Official King of Dragons Summary:

Kisara remembers bits and pieces. Games. Guardians. Golden items. Her life. The others' lives. And she's the only one. Seto Kaiba doesn't. Yugi Muto doesn't. Then the clock starts the day Yami Muto completes the Millennium Puzzle, drawing three thousand years worth of magic into the present time, and the ultimate shadow game begins. Everyone returns for the final showdown in modern Japan. Five years worth of journeys, disbelief, history, and loves that spanned lifetimes in the making... It all starts now. Duelist Kingdom through Millennium World retold. Blueshipping

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King of Dragons

Arc I: Duelist Kingdom

Chapter V

I Will Not Bow

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"I have lost the will to change,

And I am not proud, cold-blooded fake,

I will shut the world away. Open your eyes!

I will not bow,

I will not break, I will shut the world away,

I will not fall, I will not fade,

I will take your breath away."

-Breaking Benjamin

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Kisara Pegasus was the only daughter of Cecelia and Maximillion Pegasus, born on the 30th of August seventeen years previous. As such, she was the heir of Industrial Illusions, and a born and bred duelist because of it. She was blessed with natural intellect and brilliance of the mind, apparently honed by years of study and personal research. Her specialties were numerous, and amongst the gaming aristocracy, she was revered as 'The Queen of Dragons'. Unquestionably, she was the greatest female duelist in the world. Not even Mai Kujaku or Mana Magi rivaled her, not that this girl was one to brag about her talents, of course, but it was a common fact.

So, for a many of reasons, Seto Kaiba thought it boded well for him not to trust the girl. Add in the fact that she was the only daughter of an ambitious psychopath certainly didn't help either. But there was a relentless, nagging echo that ricochet off the boundaries of his thought and collided with his logic in a very unlogical way. He didn't know what to feel, so he dived into the rivers of apathy to a secure location within himself. A place where petty emotions never overcame him. His mind. And he followed it.

Until Kisara Pegasus proved her compliance and openly opposed her father, he would use her as nothing more than a tool. He liked the 'guilty until proved innocent' theory on most days anyway. This way, there were no surprises.

"We should be almost there," the girl murmured, still mapping through the dungeon's molted corridors from the small screen of her computer.

In the shadows, a familiar voice whispered from the darkness, "... Is that you, Kisara?"

Seto didn't have the time to care about the fact that Mokuba had questioned for the bluenette of all people, for his emotions had otherwise clouded his apathy. He rushed over to the closest cell, having heard the voice he'd hoped to hear for so many days of trial and error. He knelt down, hands braced against the bars.

"No," Seto answered, his own voice raspy upon seeing his little brother for the first time in weeks. "It's me, kid."

"Seto!" The grimy twelve-year-old managed to make it halfway before a pair of chains prevented his escape. Chains. He knew a lot about those… What? Images shattered in his mind, but he thrusted them away. He blinked, and immediately saw violet orbs brimming with tears. "Oh, Big Brother! I knew you'd come for me! I just knew it!"

Seto's expression softened despite their current struggles. "Did you expect anything less?"

"Well, of course not!" Mokuba sputtered brightly. "You can do anything, Seto! You… You're the King of Dragons!"

The title struck a chord in him, one that he hadn't felt in a long time. "Yeah," he acknowledged slightly. "Yeah, I am."

It was then that the boy noticed Kisara's presence. "Oh, Kisara, it's you! You found him, didn't you? You brought my brother to me."

The blunette fashioned a smile as bright as the stars. "Yes, I did." It was then that he looked at her, and their gazes connected. Silently, instantly, he knew it was true. Her words before…

"Seto, Kisara's the one who's been helping me since day one! She nearly got me out of here before, but I kinda got trapped by Kemo and couldn't make it out…" He shook his head. "Either way, she's been helping me out for awhile, Bro. She's pretty resourceful, actually."

For only a moment, this startled him, but before he could voice any scrap of gratitude, a figure emerged from the blackened corridor. Above him, Kisara's stance went ridged. So there was a truth to what she'd said. His own hands tightened on the bars of the cell, and if Mokuba's terrified face spoke lengths, then Maximillion Pegasus had arrived. Of course.

"Ah, Kaiba," Pegasus greeted, glowing with a certain amiable quality, as though they were speaking at some gala instead of the catacombs of an ancient dungeon. The man smiled, but there was no warmth in the gesture. "I knew you'd come for Mokuba... Eventually. And my dear daughter, Kisara, how nice it is to see you. With the tournament going on I've barely been able to visit you, but something tells me you've been busy enough, haven't you, hmm?"

Kisara's glare lessened, but those blue orbs of hers held a dagger in them that dared to be crossed. "That would be an understatement."

"You knew I'd come, huh?" Seto interrupted, shooting to his feet as venomous fury blazed in his blood. "Well, tell me something, Pegasus, did you also foresee what I'm about to do to you for harming my little brother?"

Hands in his pockets, back erect, attentive. Yet entirely relaxed. "Actually, Kaiba, I predict you won't lay a finger on me."

"And why is that?" In comparison, Seto was tense and ready to spring.

Pegasus laughed, and metal gleamed a bright gold in the darkness, a mere flicker of light. Foreshadow crept along his spine, phantom claws raking down his skin. "Careful, Seto," Kisara murmured, keeping him at bay and in the present. She held out an arm, preventing him from throttling her bastard of a father where he stood. She glanced sidelong at him, as if knowing what would happen if he took a step further. Maybe she did. "Stay back."

Flames danced in their wick, crackling with fire. Seto felt that rage, but it burned blue.

Impatient, yet remaining behind the bluenette, he ground his teeth together. "You conniving snake!" Seto hissed. He was teetering on the edge of barreling through the girl, and staying grounded by her advice. "I should take you down right now for what you've done to Mokuba!"

Pegasus raised a silvery brown, not white, but silver. "Don't be ridiculous, Kaibaboy. In my dungeon, in my castle, and in my realm, the only one who makes threats is me."

