Yu-Gi-Oh! Fan Fiction ❯ Shadow Dragon ❯ Talks ( Chapter 5 )

I do not own Yu-gi-oh or Shadow Hearts. I don’t own any of the characters except Cassandra either.

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It had been a little over three days since the incident with Blanca and Seto Kaiba was beginning to get annoyed with himself. He did not want to believe in magic and strange abilities, they had no place in his company or his world. But that dream…if it really was a dream. Although it seemed impossible Seto was unable to ignore the evidence that was before his eyes, or the nightmares that sometimes plagued his sleep. Part of him wanted to talk to Blanca about it, to see if what the wolf had said was real. Things that seemed so convincing in the dead of night had seemed less clear in the light of day. But he wolf hadn’t said a thing since that night and aside from sticking closer to Mokuba, it’s behavior pattern hadn’t changed at all. It was annoying him and now he was even having trouble sleeping at night. That stupid dream kept replaying in his head. Although logically he knew it couldn’t be real, he had bruises that were still fading. Dreams wouldn’t leave bruises in the shape of teeth marks.

It worried him, more than he would admit too. Normally he didn’t worry much about Mokuba’s safety. Most of his enemies knew that kidnapping was risky, and those that would have been willing tot try it were wary because of what had happened to the other people who had already tried that tactic. All had failed. Now only a wackjob like Pegasus would dare to try it.

Then Mokuba had been kidnapped twice in a month, and the last had been by a man who had seemingly appeared out of nowhere. Seto had checked the security tapes from all of the Mansions cameras and found nothing. It was as if the man had just appeared there. But things like that couldn’t happen….could they? Ye there was the fact that no locks had been broken and the security system was still running, with no evidence of tampering.

Seto drummed his fingers on his desk had growled. That girls comment keep running though his mind as well. A monster? People had called him that and worse since he had taken control of Kaiba Corp, so why did it bother him so much this time?

Because you were actually a monster. A tiny voice whispered in the back of his mind. He ignored it as he had before. Instead he tried to focus on other thing. What was frustrating for him was that he could find no information on this Reaper character. He knew who Tucker was now, a former arms-dealer who police had suspected of dealing with Gozoburo Kaiba, although nothing had been proved. It hadn’t surprised Seto. His step-father had been a bastard and Seto knew he had been involved in almost as many illegitimate deals as legitimate ones. Still…..why had Tucker waited until now to surface. Most of the threats had come right after he Gozoburo’s death, before they idiots had learned that he didn’t take threats lightly.

Seto gave a mental shake and focused back on Reaper. The police would catch Tucker, they already had a solid lead on the guy and would arrest him so. Normally Seto was content to let the police catch whoever it was that attacked him but this time it was different. Reaper had pissed him off, and if Seto would ever admit it to himself, shaken the Harmonixer. He hated being helpless, hated being powerless. Seto had vowed to find that Reaper and beat the crap out of him. Particularly since he knew, like whatever it was that had happened with Pegasus, wasn’t something he could take to the police.

But, he hated to admit, the only information he had heard about the guy had come from the lips of a talk dog he had seen in his dreams. If anyone had come to Seto with a story like that, the millionaire would have had them taken to a nice quite room somewhere, one with padded walls. Although he tired to ignore it, there was a part of him that was willing to believe in the dreams.

The millionaire wasn’t sure which was a more frightening prospect to him: That he was slowly going insane (Something he considered almost impossible) or the thought that all of this could be real.

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After work Seto came home and had dinner, talking with Mokuba about his grades as they ate. Once he was done Seto headed up to his home office to continue his work. The first thing he saw when he walked in was Blanca, sitting in the middle of the floor. The dog looked up and meet his eyes. Something about the dogs eyes seem to say that he wasn’t going to leave.

“How did you get in here?” He snapped at the mutt. The door had to be pulled open from the outside, and Seto knew he had locked the door when he had went down to dinner.

“I have a few tricks up my sleeves.” Blanca answered, nearly causing Seto to jump. The millionaire managed to catch himself in time, but from the amused look in the wolf’s eyes, he had seen it. Seto had almost managed to convince himself that the whole thing had been an incredibly lucid dream. Having evidence to the contrary in front was something he hadn’t been expecting.

