Volume 8 Family Ties has come. I hope you like my Christmas volume.

Chapter 1

Thursday's Morning Attack

Wednesday December, 21nd 2011

8:00 AM

Seto Kaiba arrived at his office building. As he walked to his office, his employees gave him updates of several things that he demanded to know about on his journey to the office. He got in the elevator and only two employees followed him in. There was silence between the three men. The elevator went up to the top floor and on the ding of the elevator the three men walked out and into his office. The door closed behind them and Kaiba stood looking out the window in behind his desk while the two men stood in front of it.

"How is the progress of Duel Academy coming along?" He asked without turning to the two men behind him.

"Duel Academy is on schedule and will be opening in the spring as scheduled." One of the men answered.

"Excellent, but while on the subject, what about the sacred cards?"

"They are sealed as you have planned."

"Then you know your responsibility future Chancellor Sheppard."

"I do."

"Good." Kaiba turned to the large bald man and the other man in a suit in the room. "Now what about the other island, how is that going?"

"The preparations are ahead of schedule as you predicted. The island's resources and facilities to your according will be ready in a year from now." The other man answered.

"Perfect-" Kaiba didn't finish as something crashed through his window just missing him and embedded itself in his wall. "And here I thought I was going to have a good day."

Sheppard and the other man were recovering as he walked over to his office wall.

"Are you okay Mr. Kaiba?" Sheppard asked him.

"Fine, I'm just wondering who was dumb enough to try this." Kaiba answered as he pulled out the small ball and it opened in his hand. Inside there was a letter and saw the signature at the bottom. "Ah should have guessed, steeling things that don't belong them."

There was silence as he read the letter and a smirk was placed in his face as he thought of how funny the Dragon Slayers thought he would follow on their demand. He stopped at the PS at the bottom of the letter. He read it glaring at each word. When he finished, he crumpled it in rage in his one hand.

"Sir?"

"Please send Roland and Alex up here as you pass by on the way out, you can have Christmas and New Year's off, both of you. Have a good vacation."

Both men blinked at his sudden statement and looked at each other. They bowed in respect and left the room. When they were gone Kaiba smashed his fist into his desk. "Those fucking bastards!"

Alex and Roland walked into the room after a tiny knock.

"Yes Mr. Kaiba?" Roland addressed.

"I need you two to do a favour for me."

00000

Seto, Mokuba, Roland, Alex and Regan all walked into a restaurant Thursday morning for a little get away. Regan looked around the place and was completely astounded.

"This place is amazing!" Regan exclaimed in awe. "Who knew that they would have such a place this big in the middle of downtown?"

"I figured you would like it and it's a break from all that magic fighting and stuff." Seto replied showing a hint of a smile.

"And I can't believe you actually came out of the house to go to a place like this on a Thursday."

"Mokuba…" She said turning to her little brother with a very deadly death glare. "If something goes wrong, you personally are going to wash anything and everything I find by hand… and I believe Tristan's dog has a nice bed that needs washing."

"But it's not my fault that Thursdays hate you." Mokuba pleaded. "Come on give me some slack, just because yesterday was the darkest day of the year doesn't mean you need to go all evil and stuff."

Regan thought back to the time in Yugi's head during the tournament. This brought a frown to her face and became very gloomy.

"Regan are you-"

"I'm fine; I just remembered something from the tournament." She replied getting her happy and cheerful side and leaving all the dark thoughts at the door. "But, it's nothing that's going to ruin this day, now let's fine a seat."

Roland and Alex passed them and led to an empty table in the middle of the amazing place. There was a large square that separated the table from the rest of the restaurant with the kitchen beside them. From the outside it looks like another restaurant on the street but on the inside it looked like an old fashioned, large, and rather home feeling place with the marble tables and wood floors. There was fish to watch and keep children entertained on the outside walls, the ceiling and dividing walls all complete attached together making you feel like you were in an underwater world and not in the middle of downtown Tokyo.

