Yu-Gi-Oh! Fan Fiction ❯ Children of Destiny ❯ Path to the Past (Part 3) ( Chapter 15 )

The watery depths had enveloped him in a cold lashing embrace upon his broken body as he drifted away. He had been here countless times yet never was it so clear as before. As usual the hands had brought him warmth and safety as he floated out of the water and up into the open. The predominant dream was so real now as he felt a hand brush against his face so supple and yet… strong. The vision of his dream had become clear now as he found himself walking along the soft sand bank and a voice seemed to ahead of him. It sounded like singing. "Na hosi hwang… na ju san jah… ee shi-air… na hosi hwang… na ju hei… eeyeah… Fwung ju sun di jeh hei yee sheir… bu yang ju yer… hei yer hei yer… hung kwa… ji yoshi jeh… eejiyeah…" (A/N: These are made up words by me… not an actual language) It was a beautiful ethereal sound and he hurried to find the singer's origin when a loud gong rumbled in his head. He fell to the ground, the singing had stopped and replaced by the harsh sound of wood against cold metal.

******END DREAM SEQUENCE**************

Seto's head jerked to the sound of the distant morning gong, which was the equivalent to the monks' way of a wake up call. The lot of them were all placed in a large dormitory of bunk beds that lined up like they were in an army boot camp. He heard his little brother moan from the noise before he glanced at the clock opposite. 5 o'clock… It wasn't unusual for him to wake at such early times in the morning but today he just wanted to bury himself under the covers of his bed. He had hardly slept that night after thinking about the visions he had seen the night before not believing that he was once in debt to that molesting bastard Katsuya for saving his life. He turned angrily in his bed but then noticed that on the other side of the room sleeping in his own bed was Joey, Seto narrowed his eyes at the blond glaring with such intensity, one could almost believe that he was boring a hole into him. However as the sun began to peak in the horizon the light illuminated the blonde's features in a soft and ethereal beauty. Seto let a silent gasp come to his lips, his glare dropped in an instant. For a few moments he lay just staring before he carefully got out trying not to disturb his little brother from his sleep to approach the sleeping blonde.

The golden tresses were sprawled against his face and his pillow whilst a hand rested gently next to his head. It was a peaceful sight to see as a small smile graced upon the youth's lips. He groaned turning in his sleep and sighed ruffling his golden tresses. That was when Seto noticed a white mark, which had previously been buried under the hairline. A white scar was just there upon his head a horrible mark that disfigured the almost perfect features. Seto remembered Serenity had talked about their past. Did their father really beat the two siblings? They were his flesh and blood after all. He didn't have much chance to think further on this when someone tapped him on the shoulder. The old monk that Andrin was talking to the day before stood behind him with an unnerving sense of peace all around him.

"What is it?" The monk didn't answer but his gaze was really all Seto needed to know that he wanted him to follow the old man. They sound of their footsteps echoed all around the huge stone hallways, the monk stopped halfway turning towards the young CEO. Seto blinked in confusion that the monk had taken to the middle of nowhere. "What do you want?" he said impatiently not believing that he was being led around like this for no reason. The monk merely gazed intently into the cobalt eyes with soft, dark ones. The monk then turned his attention towards the wall; he pointed what hung against the bare bricks. Seto turned to see that the monk was in fact staring at a painting of a forest of bamboo. He hissed in his mind at the pointless journey.

"It's very nice," he mumbled in an attempt to be polite. The monastery after all had broken from their traditional rules and regulations just for his group to find more information about the Dragon Sceptre.

"Look closer…" the monk finally spoke. Seto sighed before he looked at the massive painting upon the wall. "It was painted by Andrin and one other"

"Oh…" Seto replied dully. The monk glanced at him before returning his gaze towards the painting.

"Closer…" he urged.

"If I looked any closer I'd be smudging the paint" Seto scowled when something caught his eye. The block stamped signature of the artist. He couldn't believe his eyes, it was by the same artist that he had back home.

*********FLASHBACK*********

"Come on Seto!!!! It's time to go…" he heard his brother cry excitedly as he stared at a painting on the wall. An autumn sun setting upon the horizon of distant mountains, a river snaking it's way towards him and on the bank sat a maiden with golden hair dressed in a fine silk, her feet just touching the water's edge, a bed of leaves lay strewened beneath her, her face unseen for she had turned her head away and on her lap rested Seto's most favorite creature, the head of a Blue Eyes White Dragon, his shining white body lying next to her in a serene calm, blue eyes watching the sunset, high above them written in a neat column on the right of bold black Chinese calligraphy and a red block of a stamped signature. He had always wondered who the painter was but found that artist wanted to remain anonymous. The only clue he had was of the red stamp signature… Seto really longed to decipher the meaning of the calligraphy next to it.

