Yugi cried suddenly hitting his fist into the concrete wall next to him. This outburst surprised Kaiba. This was unlike Yugi. His rival had never been the aggressive type, nor had he tried so desperately to avoid him. But after his last Tournament, Yugi fell silent. He dropped off the face of the Dueling Monster’s world quite suddenly. There was an uproar in his disappearance and rumors had spread like wild fire. One even claimed that he had lost his title to some unnamed duelist. This was the one rumor that had caused Kaiba great frustration. If anyone was going to strip Yugi of the title of King of Games, it was going to be him. So that was why he had been searching for the star haired duelist. He needed the truth.
But now that he looked on at the shorter duelist. He could see that wasn’t the case. Sure, everything about him screamed broken But Kaiba was certain that it wasn’t from a duel. Yugi wasn’t one to be shaken by defeat. He was the class A example of sportsmanship, something Kaiba envied. Yugi took his defeats in stride and in his next duel; he would be an even better duelist. Yugi was constantly learning and relearning the game, he took his losses as lessons of improvement. Something many a duelist could learn from, even himself.
Yugi said, his voice quivering. Another thing that surprised Kaiba. Yugi never turned down a duel. This was possibly the first time that he witnessed it.
“What do you mean you can’t duel me Yugi?”
The CEO asked, taking a step closer.
“I mean I can’t duel anyone Kaiba… I’m through…”
The last mart came out as if he was defeated.
This time it was Kaiba yelling at him. He noticed just briefly how Yugi’s fist tightened as it rested against the wall. Obviously in frustration.
“You’re Yugi Muto! The King of Games! You have a responsibility-“
Yugi turned toward him. His amethyst eyes bloodshot. This outburst caused Kaiba to take back the step he had taken before.
“Its just a game Kaiba! A child’s card game!”
This was very much unlike Yugi. And that’s when Kaiba noticed the tears running down the shorter man’s face. For some reason, this left the taller man speechless.
“If I have any responsibility Kaiba… It’s to my family… I’m losing my family…”
Yugi told him, again defeat sounded in his trembling voice.
“My mom is in hospice… We’ve arranged it so that she can die at home… among family…”
“Why haven’t you told anyone…?”
Kaiba asked, receiving a scoff from the shorter duelist.
Yugi let of a defeated sigh; no he hadn’t told Kaiba. He hadn’t even told Mokuba.
He said his eyes now down cast. Kaiba took the few steps closer toward him, closing the gap between them. Without warning he embraced him. Every muscle in Yugi’s body seemed to stiffen at the contact. But Yugi didn’t stay that way for long; he curled up into Kaiba’s arms and started to sob. He had always been emotional, and he had a hard time controlling his emotions. Kaiba knew this, and will all the loss that Yugi has had in this past year, he should have seen this coming. And really, maybe this was the best way for him to find out about his rival’s mother? He at first never paid the women any mind. That was until she would take Mokuba in on nights where his insomnia had gotten the best of him.
Kana had made an impact on him. This he was certain. She was a very kind a loving woman. She supported her family diligently and took care of them. And from the stories that Mokuba shared with him, she had passed down skills to hi, like cooking, that Kaiba didn’t really have. Sure, he could cook a simple meal, but she had taught Mokuba to cook a full meal from beginning to end. Mokuba had even cooked for himself and his brother on occasions now. And Kaiba was certain that Mokuba viewed Kana as a mother figure. She had defiantly impacted him.
Kaiba rubbed his rival’s back as he started to calm down.
The CEO told him, and Yugi replied with a silent nod.