Against Protocol by Mooguri Klaine
Author's Notes: So here we are again! Uh…I can't say much stuff… ((sweatdrops))
To Elusia: thanks, thanks! Writing in Present Tense was particularly hard to write , but nevertheless, this tense gives a different feel! Thanks for finding it okay! XD
To Nachzes-Black Rider: Lemons? ((giggles)) You'll find out soon enough! ((Mooguri Klaine joins Nachzes on the cliff, both staring at the sunset)) Yes, I love you, my first reviewer!! XD
To Kekewey: Seto's codename is Seth. XD And as for Mokuba and Seto's brotherly bond, you'll find out in this chapter! XD As for your ideas, tell meeee! I'd love to hear from you!
To Blue September: Thanks for that insight, though, writing some stuff in present tense has a significant part in the story…hope you don't mind! But I appreciated your review nonetheless!
To shadows of chaos61: What is it that you didn't see coming? XD But I'm glad you liked the chapter and the story thus far! XD ((thumbs up))
Disclaimer: Yu-Gi-Oh wa watashi no ja arimasen. Wakarimasuka? (Yu-Gi-Oh is not mine. Understand?)
Warning: Shonen-ai material and yaoi run around wildly in this fic of mine. Back off if it's not good for your health.
Rating: R, for language and violence. Seto seemed to love cursing anyone in sight in this fic. Plus, there's an added bonus! Watch for it! XD
Summary: Deception is the name of the game. And with a game like this, death is the only guarantee. And there are rules that demand absolute adherence. What happens when you go against protocol? READ, REVIEW, AND RECEIVE A PRIZE! XD
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Chapter Two: Empty Casket
(A/N: I want your email address! Leave them in the Reviews Section! Allow me to send you the drawing I made for lovely readers like you! XD)
"I've heard from Karimu that you immediately got on the wrong side of that new agent."
"Haha, very funny, Mokuba," came the hollow reply.
Seto decided to take refuge in the Operations Booth. Apparently, The Shinobi's prized field agent suddenly turned into the agency's laughingstock. Virtually everyone in the office saw the humiliation, and viewed it as hilarious, which made the brunet agent furious.
"I'd like to wipe that smug look off that shrimp's face," he said. The memory of the newcomer's superior look still lingered in Seto's head, which gave him all the more reason to knock out a few front teeth from the pompous git.
Mokuba snorted his strawberry milk shake, accidentally spraying on the keyboard in front of him. Seto raised an amused eyebrow while the little boy grabbed a handkerchief from his jumper pocket. "Oops. Better not let Tech Department see that. The Agency's pouring millions in Operations and I don't think they'll be happy when they see milk shake all over the gadgetry…"
Seto's blue eyes strayed over the vast expanse of the Operations Booth. This is where the most crucial events take place, the only link and lifeline of field agents outside while they risk their lives on countless of missions. Complicated machinery, sophisticated technology, and intricate wirings are what constitute the Ops booth. Several computers whirred automatically, processing thousands of data per second; electronic maps blinked with various dots as images from satellites changed every once in a while; various posters of anime characters were plastered on a vacant wall, and a medium-sized television is tuned in to Cartoon Network.
Needless to say, only one person is capable of running the whole Operations Booth, knowing every detail of it as if it were the back of his hand. And in this case, it's a fourteen-year old kid.
"Teen Titans! GO!" Mokuba happily sang the cartoon's opening song. (1)
Who wouldn't think that a kid did the dangerous and meticulous job of overseeing the Operations Booth single-handedly? Mokuba was one of the Agency's greatest assets, no doubt about it. And it was no accident how he landed a job in The Shinobi. The son of a well-reputed technical analyst who was working for a prominent crime family, Mokuba has long been a target of other crime organizations for the knowledge he holds. Then his father turned in to the government and divulged the secrets of the Mafia. Then, the Domino Defense Department decided to place the family under Witness Protection. Yet the crime family his father was working for discovered about it at once and quickly ordered for his assassination. Seto was a child prodigy back at that time himself, only fifteen years old when he started doing grown-up's missions. Mokuba's retrieval was one of his earliest assignments. Gunshots reverberated in the walls as Seto and other soldiers slew the murderers, with a feverish mantra in their heads: save the boy. Yet even Seto's arms could not hinder Mokuba from seeing the lifeless and bloodied remains of his parents. Mokuba was nine years old at that time, six years younger than Seto. (2)
"You want some pizza, big brother?" Mokuba offered him a large box.
