Title: Summer of '69
Author: bnomiko
Rating: PG-13
Pairing(s): Seto + Yami, Noa + Mokuba, Jou + Mai, Yugi + Anzu, Malik + Ryou, Rafael + Valon + Amelda
Spoilers: none
Warnings: swearing
Disclaimer: Yu-Gi-Oh! is the creation of Kazuki Takahashi. Total Involvement is a film by Bill Kaiwa. "Eye of the Tiger" is performed and recorded by Survivor. This is a not-for-profit fanwork and I do not own any of these characters.
Summary: "So many times, it happens too fast, You trade your passion for glory"
Status: 10 / ?
Archived at: http://www.phenixsol.com/Miko/FF/

* * *

Summer of '69

Ch. 8: Total Involvement

* * *

So many times, it happens too fast,
You trade your passion for glory,
Don't lose your grip on the dreams of the past,
You must fight just to keep them alive

It's the eye of the tiger,
It's the thrill of the fight,
Rising up to the challenge of our rival,
And the last known survivor
Stalks his prey in the night,
And he's watching us all
With the eye of the tiger

- "Eye of the Tiger", Survivor

* * *

Yugi told himself that there was nothing to be nervous about; he enjoyed dueling. And Leon was a worthy opponent; he ought to be appreciative of that. He didn't even mind the prospect of dueling in front of a huge crowd since that was something that he'd learned to deal with in his years as a duelist. But nothing at the tournament had been going quite right. And he couldn't help the feeling that the worst was yet to come.

Yami and Seto had disappeared shortly after Seto's duel - the reason being pretty obvious to anyone who knew them well - but he knew they'd show up in time for his duel. Mokuba assured him of as much, though it wasn't really necessary. Yugi had faith in his other half.

Perhaps his link with Yami had something to do with his unease. He knew Yami was worried about Seto, and that the more stressed Seto became, the more that would affect Yami and trickle down to Yugi in turn. Even with their link minimized as it was, it still affected his moods on the most basic level. In a way, he had hoped that a quick bout of sexual activity would help relieve some of the pressure Seto felt, but considering the time, he had to figure they were done by now and yet, Yami was upset as ever.

Drumming his fingers on the table, he tried to redirect his attention to the various Duel Monsters cards laid out before him. He had been working on assembling his deck for his match against Leon. There were some thirty cards already loosely gathered in his hand. He needed to finish picking out the rest. But just as he was adding Watapon to his deck, the door opened and Rebecca peeked in.

"I'm sorry... am I bothering you?"

Yugi sighed inwardly since yes, he was busy, but he waved her in anyway. "What's up?"

She looked somewhat pleased, walking over to push aside a few of the cards before seating herself on the table next to Yugi. "I... wanted to talk to you about something."

Now? "Is it really important? I mean, can it wait?"

Rebecca pouted a little, then edged a wee bit closer to her love interest. "Well, I suppose it can... but I need to talk to you without Anzu around, and she's around all the time."

"Well, she is my girlfriend and all..."

Feeling her temper flare a bit at the reminder, she bit out, "I really like you, Yugi. And I think I understand you better than she ever would. We're both duelists after all. But first you have to give me a chance..."

Oh God, is she making a play for me? Here, now?? Yugi wondered as Rebecca scooted close enough to bump her leg against his hand as he attempted to add another card to his deck. It wasn't that he didn't know Rebecca was interested in him; she had been for years. But it had always been an innocent sort of puppy love, not the strangely aggressive weird obsession thing that had been going on the last few days.

Yugi wracked his mind for something to say that wouldn't sound too mean. Sure he liked her, but only as a friend. He supposed there was no easy way to say it. He needed to be honest and up front with her. There just was no spark there for him. She almost felt like - and he knew he couldn't tell her this - a somewhat bratty little cousin. And it had nothing to do with Anzu either... he didn't think he'd be romantically interested in Rebecca even if he had never dated Anzu, not that he could really tell her that either. But he had to tell her something...

"Um, Rebecca, come down and have a seat," he began, nodding at a chair a few feet away from him. It was hard trying to talk to her while she was swinging her legs somewhat nervously just inches away from his head. Man, I hate this. "Well, I like you too..."

"YES! Oh Yugi, you don't know how happy that makes me!" she blurted out, grabbing his arm in excitement.

Yugi gently extracted himself from her grasp. "... but... not in the way you want. Look..." and he scratched the back of his head, "you're a good friend. You mean a lot to me, as a friend. But that's all."

