Chapter One: Beginnings

Sora in the skies above,

Chikyuu in his cavern of loam,

Honoo in the pitch-dark flame,

Umi filling the sea with bone.

And above themall stands Ryuu,

in the mountain of doom. ------ The Dragons of Old

Kyoto stood poised, perfectly balanced upon a large, rugged, white stone, his long, violet hair flowing through a gentle breeze. His arms were folded, and the rest of his mahogany, wool cloak hung low, nearly brushing against the sage grass blades below the boulder. This special location was one of favorites, and he used it as a place to think about the troubles of his mind. Why? Well, its deep silence helped to ease his soul.

He had a certain thought drifting inside his head, and a very strange one at that. In fact, it was something that not every seventeen-year-old ponders about. For, you see, he had been deeply studying the mystic arts for the past nine years, ten next week. In four months, the day of his coming of age, he would officially be dubbed the legendary Dark Magician, and receive the sorcerer's mighty staff.

'Why me?' he asked himself in his mind. 'Why must I become the Dark Magician? Why could it not have been someone else?' The adolescent closed his vivid cobalt eyes, saying "Oh well. I guess there's no turning back at this point. After all," Kyoto gave a slight chuckle. "My father has already made up his mind."

Kyoto's father, Satoshi, was the cause of this whole situation. He was the one who forced the boy to follow this path. Kyoto slowly stepped down from the ivory dike, preparing for a long journey home.

Along the road, Kyoto had to make his way through a dense forest again, one that was quite famous. It was considered holy ground, for, according to legend, the forest was the birthplace of the Wood Fairy, Destonni. Although that event took place five hundred years ago, it was still greatly remembered by all of the vast varieties of woodland creatures.

The forest was filled with many kinds of trees, including maple, oak, and several others. It was the major resource for lumber, wood, and timber for all the inhabitants of the peaceful east hemisphere of the Shadow Realm. "A man could get lost in here forever!" Kyoto said to himself as he desperately shoved branches and limbs out of his way.

Also located on the road linking Kyoto's home and his secret location was an enormous cliff. He remembered that one day, his friend, Hayato, had attempted to scale the massive crag when they were both at a young age. "I tried to warn him." However, the small climber had failed, for he lost his grip on one of the stones sticking out of the drop-off, falling to the ground. When Gaia landed, the impact broke his right leg, and Kyoto had to carry him for half a mile to his home.

Finally, after a long journey, Kyoto returned to the site of his house since his boyhood. Unfortunately, he would only be spending four more months there, until his eighteenth birthday. According to law and tradition, all beings that become Duel Monsters had to leave home forever, with no one at their side. No friends, no family, just themselves.

The maple-wood home Kyoto's cobalt eyes gazed upon was what we would consider medium- sized. It had one storey, and a typical dwelling area like in most houses today. The doorknob was made of a homemade brass, and sparkled in the sunlight as Kyoto grasped it. With a slight twist, the door flung open, revealing quite a nice home. What was astonishing was that everything the inhabitants of the Shadow Realm owned was handmade.

The teen walked down the small hallway until he reached the second room on the left, his bedroom. Inside, a large mess lay on the wooden planks that constructed the floor. Actually, you truly couldn't even see the latter. Typical teenager.

Along the far wall was an enormous, oak bookshelf. The shelves were crammed with spell books, organized in absolutely no way known to man. Kyoto eyed the shelves, searching for a particular book. He found the one he was looking for and pulled it off the board. The text was transported to a small, dusty desk. On the side was a melted candle, its wax almost used up and its wick nearly just a smudge.

The book was opened as Kyoto sat down in a wooden chair with no back or cushion. He lit the question of a candle on the desk and slowly began to read the book's magical words.

Hayato awoke from an overnight slumber, still tired and cranky. As usual, he was the last one in his family to awake, though it was probably last in the entire Shadow Realm. He glanced at the sundial just outside his window. "10:30," he said. "But it feels like its 5:00!" From his closet, he grabbed a navy robe with a crimson trim and sash loops. He wrapped the clothing around him, while desperately searching for his lost sash. He had been looking for it for three weeks, though it was at that time that a mess in his room was piling up.

"Ah! Here it is!" Hayato pulled his arm out from underneath the bed, grasping a long, thick piece of cloth. He wrapped it around his abdominal area and tied a special knot that he created in it. His mother in the kitchen could hear his footsteps pounding down the hallway. Hayato was nearly five inches taller than she was, though he still listened to her when she complained. She had problems controlling her temper, and her anger was explosive. In short, she gets angry easily and goes ballistic when she does.

