Okay... trying to get this one up now as time runs so short... Procrastination is a bad thing of mine lately.. I am distracted way to easily... Apologies just don't seem to be enough anymore... Unfortunately it's all I can offer...


Chapter 4
Engarde! Seto Kaiba...

"What exactly happened, Dartz?"

"A small set back, Lord Theron. Nothing we can't correct. The more souls we take, the more powerful the Leviathan grows. You will see. Once The Great Leviathan has enough souls, no one will stop it from swallowing this world. No one."

"The teen who controlled that dragon seemed to do a pretty good job of stopping you." Theron chided calmly as he leaned against a nearby wall. He folded his arms over his chest and arched a skeptical eyebrow in Dartz's direction.

"Yes, it does seem the Pharaoh holds the Power of the Dragon. It is only a minor setback that I shall deal with later," Dartz returned as he continued to stare at the carvings on the temple wall. "Raphael!" Theron turned toward the door as heavily booted footfalls sounded on the stone floor.

"Yes, Master Dartz?" Rapheal stopped at a set of stairs and bowed before his Master. "I know what to do. I'll find the Pharaoh, and this time, I'll make sure we drain his Power to feed the Great Beast, sir."

Dartz kept his back to him. "Why don't you try listening first, you fool? It's really a wonderful skill to master. And when you have mastered it," Dartz scolded, spinning around to face his servant. "You will know that we need more than just the Pharaoh's soul." Theron's ears picked up the sound of more footsteps and he glanced across the room as a man with chin length, red hair became visible.

"Then we'll deal with the others, too," the newcomer vowed. "I'll take Kaiba."

"I got me eye on someone, too," another voice added as a brown haired teen entered the room. "That fiesty, little, bloke, Joey Wheeler. He should be fun to take apart," he continued with a light chuckle.

"I know why you're after Wheeler," the red head snapped. Theron arched his eyebrow again, idly turning to drink in the scene as the brown haired one frowned.

"Mind your own business, Allister," he snapped back, folding his arms defensively in front of his chest. He moved to point a finger at him. "What about you?" Raphael looked back and forth between his commrades. "Why the sudden interest in Kaiba?"

"Look," Allister snarled, turning away from the pointing finger. "I have my reasons, Valon."

"Really?"

"Knock it off!" Raphael commanded darkly. "We're in the presence of Master Dartz and Lord Theron." Valon turned away from Allister and raised a hand in a show of loyalty to Dartz. Theron shook his head.

"Your Pharaoh and his friends are headed for America as we speak to meet with the one you were watching," he informed them.

"Pegasus," Raphael murmured.

"And to think I called you a bad listener," Dartz chided again.

"They still have no clue that you have already dealt with him," Theron continued. "They will be all yours for the taking."

"Exactly, so you best get back there before they do and make ready for them," Dartz instructed.

"Yes, Master," the three replied with another bow of their heads before standing and leaving the room to get ready.

"Let's see how this little meeting will go…" Theron murmuered as he, too, turned to leave.

"Oh, trust me. They are in for a surprise that will rock their world," Dartz promised with a grin.


"This was the last security tape we could find, Ms. Hart."

"Thank you, leave it on the desk." She stared out the window until the guard had gone from the room before turning and gazing down at the tape. "Whatever happened here… It should be on that tape." With a sigh, she picked up the tape and went to a cabinet where she found a TV and VCR. The screen was fuzzy at first as it set itself up, but soon, Aurora saw the familiar face of Pegasus behind his desk.

"How can it be that the beautiful monsters I made so popular can be turned to ruin cities all over the world?" He asked himself as he ran his hands through his hair. "Please Yugi, hurry…"

"Do ya always talk to yourself?" The curtains billowed out behind him and he turned to see the owner of the voice. "You gotta get yourself some friends, honey." Aurora squinted at the screen trying to recognize the shadowed figure outside his window.

"But how did you get passed my security?" Pegaus asked the stranger.

"Security's weak, babe. Let's say you and I play a little game…" Aurora's eyes widened when the shadowed figure came into view.

"Mai Valetine? It can't be…" She watched as they proceeded to duel with Mai playing the Seal to take her victory. "At least I know how it happened now," she sighed as she switched the video off. "Pegasus said that he hoped Yugi hurried here. That means he is on his way. Knowing Theron, a trap has been set…" She stood straighter, her eyes narrowed. She glanced down at a folder she had placed on his desk. Inside was the code to another room in which Pegasus had prepared a special gift for Yugi upon his arrival. "I'll go and make sure everything is secure."

The trip was made in silence as she made her way down the hall. With a sigh, she checked the coded lock box one last time. Satisfied that it was stable and ready she began to head back. She stopped only when she heard her cell phone go off.

"Hello? Oh hey, Saph… Yes, everything is as can be expected right now. You have made the appointment?... Good, I'll take one of Pegsus' jets to Florida to meet with Professor Hawkins. I would like to see more of the information he has collected about this Atlantis. Thank you. Talk to you later." A fresh look of determination fell into her eyes as she made her was to the elevator. She reached for a communicator and pressed a tiny button.

"Croquet? Yes, see that the jet is made ready for Florida. I must leave immediately."

"Yes, Ms. Hart, right away."

"And Croquet? Once I am gone, see to it that you and everyone else here goes home. Things are about to happen and I don't want anyone getting hurt."

"But, Ms. Hart-"

"I mean it Croquet. Once I am gone, take the others and get out."

