Yu-Gi-Oh! Fan Fiction ❯ Luck of the Draw ❯ Chapter One-A Warped, Twisted, Physcologically Disturbed Dating Game Remake ( Chapter 1 )

Luck of the Draw-

A Yu-Gi-Oh! Fanfic

Part One-The Duel of the Century

Chapter One-A Warped, Twisted, Physcologically Disturbed Dating Game Remake

AN~First of all, a few things about this. Yes, it's got an OC in it. But there's no 8th Millenium Item, 'cuz that's just gay. And I mean, look at the title. Luck of the Draw. What do you THINK is going to happen? I could do anything I want with this fic, and not one of you could do a thing about it! Mwah hah hah!*gets over the almighty power of the author* Anyway, I'm not entirely sure when this takes place. Probably after the extent of the YGO eps I've seen, which is before the Battle City do-dads. Also, yes, I'm using the evil dubbed names, for purposes of my own. Namely, for the benefit of the readers on FF.net who wouldn't have any idea who I was talking about if I used the Japanese names. So, like.......if you hate dubb-ness, as do I, then you can either bear with it or don't read this. Basically, I'll try to make this a lot different from the bad YGO fics I've already read....eh heh heh......*sweatdrop*

~Vereor Veritas~,

~*~tigerofthewind~*~

Seto Kaiba was furious. Absolutely, positively, FURIOUS. Well, about as furious as you could possibly be, while at the same time maintaining a passive look on your face, and being in a completely shocked and stunned state all at once. He'd only felt this bizarro mix of emotions once more in his life, when he'd lost his first round of Duel Monsters ever at the hands of Yugi Moto.

Well, that went without saying, really. It was all the damn Board's fault. Every single thing that had ever misfired in his life came down to that, except for the Yugi thing, and sometimes he swore that was just miscalculation on his part(allowing, for once in his life, the belief that he actually MADE mistakes). Everything. EVERYTHING.

You see, it all started with the fact that they'd tried to kill him, and on more than one occasion, for that matter. Of course, they also hadn't allotted the simple fact that no matter how hard they tried, Seto Kaiba just WOULDN'T die. Add a few more technicalities, and the meddling of Yugi and his stupid friends, and you had him where he was now---alive, but so unbelievably angry that it seemed that wouldn't last long, due to the implosion of his head or the failure of his heart.

A weird hacking noise came out of his throat, and it took a moment to register that it was actually himself trying to speak. Not wanting to look like he was losing composure in front of the one thing he truly hated(the Kaiba Corp. Board of Directors being that thing, namely), the young CEO cleared his throat casually.

He swore the one on the farthest left smirked, and it was only the thought of keeping ahold of everything he'd worked so hard for in his life that kept him from leaping over the conference table and promptly strangling the vulture who thought there was something funny about this sickening predicament, and his boss' reaction to it.

Boss? Hah! In name only, to tell a simple truth. Legally, those lousy shitbricks were his guardians until his 18th birthday in a few months, adding to yet another one of the daily things that irritated him. Irritation, irritation. Kaiba felt a headache coming on.

"You're sure this will benefit the company, and not just yourselves?"Wait, maybe he should have phrased that differently...it came off too much like he was giving in, which he most certainly was NOT. To back down would make him look like a dog, no better than that idiot Joey Wheeler, who was so confident he could take the best duelist in the world on and win.

Ugh, ugh, ugh. If there was a meter to measure the combination of stress and rage inside of a person's head, the meter inside of Seto Kaiba would have already burst, and the replacement one would be nearing the danger level.

The middle board member gave his approximation to a smile; it seemed more like a smirk to Kaiba. Which, it probably was. Seeing as how the stupid old bats lacked utter imagination and assumed that their feeble attempts to knock him off had frightened him into doing whatever they wanted, they truly thought they could smirk all they want.

"Of course it will,"the middle man replied smoothly."The world already has faith in our products, now we need to give them a little...theatrical show, per se, to add definition to the company."

(Add definition?)The cogs in Kaiba's brain were turning, swift as they usually are. Those little screws had prevented him from untimely demise quite a bit, even if they did leave him a little lacking in the modesty department.(What are they playing at? We've already outsold every other computer entertainment company in this city. Feels like a trap.)"If they already buy our products, then what the hell else matters?"His fingers itched to just pick up his briefcase and walk away, but that might have caused them to use their trump card.

