One Step

By Sakata Ri Houjun

*chapter 1

Rating:  R

Pairing:  Seto/Jou

Spoilers:  Mild ones here and there, nothing major.

Disclaimer:  Ha. Ha. Ha. No.

AN:  There's one way to cure a dry spell, and that's to be away from any and all art programs while you're killing time waiting for a job to land in your lap.  This was an old idea I've been sitting on, and unlike my prior fics [which I should hopefully be working on again soon] I should be able to finish this one without a problem.

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!

~***~

'Gotta give Kaiba credit. He knows how to make a world real.'

That was the appreciative thought circling lazily inside one prone teenager as he lay sprawled out atop a grassy hillside. 

It had been mere moments ago that he logged himself into the virtual reality game that was the boasting pride of Kaiba Land.  Why the blonde had opted to venture there of all places on a free Saturday was beyond him.  Of course, it wasn't like him to simply barge in on his friends' lives when they obviously had more pressing matters to attend to.  Quite an interesting predicament to be found in on a Friday afternoon when you realize that one too many idle thoughts failed to clue you in on the events surrounding you.

But he had shirked off the obvious disappointment with his usual carefree grin and made his own excuses to search out some way to occupy his time.  And that's what brought him to today and his current location.  He constantly questioned his sanity even as he casually strolled through the brilliant glass doors that opened automatically upon his arrival, surrounded suddenly by the joyous noise of children in an arcade magnified tenfold by the sheer capacity of the building.

It was odd, but he felt like an outsider, even among fellow game enthusiasts, as though he were not welcome to this otherwise haven of sorts for children of every flavor and situation.  He'd been here before on less than friendly circumstances and that certainly left a bitter taste in the back of his mind.  But then again, he'd also navigated these gleaming rooms under a mutual promise to aid its proprietor.

And it was the memories of the latter that brought him to the present, virtual though it was.  Even after that harrowing experience inside the Legendary Heroes RPG and the less than humiliating circumstances that had been his fate during the duration of the shared game, there had been the unspoken curiosity in his heart.  The game had felt so real, too real, and he wished to experience it again under his own terms.  So he trusted the same machines that on more than one occasion had threatened to capture his very essence with his body and even more valued deck, relaxing as the visor slid down and plunged him into a false world that tricked his every sense into believing it was reality once more.

And as Katsuya lay among the cool grass, feeling each blade tickle his cheeks as it swayed gently in the breeze, he lost himself to it.  It was far better than the overcrowded world on the other side, a perfection that he knew only Seto could achieve.  After all, would you expect nothing less from the aloof yet arrogant dragon master?

Golden eyes traced the drifting clouds, sinking further into a sweet serenity as he breathed in the crisp air.  He knew he was wasting his money and time just lazing about in this manner, but in all honesty he was savoring the peace of the moment, reveling in the solitude that blanketed him utterly.  For a moment, he imagined that this was perhaps the meaning behind the coldness in those near-emotionless cerulean eyes that belonged to this world's creator.  Was this the very silent loneliness that cocooned the CEO and walled him off from the friendly advances his companions offered?

But he knew that this oppressive quiet surrounding him was not for him.  The vivacious blonde craved light and laughter.  He sought out noise and attention.  That was why he had once joined in with a bad crowd, why he was quick to let his emotions reign over him and even quicker to throw up his fists rather than rationalize foolish actions.  But in a way, he had mellowed out, forgoing the fights in favor of something more noble and true to his heart.  It was all decided that day he chose to see the strength in what he assumed was a weak kid and returned one brave deed with another.

The shrill cry of a bird caught his attention and his gaze traveled the skies, finding the flurry of wings from the source of the cry.  No, not truly a bird but rather one of the many unique inhabitants brought to life from the cards.  Perhaps it was nothing more than a clever reminder of his location, like a screensaver.  Even should he choose to remain in this comfortable position for the remainder of his time in the cramped pod, eventually the monsters would come looking for him, seeking to cut short his period in this fanciful realm should he be unprepared.  But Katsuya never liked to sit with his thumb up his ass, so to speak, instead eagerly seeking out a challenge, even if he couldn't win.

After a few moments more of hesitation, the blonde finally got up and fully surveyed his surroundings.  From this vantage point, he could easily spy the quaint village that crested the distant green swells.  Though he itched for action, he craved a moment of companionship more. 'Can't play the game on my back. Maybe I'll run into some other players or something in the village.'

