Once again, I have created another story.
Welcome back to a new story in my Between verse. For those who are new to these stories, they are crossovers between the two anime series nearly every kid grew up with mingling together in a supernatural based world where anything is possible and everything is usually settled in a game of Duel Monsters. Pokémon trainers now train to become duelists and arm themselves with Duel Disks, relationships are something new and refreshing, the main focus comes from Domino City and most, if not all, if the characters fall under their Japanese names.
For reference, this story will take place one month after "In Somnis Veritas", after a harrowing adventure in Wonderland, and will focus on the celebration of summer camp. With focus on singing, campfire, ghost stories and murder. You don't need to read that story to get the gist of this one as events will be made in passing.
Aside from that, this one will be slightly darker than usual. There will be abuse, psychotic relationships, non-consensual contact and more. Just to give a head's up.
So, without further ado, let's enter another story.
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Have you heard about the Nightmare Realm?
It's said to be the space in between worlds; a place one enters in their dreams to see countless universes so different to their own, filled with different variations of people and holds so much awe and wonder that it can only be a dream.
Each world is formed by choices. Like, what would happen if the Archduke Ferdinand didn't end up being assassinated? Or how would the world would be if magic dominated the land instead of science? Perhaps one can enter lands described only in fairy tales or video games...the possibilities are endless.
"But what happens to the you who dies in another world?" You ask.
I heard that the soul returns to the Nightmare Realm, ready to be pieced back together with the other fragments that managed to flow back to the River of Souls, ready to be reborn into another world. It's also said that when one world dies, it leaves behind the seed that will become a brand new world. Most of the souls in the new world live their lives without any thought of what or who they were before. But sometimes...sometimes one can recall a memory, or have some phantom pain deep within their very being that wishes to be healed.
And if those pains become frequent, can they be fixed?
They can, but that all depends on the individual. Most of the time, uncovering those mysteries of a former life can lead to better things. Broken hearts and spirits mended, unfulfilled wishes coming true, and maybe, just maybe, being able to move on and look toward a better future.
Of course, the road to that enlightenment is never so simple, and I can recall a time when this road was paved with good intentions, and nearly caused our whole world to become nothing more than a burning underworld.
But I shouldn't be getting ahead of myself. Let's start at the very beginning, with an introduction.
My name is Mieru Hochun, and it is through my crystal ball that I would see the fragments of an old world, filled with spirits, magic, romance, and a person who wanted to watch this all burn.
And all of this chaos and destruction started with a kiss.
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Between My Brother and Me:
Nobis Vivus Manes
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Prologue:
Circus for a Psycho
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At this point, you must be thinking, "A kiss? All of this started with a kiss?"
I know it's hard to believe, but crazier things have happened under normal circumstances. The Trojan War happened because someone decided to not give an Eris an invitation, something that would be reused for the story of Sleeping Beauty. And loose lips made people remember the fifth of November very differently.
The two questions you should be asking are, "Who were kissing?" and "Why were they kissing?"
Well, I can easily answer that first question for you. The second one is kinda...complicated.
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Yuya Sakaki is on the run.
He skates across the silent streets of Maiami City, pursued by a trio of shadowy figures who want nothing more than to sink their bony fingers into his skin, to feed on his flesh with their nail-like teeth, and have their serpentine tongues lap up his blood. Panting for breath, he tries to ignore the monsters growling and hissing in delight of their meal, and instead question why this has to happen to him.
Ever since the disappearance of his father three years ago, Yuya has been able to see things. Strange things. Things that would usually be found in myths and legends. No one else has this ability as far as he knows. Only his closest friends know of his strange sight, and even then, it's not enough to make these creatures disappear.
Of course it doesn't help that Maiami City, and its neighbor Domino City, are hotspots for supernatural activity and people. Domino itself boasts a healthy population of psychics, witches and enlightened individuals who can see ghosts, have some ability to shapeshift into different creatures, or are masquerading as members of the walking dead, all chronicled in the website for anything and everything unique, Chasing Shadows.
Now if only that website can help lead an investigation as to what happened to Yuya's dear old dad (one of the most important rules on the site is that Chasing Shadows is not a site to post questions in regards to missing people since, most of the time, missing people situations are based on more human reasoning and not of the supernatural).
