Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters, plots or anything dealing with Yu-Gi-Oh.
Author's Note: This is my first time posting any fics up on the internet so please read and review (all comments are welcome-I intend to hone in on my craft and waste my nights typing away at my computer *clears throat* I mean become a better writer for the sake of the fanfic community *right hand raised in the air, left hand placed on a stack of doujins*). Since I am very new at this, I welcome any advice anyone has to give. I intend on publishing more chapters to allow this story unfold, but if no one tells me how good/bad/awkward my writing is, then how will I know what direction to go in and what improvements to make? *sighs* And now I've managed to waste even more of your time, so please enjoy before I ramble on carelessly.
Guardians of the Gods
Chapter 3
Battle City Beginnings: Backstage
5:30pm Kaiba Corp Tower, Domino City, Japan
An electronic whir sounded outside the door to Seto Kaiba's inner office. The genius, teenage billionaire stopped briefly to contemplate amusing himself with answering the call. Who could that possibly be? It's after 5:00pm, I thought I told that dull-headed secretary to dismiss all calls after 4:00pm today.
He was busy with reviewing the schematics for his, or rather his little brother's duel monsters themed park. Usually, he would ignore such requests from Mokuba. He was only a pre-teen and usually voiced his requests of out compulsion rather than need. Though this idea that Mokuba had seemed to stick, for he had not forgotten about it or laid it to rest for the past two years.
As soon as Kaiba realized that his little brother was serious about his idea, they both sat down together to realize what ideas were floating around in Mokuba's head. That was when Kaiba also noticed that Mokuba was no longer the needy child from the orphanage, constantly clinging to his brother's side, but a budding genius himself. The more they talked about the theme park, the more it seemed like an obtainable goal.
And now, two years later, he himself, Seto Kaiba had set aside the funds to start building Mokuba's theme park. Kaiba was actually amused at his own excitement for starting such a project. If it was the only thing that made Mokuba happy, Kaiba would complete it to the best of his ability and give Mokuba the extravagant, over-the-top amusement park he had dreamed about.
It was the very least he could do.
Kaiba knew the park would not even chip the surface of his enormous fortune. Of course, after calculating the figures, he knew that the park would bring in enough revenue to offset Mokuba's other projects and give the younger Kaiba brother money of his own to experiment with. He was proud of Mokuba's work ethic and the fact that he never gave up on the things that he wanted, no matter how ridiculous. But then again, after all he was a Kaiba.
Kaiba sighed and decided to answer the call. "What?" he said indifferently into the speaker on his desk.
"Hey big bro, can I come in for a minute, I really want to talk to you."
Kaiba pressed the button beside the intercom to unlock the door. Mokuba opened the door just enough to slip his body through and then shut it again. He ran over to the couch sitting in front of his brother's desk and picked up the remote to turn the television on. Kaiba continued typing on his computer.
"What is it Mokuba?" he finally said.
Mokuba, fully engrossed in the current television program, said nothing.
Hmph, he's still a kid though. Short attention span and all, Kaiba laughed to himself. He picked up his own universal remote and changed the channel to get his brother's attention.
"Hey Seto I was watching that!" Mokuba turned around and whined.
"Too bad," Seto smiled. "What did you want to talk about anyway?"
"Tell me what you are doing first," Mokuba teased.
Kaiba sighed. "Reviewing the layout for your theme park, the designers have no imagination whatsoever, so I'm going to have to put the only person in charge that can possibly make the ideas in your head a reality."
"Who's that Seto?"
"Who else would it be Mokuba? You. Even if I could somehow get into your head and design your park for you, I'm too busy with my own responsibilities to be effective. You're the perfect candidate. I trust that you can handle this. You've matured since we returned from Duelist Kingdom."
Mokuba's eyes darkened a little after remembering the events that transpired on Pegasus' private island. Before his older brother came to save him, Mokuba fell into a deep depression and had even thought about killing himself. His older brother hired the best psychiatrists money could buy to help Mokuba through the weeks that followed Duelist Kingdom, they managed to get him to talk and even socialize, but mention of his kidnapping still made him recede a little, even from his own brother.
"Mokuba," Kaiba stopped typing.
