Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh! or any of the musicals the characters interpret in this work. I'm just writing this for fun.
The Judge's seat reached high into the void; quite possibly he'd go mad if he tried to see what was contained in the abyss, assuming anything was there to begin with. It was a thought that made the man chuckle, the rattle of bitterness in his voice while his hand absently reached up and caressed the purple bruise encircling his throat.
Suddenly, the slamming of a gavel, an imperious voice ringing down from on high:
"Why, Bakura? Why did you kill Empress Ishizu?"
The accused gave a cry of frustration in the language of his homeland, which the Judge ignored in favor of another demand.
"Answer, Bakura!"
The rattling of chains, an air of frustration prevalent in the sound as Bakura shouted his response towards the unknown face in the void, his voice tinged red with anger.
"Why!? Every night, the same question for a hundred years! Why all this questioning!? Gods damnit, I am dead!"
"The terrible assassination of the Empress of Egypt-!"
Here, the angry accused was disrespectful, loudly muttering an improper statement best not repeated while making to turn his back to the Judge.
"The motive, Bakura! Explain what the motive was!"
For the first time, a grin with a touch of madness in its look graced the lips of the defendant, amusement glittering in his dark brown eyes when he turned around again.
"The motive...? I did it because she wanted it!"
A scoff, entrenched in scorn and skepticism.
"Do not speak such nonsense in the court."
"She really did! There are honorable witnesses to testify this!"
In his declaration, Bakura left the stand, motioning towards the left side of the court. A long row of coffins propped against the wall was all he had to show for his flourishes. Again, a skeptical noise from the Judge.
"And what manner of witnesses would these be, Bakura?"
A harsh laugh, the man dashing towards the first coffin and kicking off the lid with a savage kick. A person stumbled out, somewhat stiff in his movements while feeling and limberness were slow in returning to the body. A series of popping sounds rang through the court as the coffin lids were shoved off and Bakura leaped up into the panel of the stand.
"Her contemporaries, Your Honor! They cannot find peace and continue to talk about..."
His voice dropped to a loud whisper as he glanced towards the gathering of dead.
"...Ishizu!"
The witnesses were the orchestra, the accused their conductor: with words alone, they wove a symphony that was confusing in meter, sound and composition yet all the more beautiful for its chaos. It spoke of the old world that was no more, their compulsion to dance and sing of a past that could never be restored. Ultimately, they spoke of the one individual who was absent, the reason the court session was being held at all. She was as dead as they, yet parted from them even then.
An enigma beyond the speculation of spirits.
An omen beyond any man's recognition.
Prevalent in the symphony is the mixed emotion; despite the sureness of their playing, the subject still confuses them and they are at a loss. Lucky and damned yet at the same time, wild and awake. They called her rich and poor even while asking what she sought. Hard and soft as they inquire as to what she has destroyed. Finally, Bakura starts to speak once again, seemingly forgetting the Judge's presence as he is lost in his own recollections, swept along in the symphonic wave just like all the rest.
"No one was more proud; she despised you!"
He wasn't addressing the Judge but perhaps someone beyond him, hidden in the shadows of the void while his choir intoned a single word.
"Seto!"
"She laughed at you! You were the only one who understood her but she danced for her freedom without ever giving in!"
"Spoiled."
An indignant scream.
"She wanted to look into the darkness!"
Once again, the intonation, "threatened. She wanted our curse. What terrified us, she adored…!"
Here, the choir swayed, the song acquiring a subtle tremor even as they continued: "Everyone has danced with Seto but no one like Ishizu…!"
They would have gone on, except at that moment Bakura held up a hand for silence, his attention captivated by something beyond the chasm above. Indeed, something was coming out from the void, shaped not unlike a ramp stretching down from on high and towards the floor of the courtroom.
"Attention, everyone!"
Once again, his voice dropped in volume but the intonation was different, that of a servant acknowledging his master with the deepest reverence.
"His Majesty…Seto Kaiba!"
His steps were silent yet it seemed to all present that a titan walked in their midst. His looks weren't uncommon—somewhat messy medium brown hair and cobalt eyes enhancing sharp features on pale skin—but the regal and deadly air surrounding him was real, as much clothing to him as the white suit and double-breasted long coat with Prussian blue accents. He was quiet even as he stepped off the ramp, taking a moment to study his surroundings with a sharp gaze that missed nothing. Then, the silence was broken, his words loud yet spoken softly.
"What is the point of bringing up this old song and dance? Some call it joy, others pain and many call it love. My duty is to destroy and I collect those who belong to me, young…"
Here he paused, eyes colder than ice landing upon the witnesses.
"…Or old."
His gaze sweeps the courtroom as he takes a moment before he resumes speaking.
"I am uncertain where it came from, considering I had no love within me to begin with. But it is true…I did love her."
Silence hangs in the air as his gaze moves towards a portrait on the wall. It is a close-up of a young woman, bedecked in silks and jewels while gazing solemnly towards the painter. As quickly as it is revealed, the light shining down on it fades swiftly, obscuring the image in the darkness.
A slamming of the gavel as Bakura is visibly dragged back into the stand while the Judge's voice roars down at him.
"Love? Death? You speak faerie tales and avoid the questions, Bakura! Who hired you!?"
"Seto Kaiba…I was always his man."
"The motive, Bakura!"
"Love…A great and powerful love…!"
Song: Prolog
Musical: Elisabeth
Dramatis Personae:
-Yami Bakura (as Luigi Lucheni)
-Seto Kaiba (as Der Tod)
-Exodia (as the Judge)
-Ishizu Ishtar (as Elisabeth)
A/N: This is basically a self-imposed challenge where I try to write a musical number into an actual scene. Because I'm kinda obsessed with it atm, the first one I wrote was Prolog from Kunze and Levay's Elisabeth, which is a German musical about the Empress Elisabeth of Austria. The next one will likely be a song from Andrew Lloyd Webber's Evita but it's still up for debate. Remember to read and review! -ValarSpawn