Author's note: Characters are a little bit older, around 20 years. Made-up surname for Yami. No money is made off of this. Feedback is greatly appreciated. Written for entertainment purposes only.
Nervously, Mutou Yuugi swallowed a few times as he looked up at the huge, impressive skyscraper. This was the headquarters of Kaiba Corp., the world's indisputable leader in virtual reality gaming. He had to pinch himself as a reminder that this wasn't a dream; to think that he had qualified for a job after so many tests and trials! His mother and grandfather were so proud of him! Yuugi swallowed once more and stepped through the sliding doors. The ground floor was crowded and everyone knew their way around, hurrying to their office or department. Lost and confused, Yuugi decided to ask someone, anyone, for the location of department 3-F. A friendly looking, young woman spotted him. She carried a clipboard with her and walked up to him, a little apprehensive. Yuugi blushed.
"Excuse me, you're... not a new hire, are you?"
Yuugi felt like the word "loser" was written all over his face. "As a matter of fact, I am," he said. "My name is Mutou Yuugi."
"Mutou-san," she said and hastily scribbled something on the paper on her clipboard. "I'm Mazaki Anzu from the Human Resources Department. It's my duty to gather the new hires and show them around. Follow me, please?"
"Thank you so much, Mazaki-san," Yuugi said, relief obvious in his voice. He traipsed dutifully behind her towards a group of similar nervous-looking new hires, all dressed up in impeccable suits and pristine office wear. Yuugi bowed to the others and they returned the gesture.
"All right, I'm going to divide you into two groups," Anzu said. "Those for department 3-F, you come with me. The ones for department 4-G, you can go with my colleague."
Yuugi scooted a little closer to Anzu while the group divided itself up. The office personnel went with Anzu's colleague, a tall woman dressed in a grey pencil skirt and an impossibly white blouse. When the group had left, Anzu turned around to face the new hires.
"Welcome to KaibaCorp.," she said with a brilliant smile. "Today is the first day of your career at an international company, world-wide known for its trailblazing virtual technology and of course, its number one position in the gaming market as the leading developer of the Duel Monsters game."
Yuugi perked up at the mention of his favorite game. It had been one of the main reasons why he had applied at KaibaCorp.. "I'll take you to your department," she continued, "where you'll meet your supervisor. He's in charge of you, so work hard and make your department proud!"
"Yes, Mazaki-san!" The entire group answered.
"Good." She smiled and led them to the elevators. Yuugi was completely overwhelmed. He was going to get lost in this massive building, he just knew it! Something else overwhelmed him too, it bothered him: people looked at him and he didn't know why. No one else looked at the other new hires, it was just him. They glanced at him, showing a distracted, almost confused look or they widened their eyes just like Anzu had done. What was wrong? He quickly checked himself in the mirror in the elevator, afraid that half his breakfast was visible on his collar or his shirt. Impossible, because he had hardly eaten in the first place... Soon enough, they arrived at department 3-F and Anzu, like a mother hen, gathered everyone together and walked briskly up towards a bulky, tall man with impressive-scary, bushy eyebrows.
"Ushio-san, here are the new hires for this month," she said and handed the clipboard to him. With a sour look on his face, he took it from her.
"I don't have time to train them," he said. "Seto-sama demanded a full program update before the end of the week and I'm running behind as it is."
"The sooner you'll train them, the sooner they can help with the program update," Anzu said with little sympathy in her voice. Yuugi could see why; Ushio was gruff, rude and worse, intimidating. He wanted to make himself as small as possible. The supervisor studied the papers on the clipboard, made some notes and heaved an overdramatic sigh.
"Fine. All right; Tayama Daichi, Inoguchi Akira and Mutou Yuugi to the left, Kanada Ichiro, Iida Kouichi and Katsushika Tadashi to the right. Move!"
The group split up again, but as soon as Yuugi moved to the left, Ushio saw him and exclaimed: "What are you doing here?"
"Mutou-san is a new hire," Anzu said before Yuugi could answer. He was rooted to the spot because of the angry tone in Ushio's voice. A mixture of relief and... fear went over Ushio's face and he collected himself quickly.
"Come with me," he said. "I'll show you your workstations."
Yuugi once more wondered about Ushio's reaction. It looked like the man had seen someone he didn't want to see at all, a ghost or something? He was the last in line and walked into the very large office space, littered with cubicles. This was the programming department and everyone was typing away at their keyboards or hanging on the phone to discuss their work. To Yuugi's relief, the employees laughed and interacted friendly with each other, but they quickly shut up or looked another way as soon as they noticed Ushio. When the group passed them, Yuugi again received weird looks. It made shivers run down his spine.
"Tayama, you sit here," Ushio said crudely, pointing at an empty cubicle. "The instruction manual is on your desk. Inoguchi, you're sitting over here. And you, Mutou," he said disdainfully, "this is your desk."
Yuugi stared at the cubicle, devoid of anything personal. It held a desk, a chair and a computer. On the desk was a heavy manual.
"You're hired to program, so get on with it!" Ushio turned around and stomped off. Yuugi felt embarrassed. He had hoped for a little more guidance from his supervisor. He decided to study the manual; he sat down silently and opened the book.
"Hey! You're caught in Kaiba's clutches as well? Oh sheesh! It's you!"
Yuugi almost fell off his chair from the loud voice to his right. He looked up and stared at a young man's face with wild, unruly blond hair and a grin from ear to ear.
