Hello everyone. This story is something of a rehash of an older story that was gasping its' last dying breaths over ten years ago. Back then, it was the writing of my former fifteen year old self and was irrefutably awful. Something about it, though, encouraged me to revive it, so I have had another crack at it, given it a more credible storyline (well, at least, I think it is) and now, here we are. But before we begin, there are a few things to note:

- This story is mildly AU, in that it is set in the anime version of Duelist Kingdom, but doesn't run quite to the original plot, so please don't call me out on that. Just try and roll with it.

- I don't personally play duel monster cards, nor have I taken the time to learn much about the game, so I apologise in advance if the duelling scenes are substandard or simply don't make sense; feel free to let me know how to improve this!

- This story is based, for the most part, on the life of my OC, and her relationship with, primarily, Kaiba, and is set from her point of view. However, other main characters are also integrated as much as possible and are crucial to the plot. If you are not a fan of OC's (I know many people aren't, and I am under no illusions that my OC may also fall into the "Mary Sue" stereotype – although I have tried hard not to make her a typical MS – I guess that is a matter of opinion) then at least give her a chance and read as far as this first chapter. If it's still not for you, then I shall bid you a respectful farewell.

- This story does contain a terrible cliché (okay, maybe a couple), which you will soon find out about, however it is crucial to the plot and it cannot be revoked. I'm sorry if this upsets you, but before you think "oh, HOW original", please know that I am already aware of this.

- If you are interested in the law, and criminology, you may find this story interesting. I, myself, work at a distinguished law firm, and have tried to make these aspects of the story as authentic, factual and accurate as possible.

With that said and done, I'll wrap it up here and let you begin. Please be kind, or at the outside, constructive in your criticism, if you wish to leave a comment. I would love to hear from you :o}

Also - I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh!

~ Phantom

A Conflict of Interest

Chapter One

Of Demons and Dragons

The night was cold and clear and damp. Dew settled on the grass and the trees swayed in the midnight wind. A few laughs and shouts pierced the night sky in the distance from who I assumed were other duelists. I changed course slightly; the shouts were coming from ahead, and I was in no mind to become a part of their shenanigans. I preferred to travel alone, duel alone, succeed alone – as I had done most of my life – and I preferred to keep it that way. People always tended to complicate things and God knows I didn't have time for complications, especially not tonight. Not now, not ever. I had gotten too far for anything to impede on my plans, now.

Since arriving on the island, it seemed that I had unwittingly become something of a controversial subject. Those who had crossed my path had been shown no mercy, after all. Having said that, I did have a somewhat unfair advantage, having been gifted (or, should I say, bribed by) some priceless artefacts from the creator himself. But they couldn't have known that. Nobody stood a chance, really. In truth, I was growing tired of this star-chip-collecting charade. The only beneficiary from it all was Pegasus himself – to buy him time before I made my way to the castle to break him with his own creations, and not without reason.

At least, however, I did have one thing in my favour in terms of collecting these star chips. Besides Pegasus himself, my main rival was on this island, somewhere. The one man who I had been longing to duel the last eight years of my duelling life – Kaiba Seto. Frankly, he was the only one worth my time when it came to duelling – as much as it grated on me to admit it. I glanced pleasingly down at the nine star chips that filled my duelling gauntlet. It hadn't taken much of my time. Only one more to go.

I continued my night-time escapade through the woods, subconsciously taking in the sounds of the night – the rustling of wild animals in the bushes and wind whistling through the trees, the sound of twigs breaking beneath my feet. A screech owl swooped overheard, screaming its cry, hunting its recognition down. Walking alone through the night not knowing exactly where I was going, but knowing I wasn't in any real danger, put me in a serene, dreamlike state. Still, I had to be on my guard. I could bump into Kaiba at any moment and had to be ready.

I hated to admit that I had a grossly unhealthy obsession with Duel Monsters. As a result of events in recent years – and the whole reason why I was here – I had spent long hours honing my skills. Obsession or not, I was a good duellist, and the other contestants on this island were beginning to have a taste of it. I had a few tricks up my sleeve that few others had the privilege of, and even then, they hadn't the knowledge or the power to use. In that respect, Kaiba was my match. Sure, he owned the legendary Blue Eyes White Dragon, but little did he know that I was the owner of another – and that's not all. Brains and money – okay, and good looks – can only get you so far.

