A|N:: I've decided to continue this fic. Why? Because I believe that no matter what the obstacle, the story must go on. So here it is.
Dim by Light, Bright by Dark
Chapter 5: Innocence Dies
Watching the gloaming through the window, Yami reminisced. He stood still, his hands folded behind his back, his eyes glued to the view outside his window. His eyes glowed strangely as he watched the purple sky through violet eyes. Eventually, a single tear strayed from his eye as a recognizable voice echoed through his head.
'Yami, are you alright?'
A little boy around three sat on the floor with his hands over his eyes. He was crying as a boy of eight hovered around him in worry.
'Yami, what's wrong?' That voice asked again.
'Seto, I was trying to catch a moth and I tripped. I fell and scratched my knees.'
'It's alright, Little Brother. Let me see your knees.'
The little boy shifted, so that the scars on his knees were in clear view of the other boy. Seto tore a piece of cloth from the tunic he wore. Lightly he dabbed the blood, while Yami wailed in pain.
'It's okay, now. Everything will be alright.'
With his free hand, Seto gave a gentle pat on the little boy's head.
"Pharaoh!" Yami stirred and turned to see who had called for him.
"Forgive me, I did not mean to disturb you. But…" The young sorcerer paused to take a breather. Yami moved closer to him, putting his hands on the younger boy's shoulders. "What is it Razu?"
Razu, a young sorcerer of about fifteen years of age, stared at the pharaoh with anxiety.
"There is an Evil Sorcerer at the east side border. He threatens to burn everything to the ground if he doesn't see you soon."
"Razu, why are you the one telling me this? Where is Ishizu?"
"I do not know."
"Find her!" Yami commanded. The boy bowed deeply and took off.
Yami went in another direction and was immediately greeted by yet another one of his trustworthy followers. His name was Boro. Boro wore a mask over his face, but his voice was clearly shaking with fright.
"My Pharaoh. I sent Razu for—"
"And I got his message. The boy is nimble in mind and body. Do not blame him for anything."
Boro nodded. "I'm sorry; I didn't mean to sound that way."
"It doesn't matter. I need to know who's behind this!"
"They are the same sorcerers of Seto's, but this time they follow a new leader," Boro's voice came out a tremble.
"What is his name?" Yami questioned urgently.
"I do not know."
++++++++++++++++++++++++
A young sorcerer with black eyes laughed loudly as he watched people scrambling away from him in fear. His ghostly, white hair, disheveled from being neglected. He wore a tattered robe like the other sorcerers who were exiled. And like the rest, black paint brimmed the edges of his eyes.
"Hold it right there!" A voice boomed from behind him. The sorcerer stopped, both pupils twitching to the side of his eyes. He did not turn, though.
"Who are you?" The voice growled.
"Hmm. So we meet at last." Now the sorcerer turned to face the new arrival. "Things will be so much fun now that you are here…"
"This is not a game!" It was Pharaoh Yami who shouted.
"I don't have to play a game to have fun." The sorcerer said in a vicious snarl. "I can have fun with you around."
"Who are you?!"
"They call me Bakura," He raised his arms over his head. "And soon the ruler of the entire world!"
Yami dug his feet deeper into the ground as he braced himself for Bakura's words.
Bakura continues with malice distinct in his voice, "Seto was not strong enough. That weakling is now gone—say, what did you do to your own brother?"
Yami scowled, saying something in the ancient tongue.
"Bwahahahaha!" Bakura lowered his eyes and murmured, "Fool."
Boro, coming up from behind Yami spoke up. "Pharaoh, let us destroy him together."
"No! That is not justified!" Yami yelled in outrage without turning to Boro.
"But, Yami he is destroying the kingdom! Is that justified?"
"It makes me no better if I fall to his level."
Boro ripped his mask off and yelled back at the pharaoh, "Are we going to play fair until nothing is left of the kingdom!!!???"
"I shall play fair until there is nothing left of me!"
"No, I will not allow it!" Boro turned to his colleagues. About half of Yami's group of followers stepped out to stand beside Boro.
"Fine then!" Bakura shouted. Since you all agree, we will duel under my circumstances.
Boro and many of the other sorcerers faded away as Bakura raised his arms.
"No!" Yami shouted. "What have you done with them?"
