I'm in the middle of final exams and final projects and final preparations and final…oh, hell, I don't know what else. I'm taking a break from creative writing at the moment, to focus on academics.

But this is an exception that I had to make.

"Blue Eyes, Violet Eyes" has, like everything else I've ever created in the past, oh, decade, turned into something far bigger and more important to me than I ever thought possible. The support has been beautiful to behold, and I've never had so much fun exploring the lives of my favorite anime characters.

Seto and Mokuba have been instrumental to my growth as a writer, of fanfiction or otherwise, and will always hold a special place in my heart as the first relationship in anime that ever seriously spoke to me. My interpretation of that relationship might be a bit rose-tinted on occasion, that much I admit. I can't help it. I cut my teeth on the second series, and we all know that the Kaibas were toned down for that one.

But ultimately, I'm glad it happened that way. If I'd first met Mokuba in volume 3 of the original manga, with his squat, trollish design and his little switchblade, I probably would have hated him. And if I'd first met Seto as a petulant thief in volume 2 of the original manga, I probably would have hated him, too.

So yes. It's a very good thing, I think, that I first met Seto while he was on a quest for his little brother's soul, desperate and heartsick and guilty and…well, Byronically heroic.

Join me in celebrating 38 chapters, 200 reviews, and one year of "Paved with Good Intentions: Blue Eyes, Violet Eyes."

Join me in celebrating the Kaiba brothers.


Seto and Mokuba made the announcement at the Domino Children's home.

The sheer number of people there was staggering, and for the first time, Joanna Lorwell fully understood the clout the Kaiba brothers held in their city. She stood next to her own siblings, off to the side with the employees, watching faces.

Seto introduced his brother with the charismatic intensity for which he was so well known, with sweeping gestures and pauses in all the right places to take advantage of the cheering of the crowd; Joanna was sure this was being filmed. She would have thought that it would be mostly children here, considering they were at an orphanage (and, well, the Kaiba Corporation was a game developer), but there were a great number of adults as well.

A small group of such adults were the loudest, whistling and saluting when Mokuba stepped up to the podium. The young Kaiba smiled graciously down at them, looking for a moment like the crown-prince of some immensely influential kingdom, bestowing a blessing on his chosen subjects. Joanna had never seen her student dressed for business, but she had to admit that Mokuba wore a suit and tie with ease. He wasn't at all uncomfortable, despite the sea of expectant faces in front of him. His hair was smoothed out and braided, and he looked like a completely different person than the thin, unassuming boy that walked into her classroom every morning in jeans and a t-shirt.

Mokuba was flanked by two men. One was lean, broad-shouldered, with slicked-back greying black hair and a well-groomed mustache. The other was huge, slightly pale, with a shaved head. Both were dressed in pitch-black suits of their own, looking just as stern and menacing as any bodyguard, and it struck Joanna that that was probably exactly what they were. Seto stood off behind the boy's right shoulder, his stance easy. She could just spy, though, the pistol at his hip, on which he rested the heel of his right hand.

Remembering what she'd had heard about the last time Seto had used that sidearm, it struck Joanna that this man—the one who'd visited her on parent-teacher night, who'd shaken her hand and smiled (sort of) at her; who'd built a theme park and renovated and revolutionized the ancient institution of orphanages such that this place was not only comfortable, but socially acceptable again—was the most dangerous person present.

Kaiba-Corp was announcing a new development house, KC-Kairos, and Mokuba had been put at the helm of its first project. He exclaimed that this was his chance to show the world that he knew just as much about games as his brother did, and would do his absolute best to make sure that his games would be tailored specifically to a new generation of players. When he thrust up one fist high over his head, the ovation was earth-shattering.

Joanna watched Seto Kaiba's face.

His was a young face, but drawn and severe like an impressionist painter's portrait of an ancient ruler. His blazing blue eyes cut through the air, slicing this way and that; he seemed to be looking for any excuse to pull his gun, as though sure that someone would seek to ruin his baby brother's moment in the sun. His mouth was a thin gash, his jawline sharply defined; it was difficult for Joanna to believe that Seto was a full ten years younger than she was, barely out of his teenage phase. He had the bearing of a retired soldier; stiff and jaded and intolerant.

And yet, when the group of people who'd saluted the young Kaiba took up a chant of "Mo-Ku-Ba! Mo-Ku-Ba!" and caused the black-haired boy to blush so furiously that he may as well have been sunburned, a sunny little grin rose up on Seto's face that transformed him.

Here was youth. Here was humor. Here was pride and comfort and love.

He strode up, and put a reassuring hand on his child's shoulder.

"…My brother made this company what it is," Mokuba murmured into the microphone, gently, quietly, and the world itself seemed to hush and turn its ear to listen. "I do what I can to help. But…here, now, with all of you at my back…I'm going to do more. I'm going to show you. I'm going to show the Kaiba Corporation. I'm going to show my brother…my dream for this industry. My dream for this company. Thank you…" Here he seemed to choke up. "T-Thank you…for your support."

The hush was still settled over them all, and every heart melted.

After a pause, Seto called, in a voice that rang loud and true without the help of loudspeakers: "Show my vice-president the depth and breadth of your support!"

Like an army called to task by their emperor, the crowd threw up their hands and roared.


"Kairos" is a Greek term referring to a perfect, or opportune, moment.

The group of chanting Mokuba fans may or may not be his band of YouTube subscribers from the convention chapter a while back.

Why Joanna? It seemed fitting. She was present for the first chapter of the original Good Intentions, after all; and her sister works at the orphanage.

Thank you for your support. This past year has been amazing.

Here's to another.