Plot: In a world where dragons and monsters are real Joey and Seto find themselves in a battle, used not by cards but with the very dragons they've raised. Unknown to them the very dragons they set against each other will bring them together. Can Joey teach Seto that love is more than power, can Seto sooth Joey's anger, and can they move on from the past together?
Warning for violence, sex, dragon fighting, cussing.
I don't own Yugioh, if I did Yami would have never left.
A/N CT THANK YOU for catching the error in this chapter, Doc manager messed up somehow and cut the last part out. I have fixed it. Also a big shout out to xfallenangle13x, my super, awesome, special beta reader!
It was early, the moon looming high within the stars as it kept its never-ending watch over the night sky. Only recently, has it begun to submit to the sun, losing the eternal battle for dominance as its other began to pale the sky. Far below, in the middle of a plain of grass, rested a pair of large barns, each as richly colored as the grasses that surrounded them. No-one moved about on the grounds, not even a bird was stirring. Everyone was asleep, with the exception of a thirteen-year-old boy.
Deep green-and-orange eyes gazed back into honey brown. A large black dragon shifted restlessly, hay moving underneath its sleek, dark scales. A long spiked tail thumped heavily against the concrete beneath, and slowly a yellow glow swelled within the beast's nostrils. With a low growl the color flared, deepening into a dangerous shade of orange, sending a wave of heat out into the brisk air of the stall.
"Shhh, Keller," a young boy, with skin the color of white sand and blonde hair cooed. Calloused fingers reached out, stroking the muzzle of the dragon that lay before him. "Soon," he promised.
Momentarily, the dragon settled, its tail ceasing its rhythmic movements. The fiery orange glow disappeared, submerging back within the reptile. With another uneasy shift, the dragon moved its legs out, resting on its side. It released a large sigh that blew the boy's blonde hair back, brushing his bangs away from his face.
"Is she doing okay, Joe?" whispered a small voice from behind the stall door. Joey turned, his honey eyes leaving the dragon for the first time since late last night. Peeking between the large steel bars was another pair of eyes, much like his own, only darker, and more innocent. They lacked the darkness that dwelled within his own, replaced instead by a light only supplied by the ignorance of a good childhood.
"Serenity, you shouldn't be here!" he scolded gently, having never been able to get too mad at his younger sister.
The girl moved her brown hair back over her shoulders as she quietly slid the stall door open, doing her best to not disturb the resting dragon. "I couldn't help it," she whispered again. Despite Joey speaking in a normal volume, she felt the need to be quiet.
Joey rolled his eyes and turned his attention back to Keller. "Yes, you could," he insisted.
Serenity's face crunched up with frustration. "You can't just expect me to leave you out here all night, and it is freezing outside anyway," she snapped, louder than she intended. A green eye opened and settled on her, snorting in displeasure from being disturbed. "I bet you haven't eaten since you came out here either, have you?" she continued in a softer tone.
"No, I haven't. And it is plenty warm in here," Joey said, standing up, his long legs wobbling slightly from sitting so long. Trying to ignore the stinging from both his sleeping legs, Joey rested his hands on his sister's shoulders, steering her back out of the stall. "She doesn't need you stressing her out, too. Go home, sis. I will be back soon." He was met with a deep frown as he slid the stall door shut and locked it behind her.
"I am serious, you don't need to be here like this. She will be fine!" the girl all but yelled. This time Keller stood, rising onto her front legs first, her long sturdy back legs lifting the mass of her body off the ground. Joey had to drop out of the way when her tail came lashing out, clacking loudly against the steel bars. A loud, drawn-out CLANG rang through the stables, a few roars and growls emitting from the sudden unpleasant noise.
Taking a moment to gather himself Joey sat on the ground, watching as a familiar yellow flare sparked to life within his dragon's nose, and shot out two very small balls of flame, one from each nostril. They disappeared in the arm, a mere warning to who had disturbed her. Knowing she had made her point, the dragon circled once slowly, then dropped back to the ground, her large wings folding closely to her sides as her tail once again resumed its uneasy thumping.
Only when he was sure she was settled did Joey stand back up, glaring daggers that his younger sister through the door. "Go home, now," he snapped. Serenity seemed to shrink back at the correction, not used to her brother using such a sharp tone.
"Dad is going to kill you for this..." she grumbled unhappily, making her way out of the now unsettled stable. A few dragons observed as she left, a particularly skinny one even sticking its head between the stall bars to watch her leave.
