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Rising Darkness	By : none Category: Yu-Gi-Oh > Yaoi - Male/Male Views: 437 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh, or any of the characters, and no money is being made off of this.

Chapter List
- 3
- 4
- 5
A/N: Well, we're at Chapter 4! Hopefully, you've all enjoyed the story so far! Here we provide answers while shoring up some potential plot holes.
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Chapter 4: Answers At Last

"Ahh. I was wondering when I'd hear from you, Kaiba-boy." Pegasus said over a telecommunication monitor. "I have a feeling that I know what this is about, but I'll ask anyway. To what do I owe the pleasure of your call, Kaiba-boy?"

"If you already know, then let's cut to the chase. Tell me everything you know about Vex." Kaiba said.

"Hmm. So I was right. Well, as I told Yugi and his pals at the Expo, there isn't much information that we can say is based on fact. Most of the information we do have is little more than hearsay and rumor." Pegasus said.

"We'll settle for that for now." Kaiba said.

"I beg your pardon, but did you say 'we'? Perchance is there another inquiring mind there?" Pegasus asked. Kaiba slid over to the side to allow Yami to come into the screen.

"Oh my! I never thought that I would see Seto Kaiba working with anyone other than young Mokuba. You must be desperate indeed, especially since you're teaming up with the "King of Games" himself." Pegasus said.

"Flattery will get you nowhere, Pegasus. You mentioned before that Vex dueled in the underground. Can you elaborate on that?" Yami said.

"The underground dueling scene is a brutal landscape of cutthroats and gangsters. Duels there are usually played for incredibly high stakes, with severe penalties for the loser. Although it isn't 'Shadow Game' dangerous, nevertheless the penalties for losing can include loss of limbs, indentured servitude, et cetera." Yami and Kaiba just absorbed the new information as Pegasus continued.

"Vex, from what little we know, was raised from an infant in the underground scene. He began dueling at a young age, and not only showed an unparalleled talent for it, but also showed an incredibly sick and perverse pleasure from watching his opponent's fate when they lost. The underground is filled to the brim with sadistic psychopaths, but Vex soon earned a reputation that terrified even the most hardened of the underground scene. Soon, it became clear to everyone that dueling Vex was suicide... or quite possibly, even worse."

"How could someone like that have remained undetected for so long? Surely I would've heard of him if that were the case." Kaiba said.

"Someone like you would've heard of Vex... normally." Pegasus said, cryptically. Kaiba began to get annoyed.

"What do you mean 'normally'!? Just what are you talking about, Pegasus!?" Kaiba demanded.

"Well I can tell you Kaiba-boy, but you won't like it." Pegasus said. Kaiba became fierce.

"Try me." Kaiba said.

"Very well, Kaiba-boy, but remember that I warned you." Kaiba stared as Pegasus continued.

"The reason you've never heard of him is because you've never cared about anyone or anything outside of your small little circle. You decide someone or something is 'beneath you' after nothing more than a casual glance. And after that, as far as you're concerned, it doesn't exist. Or if it does, then it has no value whatsoever. You've lived your entire life that way, and yesterday it came home." Pegasus said. Kaiba just listened.

"That brings me to my question, Pegasus." Yami said, stepping in. "I would've known if there had been more Blue-Eyes White Dragons created. Is there any possibility that Vex has a contact within Industrial Illusions who designs cards for him?" Yami asked.

"He hardly needs that, Yugi-boy, when he has me." Yami was stunned to hear that.

"What do you mean, Pegasus?" Yami asked.

"It's quite simple, Yugi-boy; Industrial Illusions saves millions in overhead by simply giving free card samples to the underground and monitoring the duels instead of hiring hundreds of beta testers. This way is far more efficient than hiring beta testers because not only do we save millions, we also get a first hand look at the new cards we create and how duelists can use them in high-stakes duels." Pegasus said.

"Didn't you say at the Expo that you were surprised that the Kaiba Corp. Board of Directors would stoop to consorting with someone like Vex? Why are you doing likewise?" Yami asked.

