And the Crimson Rain Fell
A/N: A story that takes place in the Yu-Gi-Oh! universe, but with a completely different adventure/plot. It takes place just three months after the end of the series and revolves around a few minor characters. You do not actually have to watch through the whole series to understand what is going on.
None of the characters, except for a few OCs, belong to me. They belong to the writers and creators of the Yu-Gi-Oh! anime/manga.
Enjoy!
...
Rebecca wondered, absent-mindedly, what the idiot population of the world was. It couldn't have been that high, right? With all the geniuses running around on television, there couldn't be too many stupid people, right? Or maybe the morons just didn't get too much airtime.
"I said that I'm going back home to the United States." She told the kid she'd gotten into a conversation with without even realizing it. He'd been badgering her for the past hour or so about her flight destination. And he couldn't seem to take a hint, even after the hint had been given repeatedly, and without even sounding all that "hint"-ish.
"And I'm telling you," The other boy – who, Rebecca learned, was named Eli – sighed impatiently. He was an American as well, who was apparently visiting a friend. He couldn't be much more than ten years old. "This plane goes to Yamagata, Japan. Did you think I haven't been speaking seriously all this time?"
"What?" Now, Rebecca started to finally believe what she was hearing. The certainty in her own voice, after all, could not out-match how sure of himself Eli just sounded. "But…But, then where's my grandpa?" She'd thought that they'd just gotten separated on the plane, somehow. But, now, after this development...
"How should I know?" replied Eli with a shrug before he got up from his seat and left – probably to find a quieter location on the plane. Rebecca let out a ragged groan, sinking down in her seat, before standing up and running down the aisle until she met a flight attendant.
"Umm…Sir, where are we landing?" Rebecca asked.
The flight attendant blinked at her strange question.
"Yamagata, Miss." He leaned down to her eye level. Oh, boy, Rebecca thought. He was about to treat her like a child. "Did you accidentally take the wrong flight, Young Lady? Where are your-"
"Do you know where my grandpa is? He was with me before I got on the plane, but I think we got separated."
"Which flight did you think you were taking?"
"One that lands in the U.S." Rebecca answered, looking down at her feet as her face turned a bit pink. How humiliating.
"Then, he's probably on his way there right now." The flight attendant sighed. "Do you want me to call your parents?"
"No use. I'll just call my grandpa myself, thanks." Rebecca muttered before walking back to her seat and opening up her cell-phone before dialing a number.
"Hey, Grandpa? Yes, I'm okay." She smiled weakly. "I know, I know. I figured it out. The flight I'm on is heading to Yamagata, Japan. How long is your flight going to take?" She paused to wait for an answer. "Oh, okay. I'm sorry. I know, I know. I need to be more careful and observant of where I'm going. Okay, Grandpa. I think I can wait…I don't know, Grandpa." Tears suddenly started to form in her eyes. What was she going to do? "I don't know. I don't know where I'll be staying! Okay, Grandpa. I should hang up now so that I don't run out of battery power. I don't have much left. I think I'll be okay. Don't worry. I love you, Grandpa. Bye." And, with that, she hung up. She still hadn't noticed that other passengers were staring at the odd scene that she'd been making. Rebecca never really cared what strangers thought.
Deciding to make the best of the situation, Rebecca took out a play that she liked to re-read sometimes – Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream – and opened it up. It would have to last her a while.
Before Rebecca could even get through the first couple Acts of her reading, she'd fallen asleep in her seat. A sudden and violent jerking of the plane snapped her out of her slumber, however. Though she didn't know it at the time, it was early morning.
...
"Mmmmmph…" Rebecca shook her head to retrieve her senses before examining her surroundings. She was still on the plane, of course, but something was different. It was very quiet in the passenger section that she was sitting in. Everyone else appeared to be asleep. Suddenly, a crash of thunder jolted Rebecca's consciousness and she instinctively stared out the tiny window next to her seat. "What the-?"
