Many Years Ago:
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"Seth, you're not to play with that peasant any longer. Your wings are white-do you know what that stands for? Royalty. Purity. Holiness. His are black. Black! Tainted! Scum! Blasphemous! Next time you see him, denounce him!"
Big tears came to blue eyes-not tears of hurt, but tears of rage. "Shut up! He's not a peasant! He's my best friend-and the most pure person I've met in my life! I refuse to denounce him! And my name…is…SETO! Stop this 'Seth' bullcrap, my dad gave me my name, and I'm PROUD OF IT!"
That time, he'd gotten whippings. He'd taken them without so much as a sob or whimper, a proud look on his pale face… he was defending the honour of who he'd come to consider his mate.
"Set'!" a happy voice giggled, and he found himself being jumped on and hugged by a hyper blond, rain beginning to sprinkle. "Well, hi there. Happy to see me?" A slender mocha eyebrow was raised, drawing more bell-like laughter from Joey. "Aren't I always? I missed you! How's Mokuba?" Skinny, tan legs were still wrapped around his waist, matching arms around his neck, and Seto carried his friend through the giant wooden doors of the citadel with no trouble-he'd been lifting heavy objects so his friend would seem weightless.
"Wonderful. He's made friends with a little kid named Yuugi-have you met him? He's so tiny, so feeble-looking, but so nice." Joey beamed, nodding, "Yep! He's in my class-he's my best friend when you're not around, but I'm closer to you." Thunder roared in the heavens, and Seto suspected that all the plants in nearby rooms were blooming-these were normal occurrences when he and Joey were together.
After a long walk consisting of hallways and staircases in which Seto was proud to say he hadn't gotten tired once, they reached the brunet's room. Setting Joey down, he grabbed a basket of food and toys from the bed, following after the blond into a hidden series of rooms, which they'd found when they were wrestling around once in the hall... Yes, wrestling-despite Seto's overprotective nature, the two often got into spats, and it was always Joey who pounced first. Neither noticed, however, that a pair of angry eyes was watching from the doorway,
That time, he'd been beaten black and blue, and threatened that next time, his brother would pay. He loved them both with his whole heart, but he couldn't risk Mokuba-he was only four, he'd remember it when he was older and be so very scarred… One day, Joey would understand, but until Gozaboro was gone, Seto would have to be alone.
Huge hazel eyes were filled with tears, which were rapidly sliding down Joey's face. "Wh…What?" "I said, leave. Don't come back, either-I don't want you anymore. Even a girl would be more fun to play with than you. How could I have ever even gotten along with you?" Seto's heart was shattering with every word, and he fought to keep a passive, cold face. "I don't understand," the black dragon whispered, "What did I do? How can I fix it? Anything, Seto, please! Don't do this…"
He turned away, and his tears freed themselves as he replied icily, "You're nothing, Wheeler. Scum, and a sorry excuse for a dragon. It just took me a while to figure out." There was a loud sob, and a whimper that sounded like, 'I loved you…,' then the padding of bare feet on the dry ground. Seto turned in shock-had Joey really said that?-only to find Joey high in the air, flying sloppily, as if hit by turbulence. He ran to his room, hurt clawing at his chest like an angry cat trying to get out, and he quietly whimpered, "I love you too… Oh, Ra, Joey…I'm so sorry…"
Gozaboro smiled cruelly-ah, he won. Now to try and kill the brat and his spoiled brother, while Seto was blinded with sorrow.
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Thirteen Years Later, Kaiba Citadel:
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With a deep sigh, Seto signed the paper with a flourish, wings cramping badly. He flipped a lever on the side of the chair, lowering the back and unfurling the leathery white appendages, moaning out loud at the relief, joints popping as he stretched. There-for the next month, no paperwork for Lord Kaiba or his little brother. Now there was time for the thing they'd been needing to do for months now… Seto exhaled loudly again, wondering if after all this time, his beloved remembered him at all.
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A Few Miles Away, In The Agri Sector:
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"Yeah, no. You can take that price and shove it. Ten gold for five boxes or no apples, and even then you're robbing me, friend." The merchant glared at the tall blond, but nodded, handing him a fistful of money before beginning to load the boxes. Hazel eyes narrowed, and he held out his hand. "Two more. This is only eight." With a loud aggravated noise, the merchant grumbled and handed over the last two coins, blinking as Joey helped him put the other box on the wagon, and he mounted his horse and rode. With a big, lopsided grin, Joey called after him, "Hey! Thanks for your business! You're welcome back any time!"
He was still laughing at the man's facial expression when Serenity walked up to him. "Hey, sis. What's cookin'?" She smiled and squeezed his hand, tugging him for the edge of the cliff they were peddling on. "There's someone at the den to see you-long black ponytail, smiling eyes, nice clothes?" His eyebrows furrowed-if this was Duke again, he was going to blow up on him, but he followed anyway, pleasantly surprised to find Mokuba.
"To what do I owe the pleasure of a Royal Messenger's presence?" he asked teasingly, as if he didn't remember the sixteen-year-old. The ravenet got a mournful look, and sighed, "I knew it. So many months have passed, my friend doesn't remember the simple Mokuba, only brother of his bitter enemy." Joey's heart twinged-he…was NOT his enemy. He still loved him, very much, but he knew the teen was merely playing, and so he smiled, alilbeit sadly.
His arms opened wide, and he wrapped them around the youth. "Of course I remember you, half-pint! Yuugi's favourite." This he said with a wink, and Mokuba glared fiercely, cheeks pink. "My brother needs to talk with you!" he confided, and Joey felt everything stop. Seto. Seto…Seto, Seto, Seto. Oh, Ra, it was like the rift had been made yesterday, and his heart ached more than any physical ailment he'd ever had.
When he got his breath back, he asked, "Why? What do I have that Mr. Jerkface McAsshole can't get on his own?" Mokuba's eyes grew a little softer on his behalf, but he replied, "I don't know, but he said it was super important… I can't give details, but it has to do with the plants."
Ah, now this made sense. Seto couldn't fix the plants with his weather, so he was asking the head farmer to. He felt heavy disappointment-he wished the kid had said either, 'he wants to apologize, kiss you, and possibly drag you off to his room,' or 'I can't tell you,' and dragged him off to his Prince Charming.
"Alright, I'll come with you. Just give me a few minutes to pack-go flirt with Yuugi or something, it'll take a while." He couldn't help a victorious smile at the blush peppering Mokuba's cheeks with that comment-they were so obvious.
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Seto rubbed his temple, sighing softly. Of course, some idiot had been paying people incorrectly, and he had to fix it, making his careful planning for nought-his mission for Mokuba would have to wait until-
A knock on the door pulled him from his musings, and Isoko, one of the maids, called in, "Master Seto, Mokuba is back with your guest!"
From the other side of the door, she heard a loud thud, accompanied by a groan. "...Master Seto? Master Seto, are you alright?" Big hazel eyes peered in and their owner gasped. "Master, stop that right now! You're going to give yourself a headache or bloody your nose, and that's not polite when you're expecting someone!" This just caused Seto to headdesk again, and the blonde set in on scolding him anew.
Before anyone asks, yes, Isoko is my OC. She's clumsy and almost ditzy, and has a natural mommy instinct-hence her scolding of Seto. I'm trying to make her as un-Mary-Sue-ish as I can, so please be patient with her character development. Just wanted to get that out of the way :)
I know it seems like I'm on a roll lately, but I'm not, I promise-I just haven't gotten the chance to update in so long my muses are runnig rampant on my computer! As usual, thank you for reading, and I hope you enjoyed it... Now off to edit more things for your eyes!
Love,
Mel