“Then what are you doing here?” He snapped at the canine, then made his way around to the chair behind his desk. Talking dogs aside, he had work to do.

“I came to see if you had made a decision yet.” Was the calm reply. Seto froze.

“What decision?” He growled.

“What you are going to do about your powers and Reapers of course.” Seto began to type.

“I already, told you, I’m not some kind of superhero. I’m not some transforming freak of Nature, and I can take care of Reaper on my own.”

“Seto.” Blanca said dangerously. The wolf trotter over, the reared up on his back paws, and put the front ones on Seto’s desk. “You cannot continue to deny this. Reapers will come again and you will not be able to stop him if you don’t accept this part of yourself.”

“I don’t’ have another part of myself!” Seto snapped and slammed his hands down on the desk. “Whatever stupid dreams you stuck in my head last time won’t work again. I’m not going to dance because a talking dog tells me too.”

“Seto…? Who were you talking too?” Mokuba poked his head around the door and Seto froze. He felt a blush rising on his cheeks and tried to curse. He did not want to tell his brother that he had just been talking to his bet dog. It was embarrassing. Then Blanca deiced to take things into his own paws.

“At the very lest you should tell your brother about Reaper!” The wolf snapped. Mokuba jumped then stared.

“Mokuba, if your going to come in, do it and close the door.” Seto ordered. If he was going insane, he would rather the staff didn’t seem him talking to Blanca. It would be very bad for his reputation. Hesitantly Mokuba did as he was told.

“That is a good idea.” Blanca observed. “I doubt you want to panic anyone else.”

“You can talk.” Mokuba said faintly, still watching Blanca.

“Yes I can.” There was several moments of silence.

“Since when?” The younger Kaiba asked at last.

“Since long before I came here.” The wolf’s ears flattened against his skull. “I’m sorry for deceiving you, but I needed to talk to your brother. I doubt he would have listened if had started talking to him in the middle of the street.” Mokuba smiled slightly.

“That’s true. But how can you talk?” Now it was plain that his younger brother was curious. Seto was getting annoyed, he had forgotten you young Mokuba was. He actually believed that mutt.

“I’m not really a wolf.” Was the reply and Seto glared at him. Blanca hadn’t said that last night. “Or at least I’m not anymore. Now I’m the guardian spirit for the people of the Inugami village. Since you and your brother were born there that means I have to protect you as well.”

“Why don’t you go back to your village then?” The millionaire finally snapped. “We don’t need your protection.”

“You need it more than anyone else does!” Blanca snarled back. “None of them are the ones Reaper is after.”

“Reaper?” Mokuba interrupted. “You know who he is?”

“Yes.” Blanca began to explain to the boy and Seto growled.

“Mokuba, don’t listen to him.” He ordered. But Mokuba was to absorbed in the story, he didn’t notice his brother. A few minuets later Mokuba looked up wide eyed.

“I didn’t want Mokuba involved in this!”

“He already is!” Blanca snapped. “Reaper doesn’t care who he has to hurt to get his way. He wants a Harmonixer and he will to anything to get one.”

“I already told you, I’m not a Harmonixer!”

“Seto?” Mokuba’s voice broke through his anger and Seto turned to look at his brother. “I saw you transform back there.” Seto took a deep breath.

“Even if I am a Harmonixer, I’m not going to do something just because a talking dog tells me too!” Mokuba opened his mouth to say something, but Blanca shook his head. The wolf walked over and nudged the younger Kaiba toward the door.

“ Lets go. There’s something I want to ask you about the battle.” Mokuba glanced back at his brother worriedly, and Blanca sighed.

“Don’t worry about him. Eventually Reaper will make a move, and then your brother will be forced to face the truth, whether he wants to or not”

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Blanca had taken to following Mokuba almost every where he went. At first the younger Kaiba had been some what annoyed with the wolf but he had realized that with Blanca by his side there was little to no chance that anything like what had happened with Pegasus and Tucker would occur again. Blanca had assured him that even if he wasn’t strong enough to deal with a threat, he would be able to hold it off long enough for him to escape. That had worried Mokuba but his guardian had grinned at his expression.

