I have revisited this story and decided to update it a bit. The original version had a ton of mistakes and – like most of my older stories – no longer accurately represents canon, post DSOD.

I feel this re-vamped version is more in keeping with my current post canon feelings and is perhaps a little better. If you do take the time to read it, please let me know your thoughts.

The Interview.

He had everything a man of twenty five could possibly want. Power, status and unimaginable wealth. He only had to snap his fingers and half a dozen snivelling cretins would come running, eager to wait on his every whim.

Truth be told, Seto Kaiba was getting bored with it all. Maybe he was a victim of his own empire.

And then there was the scar of defeat. The scar was not open and festering as it had once been, but it was still there, itching under his skin.

He had tried to beat Yugi so many times, but victory over Yugi Muto in Duel Monsters still eluded him. It was like some sort of mental blockage prevented him from winning. He had studied all of Yugi's past strategies and had come up with the perfect way of beating him. So why did he still lose?

Even without the Pharaoh helping him, Yugi still had the Pharaohs' irritating luck.

Kaiba grunted and leaned forward with his fists clenched under his chin and elbows resting on his desk, deep in thought.

Despite all of the strange things to have happened over the years, he still tried his best not to believe in any of that mumbo jumbo, occult crap, that Yugi and his little band of groupies used to prattle on about.

Even Mokuba nagged him for refusing to admit that everything he had experienced was the truth.

But Seto was a realist and even through his obsession with Atem, could still not allow himself to admit that ghosts existed.

Everything could be explained by science. It was not magic, but science that had created the Millennium Puzzle and brought Atem here. It was science that had enabled Seto to create the technology that could break down barriers, giving him the ability to travel into alternative realms. Magic had nothing to do with it.

And why did Yugi always insist that he was their friend? Seto Kaiba did not need friends – he was happier alone.

But if that were true, then why on earth was he feeling this way? Was it boredom that left him feeling lonely and unfulfilled?

Yugi had recently married that cute little dancing girl of his. She was far too bossy for Seto's liking, but he had to admit they made a lovely couple. Seto had actually surprised himself by accepting the invite to attend their wedding. He must be going soft. He had even let them use the Limousine for the wedding, and then allowed them to honeymoon at his private beach house!

Anzu was now expecting their first baby and Seto snorted at the thought of another little Muto running around.

Then there was the mutt. He and that loud woman – the one who's breasts were always busting out of her top. How any man could duel her and not be distracted by those was any ones guess?

Mai, that was her name. Seto gave an ironic laugh. How on earth had the mutt managed to father such a cute little girl? Even Seto was pained to admit he found the two year old adorable. He felt sorry for her, for having such unconventional parents; who were not married, always bickering about their lack of money, splitting up over the smallest things and then getting back together again.

Mokuba seemed be enjoying life too: he had just turned 21 and was always out with friends. He had an endless stream of pretty girlfriends – no doubt after his money!

Seto did quite like Hiroto Honda. He didn't duel, and Seto had barely even noticed his presence during his dealings with the dweeb squad. He had only really had any dealings with Honda since Yugi had suggested they award his family's factory with the contract to produce casings for the duel disks and VR goggles.

It had been a good choice to go with Yugi's suggestion, as Honda was probably one of the most straightforward, honest businessmen he had ever met.

He was engaged to the mutts extremely lovely little sister, Shizuka. They were going to get married when she had finished her medical degree.

Steady relationships. Children. Bah! Who needs them?

Seto punched the keys on his laptop and it sprung to life.

Suddenly, his intercom buzzed, breaking him from his thoughts.

"Mr Kaiba, your 11am appointment has arrived. Shall I send her in?"

Kaiba hit mute. "Oh crap!" He had been too busy in his thoughts and had forgotten about the job applicant he was interviewing today. What was wrong with him? "No. Not yet. Give her a coffee or something. I will be ready in about five minutes."

He scrolled through his e-mails and brought her curriculum vitae on screen. Sarah Crawford, 24, graduated Stanford University, first class honours in Economics. Only one previous employer: Pegasus. The one eyed freak had given her a glowing reference. Seto snorted, "Well he would do that, he's her uncle."

Seto noted how she had been assigned to turn around the fortune of Pegasus's outdated casino in Las Vegas. Said casino was now doing very nicely indeed.

