A young woman was walking across the gardens, both hands at her side, as she took in the loveless flowers surrounding her. Golden eyes surveyed the almost enchanting atmosphere, all the while endeavoring to decipher whatever trickery might be near. Silky, burgundy hair swept across her collarbone, though her dark sleeves contrasted to the light around her. A velvet coat cascaded down the woman's body, and a strict, narrow corset wrapped around her already tiny waist. The noise her red pumps made resounded throughout her ears, as she continued with her trek. Her lips pursed in confusion, though in the end, she allowed the scenery to take her mind off her unreadable, but somehow troubling thoughts.
Twisted thorns bent out of existence, and luscious petals kept on with their majesty. Tiny, shimmering dew coated the grass, though the leaves covered their nostalgic reflection. Morning skies soared above, giving the gardens a somewhat peaceful aura, however false it might've been. Red and white swirled around her, beckoning her to come and lay in those flowers, tempting her to fall into the fatigue reality had given her; traces of black and grey were yet to be seen, and even amorous shadows faded from that dream.
"Akiza?"
That young woman stopped. She turned, the confusion immediately fading from her face. A small smile tugged at her lips, as her sophisticated demeanor melted away. She recognized that voice. "Hey," she replied.
"What'd you think of the gardens?"
"It's nice, quiet," she said softly, as she looked down at her shoes. A slight blush came on her cheeks, and though she tried shaking it away, in the end the scarlet was still there. "I ah…I really like the roses. They're nice…"
"You know, they aren't all roses."
She blinked. Carefully, she looked up, at the shadows, at the flowers, at her own, dying silhouettes. Silence shrouded her, the same silence which brought her that evanescent peace, the same silence that came before her time and time again; peaceful, weary, restful, everything she could've possibly imagined in that deformed, yet comfortable silence. Everything and nothing was said simultaneously, as her own, helpless will hid away from even the slightest disturbance. Her innocence refused to fade, as she pondered on that statement.
Out from the corner of her eyes, she caught sight of a stray bulb blooming in the distance. When she squinted, she blushed harder, and turned sideways, mentally trying to remedy her mistake. She kept stammering, kept stuttering, endeavoring to, at the very least, apologize for her erroneous compliment.
But as she kept going with her hopeless correction, one by one, she caught sight of more of those strays. Roses bled out their red, and other flowers took their place, the petals quietly descending throughout the gardens. Graceless elegance turned to barren formalities, as each flower unraveled, producing an unfamiliar, almost bizarre looking plant, one Akiza had no knowledge of.
And yet, for some reason, her lips kept moving. She felt herself smile at the vague notion, and turned back. "Spider-lilies."
"Right. Did you know they were actually amaryllises?"
"What?"
"They are. Spider-lilies and amaryllises are apart of the same family. They may not look it, but it's true."
Akiza cocked her head, as she stared at the flowers. A distant expression came across her face, as she took in the statement, trying to recall the fact from her seemingly dark mind. "I didn't know that," she murmured quietly.
"Say, Akiza."
"What is it?"
"How do you feel? About amaryllises?"
Author's Note:
-Hello, I am the Seelie Court Jester and I do not own Yu-gi-oh 5Ds. This story is a sequel to "Fragments".