This is completely and totally your fault, Vathara. >.<
This will not, I repeat will not, happen in the actual fic. But the provoked plotbunnies were too extensive to leave completely ignored...

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//You don't really mean that.//

/Oh, not saving Kaiba! But we're going to regret doing it this way, I just know it./

Yami sighed. //Unfortunately, you may well be right. But there wasn't time for anything else. And we couldn't have let bystanders get crushed by flaming wreckage even if they hadn't been our friends.//

It had been almost too late as it was. Neither Yami nor Yugi was certain whether that last blast flung at them had missed or been deliberately aimed, but it had come far too close regardless. It had taken them precious seconds to realize that it had hit the building the others had been standing beside, waiting for the end of the Shadow Game. The noise of girders giving way had come barely a moment before the debris came crashing down.

Tea, Joey, and Tristan had not been in serious danger, shielded by the metal awning above them, but Kaiba and Mokuba several steps away had been right in the path of the worst of it. Seto was closer to the awning, but Mokuba would never have been able to make it there in time.

Before Yami Yugi could even shout, Kaiba had grabbed Mokuba and shoved him to safety beneath the awning, though it left the CEO himself still beneath the falling masonry without enough time to make it out. Kaiba had automatically braced against the impact, even though he had to have known it wouldn't have done him any good if a large, luminous shield hadn't shimmered into being above him. While it didn't stop the rubble and burning wood completely, it did partially deflect it. And that was enough to result in a bruised Kaiba shoving his way out from under the shield rather than being crushed beneath the debris.

A quick check established that no one else was injured and that they were all more or less safe now. But the Game King hesitated for a moment.

//Until we leave the platform, we will still be within the Shadow Realm. I could check...//

/Please. I don't think I can look myself./

It took only a moment to flick through the cards before putting away the deck, or would have if the holder of the cards hadn't frozen for a handful of seconds at finding what he'd half-hoped wouldn't be there.

/The card's there, isn't it./

A resigned sigh. //Yes. 'Skeptical High Priest,' no less.//

/I knew it. He's going to kill us when he finds out about the side effect. And now Mirror Shield's linked to him and we're not going to be able to play it again, are we?/

//...Well, at least it worked?//

Now it was Yugi's turn to sigh. /True. Though if this keeps up we're not going to be able to use any of those new magic cards anymore.../

- - - - -

And the draft across his arms should not have been possible. What was he wearing...?

This was not how he had been dressed a moment ago!

At least the...shirt was the same purple as his trenchcoat had been, though he most certainly hadn't had those ridiculous gold ornaments on it. There was something on his head, some sort of awkward headdress, and while he supposed the white cape billowing out behind him was acceptable, the skirt was not. His clothes had pants and long sleeves, not silly golden armbands...and why was he holding the Millennium Rod?! He instantly tried to drop the thing, only to find that it stuck like a magnet. A strong snap of the wrist did nothing to dislodge it, and he chose to ignore rather than look foolish attempting to pry it off.

It took him only a moment to process the situation, iron self control not allowing anything except displeasure to show on his face. Whirling, he found Yugi behind him in the duelist's position, looking distinctly shamefaced. The tri-color haired duelist opened his mouth as if to talk to him but apparently thought better of it and settled for looking apologetic.

So this was all Yugi's fault. Again. Of course.

Enough of this was enough!

Kaiba found himself holding the Rod up, lightning flashing as he yelled something that sounded appropriately irate, though he had no idea what the words meant. He glimpsed Yugi out of the corner of his eye looking pale and shocked, silently mouthing 'divine retribution...?'

And then the field exploded.



Kaiba blinked, waiting for his vision to clear, before realizing that he couldn't see anything else because there wasn't anything around him. The arena was gone, and there was no sign of either Yugi or his opponent. A glance down revealed that he was back in his normal attire, holding his deck rather than a ridiculous gold artifact, and he nodded in satisfaction. A quick flick through his deck established that all was as it should be, especially the three Blue Eyes. But it also brought to his attention a card he'd never seen before, which he picked out with a frown to examine.

The picture showed a familiar, spiky-haired silhouette, black against a swirling purple-dark background, Millennium Eye blazing gold above a pair of angular glowing white eyes. The label read 'King of Games,' with the description, 'Instantly wins the Duel for whoever plays it.'

Kaiba regarded the card for another moment and then looked up, noting with satisfaction that the darkness had dissolved into his office. A glance told him there were no possible witnesses for any...occurrence out of the ordinary, and with a nod he sat back down in his chair. And put away his deck.

And smiled, ever-so-slightly.

- - - - -

And he'd done his research, knew what to expect and didn't even blink when the weird-colored fog rolled in around the Duel.

But he was pretty sure the monster his funny-haired opponent had just summoned wasn't normal. For one thing, it had promptly turned around and glared at its summoner.

"Do you mind? I was in the middle of a board meeting..."

"Well, I was in the middle of a math test last time. Deal with it," the teen he was dueling retorted, apparently not in the least surprised.

Aram was fairly certain this wasn't standard procedure. In fact, he was quite certain this was not at all how this sort of thing was supposed to go. He was so busy goggling he almost missed the newly-summoned monster's hand coming up casually, something in it gleaming gold, and then there was something bright-

-and Aram knew no more.



Kaiba didn't even bother to look behind him, nodding slightly in satisfaction as the ridiculous costume melted away with the arena, leaving him back in his normal trenchcoat, and arched an eyebrow at Yugi. The shorter duelist had already cleaned most of his cards back into his deck, but hesitated and left one face up on the board. Kaiba regarded it for a moment, then took out his own deck, noting with satisfaction that it was right where it was supposed to be, and deftly flicked out a card of his own.

"..."

"..."

"Trade?"

"Fine."



The shadows - and Kaiba - had finished vanishing by the time Yugi looked up from tucking their new acquisition safely away.

/Yami?/

//Yes?//

/Let's not ever do that again./

//Agreed.//

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And Dogmatix did a wonderful fanart for this! Kaiba's expression is /perfect/!

I don't own the characters, other than Aram, but I do own the scenario.
Do not use without getting permission first, please.

Comments are more than welcome. Email faemage(at)yahoo(dot)com.
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