Hey! I was motivated to write this story and here it is. I hope you like it! It's not really set in a different world, although it would appear to be, but rather a different 'time.' I say this because Kaiba and Yami have, in this story, never really 'met,' and they take on some interesting 'titles.'

-- Unanticipated Emotions --

Chapter One

~*~

"Now listen to me Yami, one day you will have to face off against the Lord of Dragons, and when that day comes, I want you to be ready. You are to show your enemy no mercy. Remember what his father did to your mother. You are the only person left in this family who even has a chance at defeating him. Don't let me down."

"I won't father."

~*~

Yami sat up in his bed. Why that dream; why now? He gripped tightly onto the cotton sheets that covered him in an effort to relieve some of the stress he was feeling. He was failing miserably.

His back was aching and his limbs were numb. Today just wasn't one of his days. Normally he was calm and refined taking every matter in with a cool head. Not today though. Why was he so jittery?

He was suddenly jerked from his thoughts when there was a soft rapping on his chamber door.

Yami sighed and answered, "You may enter."

The door made a soft creak as it opened and in walked a somewhat young girl dressed in colorful robes. "Master," she spoke with a soft voice, "The others and I await you down in the dining hall."

"Magician of Faith, please tell the others that I shall be down soon."

"Very well." She bowed before taking her leave.

Yami drew himself out of bed and proceeded to get dressed. Once that task was finished, he exited his chambers into the hall. Pictures lined the walls of the Palace painted of all the former Magician Masters before Yami. There were elegant tapestries hanging off banisters, and a mix of gold and oak made up the floor panels. Everything was polished and looked new. It was beautiful.

Making his way down the Palace steps, Yami couldn't help but look at the pictures he passed on the way. Every single Master of Magicians before him had been defeated in battle and then never seen again.

Suddenly Yami stopped on the steps. 'That's why I feel the way I do. It all makes sense now.'

Today was the day when he would have to travel to the Dark Mountains. That was where his enemy took asylum. That was where the Lord of Dragons lived.

Yami shook his head free of his thoughts and continued down the stairs. At the bottom he took a right and entered into the Dining Hall. All of the Magicians were there, some quiet and others talking amongst themselves. As soon as they felt Yami's presence, all became silent and all eyes were focused on him.

Dark Magician stood up and spoke first, "Master, good morning. Did you have a good rest?" He was the most loyal of all of Yami's subjects. He was always looking out for him and making sure he was safe.

Yami shrugged, a motion that was new to his normal refinement. "I suppose so."

About five more magicians stood up at that comment.

"Master are you alright?" asked one of them.

"You aren't hurt are you?" came another question.

Yami smiled, "No, I am fine. I'm just a bit nervous about today."

Dark Magician frowned, "Yes, today is the day, isn't it?"

"Yes. I have to do this. It's the only way to find out more about the Lord of Dragons."

A voice at the table snickered, "By sneaking around? That's typical of someone of your stature."

Everyone's gaze turned and was fixed on the Magician of Black Chaos.

"How dare you speak to our Master like that!" Dark magician yelled.

Magician of Black Chaos only smirked, "I will speak to him as I please."

"You're being disrespectful!" Magician of Faith accused.

Finally Yami broke in saying "That's enough, everyone be quiet." Once silence had been restored he spoke in a calmer tone. "Now, please listen carefully. In order to defeat our enemy we have to work together. We can't go creating enemies amongst ourselves. I have decided that tonight, when I leave for the Dark Mountains, I am going alone."

Almost immediately, the Dining Hall was filled with voices.

"But Master, you can't go alone!" Dark Magician Girl stated. "It's too dangerous!"

Yami's expression remained unchanged. It was obvious that he had made his decision and no one was going to change that. "It has already been decided." That was all he said before abruptly turning and exiting the Hall.

