry’s top game-makers wanted to get their hands on this idea,” he added with a gloating smirk and a purr, “but we plan to outshine them all on our own.”
He went on for a few minutes to explain the game and the reason behind it, and then gave out the tentative when, where, and how of its release planned for early next summer. Behind his head, Mokuba kept playing his way through the level, forming the perfect background scenery for the announcement. Flashbulbs were going off sporadically throughout the entire speech as the press leaned against the edge of the stage, following Kaiba’s sleek figure swathed in his favorite white coat, which swished majestically around his feet as he paced back and forth across the stage to punctuate his spiel. At last, as Mokuba forced his way through the final boss battle via his brother’s detailed instructions, Kaiba began to wrap it up. He had no intention of taking questions from the crowd, as this was merely a presentation rather than a press conference, but he spoke in enough detail to satisfy them before acknowledging that anyone from the press who would like further information could speak to his assistant Roland to set up a private interview later in the day. He lifted a hand to indicate not only the screen behind him, but the other wide-screen monitors posted in fetchingly exciting locations around the booth. “We will be showing several trailers for the game here throughout the afternoon and evening, and making the primary trailer available for download on the KaibaCorp duel network website at midnight tonight. As for the demo…” He smirked in superiority over the crowd. “It’s not for release. You’ll just have to keep posted for new demos and trailers in the future, as the release date grows closer. That includes the surprise announcement of which game console will be KaibaCorp’s exclusive partner. Several are in the running,” he admitted with particular smug glee, “but my decision won’t be final until sometime this winter. We expect to have the complete game ready to show off by the Electronics Expo in L.A. next May. Until then…” He gave the audience a sly look as he turned and simply glided off the stage, disappearing behind the curtain. Mokuba finished the level at that exact moment, and his hero character stood on the screen with his duel disk held high in triumph over beating the boss of the level. Even as he was leaving the stage, Kaiba reached up to the microphone link hidden inside the corporate logo on his coat collar and muttered into it, “Now.” The game screen faded out, and the first of the shorter trailers began to play instead. The crowd behind him went absolutely wild.
Mokuba turned in his chair and gave his elder brother a big grin as he came back to the quiet backstage area. “Did it work? Did I finish in time?”
“Perfect,” Kaiba replied with a cool smile. “Listen to them, Mokuba. We did it.”
Mokuba punched a fist in the air. “Yeah!”
“Come on.” Kaiba looked around briefly as his underlings flocked to him to do his bidding. “We need to go out and greet the public, at least for a few minutes. I’m not taking questions or interviews right now,” he added sternly to Roland, who nodded and pulled out a palm-sized computer to take notes. “Don’t schedule anyone for at least half an hour or so. I want to give people time to see all the trailers and start talking before I leave the floor and handle any interview requests.”
Out front, the lights slowly came up on the KaibaCorp booth and the crowd began to disperse, buzzing excitedly, while several shorter trailers ran in sequence on the main screen and the other smaller ones, the audio thundering through that corner of the exhibit hall. A few minutes later, Kaiba reemerged from backstage with Mokuba behind him, and was predictably swarmed by interested gamers, camera crews, and executives alike. Yugi and his grandfather stood for a moment discussing the trailers and the impact they had on the crowd, and then Yugi glanced to see the sudden swell of activity toward the stage. Sure enough, they were practically rushing Kaiba, who seemed to be anticipating their attention judging by the aloof smirk on his face. Yugi wanted to go up and say hello, and perhaps congratulate him on what looked like the coolest demo of the entire expo that weekend, but so many people were already crowding around Kaiba that all Yugi could do was try to catch his eye from a distance and give him a wave. For a brief second it looked like Kaiba noticed him across the sea of people, but there was only a slight flicker of recognition and change to the shade of his smirk before he turned his attention back to the eager hordes trying to get him to answer questions even though he said he wasn’t going to. It was much easier to get to Mokuba, even though more than enough of the spectators knew who he was and tried to ply him for information instead. Yugi passed him by and told him he did a good job, to which Mokuba grinned recklessly. “I bet I wasn’t anywhere near as perfect as you when you played,” he taunted, “but I had a cheat sheet.”
“You did pretty good,” Yugi smiled. “You didn’t lose all your life points, that counts for something.”
“What did you think? Was it cool?”
“It was awesome! It looks great on the big screen like that.”
“Yeah, I bet.”
“It looks very interesting,” Grandpa added for himself. “More than I expected, even with Yugi’s descriptions.”