Opalescent light swarmed around them, dashes of gold flickering around the dismal corridor. Seto cast an arm over his eyes, protectively shielding whatever venomous light threatened to blind him. He heard Kisara gasp, but Mokuba's scream echoed along the cavernous stones in a bounding terror that thrashed in his bones. Upon opening his eyes, he immediately, unthinkingly snapped his head in Mokuba's direction. But his brother was already lost. Violet orbs were dulled and secluded, gone. Colossal fear gripped at him, along with the fringes of faint understanding. He'd seen this before… But... Carved in stone. No!

"You monster!" Seto growled, bordering on panic. "What have you done to him?" But in his gut, he knew. He knew all too well.

Pegasus shrugged a single shoulder, light and airy. Meaningless. Dismissive. "It's just a little magic trick, isn't that right, Kisara dear?"

"No," she answered grimly. "What you've done is beyond simple magic, father. You've committed treason."

Ignoring the girl, Seto took a step forward and demanded, "Tell me, what have you done?"

"I've ensured your cooperation," Pegasus responded cheerfully, as if recounting a fond old metaphor memorized by time. "For you see, Mokuba's soul is now imprisoned in a place where the locks can't be picked."

It didn't make sense. Everything. Nothing. Magic and Souls and Hearts. "You're mad!"

"No, Seto," the girl shook her head, and knelt down to the stones, searching through a realm of shadow for his little brother. Her grip tightened on the bars, her voice rough with a decade's worth of bitterness. "He's corrupted by powers he can't control."

"And there he will remain," Pegasus continued, ignoring his daughter's mutterings. "Until you beat me in a duel."

"Duel? With you? Now? Fine." He didn't care about anything else. If it brought his brother back, it didn't matter. He'd do anything, resort to any edge or horizon to bring him back to safety.

Pegasus clearly found his desperation to be amusing, and Seto's bones shook with more emotions than he knew how to handle. "No, Kaiba, first you must earn the right to challenge me. And you can only do that by beating Yami in a duel." In his peripheral, the blunette flinched. "And if you can't win against him, Mokuba's soul will stay mine, forever."

"No," she spoke suddenly, and shot to her feet. Millions of thoughts flashed through her eyes, even Seto saw it. "Have him—Have him duel me."

"Oh, how I would love that, but I think not." A dark and sly smirk curled on Pegasus' face.

She raised her chin. "Why not?"

"Because you'd lose, Kisara dear. In doing so would make you my newest captive in the shadow realm, and I think that you being on Earth would suit your tastes better, now wouldn't it?"

The woman squared her shoulders, and Seto thought it reminded him of a time he couldn't discern. Who the hell are you, Kisara Pegasus?

"If I lose my soul by fighting in this war, then so be it." Her voice was level, even, but defiant. "Because whether you like it or not, father, the Triumvirate is back, and they will throw you off that forsaken throne of yours one way or another."

"Although you make good speeches, dear, I simply cannot allow for your request to be granted. You're far too valuable to me alive than dead to the world anyway. Besides..." He paused to smile, an edge to it that bordered on insane. "Seeing them duel is simply far too entertaining! The struggle! The power! Even I cannot spare them of such an opportunity!"

She barreled towards her father. Her breaths were calm and subdued, but fell with old resentment. Grabbing at his collar, she forced him down to eye level, but Pegasus merely smiled as she muttered, "You know exactly what will happen if they duel. You want this. You know, you know."

Seto didn't have the slightest spit of understanding about what she was going on about. It was obviously a knowledge shared between the two Pegasus', and Seto watched on as the elder's smile became sharp as steel, a jovial sheer. Snatching at her wrists, he pulled her closer, their faces on the brink of collision, but the girl let him, fearless.

"What is this, Kisara dear?" Pegasus purred. "Do you not believe in him enough to let him challenge your dear brother, hmm? Is that it?"

"You know that isn't the case. I know it's possible. Anything is. But you are making them enemies. History cannot change just because you want it to."

"Oh?" he cooed. "Something tells me your King has a lot more fire and ambition than you know, Kisara dear. He's always been resourceful, right? And you hardly know the current one as well as you think you do. He's not quite as kindhearted as you knew him to be. He'll start a war because he wants to, Kisara dear."

Impatient, underslept, and thrumming with anxiety, Seto finally hissed, "If your father-daughter spat is through, I would like to get onto business here."

"But, Seto," she tried, her hands falling from Pegasus' collar. "You don't understand the consequences…"

"I understand well enough." A vague truth, but it didn't matter. The two were rambling about some irrelevant nonsense about kings and Pharaohs when he had more imminent matters to discuss and people to ruin and dethrone. And his little brother….

At their retorts, Pegasus presumed to laugh with all the hapless merriment only a deranged psychopath could. "Oh, yes, the King and Queen of Dragons," he entitled. "How ironic to see them at odds with one another." He smiled, and Seto was frozen over, chilled into the depths of memory, but all that he witnessed was an expanse of purest white, and echoes of a lulling song from girl he could never see—"If only you knew what she meant to you. Although, I do enjoy that expression of hers when she looks at you now. How amusing."

Seto sucked in a breath, snapping his gaze to the girl. Blue. White. Everything in between. Shades upon shades of every known hue of opal and sapphire, but memories refused to descend, confusing him more. Down, down, down he went, but all he saw was white. He didn't know this girl, not really. She meant nothing. But some distant trace of thought skittered at the corner of his consciousness...

A veil of blackness wrenched him into the present.

Pegasus thrust his daughter away, and the girl nearly fell into Seto, but she caught her footing before he had to.

"So what will it be, Seto Kaiba?" Pegasus flashed that same card as before, Mokuba's face imprinted on the front, as if attempting to break through the paint itself. Primal rage thrashed in his blood. Something in the past gnawed at his soul. Soul. And. Stone. Egypt. "So lifelike…" Pegasus continued, purring. "But you probably preferred him in the flesh, didn't you?"

Seto bristled, "You're not human." Absently, he realized he was shaking.

"Quite human actually, just extraordinary gifted." Throwing a handful of metallic star chips in his direction, they skittered on the floor. Beside him, the girl looked like she wanted to throw up.

"Why are you doing this?" It was Kisara Pegasus who'd spoken, but somehow Seto knew it was a question that spanned more time than in recent years.