--

~*~

"Get up, you sniveling little brat! I barely even touched you! Is this how you're going to act when you face off against the Master of Magicians? I would hope not! Our family has succeeded every time in defeating every single past Magician Master! That is exactly what you are going to do! I swear, if you let us down, I'll kill you with my own hands! Now, you WILL defeat the Master of Magicians when the time comes. Is that clear?"

"Y-Yes, father."

~*~

Kaiba was jerked out of his stroll down memory lane when a sudden crash was heard outside his bedroom door. "What are they doing now?" he asked in an irritated manner. He got up from his desk practically throwing his chair across the room and flung open his chamber door.

Right outside, there was a large circle that continued all around the interior of the castle which served as a walkway. In the middle of that there was a large amount of open space. Currently filling this space at the moment was a Curse of Dragon and a Twin-Headed Fire Dragon. They were flying in circles around each other easily evading the other's attack. They were at it- again.

Kaiba clenched his fists so tight that his nails were biting into his palms. "ENOUGH!!!" he yelled. His voice echoed all through the castle.

Both dragons stopped where they were and turned to face their master.

"What is wrong with you!? I give you a simple order like: "Do not engage in battles while inside the castle", and what do you do? Exactly the opposite! How am I supposed to be victorious in destroying the Master of Magicians if all of my dragons have destroyed each other?!"

Both of the dragons hovered in front of their master, each lowering their heads in shame.

"Just go back to the Valley."[1] Kaiba was growing tired of this. This was how it was almost every day. He turned to his left and stomped down the hall, his pitch-black cape flapping steadily with each step.

He had barely made it to the stairwell when someone spoke his name.

"Lord Kaiba. What is wrong? That expression does not suit you."

Kaiba turned just barely only to see someone's shadow in one of the doorways. He already knew who it was. "I'm sure you heard the brawl that went on out here. The dragons are becoming restless."

A figure stepped out of the shadows revealing a girl dressed in a short blue gown that looked to be made of scales, with ruby colored hair that fell passed her waist, the ends slightly curling up. In her arms she held a tan-colored jar filled with magical water. Her name was Water Omotics.[2] "Well, that is a somewhat good thing. You see, if the dragons are becoming more and more anxious to fight, then when the true fight between you and the Magician Master begins the dragons will be at their best. You need not worry Lord. Everything will turn out ok."

Kaiba closed his eyes. "Well, I suppose I never thought about it like that." He sighed, "How are the dragons doing?"

"Very well. They can sense that the ultimate battle is drawing near and it is pushing them to train even harder."

"That's good. What are you doing today?"

"Well, I have to take watch over the Dragon Valley and make sure no more fights arise."

"Alright. Thank you."

"You are very welcome Lord Kaiba," she bowed and turned, walking away and once again disappearing into the shadows.

Kaiba continued on down the stairs brushing his hand along the cold stone rail. The castle was much different from Yami's palace. Nothing around the place really took on any elegance at all. Almost everything was made out of dark gray stone. There were no tapestries, pictures, or flourishes anywhere. The place had an overall darkness about it. That darkness seemed to affect Kaiba, more than he cared to acknowledge. Maybe it seemed to reflect his feelings. Maybe it brought back old memories he wanted to forget. Whatever it was, it bothered him.

At the bottom of the stairs he took a left and almost immediately came to two large wooden doors. He pushed them open with ease and stepped out into the afternoon light. The land around him was barren. No green could be seen anywhere. Jagged rocks jutted up from dry land and the ground had split in many different places from lack of water.

Far off in the land, dragons could be seen flying in circles. There were probably hundreds of them. That was Dragon Valley. That was where Kaiba was headed.

"Blackland Fire Dragon, I summon thee!" he yelled. In almost an instant, a large green dragon with large green wings was at Kaiba's side. "I want you to take to me to Dragon Valley."

The dragon bowed its head all the way to the ground in order to let its 'master' climb on. Once Kaiba was situated on the dragon's back, it beat its wings once and was lifted into the air. It then proceeded on its way towards the Valley.

