First Yu-Gi-Oh fanfic. Please tell me about any glaring mistakes. English dub names, set in US. I also must credit "Paper Roses" by Kisara Strife as the main reason for getting me interested in this pairing. :)
If you live in the past, you die in the present.
One: Three Years Ago
Lightning seared across the torrential sky, lighting up the room, for a brief second illuminating the prone figure of Seto Kaiba as he was beset by invisible demons.
Long, white hair danced before him as she stood in front of him like a shield.
Still asleep, the young man clenched his hand around his pillow, nails threatening to tear through it.
Blue eyes, once vibrant, now dull and clouded by death.
His near-incoherent mutters were deafening in the silent bedroom. "Foolish… Don't… Please… Stay with me…"
Her voice, like that of an angel's, made his name sound sweet. "Seto…"
"No…"
"Seto!"
"Don't do it…"
"SETO!"
"KISARA!" Seto Kaiba shot up, staring at something only he could see as lightning once again shone on his haunted face. "Kisara…" His cool sheets bunched at his waist as he leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees and burying his face in his hands. "Kisara…"
Three years. Three years since he had seen the girl.
No, that wasn't quite true. Three years since he had been sent back to ancient Egypt, yes. But she had haunted his dreams almost every night ever since. The only reprieves he got from nightmares of her death had been during the height of the War, when innocent blood streamed down the streets, rivers near battlefields turned red, and governments all around the world demanded he convert KaibaCorp back to manufacturing arms for their countries. Some nights he had worked so hard beating back the bloodthirsty mongrels that he simply forgot to sleep.
"Kisara…"
He caught his hand unconsciously edging towards the deck of cards on the nightstand and immediately snatched the offending body part back.
Three years since he had last touched his Duel Monsters deck.
He tried to tell himself that the reason he'd stopped playing was because the War had taken precedence over everything else (except Mokuba). No time for dueling. No time for games. But as he stared at the dusty stack of cards, he knew the real reason was because he could no longer even look at his Blue Eyes, let alone play it.
"Kisara…"
The War was over. Had been for almost a year now. Compared to the previous two World Wars, this one had been relatively short, lasting not even two years, but devastation had still been great. Battles, executions, torture, massacres, rebellions. And then there were the "natural disasters" – hurricanes, tsunamis, earthquakes, tornados, massive lightning storms.
It was a miracle Domino City still stood. Of course, it was mainly a gaming city, but if KaibaCorp had agreed to revert back to weapons manufacturing (which would've happened over Seto's dead body), Domino City would most certainly have been targeted.
So while the rest of the country, the rest of the world, still recovered from the War, life in Domino City went on as always.
Except for Seto Kaiba.
"Kisara…"
Something snapped inside him. Magic, science, fantasy, reality were locked away in a deep recess of his mind for another day. If he didn't do something about the girl, he was going to go insane. He was probably well on the path to madness already.
Seto reached past his deck and picked up his cell phone, flipping it open and dialing the number he had memorized weeks ago in case he made this very decision. On an afterthought, he glanced at the time as the first ringtone sounded. 3:19 a.m. It would be the middle of the morning in Egypt.
She picked up on the third ringtone. "Hello?"
"Ishizu, it's Kaiba." He forced the next words out from between clenched teeth. "I need a favor."
A pause. "I'm listening."
Seto took a deep breath and prepared to crash-land into the world of Yugi and the Geek Squad and everyone else who believed in magic and rainbows and sunshine. "Three years ago, when I went to Egypt and you told me to go to that stone tablet with the pharaoh and the priest dueling…"
"Like the others, you were sent back five thousand years, yes?"
He might as well send himself to the mental asylum now. "Yugi tried to explain all the reincarnation and Shadow Dueling nonsense to me, but there's one thing I remember, and I need an answer from you."
"What is it?"
"Does the stone tablet of the Blue Eyes White Dragon still exist?"
He could hear a pin dropping somewhere in Cairo. "Ah," Ishizu finally said. "You've finally made up your mind about Kisara."
Seto clenched his jaw. "Does the tablet exist or not?"
"Yes, it's been very well preserved. When shall we expect you?"
"I'm flying the jet out first thing in the morning." Already he was up and flinging things into his suitcase.
"If I may be so bold, I suggest you ask Yugi Muto for his help." Seto scowled, knowing full well Ishizu couldn't see him, but she seemed to be able to tell his expression anyway. "The Pharaoh's spirit still resides in the Millennium Puzzle. He will have invaluable knowledge, especially since what you plan on doing has never been attempted before."
"And what," Seto bit out, "am I supposedly planning?"
"Releasing Kisara from the stone tablet. Take the day to ask Yugi for help. Call me when you have finalized your plans." Ishizu hung up.
Even without that "clairvoyant" necklace of hers, Ishizu was still unnervingly outspoken about the future.