“You don’t have to worried about me.” Blanca had assured him. “I be hurt and this body may be destroyed but it will take much more to actually kill me.”

“What do you mean?” The younger Kaiba asked out of curiosity. His guardian spirit had yawned.

“I’m a guardian spirit Mokuba, technically I ‘died’ a long time ago the only reason I stuck around was because I wanted to protect Inugami village and, by extension, the people that come from there.”

“You mean Harmonixers like my brother?” Blanca nodded.

“Yes, among others. But because Inugami village is so small and people who are destined for greater things didn’t stay there, I choose a form that would let me go with them.”

“What do you mean?”

“I’m a spirit Mokuba. If I had stayed in my spiritual form, the one I was first given, I would have been bond to the forest around Inugami and wouldn’t have been able to leave. So I sacrificed a portion of my power to give me this physical form. It’s not so much a body as a shell that allows me to move about the world unhindered.”

“Why did you say you had to sacrifice part of your power?” Mokuba asked. “Was it really that hard to create one.”

“Yes.” Blanca admitted. “But not because it’s a difficult process but because you have make sure you keep the Balance.”

“Balance?”

“The Balance between this world and the others. Beings aren’t suppose to cross between realms and disasters befall all those that attempt to bridge the gap between them. That’s why my powers were sealed, so that I couldn’t move between them. Right now I am more of a creature of this world than of anything else. That limits me in some ways, but also lets me affect this world in a more direct matter than I otherwise would be able too.” At the confused look on his charges face, the wolf had sighed. “Never mind about he details. Just know that it won’t be that easy to get rid of me.”

Lately, Mokuba had taken to exploring the less popular areas of the city. He knew the area around the Kaiba Corp tower like that back of his hand because before he hadn’t dared leave it. Even though he was young Mokuba had realized that the criminals who might balk at snatching him from under is brothers nose , probably wouldn’t stop if he was too far away from his brothers influence.

Now he had Blanca with him and he felt a good deal safer. Now he could go where he wanted without worrying Seto. Mokuba knew that his brother didn’t really trust Blanca yet, but he figured that if Blanca could keep him safe on these little excursions then the wolf would be able to earn his brothers trust.

They had been exploring one a street on the other side of town, one that Mokuba hadn’t seen anything interesting on. The younger Kaiba had been about to return to the car that Seto was waiting for them, when he caught sight of someone familiar. Mokuba had a very good memory. Living with is brother, he had learned to memorize faces and names so that he could, in his own way, help Seto. That was why he had knew he had seen the girl he could see coming up the street before. He knew he had heard her name before, since something kept tell him he was suppose to know it, but he could place her. She wasn’t one of his brothers business contacts, and she didn’t work at Kaiba Corp. It wasn’t until she was climbing the steps to a temple further up the steer that it finally hit him. Mokuba stiffened involuntarily, causing Blanca to turn and look at him in concern.

“What’s the matter?” The wolf asked. Mokuba pointed.

“She was the one who helped Seto find me.” Was all the younger Kaiba said. He didn’t like her. Something in her voice when she had called Seto a monster….she had hated him then.

“That’ was Cassandra.” Blanca stared in the direction she had gone interesting. He was silent for a minuet. Mokuba looked down at him.

“Blanca?”

“Are you absolutely sure that Reaper said she had a Crest?” The spirit wolf turned and pinned Mokuba with this golden eyes.

“Yeah, I think so. He said something about magic too.”

“Did he say she had anything else beside a Crest? Anything at all?” Blanca pressed.

“No, that was it. He said something about magic but that was it.” The wolf sighed and dropped his head.

“Why do you want to know?”

“Because” Blanca glanced back at the temple that Cassandra had been seen entering. “If he’s talking about a Solomon’s Crest then I might be able to figure out strong she is. There are only a certain number of Crests in the world. Each one has a few spells attached to it. Only someone who has enough power can use the stronger Solomon Crest’s.” The wolf looked at Mokuba. “Are you sure you can’t remember what spell she used?”

