Disclaimer: Yu-Gi-Oh belongs to Kazuki Takahashi.


Domino High crowded with students who ran to get to their lockers and those rushing inside to escape the heavy downpour outside. Kaiba mentally sighed half-heartedly. The same plain walls, same idiot boys, same brainless girls. It was a wonder that he even managed to stay sane here.

Gozaboro, that bastard.

It was a rule his stepfather had established only to make it harder to control Kaiba Corp. If he didn't finish school then that stupid board of advisors would legally own the company he had spent most of his time rebuilding. No way in hell was he going to allow that to happen.

At least he had gotten the more annoying and unbearable subjects like art and drama done during his first year. Those were some dark days…

The young CEO glanced down at his watch and sighed. He had arrived much earlier than needed. He could have taken Mokuba to school. Well at least he managed to pack his little brother's lunch today. Hm, maybe he could go see him at lunch. That didn't sound like a bad idea; he could swing by starbucks on his way back and pick up a cup of-

"Excuse me."

Kaiba glanced down and glared.

"You're standing on my homework," said the girl.

She must be new because he'd never seen her before, or, she could be one of those fan girls who changed everything about they're appearance just to get his attention. She could've done a better job in his opinion.

She had short bright copper hair that was in a pixie cut. Most girls went longer with their hair, not shorter.

Small silver panda bear earrings hung on either side of her sharp face below several other metal studs that decorated her ears. Yep, she was definitely new; the teachers never allowed that kind of jewelry. As his gaze shifted downwards, Kaiba noted that she had not taken a liking to the pink uniform jacket and instead had the article of clothing tied around her waist, the blue bow stuffed in the pocket. The first couple of buttons to the white shirt underneath gave a glance at her slightly tanned skin where a black necklace with more charms than a playboy hanging down just above where he expected her cleavage would start. Speaking of cleavage, her body was curved nicely. A little high strung but hormone inducing nevertheless. The brunette also noticed that there was many scars carved around her knees on the skin between the tiny uniform skirt and her white knee high socks.

Deciding that he'd log her into the back reaches of his mind in order to avoid her, he looked back up to her face. Sapphire met cinnamon. Her brown eyes flickered down to the ground and then back up to his cold stare. When he didn't seem to catch the hint she let out a snort and placed a slender hand on her hip. The gesture was quite becoming of the young woman. Her tone, however, was not.

"I have class to get to, you know."

He growled. Indeed there was a sheet of neatly written algebra with his shoeprint right in the middle. As he lifted his foot the paper stuck to the sole. Kaiba sighed and lifted his foot. But before he could reach the girl grabbed his ankle and jerked it upward making him lose his balance. With a very unKaiba-like sound the CEO landed on the floor. His neatly organized binder spewed its pages like a fountain across the hallway and people stopped and stared, or in the fan girls' case, gasped with horror.

"W-what the hell do you think you're doing?!" he snarled to hide his embarrassment.

The girl shrugged, dropping his foot and examining the piece of paper that caused all this chaos. Her eyes narrowed at the giant footprint right in the middle. At least that gave Kaiba a little bit of grim satisfaction.

"You took too long," she answered. She didn't even look at him as she added the paper into a folder in her hand, tucking it carefully back in her bag. She turned.

"Nice panties, skank" he smirked. Being on the ground apparently had some perks after all. Besides, here he was, sprawled on the floor and shocked as hell. That certainly wouldn't do for his reputation.

Much to his surprise and slight horror, the girl rolled her eyes and once again placed her hand on her hip.

"Well take a good look 'cause it's the last time you'll ever see them."

And just when things couldn't get any worse, that idiot Wheeler and Yugi appeared not far away.

"N-nice come back, money-bags" the blond laughed so hard he doubled over.

"Shut the hell up, you mangy mutt!"

