Eyes of the Dragon

Joy and Sorrow

" Seto seemed better today." Yami observed to Mokuba.
" Hai, he got a little more use to Skullhead." Mokuba agreed. " My guess is he was just tired the past few days."
" We've all had those moments." Yugi agreed. " So is he going to work today?"
" Hai. Onen and Crusche are going with him. Crusche somehow covered his ears. I'm not sure how."
" They're the only ones that look human enough for Seto." Yugi chuckled. " Did Mai contribute?"
" What do you mean? Makeup and clothing?" Mokuba snorted in laughter. " Iie. That's kind of why I wanted you guys to see this. They used Oni-san's wardrobe."
" Uh oh." Jou smirked.



" I wonder where they are." Seto muttered to himself. " Haven't seen the two of them at all today. Get down!" He pushed the Kuribo into his suitcase. " How did you end up in there anyway? I thought I made it clear." He rolled his eyes. " Now I know. The numbers aren't based on powers. They're based on intelligence."

The Kuribo squealed happily. It didn't know Seto was insulting it.

Seto pushed the doors open. There were several businessmen there. Among those was Pegasus, who was nodding and talking quietly with another business owner next to him. Seto really didn't want him there, but as Kaiba Corps was closely related to Duel Monsters, and Pegasus was the one that ' created' Duel Monsters, he really had no choice.

I would be scared if I were in any other situation. Seto thought to himself. I could always blast him with White Lightning if he tries to hurt me. But then other people will notice. They'll notice anyway, whatever I do. But of course, there is a better way, Seto smirked, remembering the Kuribo in his suitcase and thinking how he could improve his basketball skills by using Pegasus as a target. Not only will he improve, Pegasus will arrive dead or severely damaged in the head.

I'll get arrested for that, but it will be worth it. Seto thought to himself. Besides, I can always change back into a dragon and slip through the bars. Dragon. Tiny. He didn't like to feel so puny.

Right on time. The CEO's began to enter. Each took their places. Seto bowed towards the group and they bowed back. Then they all sat except for Seto, who stood and introduced everyone to each other.

Things were going along well. Then the door opened.

Seto turned around, annoyed. Didn't he tell the guards not to let anyone enter? But then he saw who it was.

Onen was wearing a hat. One of those gentlemanly hats that a man tips when he sees a woman. He was wearing a purple shirt and brown pants. And a black trenchcoat.

It wouldn't have been bad, but Seto knew he was a Dark Magician. And what's more, Seto knew what the Dark Magician was supposed to wear.

Seto honestly didn't know whether to laugh or cry. Laugh, at the mere humor of it-cry, because he realized his fashion sense was not as satisfactory as he thought. For a while he choked, without being able to say anything or do anything except stare, opening and closing his mouth. Then a great burst of air exploded through his mouth in a single laugh, then he managed to talk.
" Is there anything you-" Another burst through his nose, " want Onen?" He asked, muffled chuckles escaping.
" I actually wanted two things. First, you need to change your wardrobe content." Onen snapped. " Second, there's something wrong with your technology. Do you want to check on that?"
" Can't you do anything?" Seto asked, still snorting with laughter. " Use your abilities."

Onen rolled his eyes. " Seto."

Pegasus blinked. Did that stranger just call Kaibaboy Seto? And why did he look so familiar? And he had never seen Kaiba laugh. Ever.

Seto sat down and buried his head in his arms as he finally gave up suppressing his laughter. Crusche came up behind Onen and stared at the boy.
" Laughing at the trenchcoats?" He asked Onen flatly. Seto looked up at the sound of his voice. At the sight of the Celtic Guardian in a trenchcoat, Seto broke into a new fit so that tears came into his eyes. He rose from the chair and left the room by the opposite door. The CEO's were all confused. What was so funny?