Shaking his head Joey walked back over to Keller and watched as she took a deep breath in, and sighed out again, warming the stall with a the deep breath. Her tail twitched again, this time sharper, as if she were aggravated.
"Sorry." He went back to trying to soothe her, but when he went to place his hand behind one of her titanium-and-hematite-laced horns, she pulled back, leaving Joey confused. It was her favorite place to be scratched, and never before had she shied away like that.
His eyebrows creased together as he watched her again get up, and circle the stall, trying again to settle down before taking resuming her pacing. She took enough steps to move from one end of the stall then back to the other, all the while her tail dragged behind her, giving the occasional, uncomfortable twitch.
"This must be it," Joey thought to himself as he stood, trying his best to wedge himself into the corner and become invisible.
Again the dragon paced relentlessly, for what seemed to be the better part of an hour. Occasionally she would yawn loudly, slam her tail against the ground, or dig at a spot she found to be offensive. A field mouse dared to try and cross the floor, only to meet a surprising end when a small fireball engulfed it. Joey swallowed hard at this, his muscles clenching tighter in attempt to keep them from moving.
Finally, she stopped, dropping again to her side and breathing deeply. Her body was tensing then relaxing as she let out loud sounds that could only be compared to a groan. Knowing it wasn't too far off, Joey moved swiftly, positioning himself near her tail as her body tensed again, for a long period of time.
After months, weeks, days, and hours of waiting, finally Joey saw what he had been awaiting. Between her back legs, peeked the promise of an egg, its pale golden color standing out in contrast to the smooth, gray scales that covered her underside. Another great push and the egg slipped lazily from her body, rolling out onto the soft hay.
Knowing he only had seconds to act, Joey leaned forward swiftly and scooped up the basketball-sized egg, putting his back to the dragon and wedging himself into the corner again. Squeezing his eyes together tightly Joey hugged the soft shell of the egg to him, a bead of sweat dripping off his nose when the dragon sprang up to look for her newly-delivered treasure. Fierce green eyes scanned the floor desperately, trying to find her lost egg. She inhaled deeply, trying to follow its scent but became lost when another wave of pain wracked through her body. With another groan she settled back down onto her side, resting her head against the floor and began to deliver another egg.
This time Joey didn't move when another pale egg rolled to the floor, ignoring the mother when she checked to ensure its safety. Gently, she nudged the egg around to her tail, where she proceeded to wrap her end of it around the object protectively. The thought of taking an egg from the protection of its mother sent a shiver down his spine. Glancing behind his shoulder, he didn't dare to move as this process continued for what felt like another hour.
A gleam of sunlight slipped through the highlighted windows on the roof, telling Joey much more time than that had passed. The birth went on until four eggs were gathered in a close clutch at the dragon's tail. Only after she had blown a deep breath of fire on them, did she fall asleep, and it was only then that Joey dared to move. He sighed as he removed himself from the corner. Quietly, he tip-toed his way to the door, unlocked it, and slid it open, each small bump sounding like the crack of a limb in the tranquil silence that now engulfed the barn.
Behind him Joey slid the door shut and then ran hastily over to a small room. He wiggled between two loose boards, allowing him access to the dusty, abandoned closet. In it, was a large lamp that Joey quickly turned on, fumbling with the soft egg that he still held in shaky hands.
"I can't believe I did it!" he whispered to himself, as if someone was around to hear him. He reached up and grabbed two clean blankets off the shelf, white cords trailing behind as he settled them into a bundle on the floor. Placing the egg in the middle, he covered it up, and grabbed the cords, bringing them over to an electrical socket and plugging them in, switching the heated blankets on to their hottest setting.
For a moment Joey sat there, legs curled to his chest with his arms wrapped around his knees, the sheen of the gold egg reflecting in his brown eyes. "I actually did it," he whispered again, fighting back the tears that were building up in his eyes. A noise from outside rattled him from his thoughts, causing him to jump where he sat. The large door to the barn had been opened. Hastily, Joey sprang up and brushed his pants off, going over to the wall where he had come in. With one last glance at the dragon egg, his egg, he squeezed himself back through the loose boards and into the barn.
Checking to make sure he wouldn't be seen he rushed quietly back into the stall with the black dragon and sat down, watching as she slept. Only a moment later, footsteps could be heard behind him and Joey turned to look.
What appeared to be an older image of himself loomed behind the door. They looked very alike, aside for the eyes. The man had his sister's eyes, darker and wider.