You see, in card games(even in Duel Monsters, although trump cards vary from player to player, counting on their dueling skill and style), a trump card is a card that a player usually saves for the end of the game, either to seal their victory or to make a comeback from defeat. The trump card(or rather, CARDS) that Kaiba had always used in his duels was the infamous Blue Eyes White Dragon.

However, sadly enough, the Kaiba Corporation Board of Directors also had one trump card against him, and that wasn't even counting the fact that the five of them were his legal guardians.

That trump card went by the name of Mokuba, and at the present moment was just bouncing in the conference room door.

"Seto..."he started, not looking like his usual happy self, but instead rather serious and anxious. Which of course meant nothing but trouble for his elder brother, who at times could be a total asshole, but in reality would do anything for him."Don't you think they're right?"

Kaiba gawked. He didn't mean to, it was generally a facial expression he tried to avoid for fear of looking both idiotic and weak, but it was a moment that just required a jaw-dropped, eyes-wide-open, good-old-fashioned gawking. His younger brother, the one who idolized him and believed he could do no wrong, was actually AGREEING with the Board, the members of which had exacted several assassination attempts upon him in the past YEAR?! It was mind-boggling, even for someone as smart as Kaiba.

The middle man(and middle man is being used correctly, seeing as how all middle men are meddling and irksome) only smiled more broadly."Consumers eat sentimental trash like this up. Our profits will be increased by at least 50%; no, maybe even doubled. It's always worked in the past. And if this little ploy doesn't attract buyers, then the little.....MESS can be taken care of."He motioned to Kimo, who promptly slid his hand down the holster of his gun.

Mokuba, either thankfully or not, didn't notice the slight motion. Instead, he practically danced around his elder brother, tugging on the sleeves of his dark blue trenchcoat."It'll be fun, Seto!"he said, all but glowing in his excitement. Kaiba snorted. It was easy for all of THEM to say.

"Mokuba, go wait in my office,"he muttered, somewhat distracted from the proposal at hand. This whole setup wasn't something he'd been thinking of; the damn Board had been smart enough to catch him off guard about the subject. The cheerful little Kaiba brother left the room, mercifully closing the door behind him. If it was time for barenaked threats, the CEO of Kaiba Corp. didn't really want anyone listening in.

"Alright,"he growled, leaning over the table to glare menacingly at the five men, who stared back cool as ice."I don't know what your game is, but you'd better spit it out, now."Emphasis being placed on the word 'now'; Kaiba was a busy man and he had work to do.

Finally, someone besides the Middle Man spoke. It was the Second-From-The-Left Man, who was generally quiet but far from silent, as they all were."There is no game, sir,"he protested innocently, although grimacing and allowing slight sarcasm on the 'sir'."We are not only concerned with the profit of this corporation, but also with your own personal interest."

"Yeah, and Exodia flies out of my ass on weekends,"interjected Kaiba sardonically, whirling around and grabbing his metal briefcase, nearly beheading Farthest-On-The-Right Man as he did so."I'm not fooled by your charade. You've got your own personal interests at heart, not mine, and Kimo standing over there is proof enough."

The bulky bodyguard flexed his muscles experimentally."Hey, I just do as I'm told, boss,"he defended, but the lines around his sunglasses tightened as he said it.

Second-From-The-Left Man got to his feet and held up a hand, forestalling the young duelist."You seem to be forgetting something."

Farthest-On-The-Left Man stood up, too."You will do as we say, Seto Kaiba."

"You have no choice,"Farthest-On-The-Right Man added.

"Why?"demanded Kaiba, his patience thoroughly exhausted. He'd had it up to HERE with the damn Board, and they could take their ridiculous ideas and stick them---"I don't take orders from anyone but ME. Got it?"

"Always the petulant little child,"Second-From-The-Right Man sighed, tsk-tsking mockingly. It was the first words he'd spoken since the meeting had started, and now Kaiba realized how much he prefered the man silent."You forget that until you are of age, we are your legal guardians. And, that we have something you want perfectly ready to be at our disposal."

"Yeah, right."Kaiba could hardly believe that. They'd tried ousting him once before, and he'd only come back stronger than ever."How could you possibly have anything I want?"

"There are two things,"picked up Middle Man, from where Second-From-The-Right Man had left off."The first, is the chance to see Yugi Moto finally defeated."

