"The Rose Duelist: War Stories"
(Prequel to "The Rose Duelist")
By: Seto's Princess
Disclaimer – I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh or the original storyline for "The Duelists of the Roses" for Playstation 2… However, I do own Maki Kaichi, Mr. Morosou Kaichi, Mrs. Yakima Kaichi, Mr. Ichiro Shuka, Mrs. Reiko Shuka, Rick Takinawa, Crystal Takinawa, Sujiro Mitsuki, a few other random names I made up, and this story.
Hello! I would like to start by giving thanks to all fans of "The Rose Duelist." It was the first story I had on this site, and although it had a rocky start, your support has helped it become a great story and almost as popular as my humor fics - notably "Life At My House" and "Leave A Message After The Beep." If it had not been for you readers out there, "The Rose Duelist" would not be progressing as well as it is. I recently found the original copy of "The Rose Duelist," from when I had just started to write it last year. It was the first eight chapters, and as I read it, it amazed me how drastically I ended up changing it. My writing has really improved. The original version was so lame; Seto was quite OOC and Maki actually was a Mary Sue - she was even the best of friends with Yugi and Co. and had absolutely no problems, and that was just the first eight chapters! However, you all know by now, that Maki is NOT a Mary Sue. I gave her quite an interesting past and a fear of letting anyone become her friend. I could not have done it without your support and I am highly grateful for your loyalty to "The Rose Duelist."
Well, I will stop rambling now and let you read the prequel to "The Rose Duelist." It should not be more than 10 chapters long, but I cannot be entirely sure. I might suddenly have an idea strike me and then add it in, but for now, I do not think it will surpass 10 chapters. Enjoy and please let me know if you become confused by anything in this story.
Oopps, one more thing. I am sorry to keep babbling like this, but this last thing is important. I know that many of you have not played the game for Playstation 2, so you might be slightly confused as to what is going on. Do not worry; I will try to explain everything as best as I can. For those of you who have played the game, you will notice that I tweaked and twisted some things around. This story will be very different from the game even if it is based off it. I might insert a few notes to let you know where I made the changes. If I just confused you, here is the short version: I wrote this story based on a combination of three things. 1 - The actual storyline from the game minus the dueling rules, which are too complicated to understand unless you have played the game. 2 - Some research I did on the real 'wars of the roses' that really did occur in European history. As much as I hate history, I knew I had to do some research on the real-life event so my story would not be too farfetched after my tweaking. 3 - My own ideas, including the three very important scenes that give Maki her three scars. I hope I did not confuse you. If you need more or a better explanation, do not hesitate to e-mail me. I cannot stand a highly confused or upset reader.
Well, I will shut up now and let you get on to the story. Enjoy the prequel!
'Words in italics and single quotation marks' are thoughts.
"Words in italics and double" or no quotation marks are dreams.
Special note: Domino City is NOT the setting in the beginning of this story. Also, Seto, Yugi, the rest of the gang, and a few other notable people will NOT appear in this story. This story occurs before "The Rose Duelist," so Maki never met them.
Special Note 2: This story will be written in Maki's Point of View…
Chapter 1 – Introduction… The Fourteen-year-old Maki…
"Simon! SIMON! Simon, where are you?" a frantic female voice cried out.
"I am here. Do not fret milady," another, calmer, older, male voice replied.
"Ah Simon, there you are! I have gathered up the red rose cards and the other duelists. We are ready to head for Stonehenge," the female voice said.
"Very well, let's be on our way. The sooner we summon the Rose Duelist, the sooner we can vanquish the wrath of Rosenkreuz!"
These two mysterious figures hid themselves underneath long cloaks, as did the seven other people that were with them. The cloaked figures left the castle, and headed off to Stonehenge, England.
…
A few days later… In the real world…
…
"Well, well, Rick. This is the end for you, you stupid wanna-be. You may be known as the best male duelist here, but you are nothing compared to me. Face it, it's over. It's time for me to take revenge for what you did to me in third grade," I sneered and laughed sadistically.
"Ha! You have to be kidding me! You're down to your last 200 life points! I'm a much better duelist than you'll ever be," Rick Takinawa retorted with a smirk.
Oh, how I wanted to wipe that stupid smirk off his smug face.