The elder Pegasus spared a sneering glance at his only daughter. "Maybe I just enjoy the constant tug of war between him and Yamiboy. Or maybe I want something you're incapable of comprehending, dear Kisara."

"Talk straight!" He'd had enough of the fantasy talk, of the ceaseless ramblings about subjects just not there. "What do you want?"

"Want?" Pegasus breathed the word in mock wonder. "I want to see if you're capable of beating Yami in a duel, and only if you crush him in an humiliating defeat will you get the opportunity to duel me. Then, and only then, if you manage to beat me will I return your brother's soul."

"You're not my father," Kisara said suddenly, quietly, yet gripping. She then knelt to the floor to pick up the forsaken stars at their feet. "You are not the father I know from the past."

Pegasus didn't seem to care in the slightest. He merely took the words in, before he addressed Seto. "Anywho, Kaibaboy, I do hope to see you soon." That same sneer cut along the edges of his face. "May the Gods be with you, as they always have."

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Looking down, Kisara Pegasus knew that there were a thousand steps between Seto and Yami. Literally. Some hundred feet beneath them were the animated figures of Yami, Yugi, and several reincarnated allies of the Millennium Court. And they were all ascending the steeping staircase in good time.

They were heading straight for an enemy hell-bent on destroying Yami Muto and the monsters that laid patiently in wait behind their shadows.

"This isn't right," she said quietly.

"Why are you still here?"

She jumped, having realized the man at her side had snapped at her. Casting a glance at Seto Kaiba, she found him staring her down, arms crossed and hips set forward. His entire profile screamed defensive. Although there was no animosity in his gaze, there was a type of distrust that made her frown. What should she say? It was obvious he didn't remember their past, so what should she say, or do, to form at least a portion of trust between them?

"I'm here because—" She stopped herself, and realized what she actually wanted to say. Regaining the confidence she usually honed, she smiled at Seto. "I'm here because I want to be." It was the complete truth, but the words went beyond skin deep. They included the desire to fulfill a destiny written by the Gods themselves, and create a love she hoped would someday prosper. But for now, she'd take it step by step. Staying by his side was a start.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" he asked, not quite sharply.

Perhaps because it was in her nature, perhaps because they both needed a spec of hope in their otherwise dark situation, Kisara's smile brightened to a defining degree. "You can take it however you'd like."

Silently, almost knowingly, he sized her up. "Don't be cryptic," he spat after a pause. "What do you want with me?"

She answered, true and pure, "I want to help you succeed in your ventures, Seto."

His mouth twitched into a snarl at the mention of his first name. "Why would anyone, especially a Pegasus want to help me? You helped even Mokuba. Why?"

She sighed at his lack of understanding, and blanketed her kind smile. Shifting from foot to foot, she found herself crossing her arms and clashing her lips to one side. Clearly he didn't understand that she solely wanted to help, so she changed her strategy.

"I am sick and tired of my father's means of getting what he wants," Kisara explained, genuine yet factual in her intentions. "Unlike him, I actually have morals and a keen sense of respect for people and humanities. I would've preferred to have kept you as an ally, Seto Kaiba. Instead, my father has resorted to making an enemy of you and ruined Industrial Illusions' good name. That being said…" She paused, and graced him with a pretty smile meant only for him. "I also want to help you, Seto. This is about more than just simple business to me. I want that to be known. Securing Industrial Illusions in a positive light in KaibaCorp's eyes is second to your safety, and to you in general."

"You're dodging the question." His stare could've cut clean through steel. "You say you want to help me. Not KaibaCorp. Me."

Unexpectedly, a laugh bubbled from her throat. "What do you want me to say?" she asked, arms splayed in an attempt to draw out her query. "You seem to like blunt words, so fine, I'll say it like this: I like you. There. Happy?"

"You like me." The words sounded like poison.

"Yes."

He took a step closer, his height dominating hers by an entire foot. "I told you not to play games, Pegasus."

Kisara nearly flinched at the abrupt loss in familiarity. But rather than show weakness to a man whom she knew would revel in her fear, she stood tall, biting back against lesser emotions that could possibly kill whatever semblance of respect resonated between them.

"I'm not heartless, Seto. I am not my father, and I want you to trust me. That's all. This is just about you and me." He wouldn't believe what else she fought for. Not yet.

Fringes of faint recognition floated in those cobalt orbs, before his stance slackened. But still defensive.

"You helped Mokuba," he acknowledged. "When this is over, I'll owe you a favor. But that's it."

"But Seto—"

The walls slammed shut. "Don't call me that." He paused abruptly, then fell into the corridors of his mind. It was a place she couldn't reach. "We have company," he announced, his temper changing drastically into a quiet, grim determination.

His voice was then lost to the wind swirling around them, instinctively pulling them closer. It was an odd little aspect of the world she'd soon come to find would happen more than she'd ever expect.

Trying to stay on the positive, Kisara reasoned that he did trust her a bit. He did know she'd helped in his brother's initial escape, and she'd outright defied her father, albeit in a way that was probably enigmatic and relatively nonsensical to him. He probably didn't understand who she was horrified by at the idea of dueling Yami. No, scratch that. It was obvious he didn't understand. Even more, he clearly didn't see what they could have together…

In the past, the Pharaoh and Priest Set had never been put up against one another as enemies. They'd spar and duel and race and compete over every little game imaginable as uncontested rivals, but never had the two princes done so in a manner such as what was to come. To be the variable between them and facing her father was a prospect that gnawed at her conscious every second. In the past, they'd never competed as enemies.

But now… If either prince wanted to pass through the castle gates and challenge the Creator of Duel Monsters, they'd have to duel one another. And this was no longer about titles and pride, about greed and power, or even a competitive rivalry. When it came to this upcoming duel, it was all about saving the souls of those they loved. Nothing else mattered. It would burn in their bones, she knew. This duel would mean everything to both of them. The fact that they were the greatest duelists in the world just heightened the dramatics, but amid the throes of war their rankings were mere afterthoughts. There would be no holding back, and Kisara was well aware of the passion flowing through both princes.