The younger Kaiba pulled himself from his own nightmarish thoughts and answered.
"So when do I start big brother?"
"Now. If you don't put all of your subordinates in line, you'll have chaos on your hands. I suggest you get some sleep tonight. You'll have to meet with the heads of the departments tomorrow morning. I already booked your meeting."
Mokuba nodded excited and turned back around to watch the television. One of the first things Kaiba did when he told over the Kaiba Corporation from his adopted father was teach Mokuba business etiquette and economics. If Mokuba Kaiba did not know how to run a company, he would become a weak point and even bigger target for danger and leverage against his older brother.
Now the only thing that the outside world could hold against Seto Kaiba was his younger brother's own life, which after Duelist Kingdom became the most treasured and highly guarded entity in Kaiba's life. Not that he did not love his brother before but once your little brother gets kidnapped, you tend to keep a bigger eye on him, or in Kaiba's case, hire Mokuba his own set of secret service men.
Kaiba assumed the risks of running the most profitable and prosperous gaming company a long time ago, and he was always used to cutting his losses and starting over again to save the greater good. But now, any threat against Mokuba was a personal offense and huge mistake punishable by law and suit, not to mention what would happen to the assailant if Kaiba ever got his hands on him.
The phone on Kaiba's desk rang loudly, interrupting him from his own thoughts. Kaiba just stared at the device as if it were some foreign object.
"Aren't you going to answer the phone Seto? It could be important," Mokuba asked turning around on the couch.
"Or it could not," Kaiba retaliated. "Seriously, I told that secretary that I wasn't going to take any calls today, why the hell would she let through this one?"
"Oh, are you going to fire her Seto?" Mokuba perked up. He could not help it, and he knew that it was probably wrong, but Mokuba loved seeing his brother fire incompetent people. He knew Kaiba never fired someone for irrational reasons like dislike or general ill will; it was incompetence and disobedience that were punished.
Kaiba knew who was invaluable and who was worthless to his company, if one secretary could not follow simple orders such as shun every person who came knocking or calling for him, then so be it, she can fuck up at someone else's company.
"Perhaps, I'll let this call decide for me," Kaiba picked up the phone just in time. He put it to his ear, said nothing and instead waited for the person on the other end of the line to talk.
"Hello Seto Kaiba, my name is Ishizu Ishtar. If you would please turn your television. I am about to make an announcement."
"Who the hell are you? And why should I?" Kaiba could not shake the tinge of familiarity he felt from the voice on the phone.
"I promise Kaiba you will not regret it."
"Do you know who I am?"
"If you wish to find out who you are, then you will change the television channel."
Curiosity, more than the woman's demand, made him reach for the remote and change the channel. He clicked over to the news channel and was caught off-guard by the breathtaking darker skinned woman.
She wore a modest dress, only showing off her shoulders with gold trim and a simple pattern. The gold headband she wore wrapped around her head and met at an emerald resting just above her eyes.
Those eyes, Kaiba thought to himself. Her eyes were an unparalleled shade of lolite (5), masked by thick lashes. The woman looked straight into his own blue eyes, as if she were standing before him, her intense gaze piercing straight through into his soul.
He fought the urge to be lost in her gaze forever and increased the volume on the television.
[Television Broadcast]
Hello everyone, my name is Ishizu Ishtar and I have come to Japan to share my collection of ancient Egyptian artifacts. I implore all ancient history and duel monsters enthusiasts to visit my exhibit at the Domino Museum as I will uncover the origin of duel monsters! I will hold a private exhibition for a select few. I personally invite Seto Kaiba to visit my exhibit.
"What makes you think I am going to come to your crappy exhibit?" he said aimlessly into the phone he still managed to hold. Kaiba tried his hardest not to sound impressed with how well she set this conversation.
"You will come Seto Kaiba if you wish to know the origin of duel monsters."
Her voice lulled him into some sort of haze. Why was this woman having such an effect on him? Kaiba shook out of it and tried to get to the bottom of her invite. "Pegasus already tried to feed me that bullshit, and I hope you know where that got him."
"What I speak of Kaiba goes far beyond Pegasus' knowledge. If you come I promise you one of the three rarest cards in all of duel monsters."
