"Sir, Seto Kaiba has been spotted on the island. It turns out he escaped the crash after all. Shall I send out a search party to retrieve him?"
"Not to worry." A sly grin spread across Pegasus's face. He took a leisurely sip from his glass and assured, "There's no need to go to him. Kaiba-boy will come to us. After all, we have the bait." His eye settled on the kid struggling in Kemo's firm grip.
"What shall do with him?"
"The usual." Pegasus knelt in front of the boy. "Now, child, don't fret. Your brother's on his way. I'm sure he'll find you in no time – and that's when the real fun begins!"
Mokuba glared at Pegasus, doing his best to look strong and confidant, just as Seto would in his place. "Seto won't stand for this. He's gonna rescue me, and then you'll be sorry, because he'll tear this place to the ground!"
Pegasus laughed and patted him on the head. Mokuba recoiled under his touch. "How precious. Loyal to the last, just like a dog." He directed his next order to Kemo. "Lock him up somewhere his dear big brother will be sure to find."
"Are you certain this is a good idea?"
"What, now?" Seto looked up from the locket to Yami.
"Walking out in the open like this; and right along the edge of the castle, no less. If this really is Pegasus's island, he probably has those videos everywhere."
"Cameras," Seto corrected. "And that's what I'm counting on."
"I see." A smirk showed itself on the spirit's face as she comprehended his host's plan. "But what will you do once you're inside?"
"First, I'll find my brother, no ifs or buts. Then, I'll take down Pegasus; it's as simple as that."
"Not the most cohesive checklist. Exactly how do you plan to defeat him?"
"By doing whatever I have to," Seto answered shortly, looking up at the castle before him and wondering how on Earth he'd get inside.
"By yourself?"
"Of course," Seto snapped. "Who else do you see here?"
"There's me," Yami offered quietly. "You need to stop thinking you're alone in this thing."
"I'm always alone in these-" The sound of a broken branch caused them both to hush, and from the bushes, a figure emerged.
"Nice to see you again, boss." Kemo lunged at Seto. "You're coming with me."
"Actually;" Seto dodged the (frankly, extremely sloppy) attack easily and elbowed the man in the gut, winding him. It then took almost no effort to throw him to the ground. "You're coming with me. You took my brother, and I will make you pay for that. But first, you're going to get me into that castle if it's the last thing you do."
"You do know that no one takes Pegasus by surprise. Don't you think you should just go ring the front doorbell and face him personally?"
"I think you should shut your mouth and do as you're told," Seto warned. "I will be facing your boss, but first, I'll get my little brother out of harm's way."
Kemo had a smirk that Seto didn't quite like as he opened the small side door with his handprint. Naturally, the idea of being lead into who-knows-what by someone who'd already proven themself to be a treacherous snake made Seto uneasy, but this was the only way to get into the castle without Pegasus knowing. He'd hidden his briefcase in some shrubbery to retrieve later for this portion of the venture, not wanting to be hindered if it came to a hand-to-hand fight.
For hours, it seemed, Kemo led Seto through a series of tunnels and underground caves, chatting cheerfully about how "lost" Seto would be if he wasn't there to guide him. Then all at once, he came to a stop.
"What are you doing?" Seto demanded.
"This is as far as we go," Kemo said, and Seto was so distracted with questioning him that he missed the way his leg moved strangely; but Yami didn't.
"Kaiba, his foot! There's a secret trigger in the floor!"
Thinking quickly, or perhaps not at all, Seto hit Kemo over the head as hard as he could, knocking the man to the ground. He fell unconscious instantly, and the alarm remained untriggered. Seto made a mental note to watch out for any further traps.
"Well, that's inconvenient. How am I supposed to find my brother now?" If anything, Seto just sounded annoyed.
"I think I know."
"Enlighten me, then."
Yami pointed. "The puzzle. You remember when I told you of its power, right? Unity."
"A puzzle with the power of unity. Because that's not obvious at all. But how will it help me find my brother?"
"If you can tap into it," Yami explained, seeming unfazed by Seto's sarcasm, "Maybe it can lead you to Mokuba."
As much as all this magic nonsense irritated Seto, he was willing to try just about anything at this point. And so, with no idea what he was doing, he lifted the puzzle in his hand and gave Yami an expectant look. "What now?"
"Now, just open your heart and let it guide you."
Sure, but what the hell does that mean? He sighed and focused every last thought on Mokuba. A flood of memories came back to him as he recalled every vivid detail his mind could possibly contain. The sound of his voice, the look of utter joy and admiration in his eyes every time he saw his big brother.
Seto knew well that he was Mokuba's idol. The boy looked up to him, and so he should. After their parents died, Seto swore to take good care of him. He'd promised, both Mokuba and himself, that he'd be mother and father and brother and protector and anything he could ever need, and he intended to make good on it. Mokuba was the single most important thing in his whole life, and Seto would get him safe, no matter the cost.
He didn't even notice when his legs started to move, and he began to walk forward, taking his next right, followed by a left. He was so focused on his brother; and Yami was so focused on him; that neither of them stuck around long enough to see Kemo sit up, rub his very sore head, make some remark about how "that's gonna hurt in the morning," and pull his earpiece from his pocket.
