Yu-Gi-Oh: Sacred Darkness

Lessons and Invitations

"How in the hell did I find myself in this situation?"

Kaosu was currently in his room, the lights dimmed on as he laid down across his bed with his right arm folded behind his head, twirling a Duel Monsters card between the index and middle fingers of his left hand. His right leg was placed across the knee of his left leg, tipping up and down over and over in a rhythmic fashion as he stared up at the red-colored ceiling with a calm and indifferent look. But despite him seeming so calm, his mind was absolutely flooded with thoughts as he try to come to grips with what was going on.

"It's Saturday, and it's nearly 3 o'clock." Kaosu thought. "Which means I'm about to teach a girl I just met how to play Duel Monsters...in my very own house that I don't let anyone else in no less. How in the hell did this happen again? Oh right, I couldn't resist the dreaded puppy-dog eyes." He sighed hopelessly. "And what's make this worse...I haven't told Mom about this...nor even mention I'm playing Duel Monsters again."

When Kaosu first decided to return to playing the game of Duel Monsters, he had neglected to tell his mother of that development. He figured that it wouldn't be best to tell her of it when he wasn't sure that he would continue playing or if it was just a one-time thing. But when he decided to play full-time again, he once again failed to tell her once again. He reasoned to himself that he needed to find the right time to tell her, but then he got roped into teaching Kisara to play Duel Monsters in his own house. He knew then he had to tell her what had happened with him, but for the past few days, he has been putting off telling her time and time again, telling himself excuses to do so, until the day had come upon him, and he had not once mentioned it to his mother.

"Thinking back on it, I think I didn't tell Mom about either thing because I didn't want to deal with the reaction I was sure to get from her." Kaosu concluded. "There be the obvious shock, then the bombardment of questions, then the nagging of why I didn't tell her sooner about all this...I really didn't want to deal with all that, but now that this day is here, I realized now that only will I have to deal with all of that, it's now going to be worse and more complicated than it had to be. Man, I can't believing this is all happening to me."

As he continued to stare up at the ceiling with these thoughts on his mind, he stopped twirling the Duel Monsters card between his fingers. Slowly, he brought the card into his line of sight, holding it above him as he now stared at it. The picture of the Dark Magician Girl on the card just smiled as it always did unsurprisingly, and Kaosu's attention was now fully upon it as his thoughts began to take on a new direction concerning it.

"And it's all happening to me right after I get this one-of-a-kind card from some crazy old man." Kaosu thought to himself. "I mean, in the week after I got this card, I'm playing a card game I swore off for a year, I dueled and defeated a top-ranking duelist of the country for a person I didn't even know of, I suddenly made myself a friend out of nowhere because of it, I meet a strange, unique girl in school who seemingly has no evil in her, dueled that damn arrogant playboy, Caesar, and now I'm waiting to teach that girl to play Duel Monsters, a venture I have no experience in whatsoever. And to top it all off, I am now hearing a female voice in my head during my duels, and what's worse, I'm actually making conversation with it. I swear, as crazy as it sounds, I'm starting to think this card is the damn reason this is all happening to me."

He stared at the card in his hand for several seconds before sighing, the arm holding the card dropping back to his side as he sat up into a upright position. He began moving himself until he sat on the edge of the bed, arms placed against his knees as he sat. He gave the card in his hand one last glimpse before closing his eyes and losing himself in his thoughts again.

"Well, whatever the reason for all this happening, it doesn't matter now." Kaosu concluded. "What's done is done, and I can't do anything to change it. No point in dwelling on it anymore than I have to, though it does help me cope with it all. What I should be thinking now is how I should go about this...lesson? Since this is obviously Kisara's first foray into this game, I should just go over the basics with her, no need to go into the complex combos and all until she's ready. But should I just explain it to her or demonstrate it?" Kaosu groaned and palmed his hand into his face. "Ugh, I am so not cut out for this..."


Lexa Cross straightened out the wrinkles on the sofa very tediously before turning back towards the wooden coffee she recently had placed into the living room, and scooted it over to the left a little more until it was right she wanted it to be. She dusted off her hands against one another before sitting down on the sofa, her work completed for the moment, a sigh escaping from her lips. She could finally have a bit of time to herself, with Kyuii taking a small nap for the moment, but her thoughts wandered over to her son. She looked up towards the second floor, her eyes falling upon the door leading to Kaosu's room, a frown adorning her lips.

