Bijoukaiba: Seto prepares to fight his newly discovered final enemy, Maximillian Pegasus in Chapter 9 of Dragon Emblem. Please read. Oh, and FYI, my stories weren't removed because of hackers; the administrators here took it off because it broke a rule that they brought back on July 27. I had no idea about having to remove my stories "The StarFox Vacation" and "Yu-Gi-Oh! Meets Poke'mon" because I was on vacation, so I got in trouble. Please don't let them remove my account! I'm sorry, I had no idea!
Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh!, Rurouni Kenshin, or Fire Emblem.
Chapter 9: Final Showdown at Fortius Plateau
Mokuba looked at his brother in surprise.
"Are you sure that it's Pegasus, Seto?"
His older brother didn't take his eyes off the artifacts.
"I'm almost p-positive." There was a slight tremor in his voice.
Kaoru didn't notice the quiver in his voice. She said,
"Well, if you know who he is, I guess you've fought him before, right? So you know his weakness and can defeat him again?"
Seto slammed his fists on the table and hung his head. Mokuba looked sadly from Seto to Kaoru.
"Seto fought Pegasus before, but…"
"I'll explain." Seto said softly.
Flashback
"It was two years ago. Pegasus had thrown a huge dueling tournament. Before it began, I was defeated by Yugi. This defeat left me weak, and Pegasus kidnapped my brother to try to take over Kaiba Corp, my company. One thing lead to another, and I eventually had to battle Pegasus to save my brother, but in Duel Monsters instead of swordsmanship. However…"
"There are no more cards you can play, Kaiba-boy! Therefore you lose!"
Seto stood there in defeated silence.
Pegasus smirked.
"And you've lost more than just this duel! You lost your only hope to save your little brother!"
"No…"
Pegasus continued to enjoy his victory by toying with Kaiba's emotions.
"You let him down! You failed! Some big brother you are! Haha! Ah, but don't worry, I'll spare you the misery of carrying on without him!"
He removed a blank card from his pocket and the Millennium Eye began to glow.
"What is that?!"
"The final fate of your soul, Seto Kaiba!"
End Flashback
"I was humiliated again that day… and now I've got to fight him again to save the world- maybe even the universe- and everyone is relying on me… to do something I can't…"
Kaoru spoke softly.
"Seto… don't say that…"
"I'm a much better duelist than I am a swordsman, but I lost to Pegasus in dueling and it just goes to show you how much of a chance I stand against him in swordsmanship!"
Sano stood up.
"Don't say that! You're a great swordsman! I've never seen you play this Duo Masters game before, but I think you'd probably be as good a swordsman as you are a duelist! Maybe even better!"
Seto looked at Sano through the corner of his eye.
"Maybe… but the moves I currently know are probably too weak for Pegasus… if only I could learn a really powerful sword attack… even if it isn't part of Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu… I'll learn it if it means I'll have a chance…"
Kenshin glanced at Seto in a curious way.
The brown haired swordsman stood up and left the table.
"I'm going to bed. Come on, Mokuba…"
Sheida looked at him with sympathy as he left the room. When he was gone, she spoke to her friends.
"We should do whatever we can to help Seto out!"
Kaoru nodded. "Pegasus must really be a stressful person to deal with!"
"But what can we do?" Oguma asked.
"Maybe he should take tomorrow off to train and have some fun, get the stress off his mind!" Yahiko chirped. "Like maybe Roy and I could help Mokuba with target practice or something so he won't distract Seto!"
Sano looked to Oguma.
"He's pretty slim and fragile, we'll help him work out a little bit to get some muscle mass."
Kenshin spoke remotely soft.
"There's a sword technique I could teach Seto-sama…"
"Which one is that?" Kaoru asked.
Kenshin smiled. "I'm sure he'll tell you if he defeats Pegasus with it."
Kaoru, in reply, added,
"Sheida and I will treat Seto to lunch."
"Seto can have some rest and relaxation time in the afternoon to help cool off from everything and if he's hurt I'll heal him!" Megumi suggested.
Marth mentioned he would treat Seto to dinner.
The schedule for Seto's last full day with them was ready.
Yahiko and Roy awakened the Kaiba brothers.
"Seto!"