That put an end to the teasing; like pulling a dogs tail. Of course this left him with a volatile blond on his hands, but he'd much rather deal with a mutt whose anger blinded him than that red head. With a cold glare that froze everyone in the hall to the floor, daring just one person to mention what had happened, he spun on his heel and stalked to class.

The rest of the afternoon didn't fair well for the young CEO. Whether it was burning his uniform during chemistry or some idiot spilling paint down the front on his shirt, needless to say this didn't help his already foul mood. And just when he thought it couldn't be any worse, gym was next. He hated gym.

"Alright, the girls have graciously decided to join us today for a friendly game of dodge ball, so go easy on 'em, boys."

The boys' gym teacher smirked deviously at the girls instructor who had her arms crossed and a sly smile that said clearly he didn't know what he was in for.

"Chauvinist pig" Seto heard one of the girls snort. Suddenly the same girl's voice dropped a few octaves and snickered, "Hey Jordan, your boyfriend's back."

Oh great it was that red head again.

Chocolate irises rolled in just the right way that made him want to throttle something. Where's Wheeler when you need him?

The whistle blew and the boys went to one side while the girls went to the other. The red head smirked at him, gaze dropping to the platoon of rubber balls placed directly between them, and then back to him eyes sparkling with a challenge.

"One, two, three- GO!"

Nobody had ever seen the CEO sprint so fast. She was fast to but a half a second short to beat him. Her slender frame dodged to the side, twisting beautifully, to pick up the ball just beside. She wasted no time in hurling it directly at his head. It made a shiver run down his spine as the air rushed by his ear. She had missed him by millimeters. Well he'd just have to return the favor.

Very quickly people started getting tagged and took their place against the walls but by no means did any of them think they'd lost; some of them actually sighed in relief. The speed Kaiba and that new girl were throwing broke the sound barrier. Though they were the only ones left in play neither of them relented even a smidge.

"You look like you need a break, getting tired already, pretty boy?"

Seto sneered, dodging with grace all the while returning fire. "You should shut up and save your energy. I'm nowhere near through with you yet. Too bad this won't be lasting much longer."

Her laugh sounded like a panthers, smooth and tantalizing but dangerous and mocking.

"I agree. This match is over because you're about to lose!"

Suddenly her body stopped mid-momentum from a spinning sidestep and elegantly swiveled in the opposite direction, something he didn't expect.

He literally had to crouch to one knee to avoid the shot. She giggled in delight.

Seto's eyes dropped to his position. She had made him bow! Nobody made him bow!

And immensely loud bang echoed off the gym wall behind her emitting a large collective gasp from everyone including the coaches.

Brown eyes broadened in awe. A piece of deflated rubber, popped by the blinding impact, fell to the ground. The speed of that blow whizzing by felt like it burned.

Seto smirked.

Her eyes narrowed and she stood up straight. "So that's how you want to play, hmm? Fair enough."

"Fair?" he retorted menacingly. "Thisfight was never 'fair'. There's no possible way you can beat me."

His body wished to pant for air but he forced himself smooth out his breathing in order to look more calm and collected than her gasping for air form did. She eyed him scathingly. In slow motion like an old western shoot out, both of them picked up a dodge ball. For one long minutes never of them moved save for the flexing of their fingers over the patterned rubber.

Then without warning both sides fired.

Every spectator cringed.

A tremendous smack sounded and Seto recoiled, landing flat on his back, stars and sparkling blue lights dancing in his vision. Pain erupted from the back of his head and all the air rushed out of his lungs in one big burst.

Winded, coughing, and slightly concussed, Seto sat up, feeling the now sharp throbbing in his jaw. He flinched, brushing it off as a hiss of course. His finely manicured fingertips brushed over the spot where he had been clocked with a dodge ball. A loud smack of skin meeting rubber matt floor signaled that his rival had met the same fate.

She looked just as stunned.

Her chest rose and fell, pupil dilated and desperately trying to focus. Her ember hair stuck to her sweaty forehead, the flaming orange a tinge darker. Blood trained down from her nose and her fingers blotted the red liquid, shocked at first and then increasingly angry.

