In addition to the usual disclaimer that Yu-Gi-Oh!, its characters, and situations are Mr. Takahashi's genius and not my own ideas, I have to thank FrenziedPanda7 for allowing me to play with one of her concepts with this story. In a nutshell, she likes to write about 'Itoko', a persona adopted by Dark Magician who works as one of the security force for Kaiba Corporation.
The Dragon's Gift
It wasn't fair. It wasn't fair! Kaiba's mind screamed at him with the same impotent fury of a bratty child denied a treasured plaything.
Kaiba's own thoughts gave him pause. He reconsidered. Impotent? Well, yes - in a non-biological sort of way. Despite his wealth, intellect, and personal will, there wasn't anything he could do. Bratty? Perhaps not. He wasn't doing the logical thing for a truly bratty child and attacking his rival for attaining that which he could not. His mind agreed with 'treasured' but balked at 'plaything' - his mighty Blue-Eyes White Dragon was no mere toy. His bond with his dragon was deeper and more sacred than that.
Still, it wasn't fair. That Yugi didn't even know about the boon he'd been granted made it all the more intolerable to him. Of all people, well, people of the normal plane of existence that is, he was one of only two. And his rival had no clue to the awesome and unbelievable gift he had.
A gift that Kaiba would give anything to have himself.
He struggled with his feelings for several days. Unaccustomed to permitting himself to recognize 'feelings' in the first place, he had used all of his usual coping mechanisms to no avail. After the first two days, he resorted to tricks. When they failed, he tried distractions, and when they failed...
There was no help for it. He was going to have to talk to someone about these 'feelings'. Somehow sort them out. Before they drove him mad - or worse.
Mokuba was out. Normally Kaiba didn't hide anything from his little brother, knowing the youngster was far stronger than most people gave him credit for. But, Kaiba had become Mokuba's self-appointed parent, filling the place of both mother and father to give his little brother some sense of stability in a life that was anything but stable.
There was no one else to turn to. Mentally, Kaiba checked off all the people in his life. Though Roland had taken on the role of guardian, if not father, to Kaiba, as much as Kaiba would permit, and the man's loyalty was beyond reproach, he was still an underling. There was no family for Kaiba to turn to, none that he would acknowledge (or that would acknowledge him) and he wasn't about to 'share' his 'feelings' with any of Yugi's friends. There was certainly no way he could approach his rival, who paradoxically was the nearest person to a friend that Kaiba had, with this particular problem. Yugi was at least half of the problem.
Kaiba nearly growled in frustration. The other half of the 'problem' prevented him from finding a professional, and discreet, therapist to help him sort through the muddle of his feelings. If Kaiba sought a way through this morass, he could hardly expect even a professional to give good advice if he dissembled about the cause.
He needed...
He needed a way, somehow, to thread the route of his own feelings, and put them in order, sublimate them, or bury them, place reason above them in the hierarchy of his motivations, bring them to heel, put them into time-out, as one would an errant child...
There was something there, some whisper of hope brushing the gleam of a dragon's wing across his soul. Kaiba blinked at the fanciful words that flowed across his mind, but smiled at the image they created. Sometimes, in the depths of night, when sleep eluded him for hours on end, while his agile mind worried at a tricky electronic or programming problem, he worried that he had been driven - Well, not mad. He was sane enough. No, he worried that he had been driven - joyless. Yes. That was the word. His life was one of duty, triumphs certainly, evoking fierce smiles in their own right, but what tastes of joy he had were sharp, and bitter on the tongue - and never lasted more than the time it took for one second to tick into the next.
Perhaps he was tired, and that's why his mind kept waxing so poetic tonight. Dragon-wing whispers and pondering what joy tasted like, indeed! No, not that. Well, he was tired, but that wasn't what was doing it. He was self-aware enough to know what was happening. There was a truth lying in wait in his mind and he was trying to avoid it. He was trying to think in random circles so he would never near it, and be forced to discern its true shape.
Kaiba had never run from a challenge in his life, and that included the ones that rose unbidden from the depths of his own mind. Not even the daunting task of being forced to evaluate every single action, thought, and feeling he had ever had, and place them in order of ascending importance in his soul. He wasn't one given to self-reflection, that was for certain, but he had been there, in the deepest pits of his own shattered mind, and come through the ordeal. Not unscathed. No one ever completely recovered from a 'penalty game', but Kaiba alone knew the shape of the scars that criss-crossed his soul, now.
And that was the true danger, here. He had put himself back together, stitched his mind, his heart, and his soul into one again from the broken bits of the man he had been before, and he was honest enough to admit he liked the shape of the whole now better than before he had been broken. But, he had been broken. He bore the scars. He did not know how strong his mendings were, and if they would hold against an emotional onslaught that would be no concern to one who had never been broken.
Jealousy.
Now that he had decided to face the issue, he discovered it fast enough. He was jealous. He didn't like the emotion. He didn't like the wild, destructive feel of it. He had little cause to be jealous, in many ways, the gifts of nature granting him comeliness, intelligence, wit, and a body as skilled and agile as his mind. His will and determination, and yes, his ruthlessness, had given him every advantage of wealth, prestige, power, and fame. What tragedy had stripped from him, he had found and taken from the shambles that remained, much as he had recovered his mind from Yami's penalty game.
But, there were intangible things, beyond the gifts of heritage and self, that no amount of money, fame, or power could ever give. Kaiba had reason enough to know the true circumstances of those who surrounded his rival, knowing every detail about those who were enemies had gone beyond pithy advice and become a time-tested tenet of his existence. Even Joey's broken home held frayed and tattered bits of these intangible things that Kaiba could never possess. It only got more unattainable and depressing from there: Tea and Tristan appeared so 'normal' because their situations were normal, and even Yugi's odd household, with an absent father, a mother who worked too hard, and the grandfather who had become the anchor for the young man as he faced trials beyond imagining...