"Ah do not worry, Yami. They might come back if they defeat me. But if they don't… They will remain in the Shadow Realm for eternity!" Bakura disappeared as he said these final words.
"Bakura, COME BACK!" Yami shouted at the spot where the sorcerer had stood. "Duel me, you coward! It is me that you want!"
"Pharaoh, pharaoh, it is no use," came the sweet voice of the sorceress, Reika.
"But…"
"We must hope for their return, for now."
"I always thought that Boro would… Listen to me…"
Reika shook her head gravely. "Times are different, Pharaoh. And there is nothing we can do for them now." Her hand came up to cup the young pharaoh's shoulder gently. "But I sense something wrong back at the palace."
Yami's head snapped back. "Why can't I sense it?!"
"Stop wallowing in your grief! Have faith in those who follow you!"
"Reika, you raise your voice at me?"
"I told you times are different… Now let us go! Something is wrong at home."
++++++++++++++++++++
In the same dark, damp room, where the single door that took at least a dozen men to open stood, lifeless bodies lay on the ground. The door, wide open, let out a gloom that hungrily licked at the dead, like vultures of the dark. Unseen by anyone, the evil lurked, and known by everyone the fact was that, 'it was no use now.' The seven men that lay dead had died from raw fear. Their hearts had stopped while their eyes were still wide open in shock. One of these men in standard, might be considered a boy.
The shuffling of feet for a moment drove this evil scene away. Robed people moved to the dead bodies to feel for pulses. And one, dressed more cleanly, fell beside the boy whose eyes were opened, but did not see. "Razu…" He murmured, as he gently raised the boy's head with his hands. It was no use. He was too late. What ever happened, he would not know.
Reika crouched beside the Pharaoh who held the boy. She reached out, and without even touching Razu's face his eyelids slowly closed. All Reika did was shadow those shocked, terrified eyes. As Reika did this Yami's eyes strayed to the door. "The Gods," he barely finished. She looked up to follow the Pharaoh's gaze. "Who could have opened it?" She wondered out loud.
A dark shadow, standing in the corner knew the answer. "One who is mad for power."
The speaker stepped out of the darkness as if appearing from out of no where.
All eyes turned to see who it was…
'Ishizu?'
Dim by Light, Bright by Dark
Chapter 5: Innocence Dies
Watching the gloaming through the window, Yami reminisced. He stood still, his hands folded behind his back, his eyes glued to the view outside his window. His eyes glowed strangely as he watched the purple sky through violet eyes. Eventually, a single tear strayed from his eye as a recognizable voice echoed through his head.
'Yami, are you alright?'
A little boy around three sat on the floor with his hands over his eyes. He was crying as a boy of eight hovered around him in worry.
'Yami, what's wrong?' That voice asked again.
'Seto, I was trying to catch a moth and I tripped. I fell and scratched my knees.'
'It's alright, Little Brother. Let me see your knees.'
The little boy shifted, so that the scars on his knees were in clear view of the other boy. Seto tore a piece of cloth from the tunic he wore. Lightly he dabbed the blood, while Yami wailed in pain.
'It's okay, now. Everything will be alright.'
With his free hand, Seto gave a gentle pat on the little boy's head.
"Pharaoh!" Yami stirred and turned to see who had called for him.
"Forgive me, I did not mean to disturb you. But…" The young sorcerer paused to take a breather. Yami moved closer to him, putting his hands on the younger boy's shoulders. "What is it Razu?"
Razu, a young sorcerer of about fifteen years of age, stared at the pharaoh with anxiety.
"There is an Evil Sorcerer at the east side border. He threatens to burn everything to the ground if he doesn't see you soon."
"Razu, why are you the one telling me this? Where is Ishizu?"
"I do not know."
"Find her!" Yami commanded. The boy bowed deeply and took off.
Yami went in another direction and was immediately greeted by yet another one of his trustworthy followers. His name was Boro. Boro wore a mask over his face, but his voice was clearly shaking with fright.
"My Pharaoh. I sent Razu for—"
"And I got his message. The boy is nimble in mind and body. Do not blame him for anything."
Boro nodded. "I'm sorry; I didn't mean to sound that way."
"It doesn't matter. I need to know who's behind this!"
"They are the same sorcerers of Seto's, but this time they follow a new leader," Boro's voice came out a tremble.