Outside, far away, lightning cracked and illuminated the night sky. However, the lightning wasn't what shocked the young archaeologist. It was the color of the clouds that were lit up. Red – a deep, dark, maroon.
"Weird, huh?"
Hearing this voice, Rebecca whirled around in time to see a boy standing in the aisle. He had blond hair and was smiling. He appeared to be watching both her and the storm outside.
"Oh. You, again." It was Eli. "How come the lights have been turned off?" Rebecca asked.
"I don't know." He answered simply before continuing to stare outside.
Rebecca nodded at him in mutual confusion before turning back to gaze at the clouds.
"It's kind've pretty, you know? I've never seen such interesting clouds." She mused mildly, not overly concerned, even as a bit of turbulence rocked the plane.
"Red clouds bring red rain." Eli spoke softly, with a peaceful tone. "Red rain dyes the world red. Nothing can live in a world of red."
Surprised by that comment, Rebecca turned to where she expected to see the boy.
"What do you mean by that?"
Eli continued to smile.
"Blood is always red. Red is not always blood. Why is that?"
Rebecca blinked and gave him a sideways look.
"Because…Red is just a color. There are things that aren't blood, but are red."
"Like what?"
"Like flowers."
"And spiders."
"And butterflies."
"And mirrors."
"Mirrors?"
"Red mirrors. Red mirrors are red."
"I've never seen anything like that."
"You haven't seen very much at all."
Frustrated, Rebecca turned back to the window to watch the show in the clouds.
"I bet I've seen more than you have." She countered indignantly. Hearing no response, she turned around to face the boy.
But Eli had vanished.
...
When Rebecca next woke up, the plane was finally landing in Yamagata. No one else seemed to be talking about the storm that Rebecca had seen. If anyone was, they weren't doing so loud enough for her to hear.
As the young girl left the plane, she felt as if she were in a dazed state. What was she supposed to do? It wasn't as if she'd never been without her grandfather in an unknown city before. After all, how did she meet Yuugi for the first time in Domino? It had been easy to sneak out under Arthur Hopkins' nose.
Rebecca opened up her cell phone to see if she could call her grandpa and ask for help, but she was out of luck: Her phone wasn't charged enough for her to use it.
"That is the last time I forget to charge my phone before leaving…" She muttered irritably as she sat on a bench in the airport lobby. With a ragged sigh, she looked up from her cell phone and was surprised to see a familiar-looking boy sitting on another bench across from her. He was reaching into a purple backpack for a book of his own.
She stood up and walked over before sitting next to him. He didn't look up at her, or even acknowledge her existence, the way that a passenger on a bus would ignore it if someone else stood nearby. All he did was crack open his book and begin to read.
Getting a better look at the boy, Rebecca examined him out of the corner of her eye. His hair was a soft aquamarine – in a mushroom-cut style – and his thin eyes were a strong, deep blue. He wore thick, golden glasses with a beetle engraved between the two lenses and his features were sharp in some areas and rounded at others to give him an imp-like appearance.
Finally, Rebecca realized who this was.
"Why don't you take a picture?" He hissed pointedly, interrupting her thoughts without even turning to look at her. "It'll last longer."
And so it was confirmed. That childish, yet intelligent, voice heard in TV interviews for Duel Monsters was difficult to forget.
"Aren't you Insector Haga, the famous duelist?" Rebecca asked, deciding that Haga's rudeness was justified, considering the fact that she'd just been staring at him.
"Yeah, yeah. But, you might want to correct yourself – 'formerly famous duelist' would be more accurate. Want an autograph? It's not like I ask for a card in return anymore. So don't worry…" Haga mumbled dryly, a rather jaded look in his eyes before he finally turned to face her. Then, he blinked. "Wait a minute. You're-"
"Rebecca Hopkins: The American National Champion of Duel Monsters! Yeah." She gave a small smile. "I used to watch your duels all the time. You're pretty good."