A few minutes later Seto came back into the room and stood their wiping his eyes at the two monsters. Onen stood with his arms folded and Crusche stood with his arms at his sides. The poor boy finally got his wits together and was able to speak normally.
" Alright." Snort. " Next time don't come." He rubbed his eyes and brushed away a tear. " I'm too use to seeing you in..." He broke into a new fit of chuckles. " Go away!" He yelled, holding his hand up, a signal that he was using the lightning attack. " You're ruining everything."
" Us?" Onen was not afraid. He knew Seto would not release the attack in front of mortals, especially. " You're the one who insisted on coming to this meeting. And I still don't get it. If you're leaving, why are you bothering about this?"
" Alright." Seto shook his head. Then he became serious. " First of all, Mokuba won't be coming. I'm not-"
" I know Mokuba won't be coming. We've had this discussion before." Onen tossed his hands up. " You know that Yugi's grandfather is a good guardian."
" Oh please. That's for Yugi. Not for my brother." Seto snapped. " If I'm gone Mokuba won't have any family left. And do you know what it's like for someone who has no family? He's going to be all alone. No one will give a thought for him. You think life like that was easy for me?"
" Sugoruku is different."
" Sugoruku is an old man." Seto spat. " He had enough to care for his own grandson. Mokuba's ten years old. That wretch will die when Mokuba's in college. Then who will support him?"

The members of the meeting were silent but confused. Who was this Onen? And that man beside him? Only Pegasus's eyes narrowed in suspicion.

Onen and Crusche looked at each other.
" Stop doing that!" Seto was annoyed now, the smile gone. " Why do you always look at each other?"
" We have nowhere else to look." Onen answered.
" Liar." Seto snapped. " You two know something. Spit it out."
" It's not that simple." Crusche said uncomfortably.

Seto looked at Crusche for a moment before he suddenly paled.
" Ototo-chan," He whispered, then bolted out of the room.

" What did he just figure out?" One asked Pegasus.
" Nothing good." Pegasus guessed as well.



" Well that worked!" Faceless Mage snapped. " You told the boy!"
" I did no such thing!" Crusche replied. " And hide! We can't have a mutated human on Earth!"
" How?" Faceless Mage pointed at the robes and the heads. " Is there a specific way you want us to disguise ourselves? Not all monsters are like you!"
" Fine. But the child is smart." Onen sighed. Sometimes the mage would babble on endlessly. " He figured it out for himself. So he bolted out in the middle of the meeting."
" What happened, Faceless?" the Crimson Sentry appeared, looking at the three of them. " You all look uncomfortable."
" Seto figured out what was going to happen to Mokuba." Faceless sighed.
" Nani?" The sentry cried. " You mean..."
" Hai. He's off." Onen sighed, rubbing his temples.
" Well, he's going to have to deal with this." The mage sighed.
" We'll be there for him." The warrior answered.
" May I mention," The archer began, " That you two look ridiculous?"

Onen and Crusche looked at themselves.
" Hai, I think Seto made that pretty clear earlier." Onen answered.



Seto ran down the block. Curse those monsters. Curse Onen and Crusche, and Skullhead and that Kuribo. Curse that Mystic Elf and Petite Angel. His heart fluttered in fear. What if he's too late?

Running faster, he thought of everything that had happened so far. The orphanage. Gozaburo. His brother in the cell. " Oni-san! I knew you would come for me!" The child by his side as he hosted the tournament. Cheering him on as he fought Yami. When the monsters appeared. Mokuba playing with the Baby Dragon. " My brother's the Blue Eyes White Dragon?"

He stopped. It wasn't because he was out of breath, tired. He felt himself suddenly cold and hard. It was as if a void opened and time stopped all around him.

There he was.



Yugi and Anzu walked up ahead. They thought they saw two Kaibas, but that can't be. The second one is too tall to be Mokuba.

The figures turned around. The gang immediately stopped.
" Ohohoho!" Jou laughed. " Seto's fashion flare! Not a good idea!"
" Onegai." Onen shut his eyes. " I know."
" The Dark Magician in a trenchcoat?" Yugi snickered. " One day I'll put you in a suit. That would be even more funny."
" A tuxedo. Iie."
" Or maybe," Anzu offered, " A kimono."
" That will be funny! We'll put him in one of those girl ones! A pink kimono!"
" And Crusche?"
" Crusche's too bulky."
" He can be in one of those French gowns from the Renaissance." Anzu suggested.