"Oh no, it's not you," he said. "You gave me a heart attack! Hey Honda! Honda! I thought for a moment Yami was here! Who are you, pal? I'm Jounouchi!"
"Eh, hello, Jounouchi-san," Yuugi said and he stood up to bow to him. "I'm Mutou Yuugi."
"Wow, that's the first time someone bows to you," another voice piped up, now coming from the left. Yuugi turned around to repeat the gesture to his other colleague, a tall man with short brown hair and a similar grin on his face.
"Hiroto Honda," he said. "Welcome to Kaiba's slave factory!"
"N-nice to meet you," Yuugi said.
"Hey man, I didn't mean to startle you," Jounouchi said apologetically. "You're a new hire, right?"
"Yes," Yuugi said. "This is my first day."
"Welcome to hell," Jounouchi's voice turned grave. He laughed at Yuugi's shocked face, albeit not maliciously. "First day on your first job?"
"Yes," Yuugi said again.
"Sorry, I won't pester you any longer," Jounouchi said. "I remember my first day at my first job. I was scared shitless!"
"Mind your language, Jounouchi," Honda said, but he sounded like he had said it a million times before.
"Hey, did anyone ever tell you that you look like Yami?" Jounouchi suddenly asked.
"What do you mean?" Yuugi was flabbergasted. The name wasn't unfamiliar to him, everyone knew that Yami Nejem Safwat was a highly respected gamer who was often referred to as the "King of Games". He also worked for Kaiba, as his #1 game tester. For all that his name was notorious, very little footage or photos of him were in existence.
"Just a sec." Jounouchi pulled out his smartphone and started to scroll through his files. "The last time he visited the department, I snapped this picture of him." He turned the screen towards Yuugi, he had to crane his neck to look at it. His jaw went slack. Now he understood why people had looked at him and why Ushio had reacted to him the way he did! Yami looked exactly like him (or perhaps it was the other way around) safe for his tan skin, some conspicuous jewelry and the slight difference in his hair, with even more golden bangs.
"He has an Egyptian father and a Japanese mother," Honda said. It made for the sexiest combination Yuugi had ever encountered. "Kaiba pays him a gazillion to work for him."
"No wonder, he has an infallible nose for games," Jounouchi snorted. "He knows exactly what's going to be a success and what not. Your predecessor who worked at that desk, Yuugi, was Otogi Ryuuji..."
"The developer of Dungeon Dice Monsters," Yuugi supplied.
"Exactly. Nobody thought it was worth anything until he presented it to Yami," Honda took over. "He just looked at it, played it once and told Kaiba to take in into production. Now it's the #2 selling game behind Duel Monsters and wildly popular in the United States."
"Wow... so the employees can show their games to Yami?" Yuugi asked breathlessly.
Jounouchi nodded. "Everyone's developing a game here," he said. "Kaiba allows it as long as it doesn't influence your work, of course. He's always looking for new talent and new developers."
"Amazing," Yuugi said. Before Jounouchi could say another thing, Ushio's voice rolled through the office space.
"Listen up everyone! We have new hires today, so I expect all of you to explain procedures to them. Help them out when they have questions," Ushio said. "Work hard! We have a deadline to meet as next week, a very special visitor will stop by."
"Just great," Jounouchi muttered under his breath.
"Yami-sama himself will visit us," Ushio said and the entire department erupted in oohs and aahs. Yuugi felt his cheeks colors a fierce red. How awesome would it be to meet this Yami? Yuugi had been developing games since he was a kid. Starting out as a programmer was just the first step; if he got the chance to show Yami his game so soon already, who knew what could happen? It would bring him definitely closer to his dream of becoming a game designer.
Yuugi settled in quickly. He got along great with Jounouchi and Honda, and discovered after three days that he was the only one of the six new hires left in department 3-F.
"It's a jungle here," Jounouchi said. "If you can't stand the heat, get out of the kitchen!"
"Is it really that bad?" Yuugi asked. The work pace was pretty intense, but KaibaCorp. had great employees' benefits and Yuugi was sure he made more than a lot of his peers who started their first job at other companies. Kaiba rewarded loyalty, dedication and ingenuity, not slacking off or stupidity.
Honda shrugged. "Not everyone can withstand the constant pressure," he said. "We have rigid deadlines to deal with, the quality of our work has to be 200% perfection all the time and besides, our supervisor isn't one of the easiest fellows around."
Yuugi looked quickly over his shoulder, as everyone did when talking about Ushio. The man was big and bulky, but he was surprisingly silent and prone to standing behind you when you least expected it.
"How do you deal with the pressure, Jounouchi-kun, Honda-kun?"
"I dunno, I guess I don't experience stress that much? If I really want to clear my head, I play a videogame or go out to eat pizza," Jounouchi said, drooling at the thought of food.
"I take my dog for a good walk in Domino City Park," Honda answered. "And you?"
"I like to design games," Yuugi said, slightly embarrassed. He hadn't mentioned it before and he didn't want to come across as a showoff to his senior employees. Honda and Jounouchi didn't even seem to be interested in designing or developing games, just the programming.
"What kind of games?" Jounouchi asked.
"I'll show you." Yuugi typed in the command to switch servers and start up his game. Jounouchi hadn't been lying about Kaiba encouraging his employees to work on games; the CEO had even freed up unlimited server space and facilities for anyone interested. Yuugi didn't have access to this kind of equipment at his home, so he stayed after business hours to work on his game. "It's not finished yet, of course. Here... what do you think?"
