The Dragon's Lair
Jun. 7th, 2016 10:59 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
madimpossibledreamerMain Points:
Yugioh Paparazzi!Verse
Chapter Summary: Kaiba isn't pleased with whoever thought waking him up in the middle of the night was a good idea (understatement).
Word Count: 1275
Rating: teen
Note: this part draws a little more on S0. Mokuba calls Seto the more respectful oniisan, while Yugi gets addressed as Aniki (more familiar/casual). I would've used 'Big Bro', but technically he's calling them both that, given Yugi got adopted, so... I'm enjoying the Yami & Kaiba interactions--Kaiba's helping out, but it's not just out of the goodness of his heart. I dunno, they're just...both very realistic. Maybe it's 'cause they're enjoying sniping at each other, which makes it easier to write. IDK.
Kaiba is ready to snap off someone’s head at being awoken in the middle of the night like this. By the doorbell, no less. He throws a robe over the Blue Eyes pajamas and sweeps out of his room. Mokuba, pawing at his eyes and blinking sleepily, appears at his door. “What’s going on, oniisan?”
“If it’s reporters, I’m going to roast them alive with Blue Eyes. Stay put.” This isn’t helping his headache, at all.
It’s a testament to how exhausted Mokuba is that he doesn’t question, at all. He just nods like it actually makes sense to him, and mutters sleepily, “Go get ‘em, Seto.”
“You don’t need to worry about that,” Kaiba snarls darkly.
As he passes Yugi’s room, he notes that his other ‘brother’ isn’t home yet. Maybe he actually took advice for once and slept with that reporter girl, just to relax a little. Well, and to get better control over her and what she’s likely to write. Just fear isn’t the best; it’s a mixture between fear and love. Machiavelli had some good advice.
He throws open the door, concentrating and calling on his beloved Blue Eyes, but falters as the Pharaoh barrels past holding the woman in his arms. He doesn’t miss the blood, nor the ghostly armor lingering over the Pharaoh’s body, very different than his own beloved holograms.
“What did you do?” he spits, and the Pharaoh stiffens, carefully lying her down on the couch before turning to face Kaiba with a look that, for the first time, manages to partially freeze even Seto’s soul.
“Call the doctors. That’s what you pay them for, isn’t it?”
He’s never heard that much venom in even the Pharaoh’s voice. Yugi would naïvely wish everyone the best, even those who would hurt him, while the Pharaoh’s a bit more realistic, but even that, there’s real violence in the tone.
He’s known about Yugi’s schizophrenia for a while, but since Yugi didn’t seem too concerned about it (not really even experiencing blackouts, and not being aware of the difference between himself and his other self) and the fact that it enabled his ‘brother’ to keep the memory of Duel Monsters alive, let alone step on the stage…well, he hadn’t seen the need to intervene.
Besides, it probably helped him cope with memories of the orphanage, and the Pharaoh was his favorite verbal sparring partner, anyway.
He crosses his arms, allowing an ironic smile to twist his face. “I’m sure I meant, what happened?” Whatever this is, it’s serious.
Shoulders slump. “I’m not…I’m not Yugi, am I?”
“You’re both Yugi,” Seto responds impatiently, shivering a little. The house is chilly at night, which is precisely why he doesn’t seek out nocturnal adventure in the house. It’d probably be easier to have this conversation sitting, but he feels, irrationally, that if he does sit, if he places himself on the Pharaoh’s level, he’ll lose control of this situation.
He growls to himself and sits, burrowing a little into the armchair as he wakes Roland with not a small amount of cruel glee and informs him to send the doctors, cutting him off midsentence as the man asks if everything’s all right. He’ll reward the man later—loyalty deserves a reward, and Roland’s nothing but loyal, but he’s in a terrible mood, and neither being woken up nor the headache is helping.
The Pharaoh looks like he’s losing himself, so he repeats himself. “You’re both Yugi.”
“So there is someone else,” the deep voice mutters, more to himself. Like Kaiba doesn’t even exist. “I remember feeling protective, but that didn’t make sense to me. Not at the time.”
“I knew, but you didn’t see me throwing you back out on the street, so get ahold of yourself already.”
The Pharaoh blinks then smiles. “Yes, of course. Sorry, Kaiba.” He shakes his head, turning serious again, but at least it’s the focused, determined version that he can deal with. “You used Blue Eyes on stage.”
“Yes. Please tell me that she’s not going to die on my couch.”
The other Yugi is successfully diverted, shaking his head with grave solemnity. “I don’t believe so. Most of the blood…isn’t hers.” He pauses again, then launches into the tale. It’s more easy to follow than if the excitable one had been telling it, but there’s still a little frenetic quality to the voice that’s anything but usual. “I…don’t remember, but I think we were having another interview over dinner again. I woke, and she got into a fake cab. I’m not sure what they wanted, but they took her to a warehouse.” He pauses. “Obviously, I discovered how to do it too. I flew after them.”
