Good Intentions Are Not Enough
I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh or D N Angel. I do have several Milus Radiant cards.
It wasn't much to look at, an older undistinguished building, a small shop on the ground floor with an apartment on the upper floor. Standing somewhat apart from its nearest neighbors, it was also an ideal location for discreet breaking and entering…
"Okay that's the door. We go straight through the stockroom, then right into the shop."
"Cough cough! If we don't-wheeze cough cough,- choke to death on this dust! Doesn't anybody ever clean in here?"
"I guess not. Grandpa says the shopkeeper just spends the day sweeping the front walk."
"Well he should try sweeping in here once in awhile! This is gross!"
"Oh quit whining, Dark! Grandpa says the cards are on display in the front, so it's not like we have to go through all the boxes back here. We'll just get the cards and get out of here. I-I just wish we didn't have to steal from Yugi, ever since Battle City, I was kind of hoping I could get his autograph."
"Look, Daisuke, you heard what your grandpa found out about those cards. One guy lost his mind and another just disappeared because of them! You really want something bad to happen to your new hero?"
"Well, when you put it that way-"There was a sudden flash of movement among some boxes stacked haphazardly near the entry to the main room of the shop. "-Oh shit, is someone in here- DARK, LOOK OUT! "
Several boxes in the stack suddenly swayed, tipped forward and finally toppled completely over, bursting open and burying the intrepid burglars almost to the knees in loose cards.
"Meow?"
"Oh that's nice, we almost got killed by a cat."
"Aw come on, Dark!" It was just an accident! Look, he's got something in his mouth."
"Uggh, I don't want a dead mouse, thanks anyway."
"It's not a mouse, I think- Dark, I think he's got… cards?"
"Are you serious?" Dark reached out carefully and scratched the cat behind the ears, making note of the simple collar and paw-print shaped nametag. "Reaper? What kind of name is that for a cat?" He took the offered cards, examining them with the aid of a small penlight.
"Milus Radiant and Multiply." Daisuke reported, scanning the card text. "Multiply is a spell card and Milus is a beast monster I think."
"And neither one of them is what we came for." Dark retorted, tossing them aside and wading carefully through the sea of cards. "C'mon partner, let's get those god cards and hope no one heard the boxes fall over and decided to check it out."
They were just about to enter the front room when they heard another, much more ominous sound, a strange growling that was growing steadily in volume.
"Daisuke, was there something Grandpa forgot to mention?" Like, I dunno, some vicious watchdog that eats thieves for breakfast?!
"Grandpa checked this place yesterday! There aren't any dogs here, just some cats."
"Well, either that one cat is really pissed at us for tossing his cards away, or Grandpa somehow overlooked… overlooked… oh… shit!"
There were eyes, glowing red eyes, peering at them out of a weird purple-black mist. The room was getting darker and colder as more and more eyes appeared. The growling noise now interspersed with the clack-clack-clack of claws scraping the worn linoleum floor.
"Hey Dark, maybe we should get into the front room? I think there's a gate near the register-"
"Way ahead of you, Partner." Dark threw a quick look over his shoulder toward the doorway- which no longer seemed to be there. The door they had come through just moments before was gone too. There was nothing but shelves and boxes, weird purple-black mist and lots of glowing red eyes.
"This is NOT good!"
Yap! Yap!
They stared in amazement at the… thing that had emerged from the mists. A spaniel, a long-haired golden- brown, toy spaniel. And not just one, in moments there were six, then ten, then eighteen, then too many to count. Adding to the absurdity of the situation was that each one appeared to have little party hats and bobbing antennas stuck on their heads.
"Um… Nice doggies? Good doggies..?"
Fangs were bared as the growling reached an ear splitting volume. Dark backed away…
Yap! Yap! Yap! Yap! Yap! Yap! Yap! Yap! Yap! Yaaap! Yaap! YAAAAPP! Yap! Yap! Yap!
It was humiliating. He was the legendary thief; Phantom Dark. He could steal anything, anytime, anywhere. Yet now, it seemed his storied career would end in some musty old game store with him clinging for dear life to some rickety shelving, trying not to be eaten by a pack of blood thirsty… toy spaniels.