Her voice did it to him again. He could not help but feel more intrigued and relaxed at every syllable her mouth pronounced. Was it her foreign accent? Or the way the words gracefully left her lips? "Of what benefit is it to me? I would talk quickly if I were you," Kaiba could not afford the sweet trance of her words to distract him any longer. "My attention and my secretary's job depend on your next words. For both your sake's I hope they are crucial."
"As I said Kaiba, I promise you one of the three rarest and most powerful cards in all of duel monsters. To summon this creature takes a person of great strength and skill. They are not like the common monsters that your company has made replicas of. The original souls of these monsters are in the cards. They were too powerful for even Pegasus to control. But that, is all that I shall say. Your phones are tapped and a third party is recording our conversation as we speak. Come to my exhibit and I shall render unto you one of the most feared beings in all of duel monsters."
The other end of the line clicked. There was a dial tone before Kaiba set the phone on its cradle. Several thoughts were going through his head.
Kaiba pulled open the top drawer to his desk to reveal his duel monsters deck. On top, sat the three copies of the Blue-Eyes White Dragon he deeply treasured. Most powerful duel monsters?
He ran his fingers over them lightly before picking up the deck and placing it in his inner suit jacket pocket.
We shall see, Kaiba quietly said to himself. He put his computer to sleep, closed the lid and motioned for Mokuba to follow him out of the private space.
"I have a late night meeting to attend to," he informed Mokuba after opening the letter his secretary handed him as he left his outer office.
Domino Museum
11:00pm Back Entrance
Leave your security at the door
Ishizu Ishtar
Kaiba stuffed Ms. Ishitar's neatly hand-written letter in the coat jacket he pulled off the hook on his way out.
Then he turned to his secretary. "Who is responsible for this?"
"Mr. Kaiba, a woman visited the office insisting that I deliver it to you."
"Why did you not send her in?"
"Mr. Kaiba, you told me not to allow in visitors in after 4pm," the secretary said trembling.
Kaiba sighed. "But you let a call through to my office, I told you I didn't want any calls after 4pm."
"But, but, Mr. Kaiba, sir," the secretary stammered. "I did no such thing, the phone did not ring for you anytime after 3:30pm. Plus, the woman did not wish to speak with you in person, only to give you the letter."
The CEO opened his mouth to correct his daft secretary when Mokuba pulled on his coat tails.
"Big brother, can we go out for pizza? I'm starving!" Kaiba allowed the distraction to save his secretary's job for now and led Mokuba to the elevators downstairs and out the back door to his limousine.
It was ten o'clock by the time Kaiba took Mokuba home to their over-sized mansion and tucked him into bed. At the pizza parlor they visited, Mokuba ran into Yūgi and his gang. Kaiba, none too eager to join them, sat at another table and watched his brother, endless energy and all, talk and duel over dinner.
The CEO sat at his table alone, contemplating his meeting with Ms. Ishtar later that night.
What could this woman possibly show me? A part of Kaiba thought it would be a waste of his time, another part of him was searching for answers to questions he had been asking himself for a while.
When Mokuba was finally asleep, Kaiba left the mansion with strict orders to his guards. He gave his limo driver the address and then he was on his way to Domino Museum.
Sitting in the backseat, Kaiba took out his deck and spread his three Blue-Eyes White Dragons. Why was he even entertaining this woman's request? These so-called most powerful cards of duel monsters did not even sound real enough to exist. Still though, Kaiba convinced himself he could sit through her bullshit, especially since she was not too bad on the eyes.
"Mr. Kaiba, we have arrived."
"Thank you Roland, just stay with the car, this will not take long. Though, after twenty minutes come get me just in case I've fallen asleep," Kaiba scoffed as he left the limo. Pulling his briefcase with him, he closed the limo door and proceeded to the back of the museum.
The sliding doors gave way as Kaiba strode past them, strutting with a commanding entrance.
Ishizu Ishtar stood with two of her security guards, waiting patiently for him to come within earshot.
