Morning
All YuGiOu characters © Kazuki Takahashi
Groans of the house filled the silence. Slow, careful breaths entered my thoughts as my eyes fell on the ceiling. Slowly, I came into a crouched position, listening to my partner's slow breathing, and after a few moments of concentration, his heartbeat. Carpet overlay the wooden floor, which gave a creak every time I stirred it. My feet were led away, down the picture-covered hall, and past two more doors. I find it a miracle that no one awoke. A long set of stairs guided one to the elegant room overtaken in cushions and embroidery, colours of the most intense crimson to the ever more tranquil cobalt. Shades of lavender, emerald, and sun-lit orange decorated the many chairs in the forms of flowers and springs, fields of bouquets and soft, white roses. Any fabric surface had been taken and redone with ribbon or thread, with such simplicities as a small series of roses on the arm of one chair to the depth-ridden Celtic knots that donned many of the pillows upon the mantle and fireplace. All of this could be owing to my adoptive sister's doings. Even though I knew all this, I could hardly find the large, white, rose-covered armchair due to the utter darkness that engulfed us. I was overtaken by silence, the absolute stillness, that sat quietly upon the room.
Finally, the gall to breath caught up with me, and I continued on my way. Because of living in this house so long, I had known my way around in the dark for some time. My energies usually did not kick in until well after sunrise, however, yesterday had been an exception to other days as well. I also knew that, just by residing in the same house with them, the others would not wake up until much later today, way after sunrise. My body was sore, but it could handle what little stress was put upon it to wake up so early. I paused on my scouting of the next hall on that thought. When was the last time I had woken up so early? Surely, I had had no need before my grandiose plans had been put into action, and during, I hardly think I slept at all. Afterwards, directly, I was too angry to sleep, and then, suddenly and without warning, there was nothing else to do. I moved out of my pose, where I had been standing on the toes of my feet instead of the soles, and relaxed. Soon after, my partner, his sister, and even attendant, had no reason to do otherwise, and began waking up only when they had to.
I didn't have any time to wake up where it would benefit me. I had no reason to accompany my partner to school, although I did on occasion to strike fear in the heart of his friends. On the other hand, my plans had fallen apart. My mind games, my sorcery, my only true source of enjoyment, had been crippled to what foolish games I can play without their knowledge, little inklings of doubt, despair, anger, and hate that I can infuse in their mind. Nothing more, nothing less.
Smells of milk, cereal, over-ripe bananas, and toast wafted away from the kitchen, even as I struggled to decide whether I should begin eating again. It mattered not, in the end, but it might usher me towards normal feeding routines, something I did not enjoy whatsoever. I followed into the room, the peaceful silence of the house coming to my attention again.
I could have killed them all the hard way, and taken my time with weaklings instead of the pharaoh. I should have waited and kept my rival and the priest for last. If those foolish humans and Odion had gotten out of the way before then, we would have had few troubles, and the lines of the other Egypt-linked ones might have been finished. However, even my plans were not extravagant enough to include death or physical torture. I only wished for the mind games I was known for and enjoyed. Such foolery as the humans displayed was irrelevant.
Yet they achieved so much as one. Rooting for each other was all the faith they needed. No faith in their decks or themselves, as the blond, sharp-tongue one had, or the priest, could have brought them such victories over their adversaries. Even the brown-haired bubble-head, with what coaching the others could give, might have stood a chance. Yet the pharaoh…
He was as pompous, arrogant, and pessimistic as I was, but he grew on everyone. His insights were needed, and he needed someone to cheer. His friends all had their problems, mostly a human's short-sightedness, but each was battling double their worth in the duels. Some were angry, some were hurt, others were frantic or love-struck, others weren't. Yet they supported the most incomprehensible purpose: the light-weight, pitiful pharaoh. I, at times, even wondered if having someone call out for you was more than it seemed. Kaiba had his own one-man cheer-leading squad as well, and he was the one who began the tournament, anyhow.
My thought involving pharaohs and priests rolled on as I opened the fridge. A small, half-gallon of milk sat in the foremost shelf, surrounded by other breakfast articles.
He was nothing in comparison to the priest, myself, or even Bakura, when figuring in raw power. His dueling style was old-school, his temper as easily flared as any human's…
He still returned triumphant. The rest of us did not. Slowly, I have come to respect that, even if he did not. My eyes followed the line of cereal boxes lining the wall.
Ishuzu, on the other hand, was a completely different matter. She had used the tournament to "save" her pitiless little brother, to no avail. Even after the incident, she has attempted to "exorcise" me on multiple occasions. Her vigor in repulsing me from her house is outstanding, as is her drive to purify her younger brother, my partner, or aibou. Aibou has…
He was withdrawn ever since the end of the fights, but that's understandable. What had completely baffled me is his lack of response to even the human nerds at his school, or to any plans from me. He wanders now in a sort of haze, doing what he's told, and hardly responding beyond that. The ominous cloud above his head, however, can in no way be compared to the one above Odion's. Odion has hardly even done what we tell him, and afterwards sits around in the small apartment, staring out a window or down a street. They are a completely dysfunctional family.
I put the two items, a box of sugar-coated cereal and milk, on the table, and reached for a bowl from the cabinet when the dining room table caught my eye. Or, more correctly, the Millennium Rod caught my eye. I followed the weaving of the small table-cover that Isuzu had placed there to the Millennium Necklace across from it.
The two siblings, night and day, if you want to look at it in that light, had never had a very good relationship. Yet, it seemed they still went together on what few decisions they made. My eyes fell to the note beside the rod, and a grin broke over my face. Bakura, as troublesome as ever, seemed ready to start the games again. I relaxed suddenly, muscles kept tight that I had not even known existed released, and my eyes softened. With something of this caliber recurring, everything would be in motion again. Then, maybe, this family could pull itself back together. Just a small possibility. But then there would be topics over dinner, conversations for no apparent reason, they could relax into their old rhythm again. I finished my breakfast quickly and stood up, shooting another look at the fridge. My face split with one of my old smirks. I'll be so delighted when I see the look on their faces after a breakfast-in-bed from THE Tomb Keeper's dark spirit. Let's see what they say to that, hm?