"You're not so bad yourself, Miss Hopkins." He commented off-handedly with a shrug, thoughtfully tapping a finger on the book he was still holding.
An awkward pause ensued before Rebecca finally spoke again.
"So…Did you just arrive here, or are you leaving soon?"
"I just arrived. From Domino."
"Me, too. Is this where you live, or…?"
"I live in Domino." Haga answered. "This was where I was born. I'm visiting my sisters."
"Oh. How come you left?" Rebecca asked, hoping to make some light conversation.
Haga shrugged.
"Duel Monsters." He answered casually. "Domino is the Duel Monsters capital of Japan. Which was why Kaiba chose it for his tournament. Anyway, how come you're here? You're from America, aren't you?"
"Er…Well…" Rebecca smiled weakly. "My grandpa and I were planning on flying back to the United States. He got on the right plane. I got turned around and ended up on the wrong one. And now I'm stuck here till Grandpa arrives to pick me up."
"Hehe. That sucks." Haga grinned.
"Oh, shut up." Rebecca pouted. "Anyway, can I borrow your cell phone? Mine ran out of battery power."
"Say 'please'." Haga deadpanned.
"Tch. Fine. May I borrow your cell phone please?"
"Tough luck." He reached into his pocket and showed her a crumpled piece of plastic. "I tripped on a curb, then fell on my face. The cell phone went flying. It landed in the road. A semi truck turned it into this."
"Sounds like karma." Rebecca smirked, remembering Yuugi mention something about Haga's habits of cheating in card games.
"Oh, shut up." Haga rolled his eyes. "So, what are you going to do, anyway? Cry?"
"No. I want to borrow your home phone." She stated simply, innocently.
"My home phone?" He raised an eye brow, and then sighed raggedly. "Yeesh. You're going to make me take you to my house, aren't you?"
"What else am I supposed to do?"
"Got any spare change for a pay phone?"
"No. I left that with my grandpa."
"Which completely defeats the purpose of carrying spare change in the first place." Haga deadpanned coldly.
"Well, do you have any spare change?" Rebecca scowled as she asked this.
"Erm…" The insect duelist twitched.
"Haha." She taunted, and then thought for a moment. "How about this, Haga? If you help me out, I'll give you a rare card."
"Sorry. Not really interested in anything you might have." He replied nonchalantly.
"Awwww…Hmph! If you don't help me, then wait till my grandpa comes to pick me up! I'm going to go to Domino and find Jounouchi and Honda. I'm sure they'd be more than happy enough to make your life miserable." It was an empty threat, but Rebecca hoped that it would work anyway.
"Doesn't matter. We're in Yamagata, Rebecca. If your friend's bodyguards so much as lift me up by the collar, my big sister won't hesitate to drop-kick them into next year." He stated with total confidence.
Rebecca pouted and muttered something like, "Not like I was really being serious, anyway…"
"I know." Haga replied simply, stuffing his book into his backpack and standing up. "Anyway, you're going to have to find help from someone else."
Rebecca giggled and caused Haga to stare at her.
"What?"
"Your backpack is purple." She grinned, standing up as well.
"So what?"
"That's girly."
"No, it isn't."
"Yes, it is. GIRLY BACKPACK BOY!" Rebecca shouted, causing a few people to stare. Some of those who stared happened to recognize Haga. Noticing this, Rebecca grinned. "Yup, people! The Japanese National Duel Monsters Champion has a girly backpack! Girly backpack~! Girly backpaaaaack~!"
"Oh, crap, Rebecca, shut it!" He reached out as if willing her to be silent. "PLEASE! Stop that! Don't draw this kind of attention, please, Re-"
"Then, let me use your home phone." Rebecca smirked.
"Fine." Haga muttered, shaking his head. "Fine. Just shut it." He then turned to the rest of the people still staring at them. "Carry on! Nothing to see here!"