With that thought in mind, the blonde set about walking down the road, whistling a tune.  Just as Katsuya's stroll was casual and easy-going, his thoughts reflected that state of mind, oblivious to the figure trailing his every step or the shadow circling overhead among the clouds.  Instead his feelings were lighthearted, an almost dreamy look upon his face as he imagined all the varying creatures he had yet to encounter in this fantastic yet artificial world.  But it was the repeat of the shrill cry from before that snapped him once more back to reality, his tune halting on an off-key note as his eyes shot up to the sky, suddenly reminded of the less than benevolent creatures that stalked unwary players, which he had to grudgingly admit to himself that he suddenly fit that category.

From the clouds that cast serene shadows over the perfect landscape, a great bird appeared, the gold and green feathers catching the spangling light from the sun, like the iridescent colors of a peacock.  Yet this creature was far more menacing with its beady eyes mad with fury and fixated upon the hapless blonde.  The sharp beak opened to release yet another ear piercing cry before diving upon Katsuya.  And unfortunately for the teen, in this moment of adrenaline rush that overcame him he could muster only sense enough to head off out of the creature's trajectory in a stumbling run, heart thundering in his chest at the danger that seemed all to real.

Then suddenly, the ground gave out from underneath his sneakers, a perfect hole opening up like a gaping maw ready to devour the flabbergasted blonde. "Fuck!" was his vocal reaction to this unexpected turn of events as he felt himself fall prey to the laws of gravity.  One hand lashed out in a fleeting attempt to fight, hoping that somehow the rules of nature could be bent in his favor.  After all always it worked that way for the hero in the movies, and since he considered himself something of a wayward character that fought in the name of justice then certainly he was due a miracle.  Unfortunately, all he could do was manage to grab a ledge of crumbling earth and rock, halting his ungraceful tumble to kami knows where.  And to answer that very thought, his head instinctively looked down only to feel his stomach sink all the way to his feet at the sight of the unfathomable darkness.  It was nothing less than a fairly large drop that might have broken something - virtual or not.  "Double fuck..."

Katsuya's head tilted back up to the heavens once more, watching as his attacker circled about like a vulture, either readying for another attack or simply waiting for the inept player to fall to his demise, he didn't know and frankly wished neither possibility would become certainty.  Just as the bird swooped down, another noise sounded from just beyond the blonde's immediate range of vision.  Half a heartbeat later, a four-legged creature leapt over the hole that our intrepid hero was currently dangling over, the breeze kicked up by the flurry of equine movement sending strands of honey gold whispering across his shocked face.  A bladed weapon gleamed dangerously in the sun as it struck the flying beast squarely, instantly dispersing the screeching creature into nothingness.

Katsuya could only blink in shock at the appearance of a supposed savior before he felt the soft earth starting to crumble under his fingers.  His hands and feet immediately began to struggle with the uncooperative dirt, blood churning as he realized this could very well be the end of his game, and all before he had a chance to really play as well.

"Triple fuck!"

 "Three times?  Sure you're up for it?"

An unwanted flush spread along the blonde's face at the familiar sound of that condescending tone, though he convinced himself it was because he was pissed at his current situation and nothing more.  After a moment in attempt to compose himself, his amber eyes focused on a sight that made him no happier than the appearance of the bird that had attacked him scant moments before.  "Just shut the fuck up and help me up already," he ground out after a few seconds of indignant silence, eyes glaring daggers at the obviously smug brunette who watched him with mild amusement.

"Give me a good reason to," the CEO returned as he crossed his arms.

"Good reason?!" he shot back in shock as he slid down another inch into the beckoning darkness.  He was starting to panic - he so did not want to bust his tailbone because Seto was being a jerk off.

The tall teen let out a soft, almost inaudible, grunt of amusement before kneeling down and extending his arm in aid.  For a moment, Katsuya merely stared at the offered hand, noting that each finger was perfectly manicured yet the nails were worn at the tips, probably from ticking away so much at computers. Warily he wondered if the brunette would push him in, but then decided that not even Seto had the gonads to be that sadistic, at least not anymore, before he finally reached up with one hand, grasping the taller teen's firmly.  One corner of the CEO's mouth lifted in acknowledgement before he placed his other hand atop Katsuya's, using his height as leverage to tug him up out of the precarious situation.

Miraculously, Katsuya's sneakers discovered purchase somehow against the soft dirt, and soon he found himself hauled up to the surface.  Unfortunately, the momentum carried him forward, stumbling clumsily into the taller teen who easily caught him.

Securely cradled within Seto's arms, the blonde chanced a look up at the other teen, his face still tinted crimson.  Although his mind instantly barked out all sorts of insults and derogatory comments aimed at everything from the CEO's lineage to his fashion sense, no sound escaped his lips as his heart seemingly skipped a beat, reveling gleefully in the warmth and, much to Katsuya's chagrin, craving more.