It would be a match to decide life or death.

But there was nothing to be done. Seto was determined. And if she knew Yami like she thought she did, he would be too.

Watching the sky, she contemplated that contrasts between the oceanic hue of the horizon and the fluttering tints within the clouds. Dreams rolled along with the breeze, and Kisara closed her eyes and took a breath to calm herself. Letting the world wash away her fears, she called to the Gods themselves for enlightenment and victory over the princes' common enemy.

When she opened her eyes, the the Pharaoh's gaze was suddenly there, gleaming a valiant crimson that radiated knowledge and power. Even more, on his neck lied the Millennium Puzzle. Emotions clawed their way up her throat, a binding thickness that sprung to her crystalline orbs in a fiery inferno. He was here. Alive. And utterly real.

Seeing him in video feeds was different than now, where she could see the subtle differences in his figure and face. The reality of her situation, of their bond, almost caused her to drop down to one knee right then and there, and proclaim her allegiance to his court. A bittersweet stab flickered in her chest, but she smiled through it, and let the wind remove her tears before they fell.

At her side, Seto glared. She hadn't expected any less.

Halfway up the stairs, she heard a shout of astonishment. "Is dat Kaiba?" Definitely Jou. The rest of the reincarnates' shock fell from muffled lips, the words beyond her comprehension.

It was then that Yami's gaze flicked to Seto's, and Kisara instantly felt the sudden influx of magic surround them. It cloaked the area, and the scent of metal rattled her nostrils. Through the universe's connections, a variety of waves buzzed in a dissonant collision of souls that clashed in a blatant battle of wills, and a vast variety of colors erupted from the space between realms, painting their connections in prismatic hues. It was incredible and disorienting all at once. Although she knew it was entirely unintentional, she hadn't felt anything like this since—since… Egypt.

Eternally austere, Seto stated, "I can't let you pass, Yami."

Yami stopped, his natural expression that of severe determination. "I already won ten star chips, Kaiba. On what authority do you think you can keep me here?"

"I suppose you can say, it's on her authority." He shrugged a single sounder in Kisara's direction.

The younger Pegasus's spine straightened, startled and a bit offended to be used in such a fashion. As if she'd been the one to commission this treasonous duel. Her father had done it. Nevertheless, she would argued in Seto's favor, descending the few steps to reach Yami's 'group'. The infamous rag-tag team and undoubted allies of the Pharaoh surrounded her, all watching her warily. In the back, she noticed a twin series of white hair before locking gazes with the one who she'd grown to know well in her past life. Her skin prickled upon sight, instantly identifying who he was.

Bakura. The Thief King. It wasn't surprising that he'd be here. Like the Triumvirate, (Set, The Pharaoh, and Yugi), he'd been one of the few to hold the winds of change and decide the fate of Ancient Egypt. And just as she remembered, that same, sharp sneer cut along the edges of his smile, devious yet wholly genius. Inspecting him further, she located the Millennium Ring resting along the edges of his chest, gleaming from the sun's fearsome glare. Briefly she wondered how he'd come to obtain it in this time, but she moved her thoughts in another direction. Clearly he wasn't posed as a threat to the Pharaoh, yet. Although the connection between his and Yami's was fractured and ridged, there was no obvious blood between them. Significant loathing, yes, but not like what it had once been.

Kisara fastened a final eye in the Thief King's direction, before pivoting her attention to Yami Muto. Stance collected, yet tense and ready for anything. Strictly impassive was his expression, yet he seemed to be holding himself at the edge of impassioned glory. The Pharaoh always had been a walking constellation of controversies, and apparently that same demeanor flowed into his reincarnate.

Kisara lifted her lips into a grand smile, despite all the horrors committed around them. "My Pharaoh," she greeted. "It is an honor to finally be in your presence." She placed a single hand above her heart, and bowed to him at hip-length. The unrestrained respect and reciting of his secret title showed. The current members of his court were all drawn back a step in their shock, muttering personal queries to themselves. When she regained her height, she spoke to Yami again, "I only wish the circumstances of our meeting could've been better. Nevertheless, I am overjoyed to finally meet you. I am Kisara Pegasus, and if you will, I would be very pleased if you'd call me by name, my Pharaoh."

Yami raised his chin, staying composed even while the rest of his court didn't. "You address me as Pharaoh. Why?"

"Does it matta'?" Jou asked out of the blue, stepping in front of Yami. He sized her up, and Kisara granted him a small smile in return. "Da girl is da daughter of a crazy psychopath. Who's ta say she's not like her father?"

Kisara was about to interject, when Anzu stepped in. "And who's to say she is? I mean come on, Jou, not everyone is out to get us. You're just being rude." She then grabbed the natural blonde by the ear, and tugged him away from Kisara before she could get another word in.

Once again, Yami was in front of her, but at his side was his younger brother who was already in possession of the Millennium Key. Yugi… Although small and petite, this little prince had been widely revered throughout Ancient Egypt for his sway over shadow creatures, and understanding compassion for all. He was the light to Yami's dark, and the two twins had always balanced the scale of one another's banes and boons. Together, alongside Set, they had done extraordinary things.

"You'll have to forgive, Jou," Yugi said. "He's been on edge the entire tournament. Then again, all of us have." Although his words were soft and cordial, the mistrust was thinly veiled by his sheepish laughter.

Kisara's smile became rueful. "He has nothing to apologize for. The animosity towards my father is strong, but it's understandable. He took the soul of your grandfather, and has given you plenty of trials already. What he's done are not venial crimes, my Prince. If anything, I should receive your distrust and apprehension. It's only smart."

It pained her to admit, but it was true.

Yami waved a hand to get her attention thereafter, before crossing his arms. "Although I am curious as to why Kaiba is standing in my way..." He spared a analytical glance at his rival. "For now I would prefer if you'd explain your reasoning for referring to Yugi and myself as Egyptian royalty."

Blunt, yet practiced. She managed the tinkling of a giggle, before placing her forefinger over her lips, and imparting him with one of her signature winks. "I'm afraid that information is for another day. Instead of discussing of the past, I believe you have someone to speak with, my Pharaoh."