“I noticed the armor, yes. My eyes aren’t completely blinded by lack of sleep.”
The Pharaoh actually smiles and takes comfort in the familiar banter with a bite and continues. “I was expecting to have to rescue her, and for the first time, I…” He sighs, fists clenching. “I’ve never been so angry. I wanted to hurt them for touching Anzu. I wanted to hear them scream. I expected to have to rescue her, but instead…she needed no help at all.”
His gaze meets Kaiba’s again, begging for understanding. “I…think she’s like us. She was terrified, and called for help, and she found something. She was free, and her captors were…” He pauses. “I’m not sure whether they were alive or not. I’m not sure the spirit she called would care. But it…it acted like it knew me, Kaiba. It called me ‘King of Games’. And told me it’d meet me again. I know a threat when I hear it.”
Given that they’ve had to institute ‘kidnap’ procedures in the Kaiba household, Seto can well believe that. There’s a reason they all have their own bodyguards, and a reason he invested in self defense lessons for all of them. It’s probably the best money expenditure he’s ever made.
“I think she might be in shock, but I don’t think she’s otherwise hurt,” The Pharaoh finishes, and Kaiba nods, feeling awake, now.
“What’s going on, oniisan—Anzu!” Mokuba, at the top of the stairs, and Seto’s on his feet again.
“Just the bimonthly scheduled kidnap. She’ll be all right, but I called the doctors, just in case.” He wasn’t about to get Mokuba involved in all this magic nonsense, and Yugi—both of them—knew better to say anything. “Go back to sleep.”
“Poor Anzu,” Mokuba responds with sympathy, stifling a yawn, and goes back into his room. Seto sighs, but glares when Mokuba re-emerges with a blanket and a pillow and troops down the stairs, stretching out on the couch opposite. “If she needs me, I’ll be there. You should date her, Aniki.”
The Pharaoh blushes, which is a much rarer occurrence than with Yugi, and Seto snorts at the recently common argument, waiting to speak again until Mokuba is safely asleep once more. Not that he hasn’t pretended, before, and not that he can’t fool even his beloved older brother, but he’s not going to be direct, just in case. “Don’t worry, Yugi. I’ll take care of this.” Even the warehouse, because some girl who can keep the Pharaoh in check without taming him completely is a rare thing, and watches as his ‘brother’ nods, the light of hope entering his eyes because Seto’s never failed before, and curls up in the armchair opposite to the stairs, falling asleep in seconds.
There will be a lot to do, but it’s not like that’s anything new, either. Still, Kaiba will deny the smile that appears until the end of time.
Yugioh Paparazzi!Verse
Chapter Summary: Kaiba isn't pleased with whoever thought waking him up in the middle of the night was a good idea (understatement).
Word Count: 1275
Rating: teen
Note: this part draws a little more on S0. Mokuba calls Seto the more respectful oniisan, while Yugi gets addressed as Aniki (more familiar/casual). I would've used 'Big Bro', but technically he's calling them both that, given Yugi got adopted, so... I'm enjoying the Yami & Kaiba interactions--Kaiba's helping out, but it's not just out of the goodness of his heart. I dunno, they're just...both very realistic. Maybe it's 'cause they're enjoying sniping at each other, which makes it easier to write. IDK.
Kaiba is ready to snap off someone’s head at being awoken in the middle of the night like this. By the doorbell, no less. He throws a robe over the Blue Eyes pajamas and sweeps out of his room. Mokuba, pawing at his eyes and blinking sleepily, appears at his door. “What’s going on, oniisan?”
“If it’s reporters, I’m going to roast them alive with Blue Eyes. Stay put.” This isn’t helping his headache, at all.
It’s a testament to how exhausted Mokuba is that he doesn’t question, at all. He just nods like it actually makes sense to him, and mutters sleepily, “Go get ‘em, Seto.”
“You don’t need to worry about that,” Kaiba snarls darkly.
As he passes Yugi’s room, he notes that his other ‘brother’ isn’t home yet. Maybe he actually took advice for once and slept with that reporter girl, just to relax a little. Well, and to get better control over her and what she’s likely to write. Just fear isn’t the best; it’s a mixture between fear and love. Machiavelli had some good advice.
He throws open the door, concentrating and calling on his beloved Blue Eyes, but falters as the Pharaoh barrels past holding the woman in his arms. He doesn’t miss the blood, nor the ghostly armor lingering over the Pharaoh’s body, very different than his own beloved holograms.
“What did you do?” he spits, and the Pharaoh stiffens, carefully lying her down on the couch before turning to face Kaiba with a look that, for the first time, manages to partially freeze even Seto’s soul.
“Call the doctors. That’s what you pay them for, isn’t it?”
He’s never heard that much venom in even the Pharaoh’s voice. Yugi would naïvely wish everyone the best, even those who would hurt him, while the Pharaoh’s a bit more realistic, but even that, there’s real violence in the tone.