"A RPG?" Jounouchi said. "It looks great!"
"It's a mixture of a RPG and a puzzle game," Yuugi explained. "You start out as an archaeologist in Ancient Egypt..."
"Ancient Egypt? How come?"
"It has always been one of my interests," Yuugi said. "My grandfather used to be quite the successful amateur-archaeologist."
"Oh, I see. Go on," Jounouchi said.
"The player starts at the base of this pyramid, in the Valley of Kings," Yuugi said. "From here, you can access several pyramids and tombs, but you have to unlock them first, one by one."
"How many pyramids and tombs?"
"Six in total. Six levels, and you have to find an item before you can move on."
"All right, so when you have all six items...?"
"Then you unlock the seventh level: the Pharaoh's tomb," Yuugi said, trying to sound as mysterious as possible. "That's the most difficult area. I've set up traps and puzzles along the way."
Honda tapped on the screen. "What happens after you've entered the Pharaoh's tomb? A boss fight?"
"I'm still debating that one," Yuugi said. "You see, the seventh item is a puzzle, literally, that the player has to put together. I'm not sure if I want the Pharaoh to appear after the player has solved the puzzle, or if his appearance is the reward for solving the puzzle."
"Great work on the textures and the sprites," Jounouchi said.
"Yeah, you really put a lot of detail into it," Honda admired. "What's the RPG element?"
"The player can join a party if he thinks the higher levels are too difficult for him. You can choose between a guide and a thief..."
"A thief in your party?"
"Yes! From the artifacts he collects, you gain experience as well and it'll unlock new equipment."
"It sounds like you've got a lot of work left to do," Honda commented.
"Yes, and working all those hours at the office makes it difficult to free up time." Yuugi blushed slightly. "Not that I have much of a social life anyway..."
"Cheer up, next week will be less stressful," Jounouchi said. "Then we've reached our deadline and we can breathe a little easier."
"Yeah, but next week Yami will visit," Yuugi said, "and I want to show him a finished game!"
"Don't worry, Otogi didn't have his Dungeon Dice Monsters finished either when he showed it to Yami," Honda reassured him. "As long as you can present a good design of the game and at least one working level, he'll take a look at it."
"I hope so," Yuugi said. He'd been losing sleep, working at the game every little moment of spare time he had. He didn't dare to admit that since seeing Yami's picture and hearing of his Egyptian background, he'd been inspired more than ever. He didn't dare to admit to himself that most of the sleep he lost wasn't exactly about the game, but about the very same Egyptian he derived his inspiration from.
The next Monday, Yuugi noticed the feverish buzz in the office. No wonder, today was the day Kaiba and Yami in person would visit the department. The CEO had his office, combined with a luxurious penthouse, on the highest floor of the skyscraper and Jounouchi imagined Yami lying on a plush sofa in the cushy penthouse, testing games all day long, surrounded by junk food.
"That's not 'working hard' for your money," Jounouchi griped, as he had been working ever since his high school days, if only to pay for his own tuition.
"I'm sure he's not as lazy as you think he is," Yuugi said, as always looking at the bright, positive side of people. They went silent as Honda rapidly walked towards them, a little agitated.
"What's the matter?" Jounouchi asked.
"Kaiba and Yami are on their way," he said. "They could be here in less than five minutes!"
"Clean this up! Turn that around!" Ushio barked commands as he wanted his department to look pristine and organized. Yuugi had noticed that almost everyone had dressed sharper and more impressive today; he himself had put on his finest clothes as well. It was actually funny how just one person could have this much of an effect...
"There he is, there he is," the employees whispered to each other. Yuugi had never met Kaiba in person, so he was very curious. During his job application, he had hoped to meet the CEO, but unfortunately the whole procedure had been conducted by a committee and so Yuugi hadn't seen Kaiba at all. He looked at Ushio, wringing his hands. The deadline had been met, so the supervisor could at least present that feat to Kaiba, but Yuugi could imagine he was anxious. Kaiba was a tough, self-made millionaire and he didn't take any bullshit. Just as the thought had gone through his mind, the CEO entered the office space with a confident, firm stride. Yuugi had never seen such a tall man before. Kaiba used every millimeter of his height; standing tall, arms crossed in front of his chest, his eyes darting over the employees who all greeted him with a "Good morning, Kaiba-sama!". Kaiba was dressed impeccably in black, wearing a striking white coat with a high collar over his outfit, stressing his stature. He was the boss, in every inch of his body, in every fiber of his soul, that much was obvious.
"Ushio!" he barked. His voice wasn't as deep as the supervisor's, but the authority behind it was unmistakable. If he could crawl to the CEO, Ushio would've done so; instead, he bowed so deep that his nose almost hit the floor.
"Kaiba-sama, you honor us with your presence," he said.
"Results!" was all that Kaiba said. Ushio was about to answer, when someone else entered the office space; his stride much less tall, but with even more confidence, bordering on arrogance.
Yuugi's heartbeat went crazy. Yami was just as handsome as on the picture Jounouchi had showed him, if not more. Simply clad in a figure hugging white shirt and black leather pants, contrasting beautifully with his tan skin, the gold jewelry he wore caught everyone's eyes: rings, bracers, earrings and a necklace. His eyes, a dark undefined color with a striking reddish hue, were astounding. Yuugi, hiding behind Jounouchi, had difficulties keeping his mouth shut as to not drool.
"Kaiba-sama, Yami-sama," Ushio's nose now hit the floor, "I'm so honored with your visit!"