*********END FLASHBACK************

"When was this done?" Seto asked suddenly.

"Just last night…" the old man replied.

"Last night!?"

"A duet painting by Andrin and the one you call Joey, that's his signature" the monk said pointing at the red signature. (A/N: Don't say that this was out of the blue because it's not Check out `Ice Mask') He paused for Seto to take in this new information. `I've been searching far and wide for the artist of that painting and he was right there, in front of me all this time' Seto thought kicking himself mentally.

"There is a deep emptiness in something that appears to be so calm and serene as is boy's own inner spirit"

*********FLASHBACK***********

The monk was passing back to his room when he noticed Andrin was painting he noticed also that one of the visitors was out and about as well. Andrin looked up from his work and a small smile crept upon his mouth. Joey smiled at the handsome warrior.

"Wow… that's beautiful" Joey remarked looking at the complete painting.

"Bamboo, a simple design to draw," Andrin replied. "but for a painting worthy to exist the artist must be able to place meaning into it… and a painting without meaning is as much worth as the ink it was created from" he stated before throwing the beautiful picture into a warm fire nearby. He turned towards a stunned Joey. "Do you paint? Perhaps you would like to have a go?"

Joey looked up at him. "Oh… no that's ok… I paint but I'm not an expert…"

"Go on…" Andrin urged. Joey was reluctant at first but he was quite drawn to the fancy Chinese brushes that were laid so neatly there and a pallet of black ink as well. He hesitantly picked the brush and along with Andrin they both worked on the painting, each doing their own sides and eventually coming closer until they were actually brushing their hands with each other. Andrin glanced over at the young man who was absorbed in the creation, his wrist guiding the brush in a graceful dance written upon the canvas, a serene smile upon his face. Joey looked at Andrin as he placed the final stroke. Andrin smirked as he looked at the painting. His smile faltered slightly as he analysed the detail but he quickly hid it to praise the boy. "For an amateur this is some impressive work" Joey blushed at the compliment as they gazed at the stars for a bit before Joey turned in. Only after Joey had left did Andrin let the mask down revealing the utter sadness and pity for the young blonde. The monk who had witnessed the interaction finally decided to see what was so troubling.

"You see great distress in his work?" Andrin showed the old man and his mentor the painting a tear threatening to fall down his face. The monk looked at the painting and he too could see the hidden pain within the beautiful strokes of bamboo. It foretold of the empty pain and a void that would eventually destroy the young boy's soul.

********END FLASHBACK***********

"You're saying that his happy-go-lucky attitude is all a façade?" Seto stated more than questioned. The monk smiled closing his eyes.

"A façade pulled by a true master in hiding emotions" the monk confirmed. "He's strong in spirit and has overcome many emotional obstacles… but they are getting harder and eventually… he will fall" the monk glanced at Seto however the monk's attitude seemed to change. "Sleep well?" he asked kindly with a smile. Seto blinked before he turned to find that the others were awake all speaking at once of their experience sleeping in the dormitories. Joey smiled cheerfully and nodded before he started play fighting with Tristan. Seto stared at him in attempt to see the emptiness that the monk described yet Joey was chuckling in his usual carefree self. The words of the monk were all to disturbing and Seto was going to keep a close eye on him. (A/N: Is this confusing you because if it is good… ^_____^).

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Yami was more or less his old self (the 5000 year old clothes he wore notwithstanding). He found it easier to draw power and despite the fact that they're mind link was severed Yami and Yugi had never felt closer. Bakura and Ishtar was at the moment preoccupied with their sleeping hikaris who were absolutely exhausted from their recent battle with the fake Yami. Yugi leaned back on his Yami who was absent-mindedly stroking his little soft hand with his thumb. Yugi large eyes were starting to droop, he had been trying to feign sleep for ages but with Yami gently rocking him he had curled into Yami's chest and drifted. Mr and Mrs Motou appeared beside the couple holding each other. Yami blinked a little surprised, for some reason he could see them a lot clearer than when he was still a spirit. Mr Motou smiled.

