Red&Blue, Black&White

Summary: REWRITE. Dragon AU! Seto Kaiba is the lieutenant of the Rafter of Domino Peak, living his days in frustration after the death of his father. Not only is he second-in-command to his lifelong rival, and the only caretaker to his hatchling brother, but his attitude towards his leader has 'earned' him solo patrol duty for the next month. On one of those patrols, he comes across an odd, aggressive black dragon who comes with his own set of baggage.

Pairings: Kaiba/Jounouchi, Yugi/Anzu, Honda/Otogi, other minor shippings will be mentioned as the story goes

Rating: T+, may go up later

ABOUT THE DRAGONS

Dragons: Dragons are giant, flying, cold-blooded reptilian and/or amphibious species who have sapience and are capable of using passive and elemental magic. Dragons have the ability to switch between Dragon form, Intermediate form, and Human form depending on need and the situation they are in. A baby dragon is called a chick, while an adolescent is called a fledgling.

Rafter: A group of dragons is called a Rafter, with most Rafters having a formal name such as "Rafter of the Night Swamp" or "Rafter of Domino Peak". When multiple Rafters come together to form a community, it is called a Society.

Outsiders: Outsider is a general term for a dragon and/or dragons who are not part of a Rafter or Society. Some dragons are loners, some dragons form small informal groups usually for hunting or protection in a group usually with siblings or peers, groups like these are called a Scrum. Some Scrums are just family groups, usually made of up a bonded pair of dragons from different Rafters and their offspring. Some Scrums over a period of years even become Rafters if they secure enough resources, members and permanent territory.

Species: While Dragons are for the most part considered one species, they have variations/breeds that differ from Rafter to Rafter, which is usually because of adaptations for their environment. As time goes on, more and more "Mixed Breed" Rafters, families, and Societies are built as dragons look beyond their own Rafter for mates, or as small unrelated Scrums combine. While most Rafters have a predominant breed of dragon, hybrids aren't rare, and neither are outsiders joining a Rafter.

Magic: The dragons of this story can actually shift between dragon form, human form, and 'intermediate' form. They gain this ability upon adolescence, in which they become fledglings. Dragons also have an elemental core located behind the thyroid, which grants them use of elemental magic. All other magic they possess is considered passive.

Diamondtooth: All leaders, no matter which Rafter, have diamond teeth. Diamond teeth are only passed through passive magic. Leadership is either passed through inheritance, if a former leader has a heir in mind, usually related to them such as a child or grandchild, ect, than with their last breath magic is released which makes the diamond teeth appear in said heir. If a leader does not have an heir in mind, than leadership will pass on to their lieutenant. Leadership can also be usurped; if a Diamondtooth is killed, or defeated and accepts the defeat, than the diamond teeth will pass onto the challenger.

Titles: Leaders, lorekeepers, and healers all have titles. For all Rafters, leader/alphas/bosses/whatever their specific term is, it is 'Diamondtooth'. For lorekeepers and healers, the title is unique for each Rafter and usually reflects on that Rafters specific skills or territory. For the Rafter of Domino Peak, the Lorekeepers title is 'Summit' to reflect on their greatest landmark, Domino Mountain. The Healers title is 'Zephyr' to reflect on their connection to the wind element, and the wind that wafts across their foothills and valleys.

Lieutenant: Lieutenant are picked by a Diamondtooth to take their place if they die without a heir in mind, this position is also usually passed on by inheritance, but it can only be officially granted or revoked by the Diamondtooth of that Rafter. They are the only higher position not to have an official title.

Rafter of Domino Peak

Predominate Dragon Species: Windriders. Wyverns connected the wind element.

Territory: Mostly foothills with valleys, but the greatest landmark being a mountain peak called Domino Mountain.

Diet: Omnivorous, but leans closer to the carnivorous side. Mainly buffalo and deer.

Leader: Diamondtooth Yugi Motou (Mate: Anzu Mazaki)

Lieutenant: Seto Kaiba

Lorekeeper: Summit Ishizu Ishtar

Healer: Zephyr Marik Ishtar (Mate: Ryou Bakura)

Numbers: 200+

Prologue: Sun-up to Sun-down

A chirping sound entered the dark cocoon of his sleep and pulled him, very reluctantly on his part, back to the waking world. Seto cracked open his blue eyes with a displeased rumble in his chest, and back at him stared eyes of the same blue colour and shade of his own. He dully noted that it was barely dawn.