Yami looked ready to argue, but another voice cut him off, one that was familiar, yet tinged by a British accent. "Pharaoh, was it?" The voice then presumed to laugh with reckless abandon and rotten mockery. "The day he's revered as the Pharaoh is the day I become a fucking Prime Minister." Bakura.

"Hey, Bakura, stop. Yami doesn't deserve this behavior, and you know it." Soft and combative. His twin. Like Yami and Yugi, this duo was a contrasting swirl of ideals and differences, but balanced one another just as well. Kisara believed his name was Ryou.

Yami wasn't immediately taken from his cool by the flippant comment, but his jawline tightened.

Bakura whirled on his twin, but was also cut off by a far harder, colder, and feral voice than his own. Seto Kaiba. "If you're all done rambling about your pathetic titles, and actually pay attention to your enemies, Yami, you might actually have a chance of beating me again, but seeing as you're taking me so lightly, you won't be able to understand why I'm even here at all."

The wind rustled in her ears, the silence deafening. Everything in motion stopped to listen to the KaibaCorp CEO. And here she was just about to get to Seto's involvement in all this, and explain her father's proposal...

"Then why are you really here, Kaiba?" Yami asked amid the quiet.

"Yami," he began. "You said you won our duel by tapping into the Heart of the Cards, and for a long time I didn't know what that meant. But now, I think I do. It took Pegasus to show me; he gave me reason to place my heart in the cards." Kisara's brows rose to her hairline, hearing the ardent truth of his words. Seto clicked open the locket normally kept within the folds of his jacket, tracing the lines of whatever laid within, before letting it fall to his chest once more. "For the first time," he continued. "I can play with fire in my game."

Yami blinked, awed. "I can feel it." So did Kisara. Seto's connection pulsed with renewed vigor in the shades of the universe.

"I want a rematch, Yami," Seto added, his voice a desperate hiss. "Pegasus only gave me one chance to enter the castle, so let me duel you for the right reasons."

There was a visual pause in Yami's stance, and Kisara bore witness to the change.

"Ya know you don't have to do this, Yam," Jou attempted snootily. "Kaiba hardly deserves it."

"For once, Jou's right," Bakura allowed. "But it would be a stab to your reputation to refuse an opponent, especially Seto Kaiba, Pharaoh."

Yami's lips twitched, but he didn't retort. It took a moment, but then Yugi rested a hand on his twin's shoulder, shaking the elder Muto out of whatever world his thoughts took him. "This is your decision, Yami. You get to decide your fate, but you also get to decide Kaiba's. What will you do?" Perhaps because it was in his nature to do so, perhaps because it was the Millennium Key's influences, Yugi left his brother with a philosophical quandary. Had it been any other decision, Kisara would've smiled, but not in these circumstances.

Finally, Yami nodded to his twin, a slight upturn to his lips. "Fine, Kaiba!" he declared. "I accept your challenge. Just name the place, and we'll duel."

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Kisara had the urge to bite her nails. It was not a very common habit of hers, but it showed when her nerves acted against her better judgement. Graciously however, she refrained for the sake of her dignity. Such behavior from a queen, even a reincarnated one, wasn't how she wished to present herself. Especially in front of the Pharaoh's court. Nevertheless, she was concerned for both Yami and Seto. This duel wasn't going to played nicely, that was much was certain.

As it was, the two princes of Egypt stood across from one another on a raised tower high above the castle, and was each poised and prepared for whatever would be thrown in their direction. Kisara was among the Pharaoh's court, standing at the front and center of them all. Mainly because she was the smallest, other than Yugi who was situated to her left.

"Alright, Kaiba," the Pharaoh announced. "It's time to duel."

They both set their life points at at two-thousand, and placed their respective decks in the card holder of Seto's new duel-disk prototype system. Thus began began an infamous sight, the Pharaoh versus his Priest.

"In echoes we survive… In shadow we fall. In daylight we reign."

It was as if the Universe had paused on its axis. She knew that voice! She remembered the first time she'd heard it.

"When left unchecked or placed in the wrong hands, the items crave power, my Queen."

"My Queen," he addressed, then bowed his head. "Do you know who once spoke those words?"

Kisara was left speechless as the form of a man literally materialized out of thin air. Dark skin was surrounded by sunbleached robes, ancient in design, and transparent at the edges. A spiral turban was wrapped above his head, adorned loosely, and nearly covered his eyebrows. Pupilless, oceanic orbs were aimed in her direction too. Recognition came instantly. Her father had a portrait of him in their dining hall, but never had explained who the mysterious man was.

"My incarnate spoke those words…" Kisara answered incredulously, trying to keep her voice low. It was obvious that no one else saw the man standing there, for they gave no indication of noticing his presence. Instead, the court spoke among themselves, ignoring her completely. "But who are you?"

"My name is Shadi, my Queen, Spirit and Protector of the Millennium Items. For now, only you and one other can see me. I came here to warm you of what may come to pass by enacting this duel, and to watch over the princes, for as you know, the Pharaoh and his Priest were never meant to compete in such a fashion."

"What do you mean?" Brows furrowed, Kisara observed the scene with even more growing trepidation than before.

Shadi raised a hand to the sky. "You see the connections between souls just as well as I do, my Queen, just as the Millennium Court will someday be able to do. Tell me, what do you see?"

It was just as before, but worse. Their interconnective threads toiled and glowed, but they were streaky and bellicose in nature, a definite outline of capricious emotions. "I see rage," Kisara answered slowly. " I see ambition, rancor, exhaustion, but most of all, I see desperation."

"Indeed. That desperation is what will drive them, my Queen. That desperation could perhaps invoke something long forgotten, something they are not yet prepared for."

"What are you trying to say?" Her stomach dropped.

"My Queen, I'm saying that you must be prepared to stop this duel before they go down a path of no return."