Everyone tilted their heads at Crusche, trying to imagine him dressed like Marie Antoinette. Didn't work.
" Won't work. Crusche's too ugly for that." Honda stated, rather bluntly. " Or rather, too bulky, like you said."
" Greek?"
" Roman toga?" The group peered at Crusche again, other than Onen who was turning away shaking his head.
" The Celtic Guardian in a Roman toga! Awesome!" Jou cried.

Crusche stepped back. " Are they serious?" He asked Onen in a whisper.
" I certainly hope not." Onen whispered back. Something cracked in the sky.
" Kuso!" Onen jumped. " Knew we shouldn't let him run off!"
" Who?" Ryou asked.
" Seto!" Onen was already running. " If those dragons get him..."



" A Dark Magician and a Celtic Guardian," Shadi hesitated, " In a trenchcoat?"
" Hai. And Kaiba laughing during a meeting. Laughing at the monsters. You don't see that often. And I'm sure Kaibaboy doesn't have an item." Pegasus folded his arms. " What can you make of it?"
" Anything else?"
" Kaiba mentioned several things. Going back, going home, leaving Mokuba alone, and he called the Dark Magician ' Onen'."
" He knows their names?" Shadi frowned. " But monsters never tell other people their names. Only each other. And those who own the Millennium Items, and humans related to those."
" Yugi?"
" Doubtful. The monsters wouldn't wear Kaiba's clothing and interrupt his meeting for Yugi. This is for Kaiba and Kaiba alone. I think I know what's going on." Shadi rubbed his chin. " Although I find it hard to believe."
" What is it?" Pegasus asked.
" A short time ago, around fifteen to twenty years ago, one of the three Blue Eyes White Dragons gave birth to a dragon demon. He was pure dragon, but he possessed so much power that he could transform into a human and be a Dragon sorceror. The Monsters called him the Dragon Tamer, although he doesn't really tame dragons. All the monsters adored him, his mother especially. Several years later, somehow that dragon demon was lost."
" Are you suggesting that Seto Kaiba is the Dragon demon?" Pegasus asked.
" As I said, I find it hard to believe."
" I don't. Kaibaboy has the three Blue Eyes White Dragons. Went to rip up Yugi's grandfather's card. Which might turn out to be his own. He's known even here as the Dragon Tamer."
" But you don't understand." Shadi paused. " The Dragonchild I'm talking about is the sweetest creature in all the dimensions. Does Kaiba fit that description?"
" You didn't see him during the meeting." Pegasus paused. " He didn't look too sweet, but he sure wasn't the CEO of Kaiba Corps. Nor was he the Duel Monsters Champion."
" Perhaps." Shadi looked doubtful. " Yet there's another thing. Monsters aren't supposed to age that quickly. It should take a thousand years for someone like Seto to become even ten years old. How did he become fifteen so quickly?"
" Perhaps he was in a different world?" Pegasus shrugged. " I don't know. This whole thing is confusing enough without that."
" Maybe." Shadi looked at the window. Then he stiffened.
" What's wrong?" Pegasus asked warily.
" Dragons." Shadi answered. " Shadow Dragons. Fairly unimaginative name, but that's what they're called. Some of them are ghosts of Dragon Monsters that had been destroyed in battles five thousand years ago. Others come from some other realm. All are deadly. I was wondering why the Dark Magician and the Celtic Guardian will follow Kaiba to his meeting. This confirms it then."
" How?"
" Shadow Dragons are close to being evil. They have a heart full of vengeful hatred. They hate every dragon that is still alive. The Dragon Demon is a young child and is very powerful. No doubt they will come after him. They don't care about the Sennen holders. Seto is the Dragon Tamer then."
" And why would he run off like that?"

