Author's Note: I'm positively insane. But I think I mentioned that before… |D

Anyway, this is for the third claim that I'm working on, a claim that might be a bit of a surprise to those who know what I'm usually writing: Yusei/Aki at 5ds_100.

But before going onto the story:

GENERAL ADVANCED WARNING (so that nobody can complain afterwards): I started out in this fandom shipping YuAki, a popular ship with much horrible representation in my eyes. I almost stopped shipping it, because most fanfic is full of sparkles and kittens and rainbows and "I love you", which doesn't fit my interpretation of the pairing.

I'm not saying all the fluffy fics out for this pairings are bad. Just that this fic probably won't be very much alike. People who know my writing should know that there'll be angst. Loads of it. And gen. And there just might be fluff, but if there is it's be really twisted in one way or another |D. Most of them will probably set in my unending amount of AU verses, though I'm planning to set at least ten of them in canon!verse.

Anyway the chapters will have individual warnings, if there's something that I need to warn of (such like this first chapter).

As said, there will be loads of angst and heartbreak and sadness. Read at your own risk. .

And those who have read this and haven't been chased away by my little rant, please enjoy. :D

Prompt: #46 Twisted

Warnings: AU, Dark!fic, Characterdeath

Summary: Oneshot – He has known that something is wrong, long before she arrives. Yet he cannot believe. Not until she has him lying to her feet.

Further Notes: This AU isn't my idea. It was born out of a discussion on LJ between Northwind_Gale (Artemis Ignitan on ) and Immicolia. The basic speculation was Jose (the old guy from the three tenors) was actually Divine who had aged drasticallly after being released from the lizards stomach, and what might happen if he succeeded to turn Aki once again into the Black Rose Witch and how she would go after the other Signers…

North has written this into a very beautiful and twisted set of drabbles, that might or might not find its way to ff-net sooner or later and after showing it to me sometimes ago she allowed me to use the AU for my challenge.

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's and as explained above the idea for this AU isn't mine either.

--- The twisted Rose ---

Yusei has felt her approaching their home, has known something is wrong long before she comes; the mark has told him – it would always tell him.

That is their fate; to be bonded forever by the Crimson Dragons mark, the one she had once called cursed. Always knowing, always feeling the others presence.

He looks up from the engine prototype, when he hears the door being opened – no forced open, almost thrown out of the hinges by violent winds, very alike to the ones that he has faced before, twice even, while duelling her.

He feels a foreboding shiver running down his spine, but nevertheless he gets up, almost instinctively reaching for his deck. He turns to the entrance, squinting against the afternoon sun, seeing her silhouette standing in the door, contrasting hard with the light.

"Aki…" He whispers her name; he is worried. Something is not right, yet he does nothing when she steps in, the same winds that had opened their door slammed it shut again. Almost as if to cut them of from the rest of the world.

"Are you alright?" he asks, even though he knows the answer – he has to hope, has to hope that he is just being to paranoid, that the events of the recent weeks – his duel with Ghost, the discovery of a new possibility called Accel Synchro, the twins' mysterious, disappearing classmate – weight far to much on his mind.

But then she looks at him and he sees that terrible blank glance in her eyes, a cloud of madness and rage, sadism and delight, like he has only seen it back when they first had met, in the Fortune Cup. He takes a step back on reflex, giving her room, wondering, what has happened to her?

The last time he has really seen her like this had been when they had fought the Dark Signer, in her duel against Misty – but he never counted that, she hadn't been herself. She had been under Divines control and she had broken it, hadn't she? She had freed herself.

Or so it had seemed…

Because now, she is just smiling at him – she probably hadn't even heard his words from before.

"You all need to disappear." she says, smiling, grinning widely. "And you will be the first."

And suddenly he feels vines coming out of nowhere, slamming him back into the wall, pain racing through his whole body. This is just the first attack, in lieu of a greeting.

It is just the beginning.

But he is ready; he told her long ago that he would catch it all – her pain, her hate, her sorrow. If she needed to vent it, then he would gladly be there for her, share the burden as it is his duty to her; as fellow Signer, as a friend.

He needs to reach for her heart, now shut close like it hadn't been in over half a year. He needs to pull her out of her own darkness; he has done it before, he would do it again (or so he tells himself).

But this time it is different. This time her vines, her thorns are not satisfied by mere scratches, they draw blood.

This time none of his words reach her, she just smiled - seeing, knowing that it is only a question of time until her piercing offence overcomes him.

This time not even summoning Stardust, his ace, the card that has always been a symbol of hope to him and others, is enough.

This time he loses.

And as he lies on the floor, panting and bleeding and throwing one last glance up to her and seeing her smile

This is when he despairs.

"Why…?" he asks, tasting the blood in his mouth, aware that this might as well be his last breath.

"Because I enjoy it." She whispers, her face twisted by madness, her dress, her beauty spoiled by blood.

'Why…' he keeps wondering as the world around him fades into pain and blood and the last thing he hears is her cold laughter, echoing through the room.

Then everything fades…

Only darkness remains.

--- FIN ---

Please review.