To put it lightly, the duelists were aggressive in their moves. The Pharaoh was consistently counteracting Seto, who was desperately trying to keep pace in the match by utilizing every safety in his deck, and defeat Yami as quickly as he was able. It was unusual to see the incorrigible Seto Kaiba act in such a way, but Kisara was slightly proud to witness his hard work, despite the situation at hand. Finally, Seto activated an infamously rare trap card, the Crush Virus, which led to the destruction of many of Yami's favored monsters, therefore forcing him to use his adorably indignant Kuriboh, whom Seto had initially laughed at. But before that, Seto had drawn the final Blue Eyes White Dragon, coordinating the trio into the Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon via Polymerization. To say that nostalgia bit at her heart was an understatement, but so did a fraction of misery. The fourth Blue Eyes was lost to existence.

Following the addition of Kuriboh, Yami used the spell Multiply to infinitely increase and multiply the number of Kuribohs on the field, obtaining the ultimate defense against the Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon. He attacked continuously, but the result remained the same. Terror gnawed at her soul, but she could only stand there.

Useless.

She'd never been good at just standing around.

Kisara's heart soared and mixed as sorrow and festering abhorition, building and ascending into something beyond comprehension. Something… Exordium.

It was as the Pharaoh fused the Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon with Mammoth Graveyard that what Shadi foretold came to life.

But it started with her.

.

Seto Kaiba saw black. And blue. And white. Everything else was lost to the depths of his subconscious as he fought demons inside and out. Mokuba calling out to him, swallowed to the muck and decay of the Blue Eyes. His own younger self screaming at him that he'd done wrong and worse and wrought his own end. The sickening look of his dragons as they crumbled to dust both inside and out. Himself descending into the dark, a place that'd he'd always forsook at the back of his mind.

Meeting the grounds of his thought smacked him into the present. Seto swallowed. The field was tattered with silence, lethal silence. He had one move to go before they, his dragons, were gone for good. It was something he couldn't watch.

With that revolting Mammoth Graveyard infused with his Blue Eyes', his dragons were deteriorating every second, their attack points descending enough for Yami Muto to take him out in one last offensive move on his next turn…

"Yami," he ground out. "It can't end this way. If I don't win this duel, Pegasus will keep Mokuba prisoner, forever." He wasn't sure what he was saying, but it was true. it bounded around, compelling him to know. To acknowledge-"I can't let that happen, and even though I don't have a single card in my deck that can keep you from attacking, I think I still have a strategy that'll stop you in your tracks."

His Pharaoh's eyes narrowed into finite silts. "What do you mean?"

"I'm going to force your hand, and with this battle."

Seto Kaiba was retreating to the edge of the castle tower, teetering precariously on a more stones than he knew existed. More lives than he knew imaginable. His feet didn't cease their movement until he stepped out onto the ledge. Wind rattled his coattails, and a chilling gale brought pins to ripple down his spine. Below, only defeat echoed his name. He kept his gaze elsewhere.

"Kaiba!" The Pharaoh called. Somehow Seto knew that was what he was known as. Perhaps this was what that girl, the younger Pegasus, had been rambling about with her father. Kings and Queens and monarchical nonsense. "Stop this!"

"The real game starts now," Seto announced fearlessly. "Your move, Yami." It was a dare. A englid dare, that if proven right, would win him the duel. He was willing to risk it all for his brother. His sun. His horizon. "You can attack my Blue Eyes White Dragon and wipe out my remaining life-points, but the resulting shockwaves might cause me to lose my balance."

"Don't tempt me!" Yami snarled back. Remnants of some distant memory thrashed through Seto's mind before he could help it. Sandy dunes and crimson stains and the clash of shadows.

"My fate is completely in your hands, Yami," Seto said. He was rambling, he knew. Lost in words that barely had any meaning to him, really. "You'll decide this duel one way or another. Of course, if you don't surrender, I might be… 'Hurt'. You wouldn't want that, would you?"

"I'm warning you, Kaiba, don't push me too far. I must win this duel to rescue my grandfather!"

"And I must win this duel to rescue Mokuba," he retorted. "The difference is I'm willing to risk anything to do it. You know I can stand here all day, Yami, and I'm certain you won't make any attack for fear that you might knock me off, even though you know, by not attacking, you give up the only chance you have of saving your grandpa…" It was a regrettable fact, Seto would admit, but regret had never stopped him before. "Which means," he continued. "I have the advantage over you, for in my case, there's nothing holding me back." He slowly drew a card from his deck, and it glowed at the edge of his fingertips. "Reborn the Monster," he read quietly. It was the only way. The only path. "Which I'll use to resurrect the Blue Eyes's head that was just destroyed by your Guardian."

"What?" Yami breathed. "Restore a head of the Blue Eyes?"

As so he did. Within the rot and grime of his forsaken dragons, a single Blue Eyes was revived and brought back to life. He could never repay them for their sacrifice. For their lives being vanquished in such a way.

"Our life points are equal." Between him and Yami was some thousand Kuriboh bodies and a single Celtic Guardian, but the distance seemed to stretch far longer. Into eternity. "Strike now," Seto taunted. "If you dare. Otherwise next turn, I swear I'll take you down."

.

"This is a predicament," Shadi whispered urgently, ever vigilant. "My Queen, what will you do?"

His Queen on the other hand, barely heard a scrap of what the Millennium Spirit had said. Fists were clenched and fuming, coiling deeper and deeper into untempered fury. Connections buzzed around her, awake and alive and raring. The Pharaoh's court couldn't help but move away from her. Finally, her draconian rage burst from her vocal cords in a single accusation.

"YOU IDIOT!" Kisara thundered.

The wind throttled her voice across the distance, thrashing into the two princes. Both visibly flinched at her tone, although her burning gaze was latched and prepared to decimate Seto Kaiba. Burning rage flickered off her fingers in sparks of electricity, the powers of Mizu, her Blue Eyes Shining Dragon. Emotions flared in her gut, both horror and fear, yet concentrated in a boiling inferno of animosity.

"Do you honestly think I'm just going to stand by why you try and kill yourself?" she snapped, shaken out of control, yet positively focused. Muscles taut, teeth biting, footsteps hard enough to shatter stone. Power steamed off her, pieces of the past awakening for the first time. Unbeknownst to her, she radiated a glow of faint blue.

Seto's nostrils flared, and he openly glared at her, floored. "You have no right—!"

