A/N: This is a recreation of what happened in the game Yu-Gi-Oh! The Duelists of the Roses. Here I have posted the White Rose Chapter where you side with Seto and later on I will write and post the Red Rose Chapter where you side with Yuugi/Yami. These two stories of mine must be read before I can post my main Yu-Gi-Oh! fanfic which I would consider the sequel to these fanfics. If you are not familiar with the game, I have taken the liberty in posting the prologue and everything Seto and Simon say so the story line can be clear to you.
There will be a few occasions where I will write an entire duel, but mainly I will skip to the ending of each duel. Feel free to scan over it, or completely ignore it, unless I leave a message saying otherwise. The two characters that I have created for these two fanfics will play an important role in my main fanfic. I do hope you take a liking to them, as they are both OC's and female. If not, help me adjust them to appeal to you. I apologize for any mistakes I may have made.
Reach out for Me
Summary: When the leader of the Rose Crusaders finds himself with the sacred Rose Duelist in his possession, emotions run haywire as he watches each Lancastrian fall by her hand. The more time they spend traveling to each duelist's location, the more confusing his feelings become. When the time comes to send her home, can he let her go?
Chapter One: The Rose Duelist
The British Empire in the 1480s….
The Wars of the Roses, a power struggle between the Houses of Lancaster (Red Rose) and York (White Rose) to decide a royal successor, was nearing an end.
With the Yorkists well in the lead, the reign of Richard III was but a step away.
And in France, Yuugi (Henry Tudor) — the last Lancastrian heir — was being forced to live a life of exile.
The Lancastrian forces were rendered powerless by ancient cards of sorcery wielded by Seto and his seven followers who, known as the Rose Crusaders, served under the flag of Lord Crawford, a powerful Yorkist nobleman.
Lacking a duelist to champion their cause, defeat was imminent for the Lancastrians.
In England, duel card games were still at the fledging stage.
Thus, the Lancastrians had to look elsewhere for a duel master capable of facing the Rosenkreuz in battle.
With this in mind, Margaret Mai Beaufort of Lancaster secretly requested a High Druid to summon a duelist from another age...
Falling into perpetual darkness seemed to last an eternity before the young woman found herself sprawled out on coarse, moist stones. Blinking and ignoring the searing pain in the back of her head from the sudden blow of hitting the ground hard, she wearily stood and brushed herself off.
"What the hell just happened?" she said aloud, then moaned quietly.
Where am I? Wasn't I just in my bedroom? How did I end up here? She thought to herself.
"Oh!" muttered a small, heavily cloaked man. His dark, blue eyes surveyed the being in front of him, wide and overjoyed.
She spun around, now facing what she thought was a man. He had various cloaks concealing his body, an odd looking jeweled pendant strung around his neck, a large hood over his head, a golden staff held in his right hand with what appeared to be a set of wings on the top, matching the decoration on the top of his hood, and he had a blue like tint to his skin.
"…summon from the mystic circle of red and white roses, the one capable of harnessing pure power….There was truth to the 'Legend of the Rose Duelist'! Lady Margaret! I…I did it! Now we have the means for defeating the evil forces of Rosenkreuz!"
Puzzled, the female began to take a few steps back, eyeing him suspiciously.
"…"
"Oh….My apologies. In my excitement, I'd forgotten I was in the presence of the Rose Duelist. Allow me to introduce myself; I am Simon McMooran, High Druid and servant of Lancaster. May I be so bold as to ask the name by which the Rose Duelist would like to be known?"
Cautiously, she glanced in all directions around her and slowly began to reply in a tone bleeding bewilderment and terror.
"Uh…yeah, Setsuko."
For the longest time, the High Druid merely stared at her in disbelief. Did her name mean anything to him? Or was he still hung up on the fact that he had summoned a total stranger to this era?
"…"
She was about to question if whether he had heard her or not, but was beaten to it.
"Setsuko? A fine name indeed! Now here's the situation, the year is 1485 and you are currently in Stonehenge, near Salisbury, England. The British Empire is in turmoil with the House of Lancaster's rightful claim to the throne being challenged by the Yorkist usurpers. The power struggle in referred to as the Wars of the Roses, a name based on the badges used by both sides — a red rose for the Lancastrians and a white rose for the Yorkists. Right now, our kingdom is threatened by the Yorkists and their wrongful claim to the throne!
"All because the Yorkists enjoy the support of the Rose Crusaders and their sorcerous White Rose cards. Using our Red Rose cards, we summoned you, Setsuko to this day and age. We hoped that your dueling experience would defeat the Rose Crusaders and lead us to victory! Will you help us…? Of course you will! Foolish of me to even doubt where your loyalties has it that only the legendary Rose Duelist stands a chance against the power of Rosenkruez.
