Warning: Oddness, lack of a beta reader, and character death.
Disclaimer: I'm not making any money off this, and if I owned Yu-Gi-Oh! It would be far more campy, creepy, and a lot less about a children's card game.
Summery: During our most fearful, hopeless moments, we may need a hand to reach out and save us. However that hand may not always belong to a benevolent guardian.
It had happened so suddenly.
One moment he and his family were in the car driving to pick up their father, he was sitting behind his five year old sister, lightly tugging her pale, ash colored pigtail in revenge for her beating him to the front seat. His mother had spared a glance from the rain filled front window to shoot him a warning look in the rear view mirror before returning to the front, a soft gasp escaping her when she saw the red light that seemed to materialize out of nowhere. Slamming her foot on the break only seemed to send them sliding over the water covered road instead of stopping them. Amane's shrill scream yanked Ryou's dazed gaze up front into the blinding lights of another car.
It was hazy after that for a while, the world seeming to be made up of blurred lights and growing shadows that seemed to twist and dance in his memory. At last though things seemed to settle down and Ryou woke. He was in his bedroom, or he thought it was at least, only it was now filled with pictures he couldn't recall ever seeing before, though he recognized them from his past. The most interesting additions though, had to be the large bookcase full of interesting looking books, as well as masks, daggers, and other things that looked like they would have been at home at his father's museum, the other being the huge table spanned by a mini-landscape. With a cry of joy Ryou threw himself off his bed and ran to inspect the table.
Eyes huge and unable to contain his excitement, he danced in place a little before going over to the side with the castle. He couldn't believe it! He'd begged and begged his parents for a Monster World starter set, itching to create his own players and monsters and the world they lived and fought in, but this was more than he had ever expected! However the longer he gazed at the perfectly detailed miniature world the more uncomfortable he'd gotten. Where had his mother and father gotten the money for it? He loved their little house dearly, but he'd known that even that was putting a strain on his parents, that in order to take care of bills his once stay at home mother had been forced to leave Amane at the neighbor lady's until Ryou came home from school because she had to work all day.
However before he could be completely consumed with worry and images of shady money lenders, soft, rapid foot-steps came down the hallway that only seemed to slow long enough to open his door before a familiar form thrust itself into the room, the smaller, blue eyes of Amane landing on him before her face, a softer, rounder version of his own, split in a wide grin before squealing his name joyfully and throwing her arms around his waist.
"Ryou, I looked everywhere for you! Are you ready to go yet? Mom's already gone, we need to hurry and catch up." Amane asked taking Ryou's nearest hand in both her smaller ones. Frowning in confusion he tried to decipher his sister's words. "Did she leave to get father already? We'll just have to wait until she gets back then." He said reasonably, his eyes falling on four Monster World figures he'd missed before. Didn't his parent know that you were supposed to make your own people? Frowning as he looked closer he realized it was only two whole figures, and even then one was a little cracked and dented. The other two were broken up in pieces, lying on their 'backs'. For some reason the sight deeply disturbed him. His sister didn't bother looking at the dolls, not seeming to notice the table or any of the other additions to his room. Instead he started tugging his arm insistently. "Don't be dumb! Now. Let's. Go!" With each word she pulled him forward with surprising strength, the first tug bringing him stumbling forward.
"Cut it out Amane, if mother left we'll just have to wait for her. Now enough, come look at the new game I have before it has to be sent back." However his words only seemed to infuriate his sister, driving her to crying and screaming.
"I CAN'T WAIT FOR MOTHER! You HAVE to come with me Ryou! Don't make me go alone!" Shrieking louder than he had heard ever before, Amane threw herself at Ryou, her small hands clenched up and flying clumsily at him, grabbing onto his shirt and pulling viciously, wrenching him to the ground. Before Ryou had time to react and push her off him his pendant that had hung from his neck like it normally did while he was home made a loud, unmusical jangle before darkness seemed to shoot out of the five dangling tines. They formed what looked like a prison wall between the two siblings. Screaming in both fear and anger the small girl tried to reach through the 'bars' for Ryou, calling her brother's name, her eyes wild. Suddenly she jerked away, her expression changing purely to fear and Ryou soon saw why.
The bars were no longer the solid dark before, but a chaotic swirling of colors, like an oil slick over black pavement. Then Ryou's door flew open behind his sister and not to the hallway of their home. Amane and Ryou's eyes met for a second, terror dominating his little sister's eyes before she was swept out backwards by a wind he couldn't feel, the door slamming loudly behind her. Ryou's heart slowly twisted in his chest at her sudden departure, yet before he could think of what to do the bars lost their unyielding appearance and seemed to turn and look at him, their forms now almost serpentine before all five dived as one at him, coiling tightly around his body, preventing him from escaping as darkness seemed to pour into his room. On their own his feet stumbled back to his bed, even as he lost the ability to see his surroundings.
~()~
The surgeon cursed angrily, fighting desperately to bring his patient back. Yet the heart monitor remained flat, the machine screaming shrilly no matter what he did. At last a nurse put a hand on his shoulder and steered him out of the operating room. He hated it when children died, but nothing was worse than when it happened right under his own hands. A moment later a woman sat next to him, passing him a small cup of coffee but saying nothing. At last he broke the silence. "Well? The boy?"
The woman took a sip of her drink, silent a moment more before answering.
"It was close… It looked like he was going to go with the girl at the same time for a moment, despite his injuries being much less severe. However when she went he seemed to pick up. He's fine now, a cracked skull is the worst of his injuries, and everything else is scrapes and bruises." This didn't seem to make the surgeon feel much better. "His mother and sister are gone. Does he even have a life outside of foster care waiting for him when he wakes up?" The other doctor stood and patted him on the back, trying to assure her colleague. "Don't worry, there's a nurse on the phone with his father right now. He won't be alone." At last the man relaxed, finished his coffee in a gulp and stood. The death of two didn't keep more dying from coming in. He just had to save who he could.
Alright, I confess. This was based off of a scene in "A World of His Own" however my friend insisted it wouldn't fit because Amane died in a car accident. I myself have heard this. I have also heard that the Thief King's name is Akefia, and I've read the VIS released version and a translated version of the 'Millennium Arc'… And nowhere does that name appear. It's really difficult to tell what is fact and what is fan girl fiction when it comes to those possessing the Bakura name, but in the end if "World" takes off, it'll work out better story-wise if she and her mother are dead, instead of her mother running off with her. However I didn't want to give the idea of Amane and Ryou fighting. I liked that scene so it sucked to scrap it completely. Anyway, enough rambling. Any ideas, comments(constructive or otherwise), please leave 'em in the wonderful little review box.