Yeah, this is a new story. I have enough on my plate already, but the Muses were yelling at me and I couldn't ignore it. I actually love this idea and I think it is going to turn out really well.
It is sort of a crossover. I based the story on Disney's Hunchback of Notre Dame, while tailoring it to the Yu-Gi-Oh universe. Now, I am not the first person to take one plot and retell it with different characters (and I doubt I will be the last), but I personally was inspired to create this story after reading the works of the user Wordsorcereress. She has done a couple stories in this style (and they are amazing). I hope mine is half as good as hers are. All of you should give her page a look.
I will be using some of the original Hunchback songs in this fic. I'm trying to use the manga names as well.
And, fyi, there will be boy on boy pairing(s) (I'm honestly not sure yet) in this fic. And no, don't think you can figure out the entire if you know the Disney movie. I am taking some license (it is a fanfic, after all). Sorry, not sorry.
And since it's a fanfic, I own nothing.
If you have any questions, feel free to ask me in a review or a PM!
The sun had barely peaked over the city of Domino, and the puppeteer already had quite the little crowd. He grinned (a sight both alluring and terrifying) at the children sitting in a circle outside his stage.
The man was tall, imposing, and possibly a whack-job. He seemed more likely to be chained in a psychiatric ward than performing for children. His deep violet eyes were nearly as wild as his hair, the platinum blonde strands exploding in all directions. He dressed in simple clothes, a black tunic and tan trousers, with outrageous accessories of purple and gold.
His dark cape seemed to defy physics as the large cloth easily fit behind the small stage. Golden jewelry gleamed in the shadows of backstage, illuminated by the glowing symbol of an eye on his forehead. He caught a reflection of himself in his bracelet as he reached for one of his many marionettes. That symbol... Damn thing brings me nothing but trouble. And he loved it.
Turning back to his puppets, he pulled out his favorite, his constant companion. It was almost in his exact likeness. Same dark skin, same hue of hair and eye color. But the puppet's hair was tamer than his own, and the eyes, more approachable. Perhaps even sane. But, he thought, smirking, I have given witness to much more than you, my dear friend. I'm allowed to be unstable.
"Come along, little Malik," he cooed at the muslin form, "It's show time."
The chatter in the streets subsided as the curtain opened. One kid actually stood up and cheered, before his friends yanked him back down on his butt. Marik the Puppeteer (and that was who he was, it said so on his cart) grinned his terrible grin but the small children laughed in response. The children loved Marik and his smile, taking in the gleaming fangs as a sign of what to come. It was Marik's "I-have-a-story" smile, what they waited for on baited breath. The kids seemed to inhale with the minstrel as he prepared for his performance.
"Dawn in Domino, the city awakes, to the bells of Kame Dame!" Marik gestured to the large building behind him with a flair of his cape. The cathedral was magnificent behind them. The two bell towers, larger than dragons and the legends that held them, rose to scrape the clouds. The grey stone stood stoic against the blue sky, and Marik's brightly colored stand seemed like a children's drawing in comparison. The building was etched with images of the creatures of old and the Duelists who had wielded them. Even the smallest child in the group knew the names of every image, the duel monsters that guarded not only the holy building, but the residents of the city. However, despite the previous knowledge, the young ones looked at the building with renewed awe, marveling at the images of sentinels sent from the gods. Marik chuckled at their wonder.
"The fisherman fishes-" The children waved to Ryota Kajiki as he walked by. Kajiki laughed and waved to Marik. The townsfolk were used to his antics by now. "The bakerman bakes-" Marik again commanded their attention, directing it to the Burger World Inn behind them. The smell of freshly made buns was already rafting through the street. "To the bells of Kame Dame." The kids nodded, showing they understood. The bells were in everything.
"To big bells as loud as the thunder! To little bells soft as a psalm- it's a prayer." "Ohhhhhs" passed through his small crowd, the confusion Marik had seen vanishing. "Don't you kids pay attention in school?" There was an overwhelming response of "no!" Marik grinned. "Good. But some say soul of the city's the toll of the bells, the bells of Kame Dame." He sighed, ending just as the first sounds erupted from the tower. "Aren't they beautiful? Almost as nice as my singing. OOH! And guess what? They don't ring by themselves, you know." Malik's head snapped up, his mouth open so wide his jaw almost unhinged.