Shadi paused. Pegasus thought for a moment. The two men looked at each other.
" His brother."



" Seto! Seto?" the Dark Magician called, still in the trenchcoat, but no one found it funny anymore. " Seto! Are you alright?"
" Seto!" Yugi called.
" Hey, Kaiba!" Jou shouted.

The Celtic Guardian turned around and noticed a huddled form in the shadows. " Seto?"

The form didn't move.

Crusche made his way over. Onen turned around and watched his friend. He followed at some distance behind.

The guardian bent down.

Seto didn't answer. It seemed he was apart from the world, an invisible barrier separating him from everything and everyone else. On his lap curled Mokuba, who originally had not been there. The child was thrown into the alley. There was no blood on the boy.
" Seto." Crusche bent down and rested his hand on the boy's shoulder, hoping to notify him of their presence.

Seto didn't flinch. " You knew this would happen."

Crusche didn't answer.

Seto rocked his brother's little body back and forth. " How ironic." Suddenly, he giggled. It was a frightening giggle, one that neither monster was use to. " And all this time I was afraid of leaving him alone." More giggles. " I'm the one that was left alone."
" That's not true." Onen said sadly. " It was necessary."
" What was necessary?" Seto asked bitterly. " Mokuba should die? He never did anything."
" Things like this often happen." Crusche said softly. " We had many friends. Great friends. Then humans summon them only to get them destroyed. They never did anything. But it was necessary for the whole that they should die."
" Was it necessary that I should work so hard for nothing?"

The Duel Monsters looked at each other. " What do you mean?" Onen asked.

Seto giggled again. " You don't understand, do you?" He giggled again. " I guess it's hard to understand. Lost my mother because of Mokuba, really. Then we lost our father because Mother's gone. Mokuba and I were left alone and I realized I was all he had left. Mokuba was so small." Seto cradled his brother's body and began to rock again, giggling all the while. " I wanted to help people. Maybe become a doctor. A hero. Stupid, eh? And then I suddenly realized that if I tried to achieve my dreams, Mokuba will have nothing. So what did I become? A work-aholic businessman. What an idiot. I took the pressure for two years, worked for four years, all to have Mokuba never have a life and me to realize that my work has all been wasted." Seto stood up. Mokuba tumbled off his lap.

" Everything for nothing." He muttered, staring at the dead body. " Everyone thought I was a genius. I'm the biggest retard."
" Seto." Onen placed his hand on the teenager's arm. Seto stared at Mokuba for a long while without saying anything.

" Hai, you're playing a dangerous game, the two of you." Pegasus appeared and grabbed Seto by the arms. " Snap out of it!"

Seto blinked in surprise and stared at Pegasus in confusion. Shadi appeared behind Pegasus.
" Gosh, he looks almost alive." The Egyptian stared at the corpse. Seto stepped back.
" What are you doing here," He spat.
" Trying to prevent you from making a mistake." Pegasus answered. " Shadi knows you fifteen years ago, so do these monsters, but I know you here and now and I know what you're thinking. Stop fooling yourself. Take the body, and get out of here. This is a trap."

Onen and Crusche stared at each other and rushed to pull Seto back. Something shot out of the darkness. Pegasus ducked, covering Mokuba's body. Seto turned into a dragon and Onen grabbed him, tossing him back and stepping in front to block whatever attack might come his way.

Twelve pairs of eyes, all glowing, all either yellow or red. Onen made some sign with his hands, and Crusche did the same. The Celtic Guardian picked Seto up and turned around. Just then, the Red Eyes Black Dragon appeared out of nowhere. It screeched at the eyes. Gaea the Dragon Champion appeared, along with Serpent Night Dragon, Thousand Year Dragon, and the Magician of Black Chaos. They attacked at once.

Pegasus scrambled to his feet along with Shadi. They ran behind the line of monsters.
" Hurry," Shadi said to the humans. " Let the monsters hold them off. We stand no chance here."

The group ran off after the Celtic Guardian, just as Exodia appeared behind them.