"THAT'S WHERE YOU'RE WRONG!" I screamed aloud as I played 'Monster Reborn'.
"WHAT? NO!" Rick shouted and his eyes widened in horror.
"I told you it was over," I said with my own pride-filled smirk, but just before I could revive the monster I wanted, a bright light engulfed everything.
…
"Maki… Maki dear, wake up… Maki," my mother said as she shook me awake.
"Wha? Oh, mom, give me ten more minutes," I groaned and turned over. It was typical for a fourteen-year-old. 'What did that dream mean? Darn it… Why did mom have to interrupt? That's the fourth time today. I still don't understand that dream. I've been having it every night for over a week already. What does it mean? Why can't I ever finish it? I always get to that last bit where I'm about to finish Rick off and all I see is a blinding light. Then… nothing. I just wake up.'
"That's what you said ten minutes ago… and ten minutes before that, and ten minutes before that, and ten minutes before that" mom replied with a stern voice but with a smile nonetheless.
"Aw, mom…" I whined and buried myself even further under my covers. 'I want to finish that dream…'
"Very well. I'll just let all the other duelists know that you aren't competing in this year's championship tournament because you wanted, and I quote, 'ten more minutes'," my mother replied jokingly.
"Wait… What?" I shouted and literally shot up from my bed.
"Don't tell me you forgot the town championship tournament was today?" my mom inquired.
"Hehe, oopps," I mumbled sheepishly.
My mother raised her eyebrow in amusement. "It's going to start in an hour, so I would get ready if I were you." With that, she left the room and closed the door behind her.
'Oh darn… I can't believe I forgot that the tournament to decide this year's champion of Omihachiman City was today! Stupid dream… I haven't been able to think of anything else…' (I just realized I never did mention where Maki originally lived before she moved to Domino. Since I really have no idea where Domino is, I just picked some random city in Japan as Maki's hometown- Omihachiman City. It does not actually matter anyway, so do not worry about it so much.) (November 2, 2005 – I did some research and found out that Shiga was a Prefecture, not a city. Japan is divided into Regions, which are divided into Prefectures and then into towns and cities. So Maki's hometown is Omihachiman City, not Shiga, as I wrote it before.)
I quickly jumped out of bed, took a shower, and then stood in front of my closet to decide what outfit to wear. I finally decided on a pair of black denim shorts with a matching black denim jacket, a white spaghetti-strapped tank top, and my favorite black and white sneakers. As for accessories, I put on a pair of black and white star earrings and, of course, my silver dueling belt that held my Duel Monsters Deck.
What I did not anticipate, however, is that this would be the last outfit I was going to wear before my life would take a complete turn.
"Ready to go Maki?" a voice asked once I had left my room.
"Dad! You're here!" I exclaimed excitedly and hugged my father.
"Of course I'm here. Did you think I'd miss my daughter's big day?" he asked playfully.
"But I thought you had to work today," I said and let go of my father's embrace.
"Ah, but you forget that my boss is a fan of Duel Monsters. He wanted to see the tournament, so he let everyone off," he explained.
"Well then, shall we go?" mom asked as she wandered in from the kitchen and embraced dad. I nodded and we left the house.
…
"Well, well, well. Look what we have here dear sister," a distinct seventeen-year-old male's voice said. "It's little Maki Kaichi, ready to get her butt kicked by a real duelist."
"Well, if it isn't Rick Takinawa, the scum of the earth. There's a real duelist here? Boy, I never thought that Maximillian Pegasus would enter a small rinky-dink town tournament. So, where is he? I don't see him anywhere," I said casually yet somewhat mockingly.
"My brother was talking about himself, you little wench," his younger, fourteen-year-old, sister and my ex-best friend, Crystal, shot back.
I mock-gasped. "Your brother is a real duelist? Shouldn't they have announced it on the news then?"
"How dare you speak about my brother like that? I can't believe I was ever your friend," Crystal retorted.
"The feeling is mutual Crystal," I said.
"Listen to me you little bitch. You may have that little attitude of yours, but that won't be enough to beat me in a duel," Rick hissed.
"Rick Takinawa! Must you resort to such language? I should tell your mother," my mother warned.
"Well, I can't say your daughter is helping the situation much, Yakima," Rick's mother cut in.
