This chapter is dedicated to Hazel-Beka, the very nice people who have also reviewed every single chapter of this fic. The rest of ya could learn a thing or two here!
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Anyway, here is the first chapter of 2005! Enjoy!
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Disclaimer: Yugioh and Black&White not mine (No, really, you think?)
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Yuugioh spent his next five years learning the finer points of godhood from Layweh and Kazul. It turned out there were hundreds of gods and goddesses in the world of Eden.
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All of them had their own agenda, but most of the time they worked to preserve peace and order among the humans that worshiped them. But there were always a few evil deities, here and there.
Yuugioh had had the great misfortune of being caught in between two rival ones. That had been a one in a million chance freak occurrence.
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"Some gods live for thousands of years without ever meeting a evil god," Layweh told Yuugioh during a visit to her temple.
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Below them, Laurel was playing with Layweh's energetic Creature - a heifer named Baboom. As Laurel paused to get a drink of water, Baboom climbed to the top of a cliff near one of Layweh's villages, and jumped off.
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She landed hard, with a 'ba-boom!' sound echoing for a while afterwards. Layweh petted her and Baboom lolled happily before running off. It was an odd habit that Layweh never thought to condone; Baboom never damaged property, it was fun for her, so why bother was her line of thinking.
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Laurel was the same age as Baboom, even though Yuugioh was almost a hundred years younger than Layweh. Kazul, who mostly stayed in his remote part of their very large island, was more then triple their ages put together.
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Out of deference Layweh and Yuugioh gave Kazul his privacy unless there was a problem. So when Kazul invited Yuugioh over for a visit it came as a shock.
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"Look who's the favorite," Layweh teased.
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Yuugioh was more than willing to let Laurel hold down the fort while he was away. Flying low, Yuugioh took his time, enjoying the untouched and natural beauty below him.
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He could think about anything in private now, since after an incredible amount of compulsion Luster and Lupine had agreed to wait back at the Temple for him. He passed over a series of very high mountains and entered Kazul's influence.
Yuugioh paused as he spotted a massive and elderly turtle walking below with a load of grain. It tossed the grain into a Village Store, before spotting him. The Creature gave him a friendly wave, then moved on.
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Yuugioh realized he had never seen Kazul's creature before now, then turned as Kazul himself flew up to him.
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"Welcome to my little corner of the world," Kazul said with a laugh before indicating Yuugioh was to follow him further in.
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Kazul knew what he was - a unique god among all others. He had been a god for as long as anyone still living had known, which suited him just fine. Unlike all the younger gods and goddesses, Kazul was born into the world without a visible conscious. He still knew good from bad, wrong from right, but his compulsions weren't able to talk back.
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He was 'compensated' for the loss of company by several other traits, the very least of which was his psychic abilities. It could be almost laughable otherwise, but with those powers Kazul had lived through the destruction of ten temples, something that was normally not possible with the loss of just one.
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Kazul had chosen this island as a place to stay thirty-thousand years ago, give or take a thousand, aware that he would be considered dangerous if his secret was told. But as he watched the young god Yuugioh, he sensed what the other didn't seem to know.
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"I suppose you're wondering why I asked if you could visit me," Kazul said.
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"A little," Yuugioh ventured, still watching the scenery as if he'd never seen anything like it before.
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Kazul chuckled.
"They're just trees like any other, you know. They're not going to change if you don't look at them."
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There was an embarrassed silence before they headed to a small island just offshore from Kazul's temple.
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"I have noticed some things about you," Kazul said directly.
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"What sort of things?"
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"Things hidden, even from yourself. I have seen more then my fair share of new gods, and there's something about you that's different from all of them."
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Yuugioh gave him a worried look.
"Is that bad?"
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"Not so that I've noticed. However, I can see perfectly well that you're not happy."
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"Not happy? My villages are stable and expanding, Laurel is growing more beautiful every day, and I have other people like myself to talk to for once. Why wouldn't I be happy?"
Even as he said it, Kazul could see the gears turning in Yuugioh's mind. He wasn't happy, but he didn't want to complain…why? Then Kazul saw.
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The last time he had complained, Alastor had noticed his presence and beaten him into tar on a mountainside.
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"Kazul…" Yuugioh's voice was softer then normal, less…forceful, he thought.
"I guess…you're right. But…"
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"Never fear, my young friend," Kazul gave Yuugioh a sort of 'no-armed' hug, "I have news that will leave your boredom quaking in it's boots."
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"Okay, what's with all the hush-hush?"
Late the next night, Layweh, Yuugioh, and Kazul met at Kazul's request, without their Creatures. Baboom was asleep and wouldn't be woken by anything less then the island melting anyway; Yuugioh thought Laurel was asleep as he had left her.
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Instead, she was spying on them from a nearby forest.
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"There is a force entering our world of Eden. An evil force that if successful, will cover Eden in darkness forever."
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"Wow," Layweh said.
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"What do you want us to do about it?"
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"It gain's its powers from the three Dark Creeds," Kazul began explaining.
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"Wait," Yuugioh interrupted, "What's a Creed?"
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"The Creeds are sources of great power, hidden and scattered across Eden," Kazul explained.
"There are several kinds. Four Rainbow Creeds, three Dark Creeds, and the White Creed. The evil force draws its energy from the three Dark Creeds."
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Waiting for another question and not seeing one, Kazul resumed his tale.
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"This force, which is more powerful then any god, Creature, or mortal, has of late seduced many otherwise wonderful gods and goddesses to become evil. It then sets them against each other."
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"Why do that?" Layweh was curious.
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"In order to gain each Dark Creed, it must summon them by the fires of conflict and war. When all three Dark Creeds are brought together, their power will unleash destruction unimaginable."
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"Isn't there a way to stop it?"
"There is a slim chance - if we can bring together the Rainbow Creeds then the power of the Dark Creeds might be stopped."
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Layweh looked very skeptical.
"That sounds like a lot of work for just a 'maybe'."
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"Better then no chance at all," Yuugioh countered.
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"Well, I suppose I was getting tired of sitting on my ass all day anyway," Layweh joked.
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"Good. Get your people and Creatures ready - I will open vortexes for you at dawn."
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As the other two agreed, Laurel swiftly returned to the pen and acted as if she was asleep. Inside, she was quivering - but if it was with fear or excitement she couldn't tell.
