Chapter 3 - Getting Acquainted
In a few hours, the ferry reached the docks. Crimson stepped off and with a swipe of her hand, sent the boat skimming right back to the dock. Then, she fell to her knees.
"I'm here!" she cried. "But I feel so drained! I know I shouldn't have used that magic, but to keep from destroying everything, it takes all my strength. And eventually, I have to let some of it go." She squeezed her eyes shut. Okay, I promise I won't use magic for a whole day! I promise! As if the promise itself had healed her pain, Crimson got to her feet. Her head still throbbed, but she could still walk. It would take an hour or two to get fully reenergized.
Crimson took in her surroundings for the first time. The forest stretched for miles before faintly fading into a meadow. The trees were alive with the sound of birds and other small animals. Crimson almost felt...happy? Was that it? A feeling of longing. It was one of those weird feelings that she got, a feeling that the world would always cycle every day, then week, then month, and she'd be old before she knew it. It was a very weird feeling. It was like she had no reason to live but to repeat the cycle over and over and over and over again.
Crimson shivered. It wasn't cold; it was the time when the sun was in the middle of the sky. Now, the temperatures would be warm for a while. Crimson had a mission, and she wasn't going to have some "longing" stop her. Yugi was on this island, and apparently their relation had its roots so far deep Crimson had no idea. Then, there was this brown-haired guy who had been involved with her past self. Involved. Crimson hoped the same things wouldn't happen again. If it did, she would have more than just her brother to answer to.
It wasn't until the soft wind blew that Crimson realized she had been standing around pointlessly. Yugi and his friends could be anywhere, much less the brown haired dude. It was times like this that Crimson wished she had one of those tracking devices. Made by Kaiba Corp, they beamed to the satellite and back, showing one's location. And others' too, if they had the right equipment. Lucky Kaiba, gets all the gadgets. Okay, I have to stop thinking of him now. If I do, I'll remind myself of how much mom likes to compare me with him... Another stray thought bumped its way into Crimson's head...
It wasn't often that Crimson thought of her real parents. She knew that she had been separated from them eight years ago in a flood. She had washed up in a whole different city. When she was found and taken to the nearest police office, the people were stumped at the sight of her. The only trace they had of her real identity was the little locket, complete with a picture of her family. It had taken three years for them to really investigate and find the family, for they were too busy with the flood repairs and other children who were orphaned. To them, Crimson was another orphan, and no more. To them, Crimson was Crimson Streaks, a name she had thought of herself because she thought the whole thing was a game. They didn't figure out until three years later that her real family existed, and that she was really Yasmine Motou. By then, Crimson had already settled with her new family. It was too late to go back.
Crimson looked around. Suddenly, she found herself standing in Duelist Kingdom. Crimson scolded herself for zoning out again. This time she had stalled quite a bit. There was still quite a bit of the day left; she was thankful of that. At least four hours until the sun would set. Hopefully enough time to find her brother and the mysterious brown haired guy. How many guys did she know that had brown hair? One? Two?
To avoid more thoughts, Crimson made herself move forward, wincing at every step. Ever since she had gotten the Millennium Item, her life had never been the same. It had started on that class trip to Egypt. There had been a contest, and Crimson's room had won. In the two-week trip to Cairo, Crimson had met a mysterious young man. He had dark skin and sported a turban. At first, Crimson had dismissed him as a native. But when he had followed her, she had become suspicious. When she had finally mustered the courage to ask him, he had told her stuff about Millennium Items, and how she had a "destiny" to follow. At first, Crimson had thought of it as a bunch of crap somehow used to play a trick on her. When the guy had handed her the Item, she had concluded it must be one of those candid camera shows. When she had looked up to reply, the guy had disappeared.
A few weeks later, the magic of the Item began to take effect. She kept having the same dream over and over, and some strange feeling filled up inside her. It was like pressure in a coke can. Once it got too full, she had to let it out. The first month it was catastrophic. She had set a whole street of houses on fire, killing thirty-one people. She had upturned cars and caused tremors along major highways. During the next few months, she learned how to control her blasts of energy, and she tried to use it for helpful things. She once used it to make waves in the swimming pool for her neighbor's enjoyment. She even used it to mow the lawn. Of course, accidents did happen, but she was careful. And all the while, she tried to interpret the dreams she kept having. But then, as she somehow got closer to uncovering the truth, another strange feeling inside her came about. Some dark, devilish feeling. It was like she wanted to show the world her power and make people obey what she had to say. Often, if she weren't careful, this feeling would overcome her. Her powers would overflow and she would do terrible things. The last time she had let this happen, she had evaporated a whole lake. The three children swimming in it vanished. Other times, she had taken people's souls by accident, sucking in more and more power. When she had tried to stop these dark takeovers, it became harder to do it the next time. Crimson would have sent the ferryman to the Shadow Realm if she hadn't stepped in and just knocked him out inside. It was all she could do...