"Kaosu has yet to come out of his room the entire day." Lexa thought to herself. "Even though he's always been to himself, this isn't like him. He always manages to come out of his room by this time to spend time with me or Kyuii at least. What could be keeping him in there for so long? I hope he's alright. He's been acting a bit strange all week, maybe that has something to do with it."

As Lexa continued thinking about the strange behavior that her son was exhibiting, she was taken out of those thoughts when she heard the sound of a doorbell ringing throughout the house. Lexa turned towards the door, a bit surprised at the sudden indication of someone there. She stood up, making sure she looked presentable before heading towards the door, wondering who could be here since not many people came to the house. She reached for the doorknob and opened the door, and was surprised at what she found: a white-haired girl around Kaosu's age with blue eyes wearing a long blue skirt that reached to her knees, dark blue boots, and a long-sleeved blue shirt, the end of the sleeves going slightly past her wrists, standing right on her doorstep with a nervous look.

"May I help you, young lady?" Lexa asked the girl.

"Um...is this Cross residence?" the girl asked, her eyes averting from the single mother.

"Yes, it is..." Lexa confirmed with a raised eyebrow suspiciously. "Why do you ask?"

"Is...is Kaosu home?" The girl asked quietly; Lexa's eyes widened ins surprise.

"Wait, how do you know of my son ?" Lexa inquired. "As far I know, he doesn't socialize with anyone outside the house all that much. Why do you even ask for him? And how did you know where we lived? I doubt Kaosu divulges that type of information to anyone."

"Well...um...you see..." Kisara stammered nervously.

"Kisara!"

Both of the women snapped their heads up at the voice and they looked back into the house to find a surprised Kaosu leaning over the railing of the stairs, looking at the two of them. He quickly ran down the stairs and came up to the doorway, standing beside his mother as he looked at the white-haired girl with the surprised expression still on his face.

"Kisara, you came a bit earlier that I expected." Kaosu told her. "It's 2:35 and I thought you were coming at 3:00."

"Well, I guess sometimes you just happen to come by a bit early, don't you?" Kisara replied. "I didn't want to be late, and I guess in my haste, I got here then I expected."

"Hmmm, I see..." Kaosu nodded.

"Kaosu, you know this girl?" Lexa asked her son, surprised by the exchange.

"Uh yeah...well, you see, she's the new girl at my school, Mom." Kaosu answered, rubbing the back of his head nervously. "I kinda met her on her first day there earlier in the week, and we just managed acquainted with each other somehow, I guess. Have to admit, she's better than most girls I meet."

"Really?" Lexa said surprised; she had known Kaosu to not socialize with anybody, let alone girls. "Well...I guess that explains why you know her at least. But that still doesn't explain why she's here on our doorstep, Kaosu."

"Well, you see, ma'am..." Kisara began nervously, tucking a strand of hair behind her hair. "The reason I'm here...is because...well...Kaosu is going to...teach me how to play Duel Monsters."

A silence followed Kisara's reveal of her presence there with Lexa looking at the white-haired girl in surprise, Kaosu sighing as palmed his hand in his face, preparing himself for what was to come, and Kisara just looked back at Lexa with a very hesitant and nervous look. Eventually, Lexa herself broke the silence.

"Kisara, I'm afraid you may have made the wrong assumption." Lexa told her. "See, my son doesn't play Duel Monsters anymore. He hasn't played the card game over the year, and doesn't want to be around it, so I don't think he would be able to teach you the game. I'm sorry, honey."

"Actually, Mom..." Kaosu started in a nervous tone; Lexa turned his attention to her son. "I've been meaning to tell you something..." Lexa raised an eyebrow. "You see, I've actually...Well, I've started to...play Duel Mosnters again."

"What?" Lexa exclaimed; Kaosu flinched in response. "You're actually playing Duel Monsters again? I thought you weren't going to play it again! You've been so adamant on that issue! Are you telling the truth?" Kaosu nodded meekly. "When did you start playing again?"

"About a week ago..." Kaosu answered as he rubbed the back of his head.

"A whole week, and it didn't occur to you to tell me about this?" Lexa asked in a scolding tone.

"Mom, it's just a card game..." Kaosu tried to retort.