Rebecca gaped at him like a fish. "But... you haven't ever even gone out with me! If you'd just give me a chance, I'm sure..."

Yugi shook his head slowly. "I'm sorry, I can't do that. I'm with Anzu. And I love her. I've loved her for a long time."

"God, you make it sound like you're married to her or something!" Rebecca huffed.

"No, not yet... but I'd like to be someday," he said thoughtfully. He hadn't really considered it before being that they were still young, but it was the truth.

For a second, it looked like the blonde was going to launch into another tirade, but she stopped when she saw the rather dreamy, distant look on his face. It was the look of someone that was truly in love. Stunned by the realization, she visibly deflated. "You... you really mean that, don't you?" she hesitantly asked.

"Yeah."

Rebecca looked down at her hands and did not say anything else. An uncomfortable silence settled in the room, thick as a fog. Despite his distraction, Yugi began going through his cards yet again. He needed to finish assembling his deck, even if his mind wasn't able to really concentrate on that task.

A minute later, Rebecca sighed. There was a slight rustling of clothing as she turned to the spiky-haired duelist. "Hey, Yugi?"

"Hm?"

"If... if for any reason, if things didn't work out with Anzu... and I asked you out, you'd at least give me a shot, right?"

His fingers stilled. "Maybe. I don't know. Probably... but I couldn't promise that."

"But, you would at least think about it, right?"

He considered it, then nodded.

"And you'd at least give me more consideration than Vivian, right?"

Yugi smiled slightly in response, then nodded once again.

"And... we're still friends right?"

He looked over at her. "Do you still have the card I gave you?"

"The Ties of Friendship?" She plucked her deck from the protective pouch clipped to the waistband of her skirt, and pulled out the card in question.

"We'll always be friends," Yugi told her as she gazed at the card. "I hope you'll always remember that."

Of course she would. It was a very special card. He had made her feel special when he gave it to her. But maybe she had been reading into that too much... maybe the card meant exactly what it said it stood for. A bond between friends.

The fourth Blue Eyes had bound their grandfathers in friendship as well. Rebecca couldn't help but think back to that. She had thought she was okay with Sugoroku having it, but when he had suggested giving it to Seto, she had changed her mind. She was confused; it felt like he was throwing away the symbol of his friendship with her grandfather. If that was the case, if he just didn't want it... then she wanted it. And yet her grandfather had been okay with it, and Yugi had been especially insistent that Seto should have it. What was the reasoning behind that? What was he hoping to accomplish? To gain Seto's friendship? That didn't make sense... weren't they already friends? There was something she was missing... something that everyone else knew. She was tempted to ask, knowing that Yugi would explain it to her, but she wanted to figure it out for herself. She was sick of being the clueless one.

Besides, Yugi had a duel to prep for. And she had taken up enough of his time...

She put the card away, then leaned forward and gave him a quick peck on the cheek. "Thanks." Then she stood, smoothing down her skirt, turning to go.

"Rebecca... are you going to be okay?"

"Sure." She whirled back around to smile brightly at him, but there was a residual confusion and a hint of sadness in her eyes. He supposed it'd take her a while to get over being turned down, but that was the risk she knew she had to take when she had decided to approach him. "Oh, and good luck on your duel," she breathed hastily just before rushing out the door.

"Thank you," Yugi responded. But she had already left.

* * *

Like Yugi, Leon was anxious about the upcoming match. It was easily the biggest match of his career, and he was afraid that his nerves would get the best of him. But unlike the man he idolized, Leon was very excited as well... he'd been waiting forever it seemed for the chance to duel Yugi, and now his opportunity had finally arrived.

He was currently sequestered in a small room backstage, finalizing his deck. He had taken opportunity on the long walk over to the Blue Eyes Fortress to go over strategy in his head, thinking of what cards he'd seen Yugi use in those old championship duels he still had on tape, and what he would need to do to counter those moves. So once he arrived at the castle in the center of the park, all he had to do was review his deck and make sure that he had all those bases covered. Easier said than done though, considering that Yugi was a well-rounded and formidable duelist...

A familiar, nasal voice drifted into the small room, catching Leon by surprise. "Congratulations on winning the tournament."