A flash across the landscape of his mind, as bright and pure as any burst of white lightning turned the view upside down for Kaiba.
Then, his mind turned sneaky on him, playing the devil's advocate.
You hurt him, his memory reminded him.
That was before, before I was broken. Before I mended myself.
You always torment his grandson.
It's not torment - it's a game - a game just the two of us play.
You destroyed his Blue-Eyes White Dragon.
Kaiba had no easy reply for this internal accusation. He deeply regretted that action now. Though it had been hard bringing his mind back from the brink, one part of his was glad that Yami had shattered the arrogant and evil person he had become. He shuddered to think of where he would be now, more to the point, where Mokuba would be now, if Yami had not forced him, most ungently, to face the harsh truths about himself - and do something about it. To that end, an outcome Kaiba would never express his gratitude for, but nevertheless felt and acknowledged thankfulness within the confines of his own heart, he knew that if he had not harmed Yugi's grandfather, and more importantly, destroyed the Blue-Eyes White Dragon card the old man possessed, the spirit would never have been enraged enough to break him.
But, he had dishonored his own dragons in destroying their brother card. He dishonored himself as a duelist, beating down a disoriented and defeated opponent. Some part of him wished he could somehow trade something precious to him, not Mokuba, certainly, and not anything that Mokuba needed, but something that only mattered to him to be able to unrip the card. Present it, whole and undamaged to Solomon Motou. Express his true regret at causing the old man the least amount of pain.
Guilt.
Duel Monsters.
He could sacrifice that. It wouldn't untear the card, of course, but perhaps - if he were to...
"Hurry! Get out of sight!" Solomon Motou made urgent shooing gestures toward his hard-to-explain, but normally quite-welcome visitor.
Said visitor smiled sweetly, shot his friend an amused glance, and faded from view. There was no odd tang on the air to indicate that Dark Magician had opened a portal back to the Shadow Realm.
"Invisible? When did you learn that?" Solomon demanded crossly, even as he opened the door to the private quarters and resumed his seat. Yugi's voice had crackled over the intercom from his place manning the store downstairs to warn his grandfather a visitor was on the way up.
"Ever you forget I am a magician, old friend!" Dark Magician used his lightest and most jovial tone to hide the fact he was concerned. Yugi hadn't named the visitor, but Dark Magician easily sensed the troubled soul that was even now nearing the threshold. It was a powerful soul in a powerful and highly unsettled amount of torment.
Kaiba stopped at the opened doorway, blinking at the tacit invitation. He had heard Yugi's intercom call to his grandfather and knew that Yugi hadn't told him who exactly his visitor was. That the old man would welcome anyone so trustingly... "Good afternoon," he finally said. "May I come in?"
Solomon Motou looked up sharply at the voice, and narrowed his gaze to focus on Kaiba's face. Most of the welcome on his face shuttered away. "Please do." The old man gestured for Kaiba to take a seat in the chair opposite from him.
He must have been expecting Wheeler, Kaiba reasoned. "I am sorry to trouble you. I won't take much of your time." Kaiba found himself falling into the overly-polite pattern of speech that disarmed business associates. It facilitated getting difficult jobs done. Now that he was here, having seen what recognition of who his visitor was did to Mr. Motou's face, what he wanted most to talk about seemed like a fool's errand.
"What can I do for you?"
"I..."
I need your help.
I don't want to break apart.
There's no one to talk to.
This - feeling - is too powerful for me to contain on my own.
I don't know where else to turn - who else can help.
Help me...
All of these thoughts and more writhed and seethed in his soul, but Kaiba denied them all. "I - never apologized-" is what finally passed his lips.
Solomon Motou cocked his head and studied his visitor. "Pardon?"
"For hurting you. For destroying your Blue-Eyes White Dragon card. For - everything. I never apologized."
"I see." Solomon tapped his index finger against his pursed lips. "It's been a long time coming, Seto." Kaiba flinched at the casual and familiar use of his first name, but let it pass. "I know that you paid the hospital bills for my recovery, but, why now? Why come to me to apologize now?"
"I..." Kaiba made the mistake of looking into the old man's face. There was no censure there, in fact, he could somehow tell Solomon had already forgiven him. There was - a guarded warmth there, in the depths of the old man's gaze. Concern. Regard. A quiet promise to help. Not expecting it, Kaiba had no defense prepared against it.
Kaiba felt a distressing frisson cross his soul. All the scars of his being were revealed to be merely seams, the places where two or more pieces of his soul had been placed alongside each other and nudged together, but now that a test was upon him, instead of the strength of welded steel, or well-worked stitches holding him together, Kaiba felt as if he had patched himself with cardboard, Velcro, and empty promises. The integrity of his soul suddenly felt only as stable as a house of cards, and the two powerful emotions, two he had never expected to feel and therefore never created defenses against, battered his suddenly fragile soul with the force of a hurricane.
But, something quelled that soul-destroying might. Calm flowed over him, somehow from within him, and steadied him. Some infinitely careful force gently traced the scar-seams of his soul, strengthening them, coaxing them into a tighter binding between the realigned tatters. Kaiba wondered if perhaps it was the spirit of the great Blue-Eyes White Dragon somehow sensing and soothing his distress. The gentle touch had something of that otherworldly feel to it. Alien mirth flowed within him, quickly blunted.
Blue-Eyes...