Big brother. Seto grew accustomed of hearing the young boy calling him 'big brother' ever since that fateful encounter, even if they weren't related at all. Hardly was there a resemblance among them – Seto was tall, brown-haired, impatient, and arrogant whilst Mokuba was small, raven-haired, funny, and easygoing. The closest semblance one can get was their eyes – both blue but with varying levels of intensities. Seto's was more pronounced, clear and piercing while the other was limpid, soft and gentle. But Seto treated him like a brother he never had, and the orphaned boy loved him for that. There was a joke among the agents that Seto was almost human now that Mokuba joined The Shinobi.
Seto grabbed a slice. "Thanks," he gratefully muttered. Maybe the joke's right all along. Perhaps Mokuba was his weakness. Though frankly, Seto would rather drown himself in the bathtub before admitting that to anyone else. (3)
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"Mission accomplished," drawls Seto as he leaps out of the window and lands safely onto the street outside.
"You have the data disc?"
"Magician, I wouldn't say 'Mission accomplished' if I hadn't procure what I came for, now would I?" he answers irritably.
"A little respect for your superior is all I demand, agent," Mahado hisses.
"Then I have one favor to ask of you as well," Seto starts.
"What is it?"
"Get the hell out of my earpiece. I want Mokuba on this, not you."
There is a short click. Mokuba is back online.
"Dark Magician looks pissed off," the boy whispers.
"He should know better. I already told him not to butt in on my missions."
"SOP, big brother," Mokuba replies while nibbling a pretzel. (4) "It is imperative that a supervisor watches over an official mission, from its commencement up to its accomplishment. It –"
"So as much as I want to leave your ass alone, I couldn't. Not much of a choice in there, isn't it?" Mahado interrupts, voice still furious.
"The feeling is mutual; I hate you too," Seto answers fervently.
"I'm glad we actually agree on something, agent."
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"Excellent job, Yami!"
Seto sent a murderous glance to the small group on the other side of the shooting range. Mahado, Mana, and Karimu clapped appreciatively as Yami fired another shot at the moving target.
"Bull's eye!"
The tall agent, tired from sitting down writing another boring mission report, decided to stretch a few limbs and practice a bit. Actually, there's a much heavier reason: he couldn't stand the coos and cries of admiration from Yami's "cheerleaders", hero-worshipping him like he was some sort of god. And for Seto, Yami was anything but god-like – he's more like a shrimp loser. He considered going anywhere just to rid himself of those crazy persons. This eventually led him to the shooting range.
Yet the brunet agent hasn't even gotten a good few rounds when the nagging voices floated inside the practice area. He openly groaned at the sight of them and his response went unnoticed. That time, Yami noticed it and flashed him a disapproving look.
Seto loaded his gun promptly and with a burst of speed, he aimed the gun and fired continuously. Shells of bullets fell to the ground below him, tinkling like bells as it hit on the floor. He finished the whole clip and stopped briefly to admire his handiwork. Clean, swift, and accurate – just the way he liked it. He wasn't the Shinobi's number one agent for nothing.
That momentarily shut the group up. He stole a surreptitious look to where Yami stood, and saw him quite amazed; even Mahado seemed to be grudgingly in awe to actually say anything.
Then Seto heard footsteps nearing him.
"Quite amazing, Seth." It was Yami. "I am impressed."
Cold blue eyes turned to where the other agent stood. "Hn."
"Really, Seth, a little 'thank you' won't hurt."
Seto, in turn, raised an eyebrow. "I wasn't aiming for your admiration, shrimp," he replied. "So you can keep your compliments to yourself."
And he added, "And stop following me."
If the first bout of statements angered Yami, he didn't show it. But when Seto proceeded to add a bit more, the formal disposition dropped from his persona. He narrowed his blood-red eyes and glared at the taller agent. "Following you? Stop flattering yourself, Seth." His voice dripped with contempt.
"And stop filling up your already-bulbous and swollen head," said the other simply. This earned him severe looks from Mahado and Mana.