"Siegfried, what are you doing here?" Leon asked, looking up as the German stepped all the way into the room, letting the door click shut behind him. The teen was a little surprised to see that none of KaibaLand's security team had trailed in behind Siegfried, though he had no doubt that some security officers were still floating around somewhere. It wasn't like Seto Kaiba was going to take his eye off Siegfried just yet...

"What's wrong? I just came to wish my little brother good luck."

Leon froze momentarily, but then he remembered that the security camera in the corner of the room had been deactivated since he had been working on assembling his deck. He turned back to Siegfried. "Ah... thanks..."

Siegfried gave the redhead a thin smile, then slipped a Duel Monsters card out of his pocket and handed it to him face down. "I brought you something. Think of it as a lucky charm."

Hesitantly, Leon accepted it, but when he looked down, he was even more confused. "The Golden Castle of Stromberg?" He recognized it as the card that Siegfried had won in an earlier tournament that had been hosted by Pegasus himself, but he didn't understand why his brother was handing it to him now.

"It's a very special card," Siegfried explained before Leon even had a chance to say anything else. "I didn't get to use it in my duel against Herr Kaiba. But perhaps... Who knows, you may find a use for it."

"I didn't think it was playable," Leon replied, flipping it over as if doing so would reveal something useful. The card only had an image and its name printed on it; there were no stats or explanation of effects listed.

"Of course it is," Siegfried answered smoothly. "But it's completely unique. Perhaps that is why it doesn't look like other cards."

"But what does it do?"

"For starters, it allows you to summon a four star monster from your deck to the field once per turn..."

"For starters? But..."

"Tch, so many questions, Leonhard. Don't you trust me?"

"... Well yeah, of course," he answered slowly, removing a card from his deck and slipping The Golden Castle of Stromberg in instead. But he wondered why Siegfried had shown up now to talk to him after having ignored him the entire tournament due to his "grand plan" - a plan that Leon had reservations about from the start. True, Leon had hacked into his fair share of databases, and he too had assumed an alias for the purpose of dueling, but... he had only done those things so that he could duel on his own terms. He certainly had never thought about doing those things to undermine another company.

Siegfried was beaming now, obviously oblivious to Leon's discomfort. "Don't worry, you will do splendidly, I'm sure. But I have another favor to ask of you."

"Another favor?"

"Yes - Yugi Mutou may be the defending world champion of Duel Monsters, but why settle for dueling the world champion when the King of Games is here at this very tournament?"

"What do you mean?" Leon asked helplessly. All he could do was shoot questions at Siegfried in an effort to follow his train of thought.

A cold glimmer sparked in Siegfried's eye. "I want you to challenge his twin brother, Yami Mutou, instead."

Flummoxed, the teen stammered, "Wha... but, the championship..."

"... Is unimportant in comparison. You must do this! Beat the King of Games and take his title. It's the only way our company can overtake Kaiba Corp."

Leon shook his head. "You're not making any sense. If I were world champion..."

"That would not be enough. Don't you see, Leonhard? Yami Mutou has the reputation of being unbeatable; that is how he earned his nickname. It is why he is so marketable. And also, he just happens to be Seto Kaiba's lover. So Kaiba Corp.'s stability and success is dependent on the fortunes of the King of Games. If you were to defeat him and claim his title, Schroider Corp. would be the home of the new King of Games. Think of it, little brother... think of what that would mean for our family's company!"

Had Siegfried become so consumed by his hatred for the Kaibas that he had completely lost his mind? It was bad enough that Leon's tournament win had been tarnished by the fact that Siegfried had been disqualified. But the thought of giving up the chance to be world champ... Leon couldn't understand that. If he became the world champion, he'd bring a lot of prestige and honor to his family's name. Besides, he'd been dreaming of dueling for the world championship. He'd been dreaming of the chance to duel his idol, Yugi. And now his brother was asking him to throw all of that away.

What was the point of going the extra step to be the King of Games? It wasn't an official title of any sort and thus wasn't really worth anything... Leon didn't think Kaiba Corp. had ever had an actual advertising campaign centered on Yami's accomplishments, despite what Siegfried claimed. But Yami was Seto's boyfriend. And Siegfried was desperate to get back at Seto, no matter what...

Leon would do it though; despite his own doubts, if that was what Siegfried needed him to do, he'd do it. Anything to help him. But it wasn't a perfect plan by far... "What if he won't duel me?"

"That is why you must do this here, now... If you refuse to duel anyone else, Herr Kaiba will likely force his lover to accept your challenge because he has promised the world a champion's duel," the pink-haired man insisted forcefully. "His company can't afford more setbacks."

