This is my reviewed chapter one. enjoy the adjustments.
Disclaimer:I do not own Yu-gi-oh, nor any of its characters or any of its cards, except when i have invented them myself.
The Dark Child
Chapter 1: It starts...
Riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiing...
I half opened my eyes. I turned around on my other side and smacked my alarm clock against the wall. I turned myself so I lied on my back, and checked my watch. 9.30 am. I closed my eyes again, to enjoy the silence of my dark room. I still had 10 minutes to get up...When I opened them, I checked the time again. 9.59 am. "Shit!" I exclaimed.
"God-damn, boy, Get that slacking ass of yours moving and move it!!"
The voice of my father rang through the hall. I sighed and sat at the side of my bed, trying to remember the dream. It was a weird one... Didn't make any sense, really... something about a magnificent beast... like a dragon or something... and hypnotizing eyes...
I shook my head, trying to forget the dream. I went to my closet, took a set of black cargo pants and a crimson shirt, and went towards the bathroom. I got dressed in no-time, for today was the big day: the fifteenth anniversary of the battle city tournament, which was still sponsored by Kaiba inc. I got out of the bathroom and went back to my room. It was 10.08. I had to hurry, if i didn't want to miss the opening. I took my watch, re-positioned my ancient alarmclock back where it belonged, stroked my hair in a single smooth movement backwards and took my duel-disk. I checked my deck in a hurry, and smiled when I saw my favourite card. I held it up to admire it. I took my deck belt and clipped it around my waist, and placed my deck in the box that was designed for it. Hurrying downstairs, I stopped briefly, knowing i'd forgotten something.
"Crap!"
I ran back across my room, and lifted my pillow, revealing an old, broken but quite neat looking watch with chain. I clipped it on my belt, and stored the watch in my pocket. Then, I hurried downstairs.
Dad wasn't there. Instead, I saw my other father. Mid-long white hair, and an everlasting smile on his face. He may be a father, but to me, Ryou was more like a mother.
"Morning Ryou." I said and kissed him on the cheek, like every morning.
"Morning Noir." Ryou said with a gentle smile "I made you some breakfast for after the opening, seeming you don't want to miss it. And since you overslept...", he added with a playfull smile, " you don't really have time to have breakfest here, now do you?"
I rolled my eyes. "Haha, very funny Ryou. you know I didn't mean to..."
"I know son" He said. As he went back to cutting vegetables, I put on my combat boots.
"Your father wants to see you..." Ryou said without looking.
I frowned. "Why would Da want to see me?"
"Noir, don't argue please... just go and see him..."
His voice was a bit off. As if he was ordered to say this.
I quietly nodded, and stood up.
I didn't need to ask where Da was... I always knew where to find him.
His study.
From afar, my other father resembled Ryou almost like twins would. If you would get closer, the resemblence would end though.
Da possessed almost nothing of Ryou's kindness. Nor did he have Ryou's kind brown eyes. They were hard eyes. Full of hate, full of anger, of rage...
Just looking at a small baby with Da's eyes would make it cry almost instantaneously. Also, Da's hair was different too. Although it was white, like Ryou's, it was slightly longer and more spiky.
But Da's eyes were more aligned with his temper. Not many happy memories, I assure you... Yelling, screaming, beating... mostly at me, and always without any sign of remorse. But there was one time Ryou had thrown himself between the two of us. Da's hand made contact with Ryou, and I saw within his dark, cold eyes, a shock that I never expected from him. After that one time, he never lifted a hand to me again. That is, if Ryou was around...
I found Bakura in the middle of his study, crouched on one knee, in his 'Circle of Silence'. Just a pentacle with an incense stick on each tip, drawn on the floor. The room itself reeked heavily of the incense, indicating he burned incense daily. He was wearing naught but a simple linen pants, and sweat dripped off of his muscled body.
I cleared my throat, indicating my presence. He did not move. I waited patiently, because if I became irritated, I'd be in hell of alot of trouble. And I refused to get in trouble today.
Then, he rose but didn't turn around. He seemed to be holding something in his hand, like a box.
"Boy, get over here..."
The tone of his voice indicated no opposition, so I hastily obeyed him. I made sure I did not set one nanometer inside his circle. When I reached the top point of the pentacle, I faced him. I could not see his eyes. His face was fixated on the box in his hand. A box, which I swaw, that had the Eye of Horus imprinted on it.
Slowly, Da raised his gaze, and before I realized it, he was staring right into my own eyes.
"Noir..." he started softly. I flinched briefly at him using my actual name. It was unusual, if not extremily rare for him to do that.
"This is my gift to you... use it as you see fit... It will reveal itself in time to you..."
He handed me the box. I accepted it, but did not open it. Courtesy of not getting smacked on the nose of being impolite...
I nodded, muttered a thank you, and started at the door.
"Boy!"
My hand was almost at the doorknob. I turned around. "Yes Da?"
He didn't turn around.
"I hope you're still using my deck..?"
"Yes Da, I still use it."
"Change anything of it?"
I paused. I indeed changed several combo's. I had remarked several flaws in his deck... But there would be no point in lying here and now.
