Coalescence

25) The Need for a Tournament

Summary: Seto informs Yugi about the plans to host a tournament to bait the Rare Hunters.


[I have to talk to Yami about this immediately,] Seto thought fifteen minutes later. He'd explained all he could about Yami to Mokuba, then fled to his car where he now sat, hesitating between ordering his driver to just go over to the game shop or calling Yugi. [But, damn it, I'd have to face his grandfather again. The old man will NOT want to see me two days in a row, that's for sure. Damn, I should get Yugi his own cell phone...]

He settled on calling - for the moment. "Konban wa, Mutou-san," he greeted Yugi's grandfather when the man responded. "This is Seto Kaiba. May I please speak to Yugi?"

Grandpa Mutou managed not to grumble on the phone. "Just a moment, Kaiba-san..."

A moment later, a very welcome voice came on the line. "Seto-kun, konban wa!" Yugi greeted him.

Immediately Seto's heart felt lighter. "Yugi... good, I was afraid your jii-san wouldn't let me talk to you.""Er,"Er, I don't think the phone is a problem," Yugi replied, wondering. "Want me to get Yami-san for you?"

"He's not with you right now? I mean he's not listening in?"

"No... I think he's off thinking again," Yugi considered, testing the link. It was quiet, much like is ths the other night. "If you don't mind holding for a moment..."

"No, actually," Seto said hastily to stop him, "I'll just tell you. This involves you both. Isis Ishtahr just left my office." He took a deep breath. "She wants me to host a Duel Monsters tournament here in Domino City for the purpose of drawing out the Rare Card Hunters who have stolen the other two God cards."

"Whoa, that's great, I mean..." Yugi backpedaled, understanding immediately that the situation was pretty serious. "I gather they're a pretty mean bunch, huh? Ruthless, probably criminals..."

"No probably about it, Yugi," Seto murmured. "But I find it exciting, too. I'll get to advance the use of my new Duel Disk system so people can play anywhere in the city without an arena. And there are a few changes to the standard gaming rules I want to introduce as well. But these cutthroat pirates do sound dangerous, and we can expect them to cheat and bully their way to collect rare cards from those they defeat in the tournament."

"The God cards... they're important to Yami-san and you, I know. Especially Yami-san. He'll need them and the Millennium Items if he's ever to recover his memory." Yugi sighed. [More complications.] "Seto-kun, when is the tournament going to be?"

"In a week," Seto replied, his prodigious mind already making thousands of notes of things that had to be done before then. "Isis seems to think there will be dangers arising of a magical nature as well... and though I find it hard to believe that these petty thieves can be involved in the same sort of... magic... well, we will have to be vigilant."

Yugi was thinking rather about the tournament. [Seto will have a chance to regain his top dueling rank,] he mused. [I know that's important to him... and he doesn't really care about the Millennium magic, although I'm sure he wanami ami to regain his memory... still, it's ournournament*. We may face him in a duel again...]

"Yugi?" Seto asked after a long pause. "I know the Duelist Kingdom tournament was just a few weeks ago. Kami-sama, but I don't want to fight you... well, I *do*, but not like before. I just don't ever want to duel either of you under terrible circumstances like before. I want it to be a duel we can be proud to fight, one which brings out the best in us."

[That sounds exactly like Jounouchi-kun and I in the Duelist Kingdom finals,] Yugi couldn't help comparing. "I... I know, Seto-kun," he murmured.

"When I fight, Yugi, I feel my blood start to boil, not with the heat of anger or revenge... though I know well I am not innocent of that... but with the fire of life, of coming alive as a Duelist... the 'Shin no Duelist' (True Duelist)." Seto sighed, remembering how it felt to fight against Yami. "Do you know what I mean, Yugi?"

"Yes, I think so... at least I know I do through Yami-san," Yugi replied quietly. "It's when everything is coming together for me, and I'm breathing the game, the conflict, the tension. I step outside of time, and there's only me and my opponent... though for me, the 'me' includes the blend of Yami-san and myself as well as those who are supporting us - my friends. It's a collective 'me', as if we're all in it together, which I suppose we have been."

"I don't have a e ofe of that collective," Seto admitted. "It's just me and my cards. You taught me that... how the cards are an extension of myself, and to learn to know and trust the Heart of the Cards. It makes sense, as I have built my deck myself. The blend of cards I put in my deck *is* an extension of me, I suppose."

"Yes, you understand," Yugi breathed. "Seto-kun, I confess I don't look forward to another tournament, but I am committed to Yami-san's destiny of locking away the Millennium magic... and I will fight with him again to achieve that. If that means engaging with these Rare Card Hunters in your tournament... then that is what we will do."

"Yugi... yes, and I, too, find that my destiny is irretrievably locked within his... and hence within yours..."

Yugi shook his head, fearing where this was going. "Seto-kun..."

"No, Yugi, I am implying nothing about our relationships with one another," Seto countered quickly. "I'm merely stating that I find myself as embroiled in this whole magic thing as the two of you are. That's all." [And if you can't see how critical the Bond of the Gods is right now, facing this danger... I can't make you, and neither can Yami, but... *Kami-sama*, Yugi!]

Yugi thought he heard more, and chose to test the other on it. "You believe I must accept the Bond of the Gods with Yami-san."