"Results!" Kaiba repeated. The supervisor straightened himself again and rattled off all kinds of numbers. Apparently they were good, as the CEO nodded and seemed content.
"We go to your office," Kaiba said.
"Yes, Kaiba-sama, of course." Ushio went ahead, still bowing. Yami looked bored. He sauntered to the office, behind Kaiba and Ushio. The employees allowed their breaths to escape.
"Well, that was that," Jounouchi simply said.
"So... when is he going to look at the games?" Yuugi asked.
"After the meeting's over," Honda said. "Don't worry Yuugi, you'll get your turn." He grinned at Yuugi's red face.
Indeed, Kaiba and Yami returned to the work floor an hour later. A few senior employees had set up a separate desk with a computer and monitor, waiting for Yami to come over and try out their games. Yuugi hid in the crowd again, to see and observe what Yami was really like. Rumors floated around that he acted like a jerk when rejecting a game, and the arrogance was evident on his face. However, Yuugi wasn't so sure if it was only arrogance. He quickly found out that those rumors weren't true either. Yami rejected the majority of the games he was presented with, but he didn't act badly about it all; he just expressed his disinterest and gave a few pointers on how the game could be improved or not. But the rumors were right about his quick eyes and instinct on what game had promise or not. A few moments later, Kaiba came to stand next to him and watched along.
"Kaiba-sama, Yami-sama, if I may present you a thing..?" Ushio asked. Multiple employees raised their eyebrows. They had never seen Ushio working on a game, let alone he had interest in developing one.
"Sure, go ahead," Yami said. His voice... despite living in Japan for years, he still had an accent, as light as it was. Yuugi could feel himself swoon. Ushio started up his game.
"I was inspired by your cultural background, Yami-sama," Ushio said. "It's a combination of a RPG with a puzzle quest, in Ancient Egypt." The screen loaded, showing a familiar sprite with rich textures in the background.
"Yuugi..." Jounouchi looked at him. "That's your game!"
Yuugi's face had turned a ghastly white. Jounouchi was right of course, he had already recognized it from the description. Ushio had plucked his game from the servers and passed it off as his own!
"This is sick!" Jounouchi's voice turned louder. "He's taking credit for your game!"
"Jounouchi-kun, please be quiet," Yuugi urged him. He didn't want to draw any attention and some employees turned their heads around to see what the commotion was about. Honda muttered something under his breath; Yuugi didn't want to hear it. The rest intently looked at Yami who already had started to play the game.
"The textures are amazingly detailed," he said, amazed. "This reminds me of my homeland."
"I worked hard on the background," Ushio said fake-modestly, "you have to find items to unlock the rest of the area, Yami-sama. Seven in total."
"What do you think?" Kaiba asked. The fact that Yami had already been playing for fifteen minutes, completely engrossed, told the CEO more than enough.
"This is very promising," Yami said. "I want to see this developed to its full potential."
"Yes, Kaiba-sama, Yami-sama," Ushio said with a happy smile. "I'm developing this in my free time, I hope to add more soon..."
"Find yourself a new supervisor," Yami said to Kaiba as he got up from his chair. A deathly silence fell, but from the look on Kaiba's face, he was rather used to hear Yami talk to him like this.
"Ushio, your priorities lie with this game," he commanded. "You have access to every resource you need. I want Yami to be able to test it within two weeks!"
"Two weeks? Y-Yes, Kaiba-sama, of course!"
The crowd dispersed and everyone returned to their workstation as Yami and Kaiba left, still talking about the Ancient Egyptian game. Yuugi, Jounouchi and Honda didn't leave yet. Ushio stared at them.
"What are you looking at?" He asked angrily. Jounouchi opened his mouth, but Yuugi tugged at his elbow.
"Jounouchi-kun, Honda-kun, let's go," he said, voice meek.
"Yuugi..!" Jounouchi hissed at him, but Yuugi tugged harder. Silent and frustrated, they went back to their workstations, but Jounouchi wasn't about to let it go.
"You have to do something about this!" he said, barely withholding his anger. "He took your game and presented it as his own! He's getting all the credit! That's not fair!"
"We'll go to the head of the department and tell him all about it," Honda said.
"It's of no use," Yuugi said, downtrodden. "It's my mistake. I left the game on the server and didn't protect it well enough."
"That's no excuse for Ushio to swipe it and pass it off as his own," Jounouchi snarled, his anger directed at the supervisor, not at Yuugi. "Honda's right, we should go to the head of the department!"
"It's Ushio-san's word against mine," Yuugi said. "Please guys, let it go. Who would believe a new hire over a supervisor? I have nothing to stand on."
"Yuugi, you just can't..." Honda punched Jounouchi in the shoulder to make him drop the subject for now. Yuugi hung his head, sitting behind his desk as if paralyzed. He couldn't believe what Ushio had done. What was he supposed to do? He had worked so hard on the game, with so much love and dedication, and now it was taken away from him... it wasn't fair indeed! He swallowed harshly. He was not going to cry at his desk. He was a KaibaCorp. employee, he had a job to do and he had made a mistake. He should learn his lesson and move on - but it didn't sit well with him at all.
It took him two more days to muster up the courage to go to Ushio's office. He knew that Jounouchi and Honda would love to back him up, but he didn't want his friends to risk their jobs. The door to the supervisor's office was open and Yuugi knocked politely before entering. Ushio didn't even bother to look up, his back turned towards the door, focused on the laptop in front of him.
