Disclaimer: I do not own Yugioh
Warning: slight psychological terror, I tried my best.
Don't underestimate a little girl's want to help, and how messed up her way of helping can get.
'Why couldn't Iris be a scaredy-cat like the rest of the kids her age? Well that actually wouldn't help considering that she was centuries old and only had the body of a kid. But still,' Vector mused annoyed as the horror movie continued on the screen. 'Why is it that I was dragged into watching this?'
Iris had brought home a scary movie from her shopping trip with Nasch and unfortunately to make sure she could handle it the mother-hen decided that every Barian Emperor would watch it with her that night, before (if she took it badly) having a sleep over. Everyone expected it to go badly so they had the pillows and blankets, stuffed animals and dolls ready. A fire was going in the fireplace (it was pretty cold so it probably would have been there anyway). They even made a tent out of chairs and comforters for when they ate marshmallows before the movie.
And it wasn't like Vector had anything better to do that night. He was kept up every night by the visions of his people. Their corpses piled higher that some buildings he has seen. Nightmares were a harsh punishment that he bared in silence. Lest he let the others know, and he had no idea how they would react. Would they help him? Or would they laugh and allow the darkness to feast upon him?
"Ahhhhh!" the woman on the screen screamed loudly making Vector wince just from the pitch. Why did the actors have scream like that? 'We get it, you're scared,' Vector rolled his eyes a bit. He hadn't been paying attention the last forty minutes so honestly he had no idea why she was so afraid.
"Vector, psst, Vector." The orange haired Barian turned to his right where Alito was sitting. "What's going on, I zoned out."
Well that was interesting, Alito seemed to be the typed to love a good scare even in a cheap movie. Vector made a show of dramatically shrugging his shoulders. This made the old gladiator roll his eyes and turn the other way to Girag who was actually watching the movie. Alito started poking him in the side and whispering his name instead.
"I'm not going to let you hurt him!" Vector turned to the screen to see a blond haired woman shielding a blond haired boy from a man with blue hair who was carrying an axe. It made the orange haired Barian frown a little; couldn't the man use a gun? It took less time and strength to kill a person with a gun than with an axe. It just seemed like the man wasn't even trying. "He's our son, Michael. Why do you want to kill him?"
"That wretched child is not mine!" 'Michael' yelled raising his axe up. "Move or you go to hell with the kid."
"I'll see you there." The mother snarled. She seemed so vehement about it too.
Vector gulped as in front of him instead of a TV screen he saw his father standing over him with a sword raised. His arms felt heavier as the popcorn he was eating turned into his mother's lifeless body. He almost screamed as the shadows on the wall started laughing at him just like they did in his dreams; telling him he was going to be dragged into hell for his crimes against them. And when he was there they would slowly squeeze every ounce of his soul's being out until he wondered around the fiery pits with no identity except that of the Traitor. His throat felt dry and his limbs were on fire. He threw his mother's body (the popcorn) away from him seeing it separate and rain on his comrades in one gruesome picture.
And that was when he needed to leave. Not even trying to be subtle about going he clamored up, going over his 'bloodied' and glaring friends. He practically ran out of the room and into the kitchen. Pouring himself a glass of pink lemonade (a drink he was in love with, if there was one thing he could complement humans on it was the lemonade they made) he sat at the table as he watched the lemonade melt and cool down the drink. Only it didn't stay pink for long. It darkened and thickened into the blood of his allies. The ones he slew, the ones he let be beaten and broken beyond repair.
The shadows of the room were whispering again, 'Drink it Vector. You caused it to be shed, don't let it go to waste. DRINK IT!'
"No." He whispered trying to get the image of the blood out of his head. "Please stop it. I didn't mean to do it."
'Didn't mean to? You slaughtered your kingdom and friends. The people who put their trust and lives in your hands died at your feet and at your sword. The least you could do was drink their sacrifice and pay for your sins.'
Vector grabbed at his head with hands that were stained red. The blood dripped onto his face and down-
"Vector?" the Barian Emperor didn't need to look up to know it was Iris, but he did. She was clutching a teddy bear in her hands and practically shaking in her blue pajamas with pink clouds. "Are you alright?"
Subtly the Barian Emperor looked back to his hands; they were normal, a bit pale, but normal. His eyes strayed to the lemonade; it was light and happy looking as well. No sign of the gory vision he had seen. Suddenly he was aware of his erratic breathing and heart rate. Those were the only signs that showed he had such a hallucination though. He knew he didn't scream; he never did.
Vector didn't like the look in Iris' eyes though, it was like she knew something. But that wouldn't make sense, what would she know?
"I'm fine kid go enjoy your movie." Vector tried to wave her away but instead she sat down on the chair next to him.
"Nah, I don't want to watch the movie. Too scary for me." Iris shrugged.
Vector frowned, "Didn't Nasch-y tell you it would be scary." Of course he did, the mother-hen probably wanted her to watch ponies riding off into the sunset, so why had she gotten it if he had told her she wasn't up to it?