“Yeah, and how much you want to bet, by the time the final game comes out, this level will look dated?” Mokuba said smartly. “We’re gonna set a new standard for all the other game companies to have to work their way up to. Seto can’t do anything small, he’s going to make his first video game the best video game ever.”
Yugi chuckled, knowing that Mokuba’s boast wasn’t far from the truth, at least in intent. “Well, I’m glad I got to see this,” he said warmly. “Look at all the people around, wanting more. You’ve definitely got the best big surprise of the weekend. It didn’t even occur to me until halfway through it that it was you playing backstage. You said you were helping out, but you didn’t say you were playing the demo yourself.”
Someone nearby overheard that and whirled sharply. “What? It was Mokuba Kaiba playing the game demo?”
“Mokuba! Hey, can we ask you a few questions?” others started to call out. Portions of the crowd began to turn to him.
“Uh oh.” Mokuba gave them all a cheesy grin. “Um, I can’t really say anything, but…uh…” He grinned at Yugi. “Sorry. Duty calls.”
“That’s all right,” Yugi chuckled. “Good job, Mokuba. We’ll see you later!”
Mokuba waved over the heads of the people crowding around him as Yugi and his grandfather turned to leave. Solomon glanced back at the excited throng and shook his head. “Like vultures, sometimes. Was it like this last year when you got dragged into the world tournament stuff?”
“Oh yeah. Way too many people all at once,” Yugi sighed. “I’m so glad I don’t have to do that all the time. Once was enough. I couldn’t imagine being a major public figure like Kaiba, and having to deal with press conferences and all that practically every week.”
“Kind of makes you glad we’ve just got a little tiny game shop,” Grandpa Muto chuckled heartily. “Come on, let’s go see what kinds of freebies they’ve laid out for all the fans today.”
While Yugi and his grandpa headed off to do their own thing, Kaiba remained in his booth for a short time, fielding any questions unrelated directly to Legendary Heroes and referring more eager queries to Roland for handling. After a suitable amount of time to whet their appetites but give them no more to go on, he excused himself, saying he needed to go backstage to set up the trailer sequence for the rest of the afternoon and instruct the operators of the booth. He pulled Roland over to stand in the way to prevent anyone from following him into the back, and made an easy escape. Mokuba had already gone ahead of him, out of concern that he couldn’t behave himself and keep his mouth shut. With all the activity outside, the backstage area seemed rather deserted, with just one tech worker and a dark-suited underling holding down the fort. Kaiba briskly gave them a few instructions to run the booth for the next few hours, and then turned to search out his security for their own orders. Before he could find any of them, a single person slipped through the stage curtains right in front of him, quite possibly the last person he would have wanted to see at that moment. Kaiba’s face darkened in a bitter glare, but before he could say anything, Pegasus blithely crooned, “Congratulations, Kaiba-boy. You’ve finally stolen my thunder. What a splendid announcement.”
“Get out of my booth,” Kaiba snapped at him. “I don’t have time to deal with you. This is my company’s private area and you’re trespassing.” He turned sharply on his heel and stalked away. “Leave before I have to call my security to escort you out.”
To his utter dread, Pegasus not only didn’t leave, he followed him further into the booth. “Come now, Kaiba,” he said in his usual cutting tone, “if I were you, I wouldn’t be so rude to your licensing partner. Not with such a large Duel Monsters-based property contingent on my good favor.”
Kaiba growled under his breath. He refused to be blackmailed by anyone, least of all Pegasus, but at the moment the man had a point he couldn’t argue with. He tried simply retreating into one of the private curtained-off areas for meetings or interviews, against the wall behind the booth, but the other CEO tagged after him the whole way. “What is it you want?” he said angrily, now that no one was around to see him lose his temper. “Have you come to wave your licensing agreement in front of my face like it’s going to somehow get you a bigger chunk of my profits? I’ve got news for you, Pegasus – Legendary Heroes is all mine. I’m not going to play your game. Our licensing agreement isn’t up for negotiation for another year at least, and that’s an ironclad contract.”
“Oh yes, I’m quite aware of that,” Pegasus said smugly. “In fact, I should rather like to congratulate you for making Industrial Illusions an unwitting recipient of some very good press of its own.” His hazel eye narrowed as he grinned like a snake. “I’m sure you didn’t count on your project doing my company quite a bit of good in the process, but it certainly does. Duel Monsters is such an integral part of Legendary Heroes, any good work on your part reflects directly on the core game. And for that, I thank you,” he concluded with a completely unnecessary bow.