"What is it Mokuba?" The larger dragon asked as if his hatchling brother could answer him with words; either the chick was cold, bored, hungry, or had made enough waste in their nest to upset even him. The tiny chick bumped the top of his head against his older brothers chest, likely trying to reach his throat. "Hungry?" He grumbled, and Mokuba squealed more in confirmation.

With a tired sigh Seto opened his jaws and craned his head down to the level of his brothers head, Mokuba opened his jaws expectantly as he looked up at his older brother, eager for his morning fill. Seto regurgitated some of his last meal into the hatchlings mouth, which his baby brother accepted excitedly. It wasn't much, just a scrawny old ox, but it was enough to sate the dragon chick.

Once Mokuba had swallowed up all of what he was given for breakfast, his forked tongue swiped across the lipless borders of his mouth to collect anything he might have missed, and then he hopped on top his brothers large right front talon, curling up on top of it.

"Sleepy?" Seto asked bemused, as the hatchling indeed closed his eyes even as small chirps continued to vibrate in his lower throat "Lucky you, you've woken me up too much to go back to sleep." He said to himself more than to Mokuba, he waited for the chick to fully fall asleep before rolling the baby gently into the softest part of their dried leaf nest, and standing up to stretch his wings to their full span.

Seto was a large dragon now that he was fully grown, he was four legged, with prehensile front legs and talons, a long neck, and spines on his cheek, and a short pair of spike tusks at both corners of his mouth. His scales were a white, but has was not albino as indicated by his deep, dark blue eyes, and light blue luster accenting his scales along the sides and spines of his body.

Mokuba was still a chick but resembled his brother greatly, he too being a white dragon with blue eyes he didn't have his adult spikes, spines, or tusks yet, and his wings were still small in comparison to his body, but he looked almost exactly like Seto at the same age, the only thing truly setting the two dragons apart was that the luster of Mokuba's scales was more a stormy blue colour rather than his older siblings light blue.

Seto looked around and saw that most other nesting dragons were also getting up and getting ready to start their days, having also been awakened by their offspring.

Although he wasn't exactly thrilled that he had to take care of a hatchling at such a young adult age, he considered himself lucky that at least he only had one to worry about.

Shaking any stray dried grass and leaves off of him, he started walking away from his nest to stretch his legs, the nest area had at least half a dozen guards not counting the dragons who stayed with their nests until their mate would come to relieve them. He was glad he didn't have nest guard duty.

"Morning Seto." A voice from behind him said, he muttered a greeting in return that probably sounded like nonsense because he was still peeved at being awoken so early, but he knew who had addressed him.

The other dragon chuckled from behind him before catching up to be by his side. The other dragon was a deep green color with the underside of his neck, chest, belly and tail being a much paler green. He had long spines front the bridge of his nose all the way to the tip of his tail, and deep red eyes. He had a black marking on his left eye, and a bright green luster to the scales on his back. Unlike Seto, he, like most other Dragons in this Rafter, was a wyvern; he only had two back legs, and used his wings and the talons at the tips of his wings as front legs.

"Otogi." Seto 'greeted', in no mood for his flirtatious peer. Most other dragons referred to him by his family name, but Otogi wasn't the most formal dragon they had.

"Mokuba wake you up early again?" He asked.

"Why else would I be awake before the sun has fully risen from the horizon?" Seto growled, but the other dragon wasn't threatened by him.

Otogi swept his tail amusingly, bumping Seto at the back of his legs "I'm not seeing you drag the entirety of your nest away though, so it's a good thing he didn't wake you up because he used the whole thing as his own personal latrine." He laughed, and Seto rolled his eyes. Mokuba wasn't old enough to be taught how to go to designated waste areas or bury his waste, but at least he was pretty good at at least only going on the edge of the nest so his older brother could just roll the offending waste in nest material to dispose of it.

"I'm too young for this." Seto muttered "If I wanted a hatchling I would have gotten a mate so they could tend to the chirping brats."

"I'm always available, you know. Just imagine how beautiful our babies would be." Otogi cooed, flirtatiously rubbing the top of his head at the underside of Seto's chin until the white dragon snapped his jaws at him in warning. He was only teasing, but Seto was in no mood, and the thought of multiple chicks chirping at him for their seemingly never ending needs made him feel a type of dread that seemed to seep the the very center of his elemental core.