"I had no right to hurt you," Kaiba repeated. "I..." He swallowed convulsively, making up his mind quickly, and finally, and oddly enough, having no regrets about his decision. "I know it can never replace the card I destroyed, but," Kaiba pulled his deck from its place close to his heart and offered it. "The three Blue-Eyes White Dragons that remain. They are yours. I will never duel again."
"Seto!" Solomon Motou's reply resonated with surprise, reproach, and denial. The tableaux remained for as long as it took them to draw three breaths. Solomon leaned back in his seat and pinned his young visitor with an indulgent, smiling expression. Kaiba remained leaning forward, earnestly and honestly offering his prized deck without any trace of reservation. "I would never take it from you," Solomon continued gently. Kaiba didn't move. Solomon sighed and coaxed his creaky bones into letting him lean forward so he could close Kaiba's fingers around his deck. "I won't accept it," he repeated, with a touch of steel underlying his tone. The old man noted with interest the 'tone' worked as well on young Kaiba as it did on his own grandson. Kaiba leaned back in his seat and replaced his deck in its place of honor in the pocket next to his heart.
"It's the one thing you do for yourself," Solomon muttered after an awkward, silent moment. "The one concession you permit yourself that has nothing to do with the duty you've assumed. Besides, Yugi would never forgive me if I were to allow his most interesting, challenging, and capable rival to retire - and I could stop it!"
Dark Magician paused his oh-so-delicate work soothing and strengthening the bonds in Seto's soul to track down the source of discomfort that flowed through Seto's being at Solomon's statement. He thanked the gods he was here when Seto visited today. He knew the dragon duelist had been suffering spiritual disorder ever since recovering from the mind crush his pharaoh had inflicted upon him, but he had not realized it had transcended into true spiritual torment until today. Until Seto's spirit called out so strongly and so clearly for help that he could not not respond. Fortunately he was able and more than willing to do something about it.
Guilt had wreaked severe damage to the repairs Seto had made within his soul to bring himself back from Yami's penalty game. Dark Magician narrowed his invisible eyes. Too often his pharaoh had used that dread power in the early days of his awareness in this modern world. Too callously his pharaoh had pushed others into torment in the roughest sort of justice for a transgression against Yugi. Dark Magician admitted that Yami may have hoped for this outcome, Seto whole once more and purged of the darkness and evil that had taken root in his spirit, but he also knew that when his pharaoh shattered Seto's soul, he had not cared if Seto never woke from his mindless state.
Why would Seto feel jealous toward Yugi? For that was the dark emotion that had flowed across the length, depth, and breadth of his soul. The other emotion threatening to tear him apart anew was guilt. Dark Magician knew that just talking with Solomon would ease much of that, for his old friend did not hold Seto's actions against him, but, Dark Magician didn't mind using his considerable, and now mostly disused, skills as a spirit sorcerer to help. Seto had done an admirable, and artistic, job reconstructing his soul in the aftermath of Yami's penalty game, but he did not have Dark Magician's clear perspective or mystic skills to evaluate the result.
Not that Dark Magician changed anything. He was here, in the landscape of the dragon duelist's spirit, applying his touch, skill, and magic where it was most needed. While he would have placed this piece alongside that one for better harmony and strength, that is not what Seto elected to do. This is Seto's spirit. I shall only help strengthen the work he did, and not change a thing, Dark Magician reminded himself. To do other would go beyond the permission of the call I answered, and transgress even further upon this man's soul.
"Dark Magician..." Kaiba began.
"What about the Supreme Spellcaster?"
Kaiba grimaced. Solomon smirked.
"I- know. I know that he - Dark Magician - is able to come here, to our world, of his own will. Outside of duels. He has - a life here." Kaiba grimaced again. Yeah, Dark Magician had a life - he even drew a Kaiba Corporation paycheck to fund it! "Yugi - doesn't even know, does he? But, you do. Yugi is completely unaware that his favorite duel monster is far closer to him than he thinks. He talks about the heart of the cards, but he doesn't know how strong it is. How much Dark Magician cares for him. The wretched duel monster cares enough to - to work for my company. I know he doesn't care for me at all. He's made that abundantly clear in duels." Kaiba stood and paced the floor in agitation. "But, he wants to be near Yugi so much that he will even take on the task of guarding me, or Mokuba, and keeping us safe as a bodyguard in my employ. He's damn good at it, too. I'm - jealous - of that. Yugi has the one thing, the only thing left that I could possibly want. I can never have my parents. I can never have someone like you in my life. I can never have the years of my childhood back." Kaiba shrugged his shoulders. "Yugi has all of these things. I can accept that. It is what it is, and fate is what we make of it. But, how dare he have this one thing, this one thing that I would give - anything, aside from Mokuba for, and not even be aware of it? That is what I am jealous of. And this jealousy - I don't know how to stop it. I don't know how to control it. It's powerful and..." Kaiba shook his head unable to articulate how afraid of his own jealousy he was. "Ironic, isn't it, that we are the only two who know that Yugi's favorite duel monster walks so close to him? He doesn't even know..." Kaiba stood up. Odd, he did feel better, more settled, and more calm, than before he spoke with the old man. "I-I don't know why I came."
"Seto, no one can give you your parents back, or your childhood, but, if you need, you can have someone like me in your life. I'm not your grandfather, of course, but I can listen, and offer advice. Sometimes, the advice might even make sense." Solomon winked, hoping to take some of the intensity out of the moment and make it easier for Kaiba to perhaps accept his offer.
"I might take you up on that. Good day, Mr. Motou."
As abruptly as that, Kaiba was gone.
"You were mucking about in the poor boy's soul during all that, weren't you?" Solomon asked aloud. Dark Magician obliged and returned to view.