"Hah!"Stubborn as he was, Kaiba still knew that the little runt was a hard challenger to beat."You can't beat him. Even without Exodia, he's unstoppable."

"You mean, he's unstoppable by YOUR comparisons."Middle Man had hit a sore spot."You do understand how our plan would work, don't you? If there is a duelist stronger than you, than perhaps the Moto boy can be defeated."

Same old, same old. Even with the heart of a fighter, Kaiba had pretty much given up hope in his ability to beat Yugi, despite how much he wanted to. Well, maybe it wasn't that. Whether he was just biding his time because he hoped Yugi would conventionally fall off of a cliff or meet some other end, or whether he was waiting to build his own strength, it still kept him from facing the spiky-haired boy again.

"And if I refuse?"he challenged, knuckles tightening and tensing up, just in case Kimo's presence in the corner was going to be put to use. Well, there were only so many certain things he could do about that, and chucking his briefcase seemed to be the only option if it came down to that, and Kaiba generally preferred to put the metal box(and what lay within) to better usage.

"You won't,"Middle Man replied, shaking his head knowingly."We still have your trump card."

Kaiba's eyes narrowed, and his hand went inadvertantly to the pendant from which Mokuba's picture dangled."Leave my brother out of this. If you so much as lay a finger on him, or even BREATHE on him, I will deal with you.....personally."

Second-From-The-Right Man put on an injured face."What, did you think we were actually going to HURT the boy? Not at all, not at all."Why he even bothered to lie was still a mystery."But don't you think our proposition would be in his.....best interests? In more ways than one, I might add,"he added, nodding vigorously towards Kimo, who unfortunately was employed under them and henceforth the only reason Kaiba hadn't fired him yet.

"You'll never get the chance,"he snarled viciously, face contorting into something that could have easily frightened a small child."I'll have protection for him around the clock, guards at every corner---"

"And how many of those guards are loyal to only YOU,"Farthest-On-The-Left Man interrupted,"and not loyal to US?"

Was it possible to feel so angry and trapped all at the same time? Well, obviously, it was, seeing as how that described the young CEO from head to toe. Despite the face contortions. Middle Man spoke up, clearly knowing he had won.

"Think on it, young Kaiba,"he finished smoothly, all the gentlemen when he had people right where he wanted them."There's no need to decide anything tonight......... We'll expect your decision by morning."

And the five of them disappeared, quick as you please! It would have been an astounding sight, if Kaiba had been paying any attention. Around the words 'there's no need', he had already grabbed his briefcase and spun around again, this time nearly beheading Farthest-On-The-Left Man, and strode purposefully towards the door, in that self-confident gait only he could master so well.

He didn't slam the door. People with perfectly controlled tempers and balanced hormones don't slam do---

SLAM!

Well, shit. Cursing his inevitably rotten luck for getting stuck with the five worst possible people in the universe to be his legal guardians, Kaiba manuevered the spacious halls of the Kaiba Corp. building towards his office. Somehow managing to glare down at the floor as though he wished it to open up and swallow the Board of Directors and at the same time not bump into any passing people or objects(while most opted to get out of his way, seeing as how he was in a rather inflamed mood that day), he thought upon the options.

Or at least, tried to think about the options. You see, despite the people who cleared passage for him in the hallways, some other things in this world are not so considerate. Namely, the huge double doors that gained(seldom) a person entrance to his office.

BANG!

A bypasser without background knowlege of Seto Kaiba might have snickered, or perhaps confirmed the fact that it was the consequence he got for glaring down at the ground all the time, as he walked into the two doors with an audible bang, but the employees at Kaiba Corp. were much too wise. Kaiba glowered at them all, daring them to say one word---just ONE word---but the secretaries quickly continued to deliver their files, and the cleaning people to tidying up the floors.

Fishing around in his pocket for the key, he stopped when he saw that the door was already unlocked, a state in which he had never left ANYTHING in his entire life. Which meant, of course, that someone had been(and possibly, was continuing on being) in his office, despite his insistent requests(which in actuality were closer to death threats) that everyone kindly stay the HELL OUT OF HIS OFFICE. Well, he'd find out who it was, and let the little shit have it.