Chinese whispers had been circulating that Kaiba and I had to be related. I was his long-lost sister. Long-lost cousin. Secret girlfriend. Even his mother. How the latter came about, I couldn't tell you. From what I had heard, anyway, Kaiba's parents were dead. Sure, I was a little older than Kaiba; closer in age to Pegasus, in fact. But his mother? Hardly.

More than anything, it was probably due to the similar persona we carried, although the media loved to sensationalise things. With regard to myself, much of it was only skin-deep. The fact that I refused to comment to the media during or after competitions and also happened to be a prominent businesswoman in my own right apparently made me an Ice Queen. Because of this, they then drew comparisons to Kaiba, notorious as much for his militant style of duelling as he was for his booming corporation. On the surface, it appeared that we were alike in this respect, but even if it were true, it was for differing reasons. Kaiba's beef with Pegasus was all business, as far as I knew. Mine was a blood feud – and one long overdue for settling, at that.

The only contact I had ever had with Seto Kaiba was at an elite duelists meeting held in the French Riviera a couple of years back. We shook hands briefly, as was obligatory at such an event. He acknowledged my connection in the duelling world with vague interest, and then moved on. It wasn't until the word spread about Kaiba being the number one duelist in the world – save for Pegasus himself – that began my obsession for challenging him. Perhaps tonight, I would get my wish.

Excellent, the beach was now in my view. Waves lapped at the shore, begging me to come and play; even if it was midnight or later. My feet sunk deep into the sand; causing me struggle to walk smoothly. Somewhere in the recesses of my mind I cursed myself for not having worn more suitable clothing. In the distance I could see fires which were eventually burning out along the beach. It was obviously a popular spot for duelists to settle in for the night. Guess they had the same idea as I did. Suddenly, I heard a crunching sound behind me; it was probably just a fox or some other pesky animal. I looked back just in time to see a white-haired figure melt back into the undergrowth. I shrugged it off; had they really wanted to bother me, they would have made themselves known.

I continued my hike down the rugged beach, passing by several groups of sleeping duelists. There was only one fire that I could see in the distance that was still burning brightly. If Kaiba was as much of an insomniac as the tabloids claimed him to be, my bets were on that it was him. Steeling myself, I advanced toward the campsite.

The blazing fire on the beach burned brighter the closer I approached, behind which sat a tired-looking silhouette. I halted on the other side of Kaiba's skilfully made campfire. Sparks flew out into the sky like bats out of hell. Up close, he looked the same as he usually did in the media. Although he was only 15 – maybe 16 – he had lost the supple roundedness of youth already. His face appeared gaunt in the dancing shadows of the fire, his cheekbones razor sharp, mouth set into an unsmiling line. There were shadows cast under his thoughtful dark blue eyes, and frown lines were already embedded between his eyebrows. Being an orphan-turned-child-prodigy-turned-teenage-billionaire had clearly taken a toll on him. I guessed it had robbed him of things that normal children took for granted – like actually having a childhood, something he would now never know. Perhaps Mokuba still had a chance, though, having been too young or worthwhile to have been corrupted by Gozaburo.

The inferno created a glowing aura around him as he sat against a log, coat collar popped, carefully taking in the addictive poison of a cigarette. I was frankly surprised that he smoked. His eyes raised to mine, without a glimmer of recognition, nor emotion. We stared at each other for a few moments, sizing each other up.

"Kaiba," oddly enough, I hadn't prepared myself for what to say or how to act when it came to the crunch. Hopefully I was tactful enough in my approach.

"Who are you and what do you want?" Kaiba spat in that infamously husky, guarded voice.

I smiled complacently. Finally, the moment of truth. "I've been searching for you, Kaiba. Don't you remember me?"

"Hn, American," he muttered to himself with a flutter of his eyes – almost in disgust, I thought – picking up on my accent. "I'd have to say, you're not exactly remarkable enough to be worthy of remembering." He sounded bored.