Yuya shakes the thought out of his head as he makes a quick left at an alleyway, slips on his trademark goggles, with the right lens stamped with a cyan star, that he uses to scan his surroundings. It isn't good; the fence that blocks his way to freedom has one of those shadow monsters, fur the color and consistency of tar, wings of a bat, large eyes glowing like will o' wisps, elongated claws caked in dried blood, and a mouth filled with teeth like a piranha in pursuit of fresh meat, perched on top, crouching like a jungle cat stalking its next meal. Yuya gulps as he turns around and find the remaining two monsters blocking his only escape, leaning close, their claws scraping again the sides of the building, leaving sets of three long diagonal lines in their wake.
"Wh...what do you guys want with me?" Yuya whimpers, trying to find something to use to defend himself. The closest thing he can find to a shield is a stray garbage can lid. As he wrenches it into his hands, he feels the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end.
Normally, the monsters observe Yuya but never give chase. Tonight of all nights, they decide to forego reconnaissance and hunt him down for no reason...or at least, no reason that corresponds to human logic.
The monster perched on the fence unleashes a throaty chuckle, its crimson eyes leering at Yuya. Its two compatriots also join in before one leans forward to stroke Yuya's chin with that claw. Yuya hurls the trash can lid at its face, but the monster knocks it aside.
So hungry...A monster speaks. Must feed...Must feed...on you.
Yuya looks around him, finding himself doomed. Even if he can call for help, no one can save him. No one can see these monsters; no one will believe that these monsters even exist.
In a part deep within Yuya's soul, he blames his father for this curse. The monsters started to appear after his father left that championship duel, leaving him to deal with the aftermath. Being told how he is a son of a loser, a coward...every single day he looks in a mirror and forms the mask of the fool, the jester, the clown, the one who makes people laugh while he dies on the inside.
Yuya unconsciously clutches the pendulum that hangs over his heart as he feels time slow. As he waits for his life to end right then and there, he closes his eyes and thinks to himself...
I wish that someone came for me...someone who understood what I was going through...someone who could make this pain go away...
The three monsters leap towards him, claws out, mouths open, eyes glowing madly.
And then, one of the monsters has a blade sticking out of its neck.
Yuya opens his eyes as he watches the stabbed horror collapse to the ground, warm blood pooling out of the wound. He looks up to see the wielder of the blade, gasping at this stranger.
The stranger dresses in a black cloak with torn edges, a dark green vest and black pants. Covering their mouth is a long red tattered scarf. Their hair is swept upward, black in the back with lavender bangs. His eyes are the color of storm clouds. In his hand is a long dark spear with an amethyst spearhead, dripping with blood.
Yuya locks eyes with this stranger and feels something within his very being. It should have been fear, perhaps even worry. Instead, Yuya feels belonging, no, a burning desire, for this stranger who has saved him. His cheeks turn red at the thought.
But that is utterly ridiculous; how can he feel so strongly for someone he has never met before?
One horror hisses at Yuya's savior, who just grips onto his weapon tightly before beckoning the monsters to attack with a motion of his hand. The one that stroked Yuya's face howls before lunging toward the warrior. The warrior calmly raises his spear before a bolt of lightning strikes it from above. Electrical energy surges through the weapon before, with a single swipe, a shockwave of energy collides with both monsters.
"Get behind me!" the person says. Yuya blinks at the husky voice...He knows he has heard it before. Then, he realizes something.
"Wait..." says the goggle wearing boy. "You can see them?"
"I hunt them," the spear wielder explains, his gaze softening at the green and red haired boy. "Yuya, are you okay?"
"Yeah, I...Wait, how do you know my name?"
Before the other person can answer, one of the fallen horrors crouches down and lashes at Yuya with its tail, wrapping it around his ankle. Yuya has no time to react as he is dragged toward the duo, reaching for that fallen trash can lid to act as a makeshift shield once more. The spear fielder beats to Yuya to the lid and hurls it like a discus, striking the monster's tail, causing it to recoil in pain. It turns to him, it's teeth bared.
"Leave him alone," the purple haired warrior growls. "It's me you want!"
The horrors screeches and swipes at their new target with their claws. Stepping back, the warrior blocks an attack with his spear before kicking the horror on his left and thrusting the spear into its midsection, blood oozing from the wound. Yuya stays still as he watches the fight between man and monster. The way both move, through swipes, dodges and sweeps, it is like they're dancing, waiting for the other to slip up.
Yuya is so distracted by the fight that he does not notice the second horror crawling towards him, snarling menacingly, its mouth agape, teeth gleaming like a set of knives.