--

Yami cursed mentally. He was already beginning to wish he had brought along a companion. He had long crossed the line that separated his land from the rest of the world and there was a definite change already taking place. He was no longer walking through lush grass and passing full shrubs. There were less ponds and animal life as well. Even the sky seemed darker now. 'I must be getting close.'

He had left for the Palace right after he had left the Dining Hall hours ago. It was around a 7-hour walk to get to the Castle from his Palace and he had already been walking for 5 hours.

After a while, he began to get the freaky feeling that he was being watched. He wasn't really sure but still, the feeling seemed to linger around him. Finally in the distance he saw a large, almost black foundation.

"That must be it," he thought aloud. If he hurried, he would be there in one hour.

--

Kaiba stepped down onto the ground and almost immediately all the dragons stopped where they were, looked at Kaiba, and grounded themselves. "Where is Blue-Eyes?" he asked. Looking around, the silver dragon was nowhere to be found.

"Lord Kaiba, a One-Eyed Shield Dragon has already been sent out to look for it. He disappeared a little while ago. We're not sure where he went," said Dragoness the Wicked Knight.

Kaiba sighed, "That's not like him at all! He knows better than to do something like that!"

Water Omotics rushed to his side. "Do not worry Lord Kaiba, we will find him. Do not worry. He'll probably come back on his own."

There was a large gust of wind at that moment and everyone looked up to see, none other than, the Blue-Eyes White Dragon. It made its landing right next to Kaiba and let out a loud bellowing roar.

Kaiba rushed over to the distraught dragon. "What is it Blue-Eyes? Is something wrong?"

The silver dragon raised its head and lowered it.

"Where is the trouble?" Kaiba asked it. And then, "Is someone trying to come into my land?"

The dragon only bowed its head in an effort to tell Kaiba to get on and he would take him to the trouble.

Kaiba had no choice but to do just that.

--

Elsewhere, Yami tripped for the fifth time in 5 minutes. He was not accustomed to this type of terrain at all. There were deep cuts on his legs from the serrated rocks but he willed the pain out of his mind. Sweat beaded on his forehead, failing to cool him down. He almost felt sick.

'Almost there. I just have to remember that I'm almost there,' he thought. He looked ahead of him and saw once again the castle. It was very close now but also a bit blurred. Yami shook his head and opened his eyes but everything seemed to be blurred now. 'What is wrong with me?' He stopped walking for a moment and wiped off his forehead. In the distance he could faintly see something coming towards him. What was it? 'Maybe I'm hallucinating.'

He took a step forward but his feet never touched the ground. The next thing he knew, he was falling. Everything was blurred after that. He saw mostly brown, gray and red. Each tumble brought a yelp from him. He could just barely feel rock cutting into his body with each topple. In a quick second, he jutted one of his arms out and quickly grabbed onto one of the rocks. His whole body jerked to a stop causing Yami to cry out in pain. He opened his eyes and looked down. All he saw was darkness. If he let go, it looked like he might fall forever. His whole body was aching and sore. It was almost unbearable.

Then, his grip loosened.

"No, I just- can't die like this," he said in almost a whisper.

Then, the rain began to fall. It was soft at first, then it started coming down in sheets. At first, the rain stung Yami's skin, but soon, it felt like it was cleansing it. It was sort of calming. Yami closed his eyes for a moment. He felt so tired. At one point, he almost wanted to let go. He could feel unconsciousness calling him. But, then he heard the most familiar voice.

"Don't let me down."

"Father." The rain made it even harder for Yami to hold on. He was going to fall. "I am so sorry father. Please, forgive me."

Yami fell unconscious moments before he let go.

--

--

--

Kaiba's footsteps echoed throughout the castle as he headed towards one of the rooms. In his hands he held a tray upon which sat a large bowl and rag and roll of binding.

He stopped at one of the doors and opened it, careful not to make too much noise. Inside the room, a figure rested peacefully on a bed. Kaiba took his place next to the bed and looked down at the mysterious individual. They were covered in deep gashes and blood.