Kaiba glanced at all the hieroglyphics on the wall before stopping short and waiting for her to speak. He sat his briefcase down beside him and crossed his arms in anticipation. Ishizu looked even more stunning in person, as if the glow he felt through the television when he laid eyes on her the first time was somehow magnified by her very presence. The lights in the museum hall glinted off the gold in her dress and was captured by the color of her eyes.
Those eyes entranced him again. The emerald on her head and the blue of her eyes reminded him of the waters of the Mediterranean Sea. He often vacationed there and watched the crystal clear fluid reflect hues of cerulean and jade back and forth.
The light also playfully bounced off her exposed shoulders and made Kaiba want to feel them under his own fingertips to see if they felt as soft as they looked.
Ishizu had a slightly warm smile on her face as she bowed in respect to Kaiba and made introductions.
"Thank you for coming Seto Kaiba."
"Where are your other guests?"
"I explained to you on the phone that this is a private exhibition. You are the only one I invited. You are the only one I need to conduct business with. Please, follow me. My guards are locking down the museum as we speak, I wish to make this as quick as possible."
"Good, I was starting to get bored."
"If you wish to, you may leave at any time. However, I know that it is in your best interests for you stay for the duration of my lecture."
"Hmm," Kaiba said a bit more interested than before. "And how do you know what's best for me?"
Ishizu could have sworn there was more behind his question than his tone led on. "I promise you it will-."
"Save it, just give me what I came here for," Kaiba said cutting the dark-haired Egyptian off.
"All in good time Kaiba. For now, I need you to follow me." Ishizu turned sharply on her heels and proceeded to the smaller exhibition room she set up just for this occasion.
Kaiba followed her and marked where the exits were in his mind. This isn't going to take very long, he thought. He heard the shuffling of her flats and her guards positioning themselves at the corridor behind them.
Kaiba continued following behind Ishizu and became spellbound by the dance of her hips. He watched as each side rose and fell with each step she took. His eyes fell lower to watch her buttocks move in the same fashion.
"Kaiba, do you believe in destiny?"
His head snapped up at hearing his name. How in the world does she make it sound so sexy? "No, does it matter?" he replied nonchalantly, not wanting to reveal anything about his true thoughts.
"Destiny is the concept that most events in our lives are predetermined because history repeats itself cyclically. You could say that you are not here by choice but because we were destined to meet."
"Look, you're wasting my time with all this nonsense, I didn't ask for a glimpse into Egyptian History 101. I came here because you promised me it would be worth the drive. Stop with the lecture and get to the point already. I have a company to run, and I can't play school with a curator who rambles on."
"As I said before, all in good time Kaiba. What I promise you is a monster that is even stronger than Exodia."
Kaiba arrogantly scoffed. "I know everything there is about duel monsters and nothing is stronger than Exodia."
"Perhaps your knowledge is not as expansive as you may think. Duel monsters is based on a five-thousand-year-old game played by ancient Egyptians. Pegasus was the one who discovered its origins and recreated the game for modern use. Back in the time of the ancient Pharaohs though, this game was used to fight over power and wealth, and much more dangerous a game than your holographics can conjure up."
"Who gives a shit?"
"Maximillion Pegasus did. He devoted his life to this game and even created a series of all-powerful cards he never released to the public. You should not be surprised that he kept the best cards for himself."
"He would have used them against me at Duelist Kingdom."
Ishizu saw this opportunity to knock the CEO down a step. "Duelist Kingdom was for novice players despite the prize he offered. It would have been a complete waste to use the cards during that gag tournament."
"Hmph."
Ishizu continued. "Stand here Kaiba," she reached for the light switch on the wall. "And behold the origin of duel monsters."
When the room was illuminated, two large stone tablets were displayed behind tempered glass.
Kaiba was stunned at what he saw. The weathered rocks had carvings that resembled duel monsters cards. He saw what looked like Monster Reborn, Gaia the Fierce Knight, Swords of Revealing Light, and Battle Ox surrounding two people holding their hands out to a flame. Above the two people were the Dark Magician and Blue-Eyes White Dragon.
"That's Blue-Eyes," Kaiba stuttered, unsure of what this all meant.
"Yes, that is the monster you treasure dearly. And if you look closer, you will see the masters of these two very powerful, very recognizable creatures."
