DV: Hey guys. I'm back. I'm really, really sorry that I've been missing! But here's a Yu-Gi-Oh! 5Ds one-shot!
"Name?"
"Rally Dawson."
The guard peered at them through his glasses. "Gender?"
"Non-binary."
The guard frowned. "Sex?" Rally stayed silent. "Sex?" He repeated, louder.
"Boy," Rally muttered. "I use 'they' pronouns."
The guard rolled his eyes. "Gender… male," he mumbled as he wrote.
"And th-"
"Age?"
Rally scowled at him. "Ten."
The guard raised an eyebrow, but didn't tear his gaze from the paper. "You're a young one for here. What did you do?" Rally stayed silent. "What did you do?" He repeated, firmer.
"Nothing."
"What did you do, kid?"
"Nothing," Rally insisted. "There wasn't enough evidence to convict."
The guard huffed. "Well then you wouldn't be here." He turned to the computer and typed in Rally's name. "Alleged murder, hm?" Rally clenched their fists. "How long are you here for?"
"I don't know," Rally mumbled. "Long enough." They didn't say what for.
The guard glanced at the computer again. "A week. Not a long run. Check in date… thirty first of October." He scribbled one more thing on the paper and handed it to Rally. "You're in cell fourteen. There's two kids about your age in there; maybe a bit older. Go to the Marker before you go there."
Rally swallowed and nodded as they took the paper. The slight flap gave away their shaking hand as they walked into the hall.
There was only one door aside from the one behind them – at the very end of the hall. A dark ebony colour.
It would have been almost beautiful, if the words 'Marking Room' hadn't been stained on it in black ink.
Rally raised a hand and knocked. The door swung open seconds later.
"Enter."
Rally hesitated, and then took a step inside. The door closed behind them.
"Papers?"
They held out the papers – their eyes had yet to adjust to the darkness, so they jumped when the papers were snatched from their hand.
"Rally Dawson. Ten. Alleged murderer. One week," a deep voice read. A hand clamped around their arm and dragged them further into the room.
Rally stumbled, and they were pushed into a chair.
"Sit still."
They didn't have a choice. Metal staples clicked shut around their wrists and ankles, and a larger one around their chest.
Sparks close to their face made them jump, and for a moment, they saw a glowing outline of burning metal.
They ground their teeth together. Stay quiet. Stay quiet. Don't cry. Don't scream. Don't let them know they're getting to you. Don't let them know that it hurts.
The pain took a moment to reach them. All they felt was heat.
Their teeth burrowed into their lip and they tried to lean back as pain shot through their body.
"Sit still!"
They couldn't. They couldn't.
Their teeth dug further into their lip, and beads of blood trickled down their chin. The metal pressed harder against their cheek – just under their eye, and they screamed.
They didn't mean to – they couldn't help it. It hurt so badly – too badly. They couldn't take it anymore.
The metal ripped away from their face, and they screamed again.
"Shut up."
The scream died in their throat and they squeezed their eyes closed. A square of gauze was slapped over the burn, and a bandage wrapped tightly around their head.
Rally couldn't open their left eye when the bandage was tied.
The staples clicked open and they were dragged to their feet. "Let's go."
It wasn't worth it. They couldn't go through with this.
"Rally, I know you don't want to, but you need to do this. Come on, be a brave kid."
They opened their eye as they were dragged out of the room. They glanced up – a beefy man with a long scar down his face was the one dragging them. They looked down again as they stopped in front of a door.
The number fourteen was emblazoned on it, along with the names Yusei and Akio. Their own name was only scribbled on a piece of paper and taped to the door.
Not that they minded – it would be changed once the duration of Rally's stay was lengthened.
So would the names carved onto steel nameplates. They would be gone.
The man opened the door and shoved Rally inside. They landed on their knees. "New roommate, boys," he called before the door slammed shut.
Moments later, light flickered into existence in front of Rally's face. "Hey, are you okay?"
A girl. That surprised them. They had thought the guard had said 'boys'. Red hair, pale skin, brown eyes.
"Y-Yeah…"
The girl didn't smile. She tilted her head. "What're you in for?"
"Leave him alone. He's probably terrified. You can ask questions later."
Rally glanced up to see a boy with black- no, dark blue hair sitting on one of the two bunk beds. His gold eyes pierced through Rally's, until they looked away.
A still-healing scar led from both corners of his eye down to his chin.
"Well I'd be more comfortable knowing why he's here," the girl snapped. Rally couldn't see any scars on her, but she wore a pair of grey fingerless gloves. Maybe to hide it? She turned back to them. "So what'd you do?"