"Ushio-san," Yuugi said, voice soft. The man turned his head around, raising his busy, heavy eyebrows.
"Mutou," he said curtly, "what is it?"
"It's about the game," Yuugi said. "It's mine."
Ushio was out of his seat and next to Yuugi's side so fast that he closed his eyes and braced himself mentally for impact, expecting to be punched. With a loud bang, the supervisor shut the door behind him and positioned himself in front of Yuugi. The intimidating effect wasn't lost on him, but Yuugi refused to cower, despite his stomach tying itself into knots.
"I never thought you'd have the guts to come to my office." Ushio showed a half-hearted grin. "It's really a shame, Mutou. You're the perfect employee: diligent, punctual and accurate. You're making things a lot more difficult for yourself."
"Ushio-san, I designed the game," Yuugi said, hating how his voice wavered. "I designed the game," he repeated and to his own surprise, his voice gained more volume and strength. All that work, all that effort, and this man was going to get away with stealing it and taking all the credit? Anger replaced his anxiety. "You know that. You took it from the server and overrode my passwords!"
"So?" Ushio snorted. He didn't budge an inch. "What are you going to do about it? You want to talk to the head of the department? Be my guest. You haven't even worked here for a month and I've perfect records for over four years. I'm your senior and superior in every way."
"That's not fair, Ushio-san," Yuugi said. "You should at least give me credit for the design."
"I don't have to give you anything." Ushio lowered himself so he could stare Yuugi directly in the face. "Here's what we're going to do. We keep this little secret to ourselves. You are going to develop the rest of the game. Yami-sama's going to be very pleased with it, and I'll get rich from selling the rights to KaibaCorp.."
"That's not fair!" Yuugi repeated. "You stole the game, and..."
"Keep your voice down! You don't have any choice in this, Mutou. Your game is by far the best and more promising than all the crap the others are designing. You provided me with a glorious ticket to money and freedom. Suck it up and get working on the game, or do you want me to demote your friends? Or worse, fire them? Did they already tell you that they're responsible for supporting their families? That Jounouchi has paid for his sister's eye surgery, gaining him considerable debt? That Honda pays the bills for his nephew, just to keep him clothed and fed? How horrible would it be for them to lose their job?"
Yuugi couldn't speak. His entire body had tensed up. He hadn't known these personal details of his friends' lives yet and he didn't know what upset him more: what Ushio had just told him or the man's abuse of his power.
"Well?" Ushio demanded.
"I... I'll work on the game," Yuugi said. What else could he do? Ushio was right, he didn't have any choice.
"Very good choice." Ushio straightened himself again. "Now get out of my sight, Mutou - and remember your deadline!"
Beaten, Yuugi retreated to his desk, feeling sick to his stomach.
"And?" Jounouchi didn't sound too hopeful as he leaned over the wall that divided their cubicles.
"He's not going to set things straight," Yuugi whispered. "I'm not sure what to do. And no, Jounouchi-kun, I'm not going to the head of the department. I... just let it go, please."
"If you want me to," Jounouchi answered, obviously not happy with it. Yuugi was touched by his loyalty; they knew each other for barely a month and they were best friends already. He couldn't, and wouldn't, endanger their jobs. Yuugi heaved a deep sigh. This was a very bad experience, a very bitter lesson indeed, but there wasn't much he could do about it.
The next two weeks, Yuugi worked on the game after he was done with his regular job. He put in the same amount of effort into the details and development as before, telling himself he was working on the game for Yami, not for Ushio. Yuugi finished the game on the evening before the deadline. It still had some bugs and issues, but at least all seven levels were complete. He was exhausted after so much hard work and so very little sleep. Even at this late hour, Yuugi wasn't alone at the office. The programming department, especially when facing deadlines, was open 24/7, it was even possible to spend the night in the building, the company offering guest rooms and all kinds of facilities. Yuugi started up the game for the last test run and blinked at the screen. His eyes slid close and his head hit the keyboard, totally wiped out.
Someone shook his shoulder harshly. Yuugi woke up, dazed and confused. "What?"
"Come with us," a gruff voice rumbled behind him. Yuugi turned around in his chair, his eyes turning wide at the two beefy security guys.
"What's going on?" he asked, worriedly.
"You're in big trouble," the left guy said, but he didn't elaborate. He made an impatient gesture and Yuugi got up from his chair. Flanked by the security guys, he was directed to the elevators and the right guy pushed the button for the top floor. Yuugi got distressed. Where were they taking him to? Why would they go all the way up? They reached the top floor and the guards pushed him out of the elevator, forcing him to walk in front of them, towards an open door at the end of the hallway. Yuugi stepped into a large room. He immediately spotted Kaiba Seto standing in the corner and now he got scared. The office of the CEO himself... he was in big trouble indeed! But why? Kaiba stepped to the side and turned around, revealing Yami on the sofa with a game controller in his hands. He craned his neck a little to see who had entered, his eyes revealing no surprise or shock when he saw Yuugi.
"Mutou Yuugi, Kaiba-sama," the right security guy said.
"Dismissed." Kaiba went to sit behind his desk and laced his fingers together. "Close the door."
The soft click of the door resonated like a church bell in Yuugi's head. He was actually very scared. Kaiba stared at him, his icy blue eyes piercing his soul, but they were nothing compared to Yami's reddish eyes, burning into his very core. Yuugi's throat ran dry. He wanted the floor to open up and swallow him whole. What had he done?
