Thrown to the Wolves

A/N: About time this had an update, huh? Heheh. You thought I'd given up on it, didn't you? *smirk* Nope. It's nearly finished now, believe it or not. At least... I think it is. The storyline is pretty sucky and basic, but about half way through the fic I really went off the Seto/Jou pairings. They don't bug me as much now, though, so I'll get it done. Oh, and I couldn't remember how they got out of the game (or tried to) when they wanted to leave, so I nicked the way they do it here from Red Dwarf. ^_^ Enjoy!

Thrown to the Wolves 9

Katsuya strolled up the long driveway and hopped up the white marble steps to the huge front door of the Kaiba mansion, knocking a few times before standing back to wait for someone to answer. He expected a servant or a butler or something like in a movie, but instead when the door swung open he found Seto standing there. The CEO had dark shadows under his eyes, probably from staying up working on his game and then getting up at some ungodly houut out other than that he looked pleased to see his blonde boyfriend.
"You eaten anythin' today? You look kinda pale." Was the first thing Katsuya said as he stepped inside at Seto's gesture, stopping in the large entrance hall and folding his arms over his chest, giving the brunette a look that said he'd better not be skipping meals.
"I didn't have time to cook. But we can order takeout later, if you want. Besides, it's not important. Come on, I have something to show you." Seto gave a small smile to show that he was feeling fine, just a little tired.
"Hmph. Ok, but after this I'm makin' you eat somethin'. Don't all your minions feed you?" Katsuya asked as he followed Seto down a staircase towards the back of the mansion, leading down into the CEO's huge laboratory in the basement.
"I gave them the day off. I wanted us to be alone, remember? Anyway, I can actually cook for myself, you know. I was just too busy putting the finishing touches to this game. It's a new and improved version of the one my executives tried to trap me in." Seto gave a smirk as he remembered. Yami and everyone had come rushing in to save him, just as he was about to escape *anyway*, showing just how much he didn't need their help. Although, there was that dragon at the end, but he figured he could probably have defeated that on his own anyway, with his Blue-Eyes White Dragons. He was in an exceptionally good mood, seeing as how he'd finally finished perfecting the new hacker-proof version of the game. All it needed now were a few colours fixing on a couple of the plants and one or two of the monsters, which nobody would have really noticed anyway, but he was a perfectionist as always. Once that was done it would be ready to be mass-produced and sold, but he wanted Katsuya to see it first. He'd stayed up most of the night workign on it, and then gotten up barely an hour after he'd fallen asleep to carry on his work. He hadn't had time to eat anything since the popcorn Katsuya had bought for him the night before, and to be honest perhaps he *did* feel a little worse for wear, but after this he could get something for them both to eat and have a rest, and he'd be fine. He found it quite amusing that Katsuya was mothering him like an old woman, he decided he'd have to go through the security video tapes later and get a picture of Katsuya standing in the hall with his arms crossed, looking like someone's overprotective grandmother warning them never to skip meals. That look had been classic on him. It was nice to have someone other than Mokuba worrying about him, too. Of course, the pharaoh and his other friends claimed to worry about him, but that was just... annoying.
"You really drink all this stuff?" Katsuya's voice broke him out of his thoughts and he took a quick glance around at where they were, in the wine cellar. Racks of dusty bottles lined the walls and glinted dully in the low lights.
"It came with the mansion, I don't think anyone could drink all this. Mokuba makes me drink a glass at Christmas, though." Seto explained, leading Katsuya on down the hallway past a few closed doors and some storeage spaces filled with boxes and crates.
"Aww." Katsuya grinned. The thought of Mokuba forcing Seto to drink a glass of wine, with the CEO glaring the whole time, made him smile.
"We're here," Seto opened the door at the end of the corridor and flicked on the lights, illuminating the huge room, filled with tubes and pipes, computers, bits of machinery and, in the very centre, six large, shiny VR pods surrounding a great pillar of wires that led up into the main computer. Katsuya took a long look around, thinking that no matter how many times Seto redesigned the VR pods, they still always looked like trainers to him.
"Wow, this place is huge. So this is your seceret lab where you work on your inventions all night like a mad scientist?" Katsuya grinned, walking into the middle of the enormous room and running his hand over the cool, shining metal of one of the pods. Each one was a different colour, red, yellow, blue, green, purple and black.