I laughed at his feigned insult. "Alright then, let's skip the formalities. My name is not important. However, you might be interested to know that I am another holder of your most treasured card."

"Oh right, like I've never heard that one before."

I smiled. "I'm sure you have."

He snarled at me. A few moments of silence passed, but our gaze remained on each other. "You're bluffing."

I shrugged. "Call my bluff, then."

"Show me your deck, stranger." He demanded.

"No need to be hasty," I muttered as I dug my deck from out of my suit jacket. "Here." I handed the Blue Eyes White Dragon card to him. Like hell was I going to show him my other cards.

Kaiba's cobalt eyes went wide, then they narrowed into disgust. "This is a fake." He said, flicking it back at me. It floated down onto the sand before I picked it back up.

I slotted the card back into my deck. "It's not a fake."

He looked at me vacantly for a moment, but I could see the hunger starting to stir in his eyes. He was like a lion crouching in the grass, waiting for the right moment to strike. I felt like the unsuspecting gazelle. Kaiba was, after all, notorious for his unpredictability. This could go either way.

"If what you say is true, then I hereby challenge you to a duel!"

That, however, was predictable.

"Fine. If I have to prove to you that my Blue Eyes isn't a copy, so be it."

Little did he know, this was exactly what I wanted. He just couldn't resist the temptation of and took the bait, just as I had planned. He was blinded by his own greed and the belief that he was the best of the best, to the degree where he lost touch with the reality that he could indeed lose. A duel was always 50/50 at the outset. But I was smarter than that. I had been ready for this moment my whole life.

Kaiba seemed pleased at my acceptance of his proposal. He had no idea that this it was what I had wanted all along. Finally, a challenge! In my eagerness, I felt my mouth fill with a gush of saliva.

"We will duel abiding by my rules."

"Which are?"

"We will use the latest innovation in duel monster technology – my new duel disk invention. It works by projecting holographic images, just like a duelling arena." He pulled out a strange device from his briefcase that looked like a flying saucer and handed it to me.

"I'm sure you're smart enough to figure out how it works." Kaiba added bitterly.

"Save it." I muttered at his backhanded compliment. "Give me your deck to shuffle then, hotshot. I haven't got all night." I did, but he didn't need to know that.

He reluctantly handed me his deck as I handed mine over. We both shuffled them in different ways but equally as skilled. Once that was done, I put the duel disk on my arm and slotted my deck into it.

"What's the wager?" Kaiba enquired.

"One star chip."

"Hmm." He chuckled at me. Something about that had amused him.

"Is something funny?"

"I don't duel for star chips, Doll Face. If you win – you can have your precious star chip. If I win, I get your Blue Eyes." He resounded coolly.

You're no Georgia Peach yourself, kid, I barely refrained from mentioning, glancing at his wiry frame that had not quite filled out yet, and a spot near his chin. Adolescence was one of the more vulnerable and times of a person's life, and I could use that to my advantage with Kaiba. However, if he wanted to play dirty, I certainly had some bombshells of my own to drop. Stripping a man of his masculinity was not below the belt, in my book anyway.

I exhaled slowly to calm my mind, ignoring the pitiable insult. Despite myself, being in Kaiba's actual physical presence unnerved me a little, even though I knew he was all bark and no bite. He would hurt me as much as the next duelist – that was to say, not at all.

Up to this point, I had prepared myself mentally as well as I possibly could have, but nothing could match the ferocity of standing face-to-face with him, about to wager up one of my best cards as collateral damage in a duel. He was a teenager, however; a mess of hormones, arrogance and rage, which could easily add to his undoing. In that respect, I had one up on him.

I scowled at him. "You want my Blue Eyes? Then come and get it, Dream Boat!"

He let out a burst of sadistic laughter. "Very well, then. Let's duel!"

Author's note: I'm probably going to keep the chapters short and sweet with this, as I know from personal experience that finding a chapter that's 20+ pages can be off-putting. Try, if you can, to see past any cliches so far, and let me know what you think in a comment! :)