He’s known about Yugi’s schizophrenia for a while, but since Yugi didn’t seem too concerned about it (not really even experiencing blackouts, and not being aware of the difference between himself and his other self) and the fact that it enabled his ‘brother’ to keep the memory of Duel Monsters alive, let alone step on the stage…well, he hadn’t seen the need to intervene.
Besides, it probably helped him cope with memories of the orphanage, and the Pharaoh was his favorite verbal sparring partner, anyway.
He crosses his arms, allowing an ironic smile to twist his face. “I’m sure I meant, what happened?” Whatever this is, it’s serious.
Shoulders slump. “I’m not…I’m not Yugi, am I?”
“You’re both Yugi,” Seto responds impatiently, shivering a little. The house is chilly at night, which is precisely why he doesn’t seek out nocturnal adventure in the house. It’d probably be easier to have this conversation sitting, but he feels, irrationally, that if he does sit, if he places himself on the Pharaoh’s level, he’ll lose control of this situation.
He growls to himself and sits, burrowing a little into the armchair as he wakes Roland with not a small amount of cruel glee and informs him to send the doctors, cutting him off midsentence as the man asks if everything’s all right. He’ll reward the man later—loyalty deserves a reward, and Roland’s nothing but loyal, but he’s in a terrible mood, and neither being woken up nor the headache is helping.
The Pharaoh looks like he’s losing himself, so he repeats himself. “You’re both Yugi.”
“So there is someone else,” the deep voice mutters, more to himself. Like Kaiba doesn’t even exist. “I remember feeling protective, but that didn’t make sense to me. Not at the time.”
“I knew, but you didn’t see me throwing you back out on the street, so get ahold of yourself already.”
The Pharaoh blinks then smiles. “Yes, of course. Sorry, Kaiba.” He shakes his head, turning serious again, but at least it’s the focused, determined version that he can deal with. “You used Blue Eyes on stage.”
“Yes. Please tell me that she’s not going to die on my couch.”
The other Yugi is successfully diverted, shaking his head with grave solemnity. “I don’t believe so. Most of the blood…isn’t hers.” He pauses again, then launches into the tale. It’s more easy to follow than if the excitable one had been telling it, but there’s still a little frenetic quality to the voice that’s anything but usual. “I…don’t remember, but I think we were having another interview over dinner again. I woke, and she got into a fake cab. I’m not sure what they wanted, but they took her to a warehouse.” He pauses. “Obviously, I discovered how to do it too. I flew after them.”
“I noticed the armor, yes. My eyes aren’t completely blinded by lack of sleep.”
The Pharaoh actually smiles and takes comfort in the familiar banter with a bite and continues. “I was expecting to have to rescue her, and for the first time, I…” He sighs, fists clenching. “I’ve never been so angry. I wanted to hurt them for touching Anzu. I wanted to hear them scream. I expected to have to rescue her, but instead…she needed no help at all.”
His gaze meets Kaiba’s again, begging for understanding. “I…think she’s like us. She was terrified, and called for help, and she found something. She was free, and her captors were…” He pauses. “I’m not sure whether they were alive or not. I’m not sure the spirit she called would care. But it…it acted like it knew me, Kaiba. It called me ‘King of Games’. And told me it’d meet me again. I know a threat when I hear it.”
Given that they’ve had to institute ‘kidnap’ procedures in the Kaiba household, Seto can well believe that. There’s a reason they all have their own bodyguards, and a reason he invested in self defense lessons for all of them. It’s probably the best money expenditure he’s ever made.
“I think she might be in shock, but I don’t think she’s otherwise hurt,” The Pharaoh finishes, and Kaiba nods, feeling awake, now.
“What’s going on, oniisan—Anzu!” Mokuba, at the top of the stairs, and Seto’s on his feet again.
“Just the bimonthly scheduled kidnap. She’ll be all right, but I called the doctors, just in case.” He wasn’t about to get Mokuba involved in all this magic nonsense, and Yugi—both of them—knew better to say anything. “Go back to sleep.”
“Poor Anzu,” Mokuba responds with sympathy, stifling a yawn, and goes back into his room. Seto sighs, but glares when Mokuba re-emerges with a blanket and a pillow and troops down the stairs, stretching out on the couch opposite. “If she needs me, I’ll be there. You should date her, Aniki.”
The Pharaoh blushes, which is a much rarer occurrence than with Yugi, and Seto snorts at the recently common argument, waiting to speak again until Mokuba is safely asleep once more. Not that he hasn’t pretended, before, and not that he can’t fool even his beloved older brother, but he’s not going to be direct, just in case. “Don’t worry, Yugi. I’ll take care of this.” Even the warehouse, because some girl who can keep the Pharaoh in check without taming him completely is a rare thing, and watches as his ‘brother’ nods, the light of hope entering his eyes because Seto’s never failed before, and curls up in the armchair opposite to the stairs, falling asleep in seconds.
There will be a lot to do, but it’s not like that’s anything new, either. Still, Kaiba will deny the smile that appears until the end of time.