He raised an eyebrow at just how much money it was making. Maybe she was what he needed to turn around the fortunes of Kaiba Land. It had been hit hard by the recent recession, and although business was picking up again, People were not spending enough money in the gift shop and restaurant.

He clicked the intercom. "Okay Keiko. Send her in please?"

Seto pushed his chair back from his desk slightly and adopted his most intimidating pose. Legs crossed, arms folded across his chest and a stony glare. Candidates who stood and shook in fear at the sight of him would not do. You needed to be able to withstand intimidation if you wished to be considered for this particular job.

The door opened and Seto's jaw almost landed in his lap. The most beautiful sight stood before him, nervously clutching her bag. Her white/blonde was hair tied up in a neat bun and her skin was the purest he had ever seen. She wore a pale blue skirt suit; the skirt ending just above her knees and showing off her slender legs. The jacket was cut perfectly to fit her slender figure. Underneath the jacket she wore a white blouse. Her navy blue stiletto shoes matched her bag. Her eyes were the the most sparkling crystal blue he had ever seen and were beautifully accentuated by the delicate use of eye make-up.

Seto slowly uncrossed his legs and arms. She reminded him of someone from his long and distant past.

Standing up, his face erupted into an unusually warm, welcoming smile. Something anyone rarely ever saw. He stood up and walked around his desk to stand in front of her.

"Good morning Miss Crawford. I'm Seto Kaiba." He offered a handshake. "But please call me Seto. I'm so happy to find you at last." He was babbling like an idiot.

She smiled at him nervously and took his offered hand. "Pleased to meet you Mr. Kaiba, erm... Seto."

Her smile made him weak at the knees. His heart was beating so fast and he could feel his face beginning to flush. He held her dainty hand ever so gently, and for slightly longer than necessary, noting how soft and well manicured it was.

"So... Miss Crawford. When can you start?" What was wrong with him? He was supposed to be grilling her.

"Don't you wish to know a little about me first?" She was very surprised.

"Oh! Yes. Interview." He waved his hand dismissively. "Merely a formality. It will be lunch time soon. How about I show you around first? And then we can talk over lunch."

Was this the Seto Kaiba she had heard so much about? The abrupt, cold, calculating businessman, who was feared by his employees and rivals? Sarah found him warm, charming and polite. And oh... that lovely smile that made her want to swoon.

There was something very familiar about him too, but she did not know what it was.

"Yes that would be lovely." She replied, without hesitation.

Placing his hand in the small of her back, he gently guided her out of his office and began giving her a tour of Kaiba Corporation HQ.

"May I ask you something? I could not help but notice. You have several statues of a pale blue dragon around your building. She must be very special?"

"Yes. My Blue Eyes White Dragon. She is special." He replied, gesturing for her to enter the elevator.

"My uncle tells me that you have three of them in your dueling deck?"

Why was she so interested in his dragons? Seto cleared his throat. "That's right. I do." He deliberately kept his answers short for fear of jabbering. "We can get out here."

They exited the lift on the mezzanine floor. Looking over the railings onto the foyer below, they could see a large statue of Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon. Sarah marvelled at the sight.

"She's so beautiful." She murmured.

Seto glanced at her. He could have sworn he saw her eyes twinkle. "Yes, you... she is." He dug his fingernails into his palm at the near slip up.

Was she really who he suspected she might be?

Of course not! Don't be silly! It was easily explained. Just like everything else, there had to be a logical explanation. She was Pegasus' niece. Pegasus probably designed Blue Eyes White Dragon using her as an inspiration. She had probably seen the finished product.

"Would you like to see where we test the holograms?"

"Yes I would love to." She said, sounding genuinely excited.

"Back in the lift, they went down to the basement - the nerve centre of Kaiba holographic technology. It was full of electronic equipment and was usually a restricted area. But today he was ignoring his own protocols.

Three scientists were busy monitoring the core temperature of the unit that extended up into the ceiling.

"Good morning Mr. Kaiba." One of the men said. He was pale and weedy looking, with glasses and fair hair.

"Good morning Hanasaki. This is Sarah Crawford. She will be joining our management team. I trust everything is running smoothly?" Hanasaki confirmed that it was. "Perhaps you could explain in brief, how the system works?"