"Mokuba!"
"Time for breakfast!"
"And your final training day!"
Seto and Mokuba sat up.
"Final training day?" They asked in unison.
Yahiko lead them to a tasty breakfast prepared by Kenshin- a light miso soup and some fruit.
Sano explained,
"See, we figured you should spend one more day with us at the dojo to say good bye and to prepare for tomorrow and the fight against Pegasus! After breakfast you're gonna be working with Oguma and I, then lunch with Sheida and Kaoru, some lessons with Kenshin, then a long nap, and dinner with Marth. Mokuba will be training with Yahiko and Roy."
"I guess it'd be nice to have some fun before I die."
Sano sweatmark ;;
Oguma greeted Seto and Sano as they walked outside.
"Well, shall we begin?"
They hauled a log onto a tree stump.
"Seto, start chopping." Sano commanded.
Grabbing the ax, Seto brought it down and split the log in half.
"Good! Now another!"
Oguma heaved a log onto the stump and Seto whacked at it.
"Still more to come!" Sano added.
Seto went through eight more logs.
"I'm getting a little tired!" He said, wiping away some sweat. Removing his kimono top, Seto fanned himself for a moment, then continued his hacking away at logs.
After about an hour later, Sano told him there were no more logs.
"Great! How many did I go through?"
"Uh… sixty-four…"
"Whew! No wonder I was tired! Glad it's over!"
Oguma laughed.
"That's right! Now you can carry the firewood to the shed!"
Seto anime' fall
Meanwhile…
"Rock paper scissors shoot!"
"Paper beats rock, Roy!"
"Best four out of seven?"
"No way!" Yahiko said. "You're gonna be Mokuba's target first!"
Mokuba prepared the blowtorch.
"Ready guys?"
Roy dressed up in some armor and Yahiko sat a few feet away holding a bucket of water and grinning.
Mokuba fired at Roy, who moved the best he could to dodge the attack. Another fireball came hurtling towards Roy and he yelped in pain. Yahiko laughed from the sidelines.
But he wasn't laughing thirty minutes later.
"YEOWCH!"
"How do YOU like it, eh?" Roy laughed, rolling on the ground with a few bandages on his arms and face.
"I DON'T- OWW!!" A fireball blasted Yahiko again.
Thirty minutes later Mokuba ended target practice.
"Thanks for the help, guys."
"No problem," Roy said, "we may smell like Kaoru's cooking, we may be burnt in many places, and some of our hair has been burnt off, but at least we're helping you and Seto save the world!"
Yahiko nodded.
"Hey, how about we head over to the Akabeko for lunch? My treat, guys!"
Sheida and Kaoru sat eating sushi with Seto.
"Mmm… I love this sushi stuff!" Sheida said, picking up another tuna roll with her chopsticks.
"Seto, how's yours?" Kaoru asked.
"Delicious, indeed it is!"
Trying to take his mind off the subject of Pegasus and his past defeat, Kaoru commented,
"Well, when you beat Pegasus, what do you think you'll do?"
"I dunno… Espa probably will kill me for all the screw-ups I've made. If I get fired, maybe… maybe…"
"Maybe what?"
"Um… stay here… with Kenshin and Marth and everyone? If that's okay…"
Kaoru smiled.
"Seto, we'd love it if you stayed here!"
He smiled back.
"Even if I don't get fired by some miracle, I could always visit…"
Sheida laughed.
"See? It all works out!"
Seto frowned.
"But if I lose to Pegasus… then that won't happen… and that's pretty damn likely…"
Kaoru smacked her forehead with an exasperated sigh.
"SETO! Quit worrying and eat your sushi in peace."
Seto gave her a sulky look.
"Fine."
But I don't think there's anything that they can do to help me believe in myself…
Walking to the dojo, Seto asked Kaoru a question.
"I heard from Sano that Kenshin's gonna teach me a new sword technique. One that may really mean the difference in my battle with Pegasus. What attack is it?"
Kaoru looked nervously at the ground.
"Honestly, I have no idea. I tried asking him about it last night, but he was very mysterious about it… must be something powerful, I would think. Then again, I don't really know everything about Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu…"
Sheida looked up into the sky.
"What move indeed…?"