Seto loved Mokuba. He really, truly did. But there was a reason most dragons waited until they were a little further into their adulthood before starting families. Chicks were frustrating, needy, loud… and though it wasn't their fault they couldn't take care of themselves immediately following birth like most reptiles, Seto didn't have the time to properly prepare to take care of a hatchling. Seto was still reeling from the recent death of his father, and having to take his place as the Lieutenant of the Rafter when his mother showed up out of nowhere and basically forced a chirping egg into his talons.

For most of his life, Seto had been raised primarily by his father Gozaburo, a harsh, emotionally withdrawn workaholic of a dragon. He didn't know much about his mother, other than that she was a loner of a dragon who wasn't a Windrider like the other dragons of this Rafter, he actually wasn't sure what breed dragon she even was. He didn't know what her name was, or what the real relationship was between her and his father.

For most of his life, he had assumed he was the result of a one-time mating. But Gozaburo died not long after the mating season, and near the end of the incubation period she suddenly showed up.

She was a white dragon, but unlike her leucistic offspring she appeared to be a full albino; her eyes were pinkish shade of red, and she had a pale pink luster along her sides. She looked very similar to her sons if not for her much longer spines, spikier wings, a double pronged tail and a lack of tusks. She had a single egg with her, and explained she wanted to give it to her mate.

Although it was his first time properly meeting her, Seto had to explain that Gozaburo had died… and she seemed, saddened. She wasn't hysterical or anything, but there was a flash in her eyes before they turned to the ground, and her voice became slower. She explained that she had four eggs in her current clutch, but she wanted to give her estranged mate the one closest to hatching. She gave to egg to her older son instead, just rolling the egg gently, if in a rush, between the younger white dragon before she flew off, a roar of thunder between the rapid beats of her massive wings. Seto was in shock, but there were already chirping inside the egg, indications it was anywhere between one to three days to hatching, so it wasn't like he could just destroy the egg. And now, almost a year later, he was still taking care of his baby brother, with no signs of their long-lost loner mother or their supposed siblings of Mokuba's clutch.

"Would you like to join me for some… ~solo~ hunting," Otogi offered suggestively, winking "there's a nice quiet area a few leagues away from the territory. Too far for anyone to hear any… noises, we might be making."

"I'm going to have to pass." Seto muttered, he wasn't going to play Otogi's game and get frustrated and snap at him. He wasn't a fledgling anymore.

Otogi was about to say something else when a soft wind came to them, a very particular wind, one they all recognized. "Diamondtooth." Otogi whispered to him as if he didn't already know, and he took a respectful stance and another dragon flew over and fluttered right in front of them.

The other dragon who had landed in front of them was an small dragon. Small for a full grown adult dragon at least. His eyes were a bright pinkish-purple colour, his scales were mostly black, but he had a violet cast and luster to his scales, and he had a particular lightning-like yellow pattern to his wings. Like most of their Rafter, he too was a wyvern. Although his mouth was mostly shut, one could see a slight shimmer from his diamond teeth.

"Good morning, Diamondtooth." Otogi greeted politely, with a slight head bow. The oher dragon shifted his wing talons on the ground almost nervously, although he didn't look down to them like he used to.

"You can still call me Yugi, you know." The smaller dragon told them. "We're from the same peerage after all."

Yugi was born from the same hatching group they were, Seto could still remember how he had always been a rather submissive, timid dragon and didn't make a lot of friends. He did become close friends with another dragon in their peerage, Anzu, a much bigger female who swiped any potential harassers, and eventually she rubbed off just enough on Yugi that he too eventually gained enough confidence to stand up for himself.

Seto and Yugi had never really been friends. Although Yugi was kind, Seto had looked down on him when they were younger because of Yugi's gentleness. However, when they became fledgelings, Seto's resentment for his peer became worse; Yugi may have been small and not much of a fighter, but he proved to be league's ahead of him in most other areas. Being lean and relatively streamlined with minimal spines, and wings that were long proportionally to the overall size of his body, he proved to be the best hunter, stealthiest scout, and the fastest flyer overall, and not just of their peer group either, but of the whole Rafter, which is saying a lot because Windriders are notoriously fast fliers with their connection to the wind element.

Seto, being only half Windrider, didn't have wind as an element, his element was lighting. He could only be fast in bursts. His resentment met it's apex when their former leader, Sugoroku, passed from natural causes.