"'Mucking about'? No. Not that I was not indeed working as you accuse. But, for his benefit, nothing more," Dark Magician replied.
"There's absolutely no way that young man would have offered his Blue-Eyes White Dragons, or even thought to give up dueling, if you hadn't done something!" Solomon pressed.
Dark Magician only smiled in reply. Seto had arrived here with that intent swirling through his mind. Perhaps the scale of his decision tipped toward the sacrifice due in part to Dark Magician's easing of some the tension in the young duelist's soul, but the decision, as uncharacteristic as it was, was Seto's.
"So, how does he know you are able to walk about in our world of your own will?" Solomon leaned forward and pinned the spellcaster with his stare. "And to be so bold as to work for him? As a bodyguard, no less? You never told me! I think you owe me an explanation!" As expected, the 'tone' didn't work on the duel monster at all.
Knowing the old man's love for a good story, Dark Magician smiled again and decided to comply. "I will tell you the whys and wherefores of it over a cup of Earl Grey tea."
While he explained how it had come to pass that he was indeed a bodyguard employed by Kaiba Corporation, under the name 'Itoko', since Duel City, Dark Magician reflected further on the aftermath of Yami's penalty game. The quick, though careful work he had managed while Seto spoke with Solomon lessened the insidious hold guilt had spread through the young man's soul. Seto's natural force of will would now be up to the task of blunting and eliminating it with the help Dark Magician had given in strengthening his repairs. Of the two negative forces troubling Seto, that was the worse one. The jealousy was a minor nuisance in comparison. Dark Magician knew he could trace the path of this second destructive emotion to its source, and place a block along its way so that it could never trouble the dragon duelist again, but where was the fun in that? It would be far more interesting to tackle the source of Seto's jealousy in a more - roundabout sort of way.
Upon his return to the swirling mists of the Shadow Realm, Dark Magician blinked in surprise to be confronted by a displeased dragon.
"We are not happy with you."
"Oh?"
"We feel it, even as you do, when our chosen duelist touches our cards. We know the flow of his thoughts at his touch. He wanted to abandon us - give us up!"
"You know that's ridiculous. He would never abandon you."
"But, give us up? You do not counter that claim."
"Because it is true. He thought such an action was just recompense..."
The great dragon shook his massive head, and glared at the spellcaster. "There is nothing 'just' in our duelist giving our cards to anyone else."
"You know that his offer wasn't accepted."
"We know. It confuses us. Is the old one daft?"
Dark Magician had to laugh at the puzzlement spread across the dragon's face, and the affrontry in the mental tone. "No, Solomon possesses all his faculties. He knows how important you are to Seto. That is why he didn't accept the offer."
"Well..." The dragon appeared mollified, then became upset again. "We wonder how strong Seto's bond with us is that he could ever think to offer such a thing, no matter the motivation!"
"Peace, great one. While it was Seto's feelings of guilt toward Solomon that prompted the impulse in the first place - as they should have for without guilt he could well become callous again - if not for the touch of my magic upon his soul, the offer would never have been made known."
"So, it was your fault after all!"
"If it makes you pleased and keeps your trust in your duelist intact, yes, it was my fault. If not for my actions, he never would have voiced his offer aloud."
"Still, there is less turbulence in him since you interfered." Dark Magician found that being smiled at by a dragon was not nearly as comforting as it sounded. "For that, we thank you."
Dark Magician considered the massive Blue-Eyes White Dragon, one of the three and the one that served as the spokesdragon for all of them. It's not that the other two couldn't speak with Dark Magician mind-to-mind as this one did, they simply chose not to most of the time. In fact, they were nowhere to be seen during this encounter, but Dark Magician knew the one facing him spoke for all three. Though Dark Magician was more often than not their opponent in duels, there was no true animosity between magician and dragons. "You might be able to help me help Seto deflect the other emotion that troubles him. It is a minor thing compared to the guilt he was feeling toward Solomon, and even if no action is taken, it has not the power to harm him - but it makes him..."
"He is unhappy. That is not acceptable to us. If you can do anything to ease that unhappiness we demand... No, we ask you to do something about it. If we are able to help, that is what we would most like to do."
"Such help would require some sacrifice on your part, but I believe not only will it help Seto overcome his jealousy, but also make him very happy."
"What must we do?"
"There is a way to serve by his side, when he is not dueling."
Now he had the dragon's complete interest. Dark Magician knew for certain because the dragon's tail kept coiling and uncoiling nearby, which he knew meant the mighty beast was quite excited. The action suddenly stilled, and the dragon shook his head. "We know the way of opening the gate between this world and our duelist, but we are," the dragon contrived to shrug his shoulders. "We are too big, and too scary for his world. We would cause a panic."
"Not if you are in disguise. I am not a dragon, but even my duel monster form is too unusual for that world."
"We have no magic such as that to be able to disguise ourselves. Besides, simply disguising our nature would not be enough. We would still be too massive to interact with him most of the time. He is usually found indoors."
"Not the disguise I have in mind." Dark Magician winked. "Too often everyone forgets that I was a spirit sorcerer before a duel monster. Outside of a duel, there is no need for your spirit to maintain a dragon's shape."
"Intriguing." The Blue-Eyes White Dragon seemed to ponder for a long moment. "Yes. We would like to try this disguise of which you speak."
"You realize that you will be..." Dark Magician stopped, not certain how to explain. "It is different, there."
"Do you think we do not watch, even as you do? Our duelist pleases us in his world, away from duels. That our position is one subservient to his does not trouble us."
"Not only him directly, but those he places in authority over you. Not only that, but your power will not be able to be expressed in that world."