Kaiba bristled where he stood. “If the success of Legendary Heroes makes Duel Monsters more popular, so be it, but don’t think it has anything to do with you. You had nothing to do with it, and I have no intention of letting you into any facet of the game’s development or release. KaibaCorp’s console game department is not under your control, even if they are working with the card images licensed from Industrial Illusions.”
“Card images I created myself,” Pegasus coolly reminded him. “I hope your graphics designers do my pretty designs justice, or I may have to remember that as an insult when it comes time to renegotiate our license.”
“I am in no mood for your taunts or your veiled threats,” Kaiba seethed. “If you have something important or constructive to say, say it and get the hell out of my booth. I’ve got work to do, and if you were any kind of CEO, you would too – and then leave so you can go do it.”
Pegasus held up his hands in a sort of shrug. “Why, I simply wanted to give you my personal congratulations on a fine presentation,” he said in that oily manner that suggested facetiousness. “Considering how much your game touches on mine, I thought it only fair that I tell you myself, how splendid it was to see my monsters and my cards treated in such a loving fashion.” He tilted his head and let his eye narrow again in a twisted mockery of coyness. “I’m very interested to see what you can do with it. It’s so flattering, to see my creatures brought to life in this new way.”
Kaiba stared him down with a dark look. “Flattery has nothing to do with it.”
“No?” Pegasus smiled and shrugged again. “Suit yourself. It still pleases me whenever you put your mind to something that helps me out so very much. Don’t worry, I’m not going to stick my nose into your Legendary world. You just keep up the good work, and make it a killer game, and I’ll sit back and reap the benefits.” He gave a little wave as if to turn and go, but paused in mid-step and returned. “Oh, there was one thing. It seems I’ve heard through the grapevine that the day after tomorrow is your birthday. Twenty-one, and still the world’s youngest CEO,” he said in a manner supposedly meant to be complimentary. “I thought, considering our past involvement, it would be polite of me to give you a little something in honor.”
Kaiba twitched and tried not to form his hands into fists – tried, and failed. “Whatever it is, I don’t want it,” he said curtly. “I don’t care if it’s my birthday. It means nothing.”
“Oh, come now,” Pegasus cajoled. “You don’t even know what it is. It might be something you…like.”
The innuendo was not lost on Kaiba. He seethed even more angrily. “I said no. I don’t want it, and I don’t even want to talk about it.”
Pegasus eyed him, his stance, his clearly ruffled feathers, and smiled darkly. “How do you know that’s what I meant? Oh my, Kaiba-boy, are you still thinking about it, all these months later? I didn’t know I had such an effect on you.”
He didn’t, and Kaiba wasn’t, but being face to face with the object of his one-time indiscretion brought it all rushing uncomfortably back. He tried to straighten up and face his adversary boldly. “As a matter of fact, you pretty much ruined the tournament for me,” he snarled. “I’m doing my best to forget that anything happened, and right now I want you to take your offer and shove it up your ass, and then get the hell out of my face, my booth, and my life. I refuse to stoop to your level or have anything to do with you, ever again. Licensing agreement or not.”
Pegasus folded his arms over his chest and stood back with a mocking glare. “Touchy,” he teased. “You’d risk your lovely new game and your company for that? You should be careful, Kaiba-boy.” He raised a finger and wagged it scoldingly. “Being too mean to me and refusing me could result in a loss of the Duel Monsters license. I don’t think it’s worth it, but then again, what do I know?”
Kaiba lowered his head for a moment, taking a deep breath. “You know nothing,” he said in a low, savage tone. “What you’re saying amounts to sexual harassment, and I will not tolerate that. Never.” He lifted his head, his cold, blue eyes settling on Pegasus’ smug face. “And I will gladly sue you from one side of the Pacific to the other if you so much as dare to breathe a word of it again.”
The older man eyed him with an arrogant sniff. “If you’re willing to bring your entire company to ruin by letting a claim of sexual harassment go public, fine. That’s a dangerous accusation to make.”
“Using my mistake against me like this is sexual harassment,” Kaiba snapped. “I will not bow to your threats. You want to out me? Fine.” He gestured violently toward the stage beyond the curtained alcove. “There’s a stage. Go to it. You’ll have to out yourself in the process, and that can’t possibly be good for Industrial Illusions either.”
Pegasus glared across at him. “Don’t be stupid, Kaiba,” he snapped back. “You forget that I hold so much of your company’s success in my grasp. If not for me, every single one of your multi-billion-dollar projects over the last five years would never have gotten out of development. You give yourself far too much credit,” he added nastily, stepping back and looking over Kaiba’s tensed figure with disdain. “Do you really think you were that good, that I should want a second taste of you? If I had wanted that, I’d have already had it. Don’t flatter yourself, boy.”