When Sugoroku Motou had died, Seto thought for sure his father Gozaburo would become the next leader, but that day everyone gathered around Yugi as they saw that he was the one with a full set of diamond teeth, the sign of being a leader that came through magic.

They had all been sure that Sugoroku had no heir, for his son had died years ago, and his mate had died decades ago, so leadership should have been passed on to his Lieutenant, Gozaburo. As it turned out, Yugi had been the son of Sugoroku's son, so the former leader had decided in secret with their lorekeeper that he would be the next Diamondtooth of their Rafter.

Gozaburo, and Seto by extension, were enraged by this. Yugi was barely out of the fledgeling stage and he was a Diamondtooth already? No one besides the Lorekeeper was even aware that Yugi was Sugoroku's grandson.

For the months and years following, Yugi struggled to really embrace his leadership role. He wasn't a confronting Dragon, he definitely wasn't strict enough, and struggled to give orders to his underlings, especially those who were much older than him. Gozaburo didn't help either, in his resentment he refused to teach Yugi the ins and outs of being a good leader. Of course, Seto realized now that Gozaburo himself wouldn't have been a good leader, he thought leadership was control.

Yugi had one real supporter, his childhood best friend Anzu, she helped him learn how to be more organizational and confident, how to have a spine and give orders, and eventually he grew into his role. Although Seto thought for sure he himself would be a much more effective leader, he respected Yugi for overcoming his obstacles, because he hadn't undergone any type of grooming for leadership like Seto had.

"I'm just trying to be more formal, Yugi." Otogi told their leader. Yugi nodded and turned to Seto, looking up to him. Seto returned eye contact but said nothing.

"How's your brother?" Yugi asked politely.

"Fine." Seto replied, still a little annoyed from his interrupted sleep.

"Well, I am trying to organize a hunting patrol for the valley near the East border, there's bound to be buffalo there with how the weather has been."

"Weather?" Seto snorted "Buffalo doesn't give quarter to the weather."

"No," Yugi agreed coolly, he didn't flinch to his Lieutenant's challenges anymore "But lately it has been raining heavily at night, but it is also been full sunlight during the day. The grass grows especially well under conditions like those."

"Still, that valley is hilly, Buffalo prefer leagues of open space." Seto retorted, not backing down.

"Perhaps if you wanted to discuss hunting plans you should bring it up with me, during the allotted times for meetings," Yugi countered, eyes narrowing "anyone is open to discussing anything with me, even the organization of hunting parties. But, not while I am actively building that party."

Seto stared down at him with slits for eyes. Otogi was just holding his breath for now. "Whatever." Seto finally replied, dismissively looking away from his leader.

Yugi's eyes were narrow, but unreadable, he'd gotten better at hiding his emotions. But Seto knew he'd set himself up for reprimand. "Otogi," Yugi addressed the green dragon "Go meet up with Anzu, she's with most of the rest of the party, allow me to discuss some patrols plans with my lieutenant." Otogi gave a quick nod before taking off into flight.

"Now," Yugi said, turning back to Seto with an edge in his voice "come walk with me, Kaiba. I'd like to talk." He started walking forward, in the direction of the nests. Seto scoffed to himself and followed, but his kept his tail straight and his head up high, refusing to look any sort of humiliated.

"I thought you were over this, Seto." Yugu said, keeping his eyes forward even as he addressed the dragon trailing behind him "We are not chicks or fledglings anymore. The social hierarchy we had back then, does not apply to our current situation."

"I know that." Seto retorted.

"Do you?" Yugi stopped in his tracks and whipped his dark head around to the white dragon, his amethyst eyes blazing to an almost dark purple color. "I am the leader, Kaiba. If you want to make alternative plans, that's fine, you can always discus ideas and plans with me, but you should not be challenging me like this in front of subordinates."

"Oh so you actually see the other dragons as subordinates now?" Seto growled, bringing his head down to Yugi's level "Did you not just tell Otogi to still address you as Yugi rather than 'leader' or 'diamondtooth'?"

"There is a difference between a leader and a dictator, Kaiba." Yugi growled back with equal intensity "I do not want our Rafter afraid to approach me. However, I think you need time to reflect, and maybe Lieutenant duties are too much for you."

Seto's blood ran cold even for a reptile. Being a Lieutenant was passed onto him from his father, he had inherited it, however, any leader at any time could renounce a Lieutenant and name a new one. Out of courtesy of the bloodline, leaders usually didn't do this. Was Yugi really threatening to remove him from his position, when that position has been in his family for centuries?