Rally pushed themself off their knees and into a sitting position. "Nothing."
"Bullshit."
"I said I didn't do anything."
"People don't just get sent here for doing nothing," the girl snapped.
"Leave him alone, Akio." The girl flinched. "Sorry. Shit, sorry. Akiza." Rally looked up in time to see guilt flash over the boy's face.
Akiza didn't look at him. "It's fine. Forget it."
Rally stood up and walked towards one of the empty beds.
Akiza scowled. "You still haven't told us what you did."
"Leave him alone."
"Go fuck yourself, Yusei."
Rally climbed onto the bed and closed their eyes. "I use they pronouns," they mumbled before turning so their back was to the two. They waited until they heard Akiza's shoes click away from them, and a bed creaked as she climbed onto it.
They cracked open their functioning eye and slid the long shard of steel out of their sleeve. It was surprising that no one had checked them more than once. They probably could have gotten a more effective weapon in, but it didn't matter.
They slipped the shard under their pillow and closed their eye again.
Rally opened their eyes. The candle was gone, but their eyes were used to the dark by that stage.
They pulled the shard out from under their pillow. Finally.
They climbed off the bed. Their rubber shoes squeaked slightly, but not enough to wake Akiza or Yusei.
Do it. Do it.
They stood over Yusei's bed. His eyes were closed, hands stretched behind his head. He couldn't have been more than twelve.
He did it. He took her.
Rally gripped the shard tightly. The metal dug into the palm of their hand.
He stole it, and killed her. He deserved to die.
"Rally, I know you don't want to, but you need to do this. Come on, be a brave kid. You don't want her to have died in vain, do you? Just kill him and it'll be over."
It would be over. Their grip tightened. A bead of blood trickled down their hand. It would be over.
But she wouldn't be back. Their vision blurred.
She wouldn't be back, but at least he could get the locket. Yusei wouldn't have had enough time to drop it anywhere before he was arrested.
Couldn't they just get that without killing him? No. No, they had to avenge her.
A sob crept out of their lips, and Yusei's eyes flashed open. They flickered from Rally's face to the shard, and back to Rally's face. He didn't move to protect himself.
"The locket, right?"
Rally scowled. "You killed her." A tear trickled down their cheek.
"I stole the locket."
"You killed her."
"Trudge killed her."
"You killed her."
"I tried to help." Yusei closed his eyes. "I tried to hide her. But I didn't do it well enough. So I might as well have killed her."
Rally sobbed again. They heard the bed creak as Akiza looked down.
"What's going-" She stopped when she saw the shard, and Rally poised to thrust it into Yusei's throat.
Yusei glanced at her, but didn't say anything. He looked back at Rally. "Your sister?" Rally nodded. "I'm so sorry, Rally."
"You-You k-killed her."
Yusei sat up, slowly, and wrapped his arms around Rally. Rally tried to push him back. The shard dug into Yusei's arm, but he didn't let the other go. "I'm sorry."
"S-Sorry doesn't-doesn't-t bring-ing her b-b-back…"
"Neither does killing me."
Rally dropped the shard.
"You don't want her to have died in vain, do you? Just kill him and it'll be over."
"I want it to stop…"
The shard clattered as it hit the ground.
"I know." Yusei held them closer. "I'm so sorry. But it wasn't your fault." Rally flinched, and more tears fell down his cheek. A few stained his bandage.
"I-I-I-"
"Just kill him and it'll be over."
Rally curled into his chest, sobbing. "I-I-I'm s-s-sorry-y…"
Yusei didn't speak. He just pulled Rally down onto the bed with him, and held the other closer as they cried. He ran his hand through their hair.
Akiza leaned down so she could look at Yusei. She opened her mouth, but Yusei shook his head. After a moment, she nodded and retreated to her own bed again.
Yusei rested his head on top of Rally's, and closed his eyes, continuing to rub the other's back. "It wasn't your fault."
"I-I-I s-should h-have been-n there…"
Yusei didn't protest. Sometimes, people just needed to cry to let things go. Hours later, Rally had cried themself to sleep.
Akiza dropped to the floor and picked up the shard. She met Yusei's gaze, and glanced at Rally, before sliding the shard under the door with enough force to propel it into the empty room across from them.
She glanced at Rally once more, and placed her hand on their head for a moment before climbing back into her bed and letting Yusei just hold them.
DV: Hope you guys enjoyed! I'm really sorry for the crappy ending but I really wasn't sure how else to end it. Please review! See you next time, Killer Queens!
