The Whip

Here is the long awaited third chapter of The Whip. To be honest, I haven't worked on it much recently- I've been incredibly busy, and inspiration does not come often. As a result, the chapter is a fraction of the length I originally intended.

The good news is, I DO have some thoughts on what I want to have happen next. Unfortunately, its rare I have both the time and inspiration to write out a scene to my liking.

Much much more was meant to be in this chapter, but I was unable to get it out in a way I found acceptable, and since its now been over a year, I regretfully was forced to put length aside. The good news is, this WILL be continued, hopefully sooner then later. When I have time, I will turn to the story and continue it. Unfortunately, between college, my webcomic, and whenever I get a new job.... well, it may take a while. I WILL try to make it MUCH longer, however, unless it takes another year.

With those appologies said, please enjoy.




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“Atemu will be working with you as your partner from now on in all the shows, and possibly private sessions,” the boss continued, not leaving Yuugi time to gawk.


Yuugi’s mouth snapped shut and his eyes averted back to his boss in alarm. “W, wait, my contract-”


He began, but the Boss held up a hand, interrupting him.


“I know well the details of your contract, Yuugi. In fact, Atemu’s carries similar provisions, specifying explicitly against the prostitution. The performing you will do is a paired stripping.”


Yuugi blinked in puzzlement and surprise, but the old man continued onward heedlessly.


“You will be assigned a choreographer and have a week of preparation work and practice before you will debut. As you’ll be working together from now on, I suggest you get to know each other. You’ll be meeting your choreographer later on today. Until the paired show, you wont have any more performances. Now, why don’t you show Atemu around? I have a lot to do.”


“Ahh, r, right.” Yuugi said, still a bit dazed by the whole unexpected event. His eyes returned to Atemu, and for a moment he felt trapped in the predatory gaze, before Atemu gave a hesitant smile, stepping forward. Smiling uncertainly himself, Yuugi gestured for his new partner to follow, and the two left, door closing behind him.

The Boss watched them go contemplatively.

Atemu, it seemed, appeared from nowhere. He had been a vision of seduction and the Boss had been willing to do anything to get him onto his staff.... including comply with his strange request-

He wanted to work with Yuugi, specifically.

And watching them go, the Boss couldn’t help but agree with Atemu’s taste. The two were incredibly different yet had some striking similarities.... it would be easy to play off every man’s classic ‘twin’ fantasy in the most perfect of ways- the light, seemingly innocent role Yuugi played, and Atemu’s darkly assured seduction and raw sex appeal.

There was no doubt the new show would be a huge hit- already the Boss had assigned the marketers to the task of campaigning it.


However, he still had to wonder who Atemu was and where in the world he came from....


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Yuugi’s cheeks were burning by the time he finished his tour, ending in the locker rooms. Every moment he had been all too aware of those eyes boring into him, of the almost superhuman grace the man moved with.

He was surreal, like something out of a dream, but there was something about him that put Yuugi on edge. Yet even then, tensed and weary though he was, when Yuugi chanced a glance up at Atemu, or caught one of those soft smiles, he felt his resistance waver.


Yuugi felt drawn to Atemu. There was no other way to describe it.... and it scared him. Never before had he felt something so out of his control.... before now, feelings were the one thing that were his. Now with the appearance of this man, his new partner, suddenly even that was put into question....


“Well, that’s it,” Yuugi said distractedly, a slight quiver to his voice. He was all too conscious of Atemu’s eyes on him, studying him as if they were trying to memorize every part of him. It wasn’t the same greedy stare the Buyers held, there wasn’t any raging lust, but there was definitely something else there, something even more intense.


“I think you missed something.”

Yuugi blinked, blushing a bit at the sound of the rich baritone. Yuugi tilted his head, confused, going over where they had gone in a mental checklist. “I did?”

Atemu chuckled, causing Yuugi’s blush to deepen in guilty confusion.

“Where do we go to eat?”

“Ah! This way,” Yuugi said, relaxing a bit as he smiled, gesturing for Atemu to follow. “My friend Mai should be off around now, you can meet her!” Maybe he was just nervous and surprised about this whole thing, he reassured himself. Maybe that was it.

Of course, that didn’t explain why his cheeks burned whenever he glanced at those intense crimson eyes, or saw a brief flash of a smile.


Atemu found himself carrying one of those smiles once again as he followed Yuugi, allowing his eyes to travel down the small body approvingly, resting non-too-briefly on his rear but always flickering up again whenever he knew Yuugi was about to look his way.

Perfect. Utterly perfect. Yuugi was everything Atemu dreamed and then some.... ‘He feels it too... I know he does.’ Atemu thought. Of course, Yuugi had no idea how long Atemu had been waiting for this...

And now, here was the object of every desire he could possibly dreamed, having drawn him here and waiting to be taken. Of course, Yuugi was far more then that.... Not that he knew it.

Nor did he have to. He was there now- that was what mattered.



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Jounouchi glanced up from his drink. It wasn’t very strong, and he had been nursing just the one the whole night, but the last thing he needed was to try to work drunk.

