Yu-Gi-Oh! - The Dark Dimension
~Recollections Shattered~
Yugi and friends had spent time together after their previous adventure. They had worked together to put a stop to the evil Egyptian God known as Apophis, only to realise that he was not so evil after all. Their classmate, Riko Murata, had spent a week in Egypt and was supposed to return so that she could graduate with her friends, but for some strange reason Yugi and the others were convinced that she stayed in Egypt. As for their other friend, Sakura Sora, they were convinced that she had left school a term early, possibly to see Riko in Egypt.
Only one friend was suspicious of their absence, and that friend was Janeiro Brazil. She knew that Riko was only supposed to be gone for a week, and she was convinced that Sakura would never leave school early. She didn't seem like that kind of person, and neither did Riko.
"Janeiro?" came Ryo's voice, snapping Janeiro out of her thoughts. She had been sitting alone on one of the school benches during break. The white-haired male smiled and sat beside her, handing her a chocolate bar. "Here. I got you your favourite."
"Oh..." Janeiro murmured. "Thanks, Ryo..."
As she took the bar, Ryo couldn't help but look concerned. "Are you alright?" he asked. "You look quite disturbed."
"I'm not," Janeiro attempted to assure, though she wasn't convincing Ryo any time soon.
"Is this about Rena?" Ryo queried as he took a bite out of his own chocolate bar. Hearing that just reminded Janeiro of another pain that she didn't want to feel. While Rena had been her evil alter ego, she knew that she wasn't entirely evil - or at least, it wasn't her fault she was evil.
Janeiro remembered the deck of cards Rena had built for her that one time. The deck had never since been changed, and Janeiro refused to improve it because she wanted something to remind her of Rena. The deck box was actually in the pocket of her school blazer, so she decided to take a look at her cards.
"It's okay to miss her," Ryo assured gently, his eyes drooped with sadness and sympathy.
"That's not why I'm worried," Janeiro corrected, shaking her head. "Of course, I do think about Rena sometimes, and I do worry for your alter ego, but I don't think either of them have anything to do with why I'm concerned." The blue-haired girl looked Ryo in the eyes. "Do you not... think about Riko and Sakura?"
"Not really," Ryo admitted. "Why would I? They're quite happy."
"They've disappeared," Janeiro stated. "They wouldn't just leave, Ryo. Something isn't right."
"I think you're just stressed," Ryo replied, watching as Janeiro nibbled her chocolate bar like a frightened mouse. "I understand how difficult it can be to adjust to having no spirit within you; I used to miss my other half when he first disappeared. I'll help you get through it, Janeiro; that's why I'm here."
"No," Janeiro insisted. "It's got nothing to do with Rena."
"Alright," Ryo nodded. "If you truly believe that it's unrelated to Rena, then what do you think is the matter?"
"It's Riko and Sakura," Janeiro repeated, trying not to let herself become frustrated. "I know they wouldn't just leave school, Ryo. Something's happened to them."
"And if you were to make a guess, what do you suppose happened?" Ryo queried. Janeiro was quiet for a few moments as she sat in thought.
"I don't know," she admitted. "For all we know it could be to do with Yami Bakura..."
"Yes," Ryo agreed thoughtfully. "He's still out there. Perhaps he is already up to no good, but why would he target Riko and Sakura, of all people? Surely he would come after us or Yugi."
"You have a point," Janeiro stated. "Unless he thinks he is avenging Rena by getting rid of the two girls she feared."
"Perhaps," Ryo replied. "But would he really go that far to avenge someone like Rena? He never did understand the concept of caring for another being..."
"I don't know," Janeiro admitted. "I just don't know."
"Hm," Ryo muttered through closed lips. He glanced down at his feet as he finished his chocolate bar, scrunching the wrapper up in his hand before standing up. "We should talk to Yugi about this. He might be able to help us. Maybe after school we could also try to contact Riko and Sakura to make sure they're alright; then we'll know for sure if they are in danger or not."
"That sounds like a good idea," Janeiro responded, appearing somewhat relieved. Ryo smiled at her.
"I'll be back shortly," he announced. "Wait here for me." With that said, Ryo headed off in the direction of the school building to use the bathroom.
Janeiro used her time alone to once again examine the deck given to her by Rena. She would never forget the day she unpacked her bag in Egypt, finding this deck box among her items. She was never very good at Duel Monsters, but by believing in the heart of the cards she was able to put trust in the deck built for her by her own evil alter ego, and in doing so she managed to defeat Yami Bakura in a duel to save Ryo's soul from him. It was one of her proudest moments.
"You have some interesting cards there," came a voice which startled Janeiro. She clutched the cards close to her chest as she looked up, meeting the amber eyes belonging to her fellow classmate, Aigami.
"Oh..." the blue-haired girl murmured. "These are only my Duel Monsters cards... Someone built this deck for me recently." Aigami nodded his head.
"So you play?" he asked her. Janeiro nodded her head.