Kaiba had crossed the small room in a mere eyeblink, unleashing his fist with nothing to hold him back. The punch connected with Pegasus’ jaw with a satisfying crunch, knocking the older man sprawling. He laid there for a moment, stunned, while Kaiba stood over him, flexing his hand instinctively. The heat of rage rushed through his body, flushing his cheeks and making him breathe heavily. “I have wanted to do that for such a long time,” he growled gutturally.
Pegasus struggled to sit up, brushing the back of his hand across the corner of his mouth to find a trace of blood from his cut lip. He, too, was panting. “Kaiba,” he exclaimed in astonishment.
“I am in control, now,” Seto said darkly, clenching his hand into a fist again. “You have no power over me, no matter what you might think. Get up, you sniveling coward!”
Pegasus reluctantly pushed himself to his feet, taking a moment to brush off his suit before tossing back his silvery hair and trying to regain his composure. “Don’t be so rash, Kaiba-boy – ”
“Shut up and listen,” Kaiba demanded sharply. Pegasus’ eye widened, and he recoiled away from any potential second strike. “This ends here and now. I will not let you use my indiscretion to manipulate me, so as of this moment, we will both forget it ever happened. If you ever bring it up again, I will sue you for sexual harassment for even hinting that you’d drop the license over a personal slight. Push me, and I’ll make it out to be rape,” he added dangerously. “You and I both know that legal issues of that nature will hurt you more than me, because no one would believe that Seto Kaiba, of all people, as cold and heartless as he is, is even capable of having sex with anyone. Not to mention how much worse it looks for you,” he breathed in a bloodthirsty threat, “an old, lonely, eccentric man who invites lots of underage boys to his private island for ‘tournaments.’ How do you think the public will treat you, if I so much as whisper sexual harassment in a public forum?”
From the way Pegasus’ face went suddenly cold, Kaiba knew he had struck the right nerve. The older man merely glared back at him. “You wouldn’t…”
“Try me,” Kaiba muttered through clenched teeth.
Unnerved, Pegasus only reached up to rub his sore jaw, not taking his eye off Kaiba for a second. “You’d be putting your own company at risk.”
“If it keeps you away from me, and away from Mokuba, I’ll take that risk.” Kaiba stood straight and proud, his eyes sharp and cold. “I will not put up with any more of your crap, the only thing I want is for you to leave me the hell alone. Your threats are hollow and mean nothing to me. You haven’t been able to pull off a convincing threat since you lost that Millennium Eye,” he added spitefully, nodding toward the curtain of silver hair that concealed Pegasus’ empty left socket. “I don’t believe for a minute that you would pull the license just because I don’t want to deal with you. I know your biggest secret, bigger than what happened between us in Hong Kong.”
Pegasus frowned. “What secret?” he spat back.
“If not for KaibaCorp, Industrial Illusions would be nothing,” Kaiba brashly declared. “If not for me, your little game would never have taken off worldwide. I made Duel Monsters what it is today, if only because I was its champion for so long, and now all of my ‘projects’ that you so easily mocked are what’s keeping it popular. If you did something stupid like revoke the license, it would only hurt one person – you. KaibaCorp can survive without Duel Monsters, but Industrial Illusions can no longer survive without KaibaCorp. So many people are accustomed to my technology enhancing their gaming. What if I decided to drop Duel Monsters and apply that technology to some other collectible card game? You’d be the loser, Pegasus. You, and not me. So go ahead, taunt me all you like. I’m not afraid of you. I never have been. I’m through with playing games. This ends, right now.”
Having been verbally backed into a corner, Pegasus could only stare at him in silence. After a bit, he stammered, “I see. Well. If I’d known you would react so violently…”
“I haven’t even begun,” Kaiba snarled. “If we weren’t in the middle of the Tokyo Game Expo, I’d like nothing more than to haul you onto the back street and beat you senseless, for everything you’ve ever done to me, starting with kidnapping Mokuba.”
Pegasus eyed him. “My, we do hold a grudge…”
Kaiba’s hand shot out and snatched him by the tie, hauling him up and nearly choking him at the same time. He took great pleasure in seeing the older man’s startled and almost scared look. “What do you expect?” he hissed. “You’ve manipulated me and toyed with me for years. You push my buttons just to watch me react. In the end, you and I want the same thing – the upper hand in the business world – but at least I don’t resort to creepy, underhanded tactics to get it.” He released Pegasus, shoving him back, and gave him a stern glare. “If I had known all it took to get you to back down was hitting you, I would have done it a long time ago. It’s crude, but putting my fist in your face felt so good, I wouldn’t mind doing it again.”