"Excuse me?" mom asked, flabbergasted.
"My kids have tried to be nice. They have both apologized for what happened five years ago, but your daughter seems to be the only one who won't let it go," Mrs. Takinawa reprimanded.
"All the apologies in the world won't make up for what they did to me," I sneered.
"Well you certainly aren't making this situation any better Maki. I would adjust that attitude of yours. You'll never get any friends that way," Mrs. Takinawa chided.
"HA! Friends. Now that's a silly word," I scoffed, not backing down. I did not want friends; I did not need them.
"There she is! Maki!" a familiar voice called out. I turned to my right to see a young beaming couple – Mr. and Mrs. Shuka, friends of the family.
"Are you all ready to kick butt, Maki?" Mrs. Shuka asked.
"You know I always am, Mrs. Shuka," I replied playfully and the couple laughed. Mr. and Mrs. Shuka were not exactly my friends, they were more like acquaintances. As I mentioned before, I did not want any friends.
"Yes, Maki, you always are. Well, we'll be rooting for you!" Mr. Shuka exclaimed and he and his wife walked off to take their seats in the audience.
"Well then, it looks like the tournament is about to start. I would say 'good luck,' but that would be an understatement. You need more than luck to defeat me, Rick," I teased as he glared at me with utmost loathing.
After the incident in third grade, when Rick and his horde of dumb headed friends decided to butcher my hair, I took it upon my self to become a stronger person. I made sure never to trust anyone again. Crystal's betrayal taught me that no one in this world could be trusted. (Read "The Rose Duelist" Chapter 9 – Betrayal of a Friend to find out what happened to Maki in the third grade.)
I lost all the extra weight I had and my hair eventually grew up to my waist. I decided I wanted to let it grow longer than that. It would be a memory of the emotional scar that the Takinawa siblings left embedded in my soul.
In addition to improving myself physically, I developed a certain personality that drew attention from those I considered the "right" people and it drove away all the "losers," which included Rick and Crystal. I was known throughout town as the 'Ice Duelist' due to my cold personality. (Okay, I know Maki sounds snobby and most likely Mary-Sue-ish here, but please do not think she is. Think of it this way – she has a Seto-ish personality, okay?)
…
"Ladies and gentlemen! Welcome to Omihachiman City's annual Duel Monsters Tournament! I see some very familiar faces here as well as a few new ones. Is that…? Yes, it is! Our two-time reigning champion, Maki Kaichi!" the announcer shouted and a large jumble of both cheers and hisses swept through the crowd. "Will the young Miss Kaichi win our tournament for the third year in a row or will a new champ reign over Omihachiman?"
I smirked. 'Ha! No one can beat me… Omihachiman started hosting tournaments two years ago and I won both of them… From what I can see, there's not much of a challenge this year either…'
"Now, let the Omihachiman City Championship Tournament begin!" the announcer said as the match-ups for the first round came on screen.
(By the way, Duel Monsters hologram programs did not exist yet, so they are just playing on the dueling mats placed on all the tables.)
…
"The winners of our first round are… Suki Ashiro, Toshiko Hashiga, Maki Kaichi, Ken Zhang, Rick Takinawa, Sujiro Mitsuki, Kuina Okomo, Junpei Miwa, Mark Miwa, Izuma Takenouchi, Daisuke Wong, Ai Mizutani, Umi Yamaguchi, Yamato Izumi, Taichi Kazuga, and Reki Fujita!" the announcer's voice blared over the speakerphone. The downtrodden duelists that lost blended themselves within the audience.
…
"Our second round winners are… Kuina Okomo, Daisuke Wong, Reki Fujita, Rick Takinawa, Sujiro Mitsuki, Suki Ashiro, Maki Kaichi, and Mark Miwa!" The losing duelists also joined the audience.
"Whoo! Go Rick!" a random girl shouted from the audience.
"We love you Rick!" another girl exclaimed. I rolled my eyes.