"THEY DON'T?" The young ones laughed. They all knew that bells couldn't just ring on their own. It was probably magic.
"Of course not, baka puppet! High up in the dark towers lives... the bell ringer!" The children gasped, and looked up.
"I saw something! Something white!" The same child who had cheered earlier was squealing. Marik smiled at him, violet eyes locked on the wide brown irises. The brown haired boy never shut up, unless he was listening to one of Marik's stories and/or eating. So Marik decided to indulge him.
"Who is this mysterious creature?"
"Who?!" The kid shrieked, eager to find out. Marik's smile widened, nearing psychotic levels.
"What is he?"
"What?!"
"How did he come to get there?"
"HOW?!" The brunette was about to pee his pants. The boy in front of him (who could have been a mini-Goth with his raven hair and matching trench coat) glared behind him.
"Shut up, you idiot! He's going to tell us!" Marik chuckled as the brunette leapt at him, barely held back by his small, blue-haired friend. Still, he decided he better get going before the punk had a black eye to match his coat. He clucked his tongue.
"Tsk, tsk. Can't stop fighting for one story?" All three of them blushed and sat down. "This is the next generation of duelists who will protect our great city? If this is where society is headed, count me out!" His voice was serious, but his eyes still smirked. The tension evaporated. "And Marik will tell you. It is a tale of a man… and a monster."
Marik looked to the left and the right. No one was watching as he reached to his side, and grabbed a golden object from the waistband of his pants. The children gasped and clutched each other with excitement. They knew what was coming. Marik held his finger to his lip before holding the staff before him. A golden eye imprinted on the rod, the same shape as the one on Marik's forehead, faced the children. He muttered a spell and it glowed. Then with the flick of his rest, the rod returned to his waist, as though it had never been anywhere else.
Though the show continued, puppets acting out the words spoken, the children's eyes were glazed. No one took notice of this, no body questioned the faint smiles and gasps of shock as the story was told. The children reacted as though they were witnesses. It was almost as though they saw something no one else could see.
Images came like a dream; Marik's voice the only thing entering from the outside world.
"Dark was the night when our tale was begun, on the docks near Kame Dame."
Four figures stood near the river, huddled around a boat. All wore dark cloaks, hoods shadowing their faces. Their eyes shifted toward any bright spot, as though they were scared of the moonlight. A baby began crying. The figure farthest from the street, the only woman, rocked the bundle in her arms, clutching it closer.
"Shut that thing up!" The man in front of her snapped.
"You will ruin us!" Another wailed. Her husband merely placed a hand around her shoulder, but she could feel his tension.
"Hush, little one," she pleaded. She could hardly claim him for crying out. She hadn't had time to feed him before they ran and the air was bitingly cold. Her eyes locked on the cathedral that towered over the city and she prayed to the Gods for his safety, if nothing more.
"Four frightened Yamis slid silently under the docks near Kame Dame."
They crept down the steps that led to the pier, silent as the shadows. They reached the boat with ease.
"Five hundred Yen for safe passage from Domino," the ferryman hissed, stepping out of his boat, leaning forward with his gondola. He was lucky. A moment later, the boat exploded. The Yamis shrieked and fled from the waterside. The mother looked up, and her eyes widening in horror. Barrel Dragon stood her down, all three of its guns still smoking from shooting.
"But a trap had been laid for the Yamis, and they looked up in fear and alarm..."
The frightened group gasped, huddling closer together. One fell to the ground and began praying fervently and he called out to the Winged Dragon of Ra. The Guard had arrived; silence was no longer needed. The group was fearsome. The four were clad in the uniforms of the Domino Guard, black robes overlaid with silver armor clamping tightly to their skin. Each wore the platinum Duel Disc of the Elite Squadron of the Guard.
"Insector Haga?" The father murmured in fear, gripping his wife closer, "Dinosaur Ryuzaki?"
"With Bandit Keith and Ghost Kotzusuka." The third man finished for him. "The four most powerful duelists in Domino." He said this with no emotion. There was no need to show any. No point in feeling anything. Nothing could be done. This is the end.
"But if... if they are here..." The father bit his tongue to keep from wailing. That meant he was here. As if answering his thoughts, a horse rounded the corner, carrying the very man all of them had hoped never to see.
"At a figure whose clutches were iron as much as the bells..."
"Judge Gozaburo Kaiba!"
"The bells of Kame Dame."