(((bijoukaiba: Okay, before you continue reading, just form a hypothesis in your head as to what move Seto's going to learn. Do you have it? Good. Now read on and see if you were right. No cheating!)))
Seto entered the main training room of the Kamiya dojo. It was quite spacious, with a wooden target in the middle of the class, and there were name plates on the wooden walls. One said "Kamiya Kaoru, Assistant Master"; however, the Master's nameplates had apparently been removed. Seto then remembered what Kaoru had said about her lost father, and it made him think back to when he lost his father as well.
"My emotions can leave me so weak," Seto said softly. "That's why I always acted so stoically."
"But sometimes emotions are what can bring us through."
Seto turned around to see the Rurouni.
"Kenshin."
"Seto."
They stood staring at each other for a moment wordlessly.
"Seto-sama, I remember hearing you say that you wanted to learn a move powerful enough to defeat Pegasus."
"Yes."
"I… I think I know what move you need. To learn how to use it, you'll need a sakabato for your training, but once you've learned this attack, it can be performed with any type of blade. It will take true skill to learn to use this attack… and true heart and courage too. I'll need to remember that as well."
He turned away with a small tremble.
"Kenshin… what's…"
"What's wrong? Nothing. I've been proud to have you as my apprentice, but not nearly as proud as I am to have you as my friend. I'm just a little sad and nervous at the same time, after all… this attack… is the last thing I can teach you before you fight Pegasus… and I just hope it works..."
"But what attack are you going to teach me?"
Silence.
"Kenshin?"
"Seto-sama."
He turned around, Battousai in his eyes.
"I'm going to teach you the ama-kakeru-ryu-no-hirameki. This is the final, and ultimate, attack of Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu. I'm really jumping the gun in teaching it to you, but if you learn it successfully enough, then I have all confidence you will defeat Pegasus."
Seto tried to repeat what he said.
"The on a daiquiri…"
"Ama-kakeru-ryu-no-hirameki. It attacks the target points of Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu with lightning speed in a powerful display."
Kenshin nodded to the target.
Withdrawing his own sakabato, he attacked it.
"Hiten Mitsurugi Style Ama-kakeru-ryu-no-hirameki!"
The target shattered from the force of his blade.
"Awesome! Kenshin, I'm ready. Where's my target?" Seto looked around.
"I'm going to teach you in the same way that my master, Hiko, taught me. You see, Seto, I highly doubt Pegasus will sit around and wait for your assault. You will need to attack a moving target, that you will."
Seto gasped.
"I see that you understand why I gave you a sakabato for training purposes. If you are to master this attack, you must unleash it upon me."
"But you said you almost killed Hiko when you used it against him, even with a sakabato! What if I…"
"Seto, worry not! Think about this, what is more important here - the fate of the world or my life?"
"I can't do that Kenshin! I won't!"
Kenshin drew his blade and flicked it towards the ground.
"Do-Ryu-Sen!"
The attack caught Seto off guard and he flew back.
"Kenshin? Why?"
"Until you unleash the ama-kakeru-ryu-no-hirameki, I'm going to keep attacking you!"
"I'm not going to put you in danger, sensei."
"Then you leave me no choice. Ryu-Jut-Sen!"
The force of the sword in Seto's shoulder made him cry out. Maybe he could defend somehow!
Kenshin attacked again and Seto tried Counter against it.
"Mitsura-AAH!"
Kenshin still struck him successfully.
He's too fast for Marth's moves!
Seto stumbled onto the ground.
"Do it!"
"Never!"
Another blow.
He struggled to stand up.
"Seto!"
"I won't!"
"Do-Ryu-Sen!"
Seto flew against the wall, hit it painfully and fell to the floor on his knees.
He forced himself to stand up.
I'm getting too weak for this…
"Seto, I don't want to do this either, but I have no choice! Use the ama-kakeru-ryu-no-hirameki!"
Kenshin walked closer to Seto ready for another attack.
Feeling the strength rise inside him, Seto spoke.
"Kenshin, you asked for it, so I'm sorry for having to do this… but I really do have no choice! Hiten Mitsurugi Style ama-kakeru-ryu-no-hirameki!"