"Like Hell I don't!" Kisara retorted, storming towards him. Finally, she stood before him, but before he could say anything else, she grabbed him by the lapels, and yanked him down to her level. He grunted at the sudden thrust, but the moment his feet hit stone and regained his bearings, he pushed her away. Or tried to. She didn't move an inch.

"What the Hell do you think you're doing?" he snarled, and in her face. "This has nothing to do with you!"

"This has everything to do with me!" she slapped right back, undeterred. She stabbed her finger into his chest, and his glare intensified. A shot of electricity clashed though both of them. Known. "I am not about to watch you do something you'll regret."

Swarths of emotions flared between them, and this time, Seto felt it. Something hot thrummed through his blood, and he saw red. He didn't know what it was, but he knew he liked it. Quick as light itself, he shoved the girl away. She cried out, falling some three meters away. She landed hard on her stomach, and an expanse of white tendrils slithered down her back and knees. Her hair, he thought absently. Beautiful. Flashes of crimson bled down her legs from the scratching the stone. As if realizing what he'd done to her, her head shot in his direction. Visible astonishment and hurt glazed those orbs, who Seto suddenly realized were a pair of blatant sapphire. His throat went dry. Sapphire.

Who are you, Kisara Pegasus?!

Struck, yet pulsing with newfound energy, Seto Kaiba closed his eyes. The world was roaring around him, but the wind pushed him onward. Forward. Towards his goal. His horizon. His brother.

He lifted his eyes once more, exacting his fear and blood and power on the one who dared stand in his way. "Surrender, Yami!" Seto demanded again, closing his thoughts away from anything else. He repositioned himself upon the stone ledge, holding his arms out in an attempt to clarify his indomitable presage, and to mock the pipsqueak into killing him. "Unless you have the courage to unleash your attack," he spat out.

In the air, their connections—Kisara only then recalled they were known as heartstrings— flushed through them all. Friction was palpable, grating against one another in streaking lines. It was raw, unsuppressed energy, fueled solely by everyone's escalating emotions. In Kisara's head, their connective heartstrings rang and tolled with astronomical propulsion. Their powers were awakening.

Yami—who obviously felt something no one else did—seemed to grapple with newfound frustration, and he grasped at his forehead, fighting past some demon, some thing that stopped him from finding the words, and the means, to combat his greatest rival. The Pharaoh looked positively grief-stricken and lost within himself. Rasping for breath, he wavered on his feet. His friends called out to him, but he didn't seem to hear. Blearily, as though clutching for some core inside himself for strength, his hand located the Millennium Puzzle. Upon contact, the world rang with silence, as if trapped in the eye of a storm.

My Pharaoh, Oh, Gods… What did you find?!

The Pharaoh's footing regained composure, and his stance straightened. Crimson radiated off his body, erupting from his awakened soul, and once again his heartstrings clanged. Bile rose in Kisara's throat. Oh, Gods..!

The princes were far from through. Her intervention had brought along a warmonger of recollection and renewal, and neither of them understood what they were utilizing. And Seto, even without his Millennium Rod was undulating. Their power over shadows and monsters had returned, and her interference had unlocked the door.

"The Pharaoh and his Priest have unleashed a catastrophe, my Queen," Shadi informed her, once again materializing from thin air. "They are not yet ready for this to transpire. It is far too soon."

She didn't care to question the fact that he'd mentioned another person, because watching the two princes caused Kisara's fear to spike. This was transforming into a war, and it would turn into something much worse if she didn't act quickly. The two were high on powers they didn't understand, couldn't control.

"This has to be stopped," she whispered.

"Kaiba!" Yami called, sounding like the king he didn't know he once was. "I've never backed down, and I'm not starting now! Celtic Guardian! ATTACK!"

NO!

She was not about to let this happen. Scampering to her feet, she lunged for Seto.

NO.

The Celtic Guardian struck. Seto expression hardened. Ready to fall. The glow of his magic retreated into the shadows.

Gone.

Lost.

He was prepared to die.

No!

The Blue Eyes White Dragons exploded. Light shattered in all directions, slicing her skin in actual time. She found Seto amid the chaos, and he stared at her with something he didn't know remained behind some thousand years worth of devotion. Tears skitted at the edge of her cheeks, and a lamentable smile lit up her face upon seeing him.

She reached for him, grasping at his coat and his body, and embraced him with all she had. An electric shock clattered between them upon contact, sizzling and beginning to rise from the ashes of forgotten centuries. Rebirth. His breath hitched alongside the nape of her neck, whispering sweet nothings along the concave of her back.

No.

Impact and tangible force throttled them off the roof. Together, they fell off the edge.

An earth-shattering scream vibrated off their connective heartstrings, shrieking for Yami to stop, but it wasn't Kisara, it was someone else entirely. Her vision blurred from the sheer intensity of it. Stowing the pain away, she found a pair of frozen, disbelieving, shocked cobalt that she locked gazes with. There, she found solace.

Wind ripped at them, and she dug her nails into the cloth of his back, pulling him closer before she thrust her hand into a void, snatching at a card hidden in the shadows of the castle dungeons. Then she slammed it onto Seto's duel disk. A colossal roar bellowed above their heads, but Kisara was too busy to care.

They were still falling, descending to their deaths from a castle tower that had never been home. Her home lied elsewhere. And she knew exactly where to find it.

Knowing what else needed to be done, she grabbed onto Mizu's heartstring and grasped onto it for the life of her.

The Blue Eyes Shining Dragon answered as if in wait.

Instantly, a warmth spread through her bones in a waking euphoria of gleaming light. She moaned against Seto's chest, her nails digging into his back, and sharp enough to cleave through skin. She felt him tense, but it didn't matter.

Wings, sharp and blazing erupted from her shoulder-blades, glittering from unseen stars and were coated with serpentine scales derived Mizu's shining hide. The two draconian monarchs were then snapped upward so fast Kisara was momentarily dazed, but the searing heartstring between her and Mizu woke her in seconds. Gasping for breath, she encouraged her wings to fly, and thank the Gods they did. It was only two seconds before they landed hard on the rooftop, smoke still perpetrating the dueling field.