"Mutou Yuugi," Kaiba repeated. "What were you doing with Tetsu Ushio's game?"
Gods, no. "I..." Yuugi looked from Kaiba to Yami and back again.
"Answer me!"
"Yes! I mean, I'm sorry, Kaiba-sama, I... I can't tell you." He bowed for good measure.
"You do realize that if you don't give me a satisfying answer, you're fired," Kaiba said. "Many others are standing in line for a job like yours, so don't think you're irreplaceable. You were rummaging around with the game designed by your superior. What were you trying to do? Sabotage the game? Take credit for his work?"
Yuugi didn't dare to tell him it was the other way around. He bowed to him again. "I'm so sorry, Kaiba-sama," he said.
"Fine. You're fired. Pack up your stuff. HRM will deal with the paperwork. Dismissed."
Yuugi's heart sank into his shoes. His family would be so disappointed and upset, and he couldn't even tell them the real reason behind it all. He was never going to get a position like this at any other company, and to make matters worse, he would never see his friends again... what more did he have to lose?
"It's my game," he whispered.
"What's that?" Kaiba said.
"It's my game," Yuugi said. He didn't dare to look up. "I designed it. Ushio-san took it from me."
Kaiba tilted his head. "Are you seriously accusing your supervisor of stealing your design?"
"I showed it to my colleagues," Yuugi said, his confidence returning and strengthened by the fact that Kaiba didn't immediately threw him out of his office. "You can ask them: Jounouchi Katsuya and Honda Hiroto. They have seen my demonstration."
Kaiba turned to the right, to Yami on the sofa. The controller rested in his lap, his long, slender fingers on top of it.
"I never thought that a man like Ushio was capable of designing something intricate and complicated like this game," Yami said. "For as long as I've known him, he came across as a power-hungry bully who liked to demean and humiliate his subordinates, instead of crafting such an intelligent game."
Yuugi couldn't suppress a gasp. Yami believed him? Kaiba didn't look too convinced, however. He pressed a button on the phone on his desk. "Get Tetsu Ushio, Jounouchi Katsuya and Honda Hiroto to my office, right now," he said. "Yes, at this time of hour! Now!" He glanced at Yuugi. "We'll wait until Ushio and your colleagues are here, and see what they have to say."
Yuugi's fear and anxiety subsided, a calmness washing over him. He would love to sit down in the office, too tired to stand on his feet for much longer and suddenly he noticed a movement from the corner of his eyes. Yami beckoned him closer. After one look at Kaiba, who was occupied with his laptop, Yuugi scooted over, slowly. He sat down on the opposite end of the sofa. He was well aware of Yami's eyes resting on him, but he didn't say a word.
After what seemed like hours, Kaiba's secretary announced the arrival of the three 'guests'.
"Send in Jounouchi and Honda," Kaiba said, "leave Ushio to wait."
"Yes, Kaiba-sama," the secretary's voice rang mechanically and the next moment, both Jounouchi and Honda walked into the office, looking a bit insecure. Kaiba didn't offer any apologies for calling them in at this late hour.
"Have you seen him developing the Ancient Egypt-themed game?" he busted out.
"Yes, we did," Jounouchi answered. "Yuugi showed us the first levels before Ushio stole it."
"Watch your words," Kaiba berated him.
"It's his game," Jounouchi said heatedly, pointing at Yuugi. "He worked his ass off, only for Ushio to steal it and pretend it's his design!"
"You're accusing your supervisor," Kaiba reminded him just like he had done with Yuugi. "You might have some seniority in your department, Jounouchi, but certainly not any superiority."
Jounouchi didn't back down. "I can prove it," he said. Yuugi was surprised by his friend's words.
"How?"
"The player meets a very pivotal character in the third pyramid," Jounouchi said. "Ask Ushio about it! He won't know the details like Yuugi does."
"Interesting." Kaiba looked briefly at Honda, who confirmed with a nod that Jounouchi was right. Yuugi should've known better; of course his friends would pay attention to such details. Kaiba rang for his secretary again. "Send Ushio in!"
The supervisor showed up in the office with his usual bravado. He bowed to Kaiba and Yami, but didn't acknowledge the others. A hint of panic flashed over his face when he saw his three subordinates, but he straightened himself to his full height and met Kaiba's glare.
"How come Mutou Yuugi was fooling around with your game?" the CEO asked.
"Kaiba-sama, forgive me," Ushio said. "You told me that all resources were available to me to develop my game. I asked for Mutou-san's help," he said suavely and had the nerve to look at Yuugi in a friendly manner, "I should've mentioned that he was working for me."
"That's not true and you know that!" Jounouchi exclaimed.
"Be silent, Jounouchi!" Kaiba focused on Ushio. "True, I've said that all resources were available to you. I didn't ask for further details - but Mutou insists that he developed the game, not you."
"Really?" Ushio's voice went up a couple of notches. He was a terrible actor, but still, he pulled off quite the indignant look. "I can't believe my ears, Kaiba-sama. I've worked on this game for many hours!"
"Since when are you interested in Ancient Egypt?" Yami asked.
"Since recently," Ushio answered smoothly. "I've been pondering very long on a new, exciting concept, as my previous ideas were very similar to already existing games or to what others were developing. It took me quite a while, Yami-sama, but after your last visit, it suddenly hit me: a game based on Ancient Egypt! A rich culture, with enough elements to develop a unique game."
Silence fell. Yuugi's anxiety returned. Ushio had an answer to everything and he couldn't read either Kaiba's or Yami's face. Did he still believe him, or Ushio?
