Curse in the Heart of the Cards

by: Eyes of Pearl

Rating: G

Disclaimer: Sailor Moon, Gundam Wing and Yugioh belong to their respective owners.


Chapter 8

Previously:

Yami visited the Egyptian Exhibit and found himself face to face with Seto Kaiba who had vague memories of his encounter from the last couple of weeks. At the moment of epiphany, Kaiba once again found himself at a choice as he said,

"I don't know what happen from the time that I came to L4 till now. It is liked being caught between waking and dreaming. You don't know what you feel is real or simply part of your imagination. Day by day, I feel like I am losing a part of something that I cannot tangibly grasp again. All I have is this card ... even now it haunts me, taunting me with its secrets."

Yami stared at the 'Betrayal's Demise' card and looked to Kaiba and said, "Are you ready for those secrets, Kaiba?"

Presently:

So here they were once again facing off at the tip of the balance. It was Kaiba's destiny on the line. It was his choice. Few people ever get a second chance or is willing to gamble for one. For once, Kaiba thought not of his future ambitions or what he wanted for Kaiba Corp, instead he conjured up the voice of Quatre, Yami and of the lingering dreams from his memory. He looked to his heart and finally stared hard at the once-upon Pharaoh of Egypt.

"Then you know what to do," came the reply.

With precise movements, Kaiba and Yami simultaneously assembled their decks into the duelling disk. The first card that Kaiba drew was the 'Betrayal's Demise' card. He called forth the incantation that he noticed at the edge of the card. The words were spoken in the language that came second nature to him. As each word was spoken, they glowed in illuminance and danced before them.

The figure from the card emerged and answered mechanically and dutifully, "You have summoned me from my ancient realm. The truth you seek and answers I shall grant with a price. What shall be your sacrifice?"

Next, Kaiba drew out one of his three Blue Eyes White Dragon cards and said, "As the High Priest, Servant to the Pharaoh, I shall sacrifice the Blue Eyes White Dragon."

Beside him, Yami in turn and drew out one of the most powerful monsters in his deck. Without checking the image on the card, he knew what it was as he said, "As the Pharaoh of Egypt, the Solar Guardian, Holder of the Millennium Puzzle, I shall sacrifice the Dark Magician!"

5000 years ago, the Pharaoh and his servant had battled with these ancient monsters. It was their final duel before everything was changed and the Order laid their curse. It seems rather fitting that these monsters will be sacrificed for the restoration for truth and honour.

The figure bowed in acceptance of the sacrifice. With a twirl of her sceptre, two cauldrons appeared and in them, the monsters were accepted. The figure spoke again, "Though your sacrifice is noble, the power that was once lose must now be returned. What powers you possess should be given to beseech the Order."

There was a slight confusion as to the ambiguity of her words until ...

Yami held up his Millennium Puzzle and shouted, "Here I shall release the Powers of the Moon to her Goddess and sole Sovereign as the powers once given shall now be returned."

Then without a spoken command, the Millennium Rod appeared in Kaiba's right hand. "Here I bestowed the powers from the Millennium Rod as token for the Order."

In acknowledgement, the ceiling above them poured forth an array of light. Mirages of the Blue Eyes and Dark Magician appeared. A single blue orb and a purple globe was retrieved from the respective monsters and their powers was absorbed into the maiden below. Then a swirl of golden ribbons was shot into the sceptre that she held. A forcefield enveloped her until the last remnants of magic dissipated.

The two men turned away from the magnitude of magic put on display before them. When they looked forward again, they saw a single girl laying faced down on the floor. She was changed now from her formal robes. Her golden hair fanned out from beneath her. As the two men cautiously approached, she got up slowly from the ground and turned around to meet them. Her countenance had not changed much from the picture on the playing card. Her eyes was still the colour of the torrent seas and ever-mysterious. Yet, there was a hint of fear and uncertainty.

They starred at each other for awhile, nobody knew what to say under the circumstance. It was not everyday not a young girl has been resurrected from a playing card into the present world. There is no valid justifications or a clear explanation. Yet, one must wondered why they did what they did.

For Yami, those reasons were uncomplicated. She is his sister, five millennia does not change that fact. He have been alone for so long now and whatever hurt he had felt before seem insignificant. She had betrayed him, yes, that is certain. Times have changed now. They were no longer the Pharaoh and Princess of the Egyptian Court. They still possessed magic and the cards are still there. What powers do they have on the world that they now lived on? Whatever that may be, five millennia is too long of a wait to be reunited with your own flesh and blood.