Judge Gozaburo was tall and demanding, taking over the entire alleyway. He made the once-threatening duelists seem like clowns. Even Barrel Dragon seemed like a harmless toy in comparison to his imposing aura. He scowled at the Yamis, viewing them as cockroaches in his blessed city.
"Judge Gozaburo longed to purge the world of vice and sin."
No one dared to move. Ever so slowly, Gozaburo made his way down the center of the street. His red robes swirled around him in the wind, making him look like a wrathful archangel. His sorrel eyes were cold as he smirked.
"And he saw corruption everywhere... Except within."
"Take these Yami scum to the Realm of Shadows, where they belong." Suddenly, everything had shifted. Barrel Dragon disappeared. Bandit Keith had dismissed him. There was no need to waste his power on this sham of an arrest. The mother now stood alone, her husband ripped away from her. She watched in horror as he, along with their companions, was roughly forced into shackles. This pause cost her. Haga noticed the bundle in her arms.
"What are you hiding?" he shouted, and reached for the blanket surrounding her child.
"No, no please!" she begged, yanking back from him. Gozaburo rolled his eyes, disgusted.
"Stolen goods, no doubt. Take them from her!" Her heart pounded in her ears, her breath came quick as her bloodstream filled with adrenaline. She only saw one option.
"She ran!"
Her hood flew back behind her, revealing long hair the color of snow and the image of a glowing eye on her forehead. She was too panicked to care about disguising it now. Her shoes pounded against the cobblestone. She could hear her husband crying out to her, but she couldn't make herself care. Only one thought ran through her mind. I have to get him to safety. She clutched the boy tighter to her chest at this thought. Of course he was asleep now. She had always marveled at how the boy seem able to doze through anything, and right now, she could not thank the Gods enough for this gift.
Gozaburo's horse screamed. The mother glanced over her shoulder and cried out in fear. Gozaburo himself was pursuing her, driving his horse forward like a madman. The creature was foaming at the mouth, nostrils flaring uncontrollably. The mother felt a twinge of guilt. It looked like Yamis were not the only ones Gozaburo was cruel to.
She didn't have time to worry about that now. She had to get to the cathedral. It was the only safe place. Sanctuary... The word made her heart feel lighter. But even a Yami could not outrun a horse. She ducked to the right, intentionally heading out of her way. There. At the end of the alley was a small opening along the wall, just big enough to duck through. She could hear Gozaburo curse in anger as his horse reared, unable to get to her. He galloped off in another direction.
She gazed up at the large structure as she ran. It was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen. Her eyes filled with tears as she sent a prayer to every God, Legendary Duelist, and Monster watching over them. Thank you. She reached the massive wooden door and yanked the cast iron handle. It wouldn't budge. No! She had no time; Gozaburo would catch up to her at any moment. She tried again. It was locked. She pounded on the door with all her might.
"Sanctuary!" She screamed, "Please, give us Sanctuary!" But it was too late. She heard a snort as hooves skidded to a stop. "Gods, please!" She turned in time to see Gozaburo dismount the sweat-drenched creature. He approached with fire in his eyes, the intense glare never leaving the baby in her arms. She tried to run, cut across to the stairs, and vanish into the alleys and back streets of Domino.
But the judge was quicker than she thought. He snatched her shoulder, pulling her near to him. She flinched back, squirming to be free of the grip that seemed to crush her bone. Gozaburo barely noticed her thrashing; instead he locked his clutch on the bundle the Yami was so intent on keeping. She wouldn't let go. He had to shove her back with all his strength to safely dislodge the parcel from her. The Yami flailed, and backwards down the steps leading up to the cathedral. Her head connected to the edge of the stone with a wet crunch.
The baby's eyes flashed open and he immediately began to howl, as though he understood what had just happened. But Gozaburo didn't look down, still focused on the Yami woman. He had to be sure this wasn't an act. So he didn't notice the darkness that seemed to leak from his skin like sweat. The darkness comforted the crying boy in the way the judge refused too. It wrapped itself around the infant in a warm embrace, and the wailing subsided. At that, Gozaburo did look down.
"A baby?" He questioned, and lifted the blanket to get a better look at the child in his clutches. He drew back at the sight. "A monster!" The words sprang from his lips. The newborn looked about at him, large brown eyes set in the inquisitive pale face. Hair the same shade as his mother's was already sprouting from the crown of his head. It seemed even lighter in comparison to the dark energy that surrounded the babe. Shadow magic! The youngling was already coated in the filthy magic the Yamis performed. He scowled at the lifeless woman on the steps. She had cursed her own son before he could even walk. The boy was a freak, a menace to society. With magic like this, he could destroy half the city in a temper tantrum.