"We appreciate any help you can provide against them. Before I forget….I should warn you that the rules and dueling differ here from those of your age. Here in England, dueling is government by what is known as the 'Perfect Rule'. In addition to severed minor distinctions, there are two major differences. One is the existence of movement or positions. The other is the Deck Leader concept. These are two aspects of the dueling that were lost in the process when the ancient sport of Duel Monsters was adapted to card form.
"The 'Perfect Rule' represents these lost rules that where miraculously revived here in England. Perhaps a practice duel will serve better than an explanation….Shall we?"
Politely, Setsuko declined, sure of herself that all this was but a dream that she would soon be waking from. The last thing she wanted to do was confuse real dueling rules with fantasy ones, making her outlook on the game seem as if she were an amateur seeking an easier way to play.
"Thanks, but no thanks. I'm sure I'll catch on."
To her surprise, Simon did not seem worried or agitated, but clearly ecstatic. He smiled sincerely, and then continued.
"First, Setsuko, you must select a deck to duel with."
She pulled out her deck from within her deck case hitched on the side of her leg, but he disregarded it with a swift hand movement, stating that her cards were not of this time and needed to be created with the magical essence of great sorcery. She had put her heart into this deck, collecting cards that were rare and many would die for possession of. Reluctantly she obeyed his command of setting it aside, and put it back in its case.
"It is important that you feel the vibrations of a Deck Leader….The minute resonations that ring true to your soul. The cards themselves draw their power from the energy of the Ancient Ones and the deck wielder. Setsuko…it is essential that you select a Card Leader whose rhythm matches the stirrings of your soul. Here are several decks from which to choose. Give it some serious thought, and make your selection. Choose carefully, for the deck you select will guide the destiny of your duels."
Deck Leaders? Cards that obtain power from these "Ancient Ones" and the deck wielder? Okay, this has to be a dream which is getting even weirder by the second…
She rapidly scanned each deck thoroughly, hoping that she would not have to actually duel with any of them; she would be crushed. Perhaps this Simon McMooran was hiding the more superior decks, decks that a true duelist would have, decks consisting of cards that a master would have at their hand's disposal. There seemed to be a conjured heat radiating off Airknight Parshath; was this the feeling that Simon had spoken of? Every time she would pull her hands away from this particular Deck Leader, it would pulsate, apparently, trying to say aloud that this was the deck for her.
All right…what could it hurt? I'll take Airknight Parshath.
"Ah! I see you have selected your deck…."
"Hmmm. So that's the effect of the Celtic Red Rose cards….It looks like there's some truth to the rumor that the Red Rose cards are capable of time transformation…" rang a mysterious voice from behind.
"Who's there?" Simon questioned, an immediate glare setting in.
"It's been some time since the Battle of Barnet, old one…."
"Rosenkreuz! What brings you here?" Simon's tone was infuriated.
"Only a member of the Rose Crusaders may call me by that name….If you may recall, I told you once before that you may only address me as Seto. Or does memory fail you old man? And you…" he rounded on Setsuko. His eyes were a cold, foreboding sapphire hue so unlike her warm and exuberant orbs. He had dark brown hair and wore what appeared to be part of some type of metal armor in the shape of a Blue Eyes White Dragon's head and torso. He towered over Simon, but was only about half a head taller than Setsuko.
"You must be the dreaded Rose Duelist. I must admit there's a certain aura of power emanating from you. I believe an introduction is in order. I am Seto, leader of the Rose Crusaders. There are members of our little group who prefer to call my by the name of C. Rosenkreuz."
"I ask you again….What brings you here, Seto?"
"Mind your manners, old man! What else would bring me here…I've come for the Red Rose cards! After all, it was you who showed me how the summoning capabilities would evolve when the Red Rose cards are combined with the transport powers of the White Rose cards…."
"You aren't thinking of attempting the forbidden 'Rose Summoning'….If so, then the Red Rose cards must never fall into your evil hands! Card sorcery taps into the powers of the Ancient Ones….By their very nature, each card is a double-edged sword that can cut both ways….The Rose Cards alone harness tremendous power. There's no telling what horrors one might unleash to the world by combining both Red and White! I will sacrifice my own life if need be to prevent any from uttering the 'Spell of Doom'!"
"The 'Spell of Doom'…? Fool! The sixteen Red and White cards grant power over all! Druid legend has twisted the true meaning of these cards! We Rose Crusaders have sworn to create a utopia free from the ravages of war. We intend to accomplish this with the power of the cards! And we shall do so by extending the rule of Richard III throughout the known world!" Seto retorted haughtily.