"What're you doing here boy?" he growled, throwing the door open, not caring if he woke the sleeping mother. Roughly he grabbed Joey by the back of the shirt and lifted him clear off the ground. Joey's hands reached to his father's arms to prevent from being strangled by his own shirt.
"I wanted to watch! That's all, I swear! I was careful!" he pleaded quickly, squirming in his father's grasp, desperate to be put down.
"Obviously, or you would have died!" his father snapped, half-shoving, half-throwing Joey out of the stall and into the barn hallway. He slammed the door shut behind him, ignoring as Joey stood silently on the other side of the door.
Joey did his best to look crest fallen, but in reality, he couldn't give a fuck about his father's little fit. He had what he wanted, and that was all that mattered. From this point forward he could start making a life for himself and his sister, one he could depend on.
"How many did she have?" his father asked, his back still to his son as he went over to inspect the eggs. With respect that hadn't been shown to Joey, the newly-awoken dragon unwrapped her tail and stretched her neck out, offering a nuzzle to her owner that was quickly rejected. "Beasts should never know love, for then they know weakness," his father always said.
"Four…."Joey said quietly, as if he didn't trust himself to not tell the truth. Lying was not one of his strong points.
"All of them made it, hm?" his father asked as he moved the eggs around, inspecting each one for signs of damage. Joey nodded, even though his father couldn't see. "As far as I could tell."
Taking an egg in his hands Joey's father stood, not acknowledging the dragon as he left the stall, closing it behind him. "Cull this one," he ordered, shoving the egg into Joey's hands. Confused, the boy fumbled with the fragile thing, looking at his father as he started to walk away.
"Why?" he asked, holding the egg close to him, enjoying the warmth from its mother's flame and body against his chest.
"Because she is my beast, that is why, and if I don't want her to have four, then she won't. She lives by my rules, and she knows it," he growled curtly, before leaving the barn and Joey, who stood looking stupidly into the stall. On the other side of the door green eyes watched him closely. If he didn't know any better, Joey could have sworn he saw an almost pleading look behind that emerald green stare. Conflicted, he held the egg closer and began to move away, knowing the eyes of Keller never left his body as he turned away.
Making his way toward the door of the stable, Joey looked down at the egg in his hands, and stopped when he came to another stall. In it was another dragon, light grey scales covering her body. She slept soundly, her tail wrapped tightly around a clutch of three eggs. Glancing from the unhatched offspring in his hands, to the clutch, Joey bit his lip and slid the door open.
The mother lifted her head gently and Joey froze as a pair of purple eyes looked upon him, sharp and accusing. Not daring to get closer, and not knowing what else to do, Joey slowly set the egg down in the hay. He took his hands off the egg and held them open in front of him submissively, as if to show he meant no harm, before stepping back, and out of the stall.
Sliding the door shut, he stood and watched as the mother dragon stretched her neck out and sniffed the egg curiously. She nudged it gently with her snout, and rolled it around before picking it up in her mouth. With the care only mother could offer, she placed it with her brood, breathed a long sigh of fire over top of the four eggs, before settling back down to sleep.
A large grin broke across Joey's face as he left the barn, closing the door behind him. After all, what his father didn't know, wouldn't hurt him.
The next day Joey woke early, following his father out to the barns, closing the truck door behind him. It was the heat of the day, a few dragons lazed about, soaking up the heat before the cool winter air set in again. He'd only managed to get a few hours of sleep - the dark circles that hung around his eyes were proof. He stumbled along behind his father and watched as a boy about his age followed an adult into the barn, another smaller boy close on his heels.
"Who is that, dad?" Joey asked, pointing to where they had just gone inside.
"The new owners of the place. I guess ole' Muto got sick of all the problems around here. Sold it to the Kaibas, apparently." He had not bothered enough to look down as he spoke to his son. His eyes were hard and avoiding as usual, not that it bothered Joey much anymore.
"Kaiba? I thought they had their own barns already...?" he murmured, confused. His father nodded.
"They do. White Dragon Stables, actually. Why they were interested in this run-down place is beyond me."
Together they walked into the barn, to find the Kaiba family inspecting the same dragon Joey had seen last night, before he'd left the barn.
"I coulda' sworn she'd only had three of 'em," a man was saying as he scratched his head, looking into the stall where his dragon lay sleeping.