"I did, Da. Minor adjustments. It should be perfect now."
No reaction from him. Then:
"That's my son..."
I took this as a sign for me to leave. I closed the door behind me, and looked at the box in my hands. I opened it slowly.
I felt as if my eyes were about to roll out of my sockets, and my heart seemed to have stopped.
Inside was the Millenium Ring!!
Why on earth would Da have-
The clock in the hallway rang once, indicating it was half past. I swore heavily under my breath. I grasped the Ring, placed it around my neck and tossed the box on a nearby table. I grabbed the lunch Ryou made for me, my dueldisc, and darted outside, running like a maniac.
Good thing the clock in the hallway was 10 minutes ahead of the actual time. Bad thing that from my place to the Domino centre was a 15 minute walk.
I arrived at the square only seconds to the opening. Gasping, panting and desperatly in need of fresh air in my lungs, doubled over struggling to breath. People looked at me with an akward eye, as if I was some outlaw. The instant Mokuba Kaiba's voice rang through the entire city, was the instant everyone looked at the grand screen that was placed on the centre.
"Welcome, duellists, to the fifteenth battle city tournament. As a special treat, we will allow 16 people to enter the finals, and we deleted the rule for giving up your rarest card as an ante for the duel. In a Duel, however, you are obliged to enter at least one Locator card. Collect 6, and you can consider yourself a Finalist.
Remember: We are monitoring the duels. If we hint any form of cheating, you WILL be disqualified, and you will be transferred outside the city limits for the remainder of the Tournament.
Play fair, and may the best Duelist win."
I heard muttering everywhere after Kaiba's voice died away. I ignored them, and sat down on the big fountain, and opened my lunch. It was delicious, as always. Ryou was an excellent chef. While eating, I observed some of the chatting duelists. Dominating were the male duelists, but not rarely seen, female duelists. Then, eyes turned to me. I grew irritated, but then realized WHY they were staring.
Crap, the Ring...
Handling swiftly, I took the Ring and stored it beneath my T-shirt. The golden artifact was cool, near freezing, and a chill went down my spine. I would get used to the feeling...
Then, I felt a pair of eyes peering at me. I turned my head to look back in the other pair.
Oddly enough, I knew the colour of the other's eyes before I'd seen them. An intense green colour, making me think of emeralds. Before I had a chance to fixate my gaze on the face that belonged with the eyes, someone passed in front of us, and the eyes were gone.
I remembered... a beautiful face, and a weird tri-coloured hair, midlong, in a half braid. I scanned the crowd, but she no longer was there.
Shrugging, but still captivated by the visage burned into my memory, I finished my lunch and went to the soda machine and bought a coke. Popping off the hood, I gulped it down at once and stomached a belch. Pardoning myself silently, I threw away the empty can and bought another. But, alas... before I could drink, a group of youngsters came my way. Eyeing them briefly, I noted that one was the gang leader, and he had a pompeous smile on his face. Blonde, short cut hair, horrible taste in clothes, and a face that stated the obvious: Idiocy. Easy win against him, if not intimidated by his American style... Gods, I hated America... they influenced us too much, and censored almost everything that was imported from our side.
"Oi, soda-man!"
The group laughed at his comment. I merely looked lazily at his direction.
The boy, I guessed not older than 17, grinned like an idiot. "Since you look like hell, your deck must be like hell as well."
Mentally, I roared with laughter at this comment. He truly had no idea.
"So how about a duel? Or are you too chicken to accept?"
I frowned bored. "Honestly, if I were chicken, why would I participate..?"
" 'Honestly', I wouldn't give a damn. All I know is you don't stand a chance against me. Period."
His gang laughed loudly. I nearly hurled at the guy's idea of being popular.
"Then why challenge me if you are so all-powerfull?"
"Simple: I wanna get you out of this city quickly, before I waltz through the finals without any opposition."
Again, laughter erupted from the gang.
I quite had enough...
Activating my dueldisk, I held it up to the boy. My dueldisk was unique. Black coloured with shades of Crimson and Emerald. Truly marvolous...
The boy's grin disappeared.
"If you honestly think you can beat me, be my guest..."
He activated his own duel-disk and socketed his deck. Then he indicated towards the fountain. I happily followed. We positioned us properly, and the people gathered round. Someone yelled something of the first duel being held. I didn't care. All I cared about... was here, now, and litteraly crushing his mental defense, what little he had, and defeating his ass.
I took out my deck, shuffled and socketed it as well.
"Duel!" Both of us said.
"I'll start!" the boy said. He drew his card and waited. "I summon Opticlops in attack mode!"
The Cyclops appeared. "And I activate the magic card: Wave-motion cannon!" The sphere-like cannon appeared and hummed silently. "Every standby-phase, it gains a thousand attack points. And I can sacrifice it whenever I want. And when I do that, you gain battle damage equal to the power he gathered." The boy watched me as though waiting for a horrified reaction. I merely yawned. "If that was your best strategy, you'd better quit right now." The boy glared at me. "And that's all." He said.
I drew my card, and smiled. "I place one card facedown and I summon The Headless Knight, in attack mode!" My Knight and my face-down card appeared. "And that's all..."
