One Step

By Sakata Ri Houjun

chapter 4

Rating:  R

Pairing:  Seto/Jou

Spoilers:  Mild ones here and there, nothing major.

Disclaimer:  Ha. Ha. Ha. No.

AN:  As promised, there's more action to be had.  This battle was hard to plan, so I did some test plays with my friend, Mariku-chan.  She chose how Seto's final hand in this battle would play out because she liked how it worked in the anime.  There are more cards used in this chapter than any other, and all are listed at the end.

And as usual, feedback would be nice so I'll know if I'm doing something right for a change.

Warning:  Obviously if you don't like yaoi or the thought of the dragon master and his puppy together, you're in the wrong place.  Other than that…read on!

From his level position, Katsuya turned his head, eying the rustling foliage warily.  "Looks like we've got company again," he murmured, the frustration apparent in his voice.

"Damn..." came Seto's soft curse, barely audible even to himself.  For a moment he wondered just what he had to be disappointed about; surely nothing was going to have happened.  But the way the blonde was so enticingly close, the possibilities were implicating that had the situation been slightly different, so too would have been the outcome.

Katsuya shifted as he pulled away, feeling the CEO's hands tense slightly before relinquishing their hold on his hips.  His heart skipped a beat for a moment but he dared not chance a look at the taller teen just yet.  "I know, it sucks..." was his reply as he pushed to his feet before offering his hand to aid Seto.

His eyes remained trained on the shifting bushes, even as he felt the long fingers brush against his palm, sending a faint shiver along his spine despite the severity of danger they might be in.  Muscled tensed as he hoisted Seto up, hearing the long coat brush against dry grass.  Only then did he sneak a glance, finding that the brunette's hair was a little mussed from laying on the ground, that tiny bit of imperfection making the aloof teen seem more human even as he sent the famous icy glare to the intruders.

The snap of a twig brought Katsuya's attention back to the fore, amber eyes watching as five figures emerged into view.  At first he assumed they were a fellow group of players, the semi-circle of humans about as diverse in appearance as his own friends.  But it wasn't hard to notice the absence of a glaring white duel disk against the constant theme of black leather.

Katsuya gulped as he met the cold and calculating glare from each member, viciously reminded of the same look shared within his and rival gangs before a beat down commenced.  Even the chestnut-haired female appeared as though she wanted to gut him. 

"This should be simple," was Seto's observance, causing the blonde to glance at his companion as he drew his cards.  The brunette seemed the absolute picture of confidence, apparently unphased by the number of opponents in this round of combat.

Taking his cue, Katsuya drew a hand as well, that self-assured grin slipping on to his face.  If Seto wasn't worried, then why should he be?  "You read my mind. Want the honor of going first this time?"

Seto's shoulders shrugged smoothly under the flowing coat, taking a card from his hand and inserting it in the tray's slots.  "Can't figure out how to handle such a weak opponent?" he teased as a lumbering green creature materialized before them. 

Katsuya's nose wrinkled in disgust when he realized that smell was part of the sensations allowed in this virtual realm, the stench coming off the one-eyed behemoth certainly less than appealing.  He suppressed the urge to gag before following suit with a card of his own.  "I think I can do you one better," was his return comment as his own creature appeared in a flurry of red feathers, a fierce-looking weapon of the same color glinting in dappled sunlight.

Seto raised both brows, momentarily impressed that his companion would have such a card in his arsenal.  But quickly he covered his gaffe by serving up a particular taunt, "Been taking hints from that woman friend of yours?"

If anything, Katsuya's grin only widened.  "In more ways than you can imagine."

A dry chuckle of amusement escaped Seto before he turned his attention to the leather-clad group of bandits before them, ordering his giant to attack the lot.  As confident as he was in the superior and obviously higher attack of Hitotsu-me, he was still cautious – surely the game he programmed himself would be far more difficult than just this paltry lot.

And sure enough, the paranoia that was always inspired by his gaming instinct was proven at the moment of the attack's impact.  The crude weapon of the giant bit into the earth, missing the entire lot of the sinister-looking bunch, each one separating into five individual opponents rather than a singular group.   And each one now boasted their own strengths and attack power. 

The closest monster, a wiry youth no taller than Yugi with a shock of yellow hair, darted in to strike at Seto's giant which was still recovering from its missed blow.  "This is going to be more of a challenge than I thought," Seto mused aloud.

Acting quickly, Katsuya directed his Harpie's Brother in to cover Seto's monster, wings slicing the air as the warrior dove in for a counter strike.  The crimson blades tore through the blonde bandit, sending the creature into a thousand glittering pieces with a lingering shriek of pain.  "Pull something stronger out, Seto!"

With a menacing glare thrown in Katsuya's direction, Seto drew another card, summoning his Battle Ox to protect the now useless giant that had nearly become a liability.  The muscle-bound beast stomped up to the raven-haired member of the bandits, sharp ax driving home in a powerful attack, dispatching the second of their five challengers.