"It's as you predicted, Sir," he whispered into the microphone.
"Of course it is," answered Pegasus's voice. "Now, it's time for the next scene, and this one's sure to be a real tear-jerker!"
"Mokuba!" Seto called through the deserted tunnels. He was so distracted, it didn't even strike him as odd that what was essentially a dungeon supposedly doubling as a prison would be so empty. "Mokuba, if you can hear me, shout back!"
With each passing second, he grew more agitated. What if Mokuba wasn't here after all? Or worse-?
"We're getting close," Yami assured, and somehow, Seto believed it. He called out again.
"Mokuba!"
The reply was faint, but it was definitely his brother's voice. "Seto?"
Without a second thought, Seto took off in the direction of the sound, coming within seconds to a stop in front of a small cell.
"Mokuba!"
"Nii-Sama! Is it really you?"
"Yeah, it's really me." Seto took a moment to properly look at his brother. He was dirty and clinging to his locket. There was a small scrape on his cheek – Seto's guess was that he'd fought getting locked up in here. That's my boy.
Mostly, he seemed ok…right until Seto got to his ankles. He was shackled to the wall with a pair of filthy old chains, and even as the boy tried to stand, his legs were shaky, leading Seto to think that maybe the cuffs were a little too tight. Furthermore, had he even been offered a drop of water or any food since being brought here?
"I knew you'd come!" Mokuba was declaring tearfully. "I knew—ahh!" He attempted to clamber to his feet, but tripped over the cast iron, landing on the hard stone ground.
"Just hold still," Seto implored, and Mokuba did as he was told.
It took no time at all for Seto to pick the flimsy lock, and rip the door open. As soon as did he was by his brother's side, inspecting him closely for wounds.
"Where are you hurt? What did he do to you?"
"Not much, aside from locking me up in here," Mokuba answered calmly. Now Seto was here, he was sure everything would be okay, and there was nothing left to worry about.
Seto ran his thumb gently down the side of Mokuba's face, carefully over the scratch on his cheek. For everything Pegasus made Mokuba suffer through, he vowed silently to punish him a hundred fold.
Seto was about to unshackle his brother when Yami called out to him, and not two seconds later did he hear the sound of someone slow clapping.
"Stay behind me," he whispered, standing up and turning to face down the man himself.
"The Brothers Kaiba, reunited at last," he said with that disgustingly smooth voice of his. "What a beautiful show. Well done. I knew such a small matter as crashing in the middle of nowhere would never stop you from getting here."
"Pegasus," Seto growled. "I swear, if you come another step closer to him, touch so much as another hair on my brother's head, I'll end you."
Pegasus wagged a finger. "Now, now, no need to be so violent about things. See, we have what you might call quite the golden opportunity. I have something you want, and you have something I want."
"Seriously?" Seto didn't buy it. "What could I possibly have that you-" He cut himself off suddenly, placing a hand over the puzzle protectively. "Well, that's too bad for you, isn't it? Because I'm not handing it over that easily. You'll have to pry it from my cold, dead fingers."
"Don't give him any ideas," Mokuba whispered, to which Pegasus only laughed.
"Dear, dear Kaiba-boy. I never expected you to just hand the puzzle over to me like that. I know you only too well. That's why I held this whole tournament in the first place. I'd hoped it would lure you here – you never could resist a challenge. But when you never came, I realised more drastic measures were required. And it seems my hard work has paid off! By the end of all this, I will have won your puzzle, and your company."
"My company? What the heck do you want my company for? Yours is doing fine, so I hear."
"That's my business. And speaking of business, let's get down to it."
Pegasus tucked the lock of hair that always sat over the left half of his face behind his ear revealing his other eye – if it could be called that. His right eye was nothing short of ordinary; brown, and otherwise unremarkable. This one looked like it was made of solid gold, and the symbol on it…
"Ah! Kaiba, get back!"
"Why, what is it?" Seto demanded.
But before he could do anything, the eye glowed so brightly it hurt Seto's eyes. He covered his face with one arm, shielding Mokuba with his other. By the time it had settled, Seto felt something shift behind him.
"Mokuba!"
The boy lay in a heap on the ground, silent and unmoving.
"Looking for this?"
Pegasus held up – but it couldn't be!
Itlooked like an ordinary Duel Monster's card, but it had Mokuba's name and face on it. "I've trapped your brother's soul in this. If you want him back, you'll have to duel me for it."
Seto swore through gritted teeth, logic and his own senses battling one another in his mind.
This was utter nonsense – it had to be! Souls weren't real; and if they were, they couldn't be removed from one's body like that. And yet, he'd just seen it happen with his own eyes.
"If you can do that, then why don't you just take my soul and be done with it?" he spat venomously.
"Ahh," Pegasus sighed. "I'm afraid that puzzle of yours prevents me. But rest assured, when I've won it, your soul will belong to me; as will everything you've ever held dear."
Pegasus reached into his pocket and tossed something on the ground at Seto's feet. "You'll need these."
A single glove, two cards, and a set of five small golden stars. "What are these?"
Pegasus smirked. "Your entry requirements. Seto Kaiba, welcome to Duelist Kingdom!"