Seto heard the challenge and grimaced. "What I believe isn't important! You already know Yami's heart on this. You must answer that challenge within your own heart!"

Yugi lifted his chin, facing the other's clear challenge, though he wondered mightily where Yami had gotten to. "Just a moment, Seto-kun," he said evenly, then paused to call his dark half. /Yami?/

In his soul room, only slightly dizzy this time, Yami had just returned from his meeting with the Dark Sage. He looked up to see Dark Magician watching him, then responded to his hikari. //Yes, I'm here now, aibou. Did you need me?//

Yugi frowned at the rather neutral greeting. [Oh, I've botched this up good... now they're both walking on eggshells around me...] he thought morosely, then replied, /Seto's on the phone. He's told me that Ishtahr-san came to see him and to make the story short, I'll just say that Seto is going to host a Duel Monsters tournament in the city, though the reason is actually to draw out the Rare Card Hunters who've stolen the other two God cards. So, we've been talking about... dueling./

Alarmed, Yami recalled the Dark Sage's words: "dark forces are about to descend upon you, Pharoah" and "There is a strong chance that minds will be shattered... souls trapped... and lives will be lost." //A tournament!// he exclaimed. //Aibou, I have a strong reason to believe that the recent incident with Bandit Keith is somehow related to these evil hunters. There is danger ahead!//

He stopped just short of telling him how must more critical the Bond rituals would be now. [It can't come from me or Seto... he must embrace it himself... damn...]

Yugi felt the abrupt halt, sensed what his dark half was leaving out. [Should have known...] Sighing, he said, /You should be talking to Seto, not me./

//Not true...//

Yugi frowned, biting his lip. /You really think the thing with Keith and the Puzzle is related to this new problem?/

//I am certain.//

The spirit's solid confidence shook the younger teenager. /Wow, you really mean this.../

//I won't lose you, aibou. Not to the likes of whomever was behind Bandit Keith. Not to Rare Card Hunters.// Yami freely let his conviction and determination bleed through their link. And his love. Oh..Oh.../ Yugi gulped. His Yami could be so intense... /Talk to Seto. I'll... listen to the rest./

//Aibou...//

/Go./

The transformation was effected. Yami took a deep breath. "Seto, it's me," he murmured into the phone. "Yugi insisted... though he's still here." He glanced down at the spirit form of his little light, who looked back up with determination in his eyes. "He told me about the tournament."

Seto took a deep breath. "Yami..." he breathed, then continued. "I know Pegasus was very dangerous in his own right. I fear these Rare Card Hunters will prove to be equally so or worse."

"Worse is right, Seto." Yami made a noise of frustration, then glanced aside at the clock. It was around 7 p.m. "I want to see you. Can you pick me up?" As Yugi's eyes widened at him, he said hastily, //Aibou, I'm sorry...//

/No, you should go,/ Yugi replied, blinking, but then he laid a shadowy hand on the spirit's arm. /I told you earlier, I have a lot of thinking to do anyway. You can tell me about it later./

//Aibou... arigato,// Yami murmured back fervently. //Love you, little one.//

Yugi smiled. /Love you, too, Yami./

Seto's heartrate had increased at his lover's words. "You're in luck," he breathed, "I'm already in my car. I'll be there in ten minutes."

Yami smiled. "I'll be waiting outside the shop."

After changing clothes, Yami said good-bye to Yugi and went downstairs. Grandpa Mutou was just closing up for the day. "Jii-chan, I'm going out," Yami murmured.

The old man found himself looking up at his grandson. "Um, Yami-san?"

Yami paused and faced him directly. "Aa."

"I'm assuming Yugi knows about this..."

"Aa," Yagreagreed, bowing a little.

Grandpa Mutou raised an eyebrow, regarding the ancient spirit. "Going out with your boyfriend, are you? Don't forget it's a school night..."

Yami blinked, but chose not to get ruffled at the insinuation that he was being irrespble.ble. "Jii-san," he replied, switching to a more formal address, "Yugi just got a call from Seto Kaiba about a new tournament that the Kaiba Corporation is hosting in a week."

"A tournament!" Sugoroku Mutou frowned. "But why now? It's only been a few weeks since Duelist Kingdom."

[I have to win his support, too,] Yami thought determinedly. "We believe that the person or persons responsible for the theft of the Puzzle and subsequently the warehouse fire may return again. And I have good reason to believe that there are more dangers facing all of us. I must talk with Seto about this, jii-san."

Looking into the coldly intent eyes of the spirit, the old man was impressed. [I haven't taken him seriously enough... and he was responsible for defeating Pegasus... and winning back my soul. I owe him...] Sighing, he replied, "Very well... and I'm sorry for being a suspicious old fool."

Yami nodded curtly in acknowledgment. "Sir, do you trust me with your grandson?" he asked.

The old man's eyes widened at the question, then he sighed. "Yes... yes I do. I trust Yugi... and you have proven yourself. I'm sorry I was so hard on you yesterday... and on that Kaiba boy. I know you're devoted to Yugi... and won't hurt him."

"Arigato... jii-san," Yami replied quietly with another little bow. "Excuse me..." He swept smoothly out of the shop and into the night.

tbc