"See something interesting?" came the brunette's question as one eyebrow lifted at the peculiar sight of the flushed figure in his arms.

At the question, the blonde snapped back to his common sense, realizing just where exactly he was.  Jerking back, his eyes glared hard at the ground, as though accusing the earth itself for putting him in this predicament, even though ironically for once it was partially the ground's fault.  "What are you doing here?" he finally questioned as he rubbed at his hand, hoping to rid himself of the lingering ghost-like presence of Seto's touch.

 "I decided I wanted to try my hand at my own game without a bunch of backstabbers trying to kill me," the brunette replied dryly, acting as though nothing had happened in the past thirty seconds, never mind there was now a few scant traces of dirt smudged across his otherwise pristine shirt, as though Katsuya had rubbed off on him, marring his sterile perfection.

 "Yeah well...  Me too..." the blonde returned as he dusted his hands against his thighs, refusing to even meet the CEO eye to eye in a final act of denial, cheeks still ablaze with color.

"Didn't expect to see you running around my theme park, mutt," Seto commented as his head lifted, surveying their surroundings.  The use of the old nickname brought an inward growl to Katsuya, shoulders stiffening slightly.  But he then acknowledged that this was Seto's way of returning an otherwise awkward situation to something more familiar and comfortable, perhaps for them both.  How easy it was to return to the insults, like slipping on a comfortable pair of shoes.

A wry grin slipped onto Katsuya's face as he shifted to gaze in the opposite direction, pretending that he hadn't done so intentionally in order to avoid revealing the appreciation in his expression for that tension breaker.  "Well, everyone was busy and it beats sitting alone on my ass all day long."

A soft chuckle escaped the taller teen as he crossed his arms carefully, mostly because the duel disk made that gesture rather awkward.  However, just like everything else that the CEO did in life, he managed to pull it off flawlessly.  "No need to act proud. Just follow your master like a good puppy and I promise you'll be taken care of."

Katsuya started at the command, eyes blinking in disbelief.  Surely he heard wrong.  "You're kidding, right?"

The brunette tilted his head to look over his shoulder at the flabbergasted blonde, his face carved out of emotionless marble despite the earlier hint of laughter.  "Do I look like I'm kidding?"

Katsuya stubbornly planted his feet on the ground before turning his nose at the humorless mask presented him, huffing in stubbornness.  "Well, I don't know what's going on in that head of yours."

"More than what's going on in yours, I can assure you."

Katsuya positively bristled at that comment, teeth grinding together in an almost audible indication of his growing ire.  "Well, I refuse to follow a pervy prick," he shot back before making a definite show of spite by walking in the direction he was faced in.  True, he knew not where he was going, but at long as Seto wasn't headed in that direction, it was perfectly fine with him.

So engrossed in his act of obvious defiance that he missed the slight lift of lips on his companion.  "Sure. Go that way. You'll not enjoy yourself."

If this were the perverted world of caractures that the Duel Monsters creator favored, there certainly would have been a laughable screech at the sudden halt that Seto's words brought Katsuya to.  After a moment, his head turned stiffly to once more glare at whom he now decided was his personal tormentor.  "And why not?!"

"I know this game better than anyone," the CEO returned cryptically, the lips once more in a placid yet grim line of truth, no trace of that amused smirk left behind.

"So?  It's not like I'd get killed or anything in here."

"You want to find the rest of the dangers without anyone to pull you out?"

There was a stretch of silence between them as Katsuya's eyes stared almost accusingly into Seto's cerulean orbs, perhaps seeking to blame him for this irreversible mess of humiliation.  Then after convincing himself that it was indeed Seto's fault and that he wasn't conceding defeat, the blonde turned his face away, jaw set firmly in a stubborn manner.  "Not my fault I came alone."

"Well, now you have a partner offering to aid you and you're turning it down. Tsk tsk. And isn't it your little friends who are always preaching about teamwork?"

For a moment, something sad crossed Katsuya's face before his expression hardened slightly, hands fisting at his sides.  "Since when have you cared about my welfare?"

"I don't," came the simple reply.  "It's just that this game is somewhat dull when one doesn't have an unpredictable element to contend with.  In my case, it would be you as a partner."

Katsuya snorted in response, resisting the urge to just laugh out loud at the situation at hand.  "Then predict this," was his retort as his right hand shot upwards, middle finger raised in what he decided was nothing less than an appropriate gesture for the smug CEO before heading in the direction he was facing, intent on finishing this game the way he started out, alone.

~***~

*Cards used in this chapter:

Queen Bird – 1200/2000

Trap Hole

Mystic Horseman – 1300/1550