Katsuya grinned in satisfaction now that they were on the offensive, pointing for his winged creature to attack the skinny bandit that seemed the weakest.  Harpie's brother silently obeyed, wings carrying him towards the target; however, the intended objective threw his arm out towards the largest of the bandits, the bald behemoth that had waited patiently throughout this whole skirmish.  Much to Katsuya's horrid fascination, a dark cloud swirled above the towering bandit, causing the creature to literally grow in size, and understandably in power as well.

Before he could call off his attack or make some move to save his harpie, the strengthened creature overpowered the winged beast, meaty arms capturing and crushing Katsuya's warrior.  The blonde winced as the harpie was destroyed, lips pressing tight as he heard a resounding beep from his duel disk, the numbers on his life points shifting down to 400 less than what it was originally. 

A dark scowl pulled at his expression before he drew a fresh card.  "Want to play hard ball then?" he asked the opposing monsters before laying down his trump card.  As it had before, the black-scaled dragon burst into existence, dark fire erupting from its mouth to incinerate the one bandit that had been responsible for his harpie's demise.

Seto blinked as he was momentarily forgotten in the wake of Katsuya's righteous anger, knowing that with the exception of his Blue Eyes, he did not carry the attachment to his deck the same way that his companion did.  He saw his cards as tools, a means to achieve a well-deserved victory, whereas Katsuya, along with his friends, chose to view the fictional creatures as an extension of themselves.  To strike down one would mean to face the wrath of the owner.

But this train of inner thought was interrupted when the chestnut female threw her weapon in the air.  The blade shattered into numerous shards of light, raining around the pair of duelists and their monsters, effectively restricting their attacks.

Katsuya cursed as the other remaining member of the Black Scorpions, the one who had powered up his companion high enough to destroy Harpie's Brother, revealed a new weapon, the blade whipping in lazy circles on its chain.  "Oh, this just keeps getting better and better."

"I know," Seto agreed sullenly watching as the chain suddenly lashed out, wrapping around the green-skinned giant that Seto nearly forgot about.  The brunette growled in frustration, knowing that he had just made a stupid and perhaps fatal error. 

Amber eyes wide, Katsuya glanced at Seto.  "They're going to attack him."

"No shit, mutt," came the testy reply, blue eyes narrowed as he scanned over his cards, trying to figure some way out of this predicament.  "I would kill for Obelisk right now."

Katsuya frowned at his companion before pulling a card from his hand, knowing that he had no other choice in the matter.  With a slight movement of his wrist, the magic card slid home, a glow surrounding his imprisoned Red Eyes.  "How about something else instead?"

Seto lifted his head, wondering what the blonde was talking about, mouth opening to give voice to his question.  However, it remained unuttered as the black dragon gave a triumphant roar, great wings sending up a fearsome gust of wind that nearly knocked all other combatants off their feet, monster and duelist alike.  The dragon vanished from the field, the wind somehow slicing not only through the glowing blades that held his creatures prisoner, but also sent the chained weapon shattering, freeing his giant.

Seto blinked in disbelief, slight astonishment on his face at the knowledge of Katsuya's sacrifice.  The blonde merely stood proud and unfaltering as the two remaining bandits suddenly shifted their focus on the now defenseless duelist.  Before the dual attacks hit their target, Katsuya offered his companion a smirk before replying, "My turn is up."

Twin slashes of harmless light, threw Katsuya back, the momentum sending his body skidding across the earth, the resounding beep from his duel disk echoing in Seto's ears as his life points clicked to a dangerously low number.  He cringed and looked away, drawing a new card from his deck.

Then he felt it.  A vengeance that burned inside his heart even as he stared at his cards.  Despite the constant rivalry and bickering that had been ongoing between them, despite the only recent connection they've made while venturing through this game, Seto felt anger well up inside him, prompting him to avenge Katsuya in a way that he only felt previously towards his brother.  Maybe it was the pride at having been aided and saved more times than he cared to admit aloud in this battle thus far, or maybe it was the simple camaraderie established that forced him to do the right thing.  But he began flipping cards into his disk, his movements sharp and concise with barely restrained anger.

Between the hulking ox and the leering giant, a man clad in armor made of dragon bones materialized, eyes glinting dangerously from beneath the shadow of its helmet.  Almost instantly, the Dragon Lord's arm lifted, an ornamental instrument appearing in its grasp.  A haunting note filled the air, a call to the two dragons that were in his hand to join the fray on the field. 