Seto leaned against the window, drumming his fingers on the glass. The storm had calmed and the faintest rosy hints of dawn tinged the night sky. Ask Yugi for help? Please. He wasn't that desperate.
Then again, he had no idea what the hell he was going to do once he got to Egypt. Ogle some carved rock until an ancient temple collapsed on him? One thing was for certain, Yugi Muto had an alter ego of sorts. It was hard to deny the height difference.
"Maybe there is some truth to this junk," Seto muttered, unknowingly echoing his own words from three years ago.
A knock on the door drew him out of his thoughts, and Mokuba poked his head into the room. "Seto? You all right? I thought I heard something."
Seto turned around and looked at his sleepy but concerned brother. "I'm fine. Go back to bed, Mokuba."
"Where are you going? I heard you telling someone about flying the jet out."
Seto pulled his laptop towards him to make plans for his absence. "Egypt. I'm not sure how long I'll be gone."
"Is this about that Kisara girl I heard you yelling about earlier?" Seto froze but didn't look up at Mokuba. "Yugi told me about what happened when you all went to Egypt three years ago. He said you were there with them and he told me about a girl named Kisara who became the Blue Eyes or something."
"Go to bed, Mokuba."
Mokuba's eyebrows rose. He'd been expecting Seto to snap about magic not being real and how it'd all been illusions, not a sigh of resignation. "Well, I'm coming with you."
Now Seto looked up. "No. You're staying here."
"Why?"
"It's –" Too dangerous? What was dangerous? Seto stared at his computer screen for a minute. It was summer, so he couldn't say Mokuba would be missing school. And Mokuba had been trying to convince him to go on vacation. At least Mokuba couldn't complain anymore. "Fine."
Another shocker. Seto had caved faster than he'd thought. "Awesome." Mokuba turned to go but paused. "You're inviting Yugi and his friends, too, right?"
"Fine!" If the universe wanted him to invite the Geek Squad that badly, then fine.
So as soon as the clock struck eight, Seto strode into Solomon Muto's Game Shop. The old man looked up with his customary smile, but the welcome greeting died on his lips as he saw who had entered his store. "Mr. Kaiba," he said warily.
"Mr. Muto," Seto said stiffly. His duel with the old man was something he'd rather forget about. "Would Yugi by any chance be around?"
"I will see if he is available." The old man backed out of the rear door, never letting his suspicious gaze leave Seto until the door swung shut. For the next ten minutes, Seto impatiently waited, coldly glaring at the various, colorful displays around the shop. He'd ripped up the only thing of value in here years ago.
The door swung open again and Yugi stepped into the shop – along with, much to Seto's chagrin, Wheeler, Taylor, and Gardner. They all looked half-dressed, still partially in pajamas, with mussed up hair and bleary eyes.
"Yo, rich boy, got another wardrobe makeover or somethin'?"
"At least I have more taste than slumber party-chic," Seto replied coolly. Did the mutt really expect him to still wear the same white trench coat from Battle City three years ago?
Yugi gave Joey a warning look before facing Seto. "What can we do for you, Kaiba?"
Great. It was already demeaning enough having to ask Yugi for help, but in front of the other three? No way in hell. "I'm planning a trip to Egypt that may be of some interest to you."
Yugi instantly perked up. "What's going on?"
"Let's just say it has to do something with Blue Eyes' 'magical' stone tablet."
The diminutive young man's eyes lit up. "So you have come around and started believing in it!"
"I said nothing of the sort!" Seto snapped. "To be honest, I don't care whether or not your magical fantasies are real. The only thing I'm interested in is getting that tablet."
Yugi's brow furrowed. "Does this have anything to do with Kisara?"
"No." It had everything to do with Kisara.
"Why have you come here? What do you need me for?" he-with-the-tri-colored-hair asked, bewildered.
If only Seto knew that himself. "My contact in Egypt suggested it be in my best interest to come to you and your alter ego for consultation. You probably remember her."
"Ishizu? Huh." Yugi looked thoughtful for a minute. When he looked back up again, he was decided. "It seems it would be best if I joined you on your trip."
"What? Yug, you don' even know what Kaiba wants from ya! What if he's tryin' ta get your God Cards again or somethin'?" Wheeler demanded.
Seto leveled an icy glare at the blond mongrel. "In case you haven't noticed, there have been more important things going on in the past few years than Duel Monsters."
"Don' use the War card on me, money bags!" Wheeler snapped, holding up his fists. "While ya were sittin' up in that skyscraper of yours, I was fightin' on the front lines!"
Seto arched an eyebrow. "You actually enlisted in the army?"
Wheeler let out a humorless chuckle. "Never said it was da army. Fight under dat crazy? No way. I was bringin' that tyrant down while you were safe with all dat money to pay your way out!"
Seto narrowed his eyes. "Wrong. I never had to pay my way out."
He let that sink in for a moment. It hit Gardner first. "Mokuba? They – they drafted Mokuba?"