Hayato sat at the small, round table, thinking about his future. He was seventeen, after all, and he would be eighteen in two-and-a-half months. He was a good friend of Kyoto's, as already mentioned, and the duo faced the same problem. Hayato also came of age at eighteen. But, instead of the Dark Magician, he would become the lesser Celtic Guardian. His monster was an elf who learned to wield a sword, a role Hayato already plays.

Hayato's father was an elf, a wood-elf to be precise. The wood-elves were a peaceful bunch, the most unaggressive people in all of the Shadow Realm. They resided in the Destonni Woods, which Kyoto often passes through. He had the honor of meeting them one day, when he became lost in the forest as a young child.

After a few eggs that his mother had prepared, Hayato stepped outside for some fresh air, dressed in a pair of black pants and a black shirt. Straight outside was a large, green pasture. Hayato and his family were ranchers, while Hayato had only one animal to take care of.

On his seventh birthday, a strange event happened. One of their horses had been pregnant over the past few months. Then, the newborn foal came on the day Hayato turned seven, nearly eleven years ago. He named the mustang Nami. Since a horse travels a lot, Nami seemed to fit, since it means "waves" in Japanese.

Hayato headed for the stable where Nami and the other horses stayed. Before heading to Nami's stall, he grabbed her saddle from the storage room. The thing was heavy, even for Hayato, as strong as he was. When he was younger, he would always let it drag behind him. Then, his father would put the saddle on, the Hayato. He remembered those days and wished that he still had his youth.

Eventually, a strong odor of horse manure began to fill Hayato's nostrils. Unfortunately, he could not pinch his nose to expel the scent, so he had to deal with it. He finally reached Nami at her stable, as she gave off a happy neigh to see him approaching. Not only was Nami a fast horse, but she loved to run, as do all horses. "What's up, Nami?" asked Hayato.

The mustang replied with another neigh, swishing its long, bushy tail. The stall door opened, allowing Hayato to walk inside. He was barely able to throw the saddle over Nami's back, but accomplished. Once it was on, he tightened it to make sure it wouldn't fall off.

Hayato jumped onto the mustang and led her outside. The others had a slight look of disappointment on their faces, though they didn't mind much. Most of the horses were simply old farts! Once outside, Hayato said, "Alright, Nami. Let's go for a ride." The horse took off into the distance, leaving a trail of dust behind them.

A silk hammock swung in a slight zephyr, carrying its passenger with it. She was a young female, her thumbnail in her mouth slightly, and she was reading a novel as she swung in her hammock. Her blonde hair was long, touching her shoulders while she read. She lifted her misty blue eyes away from the parchment, directing her attention to the sky above.

Major events of her life were flashing in the clouds. One was the day she met Kyoto.

An eight-year-old, blonde-haired, blue-eyed girl skated freely on a lake of ice. Little did she know that a boy of the same age, with long, violet hair was spying on her with a pair of cobalt eyes. As she completed the last part of her "figure eight," she fell through the frozen water. The boy noticed and dived in after her through the small hole she had fallen into. The girl was unconscious in the icy water, though Kyoto didn't mind. He found her sinking to the bottom, but he rescued her from a certain doom. She awoke after around five minutes, opening her eyes to see Kyoto.

"Who are you?" she asked.

"Why, I'm Kyoto. I believe I just saved your life," he replied, helping her to get back up on her feet.

"Um... thanks," she said, blushing a little bit.

"Now, who are you?"

"I'm Megumi. Nice to meet you Kyoto!"

Kyoto had saved her life. She felt like she owed him ever since. At first, she didn't really like him. But, over time, she began to realize who he was, and found out more about him. Then, that like began to evolve into something more: love.

Although she didn't like to admit it, Megumi had fallen in love with Kyoto. She had never told him though. She was so afraid of rejection, and that was holding her back. Another reason she didn't confess was it seemed Kyoto didn't like her the way she liked him. However, she never knew that Kyoto had begun to fall in love with her, as well.

One similarity between her and Kyoto, as well as Hayato, was that they all shared the same fate. Megumi was also to become a Duel Monster, the Dark Magician Girl to be precise. That spawned another similarity. She and Kyoto were linked by magic, one the Dark Magician, the other the Dark Magician Girl. The monsters were meant to be friends, which was a strange coincidence, since they were already the best of friends.

"Oh well," she said, sitting up and getting out of her hammock. "I guess I'll never know. But someday, I will tell him how I feel. When that day comes, I can only hope for the best." Megumi slammed her book shut, and walked back into the safety of her home.