Gozaburo knew what he had to do.
His eyes scanned the square. He wasn't sure what he was looking for until his eyes settled on the well. Perfect, he thought, and nearly ran to the fount. He held the child out over the water, as far away from his own body as he could manage. The contaminated baby made no noise of protest. He knows this is the will of the Gods, Gozaburo inferred, taking this as a sign he was making the right decision as he went to let go-
"STOP!"
"The Archduelist, Sugoroku Mutou, shouted."
The Archduelist had heard the woman's cries, and had come to help the desperate soul. Instead, he discovered a corpse on his steps and the Minister Gozaburo dangling a baby over the well. He ran to the Yami draped across the steps. Blood was pooling behind her head, and her skin was already cold to the touch. The Archduelist sighed and closed her eyes, whispering a prayer for the soul that had left them this night. Gozaburo sighed, not in the mood to deal with the old man.
"This child is tainted with the Shadows! I am merely cleansing this corruption with the waters of Kame Dame," he explained. The Archduelist met his gaze with a glare the minister had never seen before. The look burned with sadness, as though Gozaburo had set a pyre at the Archduelist's feet.
"See here the innocent blood you have spilt, on the steps of Kame Dame!" He was nearly begging Gozaburo, urging him to acknowledge the inert figure at his feet. The judge waved the accusation away.
"I am free of guilt. She ran and I pursued."
"Now you would add this child's blood to your guilt on the steps of Kame Dame?"
"My conscience is clear!" the man insisted. Still, he brought the boy back to be held at chest level. The Archduelist stood, now carrying the woman in his arms. He strode toward Gozaburo as he spoke.
"You can lie to yourself and your minions. You can claim that you haven't a qualm. But you never can run from nor hide what you've done from the eyes..." He trailed off and looked back to his cathedral. "The very eyes of Kame Dame."
Though he was nearly two feet shorter than the minister, the Archduelist seemed to grow with every step until he towered over Gozaburo. Icy chills ran down his spine as the meaning of the words sunk in. He looked up at the massive structure, and felt a pit in his stomach. It was like nothing he had ever felt before.
"And for one time in his life of power and control, Gozaburo felt a twinge of fear for his immortal soul."
He swore they were looking at him. The monsters, the Legendary Duelists he served... It seemed as though the statues that decorated Kame Dame were all staring at him, intent on burning him now rather than waiting for him to end up in hell. Even the Gods in the stained glass window above them seemed to react. The three Egyptian Gods he had always served... Could the Archduelist be right? Could he have forsaken them?
"What do I have to do?" he asked, not taking his eyes off the image of the Gods.
"Care for the child," the Archduelist answered, "Treat him as your own." Gozaburo's eyes snapped to the older man, enraged.
"You expect me to take this foul creature and-" He sighed, remembering the glare of the Gods. "Very well. But he will live in your cathedral." Now it was the Archduelist who was surprised.
"What? W-where?" he sputtered. Gozaburo shrugged.
"Anywhere. Just so he's kept locked away, where no one else can see." He examined the church, for a moment, before deciding. "The bell tower, perhaps. And who knows, our Gods work in mysterious ways. Even this foul creature may yet prove one day to be of use..." He paused, then added so that only he could hear. "...to me."
The children blinked, and they were once again back at the foot of their cathedral, in their Domino. Marik was now sitting in their midst, a faint smile still on his lips. "That was sixteen years ago. Now, they say the child, Ryou, has grown in both size and power, everyday ringing the bells for us down here below." The bells began ringing again.
"It's him, it's him!" The small brunette cried, gripping onto Marik's hand.
"Yes. He's letting them sing to us. 'Now here is a riddle, to guess if can,' sing the Bells of Kame Dame, 'Who is the monster and who is the man?'" He raised an eyebrow at them. No one answered. "Sing the bells, bells, bells, bells..." He stood, taking both of the boy's hands as he sang, skipping in a circle with him. Soon, all the children had joined their ring, even Mr. Emo was smiling. Marik beamed as they sang with him. "Bells, bells, bells, bells..."
"Bells of Kame Dame!"