The Devil’s Pawn had slowly but surely filled, and with it came the buzz of life it was known for. The scent that hung in the smokey was sour yet comforting to Jounouchi in its familiarity-cheap food mixed with tobacco and bad body oder, diminished only slightly due to the fact he had wisely chosen a seat near one of the few working fans.

The quiet of earlier was gone. Now there were conversations going on everywhere, from the hushed, conspiring whispers of plotting men to friendly insults and bellowed orders, the Devil’s Pawn had become a jostling, underground hub of activity. In fact, only one person hadn’t made a noise since coming in and ordering, and Jounouchi’s eyes flickered briefly back to the hooded man from earlier, still stubbornly labeled ‘jerk’ in his mind.

The man had barely moved at all, drinking and little else. His position hadn’t changed in the least, and he had a ‘don’t touch me’ vibe so effective that burly men twice his size were careful not to jostle or disturb him.

The hood he wore might have looked ridiculous on others; an attempt to hide or draw attention away from oneself, or possibly look imposing, that did the exact opposite- draw attention in addition to making the wearer look absolutely ridiculous.

Not so for this man. Maybe it was the way the shadows seemed to cling to his face of their own volition, the way he held himself- a relaxed pose that at the same time seemed somehow unsettlingly unnatural. The fact that there was no visible movement at all outside of the idly raising of glass to the lips (not even breathing) did nothing to dissuade this sense.

Suddenly the head tilted in Jounouchi’s direction, and for a moment, as if they suddenly and briefly caught the light, the peircing eyes seemed to glow. They weren’t the eyes of a human, they were the eyes of an animal.... a predator. Jounouchi’s eyes averted before he realized it had happened, and he felt his breathing quicken.

He was, the blond decided, fucking creepy.

Then the Hooded One made a sound again, a deep throaty chuckle that caused the hair on the back of Jounouchi’s neck to raise.

‘Is he laughing at me?!’ Jounouchi thought with a dawning realization, glancing back indignantly, then quickly looking away again. Creepy, evil little bastard..... The blonds gaze drifted to the window, watching as the last of the golden rays died, and darkness settled about the slums.

The time when suburbia went to sleep.... this was when the slums woke up.

Jounouchi felt himself smile. ‘Time to go to work.’ He waved to Honda, giving him a final goodbye as he strode out the door. He shuddered as he passed the hooded man’s seat, and was secretly relieved to be away from the him.



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Yuugi was showing Atemu how to use the computers when he noticed the message. He clicked it absently on instinct, and Atemu peered over his shoulder curiously. The hairs on the back of Yuugi’s neck straightened, and his breath caught; he was suddenly very aware of how close Atemu was, of the warm breath that danced against his ear....

“What’s that?”

Yuugi swallowed, and hoped the sound wasn’t really as loud as it seemed in his ears. There was something about Atemu’s voice.... “It’s a message,” he said, growing slightly red as he realized his voice was a bit higher then normal, and forcing himself to calm. (What the hell was wrong with him today, anyway?) “We receive them if there’s any special change to our schedule.... usually it refers to a private session.”

Kaiba again? It took Yuugi by surprise. He had heard his name before.... wasn’t he supposed to jump around? Never stick to one person? Why had he requested Yuugi again?

“Private sessions?” Atemu asked a bit quietly, interrupting the train of thought. Yuugi’s eyes remained glued on the screen, and he didn’t notice the slight narrowing of Atemu’s crimson eyes.

Yuugi nodded, scanning the message. “You wont have to worry about it for a while... they have to train you first.”

Atemu made no comment, and Yuugi glanced back worriedly, wondering if he had said something wrong. The sight that met him almost made him jump.

No longer was the beautiful creature a vision of seductiveness, but of cold fury, glaring piercingly at the screen as if the intensity of his gaze could destroy it.

Suddenly Atemu seemed to notice Yuugi again, and he cursed himself inwardly, offering a warm smile. “Forgive me. I do not trust them,” he said, voice soft and soothing, and Yuugi managed a small, uncertain smile in return.

Yet he could not forget that cold look.... it was clear there was more to Atemu then first appeared.



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“Hey Mai,” Malik greeted as he slumped down at the lounge. “Have you seen Yuugi? Usually we break together after my third show....” He trailed off. Mai had an interesting look about her... the look where she was bursting to share some gossip, but something held her back, some uncertainty....

Malik pricked up, though was careful not to appear as eager as he felt. The more interested he was, he knew, the more Mai would dangle it over his head. She wasn’t a mean person, but she was a tease, and he knew she was still irritated by that morning, petty as it was.... “Is something wrong, Mai?” He asked in a carefully vague way.

Mai resisted the urge to roll her eyes. Really, Malik might be good, but she knew him better then that. “Hum? Oh, no...” The woman said, pursing her lips and studying her nails in an obviously false mimicry of carelessness. “I was just thinking about the new guy.....”

Malik cursed inwardly even as he shifted forward with the intrigue he could not hide. Clearly, Mai had seen right through him.... Deciding to do away with pretense, the tanned man sauntered forward and slumped on a couch near her. “Oh? So you’ve seen him? I still haven’t...” Malik frowned in irritation. Really, it wasn’t fair...