"Who won?" she barked at the audience who was silent with reverence. "I said, who won?!"

"I-it was a tie," someone finally answered after picking their jaw up off the floor.

Seto snarled and in unison they roared, "A tie?!"

She clambered up, wiping the blood from her nose.

"I won't settle for such a despicable outcome," Seto said with so much venom, it made a king cobra look like a cuddly pet.

"Don't get your panties in a bunch I wasn't about to let it stay that way. I demand a rematch, right here, right now!"

"You read my mind," he returned coolly.

Barking out a laugh she smirked. "No, if I was reading your mind all I'd hear is elevator music." She ran a hand through her hair, making it spike up. "I hope you'll last longer this round. Nobody likes a man with short endurance."

If all the jaws hadn't fallen open they sure had now.

Seto grabbed one of the rubber balls so hard it threaten to pop right in his palm. She to picked up another and raised it above her head. Shakily the coaches raised their whistles to their lips and took a quivering breath.

The gym doors slammed open.

"Colby?" the red head gasped.

Seto turned.

This "Colby" was a huge, burly man who looked like a gang leader escaped from jail. His wild mane of blond hair was tied back and just barely Seto made out the shape of a gold tooth with a skull imprinted in it. He held out a towel to the girl and began speaking to her in what he recognized as English but with a heavy Australian accent.

"You didn't come home, your father's completely knackered over worry'n about you."

"Oh, alright, my bag is over there. Let me dry off first."

Seto's eyebrow's furrowed. "You're leaving?" Everyone's heads snapped in his direction. Only one or two of them besides him knew English and he was probably translating for the rest.

"Duty calls" she replied, drying her face off with the towel. "We can finish this later."

"Coward!"

Colby stomped forward. "Do one's lolly, why don'tcha? Nicker off, ya drongo! Miss Taylor issnt no bloody coward!"

It was safe to say Seto didn't understand a single word of that.

"I would have figured you of all people understand that business comes first. I promise you though that we will finish this match." She pulled her jacket on and slung her bag over her shoulder. Seto continued to stare at her in confusion.

Pausing at the door, she turned back. "Oh and by the way, he said not to lose your temper and to piss off, stupid."

After a minute of awkward silence Wheeler spoke up, voice cracking. "Wow."


"Hey big brother." Mokuba's warm face coaxed the busy CEO's mind away from his disaster of a day. His hand ruffled the messy black locks affectionately as the smaller Kaiba clambered into the fancy car. But the young teen instantly saw the flustered look on his brother's face and the bruise.

"What happened?!" he demanded.

"Nothing important-"

"It's so not nothing important! You're lip's busted!" the smaller of the two cried indignantly. His frown melted into a pout and he asked again with a softer voice. "Seto, what happened?"

Oh no, not the puppy dog eyes, Seto mentally groaned sullenly directing his gaze out the window. Hmm, there was a car crash up ahead. Because of said wreckage the fancy Mercedes-Benz rolled to a stop trapping him in the non-stop onslaught of questions.

"Alright!" he finally caved, for peace if not for his sanity. "I got into a bit of a mess during gym today. We played dodge ball and I got hit. Of course, not before getting everyone else," he added with a smug smirk.

Everyone but one, his mind added tauntingly, and a girl at that. His grip doubled on the steering wheel.

Seto looked across to the passengers seat when Mokuba made no more protests. His brother studied him like he had just jumped up and done the hula right in the middle of traffic.

"What?"

"You participated in gym?" he asked disbelievingly. "And not just that, but you played dodge ball?!Yeah," he scoffed, "and Kuriboh can beat Blue-Eyes White Dragon."

"I did" he defended, "It was this . . ." Hmm, how to put this without sounding like a complete moron. "This horridly annoying person got on my nerves, so I showed her how it's done."

Oops.

"You beat up a girl?!"