"We have long sensed the disquiet in his soul. It frustrates us to not be able to help. We are grateful to you that you assisted him, but, if there is a way for us to help him ourselves, that is what we wish to do. Even if we must take on a powerless form to do so."
Dark Magician smiled. The heart of the cards, or the bond of a duelist with his signature dragons - it was the same power no matter what name was used. A covenant of caring. More than that, a two-way avenue, each side giving equal measure to and for the other. "Not powerless. Simply holding a far more subtle sort of power. Now, how do you wish to appear in that world?"
"Older - older than you, but not feeble. Distinguished. He must never forget who we are, even if never really knows."
Somehow I have a feeling he will know exactly who you are the first moment he lays eyes upon you, Dark Magician thought, even as he reached deeply into his magic.
From within the embrace of that magic, not the shadow magic he earned upon his translation through death, nor the 'dark magic' the game of duel monsters granted to him as 'Dark Magician', but the way of sensing, serving, and more to the point in this instance, shaping of spirits, the great beast looming above him appeared to be a lightning-bright, fiercely white force - a force waiting patiently to be reshaped under the touch of the magic he commanded.
And so it was a few days later that Itoko requested a few minutes of his employer's time. Kaiba's executive secretary chimed to announce that the bodyguard was waiting on Kaiba's pleasure for his scheduled appointment. Kaiba toyed with the idea of making 'Itoko' wait but discarded the notion as childish, and signaled for his secretary to let him in. The door to his office opened to admit two people.
The other man was unknown to Kaiba. A quick, impatient glance showed him the dark suit the man wore and a pair of sunglasses clipped to his pocket. The man held himself with the same bearing of readiness that Itoko did - that Roland did for that matter. Kaiba divined the purpose of this unusual meeting in an instant. After all, he personally hired anyone who would serve as a bodyguard for either himself or Mokuba. Odd that 'Itoko' of all people would bring someone forward for the position.
"My cousin has recently moved here from out of town," Itoko said at Kaiba's questioning glance. "He is as proficient with the skills necessary to fill the role of a Kaiba Corporation bodyguard as I am."
"My security staff has all the personnel it needs," Kaiba began. What stopped him was nothing that Itoko did or said. Intrigued, because it was 'Itoko' making the request, he gave the other man a more searching look. He had a more weighty bearing that Itoko, exuding a sort of brute force and a willingness to use it as some of the more physical of Kaiba's security people did. His neat hair was styled in nearly the same way as Itoko's - but of a far lighter color, very pale blond, no, on an even closer look it was a very fine silver. Quiet, the man had yet to utter a single word in his presence.
The 'windows to the soul' had too often in Kaiba's life been filled with lies. Very few people were as direct with him as their gazes would lead him to believe, more often than not holding some sort of plot or machination behind the 'openness' of their eyes. The Big Five, if no other, had taught him that. Helpful, friendly even on the surface, while behind the smiles planning how best to slip a knife into his back. So, Kaiba did not normally trust what he found in people's eyes.
But...
Blue. The man had clear, pure, blue eyes. The first impression of the expression in those eyes struck with an almost physical force. Fierce, tender, and somehow filled with an unshakable vow to follow him no matter what. No matter the situation, and no matter what he asked. Kaiba wanted to sit down after a scant second of meeting that gaze to regain his composure. No, to regain his strength. No, he wasn't weakened by meeting those intense blue eyes, he wanted to jump for joy and shout his happiness loud enough for the world to hear.
He noticed movement from the corner of his eye, and his attention slid over to Itoko. The puzzling bodyguard was nodding and smiling, and after a moment, Kaiba found a return smile creeping across his lips. He stifled it as he faced his newest visitor again.
"Your name?" Kaiba asked the quiet man with the silver hair and blue eyes.
"Shiro. Shiro Levin." Kaiba mentally approved of the deeply resonant voice this 'man' possessed.
Seto's grin turned a bit smirking as he faced Itoko again. "Does it surprise you that I happen to know the meaning of the archaic word you selected for the last name?"
"Not at all," Itoko replied serenely. "I trusted that you would."
Kaiba exhaled sharply enough the sound could be classified as a snort. "What now? There should be no question that I am more than willing to 'hire' Shiro Levin as my bodyguard..." The weirdest expression crossed Kaiba's face. Wonderment. Awe. Perhaps a bit of confusion that gave way to an unrestrained smile of pure delight. "How...?" Kaiba shook his head. "Magic, undoubtedly."
Itoko's smile morphed into a full-fledged smirk. "Undoubtedly."
"There is an unused room in the family wing of the mansion..." Kaiba began.
Shiro immediately shook his head. "That will not do. Dark Magi... Itoko has offered to share his Earthside apartment with me and I have accepted."
"No," Kaiba protested immediately. "You have to stay at my mansion! There's more than enough room..."
Shiro stepped forward carefully, the first movement he'd taken since entering the room, and placed a hand gently on Kaiba's shoulder. "It is far easier for me to follow Itoko's lead and 'live' off-site. That way, my movements are not hampered by the sharp eyes and expectations of those who cannot know the truth."
Kaiba deflated a little at that. After all, he didn't want the rest of his security force to get suspicious if 'Shiro Levin' were to be mysteriously absent and unable to fill his duties as a bodyguard, and there were no reprisals for dereliction of duty.
"Of course, the highest echelon of your bodyguards do have the duty to ensure your safety at the mansion during their duty rotation," Itoko offered.
Kaiba nodded. "Yes, but the guards at the house are always in pairs."