“There’s no need for barbarian tactics,” Pegasus warned. “If you’re done overreacting, perhaps we can discuss this like civilized men.”
“There’s nothing to discuss,” Kaiba spat. “I want nothing to do with you. From this point on, I prefer that all business transactions be handled through third parties only. And if you so much as hint to the idea that you’ll reneg on our contract or hold it against me when we renegotiate the license, I will hit you with so much legal firepower that you’ll be on your knees begging me to spare your company.”
“Fine,” Pegasus said icily, adjusting his tie. “It didn’t have to come to this, Kaiba-boy. I was only teasing. I didn’t realize you had such a negative view of…the past, or I might not have been so flippant.”
Kaiba faced him without wincing, anger still blazing deep in his eyes. “It doesn’t excuse you. I want it permanently forgotten, not used as a joke.”
Pegasus gave him a wary look. “Would you accept if I apologized?”
Blue eyes narrowed. “There aren’t enough apologies in the world to make up for some of the things you’ve done. I won’t allow you to keep anything you can use as leverage against me.”
“Have you ever considered that perhaps that same information can be used against me?” One hazel eye glared. “I said my private investments remained private, and I meant it. I prefer discreetness as much as you do.”
Kaiba sniffed in disbelief. “What’s the matter?” he muttered. “Got some prospective beau you don’t want finding out about your affairs?”
“What does it matter to you?” Pegasus said snidely. “It’s not as though you have that problem.”
“As a matter of fact, I’m seeing someone,” Kaiba said sharply. “So I have no use for your head games anymore.”
Pegasus blinked in surprise. “You’re joking,” he scoffed. “Who is it? Male or female?”
“It’s none of your business,” Seto immediately replied, but then begrudgingly added, “Male,” as if to prove that it was true. “That’s all I’m saying about it.”
His adversary went strangely quiet. “Does this young man know what he’s getting into, getting involved with the likes of you?” he idly wondered.
“More than you know.” Kaiba lowered his head to give his glare more weight. “If the truth doesn’t shut you up, then nothing will. I’m not interested in prolonging this any more. Whether or not I have your word that I won’t have to deal with you anymore for the rest of my life, you know what I have at stake and what lengths I will go to in order to protect it. I have more than enough ammunition to sink your ship.”
“Yes, I’m well aware.” Pegasus closed his eye briefly, and reached into the inside pocket of his suit jacket. “Nevertheless, I meant what I said. I intended to give you a small something in honor of your birthday…” He withdrew his hand, and between his fingers he held a single Duel Monsters card. “You can still have it, no strings attached. Consider it a good-faith promise that your demand is accepted.”
Kaiba watched him warily, even as he stepped closer and held out the card, face down. A long moment passed while they stared at each other, and then Kaiba reached out and gingerly took the card. Pegasus immediately turned on his heel and walked away, saying no further word, not even a parting shot of farewell to get the last word in. Only after he had left did Seto turn the card over to look at it, a flash of light reflecting off the foil embossing over the picture. It was a Magic card, a Quick-Play at that, and a quick glance over the text made his eyes widen. It was a one-of-a-kind card, similar to the Rite of Transference Trap he saw Yugi play in the tournament, only this one was meant to work with his Blue Eyes White Dragons. In fact, it only worked with the Blue Eyes, meaning this card was made for him as much as the rare Trap had been made solely for Yugi. Kaiba stared at it for a long moment, and then decided to tuck it away in a pocket. He could accept it, but he would not thank Pegasus for it. It would serve as their agreement not to cross paths ever again if they could help it. Taking a deep breath, Kaiba slumped back against the wall. Very soon he would have to turn his attention to fielding interviews about Legendary Heroes, but he decided he deserved a break first. Leaning against the wall with his head in his hands, he closed his eyes and forced himself not to think about what had just happened. His cell phone was in the same pocket as the new card, he could feel its weight against his chest, and for a fleeting moment he considered calling Alastair to let him know that the presentation had been a success. But he didn’t – he only needed to think about doing it, and calm began to wash over him. It was enough for now.