Damage control time. "I didn't beat her up . . . exactly. She was just as violent!"

Mokuba shook his head. "Seto, Seto, Seto . . ."

The CEO snorted, thankful that traffic had started to move again. The last thing he needed right now was a "talking to" by his little brother.

The Kaiba Manor was hushed and sullen like always as the two masters returned home, handing their coats and leaving their shoes to the maids. Dinner had been prepared by the cooks; fancy and absolutely delectable dishes all prepared to perfection. Seto wouldn't eat them otherwise.

Mokuba was already at the table by the time his older brother managed to meander his way there, shifting through some mail and loose office papers he mentally noted to file later.

"Bill, bill, advertisement . . . Mary, I thought I told you to cancel this one. Dinner invitation . . ."

"Hey, Seto," Mokuba smiled through devouring his chicken. "Guess what our class is doing!"

"What?" His older brother asked, not looking up from his newspaper.

"We're starting a recycling program. The goal is to recycle enough plastic, paper and metal to build a playground for the less fortunate part of downtown. Isn't that cool?"

"Mhm."

Mokuba shifted in his seat. "Do you think...?"

"Think what?" Seto asked curiously.

"I was just wondering, you know, if we could sort through our recyclables..."

Seto shrugged, returning to his paper. "You can asked the maids if you want, I highly doubt our output will help much. But go ahead if you want."

Mokuba fell silent, pushing his food around his plate around his plate for several minutes before changing the subject. "Oh hey, we had this guy come today. He told us about how we could save over a million trees just by using recycled paper. And then we got to watch a movie about this huge forest called The Tiger that wraps pretty much all the way around the Earth, around the edges of the north pole. There are so many trees there that they actually change the atmosphere!"

"Oh really?"

"Yeah," Mokuba continued in awe. "Next week we get to learn about tigers. Miss Roberts says it's about all the different types." He paused, chewing on a carrot. "There was this picture I saw in our textbook of one. It was called a Bengal Tiger. They're so cool..."

Seto listened on and off as he continued to chat about what he'd researched on his own about tigers. His own attention was taken by the stock numbers on the black and white page in his hand. Kaiba Corp. stock had dropped again. Not a good sign. He set down the paper, brows furrowed.

"Um... Seto?" Mokuba called, setting down his fork.

"Yes?" Seto answered, gazing over his mashed potatoes.

Pause. "Big brother, if something was . . . wrong, would you tell me?"

Seto raised an eyebrow. "Of course I would, why?"

"Well it's just that . . . you know how you've never had a girlfriend before?"

Seto gasped and sputtered, doubling down and heaving a cough having just inhaled half his coffee.

"M-Mokuba!"

"I'm curious is all" the younger of the two explained hastily to his red faced elder. "You've never had an interest in girls or dating or even seem to have any kind of hormone like a regular teenager! You really should get yourself a girlfriend, Seto."

Seto pinched the bridge of his nose. "I don't have time for a girlfriend, Mokuba," he said firmly. "And that's the truth!" he added seeing his little brother opening his mouth to interject something else. "Now go do your homework or turn your brain to mush with those video games you play or something."

Mokuba shrugged, standing up. "'Kay. By the way I have a date tomorrow night. Just thought you'd like to know."

Blue eyes broadened. But before he could say anything black hair vanished from the elegantly furbished dinning hall.

"Mr. Kaiba, Dr. Taylor of WLS has just called and said there is time for a meeting tomorrow, like you requested, sir," said a maid as she picked up his only half eaten plate and used silver utensils.

"Alright," he said gruffly, pushing back his chair. "Get this cleaned up, I'll be in my office. Make sure that I'm not disturbed."

"Yes, sir."

Lights flickered on from rooms Seto knew Mokuba had visited; he had a bad habit of leaving them on even after finished whatever he was doing. Seto paused, looking into an empty computer lab, noticing the computers screens still bright with life. Electricity cost money. His hand had lifted to flick the switch when the more arrogant side of his ego stopped him.