The first dragon dazzled all who were watching with an almost blinding light, the razor-sharp ridges of its scales glittering dangerously as it hissed at the hapless bandits that stood in the wake of its wrath.  The second dragon let out a familiar shriek as the silvery-white hide gleamed in avenging purity, cerulean glare deadly.  Barely pausing to drink in the looks of fear that radiated from his opponents, he quickly sent Hyozanryu to attack the female, watching in satisfaction as the diamond-edged dragon crushed her in its claws.  Still indignant about the emotion that was fueling his harsh actions, he switched his attention over to the remaining bandit, ordering his Blue Eyes to finish the job.  The final creature was annihilated utterly within a stream of blinding lightning, his cry of agony drowned out by the thunderous roar of power.

In the deafening silence in the wake of this obvious overkill, Seto heard the prone blonde groan softly.  Quickly, the CEO recalled his precious monsters; the field now devoid of life save for the pair of duelists, and moved to kneel beside Katsuya. "Are you alive?"

Amber eyes slitted open to gaze at him, a bit unfocused as he groaned.  "No..."

"That's good to hear."

Katsuya sighed heavily, eyes sliding closed again as he relaxed against the ground, his body aching only where the blows had landed. "Go ahead. Tell me what a moron I am."

Seto frowned, staring at the lax face of his companion.  "No. We won."

"You won," was his indignant reply.  "I got my ass walloped."

"Can't say I enjoyed you getting knocked out like that.  Especially when it wasn't my doing.  But rest assured, they got payback a hundredfold."

"So I heard," he replied dryly before sitting up and glancing at his duel disk with a groan that had nothing to do with pain.  "And I'm down to 1400 life points."

"You'd better be careful, then."

Katsuya shrugged, finding that the pain was subsiding quickly now that the battle was over.  "Why? I get wiped and I get a 'Game Over' screen.  No big deal."

"I don't want that."

The blonde glanced at him, eyes blinking in confusion before he shook his head. "Well, it's my own fault."   Carefully he pushed to his feet, rubbing at his side where the bandits had struck at him.  There was no blood or welts, though he had vaguely expected there to be.  Hell, there probably wouldn't even be a bruise that was normally left after a duel with the disks.  At least, not on his flesh and blood body.

Seto watched him with a discerning frown, feeling strangely calm now that he had dispatched of Katsuya's attackers. "You sure you're okay?"

"Yeah. Just a little achy where I was hit. No different than dueling in the street."  He glimpsed at Seto for a moment before clearing his throat and scanning their surroundings to gain his bearings.  Still in the distance were the hills they had been heading towards, unchanged, though it seemed as though he had been expecting the landscape to shift just to spite them. "Well, shall we?" he asked, gesturing towards their goal as he grinned.

Seto didn't answer as he started off, taking point this time.  Though his face wasn't blank, it seemed unreadable, as though he were deep in thought.  Katsuya jogged a little to catch up, tilting his head towards the taller teen. "Something on your mind?

"Just trying to remember those codes..." the CEO returned, eyes staring ahead.

A touch of confusion mixed with curiosity furrowed Katsuya's brow.  "Codes for what?"

"Cheats. Like getting extra life points."

Katsuya nearly tripped at the simple answer. "You're shitting me..."

"No." 

"I didn't think you'd be the type to cheat."

Seto glanced at him then, his eyes still unreadable, face perfectly neutral as he faced his companion. "No, I'd let you."

Katsuya balked at that, certainly bowled over at this revelation. "That's not exactly fair, you know.  What would be the point of playing the game if I'm just going to cheat?"

A faint warmth played tag with emotion across Seto's pale skin, an expression one could only call embarrassment flitting through the cerulean eyes briefly.  "Well, it's not my plan to watch you lose either."

Katsuya took satisfaction in this admittance, but he wasn't about to stoop to cheating regardless if Seto wanted him to stick around or not.  "Well, I won't find fulfillment in winning if you have to help me by cheat codes."

"Fine," was the terse reply, his face glowering as he turned away.

Katsuya almost instantly stopped walking, amber eyes staring at the CEO who stilled only a couple of steps later.  Seto waited a moment before finally asking, "What?"

The blonde covered the distance between them, circling around the taller teen until he was facing him, leaning in close to scrutinize thoroughly.  Seto's heart skipped a beat, wondering what had Katsuya's interest so piqued, his mouth suddenly dry at the feel of his companion's breath gusting against his face.  "What?" he asked again, his voice soft, nearly uncertain under this exploring stare.

"You're cute when you pout."

Cards Used:

Dark Scorpion – 1000/1000

Hitotsu-Me Giant – 1200/1000

Harpie's Brother – 1800/600

Chick the Yellow – 1000/1000

Gorg the Strong – 1800/1500

Meanae the Thorn – 1000/1800

Cliff the Trap Remover – 1200/1000

Don Zaloog – 1400/1500

Battle Ox – 1700/1000

Mystic Plasma Zone

Swords of Revealing Light

Kunai with Chain

Wingbeat of a Giant Dragon

The Lord Of Dragons – 1200/1100

Flute of Summoning Dragon

Hyozanryu – 2100/2800

Blue Eyes – 3000/2500