This story's theme song is Counting Crows' "A Murder of One"
Based on the Magpie Poem:
"One for Sorrow, Two for Joy,
Three for Girls and Four for Boys,
Five for Silver, six for Gold,
Seven for a Secret Never to be Told."
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
One. For Sorrow.
One is for sorrow. There is one, alone, isolated. Shivering in the cold, huddled in the darkness, it fears the light, loathes the warmth. This is our so-called "hero".
Two. For Joy.
Two is for Joy. Love, gathering, togetherness. More is too many, less is lonely. There are two of us all, two that live forever. Those souls, the other side, the Darkness, is just as lovely, as them, the Light.
Three. For Girls.
There are three of them that aid or hinder our "hero", Ishizu, the cool and calculating "prophet". Anzu, the seemingly "perky" friend of the boys'. And finally Sorrow, our "hero".
Four. For Boys.
And Four, Marik Ishtar, Yugi Motou, and Ryou Bakura, and Seto Kaiba. One of darkness, one of light, and one of innocence, and one of blood. But which is which? Only Fate knows.
Five. For Silver.
Five for the silver dagger and her four silver lockets. A key item in our story it is that the same dagger that slits her throat will be the dagger that she slays Evil with.
Six. For Gold.
Okay, okay, you win, there's seven. But the seventh one shattered. Say bye-bye to the Millennium Tauk. For the future is no longer decided.
Seven. For a Secret Never to be Told.
The secret cannot be just known, it must be felt.
Eight. A Wish.
A wish, that grants her only eight more days. Can she do all she needs to do in those days?
Nine. For a Kiss.
Nine for a kiss, nine kisses. Each one more perfect than the next, the first a kiss worse than fear. Worse than Fate.
Ten for a bird that's best to Miss.
Blue is the wings and tail where flight is, for joy, Light, and indigo is the head where thought and belief is, for depression, sadness, Darkness. And at last, white is the chest and legs, where the heart and hunt is, for purity, and the combination of Light and Dark. The Magpie bird.
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
Everything was white, everything was light, everything was bright, too bright. Everything was Light.
I tried to breathe; and sand filled my lungs. I tried to speak, and tasted blood in my mouth. Tried to hear but could not find the will of it, and I tried to cry but could not find the precious liquid for it.
Then I was back, to where I was only eighteen. I was on my way to college. We were on an airplane, my brother and I. Then a man near us pulled a knife, he grabbed me by my neck, held the cool steel to it.
My face burned with fear, I wanted to live, to be loved and to love. No one complied, the guard (was it a guard?) shot at him, and hit me. I saw him shoot again as I went down, and the man went down with me.
I saw the tears rolling off my brother's cheeks, before darkness seeped into my world.
'Do you fear the Darkness?'
No, no, I just want to live. Don't talk to me, take me back. I want none of your Light.
'So you wish to forsake your father for his world?'
Yes, yes, I just want to live. Take me back, I beg of you, take me back.
'You beg? I do not hear you pleading...'
I will do anything, please.
'Fine then. You will, but now, I shall be there within you. You shall not visit Him, and you have little chance at Love-'
But I need to live FOR love! Please, could you please, I wish, I wish-
'What do you Wish, Soul?'
I wish to find Love.
'And not in the kiss of Death...'
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
One for sorrow,
two for joy,
three for girls and
four for boys.
Five for silver,
six for Gold,
Seven for a secret Never to be Told.
Eight for a wish
Nine for a Kiss
Ten for a Bird that's better to miss.
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
Blue Morning, Blue Morning wrapped in strands of Fist and Bone
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
The feeling was much like being ripped from the womb- or at least, how she would imagine it.
First, it was warm, pleasant, moist. Than it became violent, blood choked her, cold seeped into her world. She tried to cry out, but the blood stuck in her throat- and violent, shaking protests went unanswered by anything she cold feel.
And then the cold was snow- the feeling seeped into her body, but only as painful numbness. She felt the texture of clothing on her body, but still the cold conquered her world. She even felt the silky hair splayed beneath her neck.
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
Sharp Amethyst eyes snapped open. Yugi sat up, panting, drenched in a cold sweat. He wiped his forehead off on the pale blue of his pajama sleeve, and waited for his heart to settle.
When at length it did (at least enough for him to steady his breathing) he sighed, and fell back on the pillow. He reached one arm automatically out, and it landed on the comforting, firm form of the puzzle.
Now this puzzle was unlike most, in three fashions. One, it was already complete, and had been that way for quite a while. Two, it was magical (no, honestly!). And Three, the other half of Yugi's soul resided inside it.
Reaching out with his mind, Yugi tapped on the mental door that would led inside his Other's chambers.
'Yes Aibou?' came the Other's strong voice, echoing inside Yugi's head.
'I had a Nightmare,' he said sheepishly. This complaint sounded more realistic in his head...
'So I sensed. Care to elaborate?' he said. Yugi nodded, sat up, and pulled the puzzle's chain over his hair so the Pyramid shaped object could hang from the loop on the base around his neck. His hair was currently a mess- the black and magenta strands played an intricate dance in all directions, while the blonde bangs clung to his face and hung close to his shoulders.
'Well,' Yugi began thoughtfully, fingering the pendant and staring off into space. 'There was a girl, and she died in a... I hostage situation. But then there was this weird part, and it felt like I was actually living it... I don't know, Yami...'
'Aibou...' Yami paused, and thought. 'I think... we should be wary.'
'What do you mean Yami?' Yugi asked, straightening.
'I believe that this may... mean something. It does not sound like your usual Nightmares.'
Yugi nodded knowingly, and swung his feet to the floor and hopped out of bed. At eighteen years old and college bound this spring (he had decided to wait a while after school got out in case of more attacks, but Yami insisted he not put his life on hold for him) Yugi was taller than he had been, and still markably short.
At eighteen, he was a mere five foot.
Yugi padded over to his dresser, and stared at the collection of Duel Monsters memorabilia. It had once been a fun past-time. Now, it was a war he was raging against forces unknown.
Slowly, he made his way to his window, and stopped, mouth agape, to stare.
The girl from his dreams, was just shakily pulling her self out of the snow banks in the alleyway beside the Kame Game store.
Yugi backed away from the window slowly.
'Aibou..?'
'Not now,' was his rushed reply. He hurried out his door, down the steps, through the kitchen and into the front of the store, out the door and around the side of the building.
She was gone.