"…"
"By the way, it was clever of you to form a circle of red roses within the White rose barrier to summon the Rose Duelist….But you were foolish to come alone. This area is surrounded and if you wish to leave with your life, you will do so only by handing over the Red Rose cards…."
"Me? A fool…? Then what of you? Are you fool enough to actually believe the Red Rose cards would remain here in my possession? Right after the summoning, I had the cards dispersed among our best duelists to keep them from your tainted hands!" Simon said warningly.
"Then you leave me with but one option…I shall enlist the aid of your precious Rose Duelist!"
"What?" Setsuko objected roughly. Was she just some bargaining chip to be used to impress the opposition?
"You take leave of your senses…" Simon murmured quietly.
"And you speak too soon, old man! Heed my words, Duelist! If you wish to return to your proper time period, you will require sixteen cards of the Red and White Roses….The red and white positions must be laid out in reverse of the summoning order to send you home…"
"You know the spell…?" Simon asked amazed.
"Since you need the sixteen Rose Cards just as much as we do…I propose a partnership. Help us gather the cards and I shall guarantee your return after we've achieved our ultimate goal!"
"An absurd proposal! Do you think that the honorable Setsuko would even lend an ear to your ridiculous proposal?"
Honorable? Just how important was she to them?
"Can you be so sure, old man? Let me see…Simon's side has eight of the Red Rose cards while my side — the Rose Crusaders — has possession of the eight White Rose cards. As the numbers are even, simple arithmetic indicates that you could side with either of us. But I'm sure you'll take into account who's winning this war. After all, who was desperate enough to summon you in the first place? I think it's quite clear which side is better positioned to send you home…"
Seto had a point, several to be accurate. Simon would burst with a gleeful giggle, quiet, but audible at the sight of Setsuko. Seemingly, he could not get over the fact that he had summoned the Rose Duelist and had become quite taken with her. Maybe if she chose to side with Seto, she could return home.
"S — Setsuko! Heed not the words of this…this power-hungry lunatic!"
"Simon! Must you resort to name-calling? I'm hurt….I'll tell you what. Why don't we leave this decision to our dear Duelist? After all, Simon, the Duelist's future is not for us to decide, now is it?"
"Well, yes, but —"
"Splendid! In keeping the tradition of the Old Temple gardens, I offer you a choice, Duelist. Here are two roses. The white represents me, and the red for old Simon here…."
"For the sake of justice….Choose the red rose!"
"Stand by my side, Duelist….Choose the white rose."
Simon stared intently at Setsuko, his eyes boring into hers, trying immensely to sway her to choose for the sake of justice. Seto seemed very sure of himself. A mere glance into his eyes, and he could turn even the most stubborn person into doing his bidding. She reached out her hand, it quivering slightly, began to waver between each rose. Just when Simon thought that she would side along with him, her hand hovering over the red rose, it slowly shifted over to the white rose and then back.
Tightly shutting her eyes, she snatched up a rose, unaware of which one she had chosen.
"A wise choice Duelist! I see you are well-versed in judging a situation. Welcome to the Rose Crusaders! I…am honored. Okay, old man. It's time you made yourself scare."
"Wha…? What are you doing? Stop! No!"
Simon vanished into nothing, leaving the leader of the Rose Crusaders and the Rose Duelist alone.
"Don't worry, I'm not going to hurt you," Seto started.
That doesn't sound very reassuring… Setsuko thought, eyeing him, but standing her ground.
"I just need you out of the way until everything is settled. Now, let's talk about the Red Rose Cards. Simon mentioned that he spread the cards among certain individuals, just after summoning you. I think it's safe to assume that a large number of those individuals are his confederates currently located in France. I would like to ask you to enter France from Dover and retrieve those cards for our cause. I would go myself; however, I'm needed here to maintain our barrier against any invading forces.
"According to the legend, one must use a deck whose cost is lower than an opponent's to capture a Rose Card of another color. Remember…a deck that costs lower than that of an opponent is the key. I've also heard somewhere that the Celts inherited their Red Rose Cards from the original inhabitants of Stonehenge. This would mean that our enemy, Yuugi, who comes from a line of Welsh nobility, would likely have inherited one of the Red Rose Cards. This means that who oppose the Rose Crusaders are sufficiently equipped to duel against us as equals. Given their desperate situation, they will retaliate with everything they've got. It would be wise not to underestimate them!"
He reached out a hand and in a gentle, yet firm grasp, pulled her to him by the wrist. Looking directly in his eyes, Setsuko found herself almost lost in them. In a smooth and hushed voice, sounding almost pleading and somewhat caring, he said,
"I'm depending on you…"
Disclaimer: Yu-Gi-Oh! belongs to Takahashi Kazuki. I do own Setsuko.