A/N: Wow...it feels amazing to be posting B-daman fanfic again...
So, anyway, some info on this fic. This is sort of a rewrite of my old, old fic of the same title, Silver Roses. Honestly? This one is really just way better, since this time I'm taking time to develop Bierce's character. Also, there are no more videogame-only characters, though they may get cameos and I might sneak one in if anyone wants them around. This means, however, that this fic will have a fairly slow, if luxurious pace. I'll really be taking my time in this fic!
Now, for something very, very important. This fic is set in an AU verse. Let me repeat that for your convenience. THIS FIC IS SET IN AN AU VERSE. And it's one verse where there aren't actually any B-daman and the circumstances that brought the characters together are different but at the same time similar. Instead, everyone has totally unexplained magical powers, and this fic takes place after what would be the equivalent of B-daman Season One in this verse's timeline.
Also, the genres listed are total lies. This thing jumps around from horror to supernatural to family to adventure to hurt/comfort and back—and not necessarily in that order!
Note, by the way, that this fic is rated T primarily because of Enjyu's potty mouth, not because of the horror-ish stuff :P
Disclaimer: Battle B-daman, its characters and related media all belong to Takara/Hasbro/Inuki Eiji. This is a work made for fun and is not for profit in any way. Only the plot and the few original characters belong to Beaslays.
Silver Roses
one
the darkness everywhere
Darkness.
It surrounded her, trying to enter her, seep into her, but she would not allow it. She would never allow it to. The darkness was everywhere around her; it was present in the muddy water trickling down the walls, in the rust eating away at the metal doors. It was in the air, choking her, and she could do nothing against it as she made her way over the debris-covered halls of the building she had taken refuge in.
She was a pretty thing, albeit broken. Her golden curls no longer shone as they once did, her bright green eyes glared at everything around her. The pink dress she wore was dirtied and torn, and she clutched a squirming bundle to her chest.
Two weeks, she had been running for two weeks. Then, this chance to rest presented itself and she had certainly been willing to take it. Eagerly, she had rushed into the run-down building, and found herself a simple dry corner to rest in.
It only took her a single night to start regretting her hasty decision.
The building was alive.
Screams reverberated through the halls; black, insect-like creatures crawled about, decorating the walls and the floor with jet-black trails of slime. Then there was the monster—a hulking mass of flesh that trudged through the corridors, dragging along a massive blade behind it. She had screamed when she first encountered it, and it had turned to her, revealing its mangled face. It had stared, long and hard at her, with a pair of flaming red orbs.
She'd screamed again, and begun running, her poor child clutched to her chest. The baby never cried now, it was always silent.
Then, when she finally found sanctuary and safety in the topmost floor of the building, she realized that she was not alone in this place.
"What…is this place?"
Her throat was dry as she spoke, having only been using her mouth to scream for hours on end. The stranger did not seem to notice her, his eyes still closed as he lifted his head, long black hair framing his pale face. He was dressed strangely, wearing long, flowing robes of dark blue and silver.
"You should not be here," he said, after many minutes of her waiting. He stood, clasping his hands together. "This is a home for demons."
She blinked, stepping around some debris to move nearer to him. As she moved nearer, he lowered his head and turned to her. Lazily, he opened his eyes, revealing a pair of red orbs as he ran his gaze over her, causing her to inhale sharply.
"You would bring new life to this damned house, woman?" he asked, walking towards her. He raised a hand, and, instinctively, she shrank away from it, her eyes wide as her gaze flitted from his face to his hand then back to his face.
"I…who…who are you?" she snapped, suddenly. "What the—what the hell is going on here? What's up with those demons? Why are they like that? Who are you?"
"Woman," he said, eyes never straying from her face, "You and your child will not survive this place."
Her eyes widened, and she began to move back, all the while pressing the baby closer to her chest. She could hear her heart pounding against her chest, and her breath hitched. The stranger followed her with his eyes, though he did not move. Soon, she felt her feet hit against something, and a quick glance told her that she had come up against a pile of rubble.
When she looked back up, the stranger was suddenly before her, his forehead nearly touching hers. Her eyes widened as she gasped and stepped back, her legs hitting rubble. Suddenly, she was falling backwards, her free arm flailing, and a yelp tore itself from her mouth.
Then, suddenly, she was not falling. She blinked, looking around and finding that the stranger was staring at her intensely, a bony hand gripping her shoulder. His thin fingers dug into her skin, and she shivered as an icy sensation began to spread from where his hand touched her.
"Leave. And you may still live…"