"And that is a problem - how?" Shiro asked, dropping his hand to turn and look pointedly at Itoko. "Does it not make sense to allow my roommate and I the honor of guarding the mansion during those hours when most are asleep and there is less chance we will be otherwise occupied and unable to fulfill our bodyguard duties?"
Seto smiled. Itoko did usually serve on the night-shift. The reason for that was abundantly clear, now. Less clear was why Yugi's signature duel monster was concerned at all with the Kaiba brothers' physical safety, but perhaps he'd discern the reason someday. For now, it meant that -
It meant that his own signature duel monster was able to be by his side whenever he wasn't involved in a duel. He wondered just what he could do or get for Solomon Motou for bringing such a miraculous occurrence about. The powerful jealousy toward Yugi that threatened to twist his thoughts into darkened pathways disappeared as if it had never been. That must be the reason. He didn't want me to harbor ill will toward his duelist, Seto thought as he regarded 'Itoko'. No matter. For whatever reason, I now have my Blue-Eyes White Dragon by my side, in disguise, even as Yugi has his Dark Magician...
Wait. Infuriatingly, the comparison fell apart again. Dark Magician was here, not at the game shop. He acted as a bodyguard for the Kaiba brothers, not for Yugi Motou...
"It is time for us to go," Itoko stated. "Shiro needs to prove his skills to Roland before he can be hired. And there is the matter of settling him into his room at the apartment, too."
"But..."
Itoko reached out and clapped a hand on Kaiba's shoulder, squeezing it briefly. "Yugi's enemies are well known. He is abundantly protected from within from mystical assaults. Such attacks are aimed toward you upon occasion, and while Roland and your security force are capable and loyal to a fault, they are not as well equipped to handle such situations. Now you have two 'ringers' to help deal with these threats."
"But - why?"
Itoko smiled, and winked. "Why not? It gets boring waiting for the next opportunity to kick your dragon's ass in duels."
"Hey!" The protest came from Shiro.
Itoko's smile deepened into Dark Magician's trademark smirk, and, after a final squeeze of Kaiba's shoulder, he swung his arm around to touch the shoulder of the other bodyguard and lead him toward the door. Kaiba stared at the door for many long moments after it closed behind his soon-to-be newest bodyguard. He entertained no doubt that the man that Shiro appeared to be would be completely capable of passing Roland's tests, and fulfill his duties as an elite bodyguard for the Kaiba brothers to perfection - even as Itoko did.
"'Shiro Levin'," Kaiba mused just under his breath. He breathed out a sound that was halfway between a snort and a chuckle. "'White lightning'. It seems our 'Itoko' has a finely honed sense of humor. It also seems as though he mistakenly believes he has somehow gained the upper hand. I'm sure I can devise a way to show him how foolish that belief is when dealing with me!" Kaiba wore a smirk of his own as the means for putting the upstart duel monster in his place clarified in his mind.
Several days later, while watching a duel in the arena at Kaibacorp, Seto found an odd feeling creeping around the margins of his heart. It wasn't unusual, or unwelcome, for him to feel pride and fondness for his brother - what took him aback was that he held the same feeling, albeit to a significantly lesser degree, toward the other duelist - Yugi.
"I play my Serpent Night's Dragon - in attack mode!" Seto nodded gravely toward his brother, and very carefully hid his grin that Mokuba was faithfully copying his big brother's stance, cadence, and dueling gestures. Of course, as Mokuba was somewhere around three feet shorter, the effect was adorable. Not that Seto would ever embarrass Mokuba by saying so.
"I wasn't expecting that!" Yugi exclaimed. "It seems you're taking after your brother when it comes to being creative with your dueling tactics."
Mokuba beamed at the compliment, which seemed to please Yugi given his return smile and decisive nod. Maybe that was why Seto wasn't irritated at the top-ranked duelist today. Yugi was taking Mokuba seriously, and actually playing against him instead of humoring the younger duelist. Well, that and the relief and lightness of spirit that Seto had found ever since 'Shiro Levin' became one of his security force. The poisonous jealousy toward Yugi, along with the nearly crippling guilt toward Yugi's grandfather, had disappeared as if they had never been.
Not that he wasn't going to do his own level best to take Yugi down when they next faced each other in a duel. He didn't want to hurt Yugi Motou, but he very much wanted to crush him in a duel. That their rivalry didn't have to contain bitterness or hatred didn't make it any less of a rivalry in his mind, or, Seto suspected, in Yugi's mind either.
"I really can't let you get your dragon out on the field unchallenged, even if it's not a Blue-Eyes White Dragon, Mokuba. So, I'll play Cost Down and Sacrifice my Celtic Guardian to summon my Dark Magician to the field!" Yugi suited actions to words. The moment Kaiba had been waiting for arrived.
Kaiba reached a hand into the pocket of his trench coat, his finger unerringly finding the 'send text' button on his cell phone. This will show that magician... His self-congratulatory thought ground to a complete stop when Itoko strode smoothly across the expanse of floor in his direction. Itoko stopped and bowed respectfully.
The inscrutable bodyguard thoughtfully did not break the sight line to the dueling arena, so Kaiba was well able to watch in a helpless sort of stupefaction as the Dark Magician turned his head slightly, deliberately caught Kaiba's gaze, and winked at him!
Impossible! Kaiba's mind insisted. He was so certain that the Dark Magician and Itoko were the same person, or being, or... Why would Dark Magician wink at him if it weren't true? But, how could it be true, when he could see each one of them, right now, at the same time?
"I've never asked you; what do you think of Duel Monsters? Do you play, Itoko?" Kaiba asked. Maybe it was a trick. Maybe this Itoko was merely an illusion, with no real mind or substance and would therefore be unable to answer his question in any sort of interactive way.