"Just a card game?" Lexa asked incredulously. "You know that I know that this isn't just a card game to you. This game meant a lot to you back then, you were more outgoing because of it, and you actually smiled when you played it. So yeah, I'm going to react that when you start playing a game that did all that in the past. You should've told me sooner about this. I have a right to know about these things."

"Mom..." Kaosu groaned. "Can we not do this in front of Kisara?"

Lexa turned to the mentioned girl, who was standing uncomfortable in front of them. "Alright, but we're going to have a talk about this later. Understood?" Kaosu nodded, and Lexa turned to Kisara. "So you're here so Kaosu can teach you to play Duel Monsters?"

"Yes, ma'am." Kisara replied politely.

Lexa turned back to her son. "You got roped into this, didn't you?" She asked knowingly; Kaosu nodded. "Figured as much. You never were the teaching type. Well, if this is going to happen, then come on in, Kisara. No need to keep you outside any longer than you should be."

Kisara look up at Lexa a bit surprised before quickly nodding her head and entering the house through the doorway. Lexa lead her through the hallway, Kaosu following close behind as they entered the living room. Lexa stopped in front of the coffee table and turned back towards the two teens.

"Well, I guess I'll leave you two alone so you can get the teaching started." Lexa told the two. "Just make sure not to cause any trouble in the living room."

The two teens nodded in understanding before Lexa walked turned around and made her way towards the kitchen. But as she did so, unknown to either teenager, a small smile grew onto the face of the mother as she closed her eyes.

"After so long, Kaosu finally has a friend..." She though happily. "This game really does help him..."

And with those thoughts with her, Lexa left for the kitchen, leaving the two teens alone in the living room. Kisara stared down at the carpet as she her nervousness increased, unsure of how this teaching will go or if she will even be able to grasp the mechanics of the game. Suddenly, Kaosu walked towards the coffee table, catchin Kisara's attention. The young duelist reached for the deck box that was strapped to his waist, pulling out the deck it contained and placed it on the center of the coffee table. He then sat down at one end of the coffee table, turning towards Kisara and nodded his head to the other end of the table, a silent gesture to the white-haired girl. Kisara understood and went over to the end of the table opposite of him, sitting down across from him as Kaosu looked her in the eye.

"Now before we start, are you sure you want to try and learn this game?" Kaosu asked. "It's not for everyone, and you may not be able to understand it."

"I'm willing to give it a try." Kisara nodded. "I want to be taught this game, no matter how hard it will be."

"Well then, I guess we should start." Kaosu stated. "Like any other lesson, we should start at the basics. A duel is one-on-one card game between two people with decks of 40 cards. Each person starts out with five cards in their hand and 4000 Life Points each, and they draw a card from their deck each of their turns. First duelist to reduce their opponent's Life Points to 0 wins the duel. Following so far?" Kisara nodded; Kaosu drew a card from the top of his deck and placed it on the table, revealing it to be a Magician's Valkyria. "This is a Monster card, and they are the cards duelists use to mainly battle each other with. Each monster has attack points and defense points, depending on which position they're in, they will use one of those points to battle with. If a Monster is in Attack Mode..." He pointed to the vertical Valkyria card. "...which is indicated by it being vertical, then it will use attacks points to battle. If it's in Defense Mode..." He moved the card to a horizontal position. "...indicated by a horizontal position, then it will use defense points. Understand?"

"I think so..." Kisara nodded.

"Good, so anyways, in duels, these Monsters battle each other and are used to reduce a player's Life Points." Kaosu continued as he switched Valkyria back to vertical position. "When a monster in Attack Mode battles another monster in Attack Mode..." He drew another card from the deck, and placed it opposite of the Valkyria, showing it to be a Blast Magician. "...such as this one, then the monster with the higher attack points will win, and the difference between their attack points will come out of the losing player's Life Points."

"So then..." Kisara began, reading over the cards for a bit. "That card..." She pointed at the Valkyria card, and then at the Blast Magician. "...would beat that card, and you would lose..." KIsara thought for a moment before replying. "...200 Life Points?"