A sudden rush of birds startled Crimson. She glanced to the right, seeing the castle for the first time. The sprawling five-story building had a hundred rooms and a large Dueling arena, set over an endless pit. It even had a dungeon to keep prisoners. Funny, I hadn't noticed that before. Crimson noticed something new. A few figures seemed to be faintly silhouetted on top of the castle. It looked like a floating cloud and a human of some sort. Crimson cursed when she remembered her promise. It looked like she'd be walking there today. In order to be there on time, Crimson started her long "journey".
Crimson jogged through the forest as quickly as possible. Trying to avoid all Duelists, she cut through the trees. Halfway through, she bumped into a certain red-haired guy.
"You wanna Duel?" he asked. "Three stars? How about it?" Crimson buried her mind for an excuse.
"Well...huh...I...I...you...I...see...how...oh...oh...well I was..." Her mouth formed words her voice couldn't speak.
"You scared?" the boy taunted. "No one can run away from a challenge by me, Royhaun Cjosen. You'll just have to Duel. Bust out your deck and let's get moving, Chicken!" Crimson felt something burning inside her. She knew she had to keep the feeling down. She was almost to the castle, almost to her brother. She couldn't let her Item take control.
"Mr. Cjosen, it doesn't benefit you to Duel me. You'll lose in an instant!" Crimson felt the feeling inside grow stronger. She could feel her eyes burning themselves out. No! I promised no magic. I can solve this problem by myself! All, by myself. The feeling grew stronger. Crimson burned off little twigs that were hard to notice. The feeling got stronger.
"You are a chicken! No one backs down from one of my challenges. I'll give you two choices. Duel, or surrender your stars!"
"NO!" Crimson fell to her knees, shaking. Her hands gripped the ground for someway to hold on. Her hair toppled over hiding her face. The power inside her flowed out in bursts. Trees took to flame in an instant. The red-haired freckled boy widened his blue eyes. They had terror written all over them.
"You're a monster!" he cried, turning around. Before he could take another step, the power inside Crimson overflowed. It seemed to split him in half and tear the soul away from his body. In a second, it was over. The boy lay in the grass; his eyes were glazed white with shock. The trees around him had been blackened. Next to him, Crimson stood huddled against the tree. Her face was buried in her hands and her hair fell over her face.
"I am a monster! What have I done!?" Crimson cleared the hair to either side, sniffing as she dried her tears. The power was gone. The rage had built it up, and subsided itself. Crimson looked at the boy. His expression clearly told the tale. He couldn't be more than two or three years older than her. Next to his head was a small, blue crystal, shining with the glare of the sun. It was Soul Crystal. After a Soul was placed in it, it could only be extracted with the Sajuka Tree in the Shadow Realm. The juice of the Sajuka fruit was able to melt away the crystal binding. There was no way that Crimson could go there at a time like this. Instead, she put the crystal in her pocket. At the nearest given time, she would go.
Getting to her feet, Crimson set her eyes back on the target. She had stalled enough already. It would take ages at this rate to get to the castle. Maybe if she used a little magic...no! She could not! Not after what happened! Crimson ran toward the castle. Maybe if she kept moving, she wouldn't get any new ideas.
It was about four o'clock when Crimson finally got there. It was plenty enough time to get inside and find Yugi. Crimson suddenly remembered what was on top of the castle. She looked up, expecting to see the same monsters. What she saw was very different. A tall, three-headed dragon stood roaring atop the castle. Near the middle of its colossal blue body floated a corrupted skull. Across from the dying dragon was an elf warrior. He had long pointy ears and blonde hair that fell about his warrior apparel. He held a glimmering silver sword.
"What the..." Crimson scrunched her eyes. She was sure those were three Blue-Eyes White Dragons. She was almost positive. She couldn't explain why they were all merged together, but surely those were Blue-Eyes. On top of that, the warrior was a Celtic Guardian. It was some weird Duel. No way could the Guardian defeat such a powerful monster. Crimson looked closer. She realized that one head of the Dragon was already gone, and the other two had rotted almost to death. Crimson reasoned the corrupted skull in the middle of the Dragon must have weakened it. Upon closer inspection, she realized it was a Mammoth Graveyard. Crimson had an urge to go up and look at the Duel. The only way she could was to fly. But she promised herself she wouldn't use magic. She promised...
