Note: The fourth chapter is up, Ladies and Gentlemen! Here's some more fluffyness for all you SetoKisara fans out there! Enjoy!
Chapter 4: The Four Dragons
While Atemu and Tea were spending their time on the beach that morning, Seto was pampering his four dragons in preparation for tonight's meeting. He especially worked hard on grooming his favorite dragon, Azure, to make her look her finest, smoothing out her scales so they shine. All this time, he had his new friend in mind, and he smiled. Kisara, he thought, I have hunch that you're going to love these Blue Eyes White Dragons I have. It's actually incredible, really, that you remind me of such dragons when I look at you. You both are so graceful, so regal. Seto closed his eyes for a moment, and all the events that happened last night appeared in his head. As he thought about the event when he mocked his rival in the cruelest way possible, he once again felt that twinge of regret. True, he intentionally wanted to hurt him at that time, but he never had any intention hurting him to the point that he would become suicidal. And yet, that was exactly what happened. He almost caused his rival to commit suicide. And with that knowledge revealed to him, he… he really felt horrible. Killing any fellow champion of righteousness, directly or indirectly, was the one thing that Seto does not want to do, even out of jealousy or rage. He knew from watching that Atemu was one such champion, but he was so caught up in his jealousy that he didn't even consider the consequences of his own actions. Had it not been for Kisara, he would never have realized what he had done. Seto slowly opened his eyes. Even today, he was still jealous of Atemu being with Princess Tea, but now that jealously is starting to lose its strength. But now is not the time to dwell on that thought. A certain white mermaid will be coming tonight, and he and his dragons need to be ready.
For the rest of the day, Seto allowed his dragons to get their exercise in the training grounds. Finally the time came. Seto waited patiently with the four Blue Eyes White Dragons at the beach where he first met Kisara. He listened carefully for the sound of splashing made by something other than the waves themselves. Sure enough, the splash came, followed by a figure of an anthropomorphic mermaid jumping toward him in the water. Seto smiled, for she had come. "Kisara!" he shouted to get her attention.
"Oh, Seto!" Kisara shouted in reply, "You're here! I was worried that I wouldn't find you!" She started swimming in top speed, eager to get close to the man she loves.
"Worry not, for I'm right here," Seto said, "along with some friends that I'd like for you to meet." Once Kisara got close enough, her eyes widened in awe, and she gasped in amazement.
"Wow! What are those creatures?" she said.
"These, Kisara, are my Blue Eyes White Dragons." Seto said proudly. As he began to pet Azure, he said, "They're beautiful, aren't they?"
"Oh very much, Seto!" Kisara said, "I've never seen anything like them! Do they have names?"
"They sure do, and even though they may look alike, they each have a distinct personality as well as some traits that distinguish one from the other, so it's no problem for me to know who's who." Seto gestures the first dragon to come to him and the Blue Eyes approached in order to show himself to the mermaid. "This one is called Azrael. He's tends to be a bit bossy towards the other dragons, but he's really quite a softy. Azrael can you open your mouth a bit?" Azrael did as requested, slightly opening its jaws so that more of the teeth could be seen. "Now see here, at the very back there is a single tooth missing. He's the only one of the four dragons that has a missing tooth so he's easy to spot for me." Next, the second Blue Eyes approached. "Now this one over here is called Djibril." Djibril started flapping his wings in a playful manner, almost making Seto stumble. "Whoa, easy there! As you can see, Djibril loves getting attention and is not afraid to show off when there's a chance. Hey, hey, calm down boy!" Kisara giggled at the whole thing.
"He certainly wants to play, that for sure!" Kisara said smiling.
"Yep," Seto said with a smirk, "He's actually quite childish at times." He then reaches out to the third dragon and brought her forward. "Well, compared to this beauty right here. That's Ibris. She's usually quiet, but when the other dragons get rowdy, she doesn't hesitate to step forward and calm things down. You might call her the peacekeeper of the group. On a side note, Djibril and Ibris are mates, and they've lived happily for a very long time. I'm happy to announce that they are about to become proud parents. Ibris is due to lay her first clutch of eggs in two days from now."
"Oh, congratulations!" Kisara cheered, "I hope all the eggs hatch into cute little babies! Oh, speaking of eggs, did you know that Atemu and I hatched from eggs too?"
"You're kidding me!" Seto said in surprise, but then it quickly dawned on him, and he blushed. "Oh, that's right, I forgot! You're a Deep Dweller mermaid, and Deep Dwellers lay eggs! And you said that Atemu also hatched from an egg. That means he was a Deep Dweller too, right?"
"He sure was before he became human." Kisara replied. "In fact, he's the firstborn child in the royal family. After him, came my elder sister, then my other elder brother, and finally me."
"Royal family?" Seto said in amazement, and he soon gasped. "So Atemu is a prince! And since you're his youngest sister, you must be a princess!"
"I sure am!" Kisara said. The two of them were interrupted by a low growl, and Seto turned to see that the fourth dragon was getting his attention.
"Oh, sorry girl. I almost forgot about you." Seto said softly, "Come on, don't be shy." Slowly, the Blue Eyes White Dragon came closer to Kisara, until she was close enough for the white mermaid to touch. Kisara did not swim away, for she was not scared at all. On the contrary, she was enthralled by the majestic beauty of that dragon. "Last, but not least, I want you to meet Azure, my favorite Blue Eyes. She's the first dragon I ever had before I became a Dragon Knight, and she's the one dragon that I ride the most. She is my most trusted companion, and my dearest friend. We spend a lot of time together when we can." Azure nuzzled her friend, showing him her affection. "Azure is the most unusual Blue Eyes ever known, because she has only one blue eye. See here, Kisara, that left eye is the blue eye. The right eye is actually white with a Mother of Pearl shade. She can certainly see with both eyes of course, so there's no need to worry. Azure, this is Princess Kisara Shadowstream of the Deep Dwellers." The dragon leaned her head forward to get a closer look.