"Yeah." Iris said. "I didn't pick the movie out to watch it myself."
Vector didn't like where this was going. He looked her straight in the eyes and mentally cursed when he saw the mischievous look she had. "Then why did you pick it out?"
"Because." Iris pulled her legs up into a criss-cross, "You needed a good shock to your system." She frowned a little, "I didn't want to upset you like this. I never wanted you to have a mental breakdown. Please believe me what I say I only wanted to help since every night I pass by your room and here you screaming to your parents. And you aren't exactly the most open with anyone. So I thought if I could get you in this moment-"
"You can get out the answers." Vector finished. "This could have backfired though, if I wasn't so impressed with your deceit of Nasch I would be super angry and close up."
"I was counting on that as well." Iris fired back, "along with the light-headed, sluggish feeling that comes with being tired. Which is why I requested a late night viewing instead of earlier."
Vector hummed, "Well what if I had refused?"
"I would cry." Iris crossed her arms. Vector flinched none of the other emperors would let him leave if she cried. This girl was good. "Anything I missed?"
"How did you know my father killed my mother, I highly doubted that I screamed the detail out." Vector crossed his arms. She tilted her head.
"I didn't." She stated. "I picked out a movie where I knew both parents would die and hoped it might affect you a little bit. I didn't know the movie hit the nail on the head as humans today say."
Vector groaned, why did he have to say that?
"Anything else?" Iris questions again.
"Nope." Vector sighed before getting up leaving his lemonade where he was sitting down. Rummaging through the drawers he grabbed a knife and hid it quickly, also pulling a straw from the next cabinet so that he looked like he was actually doing something and wasn't a lunatic. Walking back to the girl the knife felt cold in his sleeve, but he knew he had to do it. She left him no choice. Grabbing her from behind he covered her mouth so that no one would hear her. It would be bad if they were interrupted. "Iris of Barian World, no one has tricked me before. And the only reason you did so now was because I was tired and unsuspecting which was my own mistake."
She whimpered behind his hand, she was shaking.
"I can't allowed this to happen again."
He turned her around and raised the knife. She closed her eyes, tears slipping past to drip down her cheeks.
"Lady Iris." He put the flat of the blade on her left shoulder, "I name you the Puppet Master's Apprentice, I shall look forward to watching you and seeing if you are worthy of being named a Knight of Mischief." And put the flat of the blade on her right shoulder. It was like a King knighting his people.
She opened her eyes wide and laughed a little at what he was doing. "W-what?"
"What did you think I was going to kill you?" Vector asked. "Someone I can pass my knowledge and skills too? I've been waiting for this day for years."
"So does that mean you trust me enough to talk to me about your nightmares?" Iris questioned. "Please I promise not to tell anyone about them, and I won't try something like this again."
Vector hummed, "I don't know. You did trick me once."
"Please!" Iris begged.
"We'll see." Vector sighed. And then was promptly tackled by his little apprentice. He was happy when the vision of a happy little girl wasn't changed into a grotesque distortion of the truth. He held on tighter, watching the shadows recede back into the corners so that they could strike at him later. This girl was like Yuma that way. She was so light that she defeated the darkness of another's heart without knowing it. "Let's go back in before they think we're little girls afraid of the big bad wolf."
"Well I don't know about you, but I am a little girl." Iris giggled as Vector picked her up like a rag doll.
"More like a little demon." The trickster snorted. She laughed a bit.
As they entered the room, the couple who had been on before were long gone and all the emperors turned to see them.
"Did you wimp out on us Vector?" Marin snorted. She was leaning back on her chair casually and unaffected by the bloodshed on the screen.
"No Marin, but you know the way you handle these scenes indicate you may be a psychotic mass murderer in the making." He didn't know if that was true but he needed a comeback to what she was saying.
Her eyes narrowed in annoyance following as he sat down in the recliner that Iris was sitting in earlier and setting her in his lap.
Nasch paused the movie, "Was there something wrong Vector?" He seemed genuinely concerned, which kind of shocked Vector.
Before Vector could even think up a lie (he was really tired and done with the day) Iris chimed in, "Yeah he was getting a drink when I walked in. I was a little scared by the scenes going on. You were right this is a little more than I could handle."
Nasch nodded and the others started moving around in the room. Obviously they had been waiting for her to say just that so they could leave, "Listen to me next time I don't want to frighten you and have you too scared to sleep."
"Yes my lord." Iris jumped off Vector's lap so that she could go over to him and give him a kiss on the cheek. Then she skipped off to go to the bathroom, she always had to go right before bed.
Nasch sighed, "Thanks for helping her out, Marin wanted me to give her some space."
Vector nodded, "My pleasure."
They didn't need to know he was the one that was actually scared. They didn't need to know that this movie had struck home and had brought up memories he was always trying to force down. They didn't even need to know they were tricked. It could just be Iris and Vector's little secret. And they were okay with that frankly.
Okay I'm not the best at trying to terrify my characters and stuff, so can anyone who reads this tell me if I did alright?
It's been a while since I've updated something. Is this okay?
Please review.