"It's nice to see that he doesn't need to look behind his back to check his safe before he goes to sleep at night" he commented as Mrs Motou leaned on her husbands shoulder. Yami smiled as he cradled Yugi in his arms whilst nuzzling his forehead feeling the tri coloured brush against his skin.

"You need to be careful of yourself too Yami" Mrs Motou warned. "You're mortal again so death is something that you need to worry about from now on" Yami nodded as he cuddled Yugi closely. The two spirits then turned their gaze on the other couples. Bakura was cradling his hikari in his arms who was curled into his chest whilst the platinum blonde was on his soul partner's lap Ishtar's jacket wrapped around his slumbering form. Mrs Motou smiled at the two couples. They were so sweet together. Then all of a sudden her smile dropped.

"Alan… did you feel that?" she whispered to her husband. Alan stared confused but quickly registered what was going on. Yami looked up.

"What is it?" he asked then he knew instantly. He was sensing an incredible energy fill the room. Yami concentrated to where the energy was coming from and it appeared that the two spirits of the Millennium Rod and Ring (A/N: o_0? I think this sounds so wrong but it could just be me…) also sensed it.

"Oh what in Ra is going on now?" Bakura moaned as the cavern started to distort and fade away from dark browns and reds to sandy yellow and white.

"Wait a minute… I know this place…" Yami whispered looking all around him. Marble columns appeared whilst rows of assorted food were laid out on a table. Then hundreds of figures filled the room around them as they found themselves landing in the middle of the banquet looking upon the many faces from a high platform yet no one seemed to notice that they were lying there, three of them fast asleep. A voice boomed beside Yami as a well built middle-aged man stood proudly, a headdress fit of royalty upon his head. "Father…"

Akunumkanon didn't pay any attention to the invisible son beside him. "I welcome you all here today to introduce to you all my future heir… Atemu…" he announced as he motioned towards a curtain, it was a few moments before a small figure of an eight year old Atemu stood out in his full attire of rich silk. There was a huge applause as the Pharaoh sat down nudging his son down to the crowd. "One day son one of those lovely little girls over there could be a worthy bride to be" Atemu took a glance at some of the princesses there who giggled and blushed. Both Yami and his past self as Atemu frowned at that as Akunumkanon nudged the little boy down the stairs to meet a prospective wife.

"Oh lookie, lookie there's me!!!" Ishtar `squealed' (A/N: HAHA!!!! Bakura: What's so funny? Sam: Ishtar, squealing… Ishtar: SQUUEE, SQUUEE!!! Everyone else: o.0) pointing towards his younger self which made Bakura frown at the inappropriate behaviour whilst his hikari whined in his sleep. Bakura drew him in possessively letting him snuggle into his sweater.

The Pharaoh smiled as everyone was now looking at his handsome son coming down the stairs whilst he scanned the room full of faces. The older Yami that was beside him glanced at his father, the smile upon the man's face suddenly became a confused frown and Yami followed his gaze and noticed that one pair of eyes wasn't looking at the young tri coloured boy but at his father. A figure dressed in white covered head to toe with nothing but amethyst eyes stared straight at Akunumkanon. The scenery of the banquet melted into another, which Yami remembered as the garden he used to play in. The memories of the interaction with the princess of the foreign lands were replayed in his mind but this time from an outsiders view instead of his own.

"Well let's have a Shadow duel… I win you have to swap positions with your servant dressed in white where you have to clean up all after him and everything…" Atemu declared.

"And if `I' win?"

"You won't" the girl Anzu rasped. Yami narrowed his eyes at her rudeness as they took it upon themselves to setting up the game and immediately going into play. The game was not going well for the little princess as Yami had predicted.

"Ana-lohori-" the mysterious figure spoke up as the princess looked at him before she swapped places. It was just like he had remembered only this time he could see himself and noticed that his father was watching behind his back. The mysterious bodyguard had recently glanced at Akunumkanon and nodded his head in respect. Akunumkanon smiled in intrigue stroking his chin.

"Wait you can't swap" Honda cried in fury.

"If you recall my mistress knows a little of the Shadow Duels but certainly not an expert… perhaps Prince Atemu would like to challenge someone more worthy of his mettle" replied the bodyguard dressed in white. "And if you think it unfair I should reset the wagers… If I win you'll need to give up that title King of Games"

"And if you lose?" Atemu asked.