As Seto went through with his attack, there was only enough time for them to think instead of speak what they were feeling.
I'm sorry Kenshin!
Very good, Seto-san, very good…
The attack hit Kenshin, and the force was so great that he was sent flying into the opposite wall of the dojo. Seto stood panting for a moment after his attack, then reality struck him as he realized what he had done.
"Kenshin! Kenshin!"
He ran over to where his teacher was struggling to walk over to him. He placed his hands on Kenshin's shoulders.
"Oh Kenshin, I…"
"I knew you could do it, Seto-dono." He said softly. He faced Seto with tears in his eyes, not from pain, but from pride and happiness. "You are ready to use the ama-kakeru-ryu-no-hirameki in battle against Pegasus, and I know you will win. Because you are a true swordsman, not for only power, but for heart as well. Just do one last favor for me and get Megumi for me…"
Kenshin collapsed into Seto's arms, his head resting on his shoulder.
"Kenshin…"
He buried his face into his the shoulder of his injured friend.
"I won't let you down, I swear it, Kenshin. I will defeat Pegasus… for you…"
He gently laid his teacher upon the floor of the dojo and ran as fast as his tired body would take him to Megumi.
Megumi finished applying the bandages to Kenshin's chest.
"Seto," she said softly. "Kenshin will be all right, you need not worry. It's a good thing you both were using sakabatos for your training. If you used your real sword… I probably shouldn't mention it."
"Thanks."
She smiled and began bandaging his shoulder where Kenshin had attacked with the ryu-jut-sen.
"But even with a sakabato, I'm surprised Kenshin's injuries were to that extent… what move did he teach you anyway? I know it has to have been something powerful…"
"……"
Seto stared at the floor. Megumi gently patted his good shoulder.
"I'm all done. Go ahead and take a nice long afternoon nap, I'm sure you could use it."
Megumi bowed before she left Seto and the still unconscious Kenshin alone in the room.
Seto looked to Kenshin who was breathing softly. Hesitantly, Seto gently traced a finger across the scar on Kenshin's cheek.
"Kenshin… what you said to me… I know I can do it. Somehow, someway, I will."
Gently holding his Feather-Sword Pendant, Seto smiled.
"After all, I have a miracle on my side…"
Yawning, Seto lay down on his floor mat and spread the blanket over himself, settling in for a nice nap.
"Good evening, Marth, how many for supper?"
"Two, Tae, it's me and Seto."
Walking into the Akabeko, they sat down at their table and Tae took their orders.
"Let's see, two rice bowls, salmon sushi, and beef stew? I see. Give me a few minutes."
She walked off, leaving Marth and Seto to talk.
"So, Seto how was your day?"
"Pretty good, pretty good."
Marth said,
"Sano and Oguma gave you a good workout, I presume?"
Seto laughed.
"I'm never chopping firewood again!"
"And how was lunch with the girls?"
"The sushi was delicious, and it was nice talking with them."
"What did you talk about? Just wondering."
"Actually," Seto said, "if I end up being fired, I might live here at the Kamiya Dojo. If by some miracle I'm not fired, I plan to go every so often to Aritia and the Meiji Era to visit you guys."
Marth almost leapt from the table.
"Seto, wow! That would be awesome!"
"I know!"
Tae walked over with their rice.
"Thanks Tae!" said Marth and Seto simultaneously.
She smiled and said,
"I'll be back shortly with your sushi. My, you both are so nice!"
Marth smiled at Seto, but his eyes showed that he was speaking seriously.
"And what about the move Kenshin taught you? Was it powerful?"
"It really was powerful. It was the ama-kakeru-ryu-no-hirameki."
Marth looked confused.
"What move is that?"
"The final attack of Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu. Kenshin was worried to teach it to me so early, but he figured that it may be the only way to defeat Pegasus."
"So this ama-kakeru thing really was powerful? But how did Kenshin end up hurt?"
"I had to attack him in order to use it, he said, and I obeyed him, though not at first. Megumi said I was lucky I had used a sakabato against him, if not, Kenshin-"
"Here's that sushi!"
Seto was thankful Tae had interrupted at that moment.
Marth looked down.
"I see…"
"And so," Seto said with a mouthful of sushi, "I made a promise from then on out that I will defeat Pegasus for him."