It wasn't like he couldn't afford it.

"The maids can get it," he muttered to himself.

The low rumblings of the central heating system groaned to life and as Seto opened his bedroom door to grab some papers mentally noted that it needed to be replaced. Honestly, how was the world's greatest dueling mastermind, gaming chief executive officer and all around smartest man in the world supposed to work with that kind of noise?

"So Dr. Taylor has finally decided to see me, hmmm?" He plucked the note with a number and address from his large mahogany desk and studied it with a victorious smirk.

Kaiba Corp has been under siege since some trashy tabloid grade scandals broke out. Criticism was something he was used to, but having been branded Japan's "Too Young, Too Powerful" CEO it was time to stamp out the rumors and step up the image shiner. And this Dr. Taylor was the way to do it.

Seto glided smoothly into his comfy desk chair and spun it to the right so he could look over the back yard of his estate where servants and gardeners scurried about making sure that not a petal was out of place.

This Dr. didn't sound like a challenge at all, he thought with a pity filled smirk, he would have liked a little resistance before he handed him up to reality on a silver platter. A man who ran an organization like Wild Life Shield, WLS for short, couldn't be a man of nerve. All this Dr. cared about was protecting some Brazilian mongoose or something or the sort, he probably wasn't very opinionated, and if Seto had to picture him, he'd imagine some small, mousy haired, bi-speckled shell of a human being.

Flicking on his computer, the sapphire-eyed dragon grinned wickedly, tucking the small piece of paper into his pocket.

"Tomorrow is going to be a piece of cake."


"We've arrive, Mr. Kaiba."

Seto waved off his driver, his version of a thank you, as he stepped from the fancy car. It wasn't that he couldn't drive himself, but this way made him look just that much more intimidating. Straitening his expensive dark blue suit he picked up his briefcase and started on his way, frowning a bit when no one opened the door for him.

The building, he noted, felt like a butterfly exhibit. Hot and stuffy, humid and hard to breath were the thoughts that ran through his head first. Thankfully an old secretary was there to take him to his destination.

The elevator stunk. That much he was sure of. Nobody else seemed to notice. But then again nobody in this place really seemed normal. The elevator stopped a few times, each stop accompanied by odd sounds or someone carrying something he'd never seen before and never wanted to see again for that matter. A young man, whose arms had obviously seen better days, actually came in wearing a snake wrapped around his forearm. Suddenly Seto found himself acutely aware of how much he hated snakes.

"She's a ball python," the man said in a loving tone like he was holding a lovable puppy.

Seto gave him a nod of notice. Couldn't this elevator go any faster?!

Finally after what seemed like an eternity the wonderful sound of the bell dinged and the doors opened making the CEO want to run out an thank his lucky stars, however he of course stepped out coolly. But in a brisk walk nevertheless.

The top floor was rather plain in his opinion. The walls a default beige and waist height trimming all the way down the hall, matching the secretary's desk. There were plenty of pictures and paintings all of varying types of animals with a name and date elegantly painted at the bottom. What kind of ninny was this man if he cared so much about animals?

"Jacob, why don't you take Angel in to see Dr. Taylor, I'm sure she'd be very happy to know the surgery was a success," said the secretary.

"Right," snake boy answered. He walked down the hall turned to the third door on the left and knocked once or twice before letting himself in.

"Oh, Jacob- and Angel! Hey sweetheart, you must be feeling so much better now that we go those nasty pills out of you," purred an all too familiar female voice.

It took Seto a moment to figure it out.

"A woman?" He stormed down the hall, completely ignoring the pleading of the secretary. He had to know.

And there she was, with that gut twisting carrot colored orange hair and russet colored eyes. The girl who'd busted his lip.

"You!" he snarled.

"Me," Jordan smiled smugly. "I'm Dr. Jordan Taylor, pleased to meet you Mr. Kaiba."