The group sat down at the six seated table occupying five of the seats. There was a surprisingly happy feeling at the table which made Regan even giddier. Though even with the happy feeling she thought there was something off, but she couldn't understand why so she just shoved it off thinking it was more of a paranoid feeling. She looked at the people at the table each sitting awkwardly silent as they waited for the waiter to come a serve them. Alex was in her usual attire minus the cute blouse and Roland wore his usual suit without his jacket as he had set it on the back of his seat. Seto was wearing a simple white long sleeve shirt with a pair of those pants that Regan had never figured out what they were made out of, possible vinyl or suede… or some sort of mixture odd cotton and polyester. Mokuba was wearing a blue long sleeve shirt and a pair of jeans. Regan also wore a white long sleeve shirt, but wore a pink and blue cheerleading hooded t-shirt and her blue and white cheerleading skort, even though it seemed it was holidays for Christmas; she still needed to attend a cheer practice at noon before the tournament in the following month of January. A waitress came by giving them menus and taking orders for drinks.

"So what are you guys going to have, by the looks of the menu they have a large breakfast menu." Regan asked taking a look at the large menu.

"No kidding, this thing has fifteen pages! I'd really hate looking at their dinner menu, I heard that the menu is twenty pages per menu and there are two of them… I'm not even sure how that is even possible." Mokuba responded scanning his own menu.

"Well I think that I'll go for the kid pancake. They always get me with the whipped cream they put on it." Alex said with a hint of giddiness which was normal for the 18 year old.

"That looks rather tasty being a kid meal; I think I'll have one too." Seto agreed which made the entire table look at him strangely. "What, they don't place whipped cream on the adult one."

"They do if you ask them too." Mokuba mumbled lowly to Regan and she smirked.

"Maybe some bacon and eggs with a side dish of hash-browns, they seem rather comforting." Roland decided closing his menu.

"I'm with Roland on this one; the other meal that I am looking at just doesn't seem all that fantastic looking." Mokuba told the table as his eyebrows rose in question at a page.

"I'm good with just a simple waffle and some eggs. I don't want something to big that will be in the way of practice later on. Regan said on top of the pile of menus in the middle of the table.

A waitress came not to long afterwards and Seto gave her all the orders and then she left. There was a silent tension between them as each of them waited for another to speak. Mokuba broke the silence with a small jab with his elbow into his brother's sighed and cleared his throat.

"Oh, right." Seto responded remembering something and dug into his pocket. He pulled out a small box and gave it to Alex.

"What is this?" She questioned.

"Well, I was going through records of the employees and I happened to notice your birthday was yesterday."

"So this was the real reason you brought us to Tokyo for breakfast." Regan commented with a smile and turned to Alex. "Happy Birthday Alex, I suppose that means your nineteen now."

Alex nodded and took the box from her boss. She opened it and Regan almost had a heart attack. A necklace was pulled out made of Obsidian and platinum-titanium alloyed with a diamond plate attached to the chain shaped as a circle.

"Oh my…" The apprentice was speechless and Seto continued to talk.

"I didn't know what you wanted engraved in the plate so I just left it blank for you to decide whenever you want."

"And this material is vertically unbreakable… I can't show you how much this means to me, thank you sir."

Mokuba smiled. "He probably won't say this, but you two don't have to be formal; this is a celebration not a workplace."

Roland curiously looked into the box. "Alex I think there is something else in that box."

Alex looked back into the box and pulled out a card and her smile suddenly became much larger and then she suddenly hugged Seto. Within that same second she released him and returned to a more composed state realizing what she had done.

Regan saw a hint of a blush on her brother's face and she smiled ignoring the headache that had made itself known again.

Seto cleared his throat returning to the normal Seto Kaiba. "I also know that you have a thing for fire arms, so with that card you can get another weapon and custom design it."

"I don't think that Alex couldn't get what she wanted with the money on that card." Nile told Regan in shock in her head as the spirit wasn't taking a physical form.

'What is on that card?' Regan asked her partner in her head.

"Five grand, and it is American money"

Regan suddenly became worried for her brother. He was never like that, but then again. She grinned. That would mean that he really did have a crush on his employee.

"What is with the grin?" Roland asked in her ear.

"Ah nothing just solved a riddle in my head." She replied sighing with satisfaction. 'Go get her, Seto.'

After the table settled down, the waitress returned with their food. There was great happiness as they filled their bellies and the tension she had picked up with her puzzle before was gone. Conversation at the table started about the upcoming year and all the new ideas swirled around and everyone enjoyed being a part of it. She looked at the time on the wall and almost gaged on her last piece of waffle.

"Something wrong," Seto asked.

"Yeah, time is being the problem." She answered. "I need to go do my hair for the practice, because I won't have time to do it at school, so please excuse me and don't worry I'll be back."

