Author's ramblings

HAPPY BIRTHDAY SETO KAIBA-SAMA-SENPAI-SENSEI! KUNN! Even though it's Kaiba's birthday, this is yet another story from Joey's pov. I know, I know. I'll write one from Kaiba's again someday.
Oh yes, this is told in second person mode, dunno, always wanted to try it. It's super short, but I hope you enjoy it.
I had this story for a while, and I was saving it to post it on Kaiba's birthday, today. But... today was the day my computer decided to die. Again. Stubborn as a mule, I took my hard drive and put it on my aunt's pc just so I could post it. So there.

Night

You walk around the silent, gloomy halls of the castle; everything looks different in the dark. You have no idea when was it that you started this little stroll, but it's too late now, you're already lost and have no clue as to how to go back to your room.

Someone casts a long shadow in the hall to your left, and you're unsure whether to go on or turn back. Following your instincts, you continue ahead. As you approach the shadow, you notice it doesn't move. Looking around, it seems it's coming from nowhere, but the faint moonlight simply isn't enough to determine this.

You examine the shadow. You know you should be trying to find your way back to your room, you have to duel that idiot Bandit Keith tomorrow, and you need to be in top shape, but you're just too intrigued right now. It certainly seems like a person's, but since you're right in front of it and there's no one around, that can't be it.

Suddenly, it moves. You gasp and take a step back to watch its movements. It elongates across the hall, then quickly turns around the corner. With nothing better to do, you follow it. It reminds you of chasing after faeries with your sister when you were little, and you smile at the memory.

After a few twists and turns, the shadow stops in front of a door, and you know it's your room. It should creep you out, but it doesn't in the slightest. You enter the room and wait for a moment, but the shadow doesn't do anything else. So you murmur a quiet thank you and close the door.

A couple of minutes after you're in your bed again, you open your eyes, and the hairs on the back of your neck stand up, your arms fill with goose-bumps. There's someone standing at the foot of the bed. And you thought you were scared when you were dueling that weird kid with all the ghost cards this morning.

Even if your heart rate is going faster than it has ever been, and you can't be sure if you just wet your pants or not, a strange certainty befalls on you: whoever that is, it does not wish to harm you. You think it might be the owner of the shadow from before, but then again, Pegasus' castle might be home to a million different ghosts, who knows. You still can't find your voice, and your limbs feel like lead.

In the blink of an eye, the specter is right beside you, and you wonder for a moment if closing your eyes and counting to ten would be a good idea. Then, it sits on the bed, and the moonlight slowly gives features to the presence.

It's funny. You'd never guess shadow spirits (or whatever that is) could look like Seto Kaiba.

Finally, your voice is back. "Kaiba? Is that really you? What are you doing here? I thought Pegasus had done… something to you." It also crosses your mind that a grade A son of a bitch like Kaiba helping you makes absolutely no sense.

He still looks like a shadow being, almost as if he was a ghost of Kaiba, but of course nothing like the… gentleman Yugi dueled earlier in the day. "He did. I'm not really here, I'm in a dungeon. That bloodcurdling bastard did a weird trick on me and my brother, something I don't understand. It felt like my mind was locked somewhere away from my body, and trust me, I know how ridiculous that sounds. When suddenly I could move, the first thing I saw was you wandering around."

"And you helped me? Not in a million years I would expect you to do something like that."

"You mean that shadow? That wasn't me, it was Mokuba. I followed him and he told me he's okay. Then he vanished again, but I know he was telling the truth."

"Heh, I should've known. We'll find a way to bring you back. You may not believe but that's why we're here in the first place, after Pegasus did the same thing he did to you both to Yugi's grandpa."

"Hn. Whatever."

You sigh. He's a freaking ghost right in front of you, but Kaiba still insists in not believing in the supernatural. "So? Why are you here?"

"For this." An ethereal hand touches your face, its touch so soft you can barely feel it. Equally light lips move over yours, and you're so shocked you have no reaction… now you're the one in disbelief. You can't even begin to try and make sense of anything that's happening.

When Kaiba leans back, you realize you lost your voice again. He chuckles. "What's wrong? You look like you've seen a ghost." That snaps you out of it, and you're about to yell the loudest "what the hell" of you life when you remember where you are, and what time it is.

So you whisper instead. "What the hell, Kaiba? I thought you hated me! I… I hate you too, by the way." Right?