"The insane excuse of a military dictator did lower the draft age to fourteen. And it's not all that easy to pay someone's way out, especially when the person you're paying is out of his mind." When the notice had come declaring Mokuba's participation in the War, Seto had shattered every breakable object in his study and probably sent several White House aides to long-term therapy. But even with the threat of the full-force of KaibaCorp bearing down on him, Fawkes, the ex-general who had somehow taken over the government, still declined contacting Seto, preferring instead to focus on sending children to the trenches. At least some sane member of the White House staff had decided they could make an exception for just one kid.
Well, Wheeler was lucky he was still alive. No one had been quite sure who'd won. Upon Fawkes' demise, both the rebels and other nations around the world had claimed victory, though losses had been heavy on all sides, especially for the rebels. Once a more competent president had been rapidly elected, the U.S. government had transitioned back to the republic it had been before the rise of the short-lived military dictatorship.
"– still not sure what you need me for." Yugi's voice drew Seto back to the conversation.
"You can keep an eye on Mokuba, or just tour around the pyramids or whatever it is you do. I'm sure there'll be some use for you. Mokuba and I are leaving at nine tomorrow morning, so make your decision by then."
"So does this mean the rest of us can come along, too?" Taylor asked as Seto was about to leave.
Seto gritted his teeth. "Yes."
"Awesome, free vacation."
Seto left the shop before the urge to kill someone became overwhelming. He managed to calm his nerves on the ride back home, and he began considering ramifications he hadn't given a thought about during his pre-dawn pacing. He and Mokuba were about to set off on a last-minute trip with the Geek Squad to Egypt for several days, weeks, who knew how long, and all he had planned so far was that he had to see the Blue Eyes' stone tablet.
Perhaps a trip to the psychologist was due soon.
A storefront caught his eye. "Stop." The driver obeyed immediately. "I'll be right back." Seto stepped out of the limo and swept into the bookstore. It was a small, quiet, privately-owned place, and the teenaged cashier offered him a half-hearted greeting, not even glancing up from her magazine.
A sign directed him to the back of the store, and Seto skimmed the shelves, skipping past mythologies of Asia and Africa and Greece until he finally reached Egypt. He picked out a potential title and scanned the index. Ka was definitely thoroughly explored. He was about to turn around when another book caught his eye.
The Mythological Origins of Duel Monsters.
Huh. Seto picked it up, immediately scowling upon seeing the author's name. Maximillion Pegasus. Seto almost shoved the book back on the shelf before reconsidering. As creepy as the one-eyed weirdo was, the book might actually have relevant information. Still scowling, Seto tucked the two books under his arm, slapped a hundred on the counter, and was out of sight by the time the cashier could even look up in surprise.
The two books sat on Seto's lap as the limo continued the journey back to the mansion. The mythology book's cover had the typical sphinx and pyramids. Pegasus' had a drawing of two ancient Egyptian duelists with a Blue Eyes and a Dark Magician hovering over them. Almost an exact copy of Ishizu's stone tablet.
And it could not be any more obvious that the duelist with the Dark Magician was meant to be Yugi Muto. That hair was automatically recognizable. So if that was Yugi, then that meant the other duelist was –
Seto viciously opened the book and glowered at Pegasus' joking explanation of the cover as an artist's rendition of Yugi Muto and Seto Kaiba as ancient Egyptian duelists.
Duel Monsters was inspired during a trip to Egypt, read Pegasus' introduction. There are beliefs that the ancient Egyptians played Shadow Games, with the ka of individuals stored in giant stone tablets until magical priests summoned the monsters from the tablets for their duels. Though many of these tablets have been devoured by time, some still exist in guarded ruins today. Perhaps they are remnants of the supernatural, still with us, the disbelievers.
Beneath the introduction was a photograph. Seto's eyes landed on the image of the stone tablet, carved with the beast that stood prominent in his deck.
He slammed the book shut. Magic or not, he was going to get his answers. One way or the other.
Hehe. Hope I didn't disgrace Yu-Gi-Oh fanficcers everywhere. ^_^ Yes, Yami (as he will be referred to mostly, though Pharaoh will also be used) is still in the Puzzle. I haven't seen the show in years, and I've been skimming the videos on Hulu and the wikia pages for mostly Seto and Kisara info, so I am by no means an expert.
The War that's referred to is World War III and is of my own creation - I don't believe the show gave any hint about a human war of any sort. As mentioned above, it lasted less than two years but with great casualties. Most believe it was instigated by General Fawkes' overthrow of the president and his military dictatorship, but there is mythological reasoning behind the cause, too. There'll be more explanation of the War later on. I am no expert on Egyptian mythology, either, and I'll be relying mostly on Wikipedia, but I'll be grateful if anyone wants to help me out later on. :)
Upcoming: Seto, Mokuba, and Yugi and his friends meet the Ishtars in Egypt.
Review please!