Both Seto and herself were wide-eyed and still high on adrenaline. With a last effort, Kisara let the heartstring between her and Mizu fade back into the trenches of the universe, allowing the dazzling wings to retreat to wherever they came. They both fell flat on their chests, the wind getting knocked out of them.

Seto didn't stay still for long. Only seconds past before he snatched at the his duel disk still strapped to his wrist, as if just remembering what he'd been doing before she'd saved his life. She doubted he'd even believe what she'd done anyway.

"What?" he lashed out, raspy, yet furious with suspicion. "How? My life-points are still at 500." He searched in all directions for the apparent cause of his victory. With the smoke, it was impossible, but he stilled, and fixed his glare right on her. "You."

"What the hell did you do?" he demanded. "Tell me."

For whatever it was worth, a laugh bubbled up from her , he didn't care how she'd saved his life, the duel was more important to him. Of course.

Having regained her composure, she smiled a bit, and she pointed a weary finger at his duel disk. Enlightening him, she said, "I activated my Blue Eyes Shining Dragon's second special ability. My father added it after I turned eight, saying it would help in the future. I hadn't expected it to be used in a situation like this."

Back then, it was as if her father had foreseen what he'd eventually become. He'd orchestrated a number of covert projects, as if to assure some portion of himself remained sane and untouched by whatever magic rested in the Millennium Eye. Then he'd added the special ability to her favorite card, which read, 'When a 'Blue Eyes' is about to be destroyed on any player's field, one can automatically summon the Blue Eyes Shining Dragon from any deck onto the field as a shield, and also activate its first special ability: to destroy any monster chosen by the one who activated the Blue Eyes Shining Dragon'. The resulting damage had done a number on Yami's life-points, therefore winning Seto the duel.

He knew the cards just as well as she did, and she could tell he was assessing and reorganizing his memories to adequately comprehend what she'd done. To revisit the scene in his own mind.

Slowly, oh, so, slowly, his shoulders slumped. Acceptance. "You weird, girl" he said at last. "You were telling the truth."

Her expression softened. "To you? Always."

Blues mixed with white, and out of the shadows, a bridge connected between their individual heartstrings. A gasp erupted from her lips, and in that moment Kisara wanted to laugh until she cried. It was a beautiful thread that glowed in the faintness of the universe. She'd saved him, and he knew it. Won him the duel too. The heartstring confirmed his inner contemplations in a metaphysical representation meant for her to see for the first time in forever.

"Seto," she whispered, seeing something that he couldn't yet even imagine. Not without his memories. Not without accepting his powers over duel monsters and the supernatural world itself.

The King of Dragons just continued to stare at her. It was obvious he didn't know what to think.

He dragged her to her feet before she could protest. Drained from the massive use of power, Kisara's bit back a cry, her knees wobbling. Unintentionally, she staggered into Seto Kaiba. The bridge between them glowed beyond their physical bodies, and she wandered in the wonders within space and time and magic.

The smoke still kept them out of reach from the other side of the field.

"You won me this duel," he stated, leading her into the present. "I'm not sure how the hell you got us back on the roof, but it doesn't matter. You won me this duel." They weren't touching, but Kisara could see the slight angularities of his Japanese eyes. They were so different than Priest Set's. Mesmerizing. Not necessarily gentle, but not cold either. It was a step, she supposed.

She smiled up at him, tired, but always bright. "You're welcome, Seto. It's what I do."

She'd saved the life of Seto Kaiba and assured him his entrance into the castle by playing the ability of her signature card. But the truth was, she hadn't been sure she'd be able to defeat the Pharaoh. The Heart of the Cards usually prevented anyone from tampering with the Chosen Ones, a people set apart from humanity that were blessed with incontestable means to ensuring the path of fate. Yami was one of the Chosen, the infallible King of Games. The title meant more than just being known as a champion, being King of Games meant being a champion. And in more ways than one.

She'd activated her card up as a last ditch effort to end the duel, and to call her dragon into action, thereby activating their connective heartstrings in the strongest way possible. In doing so allowed her to perform another element of dueling that so few were capable of accomplishing. The act itself was known as Honing, which enabled humans to utilize the favored attributes of their duel monsters. Many of the Sacred Guardians Egypt implemented this aspect in their duels in order to fight alongside their monsters. Connective heartstrings gathered attributive energies and created a type of collaborative pathway between souls. But even at the height of the dueling age, a mere handful of humans had been capable of such feats.

Kisara was unbearably relieved that she'd been able to remember it. If she hadn't… She didn't even want to contemplate the alternative.

But for now, she'd revel in the tangibles beyond infinity, with Seto Kaiba at her side.

.

.

.

King of Dragons

Author's Note:

I WANT TO MAKE THIS PERFECTLY CLEAR: IN THIS STORY, KISARA IS NOT THE LIVING REPRESENTATION OF THE BLUE EYES.

In this story, no one is a living representation of their respective duel monsters. Duel monsters and humans are separate beings entirely. I will further explain what actually transpires in the future, but for now, I have merely gone over one use of heartstrings.

I'M SO SORRY FOR NOT PUTTING THE DUEL IN THIS CHAPTER! But it got so long, so I summarized until the necessary points. I'm sorry! Makes ME want to cry. I promise to have Seto's duel versus Pegasus in actual time, not summarized, okay? Anyway…

Hello, all! This was a monster of a chapter, wasn't it? I really hope it's a nice change to the actual plot line, yet an adequate enough description to not be too confusing. If it was, I hope to hear reviews on such. And I'll probably both answer questions in both PM form and via corrections. Mostly, I mean about the heartstrings of the universe. There's a lot of magic in this chapter, I know, so I'm desperately hoping it came out well. And Kisara's bond with Seto has returned! Ha! Oh, and once Yami defeats Pegasus, I'll make sure to have Seto and Kisara's reunion one of both joy and vengeance (Considering the 4th Blue Eyes card and the Industrial Illusions' mainframe incident). Gah, I cannot wait until I can finally write about Battle City either! another ten thousand words to go~! Until next time, lovely readers.

Please review! And inform me of errors please.

Have a lovely day~!

-CassandraRoyal