However, Karimu was keen to end the escalating word war. "Uh…guys…" he started uncertainly as he looked at both the glowering agents. "I suggest that you break it up and –"
At this time, both men drew up their guns and pointed them quickly at each other. Mana drew an audible gasp. Karimu lost his voice to intervene and just dreadfully gaped at them.
Now it was Mahado's turn to interrupt, actually remembering his duties. "Stop it, you two! Drawing your guns is highly unnecessary!" Yet both ignored him.
Seto held the gun stiff in his fingers, never wavering its firm hold. Yami was also displaying the same strict stance, his right pointer finger lightly squeezing the trigger.
"Looks like you could do with deflating your head, shrimp. Allow me to do it for you," Seto said with a steely glint in his cold eyes.
"And let me return the favor as well," Yami answered coolly, not showing the slightest bit of hesitance. This threw Seto off a bit; this shrimp have guts to stand up and rival with him. The carmine eyes registered a look of intense dislike, along with an unmistakable hint of murder lurking in it. No doubt that if Yami chose to kill Seto, he can easily do that without batting an eyelash.
As for Yami, their murderous glares were starting to tire him. He had to admit, those intense sapphire eyes were slightly unnerving him. He had never seen cold hues like that before in his entire life. But judging from where he came from – which was Egypt – Agent Seth is the only person he met that had blue eyes. Their staring contest raged on, yet neither one was yielding. Yami now felt incredibly foolish; he knew that there weren't any bullets left in his gun, as he had spent all of it a while ago. But he raised his weapon, nonetheless, as if he was full to the brim with his lethal arsenal. His eyes darted briefly to his opponent's gun and shuddered inwardly. This is not good. Yami knew that he had to drop his guard and surrender, even if he has to swallow his pride in one go.
"Tch." With a furious grunt, Seto lowered his weapon, and stalked away, much to the surprise of Mahado, Mana, Karimu, and especially, Atem.
To Seto, there was no point of winning the battle with the Director's grandson. He was more than happy to fire a shot, but…
…his magazine was empty.
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"You wanted to see me, Director?"
"Yes, Seth. Come on in, and have a seat." Sugoroku waves a hand to one of the chairs in front of him.
Seto nods and proceeds to sit down.
"I want to congratulate you for a job well done on the last mission in Las Vegas. You certainly know your strengths well, Seth," the Director smiles benignly at him.
At this, Seto raises an eyebrow. "I appreciate the kudos, Director, but I don't think you called me here just to congratulate me for finishing a small-fry mission. You could've sent me a bouquet of flowers instead."
Sugoroku claps his hand while he lets out an easy laugh. "Seth, I am starting to believe that Karimu's good-natured sarcasm is rubbing off on you."
The young agent remains silent, apparently indecisive as to how he should react.
"But well-spotted, as what would be expected from a top agent," Sugoroku continues. "However I must correct you that the disc you delivered was a veritable mine of information, and this 'small-fry' mission made a lot of difference for the Shinobi…" He smiles once more as he takes leave of his chair, standing up to face the clear window behind him.
A few minutes' silence ensues. The stout old man still continues his silent perusal of the roads below him.
"It is almost the fourth of June, is it not, Seto?"
Seto's sapphire eyes widens momentarily before reverting to its usual slanted form.
"…Who wouldn't forget your grandson's birthday?" he answers, shrugging his head slightly.
More silence.
The Director sighs. "We will be having a funeral service for him on that day, Seto. I believe that he deserves a proper ceremony to commemorate his passing."
"…I see."
Sugoroku turns around to face the agent. "I would be glad if you'd do a eulogy on him."
Seto stares back at him without the slightest flicker of emotion. He stands up briefly and makes his way to the door, closing it promptly, leaving the old man in the office.
Sugoroku goes back to looking into the horizon.
"I'll take that as a 'yes', then…"
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If one were to observe the scene from afar, he might behold a big gaping mass of black clashing against the velvety grass of the cemetery. All of Shinobi is present at the funeral of Yami Mutou, silently standing in reverence, clad in their formal black suits. Quite a number showed up, bringing along with them, flowers of startling simplicity or extravagant bouquets and stands. Yet no one pays any mind.