Once the excitement of the big KaibaCorp announcement had passed, there wasn’t much else to make the game expo particularly eventful. The rest of the day passed remarkably quietly, if one could consider a convention center full of gamers quiet. Yugi didn’t see a lot that he needed to worry about, or pay attention to, so he and his grandfather kicked back and used it as vacation time as much as they could. Besides, now that he was the official world champion, game fans of all ages and sizes were accosting him for pictures and autographs or duel strategies, and it didn’t take long to tire of the attention and want to slink away someplace private to just sit and watch the world with Yami’s voice in the back of his mind. It had been so much better before they let all the fans in, he could go around undisturbed as an industry professional and think about how to better improve Kame game shop. Grandpa Muto was only looking forward to the pop concert later that evening, with a level of enthusiasm that mildly embarrassed Yugi, but they already had their agreement for how each would spend their time and were okay with that. They planned to go out for dinner early, then, so Grandpa could get back and be allowed into the “professionals only” line for prime seats. They had split up so Yugi could go see a presentation on a new collectible card game, but in the process, he lost track of Grandpa and was forced to wander the exhibition halls in search of him afterward. Maybe Joey’s right, he mused to himself as he prowled up and down the aisles hoping for a glimpse of his grandfather, it’s time we got cell phones. That would make this a whole lot easier. Something occurred to him, then, perhaps a sign or a flyer he had seen earlier, and he changed direction in order to seek out the big hall where the concert would be later. He blundered around a corner and straight into an unexpected run-in with Seto Kaiba. “Oh!” Yugi immediately yelped. “Kaiba! Sorry! I…”
Kaiba stepped back to regain his composure, regarding his rival coolly. “Yugi. Watch where you’re going.”
“Sorry,” Yugi said again. “I’m kind of in a hurry, I…” He made a small frown. “You haven’t seen my grandpa anywhere, have you?”
“Not that I’ve been looking, but no.” Kaiba’s eyes likewise narrowed. “Have you seen Mokuba lately?”
Mildly surprised, Yugi could only shake his head. “No, not since this morning at the presentation. Nice job, by the way,” he added, now that he had the opportunity. “It looked fantastic from where we stood.”
Kaiba accepted the compliment with a nod. “It went off as planned. I couldn’t be more pleased with the reception.”
Yugi grinned. “Getting a lot of attention, are you?”
The CEO closed his eyes and sighed. “I’ve been going from one interview to the next all day since then. At least I can say with confidence that this came as a complete surprise to everyone. None of the information on the game’s existence was leaked before today. They all want to know as much as I’m willing to tell.” He sniffed arrogantly. “Which isn’t much.”
“I’ve been good,” Yugi promised him. “I only told my friends and Grandpa, and none of them have told anyone. Not even Duke,” he pointed out, “so you didn’t have to worry.”
Kaiba looked mildly displeased, but only for a brief second. “If you say so.” He averted his glance away, as if finding some display off to the side much more interesting. “I suppose I couldn’t have gotten it done in time if not for your assistance, so…”
A gentle smile warmed Yugi’s face. “You’re welcome.”
Kaiba’s eyes wandered back to him, and the tiniest smile twitched his lip for a moment. “I won’t have anything more to game test for a few months, though.”
“That’s all right. If you still want me to do that, I’m up for it, anytime. The game looks good, and from the reaction you got today, it’s going to be huge. I can’t wait.” Kaiba only gave him a cool nod of agreement, leaving it open for Yugi to continue. He glanced around curiously. “You’re looking for Mokuba? Where did he run off to?”
“Beats me,” Kaiba muttered with a scowl. “He said something about talking a walk…with someone he met last night.” He peered down at Yugi. “You don’t know anything about that, do you?”
“Um, well…” Yugi put on an innocent smile. “I did run into him in the Bemani arcade last night, he was talking to some girl.” Considering Mokuba meeting the girl again and going for a walk with her brought an even bigger grin to his face, but he stifled it.
Seto heaved an annoyed sigh. “I just want to find him and get out of here. I haven’t had anything to eat all day, it’s been nonstop meetings and interviews.”
“Yeah, I’m trying to find my grandpa for the same reason,” Yugi said. “If I see Mokuba, I’ll tell him you’re looking for him.”
“Thanks.” Kaiba gave him a cool nod and continued on his way. Yugi paused and watched him for a moment, considering with some amazement that that had perhaps been the first conversation they had ever had without Kaiba insulting him in some fashion. But he still needed to find Grandpa so they could get some dinner, and turned to resume the hunt. Grandpa Muto actually found him very shortly after, stars in his eyes over being able to meet the pretty Ms. Yoko Ishida herself and get her autograph – he had been in the autograph line all this time. Yugi rolled his eyes and dragged him out of the convention center to find a place to eat.