Trying to dispel the red that partially covered his vision, Kaiba roughly shoved through the doors to see the vision of Mokuba spinning around vapidly but rapidly in the desk chair, watching his legs swing back and forth with the motion. At the sound of his brother's entrance, however, he tried to stop at a rate that was much too fast, and ended up relatively flinging himself out of the chair to land in a heap near the elder's feet.

Despite his efforts, Kaiba had to laugh, proving the little-known fact that he could indeed be human if he felt like it, and if the Board hadn't been giving him the usual gripes they always did. Mokuba usually brought it out of him, especially when he tried to defy one of Newton's laws of motion.

Well, he'd tell himself later that the only reason he wasn't mad was because he'd TOLD Mokuba to wait in his office, which was the half-truth. Remembering this little detail, he pulled his younger brother to his feet and replaced his desk chair, swinging into it with a flourish and pretending to be working, something he generally did when.....well, when he wasn't working, an event about as rare Millenium Items, or say, a Blue Eyes White Dragon.

Mokuba fidgeted around for a minute, then said what was on his mind."Y'know.....they might be right."

No need to ask who THEY were. Kaiba closed his eyes briefly in a grimace, then opened them again, refusing to look at his brother, and instead choosing to stare blankly at the computer screen."You wouldn't understand, Mokuba."

"What's there to understand, Seto?"asked Mokuba, not quite making it clear whether or not he was challenging his elder brother, or merely didn't understand the problem."You taught me enough to understand that the goal of the company is to bend publicity AND technology in order to win consumer favor. This might help."

Then again, Mokuba's idea of help was dragging Yugi Moto and his worthless friends along, so it was questionable. However, part of what he said was true. Elder Kaiba had indeed been teaching the younger the tricks of the trade, simply because the Board might be planning on another 'untimely' demise for him or whatnot, or maybe just for the day when he actually felt like taking a vacation, and could safely leave things in his younger brothers' hands.

Mokuba went on."Plus........"He dragged a line in the carpet with his toe, looking more embarrassed than ever."The second part of what the Board said is true. I---I'm worried about you, too, Seto...... You spend a lot of time working...and...well, what if the Board decides they don't like you saying no? They might try to...you know..."

It was sad, really, how Mokuba had no idea. Kaiba closed his eyes then opened them again, his facial equivalent to a sigh, some supposed. Then, almost as abruptly as he had entered(although neither as loudly nor as clumsily), he got to his feet and turned to walk out of the office, blue trenchcoat practically waving a trail behind him.

"I'll think about it, kiddo."

The Board would have cheered and drank their expensive wine contently, for with those five words, they would have known that they had won. In the end, all it would do was prove that the dastardly-cold CEO was, just as all others are, simply human. Whenever Kaiba said those five magic words, it seemed as though his fate was sealed. It had once caused him to allow his younger brother to throw a massive pool party of over fifty screaming kids at their mansion, and another time to coach a rec soccer team(which only lasted until the time the other parents tried to get him to put the team jersey on, and they lived to regret it).

Kaiba pushed the button and stepped into the elevator, leaning back against the expensive wooden frame of the moving box and actually letting something that was a part-sigh, part-groan escape from him. He'd have to track down the elevator security cameras later and steal the tapes, so that way no one(especially those rats on the Board) could see just how much this was aggravating him.

But as the wood-and-metal deathbox traveled it's ascent up to the highest floor where the computer-automated dueling system was, the glimmers of a plan began to form in the duelist's mind. Maybe he could uphold his word, prevent anything unseemly from happening to his little brother, AND test the new strategies he'd been employing to finally beat Yugi.......

He almost wanted to pat his brain in congratualations, but that would have been a rather diffucult task involving a scapel, lots of mess, and his possible end. So he just contented himself on smirking superiorly, and laughing in his head.

It's amazing what someone can do, when they're backed into a corner.

AN~Well, I'm not sure what I think of this one...... Somehow I meant for it to have more humor, but then I realized that half of the things I had in mind won't come until later....so just bear with me! Next! A glimpse into the life of Yugi and friends! I think. And what is Kaiba plotting? I mean, he's ALWAYS plotting something, but what is it this time? And, more importantly, will it actually SUCCEED? Just keep pesterin' me with reviews, and maybe I'll give you the oppurtunity to find out(to sum it up, I'll post another chapter). So keep 'em coming, you know how us crazy authors are!

~Vereor Veritas~,

~*~tigerofthewind~*~