"Now you're catching on." Kaosu smiled. "But one thing you should know is that when two monsters that battle have equal attack points, no damage is taken from either player and both monsters will be destroyed since their strength is equal, so be careful with that. But there's still more." He placed his fingers on Blast Magician and switched it to horizontal position. "See, when a monster in Attack Mode battles a monster in Defense Mode, if it's attack points are higher than it's Defense Points, then the defending monster will be destroyed, but no damage will be taken. However, if the attack points are lower than the defense points, then neither monster is destroyed and the difference of those points will come out of the attacking player's Life Points. If the points are equal, then neither monster is destroyed, and no damage is taken."

"So if that card..." Kisara began, pointing at Valkyria, then at Blast Magician. "...were to attack that card while it's in Defense Mode, then it would lose, and you would take..." She read over the points on the cards. "...100 Life Points?"

"Hmmm, you're a fast learner." Kaosu commented. "Also, if you have no monsters on the field and your opponent does, then your opponent can attack you directly with his monsters, and their attack points come out of your Life Points."

"So in a duel, you use monster cards to battle and reduce your player's Life Points." Kisara stated.

"Yeah, but in Duel Monsters, you don't just use a Monster to win a duel, for it's not enough." Kaosu informed her; he drew a card. "There are other types of cards that duelists use to help out their monsters and defeat their opponent." He showed her the card, which was Lightning Vortex. "This is a Spell Card. Spell Cards are cards that have certain effects that can alter the course of the game and turn it in your favor. Each Spell Card has a certain effect, and each one is different from the next. A Spell Card, like Lightning Vortex, could destroy monsters on your opponents, or a Spell Card could be used to increase the attack points of your own monsters, and sometimes you'll have to pay a cost to play them. Whatever the effect, Spell Cards are cards meant to help you change the duel in your favor and use the effects to your advantage."

"Oh..." Kisara said in realization.

"Spell Cards can be played directly from your hand, or they can be Set on the field." Kaosu continued.

"Set?" Kisara asked.

"It means placing a card facedown." Kaosu explained; he placed the Spell Card facedown. "When you set a card, you can't use it until after your turn is over and if you meet requirements. The advantage of Setting a Spell Card is that opponent and no one else will know what the facedown card is except for you, and it could be used to scare or intimidate your opponent from not attacking." Kisara nodded in realization. "There are several types of Spell Cards, but we'll get to that later. Next up..." He drew another card from the deck. "We have the Trap Cards."

"Trap Cards?" Kisara asked.

"Yeah, they're like Spell Cards in that they are not Monsters and are used to alter the course of the game." Kaosu explained. "However, unlike Spells, you have to Set them facedown on the field before you can use them, and then you have to meet the requirements to use them." He placed the card facedown on the table. "However, Trap Cards can be game-changers in a duel because their effects are meant to stop an opponent dead in their tracks. Take for example, Blast Magician attacks me, but in doing so, I activate my Trap." He flips over his facedown card. "It's Mirror Force, and the Trap reflects his attack back at him and destroys all Attack Positions monsters on his side of the field."

"Oh, so Traps are what the name implies..." Kisara stated. "They're cards that are sprung when an opponent does something and you counter it."

"Yeah, but like I said with Spells, each Trap Card has a different effect, and they don't just destroy monsters, so you have to be sure to play them and use them wisely." Kaosu informed her.

"So...you battle with Monster cards to reduce Life Points, and you use Spells and Traps to help those monsters do so and to hinder your opponent?" Kisara concluded.

"Something close to that, yes." Kaosu nodded. "But this is Duel Monsters, and there are many plays and combos in this game involving these three types of cards, and they aren't as clear and orthodox as what you just said. But you have gotten off to a good start so far, I didn't expect you to pick up these things so quickly."

"Thank you." Kisara smiled. "I'm really glad I've been able to follow all of this."

"Still, we got a lot more things to cover about this game. Are you up for it?" Kaosu asked; Kisara nodded. "OK, then, let's continue."


Two hours passed by without them knowing, and Kaosu was actually impressed by the amount of progress Kisara had made. He had taught her thing such as Monster effects and how to use them wisely, the different types of Spells and Traps such as Quick-Play, Counter, and Continuous, and how they work, the amount of Monster, Spells, and Traps one could have on the field at a time, and the Deck Out rule, and Kisara was able to understand all of the concepts. She was not an expert on the game of course, but she was beginning to understand the basics and mechanics of the game pretty well.