"Sort of." Seto smiled, wondering if people really saw him as a mad scientist type. Not that he ry cay cared. "Do you remember the way the last VR game worked? This one is the same, except it has a few added features and is completely evil-executive proof."
"Always a plus," Katsuya grinned. "So, can I play?" He gave a pleading look, hopping into the yellow pod once Seto nodded and it opened. The CEO fiddled with a few buttons and switches on the control desk and then joined Katsuya, taking the blue pod right next to the yellow one. He put on his VR helmet, watching Katsuya do the same, and felt the dizzying rush as greyness swirled around him, seperating out into colours after a moment, and then shapes, then each image solidified until he found himself standing in a clearing surrounded by trees which, he noted, probably needed a little more dark green to bring out the shadows. Beside him, Katsuya was looking around in wonder, poking the grass. Seto watched in silent amusement as the blonde picked a leaf from a tree and ate it, then spat it out again.
"It even tastes real, you sure think of everything." Katsuya smiled. Seto shook his head.
"I cannot believe you just ate a leaf." He laughed.
"What?? I ain't eating *grass*, that stuff's nasty."
Seto looked at him with a raised eyebrow and a smirk on his lips.
"Oh come on, everyone ate grass at least once when they were kids!" Katsuya defended himself.
"I can't say I ever remember doing that. Anyway, would you like to try out the game? You have your deck, right?" Seto pulled out his own cards and fitted them into a duel disk that materialized on his arm. Katsuya did the same thing, and then looked up at Seto to see what to do next, coming over to stand by him.
"So what now?" He asked, jumping as a Kuriboh popped out of the bushes in front of them and growled.
"Watch. Tone'one's pretty weak, you might want to stand back, though, these things tend to explode." Seto warned, then drew a card from his deck. As Katsuya had half expected, it turned out to be a Blue-Eyes, and Seto placed the card down on the monster card zone of his duel disk. The air next to them blurred for a moment and Katsuya blinked. When he opened his eyes again the huge, white dragon was perched next to them, glaring down with sapphire eyes just like Seto's at the tiny ball of fur on the ground in front of it. The Kuriboh 'eep'-ed and it's eyes doubled in size as it tried to back away slowly, but the Blue-Eyes gave a very toothy grin and darted a hand forward, spearing the little furball with one huge, ivory claw. The Kuriboh glowed for a moment, then exploded in a puff of green and brown smoke.
"I gave the monsters a little more character this time," Seto explained. "I wanted it to seem more realistic."
"Wow. That was... amazing! Can I try? Pleeeeease?" Katsuya begged, making puppy eyes. Seto leant against the huge dragon next to him and nodded.
"If you like. Kuriboh are the most common monsters in this forest, it changes for each area. You can buy powerups and equips for monsters from shops, and you can keep monsters out as long as you like. In fact, the more you use a monster and keep it with you, the more it begins to develop its own personality, even to the point of learning new attacks. Also, in this version every Duel Monster is included, though some are rarer than others, and there are only one of some in the entire game. Some of them are even couples, and are programmed to protect each other in battles, like the Dark Magician and the Celtic Guardian, or the Dark Elf and Mystical Sand." Seto as as he watched Katsuya draw a card and grin.
"This place is amazing. You really did improve it! Is the story still the same? With princess Mokuba an' everything?" Katsuya asked, laying his card on the duel disk and watching in awe as his Red-Eyes Black Dragon appeared next to him, roaring and spreading out its wings before tucking them behind its lithe, armoured body and settling down to have a look at the blonde. Ruby eyes scanned over him from head to toe, and Katsuya held a hand out, laughing when Red-Eyes rumbled contentedly and nuzzled against it.
"No, that's the old version. This version has all new quests and areas." Seto informed him, "I also improved the sensation of touch for this game." He took a couple of steps towards Katsuya and took his hand, running his thumb over the back of it gently. "See?"
Katsuya shivered and nodded, he could feel Seto touch him just as he would normally, outside of the VR world. Suddenly, though, a movement behind Seto caught his attention and he stared at it, the brunette turning around to see what was happening. In the bushes and trees around them pairs of round, red eyes were appearing, glaring malevolently out at them from the darkness.
"More Kuriboh. They hunt in packs." Seto explained.
"Now you tell me. Should I be worried or somethin'? There *are* quite a lot of them..." Katsuya watched the Kuriboh monsters shuffle forward into the light, Red-Eyes and Blue-Eyes giving out threatening growls, their tails twitching in a cat-like way behind them.