“I’m sure.” Blanca sighed, then stood and shook himself.

“Lets go back.” The wolf said. “I want to talk to your brother.” That said, Blanca walked back to the waiting care, Mokuba behind him.

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Inside the temple Cassandra watched her broom as it swept over the stones that lead up to the temple. It had been weeks since the incident and her Grandfather hadn’t said anything to her. Normally she wouldn’t have worried because he rarely said anything unless it was required but for some reason it worried her now. She had told him everything that had happened in the old mansion, and he had then dismissed her. Although she had been coming to help out at the temple, they hadn’t actually talked about the incident.

Cassandra realized that her grandfather was probably mad at her for disobeying his orders. Uncle Akira certainly had been. He had lectured her for an hour after he had heard her report. Most of it had consisted of horrors stories about what had happened to people who tired to deal with spirits that were far more powerful then they were and failed. He had also told her repeatedly that she was very lucky to have gotten off so lightly. Cassandra had agreed, because as far as she was concerned, the human monster she had been fighting with was a much bigger threat than the spirit had been.

It rankled the young woman that she owed her life to him…it. Although she had been getting tired, she couldn’t shake the feeling that she should have been able to deal with that monster on her own. Yet, that human-monster had stepped in, and the snake woman had fallen. And deep in her heart Cassandra knew that no matter hard she tried, she would never have been able to take down an enemy with the easy the lizard man had. She didn’t like to admit that a monster was better than her at something she had been training.

The priestess swung her broom harder than she had meant to and sent leaves and dust spiraling into the air. Coughing she forced her self to calm down.

“Loosing your temper is not a good thing Cassy.” Her grandfather’s voice came from behind her and the young woman whirled around to face him.

“Grandfather.” She said. He was one of the few who called her by her nickname. For a while there was silence then Cassandra cleared her throat. “I’m sorry I disobeyed you Grandfather.” The old man looked surprised.

“You helped save a life Cassandra.” He said. “Why would I be mad?”

“Then why haven’t you said anything about it?” She asked. “And Uncle Akira wouldn’t tell me who that was.”

“Akira doesn’t know who that was.” Cassandra was startled.

“Didn’t know..?” Her grandfather nodded.

“Yes. I had never heard of this man either. I have been trying to find out more information about him, but I have not been able to find anything.”

“Just him, Grandfather?” Cassandra said. “What about the other guy?”

“Other?” Her Grandfather frowned. “What other one?”

“The other guy I told you about!” The young woman exploded. “The one that turned into a lizard! Why aren’t you trying to find out about him too?”

“Because he is not a priority. He is not as dangerous as Reaper is.” The old man said calmly.

“What!? How can you say that! He has to be using Malice, the same as Reaper was!” Her Grandfather held up his hand and Cassandra stopped.

“Seto Kaiba was not using Malice.” There was such assurance in her Grandfather’s tone that Cassandra stopped.

“How do you know?” She asked calmer this time. Her Grandfather lowered his hand.

“Malice is the energy pulled from negative and violent human emotions. I taught you that much Cassandra.” The young woman nodded. “Those who use that power are twisted, in their mind and hearts corrupted by it. Creatures like Reaper, ones who use it will one day fall to it. If, or rather when, that happens, the Malice goes out of control. It consumes them and twists them into monsters like the one you fought in that house.” Cassandra had recognized her Grandfather’s ‘teaching’ tone and was careful to pay attention to what he was saying. “If that young man had been a Malice user he would have attacked you or his brother after he had transformed. Also, he would not have been able to transform back into a human.” Her Grandfather smiled at her. “Besides, did you sense any Malice when he transformed?”

“No.” The young woman admitted. “I didn’t.” Then she looked up and meet her Grandfather eyes.
“But if he wasn’t a Malice user, what is he?”

“That” Her Grandfather sighed. “Is something that I would like to find out.”

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A/N: Chapter Five is up! This is shorter than the others, mostly because his is basically a transitional chapter. Next one will have more action, including the reasons behind Reapers actions.