"What is his name?" Yami questioned urgently.
"I do not know."
++++++++++++++++++++++++
A young sorcerer with black eyes laughed loudly as he watched people scrambling away from him in fear. His ghostly, white hair, disheveled from being neglected. He wore a tattered robe like the other sorcerers who were exiled. And like the rest, black paint brimmed the edges of his eyes.
"Hold it right there!" A voice boomed from behind him. The sorcerer stopped, both pupils twitching to the side of his eyes. He did not turn, though.
"Who are you?" The voice growled.
"Hmm. So we meet at last." Now the sorcerer turned to face the new arrival. "Things will be so much fun now that you are here…"
"This is not a game!" It was Pharaoh Yami who shouted.
"I don't have to play a game to have fun." The sorcerer said in a vicious snarl. "I can have fun with you around."
"Who are you?!"
"They call me Bakura," He raised his arms over his head. "And soon the ruler of the entire world!"
Yami dug his feet deeper into the ground as he braced himself for Bakura's words.
Bakura continues with malice distinct in his voice, "Seto was not strong enough. That weakling is now gone—say, what did you do to your own brother?"
Yami scowled, saying something in the ancient tongue.
"Bwahahahaha!" Bakura lowered his eyes and murmured, "Fool."
Boro, coming up from behind Yami spoke up. "Pharaoh, let us destroy him together."
"No! That is not justified!" Yami yelled in outrage without turning to Boro.
"But, Yami he is destroying the kingdom! Is that justified?"
"It makes me no better if I fall to his level."
Boro ripped his mask off and yelled back at the pharaoh, "Are we going to play fair until nothing is left of the kingdom!!!???"
"I shall play fair until there is nothing left of me!"
"No, I will not allow it!" Boro turned to his colleagues. About half of Yami's group of followers stepped out to stand beside Boro.
"Fine then!" Bakura shouted. Since you all agree, we will duel under my circumstances.
Boro and many of the other sorcerers faded away as Bakura raised his arms.
"No!" Yami shouted. "What have you done with them?"
"Ah do not worry, Yami. They might come back if they defeat me. But if they don't… They will remain in the Shadow Realm for eternity!" Bakura disappeared as he said these final words.
"Bakura, COME BACK!" Yami shouted at the spot where the sorcerer had stood. "Duel me, you coward! It is me that you want!"
"Pharaoh, pharaoh, it is no use," came the sweet voice of the sorceress, Reika.
"But…"
"We must hope for their return, for now."
"I always thought that Boro would… Listen to me…"
Reika shook her head gravely. "Times are different, Pharaoh. And there is nothing we can do for them now." Her hand came up to cup the young pharaoh's shoulder gently. "But I sense something wrong back at the palace."
Yami's head snapped back. "Why can't I sense it?!"
"Stop wallowing in your grief! Have faith in those who follow you!"
"Reika, you raise your voice at me?"
"I told you times are different… Now let us go! Something is wrong at home."
++++++++++++++++++++
In the same dark, damp room, where the single door that took at least a dozen men to open stood, lifeless bodies lay on the ground. The door, wide open, let out a gloom that hungrily licked at the dead, like vultures of the dark. Unseen by anyone, the evil lurked, and known by everyone the fact was that, 'it was no use now.' The seven men that lay dead had died from raw fear. Their hearts had stopped while their eyes were still wide open in shock. One of these men in standard, might be considered a boy.
The shuffling of feet for a moment drove this evil scene away. Robed people moved to the dead bodies to feel for pulses. And one, dressed more cleanly, fell beside the boy whose eyes were opened, but did not see. "Razu…" He murmured, as he gently raised the boy's head with his hands. It was no use. He was too late. What ever happened, he would not know.
Reika crouched beside the Pharaoh who held the boy. She reached out, and without even touching Razu's face his eyelids slowly closed. All Reika did was shadow those shocked, terrified eyes. As Reika did this Yami's eyes strayed to the door. "The Gods," he barely finished. She looked up to follow the Pharaoh's gaze. "Who could have opened it?" She wondered out loud.
A dark shadow, standing in the corner knew the answer. "One who is mad for power."
The speaker stepped out of the darkness as if appearing from out of no where.
All eyes turned to see who it was…
'Ishizu?'