Nevertheless, Crimson found herself floating near the ledge a second later. Her magic had activated without her consent yet again. This time she dismissed it and focused on the Duel. Her jaw opened with surprise. For once, she thanked the powers of the Item. As she looked on the Duel, she realized the Duelist closest to her was the very same man in her dream. Yami Yugi. It was a big surprise to her. Opposite to him was a brown-haired Duelist who everyone knew the name of. The undefeated champion of Duel Monsters and the CEO of Kaiba Corp., none other than Seto Kaiba himself. By the sidelines stood three boys and a girl, cheering Yugi on. Seto Kaiba had no support, and it looked like it didn't matter anyway. He was on his knees, head down, and shoulders shaking with...anger? Or was it the "horror" of admitting defeat that so many champions feared. Crimson didn't know, and she surely didn't have time to figure out. At that precise moment, the strings of magic holding her up vanished, every trace evaporated into air. For a split second, Crimson's heart leaped to her throat at the thought of no support. Then she went crashing to the ground.
The two Duelists faced each for the highest stakes ever known to Duel Monsters. One had to save his grandfather from the clutches of Maximillion Pegasus; the other had to save his little brother. Neither admitted defeat, and neither was willing to do so in the future either. Cheering one of the Duelists was a group of friends. One was a carefree teenager with a mass of blonde hair, Joseph Wheeler, called Joey by his friends. Another was a brown- haired guy who was a dear friend to his companions by the name of Tristan Taylor. The white haired boy was Ryou Bakura, with amazing Dueling talents and a Millennium Item to rival all others. The girl of the group, Téa Gardener, was a perky fifteen-year old who liked to - and quite quickly did - make friends. These four cheered Yugi on as he Dueled Seto Kaiba, a widely known champion. Of course, he had beaten him before, and he was about to beat him again.
"Make your move!" Yugi called. He tightened the state-of-the-art Duel Disk on his hand. The brown-haired CEO opposite to him slowly got up to his feet. He stared blankly at the Duel. He knew there was no way to win. He had no choice but to lose.
"I pass," he said, his voice shaky. He was about to lose a very important match, probably the last he'll ever play. His brother's Soul, his well-being, had been placed at stake and Seto Kaiba had let him down. Never had he disappointed his brother like this. Mokuba Kaiba had always counted on his older brother to be there for him every step of the way. Kaiba promised he would be, and now this was about to break that promise.
"Alright!" Yugi cried. He drew a card and added to his Hand with haste. "This is the end! Celtic Guardian, attack Ultimate Dragon now!" The four friends cheered as the Guardian charged, slashing at the Dragon's head. In a flash, it sloshed to the floor. "I am the victor!" Seto Kaiba stared numbly at the Dragon. His own favorite monster had failed him, just as he had failed his brother. Nothing in the world was of any importance to him now.
"He won!" Téa cried, jumping into the air. "I knew he could do it!" Joey and Tristan started to celebrate, but Bakura stared at the ledge behind Yugi.
"Is something da' matter?" Joey asked. Bakura put his finger to his chin. He spoke with a heavy British accent.
"You know, I have a feeling something is quite not right," he said. "I have a feeling something is behind Yugi. It's not a good feeling, might I add."
"What do ya mean?"
"Well, I sense a combination of a Dark and Light force coming from that ledge. Just to be safe, I'll cut off its source of power."
"Good idea," Tristan said. Bakura's Millennium Ring glowed. It sent a single flash of light toward the ledge. A few seconds later, they heard a scream.
The chamber was filled with a sickly green light. Bianca scrunched her eyes and peered into her surroundings. Without that light, the room would be pitch black. It was a wonder she could even see this much. The light was starting to lose focus. She walked forward, aimlessly searching for something that she had no idea what it was. It was a very strange room; the closer she got to the light, the higher up it went. When she was directly below it, the light didn't even reach her. She was frightened at first at the thought of being stranded in a dark chamber. Then, she again got another boost of courage. It was enough to walk her to the wall. She felt the cold stones beneath the tips of her fingers, tracing the unintelligible writing.