"A little bit," she specified. "I played it much more when I was a little bit younger." The girl paused before tilting her head. "Do you play Duel Monsters, Aigami?"
"Not much," the male student admitted, "although I do play similar games."
"I only really play Duel Monsters," Janeiro admitted.
"Sounds like we're both beginners," Aigami noted. "Perhaps you and I could practice together, and maybe I could show you some of the games I like to play."
"Oh," Janeiro reacted. "That sounds like fun. We should ask Ryo to join us; he's better at Duel Monsters than I am."
"Ryo?" Aigami queried. "Don't you mean Bakura?"
"No, he much prefers to be called Ryo," Janeiro corrected.
"I've never heard anyone call him Ryo," Aigami admitted. "Everyone calls him Bakura."
"They do?" Janeiro questioned. She began to think about it, and the more she thought, the more she became convinced. Was she the only one who called him Ryo? Did she even call him Ryo at all, or had she been calling him Bakura this whole time? She genuinely did not know.
"They do," Aigami confirmed. "You and Bakura are close friends, are you not?"
"We are," Janeiro answered with a slight blush on her face. Truth be told, she didn't know if they were friends or much more than that. The pair had been on a few small dates to ice cream parlours and the movies, but neither one of them had ever declared the other to be their partner. For now, claiming to just be Ryo Bakura's friend was the most accurate option.
"Where is he?" Aigami asked, glancing around. "You two are always together."
"He had to use the bathroom," Janeiro replied awkwardly. "He should be back soon."
"Break's almost over," Aigami pointed out. "The bell will ring by the time he gets back."
Was that true? Break had barely even started. Or at least, it felt that way.
"I could quickly show you my Duel Monsters deck, if you like," Aigami offered. "You sound like you know more than me about the game; perhaps you could give me some advice on deck building."
"Oh, um..." Janeiro stuttered. "I suppose I could..."
Aigami smiled kindly. "Follow me. If we're caught gaming out here we'll likely catch Scud's attention. He isn't too fond of me."
For a moment Janeiro felt worried, not entirely trusting Aigami, but she could tell he was being genuine. Scud was someone she knew of but thankfully she hadn't had any problems herself with him. All that she knew was that he led a gang of school bullies, and Ryo had encountered him a few times in the past.
Aigami walked, inspecting Janeiro to follow him, which she did with slight hesitation. She didn't know Aigami very well and preferred to spend her time with Ryo or Yugi's group, since they were her only friends. Of course, Janeiro knew that she was safe on school grounds, but she still couldn't help being timid around others.
The duo wandered into a dark old storage room, which looked as if it was only meant to be entered by staff.
"Should we be in here...?" Janeiro asked warily as Aigami pulled a cord, switching on a single light bulb which flickered to life.
"Don't worry," he responded to her. "This used to be the storage room for the old gym equipment. Nobody comes in here anymore; not even the teachers."
"So you come in here a lot?" Janeiro questioned as she wandered further into the room.
"Yeah," Aigami answered. "I'd rather spend time in here to avoid Scud and his gang."
"That's awful..." Janeiro sighed sympathetically. "You shouldn't let people like him frighten you."
"I'm not afraid of him," Aigami clarified.
"Yet you hide from him at break?" Janeiro pointed out. "It's not nice to live in fear. You should open up to people and spend time with them... You could even spent time with my friends and I. Yugi's very open, and Ryo is... wonderful..."
There was a somewhat serious and thoughtful expression upon Aigami's face. "Indeed," he agreed in a quiet tone before reaching into his pocket and taking out a standard deck box. "Should we have a quick duel before class starts? Then we'll be able to see each other's skill level."
"Alright," Janeiro replied, looking around the room to find somewhere for a regular duel to take place. Aigami walked over to a table and pulled over a chair before taking a seat and emptying his deck of cards out into his hand. Janeiro took a seat opposite him, doing the same. The pair shuffled their decks, and Aigami flipped a coin to decide who would go first. It was declared that he was to make the first move.
"Here we go," he murmured, setting a card face down. "I set a card and end my turn. Your move, Janeiro."
"Very well," Janeiro nodded, looking at her hand after drawing a card. "I set two cards, and I set a monster. I end my turn."
"You're not bad," Aigami acknowledged. "You don't hesitate when making a move. Or maybe that's just because you're foolish." He placed a monster face-down. "I set a monster and end my turn."
"Draw..." Janeiro murmured, finding that she now felt uneasy after hearing Aigami's words. She shrugged it off as him being competitive. However, she smiled a little when seeing the card she had drawn: the Gravekeeper's Heretic. "I summon Gravekeeper's Heretic in attack position," she announced as she placed down the card. Aigami eyed it curiously as Janeiro ended her turn.
"I draw," Aigami said calmly, examining his hand. After a pause, he simply said: "I end."