But the world knows that you're responsible for those setbacks, Leon thought, wondering how Siegfried's insane plans were affecting their family's name and company. Then he remembered that there was another option, one that would most likely work, one that would spare Schroider Corp. any further harm... but just as quickly as the thought came to him, he dismissed it. He hadn't told Siegfried about Mokuba and Noa's relationship yet, but now realized, he just couldn't. It wasn't like he had made a promise to the younger Kaiba brothers to keep their relationship a secret. Heck, they didn't even know that he knew! But he just couldn't do that to them. They were nice people. And they were a lot like him. They didn't deserve to have their lives ruined just so that Siegfried would have some leverage to use against their older brother.

He held in a sigh. If Siegfried ever found out that he had withheld that information, he'd be pissed. But Leon had made up his mind about it.

Lifting his head to look his brother squarely in the eye, Leon finally said, "All right, I'll do it."

The hard, crazed look in Siegfried's eyes faded a little. He smiled. "Thank you, Leonhard. You make our family proud." He patted the teen on the shoulder, unmistakable fondness in the gesture, then stepped back towards the door. "I will be watching, and ready to celebrate your victory!" he enthused, and then he swept out of the room.

Leon waited until the door shut again, then stood up slowly, feeling sick and unhappy. He felt like a condemned man getting ready to take his final walk. But he had given his big brother his word and wasn't going to let him down. Pocketing his deck, he finally headed out of the room and began making his way to the dueling arena several floors above. He'd make his brother very proud of him indeed.

* * *

As planned, Seto had one of the park's security officers drive him and Yami to the site of the final duel in a electric cart, but thanks to the swelling of the crowd, it soon became obvious that walking the rest of the way would be much faster than trying to drive. Yami wasn't thrilled about that, not because he minded walking, but he had sworn that Seto had nodded off on the way over and had his doubts that his taller lover would be able to find the energy to walk even that short distance. But in typical fashion, Seto brushed off Yami's concerns and rapidly strode through the excited crowd to the back entrance, holding the door open just long enough for Yami to follow him in while accompanying security guards held off fans trailing behind the famous pair.

Once inside, they immediately took an elevator up to the top of the castle, which featured a rooftop dueling arena surrounded by various spectator balconies. One balcony had camera crews and equipment, while the previously eliminated duelists from the tournament stood in another. In the highest balcony, which offered a spectacular view of the dueling arena as well as the surrounding park, Yugi-tachi were gathered and jostling for space along the railing, for Isono was already beginning to announce the rules for the final duel.

"Well, there you guys are!" Malik yelled as soon as he spotted Seto and Yami. Everyone turned and chorused their greetings. Their voices reminded Seto of a flock of crows, and he grimaced. It was hard enough for him to concentrate as it was.

Valon's laughter rose above the other voices. "And here I was thinking that you two might miss the show. Why, what have you been up to, mates?" he asked in a husky voice, throwing Yami a wink for good measure.

Seto ignored the Aussie in favor of looking for his brothers. The balcony was so crowded that he felt like he was suffocating, and he also didn't feel like talking to anyone. At least Mokuba and Noa would understand that without having to be told. Finally, he spotted the teens at the farthest end of the balcony, and turned to join them without saying a word. Everyone parted silently to let him through.

"Sorry, he's not in a great mood," Yami said quickly before Valon had a chance to bitch about Seto's behavior.

Valon just shrugged. He might have said something, but one look at Seto as he walked by convinced him to shut his mouth. Valon wasn't one to kick a man when he was down, and Seto looked to be seconds away from collapse. He'd barely seen Seto during the entire tournament - at least, not up close and personal, but it was painfully clear to him that the young CEO was worn down and beat, even if he was managing to hold himself together admirably in case any cameras were turned in his direction.

At least the tournament was almost over. Yugi and Leon's match, which would be starting any moment now, would serve as a nice ending for the tournament regardless of which duelist won, because it'd be an honest duel, and a memorable one too. And at least they knew who was responsible for all the problems. Siegfried had been found out and stopped; Kaiba Corp. would be absolved of the problems that had plagued the amusement park the last several days.

Speaking of Siegfried, Otogi spotted the man skulking around the entrance to the balcony. He was walking bad news. "What's he doing here?" the green-eyed game lover asked loudly, trying to get everyone's attention for a minute.