"I don't. Not really, at any rate. I simply provide the animals with the cards, and then I sit back and enjoy the show. Give a group of avaricious people the means to destroy each other, and they'll always succeed in finding an excuse to do just that. And since they are going to do precisely that, irregardless of whatever it is that I do or don't do, I may as well profit from it." Pegasus said.

"How long has this been going on, Pegasus?" Yami asked.

"Hmm. A number of years at the very least. How many exactly, I couldn't say." Pegasus said, thinking it over for a moment.

"I see...." Yami mused, closing his eyes and appearing to be in deep thought.

"Did you know this conversation is being recorded, Pegasus?" Kaiba asked.

"I figured that it was, and I figured that you're going to try to blackmail me with it for whatever assistance I can render. Did I guess correctly, Kaiba-boy?" Pegasus asked. Before Kaiba could answer, Pegasus beat him to it.

"However, that's hardly necessary. I had planned on helping you anyway. I don't fancy myself dealing with whatever puppet CEO the Kaiba Corp. Board of Directors plans to put in place after they get rid of you." Pegasus said. Kaiba looked at Yami, who had that look in his eyes that said "I told you so."

"Here's what I can do, Kaiba-boy. You bring Yugi-boy with you down to Industrial Illusions, and we will outfit the two of you with the best cards that currently exist." As Kaiba was mulling the idea over, Yami chimed in.

"Does that offer include my friends as well, Pegasus?"

"You mean that Wheeler kid and Ms. Mai Valentine?" Pegasus asked.

"And others." Yami said with a nod.

"Oh I don't see why not. After all, it'll be the perfect excuse for all of us to get together and reminisce on old times." Pegasus said.

"I've got no interest in strolling down memory lane, Pegasus! You just make sure that what you're offering is up to par, or I'll make sure the entire world knows that you're promoting the underground duels to save money!" Kaiba said.

"Yes yes. I know. Typical Kaiba. I tell you that I'm going to help you, and you respond with threats in order to make yourself feel more powerful than you actually are. Granted, we don't exactly have a pleasant history, but you could at least try being friendly for once." Pegasus said.

"Business is business, Pegasus, but I'll never forgive you for what you did!" Kaiba said.

"Fair enough, Kaiba-boy." Pegasus said with a sigh. "I'll notify all personnel to be expecting your arrival by helicopter at anytime. They will also be instructed to notify me upon your arrival, so I'll be able to greet you." Pegasus said.

"All right. We'll be there sooner rather than later." Kaiba said as he turned off the monitor.

"How soon do you want to head out?" Kaiba asked Yami.

"I'm going to gather everyone here as soon as possible. But you are the one who has the helicopter, so it's up to you." Yami said.

"I'm sure it'll take time for you to gather your friends, so let's say two days from now." Kaiba said.

"All right. I'm going to contact everyone and let them know. Do we meet at Kaiba Corp. headquarters?" Yami asked.

"Yeah." Kaiba said as he slipped his arms around Yami. He kissed Yami deeply. He buried his nose into the side of Yami's neck.

"Mmm. You smell good." Kaiba said.

"So do you." Yami said, doing the same thing. They kissed again.

"What do you say we finish what we started when we get back?" Yami asked, seductively.

"Sounds good." Kaiba said. They kissed again, then broke apart. Yami said goodbye to Kaiba as he left.
Yami pulled out his phone and started dialing his friends, one by one. First Joey, then Tristian, then Tea, then Mai, then Ryou. Duke couldn't be reached. He explained what was going on and told them to be at the Kaiba Corp. headquarters in two days. Once it was set up, Yami headed home.

Two days later, everyone arrived at Kaiba Corp headquarters. Joey, Tristian, Mai, Ryou, Tea. Duke was too occupied with his creation, Dungeon Dice Monsters, to make the trip.

"Man, I can't believe we're getting the baddest cards in the land for free! It's gotta be too good to be true!" Joey said.

"It certainly feels that way, and it would be if Yugi and Kaiba weren't the ones who set the whole thing up." Mai said.

"I just hope there isn't something bad going on behind all this." Tristian said.