"Are you sure you just don't know how to count?" the older man asked, causing Joey to frown. The man smelled like money, with fancy shoes, neat hair, and even a brief case. His grey hair was combed back in a nice and orderly fashion, and an unlit cigar hung from his mouth as he spoke. What a person like this was doing around animals was beyond the young adolescent. Who the hell came to a barn dressed in a suit?! Clearly this person didn't know the first thing about breeding dragons.
"I bet his dragons can't do shit " Joey snickered to his father, meaning for the retort to be quiet. Unfortunately for Joey, the word quiet was nowhere close to his vocabulary, and before he could blink a hand was sent sailing toward his face.
"Watch what you say, boy!" his father roared after the back of his hand made contact with Joey's soft skin. Rather than cry out Joey's body tensed, much like it had the night before, when he'd stolen Keller's egg. Tears welled up in his eyes and he had to blink rapidly to keep them from falling. The younger of the Kiaba boys flinched at the harsh treatment, but the older of the brothers smirked.
"My father's dragons wouldn't dare step a claw into a garbage shoot like this. The poor bloodlines in here are so sour it stinks." Joey looked up and shot the boy a glare, his light brown eyes shocked when they locked with the brilliant blue of the older Kaiba. He was thin with brown hair, and aside from his fancy clothes nothing in particular stood out to Joey. Other than those ice blue eyes that seemed to drill into his soul. Not knowing why, Joey's eyes fell obediently to the ground, blinking as he studied the floor with a blank face.
"Excuse my son," his father said, holding his hand out to the senior Kaiba. "I'm Matt, Matt Wheeler."
The older man shoot his hand firmly and gave a nod in recognition. "Wheeler, hm? The black dragon is yours, correct?" he asked, ignoring the man he was talking to previously, not that he seemed to mind.
"Indeed, she is, sir."
"She's done well this year; thirty-eight and nine, wasn't it?"
"Thirty-nine, actually. She won't be back for some time, just had a clutch of three." Joey gave a silent snort at this, glancing over to the fourth egg that now sat with the gray dragon. Unbeknown to him, a set of blue eyes followed his gaze.
"Mind if I take a look? I am looking for some new breeding lines to introduce to my barns.
Joey saw his father's eyes as they lit up, thinking about the opportunity to make a quick dollar by selling off an egg. "Absolutely, sir." His false modesty was enough to make Joey puke.
Together the group made their way to Keller's stall, Joey making it point to avoid the Kiaba brothers, not that the smaller one seemed to be so bad. He was trying to talk with his brother and crack a joke or two, and he had a brilliant smile which Joey was sure the other could never pull off. The only thing the smaller one was lacking was his brother's blue eyes, instead having chocolate brown. Again Joey found himself looking at the older brother, but his focus was quickly brought away by his father.
"Joey, go get me an egg." His father barked, not leaving Joey room to protest. For the hell Joey had gotten when he'd returned home that morning, he found it completely stupid that his father was telling him to go back in there. The bruises across his back served as fresh reminders to leave his father's dragon alone.
Rolling his eyes at the stupidity of it all Joey slid the door open and slipped in, purposely making noise as to not startle the sleeping
mother awake.
"Best line I've bred in years, I'm sure of it. I paired her with Siegfried's grey-and-red. Stud was forty and three, not that it is unusual for his lot," Joey heard his father gloating from behind him, causing the boy to roll his eyes again. Breeding with Siegfried's dragon had cost his family dinner for weeks, not that he cared. Ignoring the flash of anger he felt Joey clicked his tongue and held his hand out to the dragon. "Hey, beauty," he cooed, trying to earn her trust like he'd done days ago. Then, he had had a few dead rabbits though. Now, he only had the mark of an egg thief and a shaky smile. Green eyes stared at him. As he inched closer to the clutch of eggs the tail was wrapped around, he couldn't help but to think: "This has to be the stupidest thing I've done since yesterday." He inched closer still.
"Mokuba, have you ever wondered what it looks like when a dragon eats a person?" the older Kaiba brother mused out loud.
"Huh, what'd you mean Set-" the smaller boy was cut off by Joey's yell as he was slammed into the wall by a large claw. Keller had risen to her feet swiftly and pinned Joey to the wall, the claws inches from his head, another firmly embedded in his arm. Joey began to hyperventilate as his head tilted to the side to look at the long black claw, piercing his shirt, skin, and muscles. The smallest movement made his arm go numb, and pain shot all the way up the limb into his shoulder. It hurt just to try and NOT move.