"This will be SO easy Dark! There's just the one old guy who runs the shop and a little kid who'll fall over if you breathe on him. No weapons, no alarm systems, and NO dogs, just a couple of cats."
Yeah right, no dogs. His mangled ankle and shredded pant legs must be a figment of his imagination. And that gawd awful YAPPING was just the sweet purring of those harmless kitties. If they somehow got out of this mess, Dark was going to have a LONG talk with Emiko about her definition of the word 'easy.'
"Um, Dark?"
"WHAT?!"
"I don't think those are real dogs."
"Daisuke, so help me, if you're trying to tell me I'm imagining this-"
"No! No! I'm not saying they're not real, it's just that I don't think they're dogs at all."
"Look, Partner, they BARK like dogs, they sure as hell BITE like dogs, so as far as I'm concerned, they're DOGS! Nasty little flea motels. How could Grandpa not know there were dogs here?"
"Dark, I've seen lots of dogs in our neighborhood and none of them had horns and antennas-"
'Antennas? You mean they're NOT wearing little hats?"
"Will you be serious?!"
"Oh believe me I'm taking this VERY seriously! There's not enough room to fly out of here, even if we could find the doors that seem to have vanished. If we jump down and try to run, we'll be torn to pieces by the blood thirsty little bastards before we get to the doors that no longer seem to exist. At least, with the doors gone, we don't have to worry about somebody coming in here to find out what all the rackets about. So forgive me, Partner, if I don't really care if a pack of walking hairballs are wearing horns or hats or whatever."
"Would you just listen to me?! I know this will sound weird, but I think it's Milus Radiant."
"Milus who?"
"Milus Radiant! Don't you remember the card that cat had? Milus Radiant is a beast monster in the duel monsters card game!" These things look just like the picture in the card!"
"Okay that is weird. But it's not any weirder than a lot of stuff we've been involved in. The god cards are dangerous, but maybe it's not JUST the god cards…"
The yapping continued, adding to the general misery caused by the malevolent mists and the steadily dropping temperature in the stockroom. Dark noticed Daisuke shivering and started to wrap a wing around him to try and keep him warm, when he remembered something.
"You cold, partner?"
"Yeah, I'm freezing- hey wait a minute! You're controlling our body, I shouldn't feel anything!" Daisuke reached out and felt Dark's wing. "I can feel you! How can that be? The only other time I could do that was when we went into- Dark, maybe we're not in the game shop at all-"
"I'm thinking you're right, Partner, but if that's the case, where exactly ARE we?"
The answer to that question was prompt but hardly reassuring.
"You are in the Realm of Shadows, intruders." The voice echoed through the mists, making it impossible to pinpoint exactly where it was coming from. "Who are you and why have you trespassed in the home of my masters?
Given time, Dark was sure he could have come up with some reasonable explanation, but, between the yapping of the hell hounds and the cold and the revelation that they were no longer in the game shop, (Or possibly anywhere on Earth.) he wasn't exactly at his best. Daisuke however seemed to have an answer, but Dark wasn't sure it was the best one under the circumstances.
"Harpie's Brother!"
"Daisuke what are you doing?!"
"Dark, Milus is a duel monster, so maybe this other guy is too." Daisuke whispered urgently. You kinda look like a flying monster called Harpie's Brother and that's a strong monster so-"
"Quite right, little one." The voice was now directly in front of them, sounding much louder. (Or maybe it was easier to hear since the Milus Mutts had finally stopped yapping) "Harpie's Brother has eighteen hundred attack points, impressive for a four star monster." The mists parted as the speaker approached, Daisuke's jaw dropped at the sight of the very tall armored humanoid. Dark instinctively moved forward to protect his partner, feather in hand, keeping a wary eye on the staff held in the newcomer's right hand.
Icy blue eyes regarded them with cold amusement. "How fortunate for me 'Harpie's Brother' that I am a seven star monster…"
A/N I know it's been a LONG time since my last story. I've been dealing with a lot of changes in my life, most tragically, the passing of my beloved aunt just twenty days after she was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. It's still very hard to deal with, even after six months. Between this, a new job and other things, I've only just started to get back to writing. Hopefully I'll start getting more productive soon.
'