"What is this?" she asked. She traced every curve. She suddenly gasped and pulled away. She realized she had traced the figure of a dragon. Furthermore, it was holding a staff very much like the Enchanted Javelin.
"Blue-Eyes!" The lights flickered on around her, the shade of blue. She turned around. The chamber was filled with Duel Monster carvings. It was like a painting surrounding her. Bianca's eyes couldn't take it all in.
"What are you doing here?" asked a voice. Bianca turned toward it.
"Seth!" She fell into his arms. He ran butterfly kisses down her neck, and then he pulled her away from him abruptly, yet gently.
"You shouldn't be here!" he warned. Bianca looked around her. "Only high ranking officials can be here. You can put yourself in danger."
"I don't know how I got here," she complained. "I didn't come on purpose."
"Well, if you find yourself here, just wish yourself out. Okay, this is a very dangerous place for you. I don't want for you to get hurt." Bianca smiled and wrapped her arms around him. She felt warm in his embrace.
"I love you!"
"I love you too!" Bianca turned to look at Seth. He comforted her with a smile. But the edges of his face began to fade. Suddenly, she found herself in a world that was blurry and cold.
"Seth?" she called.
"Bianca? Bianca? Bianca?" her name kept being repeated, but she couldn't recognize the voice. It grew deeper and deeper until it ceased to be human. Bianca felt herself pulled to the ground. She fell away from Seth's arms and into the darkness ...
Seto Kaiba felt very weak. He had been a fool, to underestimate Yugi. Now, he was going to pay the price. His knees shook when he thought about losing his little brother to Pegasus. The thought sent shivers up his spine and rage throughout his heart. There still must be some way he could rescue his brother. Ever since their parents had died, they promised to look after one another. How could he let down his brother now? Well, however he felt, he couldn't show it to his own enemies. He would let them believe nothing happened. After that...he didn't know. Something tugged at his mind. Something back, deeply hidden. He found himself daydreaming...
Seth found himself facing and endless hallway. Along its sides were ancient Egyptian writings, all worn with age. He knew he was looking for something, trying to find a very important item. Yet, his mind was blank on the details of what he was looking for.
Suddenly, a door appeared along the wall. It was made of clean stone blocks, and looked amazingly knew. Out of curiosity, Seth pulled it open. He found himself facing a giant chamber. The walls were lined with every single Duel Monster carving that existed. On the far wall, a black haired girl stood outlining the carvings. To Seth, some unexplainable feeling of familiarity came to him. Perhaps this was what he was trying to find. Yes, Bianca was whom he was trying to find.
"What are you doing here?" he found himself asking. He walked toward Bianca swiftly. She turned around and almost laughed heartily.
"Seth!" He grinned as she flew into his arms. He ran kisses down her neck and pulled her away to look at her beauty. It was then that the real significance of the room came to him. He realized she was not supposed to be here.
"You shouldn't be here!" he warned. "Only high ranking officials can be here. You can put yourself in danger." He saw that Bianca was starting to notice the figures around the wall.
"I don't know how I got here," she said. "I didn't come on purpose." Her huge purple eyes seemed to draw him in.
"Well, if you find yourself here, just wish yourself out. Okay, this is a very dangerous place for you. I don't want for you to get hurt." Bianca smiled and wrapped her arms around him. He felt warm in her embrace.
"I love you!"
"I love you too!" Bianca turned to look at Seth. He comforted her with a smile. He felt complete with her in his arms. It was a feeling he never wanted to lose. He stroked her face and looked into her eyes.
"Seth?" she asked. Seth frowned. Her eyes looked glazed and in a trance.
"Bianca? Bianca? Bianca?" He shook her gently but she kept staring straight out past him. "Bianca?" He repeated her name several times but she did not recover. Slowly, he realized he could not hold his grip on her. She slipped out of his arms and he could not get her...
"Wake up!" Crimson moaned and opened her eyes. The sun was almost setting and she could feel its heat. She rubbed her head. The blurry outline of a blonde-haired woman was visible, but it was hard to see anything else. "Are you awake?" Crimson's eyes focused in on the speaker. Her hair was wavy, a little on the curly side, and blonde. She had used a ton of make-up, but it looked good on her. She wore a purple skirt and matching jacket, with a very revealing white blouse. On one hand she sported a red Duelist glove, complete with ten stars. The other hand clutched six extra stars.
Crimson moaned and turned over. Her head hurt really badly and her whole body was stiff. She faintly remembered falling from the top of the castle.