“Yes I have,” Mai said. “And it’s far more interesting then you realize, but why should I tell you, after how rude you were?”

“I’ll buy you lunch,” Malik offered.

“Buy me lunch? That’s all you can say?” Mai said indignantly. “You didn’t even appologize!”

Resisting the urge to roll his eyes, Malik purred “Sorry, Mai.”

“It doesn’t mean anything NOW! ...Now you REALLY will have to work to make it up to-”

“Enough with the crap, just tell me,” Malik interrupted, too impatient to feel like participating in such games.

Mai smirked slightly, folding her arms. “And there you go again. Fine, but you owe me...” She winked, before leaning forward and speaking in quiet, conspiratory tones. “Well, I saw the new guy....” She raised an eyebrow. “You have some competition....”

“Competition?” Malik repeated, raising an eyebrow. The last time he had thought that was when Yuugi had arrived, and in the end that had worked out fine....

“Oh yes,” Mai stated, remembering how even other workers had stared at the new guy. “Even Yuugi was blushing.”

“You’re joking.” Malik accused flatly.

“Ha! You wish! He’s like a Yuugi possesed by you” Mai teased, then turned serious. She shook her head and leaned forward, delicate hands tapping over crossed knees. “But... that’s not the big news. Apparently, the Boss arranged for them to be partners, paired together in a two person show. It’s starting in a few weeks. Lucky guy gets paid time off to train through the routine until then....” The gorgeous blond woman added with a less then serious pout.

Malik made a smart remark, but inwardly he was going over this information carefully. It seemed he’d have someone new to be worried about.... He snorted, twistedly amused. ‘Kaiba will not be happy about this...’

Not that he cared. It sounded like this could be entertaining, competition or no...



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When Yuugi entered the private session, Seto was waiting for him. Strangely, he was sitting before a table, something before him. Wearily, Yuugi approached.

“You’re late.” Seto said bluntly, raising a delicate eyebrow. He didn’t seem to bothered by it, however, simply enjoying his new obsession’s presence.

Yuugi glanced at the rooms clock, carefully tucked away so as not to distract the patrons (though if anyone could be distracted by a clock, the workers clearly weren’t doing their job.) To find he was indeed a few minutes late.

Great.

Flushing slightly, Yuugi bowed low. “Forgive me. My schedule was changed recently, and I’ve yet to get used to it,” he murmured politely, and, rising again, added “you will be discounted for my tardiness.

Seto’s pupils dilated for a moment, pulse quickening at the motion. He recovered himself quickly, Yuugi’s warm tenor voice warming him somehow. What was it about the boy, that seemed to captivate him so utterly...? Seto shook his head slightly, both as a response and to rid his mind of the thoughts. They were for later, not to be wasted when the delicate boy was here before him to be savored.

Were Seto the type to smile, he might have offered Yuugi one now, but instead he simply gestured to the chair across from the table. “Take a seat.” He commanded, and Yuugi obeyed, wondering what this was about.

At that point, Seto smirked, and his deep blue eyes glinted as he shifted his head, waving to the board in front of him. “I thought we’d do something different, this time.”

“Different...?” Yuugi repeated, feeling a strange mixture of apprehension and curiosity.

“Just having you strip, though enjoyable, is too easy.” Seto explained, relishing the surprised look that crossed Yuugi’s all too readable face. “Instead, I thought we could turn it into a game.

Yuugi’s interest was evident immediately. His eyes lit up, body perking and an interest and attentiveness appearing none of the other patrons would likely get to see.

For Seto, that alone made it worth it.... and truly, he was looking forward to it himself, though he hardly expected Yuugi to be much of a challenge. “For each piece lost, you must remove one artifact of clothing. For each piece I loose, I give you a hundred dollar tip. If you win, I’ll give you a ten thousand dollar prize.”

For a moment, the handsome boy was silent, contemplating, a small frown on his lips. Finally, he spoke up, voice soft. “And if you win?” He shook his head. “I can’t accept terms of any game that would require me to do something I would not already do, but....”

“You also believe in a fair game,” Seto finished for him. Looking a bit surprised, Yuugi nodded. Seto chuckled. “I had no intention of asking you to do anything you wouldn’t want to do. I’ll let you decide what my prize should be.”

Yuugi opened his mouth for a moment, yet no sound came out. He closed it again, looking Seto over as if he hadn’t seen him. After a moment, he offered a smile, and nodded.

Seto stared at him for a long moment after that, biting his lip subtly to keep himself focused, in control. It was the first genuine smile he had seen Yuugi give. And while the boy’s strip tease smirk was enticing, the innocent joy evident in the glowing smile he had just received tempted Seto far more. ‘Just when I believed it wasn’t possible... he is perfect, truly perfect....’

“Do you know the rules?” Seto asked, eyeing Yuugi cooly. The boy nodded, still smiling, and Seto smirked. “Then let the game begin.”


Yet even as Yuugi moved his first peice, Seto was smirking inwardly. This game might be meaningless, but the REAL game had begun... and though he didn’t know it, Yuugi was the prize. ‘You will be mine.’