"I shall give you… this," he said as he went deep into the lump inside his cape and revealed what seemed to be a beautiful furry black and white striped ball of fur. Anzu scoffed at the pathetic excuse but eight-year-old Atemu realised what it was as soon as it unravelled itself into a cat with amber eyes. Looking rather bemused it explored the area looking up at the people staring at it in awe. "Her names… Tyrande"

"You think giving a pathetic animal like that is a wager?" Anzu criticised with a laugh along with just about everyone that was watching. Atemu however wasn't paying attention but just stared at the kitten… mewling cutely. Tyrande had wondered across the floor towards him her paws resting on his tanned arm.

"Mueh…" she said looking really cute. Atemu touched her fur and felt the wonderful softness of silky water under his fingertips.

"You're on… and if we draw I'll count it as my loss" was the reply silencing the rest of the crowd who stared at him with shock. With that though the game play seemed absolutely furious. Akunumkanon cocked his head really interested of what this stranger had to offer as the duel soon came to an end. It was near the end as Atemu drew out the necessary cards for the Unstoppable Exodia. "Looks like I win…" he stated proudly as he laid his hand out. Yami however noticed that the contender had glanced secretly at Akunumkanon. Yami looked confused as he saw a knowing glint in the young amethyst eyes and something he swore would be a smile under the white veil. He noticed also of the suspicious expression upon the man's face before the young stranger placed his hand face down.

"I congratulate you Prince Atemu… you have proven to be worthy of the title of the King of the Games" he replied extending his hand towards him. Atemu smiled as shook whilst the crowd cheered for their future pharaoh and jeered at the loser. Atemu had gathered the little cat and cuddled her lovingly feeling the smooth silky silk of her fur. The stranger in white had got up to leave whilst the crowd celebrated Atemu's victory over him.

Yami noticed however the stranger give a wink towards the little kitten's direction and Tyrande who's tiny front paws were resting on his younger self's shoulders mewled in a happy response. Then the stranger turned his gaze on his father and bowed humbly to him before he, the princess and his other companions left, the un-played hand left abandoned on the table.

Akunumkanon had approached the table scattered with and looked at the hand neatly placed down. His eyes widened as he turned them over and an impressed smile crept upon his lips as he looked up at the young stranger walking away followed by his friends and the princess before laying them down on the table face up. The three yamis got up to see the hand, Yami gently laid his aibou down whilst Ishtar pushed Malik's head off his lap, which made a dull thud on the floor that would normally wake any normal person up but since Malik wasn't `exactly' normal he slept on and now was snoring. They glanced at the laid out hand and gasped. Akunumkanon had spread the stranger in white's hand out into their respective places, five cards… the five cards that made up the unstoppable monster. Exodia. If the stranger had played it then they would have resulted in a draw and as Yami had stated a draw would be counted as his loss. The stranger had let Yami win.

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Seto stared once again 5000 years back upon looking at himself in another world and another life without them knowing he was there. Seth he had recalled his name was from the memories that were shown to him by Isis. This was a time before even becoming the High Priest of one of the most powerful countries in the ancient world. Katsuya dragged the unconscious Seth to the shore swimming hard against whilst Ling pulled with her might upon the rope before attending to the youth's aid. The splendour of his extravagant silk clothes of Egypt was reduced to dirty rags. Ling breathed heavily as she looked at the young man. She brushed a few strands of his chocolate brown hair revealing the strong jaw of his face and admiring the strong features.

"Let's get him back to the shack…" Katsuya interrupted her thoughts in a firm stare with an air of impatience and a firm stare upon the young maiden. She glanced towards him and nodded before she helped him onto his back. In the safety of they're temporary home Katsuya and Ling tended to the brunette's wounds. Ling had brought some water whilst Katsuya analysed the amount of damage.

"How is he?" Ling asked worried.

"A couple of the deeper wounds are becoming infected and a high fever…" then he frowned as he found some of the bruises on his back seemed in an abnormal shape, the veins showed all over as they centred around two puncture marks on one of his shoulder blades. There was a gooey yellow substance oozing from the ugly wound. Katsuya wiped a little away with his fingers to analyse it. "Poison…" Ling gasped.

"From a snake that big?" she asked not believing the size of the fang puncture marks the size of a large coin.