"Hello Azure. It's nice to meet you!" Kisara greeted politely. Azure sniffed the white mermaid princess a bit, and then gave her a sweet lick on the cheek. Kisara giggled.
"I'm glad Azure likes you too." Seto said smiling.
"Yeah, your dragons are so amazing!" Kisara said, "What's it like to ride on them?"
"It's exhilarating! Dragons are highly capable fliers, and to fly on the back of a dragon is an incredible experience. I especially savor the breeze in my hair, and the view of the whole world below me. I never get tired of that feeling."
"Wow!" Kisara gasped in awe, "The world must be so beautiful from the sky!"
"Well, there are some wonders in this world that I have yet to see." Seto said, "And the wonders that I want to see most are under the ocean. The ocean is your home, right? What's it like down there?" Kisara blushed at his question. For years, she had always asked about the Realm Above and all the wonders that couldn't be seen in the sea. And now, she has met a human who is curious about her world! She couldn't be happier!
"It's beautiful down there," she replied, "There's coral, sea lilies, and there's fish of all shapes and sizes, and colors too. Deeper in the ocean, we Deep Dwellers have build a wonderful glowing city of coral and seashells. My home is the centerpiece of the city, a coral palace rising above for all to see."
"What I would give to see all that for myself." Seto gasped. A comfortable silence swept over the two, then Kisara spoke again.
"Seto, I have something to ask you. It's about Princess Tea. I know it's hard for you, but… Do you really love her? Is she really your special someone?" That shocked Seto to no end.
"Why of course she is!" he said, "I love her with all of my heart!"
"Then listen to what else I have to say. If you really love her, are you willing to make a tremendous personal sacrifice at any time so that both of you would be happy? For Tea's sake and for Atemu's sake as well, please think about it." Seto was surprised at this speech, but he soon gave a calm expression.
"All right Kisara, I will." he said solemnly, but then he smiled. "I hope I could see you again soon."
"I know you will!" Kisara said with a smile, "It's getting late right now and it's time to go to bed. But I'll see you later, okay?" Soon she jumped into deeper water and as she swam away, she called out, "Thank you for introducing me to your Blue Eyes White Dragons!"
"No problem," Seto called out, "I'll see you later!" And when Kisara dove down and disappeared into the sea, Seto proceeded to head home with his dragons.
The nighttime sky was filled with nothing but stars, and everyone inside the castle had long since fallen asleep. Seto had just entered the quiet empty hallways of the castle, and had just gotten halfway closer towards the stairs, when suddenly a not-so-friendly voice greeted him from behind.
"I've been waiting for you, Dragon Knight Seto Kaiba."
Seto stopped dead at his tracks. Something's not right here. "All right who's there?!" he threatened, "Show yourself right now!"
"With pleasure!" replied the voice, and soon a figure appeared before him. Immediately, Seto drew his sword.
"You! You're one of Bakura's minions aren't you?!" Seto shouted in anger.
"You got good eyes." Weevil said smugly, "But don't be swinging that thing at me like that."
"Shut your mouth, Tiamat scum!" Seto threatened, "If you know what's good for you!"
"I wouldn't talk like that if I were you," Weevil said, "Especially since I know of your rival in romance." Seto's eyes widened in shock. "His name is Atemu, right? The one with spiky tri-colored hair and crimson eyes, right? Don't try to hide it from me, you know him well! Everything you did, he did much better, and he always manages to succeed where you would fail. And now he has finally won the heart of your precious princess, Tea Gardener. Oh, how he ruined your life! I know you want to get rid of him, and it so happens I know the only sure way to do it!" The blue eyed knight lowered his sword.
"Exactly what is the only 'sure way' to do that?" Seto asked.
"Finally got your attention eh?" Weevil said with a smirk, "Well, here!" and he threw something up into the air so that Seto would catch it. Once he did, he looked at the object very closely. It was a dagger, decorated with the image of a dragon at its hilt. "Pretty, isn't it?" Weevil said, "And that is the key to rid yourself of that man once and for all! All you have to do is go to the room where he and the princess sleeps, and plunge the dagger right into his heart. He'll never know what hit him!" Seto was horrified at what he had heard.
"You… you're suggesting… that I kill Atemu?!"
"Exactly that!" Weevil said with a sneer, "And while you're at it I suggest you kill the princess as well. She's always turned you down no matter how much you tried to impress her. No matter how much you love her, she never loves you back. And for that, she deserves to die."
"No! I won't do it!" Seto blurted out, "I refuse to kill my rival, or the princess for that matter!" Weevil let out a wicked chuckle.
"Well, in that case, I'll give you a reason to kill them. Great Moth, bring him over here!" Soon a gigantic green moth monster came, and Seto was shocked to find what--or who, it was holding.
"MOKUBA!" Seto yelled, for indeed, his little brother Mokuba was struggling in the legs of the Great Moth, trying in vain to get free.
"Seto, help me!" Mokuba shouted before a leg covered his mouth. Weevil laughed mockingly at him.
"Here's the deal, if you don't kill Atemu and Princess Tea, I will personally do the honor of slaying your sweet little brother."
"You can't do that!" Seto roared.
"It's the lovers or your brother." Weevil said, "Which one of them dies? You decide!" Seto was speechless with horror. Killing his rival, much less the princess herself, is the one thing he does not want to do. But with Mokuba's life at stake, he might not have a choice.
Note: Sorry to leave you guys at a cliffhanger like that! I'll post the next chapter as soon as I could! Until next time!