She stood from her seat and walked to the bathroom at the other end of the room which happened to be next to the kitchen, like all other restaurants. She walked into the female division and took out her two hair elastics and her fold up brush from her pockets and set them on the counter top. She worked on her hair and when she was done she observed her work to make sure it was secure and in the proper place. There were two pigtails on the crown of her head making the volume of her hair flick out to the sides. She picked up her hair brush only to drop it in fear as a loud pop or bang went off. She jumped and let out a tiny screech. "What the hell was that?"

"I don't know," Nile replied next to her and the restaurant was hushed into silence.

Without warning, a jolt ran through Regan's chest making her hold the painful area and grab the counter top for support as her puzzle started to throb. She became frightened as she deciphered the code both sent and lost all pain from before as she jumped into action. "Seto, Mokuba!"

She rushed out of the bathroom and came into the main part of the restaurant in a different scene then when she left. The customers and staff were on the floor as bacon sizzled loudly in the eerie, cold silence. Roland and Alex held guns pointed at what she thought was a bad guy on his knees with their table thrown far from its original position when she realized who it was, "Seto!"

There was another bang as she felt a sharp sting on her left check. She touched it with her hand and looked at the blood streaked across it.

"Damn you, Kaiba! She was in perfect aim, I need my revenge!" A familiar vice replied in front of her brother who she didn't realize was there.

Seto's hand was on the man was holding slightly moved off of the target across the room. The man released the weapon from her brother only to smash it against his face. She gasped covering her mouth with her hands has Seto fell forward a bit, but recovered quickly. Two more goons entered with one of them holding Mokuba over his shoulder. Getting over her shock, anger took place recognizing the man with the gun. "Steve you bastard, how dare you lay a finger on him let alone a gun!"

"Ah Regan, it's good to see you too, Chuck kill her, I have one shot left and it's for this scumbag here." Steve replied as the goon without a kid on his shoulders took out his weapon.

Nile took over and did a diving summersault into the kitchen just as the gun was fired making another stopped bullet in the unbreakable glass of the fish tank. Blood started to run down her check as the hustling Chuck came towards the kitchen opening. The two of them worked together to double the senses as they crawled quickly into an empty bottom shelf that was from sight and comfortable enough to think of a plan. Regan looked across from them under a counter and saw part one of the plan. 'I absolutely love this restaurant now, there is chloroform under there.'

'And there is a cast iron frying pan just above that, but I'm not sure what to do with it yet.' Nile answered via thought wave.

They both hushed up as Chuck stepped in front of their cubby. The man took another step and at the same time Regan and Nile completed a swift kick into his step, taking him to the floor. Without hesitation, she grabbed one of twelve small bottles of the magic sleeping mixture and dumped the contents on Chuck's face as his gun went off. In reaction, Nile's eyes closed and Regan tapping on her shoulder after a moment. She opened her eyes and noticed that the gun was pointed at a very clean aluminum shelf and a very big Chuck fast asleep. Sighing silently, she took the gun away and placed it in her belt.

"Chuck did you get her?" Steve yelled.

"I got her!" Chuck responded scaring the crap out of Nile only to find out from Regan that he was sleep talking.

"Is she dead?"

"I don't know?"

"What do you mean you don't know?"

"There is too much smoke."

"Smoke, what smoke?"

"The burning food," Chuck called again and then went back to being silent.

Nile took the opportunity to look at the shelf again and noticed that Steve and the other goon's reflection could be seen on it.

'Wait a minute,' Regan called from beside Nile. 'Are you seriously thinking of what I think you're thinking? It's risky.'

'If it wasn't then this wouldn't be the Dragon Slayers, now would it?' Nile replied as she grabbed the frying pan and fixed her aim.

'No I suppose not, but as soon as you release your shot; I'll take over so there isn't a delay.'

Nile nodded and threw the giant pan like a speedy Frisbee of Death. Regan took control and ran lowly out of the kitchen out of sight while taking out the newly attained gun. Steve noticed the Frisbee at the last millisecond and ducked only for his goon to get it in the head and fell to the floor releasing the unconscious Mokuba. Regan silently ran up to her prey as he was oblivious and started to yell at the figure in the kitchen.

"I thought you said you got her?!"

"I did, I got my first fish, mom!" Chuck squealed with joy from his nap.