"That looks like Yūgi and that looks like-,"
"Yes Kaiba, that is you," the moment Ishizu saw Kaiba on the television, she could not place why he seemed so familiar. But the next day she returned to the museum and laid eyes on the tablet again, she remembered. He was the reincarnation of the Pharaoh's most trusted priest. She thought the revelation would lay rest to her instincts about the CEO. But now, as she was explaining his connection to the ancient past, she got a sense that it was not all that Kaiba was in a past life.
"Long ago, there was an ancient duel between the Pharaoh and one of his priests. Ancient Egyptians weld the power to control these monsters you see depicted. You and Yūgi are arch-rivals because you were so five-thousand-years ago. And this ancient battle you see here is destined to happen again."
"This is bullshit," he plainly said, turning to leave.
"I knew that you would not believe me, so experience the power of my millennium necklace," Ishizu quickly faced Kaiba and cupped her necklace in her hands. It began to glow as rays of light shot out towards Kaiba and submerged his mind into a vision of the past.
For the briefest of moments, Kaiba felt the warmth from the glow of the Egyptian woman's artifact before he felt himself being ripped from the present.
Kaiba had fallen on all fours during the course of the vision in order to keep himself grounded. Ishizu smiled slightly at the sight of the powerful teen on his hands and knees.
As he experienced the vision Ishizu forced on him, he got back on his feet and opened his mouth to speak. "What is this?"
When the vision dissipated from his eyes, she explained what she knew he needed to hear. The woman knew that Kaiba had no choice but to listen.
"Look at the monsters at the very top of the tablet. Those are the Egyptian Gods, Obelisk the Tormentor, Slifer the Sky Dragon, and the Winged Dragon of Ra. These are the most powerful monsters in the entire game. They proved too powerful for Pegasus to wield, so he gave them to me for safe keeping."
Kaiba looked at the top of the stone tablet and saw a carving of three monsters, he did not understand what Ishizu was getting at.
"The Egyptian God cards are nothing but representations of the real Egyptian Gods. The cards are somewhat like a placeholder, keeping within them the power of the Gods themselves. Even if the cards are destroyed, they are just pieces of paper. But the spirit of the Gods retreat to reside in their human vessels. But residing in human bodies is tiring for both parties and so residing in inanimate objects like cards are easy, especially since Pegasus made it possible with the power of the millennium eye to contain souls in cards."(6)
"Where are the cards?"
"I was burying them when I realized," Ishizu paused. She was not telling Kaiba the whole truth. Yes, Pegasus knew he could not control the cards, but they were her responsibility from the very beginning. She had to bury the cards to help the Pharaoh, not to hold the cards for Pegasus. But she needed Kaiba for a very specific reason, and she would tell him all he needed to know to act accordingly. "Someone had stolen them."
"Who else knew about them?"
"There is a group called the Rare Hunters, they have two of the Egyptian God cards, amongst other things. They are now searching for the third."
If I were to get my hands on those God cards, I would be an invincible duelist and finally reclaim my title as number one, Kaiba thought to himself. I'm going to retrieve these God cards myself.
"These rare hunters are very difficult to find, their very livelihood depends on their secrecy," Ishizu commented reading Kaiba's thoughts. "If you, Seto Kaiba, were to throw a tournament of your own, one with a better reputation," she used her wits to stoke his ego.
"It would draw these lowlifes out of the dark by the droves and I can gather these cards myself," he voiced, finishing her sentence somewhat aroused by her brash assumption.
"I am asking you to retrieve these cards so that I may return them to their resting places."
Kaiba turned towards Ishizu and approached her, ignoring the rules of personal space. He pushed her back against the stone tablet depicting the ancient duel between himself and the nameless Pharaoh and looked straight into her eyes.
"What makes you think I would be gathering them for you, or holding a tournament at your request for that fact?" When the exotic-featured woman could not find her words immediately, Kaiba smirked.
"I am sure that the legendary Seto Kaiba could eradicate these hunters had he the time. But how do you expect to be victorious in a duel when you do not wield an Egyptian God yourself?"
"Like this," he took her lips in a soft, yet demanding kiss and took the opportunity to close the small gap that remained between them.