While the concert was going on, Yugi’s only course of entertainment was to roam the video gaming exhibition hall until it closed, and then bum around the Bemani room again until he lost interest and decided to go for a walk instead. The streets of downtown Tokyo were still bright and busy even this late, and safe enough for a lone young man like Yugi to travel and look around in curiosity. It was definitely more exciting than Domino City at this time of night. His spiritual partner had been silent most of the day, but now he gently intruded with a soft caress of his mind against Yugi’s. “You must be bored,” he noted. “I’ve not seen you so quiet in a long time.”
“A little,” Yugi responded, rousing himself enough to devote his mental attention to the conversation. “More tired than anything. All the noise and the crowds of people wear me out. To say nothing of all that walking.”
“And yet,” Yami mused with some humor, “you’re still walking.”
Yugi chuckled to himself. “I guess I am.” He heaved a little sigh. “I just wanted to get out and clear my head, really.”
“Would you like me to leave you alone with your thoughts?”
“No…” Yugi blinked and glanced to his side, envisioning the pharaoh gliding into view beside him. The conversation continued between minds only. “Actually, I’d really like some company. You don’t have to give me any space or anything.”
“All right.” The phantom vision of Yami smiled kindly. “Anything you wish, Yugi. Are we headed somewhere, or is this just a walk for some air?”
“Oh, I’m not really going anywhere,” Yugi admitted, looking away shyly through streams of passing strangers at the bright lights of the big city. “There is one thing I kind of wanted to do, but only if something catches my eye.” His attention shifted swiftly back to his partner’s presence before Yami could ask what it was. “Isn’t it funny? One year ago, right here, Kaiba and I were completely at odds with each other, he couldn’t stand the sight of me. But today, when I ran into him…I think that’s the most civil he’s been to me in public, ever. I mean, we have something of a business relationship now, but…he could still be the same old jerk to me in public if he wanted to. But he was…almost nice.”
Yami chuckled softly. “Perhaps he, too, was simply too tired to muster the energy to be mean to you. It sounded like the Legendary Heroes announcement has made him extremely busy.”
“Maybe.” Yugi smiled faintly as he walked. “I think it might have something to do with Alastair. Kaiba’s never had someone in his life before, none of us can predict how that sort of thing might change him.”
“If that is true,” Yami mused, “it appears so far to be a change for the better.”
“Yeah. And I’m glad.” Yugi paused in mid-step, then, at the corner, and glanced down the adjoining block at the rows upon rows of flashing signs. Something had, apparently, caught his eye as he hoped, and without making any comment to his partner, he changed direction and headed down to one of the little shops still open at this time of night. Yami could not tell with a glance what sorts of oddments might be sold here, but Yugi seemed to know what he was doing. “Aha,” he muttered under his breath. “Just what I was looking for.”
“Yugi?” the pharaoh’s spirit wondered. “What are we doing here?”
“You’ll see,” Yugi responded inwardly, smirking to himself as he passed through the door. “…I hope.”
The last day of the game expo featured nothing special, it was just a second full day for the general public to browse the latest offerings from all kinds of game companies and feast their eyes on the special announcements and upcoming new products. The Mutos planned to stay through the early afternoon, just to give the exhibit hall a few more laps to be sure they didn’t miss any free promotional stuff or rare offers, before heading to the station to catch a three o’clock train back to Domino. It was a fine, leisurely end to an interesting vacation, and they enthusiastically chatted with each other while roaming the convention with their baggage in tow. Yugi had only one real reason for sticking around and searching through the hall, though he didn’t expect to be able to carry it out, at least not easily. He kept getting distracted by shiny things. His grandfather had just asked him whether he was interested in leaving a little early and passing through Akihabara on their way to catch the shinkansen when they came around a corner into view of the KaibaCorp booth. Yugi’s answer died on his lips as he noticed Kaiba towering over a small crowd attending him, listening to something he was saying with brisk, businesslike sternness. Mokuba was sitting on the edge of the stage with his sneakers dangling over, kicking his feet idly as he watched whatever his brother was doing. By the time Yugi and his grandfather approached the booth, the group around Kaiba nodded, bowed, and generally bid him a good day while he stood coolly in their midst and just waited for them to disperse. Beside him, Roland handled the pleasantries of thanking everyone for their interest in KaibaCorp and offering them business cards or informational flyers to assist them in contacting the company for future endeavors. Kaiba looked somewhat disinterested, and glanced aside to see Yugi coming straight up to him. As expected, his eyes narrowed slightly. “Hey, Kaiba,” Yugi greeted him.
“What do you want now?” the CEO said brusquely.