Honda turned and saw who it was, and began cracking his knuckles. "Want me to get rid of him, Yami?"

Yami's eyes narrowed dangerously at the sight of Siegfried, but he shook his head at Honda's offer. He didn't want a fight breaking out with cameras rolling and Yugi's duel just moments away. Not only would it look bad, but it'd take attention away from Yugi's moment in the spotlight.

With a smirk, Siegfried pushed away from the wall he'd been leaning against, and stepped out into the sunlight.

"You're not welcome here," Yami told him firmly as Seto made his way over, fists clenching in agitation.

"Oh, you will have to forgive me," the pink-haired man responded with false sweetness. "I was trying to find the balcony for the guest duelists and ended up here by mistake. But seeing how splendid the view is from here... I think I shall stay." With that, he skirted past Yami and squeezed himself into a sliver of space between Pegasus and the balcony wall.

"What part of 'get lost' do you not understand?" Vivian angrily asked him. She knew she was only allowed to be there because Mai had personally invited her to join the group on the balcony. She saw no reason for the creepy CEO of Schroider Corp. to get the same privilege when he was nothing more than a snake.

"What are you talking about? This is Herr Kaiba's party, no one else's, hmm? So he can throw me out if he wishes, if he's such a poor host."

Even Yami was surprised as Seto made a sound that resembled a bark mixed with laughter. "Well, I wouldn't want to be a poor host, now would I?" Then he spun around and made his way back to rejoin his siblings.

The group gawked at Seto's back. What was he doing? Wasn't he going to kick Siegfried out? Had he finally lost it? Everyone turned to Yami, to see what he'd say.

Yami was just as confused. He began to follow after his lover. Seto?

I figure he can't do any damage while everyone's standing around, watching him. So logically, this is the best place for him to be.

Well, that made sense, even if it also made things a bit uncomfortable for everyone involved. Ah, I guess... Seeing his friends staring at him, waiting for a response, he just shrugged, which was tantamount to approving of Siegfried's presence on the balcony.

A loud cheer went up from the thousands of spectators ringing the fortress, causing Yami and the others to tear their attention away from Siegfried to focus instead on the arena floor. Leon was slowly walking out onto the rooftop, his body stiff, his face surprisingly grim. Isono introduced him to the crowd as the challenger to the title, the undefeated prodigy, the winner of the KC Grand Prix, but none of those things seemed to cheer the redheaded teen up at all.

"Huh, what's up with that?" Rebecca asked. Leon had been so excited about getting the chance to duel Yugi, so why was he so sour-faced? Was he really that upset that he had won the tournament on a disqualification? "Look at Leon... he looks like he's attending a funeral."

"He's probably nervous. I can't blame him if he is," Bakura responded.

"Yeah, this duel is a pretty big deal," Amelda added.

"Still, you'd think he'd be at least a little bit excited," Rebecca grumbled, still a bit peeved at what had transpired earlier.

As Leon sullenly parked himself next to Isono, Seto's chief of security nodded at the teen, then raised his voice once again to announce Yugi's arrival.

The crowd greeted the reigning world champion with an even more enthusiastic round of yells and cheers. Unlike Leon, Yugi was much more upbeat about the match, walking out briskly, a man with a purpose. He waved at the cameras and gave a thumbs up to his friends lining the balcony above. They all responded with calls of encouragement.

Glad to see you made it, Yugi told Yami brightly when he finally spotted the former Pharaoh.

Yami snorted. Was there ever any doubt? Yugi's mental laughter flooded his mind. But despite the lightheartedness of their banter, Yami knew that Yugi was taking this duel seriously. And he knew that Yugi had been looking forward to matching wits with Leon, who despite his age had proved himself a mature and worthy competitor.

Nah, I knew you'd make it. Both of you.

Yami was very proud of his other half. Yugi had truly come into his own as a duelist, and his status as world champion was definite proof of that - he wasn't just a shorter version of Yami. And Yami was no longer his shadow, living only for the game. It was funny how many things had changed from four years ago... and yet, some things would never change. Good luck, Aibou.

Yugi just gave Yami a small nod, took a moment to smile up at his grandfather and Anzu, who blew him a quick kiss, then approached Leon and Isono. Leon took a step forward. Yugi gave him an encouraging smile, then offered his opponent his hand. The younger duelist seemed hesitant, his eyes flickering to the highest balcony momentarily as if he were unsure of what to do, but finally, he accepted the handshake.