"...so if you attack with Skilled Dark Magician, I activate Shadow Spell." Kisara stated, flipping over a card. "And with it, I can destroy your monster next turn with Blast Magician."

"Very good." Kaosu commented. "You're getting better and better at this. Granted this is still basics though, and you wouldn't last in a real duel just yet, but you're getting the hang of it faster than I thought you would.

"Thank you so much." Kisara nodded happily. "I didn't think I would catch on so quickly myself."

"Well, since you're catching on so quickly, I think it's time to teach you more aspects of the Monster card." Kaosu informed her, drawing a card from the deck. He looked at it for a moment before placing it on the table, revealing it to be the Dark Magician Girl. "You've learned about attack and defense points, as well as a bit about Monster Effects, but now it's time you learn about Monster Types and Attributes."

"Types and Attributes?" Kisara asked curiously.

"Yeah, you see, there are many varieties and forms of Monsters in Duel Monsters." Kaosu began to explain. "Some are beasts, some are aquatic, and some are humans with unnatural abilities, and Types are a way to break down these monsters into certain groups, and there are many Monster Types. There's Reptiles, Sea Serpent, Aqua, and even Dragon and Spellcaster-Types in the game. Each Monster is of only one Type, and these Types enable the use of several Spell and Trap cards that pertain to that certain Type, as several duelists run decks based around one Type. Like for instance, Dark Magician Girl is a Spellcaster-Type..." He drew a card from his deck and showed it to her. "...and as such, I can play this Spell, Magical Dimension. For if I have Spellcaster-Type on the field, I can sacrifice a monster to summon another Spellcaster-Type from my hand. The use of Monster Types can be influential in several decks."

"Oh so Types are a way to separate Monsters and allow the use of even more Spells and Traps." Kisara said in realization.

"Correct, but of course, there's another aspect of the Monster card that can influence the creation of a deck." Kaosu added. "And that's Attributes. See, each Monster is associated with a certain element, and Types can have a direct influence on that. Aqua and Sea Serpent are associated with Water, Fiends are associated with Dark, and Winged-Beasts are mostly associated with Wind. And these elements of these Monsters are known as Attributes. There are at least six different attributes: Light, Dark, Wind, Water, Earth, and Fire. And like with Types, decks can be based around certain attributes to fit a person's dueling style. So basically, Types and Attributes play a big hand in the construction and use of a deck."

"Oh..." Kisara said in amazement.

"Of course, they're not the only way to build decks, but we'll get to that later." Kaosu told her. "Now then, there's..."

"I want to build a Dragon deck." Kisara said suddenly; Kaosu looked up at her in surprise.

"What?" Kaosu asked with wide eyes.

"My deck, I want it to be based around Dragons." Kisara informed him with a smile.

"That's...quite a sudden decision." Kaosu admitted. "I mean, you just learned about the Dragon-Type and don't know much about them, so I don't know if you should just choose them like that."

"I know, but I want a Dragon deck because...well, I just love dragons." Kisara explained. "Ever since I first found about them as a little girl, I've been fascinated with them. Whenever I see drawing or portrait of a dragon, I can't help but marvel at the dragon. They just seem so...elegant and graceful. So grand and powerful. They just seem like amazing creatures to me, even if they aren't real. That's why I want to play a Dragon deck, even if I don't know much about one yet. I love dragons, so I want to play them in this game.

Kaosu stared at her as he blinked a few times. Suddenly a smirk formed on his face as he closed his eyes. "Have to say Kisara, you're not alone. Based on what you said, you want to play Dragons because you have a connection, and a lot of duelists build decks that reflect themselves in certain ways. So I guess I shouldn't be surprised you chose Dragons so quickly."

"But wait, if what you said is true...then is that the reason why you built your deck like it is?" Kisara asked curiously.

"Maybe I'll tell you why I built my deck another time." Kaosu informed her. "But for now, let's continue with our lesson. Now then, a Magician's Valkyria..."

"Big brother!"

Kaosu barely had any time to react when a small bundle crashed right into him, nearly knocking him out of his seated position. A pair of small arms grasped onto his torso, and he looked down to find Kyuui grabbing onto him tightly as she buried her head into his chest before looking up at him with a wide smile.

"Kyuui, you're awake!" Kaosu stated surprised.