The stranger, pinned to the wall, turns to Yuya. "No! Yuya!"
Yuya turns and sees the horror about to sink its teeth into his shoulder. The stranger could only look on as the monster bites down into his flesh.
Yuya screams, the monster tearing his arm apart, the sick sound of bones crunching filling the air. He whimpers in pain as blood trickles down his arm,his heart drumming louder than anything he's heard before.
And it is in that moment...something snaps within him.
Yuya snarls as he clenches his right hand. From the shadows rises a scythe with a red blade shaped like a dragon's wing that he uses to swipe the head of the monster off of him, and then wrenches off that monster's arm out of his shoulder, ignoring the holes created from when it sank its atrocious nails into his skin.
Panting for breath, Yuya looks at his blood covered hand, realizing that he has just committed murder.
And in that moment, he smiles.
The horror pinning the stranger looks in fear as Yuya turns to it, eyes glowing like the flames of Hell beneath his goggles. The savage monster whimpers and steps back as Yuya's grin stretches to a smile similar to one a clown would wear, except this smile is filled with sadistic glee in inflicting pain instead of spreading joy.
No...no no no! One of the monster begs. Do not kill please do not kill I beg you to spare...
Ignoring the monster's pleas, Yuya unflinchingly brings the blade of his weapon into the skull of the monster th a sickening crack, splitting like a watermelon smashed on the beach, the juices beneath this plump fruit splattering all over him and his one man audience, painting them a crimson red. Unfazed, Yuya simply pulls his scythe out from the skull and then goes to work hacking away at the corpses of the monsters at his feet.
These monsters have haunted his nightmares for years...no more.
Who would have thought that murder could be so much fun?
The stranger with violet and black hair watches as Yuya indulges in this blood bath, laughing at the revelry. He watches and his expression gradually changes from shock and disbelief to awe and fascination. He sees Yuya in a dance as he spins round and round, making strong swipes of blood with the scythe like he is painting. Eventually, the paint runs dry, but Yuya stands there, grinning all the same.
The bodies of the monsters he has slain start to vanish, disintegrating into ash that float towards him and rub against his wounds. The pain starts to fade, but the euphoria from the murder remains. It feels like a well deserved bubble bath, the stress he has felt for so long simply floating away, never to return.
Then, Yuya starts feeling tired. He drops to his knees as the stranger is suddenly by his side, smiling gently as Yuya starts to close his eyes.
"You did well, Yuya," the stranger whispers in his ear. "Sleep well, we'll see each other very soon."
Yuya weakly nods his head, his hand dropping the scythe onto the ground, where it disappears into the darkness. As he turns to the person with dark grey eyes, a thought enters his mind.
He looks just like...me.
And then, Yuya falls into the darkness.
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Everywhere he looks, there is fire.
The tent is set ablaze and everyone has been quickly escorted out. The only ones left are Yuya, swinging on the trapeze, laughing madly even as the net that would save him should he fall is wrapped in flames. Standing twenty feet below him is that stranger with black and lavender hair, simultaneously looking horrified amdconcerned.
"Yuya!" says the stranger. "Please, listen to me!"
Yuya giggles as he continues to swing, his feet hooked onto the trapeze as the fire climbs up the posts, burning the wood at an alarming rate.
"This is all your fault!" Yuya spits out. "All of them would have been saved if you didn't butt in. You caused this, Phantom Knight!"
The phantom knight snarls as he looks up and sees that the fire is rising at a fast pace. Thinking quick, the knight prepares his spear and throws it at the trapeze before running towards the net. The spear pierces the rope of the trapeze as Yuya starts to fall. Still, Yuya keeps smiling, even after the phantom knight dives toward the jester before he reaches the ground. The phantom knight grunts as he feels something piercing his stomach.
And it is that moment that he notices the handle of a knife in his midsection, blood pooling out of the wound.
Yuya snickers, his face covered in that jester makeup making him more twisted than before. His red eyes practically glow in the flames as he grips onto the knife.
"Such a pity," Yuya hisses. "That your kindness became the end of you. Now, I have to go...go and continue my father's research, and spread the horrors out to the masses. What a wondrous journey I shall endure, don't you think?"
"...No."
Yuya blinks as the phantom knight grips onto the front of his shirt before leaning him forward for a kiss. Yuya tries to push away, hand still grabbing onto the knife before he feels something fade away in his heart. His eyes stop glowing as he looks to see the face in front of him, those grey eyes that attracted Yuya days ago. He knows who this is.
