When Destinies Collide

By Ash Kaiba

DISCLAIMER! We don't own any of the characters/term(s) from the Yu-Gi-Oh show and games. We do own Ashley "Ash" Black, Kathryn Takemura, and Mae Black. Plus, we don't own Kaiba Corp.

Note: The principal's name may look familiar; that's because he's named after the creator of the Yu-Gi-Oh! Series, Kazuki Takahashi.

Ash Kaiba: Thank goodness Katie Mae put that up there. I would've forgot. Here's Chapter 11! Enjoy!

Previously in When Destinies Collide: Chapter 10: Naptime Disturbed

Kaiba meets Ash's father, Captain Ned Black. He learns that Ash is going to be his personal assistant.

Italics-Thoughts and the dream

Underlined Italics- Kaiba's thoughts within the dream.

Chapter 11: School Court

What? What's going on? He wondered. The area around him burned in flames. Figures were on the ground before him. Yugi… Wheeler…Gardner…Taylor…Mokuba…Black…What is happening? He walked over to his brother. Kaiba tried to wake him up, but failed. Mokuba and everyone else had no signs of life in them. He realized that he was the only one standing to fight, but who was he fighting? The enemy materialized before him. Kaiba gasped as he looked at himself…

"Aaargh!" Kaiba snapped awake. His breathing was heavy as sweat stung his eyes. "It was a nightmare." He gasped as he fell into the mattress. His heart pounded frantically with doubt in his mind. What does it mean? Is that what's going to happen? Kaiba shook his head in uncertainty. He rose to his feet. Then, he snapped the brass buttons of his school jacket together as he looked up at the clock. I slept for an hour and a half, but it felt like only five minutes. I better talk to Yugi about this. Ever since I lost to him and Exodia, I've been searching for answers. Well, now I've found at least some of them. Yugi's 'heart of the cards' has to be true; I witnessed it when my dark side used my Blue-Eyes White Dragon to attack Yugi. When I yelled his name, it was gone.

"Seto Kaiba, please report to the principal's office." The intercom ordered from the ceiling.

Now what did I do? He wondered as he walked down the hallway. Kaiba figured that he still had about two hours of school left. He passed many classes that were still continuing. Ash is so different. I know her father is an American, but Ash looks almost…Egyptian. Kind of like me. I remember Mom telling me about her friend named Kamilah when I was only three. Could she be Ash's mother? Whoa! Hold your dragons, Seto. I need to stop thinking about her. It's not like I'm in love with her or anything, right? Kaiba wondered as he approached the main office. He looked in at the principal's secretary. Ms. Kawasaki sat her desk. Her eyes were glued to her computer screen.

"Mr. Takahashi is waiting for you, Mr. Kaiba," she addressed him as he passed by.

Kaiba nodded and headed for the office. He knocked on the door. The door opened and Mrs. Kurosaki stood behind it. She gripped his wrist and yanked him in. Then, she forced him into one of Mr. Takahashi's chairs. Mr. Takahashi, Mrs. Kurosaki, Mr. Tsuruoka (A/N: the senior guidance counselor, see Yu-Gi-Oh! Volume 5), Mr. Tundra, and Dr. Muran circled him. All of them looked at him with a look that cut through his self-esteem. "Yes?" He stuttered, as any student would in the principal's office. He expected Mr. Takahashi to make to first move on the giant chessboard. However, it was Mr. Tundra who first moved his pawn.

"How did you know what the topic of today's lecture was, Mr. Kaiba?" He questioned him with a locking gaze on him. Kaiba scanned his mind for the answer as his teacher waited. He felt like he was in court, in which he never was. To him, Mr. Tundra was the prosecutor. But, he couldn't tell which one was on the defense. He knew that Mr. Takahashi was the judge. "Mr. Kaiba!"

"I don't know, sir." He snapped back into reality. Then, he knew right off the bat that the next question was 'What do you mean you don't know.'

Suddenly, Mrs. Kurosaki jumped up. "What about that mark?"

"Mark? Where?" Dr. Muran asked with great interest. That was when Mrs. Kurosaki grabbed his left arm. She then realized that the jacket had to be taken off. The nurse ordered him to take it off. Kaiba obeyed with a silent tongue. Then, she showed it to the others. Mr. Tsuruoka didn't seem to care. However, Dr. Muran gasped in surprise. All of them stared at a sign that looked like an ankh with a falcon head in the middle of it.