Marth smiled.
"I knew it, Seto! You've got more confidence now."
Seto nodded.
Continuing, Marth added,
"I remember Mokuba said that when it came to dueling, you never put much heart into your cards. Except for your Blue Eyes White Dragon, of course. But as a swordsman, you've proven to have as much power in heart as well as technique. I know I can't compare, but I truly do believe you will be a better swordsman than a duelist. Not because of skill or technique… but for your heart."
Seto blushed and smiled in an embarrassed way.
"Thanks…"
Thinking for a moment, he reached into his pocket and held out a Duel Monsters Card to Marth.
"Look at it, tell me what you think."
He admired the holographic foil in the background.
"It's a beautiful card, with a beautiful dragon. Is it one of those Duel Monsters?"
"Yes, and it's a very special one to me. The Blue Eyes White Dragon."
"You mean like the one Mokuba-"
"Yes, Marth. That one."
The prince stroked a finger across the dragon's portrait before handing it back to Seto.
Seto commented,
"If I had a REAL Blue Eyes, there'd be nothing to stop me from beating Pegasus. I only wish there was some way…"
Miss Tae finally came back with their beef stew.
"I'll be back with your bill in a minute, Marth."
"Okay, thanks."
Seto spent the rest of dinner eating and thinking. Kenshin taught him a new sword move and Marth helped him find confidence through his most valuable card…
Seto smiled softly.
Maybe he had a chance after all!
After a good night's rest, Marth and Roy woke Seto and Mokuba softly.
"Get up guys, it's time to go."
Mokuba and Seto both found themselves with a load of clothes in their arms.
"Put it on," Marth said to Seto. "It's my finest set of battle clothes, and I want you to wear it."
Roy nodded to Mokuba. "Same here."
Mokuba had the easiest time changing, he had less clothes. A scarlet tunic with golden embroidery diving around sleeves and neck, white pants, and a leather strap with a golden buckle as a sling for the blowtorch.
Seto however…
His looks were beyond words.
A pale blue tunic with navy colored embroidery like Roy's, only the design was different. He wore a breast-plate of black armor over it. He had pale blue pants and white boots made of glorious material. There was also a white belt with a fancy blue scabbard decorated with sapphires and emeralds. However, now Seto also had a white cape around his shoulders and it was fastened firmly with a pin made of red stone, most likely rubies.
The two Kaiba brothers gazed at their reflections in a mirror.
"We look…"
"…like heroes…" Mokuba finished.
Marth smiled.
"Not Seto, though."
Seto turned to Marth, confused.
Marth added,
"I meant, you're missing something, is all. And I know what it is."
Reaching up to his silky and shiny dark blue hair, he removed the golden headband with a ruby he always wore.
"My sister, Ellis, gave this to me before she died. She told me to take it for good luck."
Ignoring the blue bangs falling into his face, Marth slid the headband into Seto's hair.
"Marth, your headband…"
He smiled.
"Take it with you… for good luck."
Seto looked down at the ground, sad to be leaving after all his friends had done to help him.
"Marth…"
He put his hands on Seto's shoulders.
"You look like a true hero! Now, let's have breakfast and head for the gateway to Fortius Plateau!"
Sheida, Kaoru, Sano, Oguma, Megumi, Roy, Yahiko, and guests Ayame, Suzumi, and Dr. Gensai had come to bid the Kaibas farewell.
Seto looked to the gate. There were carvings in the wall of the letters he had gathered, and all he had to do was put them in place, and the gate would be opened at last. He began place the letters in.
For Serenity…
F
For my friends…
O
Against the evil ways of Pegasus…
R
For my brother…
T
For Espa and the IDA…
I
For the children and the universe…
U
And for Kenshin and Marth and the world of light!
S
The gate swung open slowly, and Seto could see the massive landform towering behind some trees.
Mokuba gulped softly.
"This is it, Seto. What we've worked for. Once we finish here, it's all over."
"I know."
"Then why do you seem sad, big brother?"
"It's just…"
He turned around to look at the people he was saying goodbye to.