Matt cursed openly and rushed into the stall, shoving the large dragon and taking a cylinder out of his pocket. With a flick of his wrist the cylinder extended into a metal club, which he rose in the air threateningly. "Off him, you stupid beast!" he yelled looming over her unprotected egg with his club held high. Obediently, but less than willingly, the dragon dropped the boy. Joey dropped to the ground with a groan. Her tail twitched in aggravation and she swayed on her feet, as if debating to assault her master. With a touch of insanity and bravery, Matt's eyes stared the dragon down, never leaving her deep green pools. Leaning further toward the clutch of eggs, Keller finally submitted, her maternal instincts overriding her anger. Letting out a loud sigh, she settled down onto the floor, lowering her head to touch the ground.
With a triumphant snort and a smirk, Matt lowered the club and picked up two of the three eggs, ignoring Joey who was now curled up on the floor, in pain and bleeding. He didn't bother to close the stall door behind him.
"These are the two I had my eyes on last night. They feel heavy, sturdy. Good dragons - I'd bet my life on it," Matt said handing one over to Kaiba.
The man took the unlit cigar from his mouth and held it between his fingers as he rolled the egg around in his hands, looking for imperfections. "Seto, what do you think?" he asked looking down at the older of the brother.
"It is nice," he answered grudgingly. While Joey had been pinned to the wall he'd watched Keller's every move. Her tail balanced
perfectly, her eyes flared dangerously, and he would had bet his last dollar that if she had wanted to kill Joey it would have been done in the blink of an eye. She was a remarkable pit dragon. Nowhere near the same as his own, but impressive nonetheless. "The mother looks to be quite the specimen as well. Her tail is fast, and her horns are thick. They have never broken." Matt's eyebrows rose at his observations.
Quite a boy you have there, Kaiba! He is right, her horns have never so much as chipped."
"Hm," was his response, accompanied by a disinterested nod. "What is her stone of choice?" he asked, still rolling the egg in his hands.
"Hematite. Four pounds a day, nothing too intrusive," he shrugged, knowing a man with that kind of money wasn't really bothered by such a thing.
Nodding again, Kaiba put his cigar back in his mouth and picked his briefcase up. "I'll take them both, then, and see how they do." From inside the stall Joey looked up at the single, lonesome egg still in the stall, Keller's tail wrapped back around it while her eyes never left her two eggs, in the arms of the cold businessman. Although he now had a gaping wound in his arm from he, he couldn't help but feel sorry for the dragon. In the span of twenty-four hours, four of her five eggs had been taken. One stolen, one taken, and two held hostage from her.
How could he not feel sorry?
A check was written and Kaiba opened his brief case, which had padding and space enough for two eggs to rest comfortably. "My boys will also be staying here for study, my stables are no place for children to be roaming around." He spoke aloud, as if it interested Matt, which it didn't in the least. Still he went on. "Within the next few months, I will be sending a hatching along for Seto. I expect room to be made and a stall to be set up. Spare no expense."
Suddenly aware he was being put in charge of this task, Matt nodded as he took the check that was handed to him and stuffed it in his pocket. "Absolutely, sir."
Without another word Kaiba snapped his now-full briefcase shut, and turned on his heel to leave. Seto didn't look back, but a pair of chocolate eyes did. Joey swore he even heard a whisper of "What about Joey?"
Not to Joey's surprise the boy didn't look back with his brother, but instead took his hand to hurry him up and follow their father. Go figure, the money bags cared just about as much as his dad did. Wishing that his sister was around Joey groaned as he tried to move again. Agony radiated through his body as blood tickled down his arm, and when he tried to stand the scarlet liquid only ran faster. A wave of nausea rushed through him as he fell back onto the floor, resting his head against the wall weakly.
Not looking at him, Joey's father slammed the stall door shut, his footsteps echoing as he left the barn. Joey looked over to Keller who was resting peacefully, her single egg nuzzled closely by her side. "Stupid lizard…" he muttered as he rubbed his thumb against his fingers, trying to see if he had any feeling on his injured side. When he didn't feel anything he began trying to register the damage done. Torn muscle, potential nerve damage, nothing broken. All in all he'd seen worse - you didn't just walk away scar-free when you dealt with dragons.
Time passed and his bleeding didn't stop. Just when Joey thought he was about to faint the stall door slid open and someone came in. Blurred vision prevented him from seeing who it was, but before darkness engulfed him he saw one thing: Clear blue.