A Rose for the Souls of the Innocent
Prologue:
The First Steps of a Marathon
Disclaimer:
Uuuuugggg…. I hate these things. If I owned Yu-Gi-Oh, would I be writing about it under fanfiction? Schmoo… I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh. There, I said it. Be happy. BrehQuick A's A Notes:
I have wondered lately, how this duel would have gone had Ryou not betrayed his Yami, if the ancient spirit of the Sennen Puzzle had not cheated. And this is the result. This is a really long chapter, and the rest will not be like this. I just want to get this particular duel out of the way, but to do that I actually have to write about it, 'cause it would make no sense otherwiseSo, you have come for a story, have you? Well my friends, sit back and relax, and I will tell you a grand tale; one of pride, pain, and dominance. Sound interesting? Good, good. Well now, how does it go? Ah yes, it all begins with a simple duel…
I grin with malicious satisfaction as I draw the card from the top of the pile. Now the duel belongs to me. I look up from the card I hold and back at the ancient spirit that sits across from me. Now, Yuugi, prepare to be eliminated!" I cry, putting the proper amount of malice into my voice. Oh Rah, how I will enjoy putting the arrogant pharaoh in his place.
His doomed friends exclaim among themselves, but I don't care. Now they are no more than simple Duel Monsters to me. I had given them a chance to live, to escape this ordeal unscathed but for their imprisonment in the Shadow Realm. Yes, I had given them a chance to be free, but the spirit of the Sennen Puzzle had taken it away from them. Now they would pay for his folly with their lives
I didn't particularly enjoy this kind of death, no, what would give you that idea? I feel sympathy for the friends of the foolish pharaoh, but nothing can be done. They are pawns in my game. I regret having to use them, for sure, but it is inescapable. They are the sacrifice for the greater good. Well, in a way. So what if that 'greater good' happens to be my releasing the dark powers? Anyway, back to the duel.
I allow myself a dark chuckle as I set the card face-down on the field. Already I can see my pet's glowing red eyes glaring out from the cage of its card's position: evaluating its prey probably.
Little Yuugi and his friends, way down below us, mutter foolish things to each other, but nothing they can think of can possibly save them. Nothing will affect the outcome of this duel; it has been predetermined by forces greater than myself. (Yes, there are forces greater than myself, though they are few and far between.)
"In one turn," I inform 'Big Yuugi', "I will activate this card. And then there will be nothing you can do. The game, as well as your Puzzle, will be mine."
The spirit glares at me with his unnerving crimson eyes, but I am unaffected. How could I be? I am about to win!
He draws a card for his turn and lays it in the magic and trap zone, but plays no other monsters. And he keeps his mouth shut. I must admit, this surprises me. In all other duels I have watched the oaf couldn't keep his mouth shut. Half the time he as good as gave away his strategy. Perhaps he has learned to play smart?
No, I think, that couldn't be. He must simply have nothing to brag about. Yes, that must be it. Maybe his much-loved "Heart of the Cards" has failed him? I laugh to myself. That must be it. The fool should know that one cannot depend on a group of inanimate objects to win a game. That must be determined by skill, not luck. And skill, in my humble opinion, is one field that he is sorely lacking in.
"Your move," is all he says. I am relieved. Probably most of his opponents loose because they are talked to death.
Still smiling, mainly because I know it disconcerts my enemies even more, I play my card.
"Man-Eater Bug!" I cry as I flip my card up, and I relish the calls of surprise and fear my monster elicits from the mortals on the field as it obeys my summons and climbs onto the plane. "Attack…"
I think for a moment now. My enemy currently has four monsters on the field; the Flaming Swordsman, the Cyber Commander, the Magician of Faith, and the Black Magician. I could attack this last one, destroy it with my monster's effect, but what of the Magician of Faith? She too has an effect. Though not nearly as useful as my pet's, it was still to be considered.
She, if she even knows how to activate it, has to ability to bring back one magic card from the graveyard. Not too impressive, no, but the spirit will doubtless use it to re-play the Monster Reborn card, which he had so foolishly wasted on one of his friends earlier. In any case, that would not do. But on the other hand, if I take the Magician of Faith, what about the Black Magician? He still has an attack of 2500.
My attention snaps back to the duel where the humans are now discussing which of them will sacrifice themselves to destroy my monster. Silly humans. Do they not know that I get to choose which dies? Well, I do not plan on waiting around for them to reach a decision. Quickly I pick up my command where I left off.
"Attack the Magician of Faith!" Single-mindedly, my pet starts forward, its beady eyes focused on the girl. This is not as enjoyable as I lead the pharaoh and his friends to believe. I will have to take her life through my monster. That will only cause more pain in the world, and to know that I am responsible for it…
But I cannot let on that I suffer from empathy. If I know the sprit, he will take advantage of the weakness, so I must steel my heart against what is about to come.
The boy, Jounouchi, dressed in the garb of his favorite monster, the Flaming Swordsman, rushes forward to try and stop my creature's advance, but it only shrugs him off like a horse to a fly.
As the Flaming Swordsman is flung aside, the Cyber Commander, Honda, tries next. He throws himself onto my Man-Eater Bug, but his attack is as fruitless as the last.
I shoot a glance at Hikari Yuugi, as he with the power of the Black Magician is the only one capable of halting my attack, but he seems frozen in place. Whether out of fear, shock, or simply the lingering affects of his foolish attack on my Electric Lizard I do not know, but either way works in my advantage.
The girl, Anzu, opens her mouth to scream as my monster comes even closer, but does not run. Has she accepted her fate? No, mortals do not give up so easily. She must be too terrified to move.
Ah, it has been a long while since I have had the opportunity to exercise my strengths so, and I have forgotten how good it feels to have others quaking in my presence. Ever felt that? No? Hmm, I suggest you try it sometime. It is quite a rewarding experience.
Back to the story. Where was I? Ah, yes, the girl.
My pet draws closer, he is almost near enough to reach out and touch her with a foreleg, but he waits. I smile. It has been a long time for him too, and obviously he is enjoying his freedom.
She turns away now, as if to run, but there is nowhere to go.
Yuugi, the one on the field that is, reaches out a shaking hand as he stares at the drama unfolding before him. I flinch, thinking that he is forming a Black Magic attack, but it seems nothing more than an involuntary reaction to seeing a friend killed. I breathe a slight sigh of relief. There will be no threat from that Yuugi.
My gaze goes now to the other Yami present. He regards the playing field with narrowed crimson eyes, a ruler calmly observing the suffering of his subjects.
My mind shoots back briefly to another time, a distant one, so long ago that it cannot be comprehended by mortal minds. A leader… no, a tyrant ruled over the people in those times… of course he would not remember it now, but I do. I remember every torture, every death, every needless sacrifice in his name. But it does not matter now. Now I will destroy the girl, no more, no less.
Briefly my monster glances back at me as it hovers on the edge of lunging forward at Anzu. Its red eyes seek out mine, and it seems to question me, making sure this is the target I want. I nod, and it turns back to Anzu.
But by now there has been enough waiting. Still ignoring the repetitive attempts of Jounouchi and Honda's, it jumps forward, and in one swift action, takes the Magician of Faith.
There is no blood of course. She is now a Duel Monster. I believe there is no pain either, though I wouldn't know. The single slash crosses her chest, extending down to her waist. It glows slightly, and as she looks around at her friends with horrified azure eyes, the glow spreads to the rest of her body until she is engulfed in the pearly light.
With a final, piercing scream, her body shatters into countless pieces, and each piece in turn breaking into thousands more until nothing remains.
The girl, Anzu, is no more.
TBC…