Kaoru smiled and waved. Then Sheida. Then Oguma and Sano. Megumi was crying, but she was also waving goodbye. Dr. Gensai and his granddaughters were waving to them. Yahiko and Roy were shouting messages of luck to Mokuba and Seto.
Then Seto saw it.
Supporting Kenshin with his shoulder, Marth walked out to wave goodbye as well.
Calling out, Kenshin said,
"Good luck Seto! I know you can do it! Believe in yourself! Never give up! Goodbye! Reach for the light!"
Seto smiled confidently and waved as he walked towards Fortius Plateau. He waved until he could no longer see his friends.
It felt great to have them as friends. But then Seto remembered what he was really fighting for. The world and the children.
Serenity…
He gazed into the sky. It was pretty cloudy out, possibly a sign of rain to come.
Then he turned to his younger brother.
"So, Mokuba…" he grinned. "Are you ready to save the world?"
Mokuba patted his sling.
"You bet! Race ya to the plateau!"
Seto laughed and began chasing his brother.
Guard was now getting heavier around Fortius Plateau. Seven men were already planning to take out the Kaiba brothers from the very top of Fortius Plateau, where Serenity was being held.
"So those two guys think they're pretty slick? We've gone easy on them so far."
"Yeah, just wait till they deal with us."
"We're lucky that Master put in that new vise chamber." (((bijoukaiba: I think that's the term in movies for the pits where the walls gradually close in on the people trapped inside until they're smushed flat.)))
"Uh-huh! They'll never escape! It'd take a miracle!"
Pegasus had apparently brought technology from the future with him. His guards had radio communicators.
"So us six will go to prepare the pit, and you will stay here?"
"Yes. Radio me if anything goes wrong."
He tossed a controller to a soldier.
"You're my most trusted ally; you use this to control the pit. We made two controllers, one to shut the pit, one keeps it open. You merely hold down the button to shut it. Same thing for the other one, as long as I hold this button, the pit stays open."
"Right, we're on our way right now."
As the six men ran off, the seventh man turned to Serenity in her cage.
"So, how does it feel? Knowing that they're gonna be squished flat trying to save you?"
Not waiting for an answer, he turned around. He put the controller into his back pocket, but it fell out without him noticing. Serenity caught it and looked at it.
I better keep this safe.
She tucked it into the folds of her kimono.
Seto and Mokuba had taken a break from their walking.
"Kinda annoying," Mokuba said, "that we'll also have to climb and scale the plateau."
Seto nodded.
"Yeah, but maybe there's some way we could reach the top without climbing."
"Hey Seto,"
"Hmm?"
"I just thought I'd let you know that I'm wishing you good luck. I have a feeling it will be you and you alone who faces Pegasus in the bitter end."
Seto smiled.
"I'm glad fate made you my little brother. Come on, let's get going."
A guard, hiding behind a tree, grabbed Mokuba quickly and quietly. In an attempt for rescuing, Mokuba shouted even though he was muffled.
Seto turned around.
"Mokuba?"
His brother was missing again. He heard a rustle in the grass and went to investigate.
He walked into a clearing where a large pit was.
Mokuba was being dragged towards the chamber despite his struggles to break free.
Seto drew his sword and charged towards the enemy carrying his brother.
I better save my energy to fight Pegasus, so I won't use the attack Kenshin taught me yesterday.
"Ryu-Jut-Sen!"
A rip in the guard's shoulder blade made him throw Mokuba into the pit. Seto slashed out at his opponent, who fell.
"Start the vise!"
The overseeing guard pressed the button down on his controller. The walls began to shift and slowly close in on Mokuba.
Seto turned to where the sound came from. He HAD to get the controller.
Four soldiers all attacked him at once.
"Do-Ryu-Sen! Dancing Blade! Ryu-Kazi-Sen!" Seto cried, whipping his blade to attack.
The foes had fallen, but not without bruising Seto and leaving him with cuts along his body.
He ran towards the enemy soldier who still stood.
"Drop that controller!"
He merely drew out his own blade and began to fence with Seto, using a free hand to hold the controller.
He backed Seto towards the edge until he began to lose his balance. Just before he fell, he drove his sword through the body of his enemy.