"That is day Kaiba. I am night."

You stare at him, waiting for more, but it seems that is all the explanation you're gonna get.

So the ghost of your biggest enemy just stole your first kiss. You wonder if that's gonna make for a good campfire story someday.

"You're… night."

He nods his head. "I am."

"What… what does that even mean?"

Kaiba gets up, then in the next moment he's on top of you, although you can barely feel his weight. "It means… this is probably a dream, so you shouldn't make so many questions and just go with it." He's got an arm over your chest and is resting his chin on it, staring at you, waiting for your response.

You contemplate your choices. You could push him away, it doesn't seem like it would be a lot of work, although how to keep him out if he doesn't want to leave is a mystery. You could try asking for a better explanation, but he doesn't look like he'll say anything more on the subject.

You could just go with it like he said. Now that you stop and think about it, it's almost certain this is all a dream, even though you feel completely lucid. A lucid dream, then. You've heard the expression before, this must be it. But still… didn't you hate him?

Well, he's always mistreating you and your friends, so you respond accordingly. You did try to befriend him before, but that didn't go very well. And why would he want to kiss you is a mystery as big as everything else.

…He is quite handsome, though, isn't he? And this is a dream, right? Like the one you had last night? With the dog suit? You covered up pretty well, but you can't lie to yourself. You woke up with one of those weird boners from that one and you know it.

"I ain't gonna remember any of this tomorrow, am I?"

"I doubt it." He barely finishes speaking, and he's kissing you again. This time you kiss back. You don't really know what you're doing, probably neither does Kaiba, but that doesn't stop either's enthusiasm. Your hands fly to his hair, and you try not to put too much pressure on them. If they go through his head, you'll probably pass out.

When your tongues touch for the first time, you feel a jolt of electricity run through your whole body. And from the way Kaiba pushed his hips against you, he probably felt the same. The cool breeze coming from the open window does almost nothing to stifle the heat you're both generating. Now that your undivided attention is on him, you feel Kaiba's presence more pronounced. When your fingers scratch his lower back, they don't go through him, like you had feared would happen.

Soon, you're grinding against one another, and when Kaiba moves to kiss your neck, you let out a breathy moan that would have left you embarrassed if you didn't know you were dreaming. You pull him back to the kiss anyway, because your predictions tell you your moans are about to get louder very soon.

You come first, you're almost sure of it, but since Kaiba stops moving as soon as you do, you can't be sure. He hides his face on your neck and you can feel his lips moving, but you can't hear what he's saying.

"What? I can't hear you, Kaiba."

He raises his face again and he has a slight smile. When he touches your face again, you close your eyes. The next time you open them, it's already morning.

By the state of your underwear, you figure you had a very interesting dream, but bugger if you can remember it.

In the end, Yugi defeated Pegasus, and you even found out his reasons to do everything he did. Not that it exempted him from any guilt, but at least it made sense now. Somewhat.

When Kaiba arrives to get Mokuba, something itches at the back of your mind, but you can't quite put your finger on it. Then you see him smiling and a weird certainty that he was the one on your dreams last night washes over you, but you quickly dismiss it. I mean, Kaiba? Come on. He's hot but he's not—

Wait. Did you just admit to yourself that you find him hot? Yeah, apparently you did. On the way back to Domino in his helicopter, you take the time to arrange your cards by type and attack points just to have something else on your mind. Following that train of thought couldn't possibly be good for anyone.

Some time later

You're so excited from winning your duel this afternoon that you decide to celebrate, so you take your hard-earned money to a decent club. When the bartender places your drink in front of you, you raise your head to thank him, and your eyes lock on the mirror at the back of the bar. The black light makes the person sitting two stools over look almost ghostly.

All at once, the memories of that night hit you like a punch and once you convince yourself it wasn't a dream after all, you wonder if he remembers too.

Well, there's only one way to find out, isn't there?

You stand up and walk over to his stool. Once he sees you through the mirror, Kaiba turns around and opens his mouth to throw an insult at you. But something in your face stops him in the last moment.

"Are you night?"

He looks at you with a flabbergasted expression that in the next moment transforms into an enticing smile, as he stands up and starts pulling you close.

"I am."

End.

Omake

Joey: Are you night?

Kaiba: No, I am THE night *removes clothes to reveal Batman outfit, stalks away to fight card game related crimes*