"Yes, Ma'am."

She shook her head as she ended the communication. "Now if he listens to me, at least he and many others will be spared. If he doesn't, then I guess that is his choice."


"I thought I told you to hold all my calls!" Seto shouted as he stood at his desk. Sanura looked up from her laptop with an arched eyebrow. The poor man being hollared at carried a look of fear in his eyes as he stood and took the verbal abuse being thrown at him. "Now for the last time, do not patch any calls to me and tell those damn reporters that Kaiba Corp is not responsible in any way for all these monster sitings! Don't let me see you back in here again until they are gone!"

As bad as she felt for the lacky, she understood Seto's frustration. Ever since she arrived at the American branch of Kaiba Corp, she had learned to not go anywhere alone. The reporters flocked around her like moths to a flame. They all still insisted that Kaiba Corp was instrumental in creating the monsters that were bent on destroying the world. No evidence she or Seto could offer seemed to be enough proof to defend the company.

"Someone is trying to make a fool out of me and my company. That has to be it. A scheme of one of my rivals. But which one?" He sat behind his desk, his hands folded in front of his face as he thought. Sanura watched him a moment before returning to her laptop. Several keystrokes later, neither one of them was any closer to an answer. Seto growled and Sanura sighed as she ran her hands through her hair. She looked over at Seto again when he turned to his intercom.

"Roland, I need an update on our investigation. Are there any new leads?"

"No, nothing yet, sir."

"Has there been any word from Industrialist Illusions?"

"No, sir, nothing."

"Contact them immediately. I want answers and I want them now!"

"Yes, sir." Sanura watched him silently as Seto turned to face his large, picture window overlooking the city. She knew he was barely holding on to his temper. It both relieved her and worried her at the same time. She knew he had been ready to announce the news of his latest project. A project he was certain would help to rebuild the reputation of Kaiba Corp he thought had become tainted by his defeat in Battle City. With another frustrated sigh, she glanced down at her laptop screen. Their silence was interrupted when Mokuba burst through the doors.

"Seto! Check out our database!" Seto frowned and faced his little brother before doing as he was requested as Mokuba explained his urgency. "There's someone out there buying up on every share of our company!"

"What?" Sanura murmured in shock, striking a few keys to pull up the stock pages on her own computer.

"That's impossible!" Seto exclaimed furiously as he stared at the screen.

"Mr. Kaiba, if these numbers are correct, almost half of Kaiba Corp was just bought out by one person," Sanura informed him, her shock resonating in her voice. "Even more, they are still buying!"

"How can that be?" Seto growled.

"What are we gonna do?" Mokuba asked him quietly.

"We have to stop them," Seto told him evenly. "If they continue to purchase any more shares, they can take control over the entire company. I can't allow that." He was silent a moment before his fingers tapped on the keys once more. "There is only one person capable of doing something like this," he muttered as his phone rang. A death glare was turned to the phone before he answered it. The video feed to his phone clicked on and Sanura frowned as Pegasus appeared on the other end.

"Kaiba-boy, I've missed you."

"So, it was you," Seto scowled at the aristocratic face.

"I'm afraid I'm guilty as charged. It looks like we're partners now. This is going to be so much fun!"

Seto's eyes narrowed dangerously. "This company's mine!"

"Oh, come on, you're always so uptight, Kaiba-boy," Pegasus returned with a grin. "Why don't you treat yourself to a nice vacation?"

Seto's composeur snapped. "Enough! I will never let a snake like you wrap yourself around my company!"

"Oh, relax, I don't want your company. I only needed it to gain the upper hand so I could force you to do something for me. Plus I was bored and it was fun." Sanura's frown deepened at Pegasus' words as she stood to approach Mokuba and Seto at the video phone. Pegasus continued his taunting.

"You see, since both of our reputations are at stake thanks to these pesky monsters, I thought we could boost up our image by dueling each other."

You must be out of you mind, Pegasus!"

When was he ever in his mind? Sanura could not help but think with a shake ofe her head.

"Should I take that as a no?" Pegasus taunted with a smirk. "I'd reconsider if I were you. Because if not, I'll buy the rest of Kaiba Corp and take it apart piece by pathetic little piece. So, tell me… What's it gonna be? Can I count on you for a rematch? Or do I just proceed with plan B?"

"Now hold on!"

"I need an answer Kiaba-boy. Tick tock, tick tock…"

"What are you going to do?" Mokuba asked as Seto closed his eyes.

Opening his eyes, a look of determination and regret filled his gaze. "You have yourself a duel Pegasus."

"I thought you'd see things my way, so I set up an arena for us at Duelist Kingdom for old time's sake. Don't forget to bring the Blue Eyes White Dragons," he responded with a wave before the video feed died. Seto dropped the phone back in it's cradle with a grunt.

"You okay?" Mokuba asked soflty as another growl sounded from his brother's throat. Sanura placed her hands on Mokuba's shoulders to keep him still as he tried once more to get through to him. "Seto?" His brother refused to answer as he stepped from behind his desk and headed for the door. Mokuba looked up at Sanura before leaving her to follow him.

"Make sure Kiaba One is ready, Miss. Hart. Have it's course plotted for Duelist Kingdom."

She blinked a moment before going to her desk. "Yes, Mr. Kaiba."


A/N Okay... more changes are due ahead... Fair warning... This is going to be really interesting to try to work out for me... A sinus head cold isn't helping... --"