"Yuto..." Yuya whispers. "What's going on?"
He looks around and sees the blaze. His mind starts racing, trying to recall what happened before now. There was Yuto, the promise, the ringmaster knocking him unconscious. Then, nothing.
It is at this point that he notices the knife wound. He places a hand to his mouth as Yuto smiles.
"We...we aren't going to make it," Yuto whispers, reaching out to cup Yuya's cheek. "It's too late...for the both of us."
"No, I won't let you die!" Yuya exclaims, panting for breath. The fire was making it harder to breathe. "Yuto, take my hand and..."
Yuto silences Yuya by placing his hand over Yuya's mouth. After Yuya has quieted down, Yuto moves it so it rests over Yuya's cheek once more.
"Yuya..." A tear falls down Yuto's face. "Can you...can you promise me something?"
"Anything..." Yuya answers. "Tell me, Yuto!"
"Promise me...Promise me that if we ever meet again, you'll bring smiles to people's faces. And that you will always keep smiling. Promise me, Yuya."
Yuya feels the tears forming in his eyes as he holds onto Yuto's outstretched hand. "I promise, Yuto."
Using his thumb to wipe a tear falling down Yuya's eye, Yuto sits up and places a kiss over Yuya's right eye, where a bright blue star is painted over it. Yuto smiles one last time before his eyes close and he breathes his final breath.
Yuya stays calm as he pulls the knife out of Yuto's stomach, quietly wipes the blood off of the blade with the sleeve of his shirt and stares at his reflection, feeling another tear fall. He swallows a lump his throat, his hands trembling before he takes a deep breath and then thrusts the knife into his stomach.
Blood begins to pool everywhere as he starts laughing, laughing as if this is nothing more than one of his performances, laughing alongside an audience watching these final moments between the phantom knight and twilight joker.
As he laughs, the tallest beam of the circus tent breaks and begins to fall.
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Yuya wearily opens his eyes to find himself looking up at the ceiling of his bedroom, wincing at the bright light.
He blinks as he scans his surroundings. His goggles are on his desk, alongside his Duel Disk. He is wearing his day to day outfit, all clean and neat without a single drop of blood staining it. He stares at his hands, no longer covered in blood.
But how did he get here? All that he can recall is him back at the alley, surrounded by those horrors, someone with a spear, and his vision turning red, blood spraying everywhere and the thrill of killing those monsters. That...that couldn't have happened, right?
Yuya sits up, seeing a fluffy brown corgi staring eye to eye at the boy before giving the boy a friendly lick across the face. Yuya sighs as he strokes one of the dog's ears before noticing his left arm.
There is no pain at all, even though he clearly remembers one of those monsters trying to tear it off of his body. There are no signs of scratches or blood stains either. It is as if he has dreamed everything.
No, he knows that the vision of him at the burning circus tent is a dream; one that he has not had before. The one thing that bothered him was that phantom knight...it is as if the two had met before.
But, once again, that is impossible. Yuya would distinctly recall meeting with a stranger with his face. Yet, there was that person who knew his name and it feels like they knew each other in a way that signalled how they were bonded to one another.
Shaking the thought out of his head, Yuya gives the dog a tight squeeze. "I don't know about you, En," he says. "But I think I might be going crazy. What do you think?"
Yuya...
Yuya gasps as he hears that voice echo within his mind. The same voice...Of that person amongst those dead monsters.
But...But that can't be possible. That person...how is he speaking in Yuya's mind?
Yuya feels a headache coming as he places a hand on his forehead. He feels the room start to spin, the pendulum on his neck glowing as En whimpers and leaps out of Yuya's lap, scurrying out of the bedroom. The light above his head suddenly switches off, the door slams shut as Yuya looks around in terror.
"Who is that?" Yuya asks, looking around. "What do you want?"
I've come...for you!
Yuya looks down, watching his pendulum glow in the dark. He shields himself as the pendulum lights the entire room and then quickly fades. Yuya opens his eyes and gasps at what he sees.
In front of him is that spear wielded from the alleyway, grey eyes glowing, the dark spear in hand, and his body covered in blood.
But those aren't the most disturbing thing about this person who randomly appeared in Yuya's bedroom. It's the fact that Yuya can see right through this person that frightens him the most.
"You...you're a ghost?" Yuya stammers.