“Oh, nothing,” Yugi replied. “We were just making one last round of the exhibit hall before we leave. How’s everything going?”
“Business as usual.” Kaiba turned a shoulder stubbornly to him. “If you’ll excuse me, I have some orders to give about dismantling the booth once the show is over.”
“Hey, before you go…” Yugi swung the white duffel bag off his shoulder and unzipped it, fumbling inside for something. Kaiba stood eyeing him suspiciously, but waited as requested. Grandpa Muto stood back out of the way, engaging Mokuba in a brief conversation about how much fun the game expo was. Yugi found the little thing he had bought the night before in a fold of a t-shirt and held it out in his closed fist. “Here.”
Kaiba studied him even more closely, doubtfully. “What is it?”
“Just…something. Happy birthday.”
The questioning look became a deep scowl. “I told you not to…”
“I know,” Yugi sighed, “but I couldn’t resist. I saw something that sort of reminded me, and…well, that’s just what I do for my friends. I kind of owe you, anyway. You gave me such an awesome birthday party, I couldn’t let yours go by unnoticed.” He waggled his hand. “Come on…”
Kaiba glared down at him, but consented to at least extend his hand and accept whatever little something Yugi was hiding. A small metal trinket fell into his palm, and Yugi’s hand withdrew quickly as if he had been burned. Kaiba held it up to scrutinize it – a little dragon on a chain, such as the kind gotten out of a capsule machine or something. It had the wings and sleek head like a Blue Eyes, except that it was red. Kaiba boggled at it in utter perplexity. “What…the hell…is this?”
Yugi averted his eyes shyly. “It’s a dragon…”
“I can see that, stupid.” Kaiba pinched the chain between his thumb and forefinger and let the dragon dangle before his eye, staring at it with the sort of look that said he honestly had no idea how to react to it. “What’s it for?” he finally muttered.
Yugi shrugged. “I don’t know, I saw it and it made me think of you, for some reason. I don’t know what you could do with it…maybe, put it on your car keys, like a keychain or something. Or…throw it away,” he added resignedly in a lower tone. “You probably don’t care. You can do whatever you want with it, it’s my gift to you. If you don’t want it, just toss it.”
Kaiba lowered the dragon and gave Yugi a glare of pure accusation. “You’re not hitting on me, are you?”
“No! Kaiba…” Yugi wilted in exasperation. “You’ve really never had anyone except Mokuba give you a present for any reason, have you? This is what friends do. It doesn’t mean anything except that I want to wish you well for your birthday. That’s all.”
Seto peered down at the dragon in his hand once more, and then pocketed it. “I’m not some kind of backwards idiot with a stunted sense of social graces,” he muttered. “I know what a birthday present is. I just don’t know what you expect me to do with it.”
“Hang it on your keys, hide it in your sock drawer, give it to Mokuba, I don’t know,” Yugi complained. “Just…happy birthday,” he added sulkily.
A quiet murmur surprised him. “Thanks,” Kaiba said.
Yugi looked up to him hopefully, but received only a blank look and a nod in response. He chanced a stupid grin. “It matches your sports car,” he noted. “Maybe that’s why I thought it seemed like…you.” He glanced back to find Grandpa ready, and picked up his duffel bag. “I guess we’re off. Have a good trip back. I hope you’re spending some time tomorrow with Alastair.” He smiled more confidently and winked as he turned away. Kaiba gave him a startled look, glanced sharply around, but saw that there was no one around to overhear or misinterpret the parting remark. So comforted, he settled down and gave Yugi the slightest smile to acknowledge his blessing. They nodded amicably to each other as Yugi and his grandfather departed, leaving Kaiba standing there with a million conflicting thoughts tearing through his head.
Halfway to the convention center door, Yugi sensed a warm chuckle in his mind. “I have never seen Kaiba so…out of his element,” the pharaoh’s spirit commented. “The look on his face was priceless.”
“For a second there, it looked like he expected the dragon to bite him,” Yugi laughed back within his mind. Outwardly, he only smiled broadly in such a generic way that anything could have been amusing him. “But something tells me he’s not going to throw it away.”
“It might still end up in Mokuba’s pocket,” Yami warned.
“Yeah, well…” Yugi let himself think of taking his partner’s hand and playfully nudging him. “It’s his to do what he wants with it, now. It’s not like I spent a lot of money on it. Here’s hoping Alastair gets him something much better, though.” They chuckled together at the thought and let the subject drop, focusing instead on traveling back home and getting back to the normal routine. Kame game shop and a lot of patient customers who had put up with them being closed for four days awaited them in Domino.