"What happened?" the woman asked.
"I fell..." Crimson moaned, pointing to the top of the castle. The woman looked at the building like it was a curse.
"From there? Girl, I think you might be mistaken. No one can survive a fall from there."
"I can..." it sounded very foolish to the ear but it was true. The woman just shook her head and smiled.
"The name's Mai, by the way. Mai Valentine." She extended her hand. Crimson took it and stood up weakly. She felt like she was about to fall over.
"Mine's Yasmine. You can call me Crimson." Mai smiled at her.
"It's nice to meet you. Now, where exactly did you fall from?" Crimson pointed up to the ledge, and Mai's disbelieving eyes followed her finger. Crimson realized how far away the top was from the ground. Mai looked at her skeptically.
"You sure?" Mai didn't know what to think of the girl. She just must have had a big fall to be jumbled up so much. Before she could make another comment, Yugi and his friends entered the scene.
"You might have won now, but we will face off again!" Kaiba said; he left the scene.
"We've been through that already," Tristan said. "Yugi'll beat you every time." Yugi sighed and collected his star chips.
"Come on guys, let's go down!" His friends followed as he made his descent to the lower level. Unlike Kaiba, they used the elevator and reached the ground in seconds. When they made their way to the entrance, they saw Mai standing next to a girl on the ground.
"Hey Mai!" Joey called. She looked up at them as they entered the area. The girl especially shot them wide glances. The friends also shot her looks.
"What's your name?" Téa asked.
"Crimson, Crimson Streaks." She smiled at them. Yugi thought there was something very familiar about her.
"It's very nice to meet you," Yugi said. He shook her hand. At that moment, a flash went across his mind. He remembered something. Something very faint... at the edge of his mind.
"Same," he heard Crimson reply.
"So, Mai," Yugi continued. He ignored the thought of having seen Crimson before. "You've already got ten star chips? The last time we saw you, you had eight."
"Now I've got double," Mai said. She extended her hands to reveal all sixteen. Everyone gasped. Mai just smiled and acted superior. "Do you all got the same?" Joey nodded and held out his hand proudly.
"Check 'em out! I got all ten of these babes right here!" Mai crossed her arms.
"Did Yugi have to hold your hand and walk you to all of them?" she teased. Joey growled.
"Now, now, Wheeler. Don't get your leash snapped." Everyone turned toward the speaker. It was Seto Kaiba.
"Lay off!" Joey raised a fist and growled automatically. Seto Kaiba smirked. His voice caught in his throat. He could put on an incredible mask of his true feelings, but inside they still showed. If he wasn't careful, he'd and up sobbing to the dirt ground. His eyes searched the crowd for someone else to pick on. He'd seen all of them. Except...the black haired girl. Kaiba gasped. He had seen her too, in his dream. It was amazing. She looked just like the beautiful girl in his dream. His mind couldn't comprehend that she was real.
"And who are you?" He narrowed his eyes at Crimson, who gulped. She knew him ever since he was twelve. She had seen him on television and other places. She had never thought someone so famous would speak to her. Yet, he seemed more familiar than a television screen face. "What's your name?" She was startled. She had forgotten he asked a question. She prepared an answer but what came out was something totally different.
"Bianca." Crimson's eyes suddenly widened at what she said. Seto Kaiba took a small step back. No one really noticed his falter. "Sorry...I don't know what got into me! That was just completely out there. I meant to say Crimson. Crimson Streaks." Kaiba opened his mouth and shut it again. It was too much of a coincidence.
"I see." He was more shocked than he sounded. Yugi also looked at Crimson curiously, as if he had heard that name somewhere.
"Well," Tristan broke the silence. "Let's go inside if we want to start the tournament." Everyone agreed. They all laughed and headed up the castle. They were almost to the door when something started to bug Crimson. She had a sudden urge to turn around and look at Seto again. She tried to fight, but it was no use. When she turned around, she saw him walking down the path. Then, in a split second, someone flew out of the trees and knocked the wind out of him, driving Seto to the ground. Another guard came out, a gun in his hand.
"Stand up!" Crimson heard him faintly say. "Pegasus would like to see you!" Crimson tensed and grabbed Joey's shoulder, since he was closest. He turned around and saw the scene.
"Ya guys, look at dat!" The others turned and gasped. Crimson gripped her head. She had this sudden feeling again. Something was telling her to get involved. Her Millennium Item started to emit a fairly visible glow. She knew what she had to do. She had to help!