"No. Kuriboh are weak, they're nothing to worry about. However, if you ever need to leave the game in a hurry, all you have to do it press the button on the palm of your left hand." Seto assured him.
"Ok, if you say so." The blonde gave a relieved smile. "So... I guess we attack them, right?" He asked.
"Go ahead, it's your turn." Seto gestured.
"Cool!" Katsuya grinned, making Seto laugh as he ordered his Red-Eyes to attack the hordes of Kuriboh around them. The huge, black dragon gave an almighty roar and sent a blast of fire at the furry little monsters in front of them, quickly shooting off another blast to each side as countless Kuribohs exploded in different coloured puffs of smoke. It couldn't quite get to the ones behind it fast enough, though, being so huge. As it turned to try and attack them, the Kuribohs leapt at it, ready to explode on impact and hopefully do some damage to the enormous dragon. Katsuya held his breath, ready to see the furry brown balls of fuzz blow up his beloved Red-Eyes, when a white blast of light hit the attacking furballs and wiped them out, a possessive rumble accompanying the attack. Katsuya gasped, looking up to see Blue-Eyes poised in front of Red-Eyes, protecting it from the last few scattered Kuriboh, who were quickly dealt with by one sweep of its huge, white tail.
"It-it saved my Red-Eyes..." Katsuya stared up at the dragons now settling back down together in amazement, feeling Seto come up behind him and wrap strong arms around his waist.
"Like I said, some of the Duel Monsters are couples. Red-Eyes Black Dragon and my Blue-Eyes White Dragon are mates. They protect each other, and when they fight together they're stronger. You don't mind, do you?" Seto asked, turning Katsuya to face him and brushing a lock of golden hair from the shorter boy's cheek.
"Mind? Why would I mind? It's wonderful! See, I knew you were a romantic really." Katsuya grinned, hugging Seto tig. "T. "Thanks. I know what you meant by it, so... thanks. This game of yours is really something." The blonde said sincerely, glowing at the fact Seto would do something so sweet for him. He was about to ask which other monsters were paired up together, when Seto stumbled forward a little and raised a hand to his head, wincing. Now that Katsuya looked closely, Seto had turned very pale.
"Come on. We can play again later, but right now you're going to bed before you faint on me like a girl." Katsuya ordered, grabbing Seto's wrist and pressing the button on his left palm. Seto vanished, and Katsuya took one last look at the Red-Eyes Black Dragon and the Blue-Eyes White Dragon before following.
Seto climbed out of the blue VR pod and helped Katsuya get out of the yellow pod, smirking.
"Bed, hmm?" He drawled. Katsuya squeaked and flushed red.
"You know what I mean! You're going to bed to get some sleep before you keel over." The blonde ordered. Seto looked down at him, seeing the concern and stubbornness in his eyes, andhed.hed.
"Fine, I'll get some sleep. I suppose you're right, I wouldn't want to collapse and leave you alone here with all this valuable equipment you could break." Seto smirked at Katsuya's mock glare. "But I'm only going to bed if you give me a goodnight kiss."
Katsuya blushed again, but took Seto's hand and dragged him out of the lab, pausing to turn out the lights on the way and leading him back through the basement.
"It's not even night, but ok, if you promise to get some rest and stop looking like a zombie. And you have to eat something, too." The blonde told him as they reached the front of the mansion again and headed up the huge staircase to where Seto's bedroom was easily found, the name 'Seto Kaiba' printed on the door in gold letters.
Once they were inside the blue-furnished room, Katsuya took a moment to survey the place, taking in the long, deep blue curtains that matched the large, king-sized bed and the soft blue carpet. There were a few photphs phs and trinkets - mostly models of dragons - on the desk by the window, which was littered with papers and bits of wire, half-finished circuit boards and a soldering iron plugged into the wall.
"So," Katsuya finally said, watching Seto take a seat on the large bed, "where's the kitchen?"
"It's to the right towards the back of the house. Why?" The CEO asked, yawning tiredly.
"I'm going to make you a sandwich or something while you get undressed." Katsuya made for the door.
"Fine, if you don't want to watch." Seto smirked. Katsuya just gave him a 'behave yourself' glare and closed the door behind him.

TBC

There, that chapter was long-ish compared to most of the others, to make up for not updating this in so long. For anyone reading this on AFFN, my website is at http://www.geocities.com/konekoshido/Zerospace.html and all the rest of my fics are posted there, including loads of ones I could never be bothered posting here. Since FFN kicked me off and NFiction went down, I'm not really updating at archives much anymore, so if you want new fics/updates from me, the website is the place to go. It's pathetically basic, but it does the job. I *might* sort out my AFFN account sometime in futufuture, but for now my site gets priority. Ok, ciao!