For the first time in Kaiba's life, he felt a deep sadness. This sadness was directed at the person who was sleeping on his bed. 'Why do I feel this way?' he thought.

~*~

"Kaiba! Listen to me! You are pathetic! Do you actually expect me to do something about a cut that big? You have to learn to take it like a man! I really hope that one day something horrible happens to you so you have something to cry about! No one cares about you! If you were to die right now, I wouldn't even shed a tear. I am ashamed to have you as a son!"

~*~

Kaiba had to steady himself in order to stop his hands from trembling. "What does that have to do with anything?!" he found himself yelling. He knew the answer. This unknown person had no one to help them. They were all alone.

Sighing, Kaiba kneeled down beside the bed and sat the tray on a nearby table. He took the rag and doused it in the steaming water that had been mixed with a special kind of medicine. After barely ringing out the rag, he took ahold of one of the person's hands and began to gently clean off the wet and dry blood that had stained their skin.

Almost immediately, the person's free hand gripped tightly onto the sheets and the one that Kaiba was holding held on to his.

"Don't worry, the pain will be over soon," Kaiba said assuringly and continued to cleanse the stranger's wounds. 'What has gotten into me?'

--

Yami slowly opened his eyes. He no longer felt any pain. He felt somewhat numb. He no longer felt dizzy or exhausted, but rather well rested. He almost wondered if he was dead. He started to get up, and fell back down squeezing his eyes shut. PAIN. All feeling seemed to flood back into his body after that. He tried again to get up with the same results.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," came a voice from in the room.

Yami slightly turned his head in the direction of the voice. He saw a brunette teen seemingly around his age sitting next to him in a chair. "Who- ", it even hurt to talk, "Who are you?"

"My name is Kaiba," he said with his arms crossed.

"Kaiba? What happened to me?"

"You fell off a cliff."

"I did?" he asked surprised. "But then- how am I alive?"

Kaiba looked away from him. "Don't ask me. How should I know?" he asked in an almost angered tone. He had to look away from him for two reasons: One, because he felt sorry for the guy, and two, he found himself drawn to the stranger.

"Oh. How did I end up here? And, where am I?"

"Listen, just stop asking questions! Now is not the time." He made the mistake of looking at him and all the anger in his face disappeared. Yami had a distraught look on his face. "What is it now?"

Yami sighed, "I guess I won't be going home anytime soon."

"Most definitely not! Not in the condition you are in!"

Yami smiled slightly and looked up at the ceiling. "You know, as tough as you seem to be, you sure do seem to worry a lot about me."

The expression on Kaiba's face was priceless.

"My name is Yami," he turned to look at Kaiba, "and don't worry. I really appreciate your concern."

Kaiba would have kissed Yami right then and there, had not he been awe- struck and Yami not wounded. Plus there was that little detail of- 'I am a heartless and non-loving person.'

He once again turned away from Yami. "Um, I don't know what you're talking about." When there was no other contradiction he turned towards Yami. He had fallen asleep.

Kaiba sighed and stood up and walked over to the bed. He took ahold of the sheets and pulled them up around Yami. He couldn't help but trace his trace his thumb down Yami's cheek. He quickly pulled back wondering what the heck he was doing. He'd leave his in-depth questioning for another time. He turned and left the room, carefully shutting the door on his way out.

Inside, Yami touched his cheek. "Not concerned, eh? Well, we'll see about that."

---TBC---

[1]- The 'Valley' that they speak of throughout this chapter is Dragon Valley: The place where all of Kaiba's dragons reside and live.

[2]- Water Omotics- "Transforms the water overflowing from a jar into attacking dragons." (It's a real duel monster.)

==Next Chapter==: Yami is determined to find out who saved his life. Kaiba is determined to prevent him from doing just that. The result?: a first kiss and a suspicious Water Omotics.

Well, there's chapter one. Please review! It helps a whole lot! Not a lot of romance in this chapter but don't worry, there shall be soon. Thanks a bunch for reading!

```AmethystRoze```