"Good luck," Yugi told Leon in all sincerity, but the younger duelist just peered at him from under his bangs, saying nothing.

"The duel is ready to begin! Who will be the victor and world champion?" Isono announced as the two duelists exchanged decks and began shuffling.

After many seconds passed, the two handed the decks back to their respective owners, then turned and began making their way back to their sides of the arena. Yugi reached his platform first, determination in his eyes as he placed his cards in his Duel Disk and activated it, but Leon dragged his feet, slowly climbing into his platform before turning to face Yugi, his eyes continuing to dart around before finally landing on the balcony again. He held his deck out, and then hesitated...

Siegfried stood with his arms folded, a predatory look on his face. What are you doing, Leonhard? Siegfried's eyes seemed to say. Did you forget? Yugi Mutou is not to be your opponent!

Leon knew that. He hadn't forgotten his promise. But... his dream had always been to duel the world champion, Yugi. And that was as close as he was going to get, hearing his name announced as the challenger, seeing Yugi walking out to meet him, shuffling his legendary deck. Once he issued his challenge, it'd be too late. He would be too disgraced to duel again. He realized that. He had only wanted to make the feeling last a little longer.

Taking one final, deep breath, he yelled, "Wait, I have something to say," into the microphone installed into his platform.

Do it, Siegfried silently urged his brother. Do it now! Capture the glory due to our family!

The crowd murmured in conjecture. Isono looked confused, as did Yugi. Leon tightened his lips, then said, "I refuse to duel Yugi Mutou for the world championship title. Instead, I'm issuing a challenge to Yami Mutou, the King of Games, for his title!"

"What?!" Seto yelped. His shock was echoed by everyone on the balcony, save Siegfried, who merely smirked at the chaos. Leon was essentially forfeiting, giving up his chance to be crowned world champion. But why? And why now?

"If Yami Mutou refuses," and Leon lowered his hand as well as his head, "then you will have no duel at all. I'll walk out of here."

"But... I've already initiated the duel!" Yugi protested, his voice barely registering above the buzz of the crowd.

Poor Isono wasn't sure what to do. It wasn't his decision to make; it was Seto's. But his boss just stood there on the balcony, momentarily stunned. The spectators began getting antsy. The various media representatives onsite frantically reported this latest news, focusing their cameras on the grim looking redheaded teen standing on the dueling platform. Things would get really messy for Kaiba Corp. if a decision weren't made soon.

"God damn it all... what the hell is going on here?" Seto finally hissed, his hand going to his forehead. His brain felt like it was going to explode from stress. There had to be a duel, one way or another. That's what all those people had come to see. That's what he had promised to deliver to the various radio stations and television networks and advertising agencies. He couldn't let Leon just walk away. Yami...

I'll duel him, if that's what you need me to do. But I don't understand what Leon's trying to prove here... he stands to gain nothing even if he were to defeat me. Does he think that Yugi won't provide enough of a challenge? Yugi's my equal. I'm almost insulted on his behalf, Yami spat out. He shook his head in disgust, then, upon sensing his lover's worsening headache, Yami's mental voice grew more gentle. Seto, are you going to be okay?

The brunette billionaire didn't answer. Instead, he said, Yugi already put his deck in... There was no way that Yugi could just walk away from his duel either, now that he had initiated it. He'd have to surrender, which would make Leon the world champ. The only option was...

I know Yugi's deck just as intimately as my own, Yami reminded Seto. It wouldn't be a problem. Then he pulled Yugi into the conversation. Aibou, would you be okay with me taking over the duel, using your deck? I normally wouldn't ask, but given the special circumstances...

I... of course I don't mind, but... I don't understand why... Yugi began responding. He swallowed. I thought Leon *wanted* to duel me...

The private conversation was cut off by Siegfried's laughter. The German sauntered over to Seto, smirking nastily. Seto momentarily considered pitching the man over the railing just to get rid of him once and for all. "Well, I know you are familiar with chess, Herr Kaiba. And this is checkmate."

"What the fuck are you talking about?"

Siegfried's face split into the craziest grin. "Why, I would have thought you'd figure it out by now. Or maybe you're not as smart as you think. Have you been so busy chasing me around that you haven't noticed the other pieces on the board?" He tsked at Seto's baffled expression, and swept his arm out towards the arena. "I'd like to introduce you to my little brother - Leonhard von Schroider!!"

* * *

TBC

Author's Notes:

April 20, 2007