The phantom nods his head."I've been waiting for you, Yuya. It's been far too long."
Yuya trembles as he sees a ghostly hand reach towards him. Instead of passing through his body, the hand rests on his shoulder. He feels a wave of calmness radiating from this spirit, causing him to feel so sleepy.
"Look at me, my Yuya," says the phantom. "Look."
Yuya does as he told and sees the phantom's silver eyes began to glow like stars on a rainy night. Yuya gasps, his own blood ruby eyes widening at the glow. The phantom smirks as Yuya feels his body become heavy, like someone has tied him to an anchor slowly sinking into the depths of the ocean. His eyes droop, his head rests against his chest as the phantom leans into Yuya's ear.
"Awaken my love," he whispers. "And let us reunite as one once more."
"Reunite...as one..." Yuya murmurs, opening his eyes. His once lively red eyes are now devoid of that spark that is displayed when he duels. They look hollow, like someone drilled holes into them.
The phantom chuckles as he pats Yuya's head, ghostly fingers running through those vibrant green and red tresses before he steps back, watching Yuya fall deeper and deeper into trance. The crimson eyed boy pays no attention to this stranger leaning close...
And then, the two kiss.
Yuya's eyes widen, feeling like he has been struck by lightning as memories flood his mind. The fire, the trapeze, the knife, the dark knight that died trying to save him...
Without thinking, he brings his arms around the black and violet haired phantom's neck, feeling sparks fly from the kiss like a fireworks display during the summer holidays. Yuya melts into the feeling, wanting more, craving more.
Eventually, he leans back, panting for breath. Yuya's eyes glow in the darkness of his bedroom, his lips forming a twisted grin as he stares at the phantom. The phantom smiles back in return.
"Yuto..." Yuya whispers, the name rolling off his tongue despite never hearing it before. No, he has heard it before; in his dreams. "You're here..."
The phantom knight, Yuto, nods as he drops to one knee, taking one of Yuya's hands into his own. Soon, intricate swirls of light creep up onto Yuya's arms, revealing tattoos of cyan stars and a crescent moon, and a cyan star stamped over his right eye. Yuya instinctively places his free hand over the star, recalling someone placing a kiss there in the midst of a burning circus tent long ago.
"I promised to protect you," Yuto whispers, staring at the ring on his finger. A black band of metal with an amethyst flower in the middle. "I promised that no one would ever separate us. I promised that we would see each other again, Yuya, my love, my twilight joker."
"Yuto," Yuya repeats. Then, he giggles as the image of Yugo in black knight's armor flashes in his mind. "That's right. I won't let you leave me again...my loyal knight, my dark specter, my spear that strikes in the shadows to rain the blood of our victims down upon the masses." He laughs, eyes mad with glee. "Come, Yuto. Let us reunite as one..."
Yuto rises to his feet as he raises his hand over Yuya's pendulum, the crystal glowing softly before he sinks deep into the depths of Yuya's soul. Yuya's ruby eyes darken for just a second, a black aura manifesting around him, licking his skin as he stares at his hands. He curls them into fists before he turns his gaze towards the window. He approaches it and opens it wide, wanting to feel the night breeze. He props a foot against the windowsill, watching the silent city streets waiting to be dyed red with fresh blood.
"Let's go, love," Yuya whispers, strapping his Duel Disk sitting on his desk. He then gently grasps the pendulum swinging freely over his chest. "The fun is just getting started."
Of course. Yuto's voice whispers in Yuya's mind, causing Yuya to sigh and place a hand over his heart. He could feel his precious Yuto's love for him course through his body, making him feel all warm and bubbly on the inside. Let's see what type of horrors have been unleashed.
Then, Yuya Sakaki leaps out, a pair of red dragon wings unfurling from his back before he flies into the sky and begins his night of mad delight.
As he flies, he doesn't notice of the strange boy with light green hair and a black and white cap watching him. With a finished Rubik's cube in his hand, the boy smiles to himself before walking down the sidewalk back home.
The show is about to begin. he thinks. This will be so much fun.
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So now, after seeing all of this, you may be thinking, "What happens now?"
The answer, "Everything happens now."
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Next time: Mieru learns how her darling Yuya has awakened and decides to confront him to snap him out of it. Unfortunately, Yuya's Phantom Knight has other plans, leaving Millefeui to "woman up" and knock some sense into this deranged knight in shining armor.
"Madness in Me" coming soon.