Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh, Yu Yu Hakusho, or Harry Potter. I am merely a fan with an idea for an after-story monster thing.
.~.~.
Requiem (n.)
a solemn chant (as a dirge) for the repose of the dead
.~.~.
At first, all he felt was confusion. His head spun with it.
Questions arose.
Where was he?
Why was he here?
How did he get to where he was?
When did he arrive?
He didn't understand.
And so he did what any rational human being would do in his situation: he observed his surroundings.
It was hot; the wind chapped his lips and mussed his hair about and made the sand surrounding him only reprieve was the surprisingly cool sand beneath him. It was a pale gold- which made sense. Light colors reflected and dark colors absorbed.
The bright sun was beating down and that there was no way of escaping it—wherever he was had no trees and he couldn't find shade anywhere nearby. There was nothing but sand dunes for what seemed to be miles.
He was completely alone.
And then he realized that, for the first time in a very long time, he wasn't afraid at all. Not of the fact that he'd probably collapse from heat exhaustion if he didn't find water or even the fact that he was alone.
Deep within his core... there was a wild, primordial instinct that told him that he should've been afraid, that he should have been terrified.
… But for some strange reason—he couldn't bring himself to care.
And so he kept walking.
He kept walking despite the fact that his fair skin was burning and despite the growing sense of foreboding. He didn't know where he was going, but he had to keep moving forward. He had to.
How else was he supposed to save himself?
Soon, however, the pain became hard to ignore. It grew and magnified and soon his entire body was on fire, falling apart, freezing—all at once.
And suddenly, he was very, very afraid.
.
Bakura Ryou awoke with a gasp.
.~.~.
It was quiet, and it was dark.
One would think that he would be used to this darkness; this silent desolation… but it had been a long time since he had truly been alone. A very long time.
Because unlike this unnervingly quiet place, the Shadows were never silent, never desolate. It wasn't in their nature. In fact, it was impossible for the Shadows to be.
Why?
Because the Shadows were constantly filled with the smell of fear; the look of nightmares. And they were always filled with the sound of screams.
This place, however... it was different. It was calm, peaceful even. Gone were the movements seen out of the corner of his eye, the agonized moans, and the screams of terror. He didn't like it here.
The silence was suffocating.
This place... it made him remember things. Things that he wanted to forget, memories that he'd buried a long time ago. Memories that signified events he had never wanted to happen in the first place. Soon, those terrible memories pooled within him, drowning him slowly in their wake. They poured and dripped and flooded...
It wasn't long before he was lost in them.
.
The atmosphere was thick with acrid smoke, the metallic smell that could only be blood, and the stench of burning flesh. screams resounded throughout the air, piercing his young, sensitive ears... and all that he could do was watch in horror, petrified, as his world fell into pieces before his very eyes.
He could only resolve to do one thing: get revenge on the people who slaughtered his village; his friends, his family. Even if it meant losing his soul, even if it meant committing heresy. He would kill the Pharoah, no matter what the cost. He would get revenge.
Because he had absolutely nothing left to lose.
.
The sun was hot against his skin, and his throat burned with a desperate thirst. The ropes around his ankles and his wrists were tied tightly- too tightly. He could feel his fingers going numb.
His limbs were heavy and sore, and he was so very hungry...
He didn't know how long he had been walking, how long he had been locked within these shackles. There was one thing, however, that he did know– with every step that he took, he got closer and closer to the palace, closer and closer to exacting the thing that he'd been dreaming of and training for after years upon years.
He could almost taste it now; his revenge. It was in his arm's reach…
… But he knew that he couldn't do it alone.
He needed help, help from a being much more powerful than he was. This being, this savior of his was something of an expert with things such as these; of lying and stealing… and of murder as well.
It was the perfect partnership.
This creature, this Demon, would help him exact the very thing that he had dreamed of… but only in exchange for something precious, something that he would never get back.
His soul.
In honesty, he didn't mind the fact that his soul would soon be devoured, forever gone from this world. If this was the only thing that Zorc would take, the only thing that Zorc would accept as payment, then he would gladly give it away.
He had nothing else to lose, after all.
And so the Thief called for It, this Demon of Demons. He closed his eyes and called for It; begging and cajoling, offering his everything.
His world was engulfed in Shadows.
.
Everything else was bits and pieces, fleeting and formless. Half-formed thoughts and unfinished sentences here and there, brief glimpses of destruction.
It had all been pointless in the end. He'd never managed his goal—all that he'd managed to do was prolong his own suffering by an extra three thousand years and to destroy another innocent, naive child's life.
In realizing this, a new feeling emerged, an unknown, uncharted emotion that he could no longer recognize.
What was it?
Was it… guilt?
.~.~.
A very official-looking paper was stamped, and door was slammed, and King Enma Junior made an extremely important decision.
And thus our story begins…
.~.~.
Story Notes:
For Yu-Gi-Oh:
This story is set post-canon. Assuming that YGO began in June 1994 and ended in August 1995, this story begins 10 months after, in June 1996.
For Yu Yu Hakusho:
This story is set post-canon as well. Assuming that YYH began in May of 1993 and ended in May 1995, this story begins around 11-12 months after it ends.
For Harry Potter:
This story is an AU of book six. This story begins in the summer in between book five and book six, after all of the students have come home for vacation.
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Okay, here's the rewrite. It took me forever to finish, but I'm in love with this version. It's probably the best thing that I have EVER written.
First off, I want to give credit to an abundance of authors who inspire me greatly and have given me numerous ideas for this story with their's.
Thank you:
Phate Phoenix (The Difference Between Shadows and Darkness),
Lethotep (Shadow Balance),
JoIsBishMyoga (The Best Defense and A Great Offense),
Out-Of-Control-Authoress (No Strings Attached, Blood Bound),
JewelValentine (A Crossing of the Ways),
and
S. Lawliet (who's story name I can't remember at the moment but who still deserves much credit and many thank yous for being a great writer with original ideas)
Please, give theses authors some love for me, as they're the reason this story even exists. Without these people's writing this work would've never been written.
I also want to give Nameless Sky special thanks for being an awesome friend, boosting my confidence up the ceiling, and helping me by reading this beforehand. Thanks Ev! (You should go read her stuff, it's good... *hint, hint*
Lastly, thank you, Whiteswan, for reading this over and clarifying whether or not this rewrite was crap. xD
How do you guys like it? I LOVE feedback.
By the way, I have a Tumblr if anyone's interested. My url is the same as my penname.
Lots of love!
-Star
(Edited 7.17.13- quality, writing style, and characterization.)