"Yeah, no kidding! I'd like to get some sweet new cards for once without having some life or death deal attached." Joey said.

"Oh please. You're all acting like the world is in danger or something. Right now, this isn't anything more than a revenge trip because Seto Kaiba had his ego handed to him on a platter." Mai said.

"Maybe you're right, Mai, but Yugi seems to think that something else is going on here." Tristian said. He continued, "I still remember the look he had in his eyes when he told us to get as far away from the Expo as we could. Whatever it was he saw when he was on that stage with Vex has got Yugi rattled."

"Look, you all know Yugi better than I do, but this looks to me like he's just mad because his boyfriend got humiliated in front of millions of people." Mai said.

"You're right, Mai." Joey said with an unusual sternness in his voice. "We do know Yugi better than you do."
Mai was about to respond when an icy voice called out.

"I hope everyone is present and accounted for." Kaiba said.

"Yeah, we're here." Joey said. "Let's get this show on the road. Wait, where's Yugi?" Joey said, looking around.

"I'm here." Yugi said as he stepped out from behind Kaiba. Kaiba stepped in before anyone could say anything else.

"Let's go. The sooner we get this over with the better." Kaiba turned around to walk towards the helipad. Everyone followed suit.

"Hey Yugi." Mai said. "What's really going on here? Why are we going through all this trouble just because Kaiba got creamed?"

"When we're in the helicopter, Yami will explain everything." Yugi said.
When they got to the helicopter, the crew helped Kaiba and the others get strapped in and proceeded to take off. Destination? Duelist Kingdom. When they were about a quarter of the way there, Yugi shifted into Yami.

"I'm sorry to get all of you involved in this, but the situation is far more dire than it appears." Yami said.

"How is Kaiba getting destroyed in a duel a dire situation for the rest of us, exactly?" Mai asked.

"Because that was no ordinary duel, Mai. That was a public assassination attempt by the Kaiba Corp. Board of Directors." Yami said.

"WHAT!?" was the collective gasp.

"The Kaiba Corp. Board of Directors has been trying to get rid of Kaiba for a long time, and now they've become so desperate that they've unleashed something that they can't control." Yami said.

"Why would they want to get rid of Kaiba? The company grew by leaps and bounds under him, and they made a killing along the way!" Mai said.

"That's precisely why they want him gone, Mai." Yami said. When Yami saw the perplexed look on Mai's face, he explained.

"The Kaiba Corp. Board of Directors is comprised of some of the most powerful men in the world. They were born into elite families, grew up surrounded by the who's who of society. They were given ivy league educations at the most prestigious universities, practically handed the best opportunities that most people would kill for. To them, their wealth and status is theirs by birthright. Everyone else only exists to elevate them. It is their job to tell the unwashed masses what they want, what they like, what they believe, because they were born utterly incapable of independent thought. They run the world. The heads of corporations, the elite bankers. They decide everything, and everyone else's job is simply to obey."

"So just imagine what it did to their delusions of grandeur when two urchins from less than common stock at an orphanage were not only adopted by one of the most powerful families in the corporate world, but would rise to the prominence that they did, far surpassing the men who believed that they were above everyone and everything else since the day that they were born. From the moment Seto Kaiba stepped into the picture, the Kaiba Corp. Board of Directors loathed him with an insane ferver. So they found solace by lying to themselves. When Kaiba's leadership allowed for new deals to be brokered or new projects to be completed ahead of schedule, the Board of Directors told themselves that it was because of them that it happened, and that it happened in spite of Kaiba. When Kaiba's intellect allowed for revolutionary investment strategies and innovative production methods, the Board of Directors told themselves that it was really their intellect that was the driving force, and that they were leading Kaiba by the nose."

"People will believe any lie, no matter how absurd, if it will justify their own depravity. And for a long time this continued, until Kaiba's star shone so brightly that they could no longer delude themselves in this fashion. It was plain for everyone to see that Kaiba was an anomaly. He was smarter than they were, more ruthless than they were, more driven than they were. It tore at the very fabric of their being so badly that they began telling themselves another lie. They were no longer the elite who control the world, but victims of nepotism and personal favors. They were the oppressed, deprived of opportunities that they were entitled to. They are desperate to remove the man that they blame for every perceived ill that they have."