Ishizu was more stunned than offended and did not quite know what to make of the situation. But her thoughts were soon halted when Kaiba's hands slipped underneath her dress and grabbed her posterior, squeezing it and lifting her up against the glass.
He never broke the kiss, pressing his weight into hers to keep her pinned against the transparent surface. One of his hands traversed up her hips and slipped underneath her bra to gently press a finger to her nipple.
She moaned softly in response and placed her fingers on the back of his neck urging him. She began to kiss him back as she felt a sensation like electricity bolting down her chest and between her legs.
"Kaiba," she softly said, her voice hesitant and dipped in desire.
He continued as if he did not hear her. His hands came back up the cup her face and kiss her harder with more purpose. One of them drifted down to her neck, feeling the soft skin there. As soon as his fingers ghosted over the surface of the millennium necklace, it began to glow again and Ishizu felt the familiar pull of the magic sending her to a different time.
She opened her eyes and found that she was in a darkened room, alone.
Movement on the other side drew her attention and made her think otherwise.
When Ishizu realized she was witnessing a tryst, her cheeks immediately reddened and she stiffened her back against the wall. Her necklace never showed her visions as intimate as the one she was experiencing. The sounds, the smells, the things she saw performed all were too real as she tried her hardest to ride out the vision to its end. But the two voices she heard were very familiar.
Hers and…Kaiba's?
Ishizu gasped, bringing a hand up to her mouth in disbelief.
As if the man that resembled Kaiba heard her, he shot out of bed leaving his lover surprised and confused.
That is me! Ishizu realized, looking at the woman who was quickly redressing herself. She recognized the millennium rod as it flew across the room and into the hands of the man standing defensively.
"Wha-," both Ishizu and the woman in the vision exclaimed simultaneously in ancient Egyptian.
But in the next moment, Ishizu was back in her present time standing beside Seto Kaiba with…her older brother looking at her questioningly. Beside him stood one of Kaiba's men.
"Sister, what just happened?" Odion asked in Arabic, not wanting the strangers to eavesdrop on their exchange. She gave him a look that told him she would explain later.
Ishizu just breathed heavily and tried to reclaim her consciousness from the vision she just experienced. So many questions were flooding her head. What was real? What just happened?
She clutched the necklace for dear life as a torrent of emotions washed through her and left her hands and legs trembling.
She looked over at Kaiba, who nodded to his man and flashed Obelisk the Tormentor, victoriously, in his fingers just before turning to leave.
He must have sleight of hand to have pulled that card without me knowing. She breathed once more to gain her composure and motioned for Odion to stand in the doorway.
"Kaiba, that is a borrowed possession, I expect it back when this is finished," Ishizu said with as much authority as she could muster.
He turned his head to address her comment, the corners of his mouth turned up slightly. "What makes you think I am going to give back one of the three most powerful cards in all of duel monsters?"
Ishizu nodded to Odion to let the visitors leave, she was sure that they would come again.
"You will return the card," was all Ishizu said before turning to retreat to her office.
"Hmph." Kaiba returned to his limo, walking back the way they came.
Ishizu was not sure if she liked where her millennium necklace was trying to take her. It was supposed to be a tool to help the Pharaoh, not resolve her own past sighed as she reached the door to the tiny room and waited for Odion to enter. There was going to be a lot more to this than Ishizu originally anticipated. What in Ra's name just happened?
Thank you all for reading, and please review (even if you have criticisms, they are all appreciated). Next chapter Ishizu meets the rest of the gang!
For IncurablyAwesome, thank you for the encouragement and posting my story to your community!
For Cedareye, I'm glad (I hope) you liked it! There's more where that came from
For everyone else, if you all have anything to say, encouragements, criticisms, please let me know I love seeing that someone takes time to comment. (requests are also accepted) J
Next, Chapter 4: Your Defeat Was Really My Defeat
(5) Lolite is a blue gemstone.
(6) I am taking the world of Yu-Gi-Oh and applying it to real-life settings. That is I am taking some of the plotholes and unexplained phenomenon and doing what 4kids should have done and do Kazuki Takahashi's series some justice (in my own way).