"It's a birthmark. I've had it ever since I was born." Kaiba answered, his mother returning to his mind. With her were his little brother, Mokuba, and his father. If only you were here, Mom, none of this would have happened. Then he remembered what she said before they moved to Japan from Egypt. "Danger hides behind every corner, my son. I know our time together will run short, but you must remember your mistakes."

"What mistakes, Mom?"

"You will know when the time is right…" She answered, her voice fading from his mind. Kaiba missed her with all his heart. When she died, he swore to his father that no matter what, he would take care of Mokuba. Kaiba kept that promise when they were taken to the orphanage.

Mr. Takahashi sighed. "Go back to class, Mr. Kaiba." Kaiba rose to his feet and bowed slightly to them. Mr. Takahashi then dismissed the group. Dr. Muran, however, stayed behind. Kaiba waited for the school staff to leave. He kept his voice hushed and his eyes unseen. Finally, he left the principal's office. Mr. Takahashi watched him leave before turning his attention to Dr. Muran. "I've never seen anyone as pale as he is. Does Mokuba have a personal assistant for him?"

"Yes, she is who I would have expected it to be. The American student who goes by Ash Black," the doctor answered. "Ash and Kaiba have a lot in common. Hopefully, it's enough for them to get along."

In class…

"Come on, Joey! You have to know some of this stuff," Yugi cheered on his friend.

"Yug', this stuff is really hard! Translating these myths, trying to remember what graphic is what, and on top of it all, being assigned to work with Rich Boy; it's just too much for me!" Joey complained as Kaiba walked into the room. The class remained focused on their work as their classmate strolled over to his desk. Joey was hunched over his desk, which had been moved next to Kaiba's. He was too focused on his work to notice the businessman peeking over his shoulder. Before him were pages full of hieroglyphics and blank sheets of notebook paper. On the desk next to his, a pile of paper sat neatly beside the notes that Kaiba had taken that morning. Kaiba finally sat down in his chair quietly. He read the project syllabus that rested on top of his other papers. That was the moment Joey looked over.

"Aaah! Kaiba! When did ya get here?"

"About ten minutes ago," he answered simply. He briefly scanned the stack. "We're doing a project?" Kaiba asked, pausing to look up at Joey.

"Yup, in pairs. For some of the hardest myths, you and I are partners." Joey answered in a whisper. He watched Kaiba give him the 'What?' look. That was how he had felt when he first heard that he was working with a sick guy that could either: a) explode at any moment, b) fall over at any moment, or c) completely forget it. "I'm workin' on this 'Son of Ra' myth, or prophecy. Ya know, the one a lotta archeologists are havin' problems with." He explained to his partner. Kaiba still had a surprised look on his face. With a sigh, Joey returned to his work.

There is a myth about me? And Wheeler is trying to translate it? Kaiba looked down at the pictograms on the paper, then over at Joey, who was struggling to find the right meaning. He can barely understand any of it, but I can read it as if it was written in simple English. If Wheeler succeeds, my identity will be made known. He bit his lip as if in deep thought. "Um... Wheeler, how about I do that one? Maybe I can understand it. You could do the myths that are easier than that," he offered, praying that Joey would agree to it. Maybe I can learn more about being a 'demigod.'

Joey gave him a suspicious look. "Give me one good reason."

"You're having a hard time with it."

Joey gave it some thought and looked at his partner. Then he handed over the papers. "Go ahead, Smart Guy."

"Thanks." Now, I need to figure about how to keep this a secret…

To be continued…

Next Chapter in the When Destinies Collide Saga: Chapter 12: Rivals Talk

Kaiba and Yugi talk…as friends! What will Yugi learn? Will Kaiba finally see a true friend in Yugi?

Ash Kaiba: Thanks for reading. As of right now, When Destinies Collide will just be one story. (Still need my second opinion.) Please review. They help, really. They help me get over my writer's block.

Kaiba: Sure...Maybe the world should blow up.

Ash Kaiba: Not going to happen. That would mean blowing up your brother.

Kaiba:...She got me.