"Yep I am, big brother!" Kyuui said cheerfully; she turned to Kisara, and a confused expression appeared on her face. "Big brother, who is the pretty girl in our house?"

Kaosu chuckled as Kisara lightly blushed at the comment. "That's my new friend, Kisara."

"Yay, big brother has a friend!" Kyuui cheered.

"Heh, yeah I have a friend, Kyuui." Kaosu confirmed as he patted Kyuui on the head affectionately. "Now be nice and greet our guest."

"Hello, pretty lady!" Kyuui waved at Kisara. "My name is Kyuui! And Kaosu is my big brother!"

"Well it's nice to meet you, Kyuui." Kisara smiled. "I'm Kisara." She looked up at Kaosu. "I didn't know you had a little sister."

"No big surprise there, since, you know, just met me." Kaosu commented.

Kisara chuckled at his comment and soon enough Kyuui began to giggle as well with her. He looked between the two laughing girls for a few moments before closing his eyes, and for a moment, allowed a genuine smile to cross his features.

"I can't believe it..." Kaosu thought to himself. "I'm actually having a good time. I forgot what that was like."

He was suddenly brought out of his thoughts when the doorbell rang throughout the house, grabbing the three's attention the living room. Kaosu stared at the door, surprise and confusion evident on his face. Lexa Cross appeared from the kitchen and headed towards the door.

"I'll get it." Lexa announced; she reached the door and opened it. "Hello?"

Imagine the mother's surprise when she saw that no one was at the door. She blinked a few times as she looked left and right out of the doorway, trying to find anyone that might've rang doorbell. A frown soon came on her face, as she realized their household may have been the victim of the prank. Suddenly, her foot touched something on the doorstep, and she looked down, finding a box on that very doorstep. Raising an eyebrow in curiosity, she bent down and picked up the box, looking over it with a careful eye when she noticed a label on the top of the box. She took a look at it, reading the words printed on the label, and her eyes suddenly widened at what they read. She immediately walked back into the house, closing the door behind the house. Stepping into the living room, she found Kaosu continuing his lesson to Kisara with Kyuui watching in fascination.

"...and because of their abilities, the first Valkyria will protect the second, while the second will protect the first one, essentially creating a lockdown and keeping the opponent from attack as long as you have these two Valkyrias and Spellcasters on the field." Kaosu taught the white-haired girl.

"Wow, it's amazing that can be pulled off." Kisara commented in intrigue.

"Trust me, there's a lot more to see in this game." Kaosu informed her.

"Kaosu..." Lexa called out; the three occupants of the living room looked at her. "Did you order anything without my permission or knowledge?"

"No, of course not." Kaosu looked at his mother incredulously. "You know me, I don't order anything at all, online or from those stupid catalogs."

"Well, I got a package here at the front door." Lexa told him, holding the box in her hands to him. "And it seems to be addressed to you."

"What?" Kaosu exclaimed; he swiftly took the package from her hand. "Let me take a look at it."

He looked at the label that was taped to the top of the box, and sure enough, it read that it was addressed to Kaosu Cross at the exact address of their house. The young duelist was quite shocked at what he was seeing, but he was quickly pulled out of his shock by Kisara.

"Do you know why you got this package?" She asked.

"No, I have no idea." Kaosu admitted, placing the box on the coffee table next to his cards. "Like I said before, I've never ordered anything, and I've never gotten any packages before from anyone before. So this package is a complete mystery to me."

"Maybe it has goodies in side of it!" Kyuui exclaimed excitedly.

"Perhaps." Kaosu chuckled; he looked down at the box. "Only one way to find out."

Kaosu placed his hands on the lid of the box as Kisara and Lexa watched in curiosity and anxiousness respectively, Kyuui herself watching with a big smile on her face. Eventually, Kaosu opened up the box and everyone looked inside the box and at the contents. Getting a good look, they all blinked at the contents in silence before Lexa spoke up.

"Are those...plane tickets?" Lexa asked in disbelief.

"And there's a Duel Monster card." Kisara pointed out. "And it has the picture of a trophy with the American flag in the background. What does the mean?"

Kaosu stared a the contents of the box for a few more moments before reaching into the box, grabbing a certain object and pulling it out. In his hand he held in a video casette tape, a tape that had no writings, markings, or words on it to indicate what it was. Kaosu looked over the tape, an eyebrow raised at the object at his hand.