"It seems interesting enough, but I've never had the chance to play," Itoko replied easily enough. "Of course, I have had ample time to witness how it is played so I'm certain I could be a credible challenge, should the opportunity arise." There was no way Kaiba's question could have been anticipated to set up a programmed response so detailed. Itoko then threw Kaiba's mind into complete consternation by exactly mirroring the wink Dark Magician had tossed at him from the dueling field.
"This can't be..." Kaiba closed his mouth, refusing to let the rest of his involuntary protest break free. There must be some trick. I can't be wrong! I have to prove, one way or another, the connection between Itoko and Dark Magician, otherwise... otherwise... If Itoko isn't really Dark Magician, than how could Shiro be one of my Blue-Eyes White Dragons?
It took all of his willpower, which Kaiba mustered by reminding himself sharply that Mokuba's feelings would be hurt if he didn't watch the rest of the duel, but his mind wasn't on it. In fact, he wasn't certain who even won. As soon as was humanly possible, and giving courtesy only the faintest concern once the duel was concluded, he retreated to his office. His fingers flew across the keyboard as fast as possible, implementing the program he'd written in his mind while 'watching' the rest of Mokuba's duel with Yugi.
Part of the program flawlessly accessed the Kaiba Corporation's network, culling through untold hours of duels seeking for every instance that Yugi's Dark Magician had been active on the field. Meanwhile, Kaiba set himself to the task of breaking through the security protocols in place on Roland's dedicated server, to gain in-depth information about the recorded movements and actions of one of his security force - Itoko Kojima. Once he had both blocks of information, it was child's play for him to collate all appearances of Yugi's Dark Magician against all of Itoko's known activity as a security agent employed by Kaiba Corporation.
Kaiba scrolled down the report page. Every single instance was green. At no point in time was Itoko anywhere to be found active for Kaiba Corporation's interests while Yugi's Dark Magician was active during a duel.
It was only the very last one, the instances that had taken place before his very eyes only an hour before, that were displayed in red. It was the only time that Itoko's presence and that of the Dark Magician had overlapped.
"Was I wrong?" Kaiba asked aloud, dropping his head into his hands. "But... I can't be! If Itoko isn't... Then what does that mean...? 'Shiro Levin'... White lightning... It can't be just a coincidence! This makes no sense!"
A polite knock on his door broke the useless cycle of rumination. Mokuba probably wants to discuss his duel. I can't let my problem interfere with his happiness. "Come in."
Itoko himself breezed in, planted himself in the chair across from Kaiba at his desk, and with an insolent casualness leaned down and placed his elbows on the desk, to rest his chin across his laced fingers and toss a very familiar smirk at his employer. He lifted his head and turned it slightly to one side as he regarded Kaiba. "Would you like an explanation?"
"Please." Seto growled out between tightly pressed lips, not trusting himself to say anything more.
"One must be creative when walking the path of two worlds. There are many threads of obligation running through my life, each with its own ranking. There can never be a time when Yugi summons his Dark Magician that the spellcaster does not appear. Likewise, there can never be a time when Kaiba Corporation's CEO needs a certain one of his bodyguards that he is left waiting. Solomon - must sometimes wait for his sennet partner."
Kaiba wasn't certain to make of the apparent devotion to him in Itoko's words. He pushed the troubling thought away by asking, "How do you manage to be in two places at once?"
"It's not easy, and it would be better if the requirement does not appear needlessly for the toll on me is not nothing, but..." Itoko reached under his jacket and retrieved a card from his shirt pocket, holding it out toward Seto. "Understand that I don't actually use a card - I have no such need - but this makes it easier to explain if I frame my reply within the Duel Monsters world that is so familiar to you."
Seto took the card and read the legend and the description. "Limited Multiply?" He glanced sharply at his bodyguard. "Which one of you is the real one?"
Itoko smiled weakly. "Both. Which is why it is best if I do not have to appear in more than one place at a time too often. The toll on my spirit is - not nothing."
"Hmm."
Itoko straightened abruptly at that. "Seto..." There was a faint note of entreaty in his voice as the name trailed off.
"I play Duel Monsters for fun. I have no reason to try to torment you, or anyone for that matter. If you are ever in discomfort again the same way as today - rest assured it will have been either by accident, or the most urgent need."
"Thank you."
Seto stared at Itoko, recognizing the very subtle clues in the lines of the face and the bodyguard's bearing that indicated who he truly was. "I should be thanking you." At Itoko's silence he continued. "The last thing I need, or want, is details, but there must be a reason why you have," Seto spread his hands indicating the entire situation. "there must be some reason you do this. It's probably something you do for Yugi or that other one, but I still benefit. I don't know why you decided to bring Shiro to me in the same way... Thank you."
"Truth be told, Seto, once he, er, they realized I could - there was no stopping them. They are quite devoted to their duelist."
Again, Seto assessed the man standing before him. "Yugi's an idiot. Blind as well."
"You're not going to tell him...?" Itoko started in some alarm.
Seto tsked. "When it's more fun for me to hold onto my knowledge knowing that at some point or another he'll find out another way?" Seto grinned. "Not a chance."
"Well then." Itoko stood up. "Now that your mind has been set at ease, it's nearly time for me to pick up my new partner and report to the mansion for our shift."
Seto nodded. Itoko gifted him with an unfathomable expression, something of a warm smirk, before winking and abruptly disappearing from sight. Seto's eyes widened at the conclusive evidence that 'Itoko Kojima' was most certainly also the Dark Magician before turning his attention to deleting the proof of that very fact from his computer. As he gathered his phone, laptop, and the projects he'd decided to bring home to work on tonight he decided perhaps, just perhaps, Yugi's Dark Magician wasn't such a bad sort - outside of duels, that is. Not that he'd ever admit that fact to anyone.