Perhaps, she had seen the reassurance in her brother's eyes. Without a word, the blonde-haired girl rushed forward and swept Yami in her embrace. Yami was surprise by her actions but he only adjusted slightly to the added weight. He was speechless when she called him "Brother."

"Serenity," he murmured. She hugged him tighter.

"I'm sorry," she whispered, "for betraying you. We are family ..."

Yami slowly release his hold on the girl in front of him and said, "Times are different now. I don't care about that anymore. I want my sister back, just don't get yourself locked up for another 5000 years and I'll forgive you."

With a laugh, the mood suddenly got brighter. The siblings shared a look before Serenity turned to the auburn hair man next to her brother. "Kaiba."

"Tsuki ..."

"Even now, you can't say my name properly," she retorted.

He leaned in closer with his lips hovering inches on top of her but she did not close the difference. Instead, she stood stoically with one of her eyebrows arched before turning her head away. Kaiba reached out and grabbed her by the waist to stop her from leaving. He spun her around to face him before kissing her long and hard. His lips brutally ravishing her before pulling abruptly away. With his breath hitching, he said, "I always get what I want. Nothing can stop me, you know this." Without waiting for a reply, he assaulted her lips again.

Kaiba may not be easiest person to get along with and his intentions are never clear to the person who does not know him well. Like Yami, he had been isolated and alone for much of his life. Success at the top of the pinnacle often comes at a price and for Kaiba, it was the loss of companionship. With that loss, he had also sacrifice a part of himself, a chance to love and friendship.

It is a fact of life that the greatest challenge is to overcome those internal barriers that we have in our hearts. Are we willing to let those mistakes and failures dictate the course of our lives. Are we ready to change? Only we as individuals have the power to do so.

This was a journey of self-discovery on Kaiba's part where in the end, he realized that he could sacrifice a part of himself without completely losing his identity.

Now as Yami looked on, Kaiba was completely oblivious to all else except for the woman he was currently kissing. Yami was debating whether to be happy or overprotective for his sister. 'Perhaps, I should challenge him for my sister's honour' he thought. Looking at the scene before him, he felt a sense of calm washing over him. A genuine smile appeared on his face at the thought that the curse of the past has been lifted and that they were truly free.

The end


AFTERWORD BY THE AUTHOR

I thank you a million times for those who stick with this fic to the end and to the new readers who happened to stumble upon it. It is hard to juggle school and everything else and still have time to type out fics. I know it has been confusing at points and other parts need some further elaboration. You may have noticed that the last chapter took a slightly different style. I had tried to incorporate the reasons as to why the characters did what they and the direction of the fic.

As said, this is in introspection into Kaiba as a person. He is a complex character to write about and I had tried to capture of th essence of that enigma in him. He is ambitiously stubborn but his one obstacle is himself and his own fears about the past. Ultimately, I think that he has to look inside himself and acknowledge the emotions he had suppressed in his heart.

For Yami's character, I think I had added more detail about him as I typed up the chapters. Throughout, I had drawn similarities and differences between him and Kaiba. Yami sought for his past while Kaiba ran from it, yet they are brought together because of Serenity. I didn't go into detail as to their relationship as the Pharaoh and the High Priest. I would say that it is mostly a master and servant and respect for the hierarchy.

I took a different spin on Serenity / Serena Tsukino's character. She takes a supporting role almost and appears briefly in the beginning and ending. She is powerful, that has not changed from the original series of SM. In this fic, she is using those powers for personal gain, for love but she defies the Order and that of her destiny. Throughout SM, Serenity doesn't fight against destiny and the role that she plays in it. In this fic, she did because she wants to be with the person that she loves. Of course, I didn't go into the detail in regards to Serenity & Yami and Serenity & Kaiba's relationships. It is really up to the readers to decipher from the story whether it was justify or not.

This is supposed to be a crossover with GW as well, although it was predominantly YGO. Quatre was very interesting to write about. He served almost as a conscience for Kaiba, the 'heart'. Most of the conversation between Kaiba and him led to a revelation or some sort of a change. Essentially, Quatre is the one who puts things into perspective. His relationship with Amy is an indirect correlation between Serenity and Kaiba. Of course, there is no elaboration between Quatre and Amy, but the implications were there. As for the rest of the GW boys, they made a brief appearance, just some food for thought as I compare Kaiba with the pilots. Again, thanks for reading, until later ...