"In order to achieve that end, they retained the services of an underground duelist known as Vex. The plan was to play off of Vex's reputation in the underworld as a sadistic psychopath in order to get public opinion on the side of the Board of Directors. This way, there won't be public outrage or mass sell-offs by the stockholders when the Board of Directors officially remove Kaiba as CEO, as there otherwise would have been. Vex didn't have to win the duel; his presence at the Expo as Kaiba's opponent was enough."

"But in setting all of this in motion, the Board of Directors have unleased something that they cannot control.They have put untold resources into the hands of one of the most evil human beings walking the face of the Earth. Whereas before he was contained by poverty, and thus forced to remain in the underground, now he is free from those confines to go wherever he wishes and do whatever he pleases."

"When I confronted him on that stage, I felt it. Pure evil, and the burning desire to break free of his confines and consume everything. And now with the Kaiba Corp. Board of Directors financing him, there's no telling what he'll do." Yami said, finishing his tale. The others couldn't believe what they were hearing.

"Ok, I'll grant you that the situation is more serious than I thought, but again what does any of this have to do with us? Why are we being helicoptered to Industrial Illusions to get outfitted with new decks?" Mai asked, still skeptical.

"Because Vex told me on that stage that he would be 'seeing me again real soon'. Sadists get their pleasure from inflicting the maximum amount of pain upon their victims, and Vex will no doubt attempt to hurt me by coming after you all." Yami said.

"You think it'll come to that?" Tristian asked.

"I do. That's why we're here. I want all of you to at least have a fighting chance." Yami said. All of a sudden, a light came from Ryou.

"Well well well. It sounds to me like this Vex is a fine, upstanding fellow." Bakura said. Everyone except for Yami jumped back as far as their seats would allow. "I simply can't wait to meet him."

"Bakura... what are you doing here?" Yami asked with a low volume sternness that only he is capable of.

"You didn't think that I would miss the chance to aquire some of the most powerful cards in the world at your expense, did you Pharaoh?" Bakura said with a sneer. Yami studied him for a moment.

"If that's all, then there is a special condition for you." Yami said.

"What? A condition?" Bakura asked.

"Yes, Bakura. A condition. And if you don't agree to that condition, you get nothing. It is that simple." Yami said flatly. Bakura glared at Yami for a moment.

"What is it?" Bakura asked.

"You will use these new cards and the power of the Millennium Ring to protect Ryou with your very life. Anything less, and I will see you banished to the Shadow Realm if it is the very last thing that I do. Do you accept, Tomb Robber?" Yami said. All of a sudden, Bakura just smiled and laughed.

"Is that all, Pharaoh? Because if it was, you wasted you breath. I was going to do that anyway." Bakura said.

"That certainly isn't like you, Bakura. Since when have you cared about anyone else?" Yami asked skeptically.

"Little Ryou and I have... oh what's the phrase? Come to an understanding. Yes. We'll say that." Bakura said.

"You two have become lovers in other words." Yami said with a smile. Bakura glared at Yami but was blushing slightly.

"I thought so." Yami said, his statement confirmed. Everyone else was too stunned to say anything.

"Go ahead and say it, Pharaoh." Bakura said.

"Say what?" Yami asked.

"Go ahead and threaten me with death and torture if I hurt Ryou." Bakura said.

"Do I really have to say that Bakura?" Yami asked with a smile.

"You know you want to, Pharaoh." Bakura said.

"No, Bakura, I don't. I don't have the slightest urge to say anything of the sort." Yami said. Bakura simply turned his head to the side and stared at the inside of the compartment. The rest of the trip was quiet.

The helicopter arrived at Industrial Illusions without any issues. The helipad crew quickly took care of the chopper and helped Kaiba and the others out. Pegasus was already waiting for them.
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A/N: Well, I'd intended for a duel to take place here in this chapter, but I had so much to deal with regarding the plot that the chapter ended up being WAY too long! Definitely next chapter, though!
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Rising Darkness