"Yes Sir." Hanasaki turned to Sarah. "This is what I would call the heart of Kaiba Corp. It controls the duel disks from all around the world. It needs to be kept at a cool temperature. Hence it is fairly chilly in here. There is another room next door where we test the holograms. For safety reasons, this technology is usually kept secure." He glanced nervously at his boss. He shouldn't have brought a stranger in here but it was not his place to say anything, so he continued. "The core goes up through the centre of the building, to the transmitter on the top floor, where it then communicates with satellites owned by Kaiba Corp Technology." Hanasaki showed Sarah a monitor. "We can gather information from every single duel disk: where it's used, what cards it has played, the duelists personal information. Any questions?"

"Can I see a hologram?" Sarah rubbed her hands together in anticipation.

"Of course." Hanasaki used the retinal scanner to open the door that lead them to the next room.

"Okay Hanasaki. Fire her up!" Seto ordered.

Hanasaki got behind the control desk, as ordered. The holographic projector came to life. Upon sensing Seto, it addressed him. "Good day Mr. Kaiba. Please state your request?"

"Computer. Run Dragon Test Sequence Number one?"

"Affirmative."

Immediately, a solid vision holographic image of Blue Eyes White Dragon appeared on the platform. Seto looked at Sarah and smiled. Her face was a picture of awe and... something else. Seto was certain it was spiritual recognition!

Sarah gasped. She often had dreams about this creature. "May I touch her?"

"Go ahead. She won't bite. It is just a computer generated image." Seto laughed.

Sarah reached her hand out and the image shimmered as her hand passed through it. But she could still feel the hologram, even though it was not solid. It sort of felt like putting your hand in a bowl of warm, thick liquid, but it was not wet. She could also feel a slight tingling sensation. The dragon then did something both Seto and Hanasaki could hardly believe. It responded to her.

The dragon stretched her head upwards and let out what Seto would call, a contented purr, before bending her neck downwards to nuzzle Sarah's shoulder.

Seto gazed in bewilderment as Sarah giggled, interacting with the dragon. It's hologram should only have been a static image. Even when played in a duel it's programming should not have enabled it to behave in such a way.

"Unable to compute! Unable to compute! Shutdown initiated." The holographic projector switched itself off.

Blue Eyes White Dragon, however, remained for at least 30 seconds more, before her image flickered and started to fade. She let out a sad screech, finally disappearing.

"I think I should check the system programming. Something must have malfunctioned," said Hanasaki, unable to come up with any other explanation.

"Don't bother. That was not a malfunction." Seto could hardly believe it, but he knew he had witnessed something special. He had seen it, and he had also felt the connection between Sarah and the dragon. "I.. I think she liked you," he mumbled, voice full of emotion.

"Oh, Seto... do you think so? It was. It was like, I don't know. It felt as though she was a part of me!"

Seto knew he was not thinking rationally at all. How many times had he chastised Yugi and Ishizu Ishtar for talking about destiny? Destiny was something he had always considered to be a load of old crap.

Yet, here he was, suddenly experiencing goose bumps over a girl he'd only just met, playfully petting a holographic Blue Eyes White Dragon. He was feeling completely overwhelmed.

Without a moment of hesitation, he went over to where Sarah was standing and wrapped his arms around her, hugging her tightly against his chest. It was like a dream.

The moment he set eyes on her he had felt the connection.

Her hair was styled differently and her clothing twenty first century. But there was no doubt in his mind that she was the modern embodiment of Kisara.

Completely unnerved by him, she responded by slipping her arms round his sides. All her life, she had felt as if there was a hole, deep inside her soul.

She rested her head against his chest and listened to his heart beating. There was a warm familiarity in its rhythm and she felt as though she had listened to his heart beating before. Only, she had never even met him, had she?

But, whatever this strange sensation was, it seemed to fill the hole in her soul. He made her feel safe and the Blue Eyes White Dragon made her feel whole.

Deep down, Seto knew that he had waited all his life, maybe even longer, to find her. He had never found true love with anyone else, because she had been his heart's desire all along.

They had finally found each other, and this time, he would not let anyone destroy her or take her from him.

This time, they would build the life of happiness together that their ancient counterparts had been denied.

It was their destiny.

Edited 15/11/2018