"It's a very grave accusation," Kaiba said. "Jounouchi? Honda? Mutou? Anything to say?"
Ushio turned towards them, his facial expression rigid, yet defiant. Whatever could be said from the supervisor, he didn't lack any audacity.
"Yes, I have a question," Jounouchi spoke up.
"Jounouchi-kun," Yuugi interrupted him, "I'll ask. I've already lost my job, I don't want you to lose yours."
"Lost your job? What?" Honda said out loud. Nobody reacted. Yuugi took a deep breath.
"Ushio-san," he said, "please tell us about the character in the third pyramid."
The supervisor shrugged. "I told you to put a character in there. I don't know every detail you added."
"You didn't design all the characters yourself?" Yami asked curtly.
"I allowed him some creative freedom," Ushio said. "I was planning to give partial credit, Yami-sama."
Yuugi inhaled sharply. The nerve of that man! Kaiba didn't break eye contact with Ushio.
"You're the designer and developer of the game," Yami spoke again. "And you left the decision about an important character to someone else?"
Ushio paled. "Important character? No, I..." He started to sweat. "Like I said, I allowed Mutou some creative freedom. If he added something I don't know about..."
"Are you not overseeing the process? Aren't you careful with your design? It's your game, is it not?"
"Of course it is!" Ushio paled more, though. "Mutou! What have you done to my game? I trusted you!"
"Please stop, Ushio-san," Yuugi said. "This is humiliating. You're only making it worse."
"Tell him about the character in the third pyramid, Yuugi," Yami said and it pleased Yuugi that he gave him the opportunity to speak.
"He's the first character who can join your party," he elaborated. "If you accept him, he'll give you valuable clues as to where to find the items. If you reject him, you'll encounter him later in the fifth level, where you have to fight him for an artifact. Losing or winning this fight is crucial to how the game ends."
"And you didn't know that?" Kaiba's voice was cold. "You, as designer of the game, didn't know about such a pivotal character?"
"I... I... he's changing things around," Ushio said. "This is a set-up! Unfair!"
"Well, so was stealing Yuugi's game," Jounouchi said mercilessly.
"I've heard enough," Kaiba said. "Ushio, you're fired. KaibaCorp.'s reputation is a pristine and reliable one. I can't, and won't, have anything tarnish the development of a game by my company. I won't allow cheating or stealing. Dismissed!"
"Kaiba-sama," Ushio protested. Kaiba raised his hand. Despite the distance between them, Ushio flinched as if Kaiba was going to hit him. The two security guys, who had accompanied Yuugi earlier, re-entered the office and aggressively flanked the supervisor, all but pushing him out of the office, the man a whole lot smaller than he used to be. Yuugi felt relieved. A gigantic weight had been lifted off of his shoulders. Jounouchi and Honda closed the distance between them and patted him on the shoulder.
"Great, now I have to look for a new supervisor," Kaiba grunted. The one who had temporary filled in for Ushio had to return to his own department and now he was short-staffed. Jounouchi grinned mischievously and he and Honda shoved Yuugi forward. Kaiba snorted loudly.
"He? He has only worked for a month here!"
Yuugi himself was flabbergasted. "Honda-kun! Jounouchi-kun! What are you doing?"
"Everyone in the department likes you," Jounouchi said.
"You work well with others," Honda added.
"I need someone with management skills," Kaiba said. "Someone who can be a boss, not everyone's best friend!"
"He knows his games," Yami spoke up. Everyone in the office looked at him. He had resumed gaming, but that didn't mean he wasn't paying attention.
"I don't care," Kaiba shot back. "I can't put someone with such little management experience in charge!"
"Then you can also look for a new game tester," Yami said.
Kaiba was silent for a moment. "Fine. On probation, then," he said. "You're rehired, Mutou. Now all of you, get out of my office!"
"Holy crap, I thought Kaiba was going to bite off our heads," Jounouchi said as he hopped from one foot to another in front of the elevator.
"We got out of his office unscathed and Yuugi even got a promotion," Honda said. "I feared for my life after I got the phone call to get my ass over to KaibaCorp. right away!"
"I'm really sorry guys, I didn't mean to endanger your jobs," Yuugi said, thinking about his friends' personal situation. "I made a mess out of everything."
"But you came out as a supervisor," Jounouchi said, not bothered by the fact that his junior colleague just got a promotion of a lifetime. "And the game is yours!"
"It is, but it feels tainted," Yuugi said, downtrodden. "I'm not sure if I'll continue to work on it. There are just a few bugs left, but..."
"Please finish the game," another voice piped up and the group almost jumped out of their skin. They hadn't noticed Yami joining them. "I'm still interested, and I stand by what I said earlier: it has great potential."
"Thank you, eh... Yami-san," Yuugi said. After Yami treating him the way he did, Yuugi felt that the -'sama' suffix was far too informal and distant. Yami didn't correct him.
"What are you doing here?" Jounouchi asked. "Aren't you supposed to be..." he made a gesture towards Kaiba's office.
"When Kaiba said 'all of you, get out of my office', he really meant 'all' of us," Yami said dryly. "I don't live here. I'm just a KaibaCorp. employee, just like you. With some very special perks," he added with a smirk. Jounouchi groaned. The elevator arrived and they got inside. Honda pushed the button for the ground floor. The silence was a bit awkward, but not uncomfortable. Yuugi kept stealing glances at Yami, who just stared at the elevator doors. They left the building and Jounouchi inhaled the fresh night air.