"A tape?" Kisara asked confusedly. "Why would there be a tape with all of this?"

"Maybe it explains what this package is about." Lexa concluded.

"Worth checking out." Kaosu stated.

The young duelist stood up from his spot and made his way over to the television. He inserted the video tape into the VHS player under the TV and pressed the play button. As the VHS read the video tape, Kaosu made his way back to the other and sat back down onto the floor. The four occupant looked at the TV, waiting for the video to begin and hopefully explain this situation. An image appeared on the TV of a white-haired man sitting in a chair behind a desk, a smile on his face as he waved.

"Greetings, Kaosu-boy."

Kaosu's eyes completely widened as shock rang out through him, recognition of the man in the video coming to him instantly. Kaosu's mouth hung open as he tried to form words in his mouth, the others noticing his reaction immediately.

"What is it, Kaosu?" Lexa asked worriedly.

"T-That's Maximillion Pegasus!" Kaosu exclaimed. "He's the creator of Duel Monsters!"

"Creator of Duel Monsters?" Lexa said shockingly.

"So...this is the man who created this card game." Kisara asked in surprise, looking at the cards on the table.

"Yeah, he's the mastermind behind the whole game, and it's because of him that it's as big as it is." Kaosu told, eyes still wide. "But why would the creator of the most popular card game in the world send someone like me all this?" He suddenly realized something. "Wait a minute...How does he know my name?"

"I'm sure you are in absolute awe that someone of my splendor and grandeur is sending little old you a message of this sort." Pegasus stated as he closed his eyes. "But you can do that later, because I have something I wish to speak to you about." Kaosu raised an eyebrow. "To get things started, I would like to say I'm very impressed at your victory over Jack Golem."

Kaosu stiffened. "What the...?" He spurted out. "How does he know that?"

"What's he talking about, Kaosu?" Lexa questioned her son.

"When I got back into Duel Monsters, I challenged Jack Golem." Kaosu explained. "He's a top-ranking duelist of the country, and I, well, defeated him. But how does Pegasus know that? He was nowhere near the damn duel!"

"You're probably wondering why I know your victory over Jack." Pegasus smirked. "Well let's see, I'm the president of a multimillion dollar corporation that created the game, so I can obtain information very easily, Jack is one of the best duelists in the country, so word of his defeat is bound to get around, and he's going to be participating in a tournament I'm sponsoring, so I have to keep track of him. Hope that clears everything up." Kaosu frowned. "NOw down to business. Like I said, your victory over Jack Golem impressed me, and I have found out that many things about you...intrigue me."

"I sersiously don't like how he said that." Kaosu thought warily. "How much does he know about me?"

"And since you have defeated Jack Golem, you have proven yourself to be a very skilled duelist." Pegasus continued in the video. "Which is why I am inviting you to take part in the American Duel Monsters Championship!"

"What?" Kaosu exclaimed; Kisara and Lexa looked on in surprise.

"This tournament will have the best of America all gathering together, and decide who is the best duelist the nation has to offer." Pegasus stated as he threw his hands out. "And you have proven yourself to be among the best, so that is why I am inviting you to participate in the tournament."

"Flattering...but no way am I going to this tournament." Kaosu thought as he closed his eyes. "Tournaments just aren't my thing, plus there's going to be a lot of attention and unnecessary cheering on me, and I seriously don't need any of that. Looks like Pegasus doesn't know all that much about me."

"Many duelists will be at this tournament." Pegasus continued. "In fact, there's a chance that some duelists from your past could be there..." Kaosu opened his eyes and raised an eyebrow; Pegasus suddenly narrowed his eyes and smirked. "Duelists from your past that have may have taken something from you long ago..."

Kaosu's body froze completely, eyes wide and mouth hung open, as the words Pegasus spoken echoed in his mind over and over, the implication behind those words weighing down upon the young duelist.

"No way...there's no way he could know about that..." Kaosu thought in disbelief. "But...if he's implying what I think he's implying...then how does he know about that? Even he couldn't have found about that." Kaosu narrowed his eyes and gritted his teeth. "But if he's telling the truth, then...he will be there."