"Regan, you're an asshole."

"Sorry, but a girl can't be an asshole, that is a male insult." Regan announced placing the gun barrel against Steve's back.

"When did you-"

"The brain of a mouse reacts to loud and move action filled places were that a cat stocking up towards it in silence won't be detected. It is the same for a regular human, except you're the rodent."

Steve started to laugh.

"What's so funny?"

Steve didn't need to answer as a golden haired male entered with a pen laser in his hand and it aiming at her turned chest.

"Regan you need to run as fast and as far as you can." Seto answered in the silence.

"No, I'm not-" Regan started to yell at him, but was interrupted by something she never wanted to hear.

"Go!" Her breath caught in her throat as she felt her eyes start to tear up at her brother's comment and tear fell mixing with the bleeding wound on her cheek. "Roland, Alex, get her out of here,"

"Sorry Kaiba, but they aren't on your side anymore." Steve started to laugh at his victory and suddenly was silenced by a gun shot.

"Time to go," Alex grunted in disgusted as Steve fell to the ground with a bullet in his head.

"No, I'm staying…" She said turning to the man with the laser.

He started to grin and pushed a button. It opened and she was dragged out the front door by the two body guards as a weird, miniature rocket flew past her. Alex and Roland threw her in the back of a vehicle with both doors on child safety and Roland jumped into the driver's seat and stepped on the gas before Alex had the passenger door closed.

Regan was kneeling as she looked out the back window and then started to panic as three helicopters descended from the sky and two swat trucks pulled up in front of the restaurant. It would have been fine if they were truly swat trucks, but it appeared that Thursday was doing its thing, for on the side of the trucks and the helicopters were the Dragon Slayers logo. "Turn around, we have to go back and get them!"

"We can't, you were lucky not to have been blown to pieces and you are still in danger, Miss." Roland replied in a mono toned voice as he made a deadly turn onto the highway forcing her to sit down and place a seat belt on. "We have our orders."

Suddenly the pieces of the random attack started to fit together. The uneasiness wasn't from the gifts to Alex, but the very attack was not so random.

"Seto and Mokuba knew about this attack and you two were a part of it. Why didn't Seto resist the invasion when the threat was small? The three of you combined could have taken out those punks without breaking a sweat so why did you only save me?" Regan demanded, but she didn't get an answer. "Tell me!"

"We were under the orders of Mr. Kaiba to join the group. He wanted insight and we were the only ones he trusted to get the job done. And then that is when the note came in yesterday and that is the second reason we went to the restaurant. I suggested that we left you at the mansion because you had cheer practice, but he immediately disagreed."

"Why didn't he say anything to me?" Regan asked.

"You saw the how you reacted to the mess, nicely done, but if you knew about it then you would have immediately disagreed and come up with some way to stop the attack."

"Well obviously, like I want my brothers to be kidnapped and in some freaks hands, but out of all this information, this doesn't explain why the lack of resistance. Seto is a fighter, not someone who lays down waiting for the end."

"He was planning on fighting back except it was at the end of the letter that stopped him from doing so." Roland answered and Alex gave her a letter. "That letter explains on what the dragon slayers want him to do, this including giving him and Mokuba to them without a fight and give up their keys that unlock the KC system. It goes into unnecessary detail but at the bottom, there is the warning of what would happen if he didn't follow."

Regan looked away from Roland and Alex and read the post script.

PS: if you do not comply with these conditions we will very gladly get rid of the girl that resigns in your home. This does not mean we will kill her, it means that we will take her away without any promises that she will be safe from any sort of 'harm'

Thank you for your consideration to read this

And have a nice day,

Dragon Slayers Leader

"Those sick bastards, if only they actually knew why he didn't go against them." Regan hissed mostly to herself. "What is their plan now?"

"Well, both of them are going to mess with their heads once that group of people realize that they can't get into the system." Alex answered. "Those people don't know a thing like the rest of the world that you are part of the Kaiba family and once they activate the two keys they are going to have to figure out where the third key is and a little surprise that Mokuba came up with."

"The key would be the Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon around my neck, but what is the surprise?"

"Another family member that is part of the KC system," Alex answered with a hint of excitement, but it didn't reach her worried eyes. "Noah Kaiba."

I wonder how Noah survived the crash back during Battle City… Anyway hope you enjoyed.
Reviews are always lovely.