A priest presides over the simple service, initiating a holy mass, something that is rarely done by most of the employees of the agency. But just this once, they get to do it together, and with good reason.
An impressive, shiny black coffin is placed in the center of a makeshift stage, where a simple wooden podium stands near it. Seto lifts himself up from his chair and approaches the platform. All eyes shift to him, waiting patiently for the young man to start.
"Ironic, really, that most of us see a person fully when he is gone." Honestly, Seto did not prepare for the speech. "We are forced to see through his beautiful traits, elaborating on how kind-hearted and generous he used to be, and how he made sense to a part of our lives. We proceed to rely on our memories, and create a concept of him in our heads, a pathetic dummy to fill the missing void…"
"Yet such is temporary; it's a defense mechanism we are all aware of, and yet we choose to deny altogether…"
"…and deep inside, we see it, as plain as day…" Seto could hear some people sobbing softly.
"And yes, we cry with all our might."
"A eulogy was made for the purpose of reliving what was once alive, to pour nauseatingly-sweet words to a person you wouldn't know if he was listening in heaven, or laughing himself silly in hell or someplace else…"
"For me, I call it a futile exercise." Some throw odd glances at him, most surprised, others confused and questioning. Mahado glares at the brunet from the back of the crowd.
"I came here to bury Yami, not to praise him." (5)
Silence fills the area. As if on cue, a slow, rattling wind sweeps through the entire crowd, bringing with it the fallen leaves of countless trees dotting the humble courtyard.
Seto pauses, allowing his eyes to follow the slow, smooth flight of the leaves. Many linger in the air in mid-flight, acting much like dancers in a twisted air dance. His gaze goes beyond the crowd and into the lonely patch of trees beyond. For no reason, his cerulean pools refuse to leave the spot, straining him, willing him to look further.
Then a figure materializes among the shade of the woods. Seto squints before his form goes completely rigid with shock.
Much to the surprise of everyone, the speaker rushes down from the pedestal, and moves blindly past them, striding down the length of the aisle.
"Yami?!" Seto calls out uncertainly to the wind.
----To Be Continued----
Footnotes: (1) Teen Titans – Yes, I am beginning to like that anime-ish cartoon by Warner Brothers. XD Mokuba watching it looks pretty good for me so I decided to write him with it! XD
(2) In the YGO anime and manga, Seto Kaiba is five years older than Mokuba. But in this fic, I thought six years' difference would be better. Hmm…
(3) Seto and Mokuba aren't brothers in this fic. Mokuba calling him 'big brother' was just out of habit. :D
(4) SOP – not Sex on Phone. It stands for Standard Operating Procedure, meaning agents follow a specific canon for conducting missions and other stuff in the Agency.
(5) This line was more or less taken from the play 'Julius Caesar' by William Shakespeare. We read a LOT of his works most of my high school life, yet I can't seem to apply his flowery lines to a fanfic of my choosing. I can't really have Seto spouting, "How do I love thee? Let me count the ways…" ((sweatdrops)) Or how about this line from Romeo and Juliet: "Oh Yami, Yami, wherefore art thou, oh Yami?" ((shudders)) XD
Author's Notes: Take note that the italicized part you see in the story is some sort of flashback. You'll be seeing a number of it at some chapters to follow. I think it'd be better to provide snippets from five years ago rather than writing the whole thing XD
Chapter Two finished! What do you think? Is this story promising or what? XD Tell me what you think! I feed on your comments! Plot suggestions are more than welcome! As for those willing to beta my upcoming chapters, feel free to tell me! We'll see each other in our e-mail domains! :D
I did promise drawings, so regardless if you're going to review or not, you can just drop your email address at the Reviews Section, so I can email you! Against Protocol drawings for you! And I got new ones too! ((beams happily))
I hope you guys won't mind if you'll be receiving drawings other than Yu-Gi-Oh… Most of my YGO works aren't scanned yet, which leaves me the option of sending a fanart from another anime…like Crush Gear Turbo… Tell me if you still want me to send it! XD It's a nice picture of Kuroudo and Kyousuke! ((coos and giggles))
More developments will eventually unfold! So stick with me! I'll never let you go, my readers! See you in the next installment of Against Protocol! ((winks))
Thanks a lot and Rock On! XD