The Bittersweet Fate Of A Duelist

Chapter One

As told by the insistent notification oh the screen of the cellphone, the work day at KaibaCorp. would certainly prove itself to be more tiring and exhausting than expected.
Before even being able to get up from the comfy embrace of bed and sheets, at the usual six in the morning he was used to, Yugi had just the time to silence the alarm. He then grabbed the phone to read a message from Seto.
We have a meeting for the presentation of our progress with the new VR technology and with "The Legendary Dragon". We'll talk about it before working hours, so I sent Roland to pick you up. See you in an hour.
With a half yawn, Yugi forced himself to sit up and turned off the phone screen, setting it on the bedside table before getting up.
"The Legendary Dragon" was their newest Duel Monsters based videogame; Seto was taking care of the updated virtual reality system essential to play it, delegating to Yugi and his nerd herd, as he liked calling his work group, the programming of the actual game.
Suffocating a second yawn, Yugi shushed Atem's voice in his head (he was trying to prompt him to wake up) and opened the curtains; there was no natural light outside, just the dim light of lampposts that would soon to be shut off to welcome the dawn.
After lazily rubbing his eyes, Yugi turned on the light and went to the bathroom, tiptoeing down the corridor; he didn't know if his granddad was awake or not, and didn't want to risk waking him if the latter.
"Will you wear one of your business suit, partner?".
The Pharaoh, an almost specular copy of Yugi if not for small details, materialized himself in his usual spirit form, near the young man.
Busy brushing his teeth, Yugi answered with a shrug; it was not a rare thing, him wearing professional outfits for those king of meetings.
"Yeah, I think that's for the best", he finally answered, after rinsing his face with more than icy water; the cold helped waking him up, and Yugi strolled shirtless outside the bathroom, with a towel behind his neck.

Back in his room, a quick glance at the phone told him the time, 6:15 am.
"It's a very important meeting, I can't let myself appear less competent than I really am. The dress really does the monk on certain occasions", Yugi added, opening the closet door in which he kept the most expensive clothes and those reserved for important occasions.
He needed a little bit of time to get used to those life habits, less frugal and thrifty to be honest.
The winnings that came from various tournaments themselves had earned Yugi huge sums of money, but when Seto convinced him to be his right hand man (quite literally) at KaibaCorp, less than three years ago, he resigned himself to conform to a much more comfortable way of life.
A year before he had finally decided to renovate and expand the house, earning himself, his grandfather and, when present, his mother a more welcoming environment, and made sure to link the Kame Game Shop with the KaibaCorp, inaugurating a space twice as large and opening the doors to the best Duel Links' server in Domino city.
Not that they lived badly before, in fact, Yugi had never allowed himself to complain, but the more than positive transformation had brought many improvements, both visible and not.
Atem nodded at Yugi's words; he knew well that in certain cases appearance mattered as much as intelligence. In Egypt too there were moments in which formality was essential, an obligation, even.
"I'm sure it will go well. You have a brilliant mind, partner, especially for this kind of business".
Yugi nodded, grateful of the constant support Atem was always ready to offer (especially at the slightest sign of disturbance), and resolved to pull out of the closet his newest suit, locked in a protective bag to avoid wrinkles and accidental damage.
It was a simple set of black pants, vest and jacket, with a dark red button up shirt, and completed by a black tie.
The evident reference to the colors of his faithful Dark Magician was just a great added characteristic.
Chatting distractedly with Atem, but still keeping an eye on the time, Yugi took off the soft pajama pants and threw the damp towel on the unmade bed, dressing quickly but taking care not to crumple hi clothes.
After closing the buttons of the vest he was wearing on the light shirt, Yugi placed himself in front of the mirror and, with the help of a robust comb and an overabundant dose of gel, managed to tame his rebel hair, brushing it backwards and silently hoping they would stay down until the end of the meeting, at least.
He let free just some golden locks of his fringe, moving the others behind his ear.
"You look good", complimented him in ecstatic voice Atem, whose evanescent figure (in full Egyptian appearance) was sitting leg crossed on the edge of the bed.
Yugi accepted gladly the compliment, ma the laughed: "Don't get used to it, I don't think this will last".
Under the Pharaoh's suggestion, Yugi chose a pair of very fine gold earrings (the habit of wearing them was his fault, after all), the he tied the black tie around his neck in a few gestures, making sure the shirt's collar was not too low.
Upon noticing his gestures had become more nervous, Atem approached calmly, reassuring him with a light squeeze on his shoulder: "It's ok, partner. That's fine".
Yugi nodded only after checking that the buttons on the cuffs where in place in the buttonholes.
After wearing the ubiquitous Millennium Puzzle, the only discordant note in the totally formal look, he dressed the jacket and moved both his laptop and other useful accessories from the backpack to the black leather case Seto himself had given him at his first day at KaibaCorp, a day that seemed to have happened a life ago.
As much as Yugi found it uncomfortable and definitely not very suitable for him, it was the last touch of professionalism that could make the difference in a world full of vultures ready to skydive on the best prey.
The umpteenth quick glance at the cellphone screen informed him it was almost 7 am, se he unplugged it from the charger and put it in his pocket.
He then grabbed the closed case before flying down the corridor, crossing his grandfather into the kitchen.