And, with that, Haga somewhat selfconsciously strapped his backpack on before turning to Rebecca.
"All right, Rebecca. My sister's going to be here to pick me up soon, but we've still got a while before then. I'm going to get a little something to eat. You want anything?"
Rebecca's eyes widened slightly.
"So, wait, you do have money on you?"
"I said that I didn't have any spare change. What I do have is a credit card." He replied, taking his wallet out of his pocket and removing a piece of plastic. Indeed, it was a Platinum credit card. "Airport food sucks, but we should be able to find something to eat. Anything in particular you're interested in?"
Rebecca was about to ask why he was treating her to some food after she'd just embarrassed him in front of a bunch of random strangers, but instead just smiled slightly. Maybe he wanted to make the rest of their time together as bearable as possible, she decided.
"Why don't we get some pizza?"
After finishing off their pizza, Haga and Rebecca had quickly headed off to the parking lot to meet Haga's older sister.
...
After waiting for about five minutes, a dark green car pulled into the parking space right in front of the two kids. After parking, a woman, with aquamarine hair tied back in a bun and blue eyes just like Haga's, stepped out of the vehicle. She wore sleek glasses and a black pantsuit as well as black pumps, as if she'd just left work.
"Hey, Kiddo." She greeted Haga before nodding over at Rebecca. "Hey. Are you friends with my little brother? Or maybe just his accomplice?" She chuckled.
Before Rebecca could answer, Haga cut in,
"She's an acquaintance. She accidentally took the wrong plane and got separated from her grandpa. She needs to borrow our home phone."
"What happened to your cell phone?" Haga's sister asked casually.
"A semi truck flattened it." The insect duelist answered calmly.
"Oh. All right." The lady shrugged, as if this were a perfectly ordinary occurrence, before turning back to Rebecca. "So, Miss, what's your name?"
"I'm Rebecca Hopkins." She introduced herself proudly and cheerfully. "Nice to meet you. So, what's your name?"
"Ah. Confident and straight-forward." Haga's sister smiled before turning to look over at him. "She is definitely your type, Little Brother."
"Ugh. Sis!" Haga complained, shaking his head in embarrassment while avoiding Rebecca's eyes.
"Anyway," The woman turned to face Rebecca with a faint smile. "My name is Insector Hotaru and, obviously, I am Haga's older sister. It's nice to meet you as well."
Wordlessly, Hotaru unlocked the car doors and the two kids sat in the back while Haga's older sister got behind the wheel. She drove out of the parking lot without incident.
The sun shone in the summer sky and a few wisps of clouds drifted about the sun like doves released from a box. The blue sky carried hopes of new beginnings and a soft breeze brushed across, and cleansed, the landscape below. Overall, it had been a beautiful day.
However, if one looked close enough, it was possible to see the faintest hints of pink at the edges of those clouds with no sunset to explain it.
...
On the way to Haga's house, a short conversation took place.
"Hey, Haga, you just arrived here by plane, right?" Rebecca asked pleasantly enough. The pizza had calmed them both down considerably after their little spat with each other.
Maybe, that spat's occurence in the first place at something to do with the fact that neither one of them had eaten any of the "gross airline food" on the way to Yamagata.
"Yes." Haga answered. "Though we probably took different planes. I never saw you."
"Yeah, I think so…" Rebecca nodded as she leaned her head against the window, but then she frowned. "Haga. Did you see that weird storm?"
For a moment, the boy seemed to freeze. When he spoke, it sounded quiet and severely disturbed.
"…Did you meet Eli?"
Rebecca whipped around to face him so quickly that she nearly tweaked her neck. She nodded once.
The two spoke no more for the rest of the two-hour drive. The children were too trapped in their own thoughts to say anymore. It was silently agreed upon that they would discuss it later. Rebecca needed to think about all that had happened and Haga just wanted some silent time. Because they both knew, in their own ways, that something huge was happening.
Something was not right.
...
A/N: Thank you for reading.