The boy drew a card. "I sacrifice my Opticlops to summon my Summoned Skull!"
"You've activated my trap!" I exclaimed! "Ring of Destruction!"
The ring, which was surrounded by grenades, came spinning on the field.
The boy was horror-struck. "You're using it to destroy my skull?" I grinned to myself for the slowness of the boy.
"No, I'll use it to destroy my own Knight!"
"What?"
"Go my ring, destroy The headless knight!"
The ring attached itself to my Knight and Exploded, thus taking my knight and 1450 lifepoints from both of us with it.
The boy smiled. "Taking you down will be easier than I thought."
The crowd that was watching the duel were muttering.
"Why does he destroy his own knight?"
"He could've destroyed the Summoned skull instead."
"Beats me"
The boy's gang stood there laughing and cheering.
"Come on, Ryoho, beat him!"
"Yeah! If he's that stupid to make that move, you can win for sure!"
The boy, now identified as Ryoho, smiled. "Summoned skull! Attack his lifepoints directly and finish him off!"
The skull used his lightning bolt on me.
After the attack, I stood there laughing. My lifepoints dropped to 50.
"Shit, he still has 50 life-points left!"
Ryoho watched as I stood there, with an evil grin on my face... He honestly thought I did not know...? Somehow, I knew I was going to survive if I sacrificed Headless Knight... but who cares...
"Why are you laughing?"
"'Cause you fell blindly into my trap, you short-sighted piece of human waste!" The darkness of my voice scared me briefly... Where had that come from...?
"But you already used your trap, and you don't have any more traps on the field!"
"Just wait and see..." I said darkly.
I drew my card. "I summon Jowgen the Spiritualist!" Jowgen appeared.
"And I place my last card of this duel face down."
My card came before me. "Care to finish the duel for me?" I said, clear evil intent.
Ryoho drew his card. "I sacrifice my Summoned Skull, for the mighty Hellpoemer!" It wasn't clear wether I made it myself... It sounded familiar, though...
The Hellpoemer appeared on the field, sitting on his throne of old.
Glancing at the ancient Hellpoemer, a small poem popped to mind...
Sitting at the throne of old
the old king of ancient gold
shall stand no more when I am done...
gone, vanished... 'till kingdom come...
I snapped back to the duel when I heard Ryoho's voice.
"Now my Hellpoemer, attack Jowgen and finish this duel!"
"Tsssss...You are TOO predictable..."I said simply.
"What?" The stupid face showed confusion.
"By attacking, you've activated one of the most feared and strongest traps in my entire deck!"
I pressed the button and laughed. "Activate trap-card: Last Turn!"
The card revealed itself. It showed the monster Hino-Kage-Tsuchi battling the Yamata Dragon.
"With this card, I can select 1 monster on my side of the field, and then it sends all other monsters on the field to their graveyard."I explained. "Then, it destroys every card in each player's hand, and also sends them to the graveyard. Then, you can select a monster from your deck and special summon it to the field. Then our monsters will battle. If my monster wins, I win the duel. If your monster wins, you win the duel."
Ryoho smiled that pompeous smile again.
"In case you haven't noticed, Jowgen only has an attack of 300. So you've signed your own defeat!" He took out his deck, and selected a monster.
"I special summon Spear dragon!" The dragon appeared. "Now my dragon, attack Jowgen and win this duel for me!"
The Spear Dragon shot forward, to attack Jowgen. But before he could unleash his attack, the dragon dissolved into thin air.
"What's going on?" Ryoho exclaimed.
I smiled. "It's simple. Since I only had Jowgen on the field, I had no choice but to choose him. But you forgot one important thing."
"Which is...?"
"Jowgen's effect." I said with a evil grin on my face. "When Jowgen is in play, neither player can special summon a monster. Not under under any condition. Not even with the Last Turn's effect…
"So when you summoned your dragon, Jowgen's effect destroyed him. So the conclusion is: I win..."
Jowgen kept his eyes closed, and uttered a small spell. A burst of light, and Ryoho got smacked backwards, Life Points dropping from 4000 to naught.
I withdrew my entire deck from the Dueldisk, placed it back in the deckbox on my belt and de-activated my dueldisk.
The gang was silent. The crowd was silent.
I walked towards the blonde haired boy, and held out my hand.
He moved to grab my hand, thinking i'd help him up. I smirked, and slapped his hand away.
"Your Locator card."
I sensed hate from Ryoho's eyes aimed at me. He took out his locator card, and spit on it before handing it to me.
I swung it through the air, and splatted the boy's fluid back in his face.
"You bastard!!"
I stored the locater card, and walked away. The crowd made room for me, more than enough to leave. I shut out all the noises that were unnecessairy.
Alone again, love...?
Yeah...
I watched you... you were...extremely arousing...
If you say so...
Ah, come on... you know you like it...
Rolling my eyes, I popped the top off of my second coke and shut her out. I knew what she wanted...
As I sat down on a bench near the museum, I took a sip.
Maybe... this would be an interesting day...
--
Those who remember correctly, The first chapter might be good. I hope this one is better compared to the new reviewed one.
Chapter 2 is written. I'll review it, and post it ASAP.