"Yes… and the poison from his fangs isn't just any poison. Gather some willow bark and get some hot water ready…" Ling hurried away whilst Katsuya wrung out a towel and placed it over the brunette's feverish forehead.

There was a little groan escape his lips as his eyes opened to reveal the blue cerulean sapphires under his closed lids. His vision impaired looked up upon the person beside him but he could make out the features. His eyes closed again as he fell back into the depths of darkness. Ling returned quickly with a good armful of willow bark and also started boiling the water upon the open fire of the simple shack that she and Katsuya was living in for a couple of months. Katsuya carefully ground the herbs together whilst Ling took watch over the young man smiling sadly down at him. She gently dabbed at his forehead, which was burning up with a towel and looked worriedly towards her blonde friend. Katsuya had finished with the herbs and pouring the hot water into a bowl turning it into a light brown colour, the leaves of herbs swirling around. He turned to Seth's side and propped him up to a sitting position. He blew to cool it down before gently easing the liquid down the youth's throat. Seth's expression screwed in disgust from the bitterness but Katsuya ever persistent and gentle managed to ease all the medicine down his throat before laying him down.

There was a huge wooden tub filled almost to the brim with water that Ling had heated up along with many herbs and other medicinal plants whilst Katsuya began to strip the rags off the brunette. (A/N: Hehehe) Ling blushed trying not to look at the exposed flesh.

"Um… are these mountain roots going in here too…?

"Uh huh…" Katsuya said smiling "I'll take of it…" There was a sigh of relief and disappointment in Ling's voice but she hurried away still looking a little red. Katsuya shook his head shamelessly at the coyness she displayed before he lifted the youth into the bath of herbs. There was a moment of hesitation and flash of anxiety in his eyes as he laid a hand over his abdomen. He took a deep breath before he sat down in meditative state and taking his time to gather up energy. A golden aura shimmered around him before he placed them on the tub, making the aura envelop the tub and Seto in it. Katsuya stared determined as he closed his eyes concentrating hard, the water had started to boil from the power emitting from him. The feeling of being boiled alive had woken Seth into the agonising burning. He gritted his teeth as the blood rushed all around, the combination of heat and humidity was overbearing as cried out begging for it to stop but in his delirium he couldn't form the words. Katsuya screwed his eyes tightly shut pushing on. Seth began to scream in agony now as he shut his eyes and covered his ears whilst tears ran down his face. Seto was by his side in a second holding him trying to reassure him that it wasn't him. But as if sensing the painful agony Mokuba was going through watching Katsuya had opened his eyes and let the tub of water explode everywhere leaving Seth dropping onto the floor. Katsuya staggered to his feet a bit breathing long and deep before dragging the youth onto the bed and wrapping him up with some fresh clothes in the wardrobe. Ling had come back in now looking a little pale as if she had been in the boiling tub herself.

"I really hope he wakes up soon," she said stroking his face before she gathered grabbed a mop to clean up. She tucked her blond bangs behind her ear as she set up to work and lingered by the unconscious Seth a little longer. Katsuya glanced at her and leaned back in his chair staring at Seth.

The scene had changed as Seth was finally coming to from 10 days in a deep sleep. That was when Seto heard the singing. "Na hosi hwang… na ju san jah… ee shi-air… na hosi hwang… na ju hei… eeyeah… Fwung ju sun di jeh hei yee sheir… bu yang ju yer… hei yer hei yer… hung kwa… ji yoshi jeh… eejiyeah…" the singing was coming closer so maybe he'd be able to see the singer that was eluding him in his dream. He stared attentively to the door but the singing had stopped. The door had opened revealing Ling who was carrying a few herbs she had plucked to help Seth's fever. Ling sighed as she looked to find a pair of cobalt eyes staring at her. She smiled joyfully and was by his side in a flash.