"I'm putting you on solo patrol on the West border." Yugi said "One month. And it's Sun-up to Sun-down patrol."

Seto stared down at him with slightly widened eyes. Sun up to sun down patrol? That was a punishment given to Fledglings!

"You are only to return from the West border during the night, you will patrol and mark the border for its entire side. You are free to eat anything you catch, but when you come back when the sun if completely down, you better have prey with you or you will be sent back. You will return to the border before the sun is completely up the next morning. When this month is over, I will evaluate you attitude and decide if you can return to your regular duties."

"My brother-" Seto tried to argue.

"Will be fine during the day when you are gone" Yugi interrupted him, as-a-matter-of-factly "there are plenty of other guards for the nest, and I'm sure another parent around here won't mind adding him to their nest for a month. In fact, you usually leave him to himself during the day anyways, I've seen Ryou feed and clean him several times throughout the day when you are doing your regular duties." Seto cursed himself; although he did feel a bit guilty. While he did stop by a few times throughout a normal day to give Mokuba feedings, he knew he wasn't around enough for all of his needs. He knew Ryou, who was nesting a few eggs himself, would sometimes look after Mokuba… but he wasn't aware of the full extent that Yugi spoke of.

"The whole West border?" Seto asked "To myself?"

"Not entirely," Yugi said, his voice was clear "There's this years group of new fledglings, I'll intermittently send a few to you so you can clearly and accurately show them exactly where our border is, the West border is usually neglected after all." Seto mentally cursed the young Diamondtooth, all dragons in their peerage knew he hated dealing with fledglings. "You duties start immediately." Yugi said and took off into flight, going the direction he had earlier came in.

Seto inhaled deeply, rage in his chest, but also humiliation. Yugi the bastard. Thinking he could just punish his own lieutenant with fledgling duties just to save his own fragile ego…

Muttering, Seto shuffled his talons as he looked down to them, and reluctantly and slowly made his aware across the nesting area.

Ryou was a silver dragon, he was very long and tall although he didn't have much bulk to him. His had a pearl luster across the sides of his body, tail and legs, and he had a particular crown of spines encircling his head, almost like a lion, or more accurately a frill-necked lizard. He was sleeping, his tail curled protectively around a clutch of three pale, speckled eggs. Ryou was slightly older than him, enough to be outside of his peerage but close enough in age to know him, he had been a fledgling when Seto was hatched.

"Bakura." Seto addressed, Ryou lifted his head and looked up at him with tired, but kind, sun-yellow eyes.

"Good morning Seto, how may I help you?" Ryou asked, lifting his head to yawn, his crown-like frills opening a bit at the movement before falling again against his neck.

"I've been put on… Sun-up to sun-down duty." Seto admitted, looking a bit to the side to avoid the silver dragons eyes "I was wondering if you could look after Mokuba for me during the day for the next month."

An amused rumble vibrated in Ryou's throat "I wouldn't mind at all. Things are a bit quiet while I wait for my chicks to hatch, having a hatchling to look after would add a little excitement in my day. Your brother is actually quite well behaved too." He explained, Seto felt a little bit of guilt; did Ryou really take better care of Mokuba than he did? "Just bring him here next to me, I'll take him back to your nest when the sun falls." Seto simply nodded curtly to the older dragon before turning back to his nest.

Mokuba was still asleep, he had somehow managed to shift himself into a sleeping position so strange that Seto wondered how it was even possible, let alone comfortable.

Carefully, he lifted his little brother by the scruff of his neck; the skin on the back of the neck was loose enough for baby dragons to be carried this way, carefully he carried the chick over to Ryou's nest. The silver dragon shifted and opened his wing, and Seto placed Mokuba in the crook that was made.

Mokuba stayed asleep, but immediately rolled onto his back like a dead rodent. "Good luck, Seto." Ryou said, curling his wing around the tiny white dragon.

Seto simply nodded, he took a running start the other direction. Unlike the wyverns, he couldn't take off into flight in a stationary position. He opened his wings as he ran and once he felt the air under him start to lift the weight from the ground, he took off into flight, towards the West border.

To be continued…

Authors note: Red&Blue, Black&White is actually a rewrite of the very first fanfic I ever posted, waaaat back when. Ten years ago in fact in 2009. I was like 11 or something. It's super cringey don't read it. I don't delete it because it's the very first thing I've ever posted on FF.

Please read and review!