The soldier was shocked at what had happened. He looked at Seto, then at the blade through his body, then collapsed as Seto withdrew his blade. However, because of how he fell, it gave Seto the extra inch necessary to send him flying into the pit.
And as luck would have it, the soldier had fallen on the controller, but didn't break it.
Seto fell onto his back in the pit and blacked out.
Mokuba ran over to his older brother.
"Seto! Big brother! Please, wake up!"
Tears were forming in his eyes.
"Come on, Seto. You're the only way we can get out of here. The walls are closing in on-"
He stopped in mid-sentence, noticing the walls had stopped their caving in.
"Huh? But… how?..."
Atop Fortius Plateau, Serenity had pressed the button to stop the pit's closing.
"Someone fell in, I know it." She whispered. "I don't know who, but I've got to take the chance it's an IDA agent… otherwise… there's no hope for those children. I just hope whoever's down there gets out okay…"
Seto opened his eyes to see the relieved face of Mokuba.
"Oh, Seto!"
"The walls stopped…"
"Yeah, I don't know how, but as long as they're open, let's figure out some way to escape."
"The sooner, the better. There's only about twelve feet of thinking space left anyway."
The guard atop Fortius Plateau finally saw Serenity with the controller.
"Hey, what are you doing with that?"
He snatched it away from her.
"No, please-don't-"
"You bitch! Didn't anyone teach you not to interfere with other people's plans?"
"NO!" Serenity cried as he threw the controller to the ground. It shattered like glass.
The walls began to close again.
"Or not," Mokuba said, stepping backwards so he was back-to-back with his older brother.
"We're doomed. We're dead. It'll take a frickin' miracle to get out of here alive."
Seto stopped staring at the walls at his brother's comment.
Miracle?
Reaching into the collar of his tunic, he pulled out his good luck charm for the past three days.
The Feather-Sword Pendant.
He remembered what the Nikotayos had said.
"According to the legends, you will be granted one miracle. Use it well."
Seto foraged through his pocket for his dueling deck, and then shuffled through the cards madly. The walls were about ten feet apart.
At last he found the right card, the one he had been scanning for.
He put the rest of his deck into his pocket. Eight feet separated the walls.
Mokuba held onto his brother tightly.
"BIG BROTHER, WE'RE GONNA DIE!!! GOODBYE, SETO!!!"
Seto shut his eyes and held the Feather-Sword Pendant in his hand. He raised his other hand holding the card to the sky.
"I've never believed in miracles until I met Kenshin and Marth and the Nikotayos. But now I feel my faith stronger than ever! I hope that this pendant can harness the power of shadow magic. PLEASE, FEATHER-SWORD PENDANT, BRING YOUR MIRACLE UPON ME!!!"
Since both of their eyes were shut, Seto and Mokuba didn't see what happened. A bright flare of red light and fire, much like the Flarenix swooped around them, then it transformed itself underneath the Kaiba brothers into the legendary dragon Seto had put his heart into for his entire life.
The Blue Eyes White Dragon triumphantly carried Seto and Mokuba into the sky with a mighty and loud roar.
Seto and Mokuba opened their eyes. Seto, sitting in front with his legs on either side of the dragon's neck, looked at the card. The image had almost completely faded from the card.
Mokuba was in awe, sitting behind the shoulders not too far from Seto. He gently touched the dragon's scales to see if it was real. It was. Its scales were beautifully shiny; they reflected Mokuba's face.
"Seto- h-how?..."
Seto smiled and held up his Feather-Sword Pendant, now a dull green instead of bright and glossy.
"Feather-Sword Pendant, produced by the Nikotayo Company. For emergency use only. Grants you one miracle."
Mokuba screamed in joy and hugged his big brother.
"Seto, you're the best!"
He raised a fist into the air and shouted.
"DON'T I KNOW IT! Pegasus, watch out! I got a DRAGON on my side!"
Mokuba laughed.
"And now we don't have to climb the plateau."
Seto smirked.
"You're right, I never thought of that."
Serenity sobbed and the guard laughed cruelly.
"What a pity! Get it? PIT-y? That might have been your only escape, but they got smashed!"
She looked up into the sky, even darker and cloudier before. Serenity sighed and looked into her hands sadly.