"Oh thank the gods your awake!!!" she cried. Seth winced at the sudden loudness; his head was feeling heavy from fever. Ling noticed this and calmed herself down. "You just wait here and I'll get some water" she whispered before she hurried back outside. Seth tried to call for her but he couldn't find his voice and merely did as he was advised closing his eyes. The room was silent again from the outburst until everyone turned towards the door seeing Katsuya had come in. He stared silently and sat by the youth's side. For a moment he looked peaceful and Katsuya had figured that perhaps it was a false alarm. He went to do the usual check up when a sudden movement he felt something puncture his shoulder. Seth had managed to snatch the knife in the blonde's waist belt as he was checking him. Wide eyes stared at the glaring blonde who seemed unfazed from the knife piercing his shoulder. He grabbed Seth's wrist and wrenched the blade out before tossing the knife to the floor. He continued to glare coldly at Seth whilst Seth shook unshed tears blurred his vision of seeing Katsuya's face. His breath was quick and panicky whilst the hands shook in Katsuya's grip. He blinked as he let the hand go and settled down on Seth's lap. Seth had finally managed to calm down, as the warm remarkably soft hands seemed to caress his own ridding the fear he was seen to be carrying in his dreams. He blinked a couple of times to clear away the film of tears and see the persons face just as at that moment Ling had come in.

Katsuya went to leave the room; his emerald eyes gazed upon the young brunette briefly before his hands slid away from Seth's. The soothing caress of the soft hands had disappeared leaving only empty air. Seth went to see Katsuya's face but his back was turned towards him. "Anything wrong Katsuya?" Ling whispered.

"Nothing… nothing at all…" he replied monotonously before he left. Time had passed in a blink of an eye and they had observed that Seto's former life had made a full recovery.

"Seth!!!" Ling had bounded her way, a bundle of wild flowers in her arms and a stack of wood on her back. "You should be resting… " Seth merely smiled.

"I'm feeling much better now… besides I owe you a lot for helping me" he replied lifting her burden of wood onto his back. A pink hew appeared on Ling's face as a shy smile crept upon her lips. Her amethyst eyes blinked as a gentle wind blew at the unusual colours of her hair of crimson, gold and red. Seth blinked noticing among the everglades in the woods nearby. Ling was curious of what he was looking at. She smiled.

"It's just Katsuya Seth nothing to worry about. Well I just need to get these herbs home now and… everything…" Seth nodded. With that she hurried back to the shack. Seth then looked over at the figure sat among the branches of a willow tree that was oddly shaped to be like a cradle where Katsuya would always be lying on Ling had told him. Seth bit his lip as he approached Katsuya lying on the tree. The sun was peeping through the glades of a green curtain as Seth carefully picked his way in. Obviously curiosity was going to claim another victim today as slid passed the leaves. Despite having met Katsuya before the moment he had woken up he had never really got a chance to see his face. Of course judging from his first encounter it would have been wise to avoid him altogether. He could only find the deeming features of a rugged blond hair in a suit of armour of pale brown and red. When Seth was bed ridden a few days before he had tried to imagine what the blonde general's face would look like and so far, the appearance wasn't really appealing. He was thinking 40 year old man with a rough beard and narrow and sharp piercing eyes of red for some reason. Seth bit his lip, as he was about to enter the inner sanctum of the willow's curtain leaves.

Seth took a deep breath and peeped at the sleeping figure and looking upon the blonde's face properly for the first time and it was definitely not what he was expecting. The shade from the willow applied coverage from the brightness of the sun but Seth was able to see clearly of a warm glow within the confines of the curtain of leaves. Katsuya was asleep. The ruggedness of the hair was merely from dirt and grime after all. Long golden tresses that went just past his shoulder blades lay sprawled against the willow bark. Half of his hair was tied up to look like a bun with a green embroidered with gold crop cloth wrapped around it, whilst the other half was free like a gold blanket upon the branches. A slight breeze blew at the golden fringe that had lay suspended just over his eyes neither covering or even shadowing them. He wore a green tunic with a white undershirt. The decorative mandarin collar shaped exotically around his slender neck. An arm lay against his abdomen whilst the other arm was hanging by his side over the tree. It was a most beautiful sight as Seth gazed upon the blonde's fair face. The eyelids twitched and then fluttered before slowly opening to reveal the emerald jewel orbs of his eyes. Katsuya blinked once before his eyes opened fully staring at cobalt blue eyes of Seth. Seth just stood entranced before he snapped out of his stupor.

"Um…" he began drawing back as Katsuya sat up from his tree staring at Seth the wind blowing the soft silk tresses across his face. "You're Katsuya? Ling's told me a lot about you…" Katsuya just stared unblinking and making Seth uneasy. "Look… I've been meaning to say this to you but you were asleep so I never… I'm sorry… for overreacting… I… How's your shoulder?" he quickly changed the subject. Katsuya blinked before leaning further into the tree and go back to sleep.

"Better…" he said closing the jade eyes. Seth sat down on the tree beside him. Seth hesitated before he spoke again.