Once again, Janeiro drew a card. Her feelings of nervousness had now faded away, and she decided to play this game as she would with any of her friends. This wasn't a duel for someone's soul; it was just for fun. So she pointed at Aigami's face-down monster and said: "I attack your face-down card with Gravekeeper's Heretic."
"Hmph," Aigami murmured as he lifted the card. "Stygian Security is sent to the graveyard, but due to its effect I can special summon a level one or lower fiend from my deck." Aigami picked up his deck and flicked through it before pulling out a card. "I special summon Vijam the Cubic Seed."
"Huh," Janeiro reacted. "Well... I end my turn." There was nothing more she could do.
"Draw," Aigami announced. A small smirk was on his face as he set a card. "That Gravekeeper Card means a lot to you, doesn't it?"
"Of course it does," Janeiro admitted, shaking her head. "I don't think you'd understand why it's so special to me."
"Try me," Aigami countered as he declared an end to his turn. Janeiro awkwardly drew a card.
"Well, it was the Ka of my ancestor," she revealed. "She was a powerful woman, but this monster suddenly appeared within her. It resembles her partner - Ryo's ancestor."
"So you and Bakura have a close bond indeed," Aigami noticed, nodding his head slowly. "Well... becoming close to someone like Bakura might be the last mistake you ever make."
"Huh?" Janeiro gulped, no longer focusing on playing the game. "What are you talking about? Ryo is one of the nicest people I know."
"He's a cold-blooded killer," Aigami argued with a frown on his face. "He's more of a monster than the card you are controlling."
"That's not true!" Janeiro cried out angrily, though naturally her tone couldn't be too loud. "Why would you say something so horrid about Ryo?! He has never done wrong!"
"That's what he wants you to believe," Aigami calmly retorted, standing up from his seat. "It's a shame you have fallen into his trap, Janeiro Brazil. You seem like someone who is kind, but even I can see that your soul has been damaged by the Millennium Ring."
"What...?" Janeiro gasped, surprised at Aigami's knowledge. "Aigami, what are you talking about?! You're scaring me!"
"The Millennium Ring was Bakura's item, wasn't it?" Aigami recalled. "Some time ago a part of it tainted your soul. You were driven to murder your own parents by the ring's evil. What's worse is that you play a deck built by the evil spirit who drove you to do such things."
"How do you know all of this?!" Janeiro yelled, jumping out of her seat and taking a few steps back. "Aigami, please! Just tell me what's going on, I'm scared!"
Aigami held out his palm, and in it he held a cube which glowed a strange orange colour. Janeiro took some more steps back, only to trip over her own feet and land on her back. She managed to sit herself up, curling into herself as she trembled with pure fear. Tears began to drip from her eyes.
The girl could only look around as some strange spirits surrounded her, all with vacant expressions. They looked as if they had come from another world.
"You will only stand in my way if I let you stay here," Aigami stated, walked towards Janeiro slowly. She could only cower behind her hands as he approached. "You are an obstacle, Janeiro, and that is why you must be removed. You knew something was strange when Riko and Sakura disappeared, and you are too close to Bakura."
It was Aigami. He was the one who made Riko and Sakura disappear.
Where did they go? Why would Aigami feel threatened by them? Who was he? What were his motives? Janeiro had too many questions going through her mind, but she could not ask any of them - not while she was being threatened.
But one question she was able to ask was: "W-What are you going to do?" She managed to lift her head, her tearful eyes staring at Aigami. "What have you done to my friends? And... w-what do you want from Ryo...?"
"I will expose him for who he truly is," Aigami growled lowly before he smirked. "Don't worry, you'll be able to watch as he slowly forgets who you are. He'll think nothing of your disappearance, and soon I will make him pay for what he did to me."
Janeiro's eyes went wide with horror. "No..." she mumbled. "You mustn't! He is no monster, Aigami, you must believe me! It must have been his dark side; he hurt me, too! He's the one who put me in a coma for three years!"
"Yet you were weak enough to forgive Bakura for what he did," Aigami added darkly.
"It wasn't Ryo who did that!" Janeiro insisted as she began to weep softly, still cowering before Aigami on the cold floor.
"You are blind," Aigami accused as the cube began to glow a little brighter. "I feel sorry for you, Janeiro, I really do, but in the end, I only seek to acheive my goal, and I cannot have you getting in my way."
Janeiro flinched and curled up even more, sobbing into her knees. By no means was she a fighter, and Aigami had really played with her emotions. He brought up the fact that Rena had killed her parents, and twisted stories to make Ryo Bakura seem like a villain. And now she was being labeled as evil. She was powerless; two of her friends had already disappeared because of Aigami, and now she was next - unless there was worse in store for her.
"Sayonara, Janeiro Brazil," Aigami spoke. "It's a shame soon no one will remember you."
Janeiro felt her whole body become extremely light before suddenly she was no longer sitting on the ground of the old storage room. Silence surrounded her.
She was nowhere.
~End of Chapter~