"Time to get back to bed," he said. "You want me to give you a ride, Yuugi?"
"No, thank you, Jounouchi-kun," Yuugi declined politely. He lived in an entire different district than Jounouchi and he didn't want to occupy more of his friend's time. "I'll take a taxi."
"I'll take a taxi too," Yami said, even though Jounouchi hadn't offered the same courtesy to him. "Go home, get some rest. If you clock in later than usual at work tomorrow, you won't get into any trouble. You have my word."
"Thank you," Honda and Jounouchi both said, sounding surprised yet tired. They said their goodbyes and Yuugi waited until their cars had disappeared around the corner, before turning to Yami.
"Thank you, Yami-san."
"For what?"
"For believing in me," Yuugi said. Yami looked at him, his eyes examining. Yuugi returned the gaze, open and kind.
"I've known Ushio for as long as he worked here," he finally said. "He did his job correctly, but like I said, I never thought he was capable of designing a game like this. When I first saw it, I was pleasantly surprised, a bit overwhelmed even. The attention to detail, the premise of the game..."
"You miss your homeland," Yuugi said.
Yami shrugged awkwardly. "I don't really remember much of Egypt. My mother passed away at a young age and my father moved to Japan as he thought I had better chances here than in the Egyptian desert. He couldn't afford the schools in Cairo." He showed Yuugi a small smile, but it was genuine and friendly. "I'd love to talk to you more, but you can barely keep your eyes open. You should really go home, Mutou-san."
"Yuugi," Yuugi said.
"Yami," he said and pulled out his smartphone. "I'll call a taxi for you."
"Coffee or tea?" Yuugi asked.
Yami looked up from his phone. "What?"
"Coffee or tea?" he repeated.
A smirk. "Tea with honey," he answered. "And for breakfast: yogurt with fruit or granola. I really, really dislike miso."
Yuugi couldn't help it, he snickered.
"I'll see you tomorrow," Yami said. He stood next to Yuugi as two taxis pulled up at the curb. Yuugi was a little disappointed, he had hoped he could share the taxi with Yami, but he had no idea where the other actually lived.
"See you tomorrow," he answered and Yami was so close to him that... wait, he was getting even closer... before Yuugi knew it, Yami pressed a quick kiss on his cheek. Yuugi had no recollection of how he got home, but he was smiling like a lunatic and fell asleep quickly and happily.
One month later
"The numbers of the department are impressive," Kaiba said. He pursed his lips. He was about to say something, perhaps make a compliment, but Yuugi knew the CEO well enough by now, even in this short time, that praise from Kaiba Seto was extremely rare. Kaiba looked around the office for a bit; since Yuugi had taken up residence, he had made some changes to the interior decoration by hanging up a very striking poster on the wall: the announcement of Mysteries of the Ancient Pharaohs and its launch date. After working out the last bugs, the game had been released to the market and it sold well. Critics applauded the seamless blend of RPG and puzzle elements and players heralded the unique storyline and characters. The launch party hadn't been that long ago, putting Yuugi smack dab in the middle of all the attention, turning his life even more upside down. Yami sat casually on the desk, legs crossed. His hand was next to Yuugi's. A matching white gold ring was on Yuugi's finger, catching a glint from the office's tube light. Kaiba grunted.
"I want you to start on a sequel right away," he said. "There's more of that Ancient Egypt stuff that you can use, right?"
"More than enough," Yuugi said and looked at Yami, smiling goofily at him. Kaiba rolled his eyes and snorted derisively.
"Fine. I'll expect your concept design first thing tomorrow morning."
"No problem," Yami said, but his attention wasn't on Kaiba. The CEO stalked out of the office, muttering something like 'sappy gooey romantic nonsense' under his breath. Yami leaned into Yuugi, twisting his torso as to kiss him on the lips.
"He's just jealous," he said.
"I'd be jealous too," Yuugi said, "at the man who's got it all: a nice job, a successful game, a swell office..."
"... and a handsome boyfriend," Yami said, leaning into him some more.
"...and a gorgeous boyfriend," Yuugi said and parted his lips for another kiss.
"Your place or mine, tonight?" Yami mumbled into the kiss.
"We should find a place for us together," Yuugi breathed against his skin.
"Moving in? Wouldn't that be too fast?"
"Says the one who kissed me without really knowing me..."
"It was a modest peck on the cheek!"
"It was, it was... but we knew it was going to be more from there, didn't we?"
"Oh yes, much, much more."
"Hey, lovebirds!" Jounouchi stuck his head around the corner. "Get back to work, Yuugi. There's a bug in the latest update, you should come over and solve it!"
Yuugi sighed. Being a supervisor also had its downsides. He put his hand on Yami's cheek.
"See you at lunch?"
"Yes, of course." Yami slid off of the desk and sauntered past Jounouchi. "I'm going back to my plush sofa and play videogames all day long."
"Jerk," Jounouchi said in an affectionate way. He ruffled Yami's hair, knowing that he hated it. It was a bit of teasing and taunting as they readjusted to the new dynamics of the circle of friends. Yami had been accepted immediately, but they were still getting used to each other.
"You good?" Jounouchi asked Yuugi.
"Yeah, I'm good," Yuugi said, smiling warmly. "Better than ever, actually." He got up from his chair and left his office to take care of the bug in the software. He couldn't imagine his life better than this; with loving friends, family, and a wonderful boyfriend.
End