"Last time I saw you in armour, what rank are you?" No answer. Seth frowned as he drew himself closer to the youth. So close that he could feel the soft breathing against his cheek.

"Go away…" Katsuya said suddenly.

"I'm just trying to make conversation" Seth pouted sitting back.

"And I'm trying to get some sleep…"

"So is that all you do?"

"I'm feeling generous so I'll say yes… now go away…" Katsuya replied. Seth was now fuming and about to shout at the blonde when Katsuya's eyes snapped open glaring at him dangerously. Seth swallowed as Katsuya gracefully slid down from the tree and walked towards him. Seth froze in his place even when Katsuya passed his way heading towards the commotion in the distance. Seth went after him to find some men surrounding Ling. The men grinned lustfully and playfully jerked about around her.

"My, my never in my years as a mountain thief have I come across such a delectable little bonbon" he was clearly the leader as he went to stroke Ling's porcelain face. She slapped him away. "Ooh a feisty one… they're very rare these days" he lunged towards her. He's smile vanished completely when he was stopped and thrown to the floor. "How dare you!!!!!" he screamed at Katsuya who just stared shielding the girl away from the men around them. Seth had barged through pushing another man who was going to attack Ling.

"Oh playing hero are you?" the thief sneered before he drew out a pendent around his neck… on a symbol resembling a horn with a dragonhead. "Know what this is? It's a symbol of one who controls one of the most powerful creatures in many worlds" Seth' s eyes widened.

"He's a Dragon Lord… one who could summon for dragons in a flight of battle" Katsuya was unfazed by the mark of an adversary.

"It's a pretty little necklace but nothing special in my eyes…" he replied. Seth glared at him as if he was mad. The man was burning with fury whilst Katsuya was calm and collected.

"You don't know who you've trifled with boy…" the man growled as an unearthly chant uttered from him, the floors around them began to crack and lights rained from the sky before forming into solid form. Seth and Ling gasped at the towering creature with the white sheen body and piercing blue eyes glaring down at them. The Blue Eyes White Dragon. Katsuya glanced at it, not a hair out of place not even a twitch to show fear. He wasn't afraid. The gang leader chuckled at his accomplishment.

"Fine… we'll play…" Katsuya stated as his golden aura flared briefly and another shower of light appeared and shaped itself into it's own creature. A high pitch shriek echoed in the air as reptilian wings spread wide. Curse of Dragon had taken flight.

"Katsuya will show that arrogant pig…" she mused between Seth and herself. Seth and pretty much everyone else didn't think so. Blue Eyes White Dragon was after all one of the most powerful dragons in existence. Curse of Dragon wouldn't stand a chance.

"Is that your very best?" the Dragon Lord sneered. Katsuya looked calm as the attack of the Blue Eyes came on the in an instant. The massive lightening blow flew across like a jet towards the Curse of Dragon. The smoke disappeared and he was nowhere to be seen. It was just Katsuya. The man smiled triumphantly when it dropped hearing the high-pitched screech of the dragon as Curse appeared in front of his summoner and the Blue Eyes. "T-that's impossible… you haven't laid any traps…"

"I don't need to… my Curse of Dragon… is just… unique…" Katsuya explained. "Has quite a lot of tricks and traps under his wing… you know" the man growled at the youth before ordering another attack from his Blue eyes.

"Curse why don't you try that new move that you've been practising lately…?" Katsuya suggested. The dragon screeched before he flapped his wings in a circular motion where everyone seemed to see a slight cloud appear in the form of the yin and yang signature. The blast of the Blue Eyes ploughed across the land towards his opponent when Curse seemed to circle around it, his own dragon flame attack enveloping it and it bended into a `U' turn in front of Katsuya's feet before Curse brought it to a huge ball of energy in front of it. The Blue Eyes was thrown back and destroyed. The Dragon Lord was defeated without so much as a little effort on Katsuya's part. The images faded and everyone was now staring at Joey.

"What?" Joey replied in surprise when a rumble upon the floor shook the foundations of the monastery.

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Sam: Well I think I should stop it here before this goes to twenty pages… I know it's sudden but I'll make it up next chapter… T______T I'm really busy people please bear with me…

BTW if you want to read another story asides from Children of Destiny read the selection of incomplete one shots in VOTE YOUR FANFIC and basically vote the fanfic you want… ok? ^_________^