"No…"
He continued laughing until suddenly a fireball struck him, and the force of it knocked him off the plateau and killed him instantly.
The wind began to blow powerfully in Serenity's hair.
"What the-?"
Through the clouds she eventually caught sight of the dragon flying closer to the plateau.
"The Blue Eyes?! Then that can only mean…"
The dragon came closer until Serenity identified the figure sitting on its neck.
"Seto… Kaiba?!"
The dragon hovered beside the plateau. Serenity reached out her hand to him from the cage, and he reached to her from the dragon. He stretched out at his farthest and at last his fingertips met hers, even though Seto almost fell off his dragon.
"Serenity, I…" Seto felt his face go red.
She smiled, a faint red glow on her face as well.
"You came to save me? Thank you."
"I promise, no, I swear, we're gonna land and get you out of there."
Mokuba nodded, patting the blowtorch.
"That's right," he said. "Those children need you."
Serenity switched her vision point to something in the distance and a small gasp rose in her throat.
Seto turned around.
"What's wrong?"
"Nothing. I thought I saw something…"
Seto shrugged and heaved himself onto his dragon, which flew over to the other side of the plateau to land. As they climbed off the Blue Eyes, Mokuba held out a hand.
"What's up, Mokuba?"
"It's started to drizzle a bit."
Seto wiped a raindrop from his cheek.
"Guess so."
At last, Seto ran forward to Serenity's cage with Mokuba.
While the younger Kaiba picked the lock, Serenity spoke with Seto.
"Espa sent you?"
"Yeah, but for me, it later became less about the IDA and more about… well…"
He held her hand for the first time.
She looked deeply into his blue eyes.
"Kaiba, I-"
"Looks like I've just witnessed an attempted rescue!"
"Him!"
Seto turned around.
A large masked figure levitated in the air, hovering around them. The mask was a dark orange color, with black stripes painted all over it in intricate designs. It would've been beautiful… if it wasn't evil. The masked figure laughed.
"Kneel all those that stand here before me!"
Serenity changed from her grateful mood into a malicious one.
"Never!"
While Mokuba picked at the lock, she reached over his shoulder and grabbed the blowtorch off his shoulders.
"Hey, what are you-"
"Trust me," she said. "I know what I'm doing."
"But that's mine!"
Ignoring him, Serenity charged up the blowtorch and fired a shot at the masked figure. It flared a bit from impact, but had no effect on their foe.
Seto tried to reason with her.
"Hey, um, you know that's not doing anything-"
"Shut up! Stay out of this! It WILL work!"
He frowned.
"See if I care! I'll keep you posted on the weather."
He held out a hand to catch a few raindrops then gazed into the sky at his foe.
The light drizzle quickly changed into a heavy downpour of rain.
Seto looked from his opponent, to Serenity, persistent with the blowtorch.
He rolled his eyes.
She'll never beat him that way…
As he began to think, his hand touched the hilt of his blade. Seto withdrew it, and as he gazed at it, he remembered what Kenshin had said.
You are a true swordsman for your heart, not for your power.
Sheathing his blade, Seto put his hand up to his head, pondering the message. He felt Marth's headband in his hair.
Take it with you, for good luck.
Seto sighed.
"I get the message!" He shook his head. "I'm gonna totally get myself killed doing this… oh well."
Looking around for any impending danger to his brother and Serenity, Seto ran for his dragon.
The masked figure reached an evil hand up to the sky and a warp formed, sucking him up.
"What?" Serenity shouted. "No fair!"
Seto, mounting his dragon, looked up into the sky as his creature took flight.
Guess I'm following up there…
Serenity and Mokuba had been paying no attention to Seto until the roar of a dragon caught their attention.
They watched as the dragon circled the plateau then curved up at an eighty degree angle to fly into the warp.
Just before they entered, Seto drew his sword and clenched his teeth.
It was all up to him, the one person that was the weakest link in the IDA, in this final battle of life or death that would determine the fate of the universe!!!
Bijoukaiba: This will probably be my longest chapter of all. After all, Seto's fighting for the universe! Also, wish Seto, Kenshin, Marth, and the IDA a happy anniversary! I published Dragon Emblem one year ago, on September 15, 2003. So submit your reviews! The climax of the story is here!