~end~
"Missing" scene - Shiro's Test
"Don't think for one moment I don't realize exactly what is going on, Itoko."
Itoko looked up into Roland's face and blinked in confusion. As usual, his immediate boss somehow managed to stymie his natural ability to look at a person, and simultaneously gain a glance of their spirit. Even without obscuring sunglasses, the eyes of Kaiba's head of security were nearly impossible to read. "Pardon?"
Roland continued. "You've been under my scrutiny for quite a while. Your background story checked out perfectly. Too perfectly. Even when someone is completely honest there are always some discrepancies - it's human nature. I have suspected for a long time that your nature isn't exactly human. Now, the fact that you bring Shiro Levin to Mr. Kaiba not only confirms it, but sets all the pieces in place for me to figure out exactly who you are."
Uh-oh. "Why - would you think I am not human? I'm just bringing my cousin..."
Roland chuckled softly. Itoko's impulsive, yet weak, verbal defense petered to a stop. "I have had occasion to witness Shiro in action before - in his other form - enough times that he can't hide who he truly is from me."
Oh, dear. Is this whole enterprise about to grind to a halt? How ironic to successfully navigate through Seto's distrust only to run into this. Roland wouldn't be much of a bodyguard if he didn't protect the Kaibas, but I never would have thought that he would realize the truth of this. Itoko sighed in regret that his plan was starting to fall apart, right when it reached the last hurdle.
Roland shook his head once. "Despite the mystery surrounding you, and my misgivings about you, it has not escaped my notice that you have always performed your job well - even going out of your way to keep Mr. Kaiba and his brother safe. So, on the strength of that history, I will test Shiro since you have recommended him. Don't think I'm about to go easy on him, though, just because I know who - or more to the point - what - he really is."
So even suspecting the truth he will permit this? Roland isn't a fool - he has to know that much of what happens around the Kaiba brothers isn't something he, or the rest of his security team, can deal with. Maybe this will work out after all. Itoko smirked at his immediate boss. "Good. I have always admired that quality in you, sir. No one gets a free ride."
Roland smiled in return, then muttered, "I just hope I don't come to regret this in a - most shocking way - later on."
A low laugh rumbled deep in Shiro's chest. "Fear not on that score. That you take nothing at face value, or for granted when it comes to my master, no matter what that means to me now in your test, elevates you in my esteem."
"Oh? Good to know."
Much later, back at the apartment. Itoko rummaged in the freezer until he found the package of peas. It was a good thing he didn't like eating the vegetable much, for this package was destined for a non-culinary purpose. He wrapped the frozen peas loosely in a clean hand towel. "Here, put this on your eye. It will take the swelling down." The disillusioned, poisonous look Shiro shot at him from his non-blackened eye was so akin to the same expression on the dragon's face whenever Dark Magician managed to land a damaging Dark Magic attack in a duel that Itoko laughed. "Next time I yell at you to duck, you should heed me instead of arguing about it."
"Point... taken." Shiro winced as he reached forward to accept the ice-pack. He gingerly placed it over his dramatically coloring eye and sighed as the cold seeped in and started to ease the pain. "Was he as hard on your during your 'test'?"
Itoko snerked. "I was blue dressed in black for a week. It's rumored no one has ever beaten him."
"Are humans normally so physical? Am I going to get beaten up every time I report to Earth for my shift?"
"No, the test is a one-time thing. We do train and spar to keep our skills up, but it's never as intense as that. Of course, Seto and Mokuba are in real danger from time to time from evildoers who are trying to hurt or kill them," Itoko noted. "So, things can still get intense when it's for real."
Shiro merely growled at the thought of someone trying to hurt Seto.
"You'll do fine." Itoko smiled wickedly as he clapped Shiro on the shoulder - the one he knew Roland had bruised during a martial arts throw. Shiro straightened abruptly and growled deeper.
"Oh, cut it out. I'll get you some aspirin."
"You know this would heal quicker if I were in my actual form. Why not change me back for a while?" Shiro suggested.
Itoko gave him a sarcastic 'you're kidding' look. "Have you realized how small the apartment is? You'd fill it and then some."
"Duh! We could go back home first," Shiro pointed out.
"No. It would be strange if you showed up at work tomorrow with no black eye or bruises at all. Every one of the security force had to pass Roland's test. They'd know something was up if you didn't have some evidence of the fight."
"Being human is inconvenient," Shiro groused.
Itoko regarded him for a long moment. "If you three don't want to do this..."
"No!" Shiro sighed deeply. "I guess it's fair. I got to be the one to reveal the hidden truth to our master, which was the deepest honor, so it makes sense that I also bear the bruises of proving our worthiness to his lackey."
"I would strongly suggest you don't go calling Roland 'lackey' to anyone else, or heaven help us, to his face. Not if you don't want to heal a bunch of bruises again," Itoko warned.
"Point taken." Shiro stared at Itoko who stared right back at him for a long moment. "I'm tired. Where do I lair down for the night?"
Itoko let a burst of laughter escape. "Oh, I'm just realizing the depths of stupidity in this plan! It seemed such a good idea at the time - help Seto deal with his jealousy by helping you dragons guard him directly which would be satisfying to everyone, but I'm just now realizing the scope of the task I've taken on. I'm going to have to teach each one of you in turn how to behave like a human so you don't give yourselves away... I do believe I am going to need a vacation when we're done - assuming I don't go mad before then."
Shiro shrugged. "How hard can being human be?"
"Shiro, my friend, you have no idea..."
~end~