"If you wish to participate in the tournament, then you will need the card that came in the package." Pegasus informed them. "Think of it as a pass, for it is your ticket to participation in the tournament. Without it, you will not be allowed to enter. Alongside the card, there are plane tickets for a round trip to California, where the it will be taking place. I have anticipated you having family and friends you want to take with you, so there are enough for several of them to come so you can be happy."

"I'm sure that you'll decide to come to our tournament." Pegasus stated confidently. "It starts in three weeks, so I hope to see you there. I anticipate your arrival, Kaosu Cross. Ta-ta for now."

And with that, the video ended, leaving only silence in the room as everyone slowly digested what had just happened. Kaosu continued to stare at the TV with a million thoughts running through his head, his little sister looking up at him innocently as she sucked her finger. Eventually, Kisara spoke up to Kaosu.

"Kaosu...what did he mean by 'Duelists from the past that may have taken something from you long ago'?" Kisara asked him.

"It...doesn't matter." Kaosu replied. "What matters is if I'm going to this tournament or not."

"Well, Kaosu, I think you should enter this tournament." Lexa told her son. "This could be a great opportunity for you."

"Mom, you know how I feel about these sort of events." Kaosu replied. "I don't like all the attention that would be placed on me, nor do I like myself being mad as something bigger than I actually am, as I likely would be in that tournament."

"It figures you would be the only person I know who wouldn't want to be in a tournament like this." Lexa smiled. "But still, this tournament is an opportunity, one that many people are not likely to get. True, I may not know much about the game, and just found you're playing it again, but I know that you love this game, Kaosu. So this tournament isn't just about attention and cheering, think of it as an opportunity to put your skills to the test against the best players around the country, something you wouldn't normally have the chance to. You do enjoy a challenge, Kaosu, so try to put your dislike of public events aside for at least this."

"Your mother has a point, Kaosu." Kisara added. "This tournament seems like it could be a lot of fun for you by going up against some worthy opponents. I would love to see you duel against the best so I can learn more about how the game is played." Kaosu remained silent as he heard all of this, and Kyuui looked up at Kaosu and smiled.

"I think big brother should go!" Kyuui stated happily. "I want to see big brother duel!"

Kaosu looked down at his sister in surprise, who just continued smiling widely at him. Eventually, he just smiled warmly at his sister and patted her a few times on the head as he always did. He closed his eyes in thoughts as he analyzed the choice that now laid before him and what everyone has said.

"They all do have a point..." Kaosu thought to himself. "But aside from what they said, there's also what Pegasus implied. If he did imply what I think he did, and he will show up at the tournament, then...I may finally have the chance to get back what he took from me. I...I was ready to put it all behind me, to move on from what happened in the past and not be afraid anymore. But now there's a chance to finally get back after all this time and get back what's mine in front of me. Is it wrong for me to want this? I should be moving on...but if I beat him and take back what he took...then...maybe I can truly and finally put that incident behind me, without having to have it in the back of mind anymore..."

Kaosu remained silent as these thoughts ran through his mind, and as he did, everyone looked at him, a bit worried at the expression he wore on his face. Silence ensued as everyone waited for Kaosu's response. When Kaosu did not speak up, Kisara stepped in.

"Kaosu...what are you thinking?" Kisara asked.

Kaosu looked at her for a few seconds before turning his attention to the opened package on the coffee table. He reached his hand into the box, grabbing the invitational card and pulled it out. He looked over the carefully for a few seconds before looking up with a determined expression in his eyes.

"I'm thinking that I've got a tournament to enter."


A/N: Finally, I've updated this story. I'm so sorry it's taken me awhile to update this story when I got off to such a fast start, I've been very busy with college and whatnot, and it took up my full attention at times, so it was hard to write this story, but I'm very glad I was able to write this faster I still normally do. As for the chapter, I'm not entirely with how this chapter turned out to be honest. The first half I was really cool with, but the second half, I felt I could've done better. But hey, what's done is done, and I hope you all enjoy this better than I did. I did what I could, and hope you all enjoy it. Remember to review for me.

Pegasus has given Kaosu an invitation he couldn't refuse, and now Kaosu is determined to enter the American Championship to settle something once and for all. What happened in Kaosu's past? Will Kisara be able to become a great duelist? And just who is this 'he' that Kaosu continues to talk about? Find out in the next chapter of Yu-Gi-Oh: Sacred Darkness.