Yes, I had to admit, Rick was highly popular in our hometown, and he had his group of fans. They, of course, despised me. Most of his fans were female, however, and this was due to his looks. Although I hated the guy with every single ounce of my heart, he was not so bad to look at. He was a good six-foot tall with dazzling emerald eyes, dirty-blonde hair that was always styled in short spikes, and slightly tanned skin. His clothes were always in style; most of them were what skaters usually wear. Unfortunately, he always thought too highly of himself and he was the so-called "leader" of his group of friends. If people thought I was bad, then they had no idea who Rick was. Unbeknownst to everyone else, he and his best friend, Sujiro Mitsuki, always picked on defenseless quiet kids. Whenever I confronted them about it, they always claimed it was to "toughen the kid up." Rick had always been a complete jerk, despite the "innocent" façade he always put on for the adults.
Unlike Rick, I didn't put up some fake innocent mask. I honestly respected the few adults who knew me personally, except for Rick's parents, and the children that I defended from Rick looked up to me. Therefore, I did have my own group of fans, including the Shuka couple, the kids I defended, and even a few rival duelists who admired my dueling talents. I did not care much for the attention though and due to my cold personality, I had also attracted even more "haters," which included the Takinawa family, Rick's friends, and Rick's fans.
…
"The winners of round three are… Kuina Okomo, Rick Takinawa, Sujiro Mitsuki, and Maki Kaichi! We will now take a one-hour break before we announce the match-ups for the semifinals. Feel free to eat from our newly-built food court and you are allowed to leave the building if you wish," the announcer's voice sounded.
"You're doing much better this year, Sujiro," Rick said.
"Yeah! You couldn't make it to semifinals last year," Crystal added with a big smile. She had always had a crush on Sujiro. Like Rick, he was also six feet tall, but he had pristine light brown eyes and wild orange hair styled similarly to Rick's, but slightly longer.
"You may have gotten better, Sujiro, but you won't stand a chance if you get matched up with me. I'm not going to go easy on you just because you're my best friend," Rick boasted.
"Haha. Let's just hope I get matched with Kuina. The only reason she made it this far is because she was matched up with complete amateurs. She'll be a piece of cake," Sujiro stated and snapped his fingers as if to emphasize his point.
"What about Maki? You can't possibly be afraid of her," Crystal commented snottily.
"Listen, I know she's arrogant, but even you two have to admit Maki is an excellent duelist," Sujiro said.
"You're kidding me, right? I can duel circles around her!" Rick retorted.
"Sure you can… That's why she beat you in the semifinals last year and also why she beat you in the first round the year before that," Sujiro retorted. Crystal chuckled.
"Hey! You two are supposed to be on my side!" Rick accused.
"Sorry, man, but it's the solid truth. You may be the best male duelist, but Maki is the best overall in our town," Sujiro said.
"Well my brother has gotten a lot better. Who's to say he can't out duel her this year?" Crystal suggested.
"Ah, well. Let's just go eat something. My stomach was killing me all throughout my last duel," Sujiro commented. Crystal giggled flirtatiously and the three walked off towards the food court.
The building was built two years ago, when the town began hosting dueling tournaments. The building in itself was beautiful; it was about as wide as half a city block, the walls and floor were black marble, a glistening crystal chandelier hung from the ceiling, and the door was one of those revolving ones. There were also large speakers in every corner for when official town tournaments were hosted. The whole place was like a duelist's dream - at the front, by the door, was a major card shop. There were two card shops, of course, one on either side next to the entrance. The entire right wall of the building was an accessory shop where you could buy dueling belts, card cases, protective covers, etc. They also sold Duel Monsters merchandise like clothes, stuffed toys, etc.
There were stands placed against the entire back wall where spectators could sit and watch the tournaments. A large TV screen hung over the door, also used for tournaments. The left wall was previously a card shop, but they recently turned it into a food court. The entire center of the building was filled with tables. These tables had two chairs to a table and dueling mats were meticulously placed on these tables. Overall, it was a good place to just hang out, buy cards, and improve your dueling skills.
…
"So, Maki, what do you say? Shall we eat something at the new food court?" my dad asked once he and my mom found me within the crowd of duelists and spectators.
"Ah…" I thought about it for a second. "No, I'd rather go to Mr. and Mrs. Shuka's restaurant. I bumped into them not too long ago and they said they were headed there in case anyone wanted to eat there. It will be much less crowded and the atmosphere there is nice. Besides, you know I've always thought that the three best cooks in the world are mom and the Shukas."
My father chuckled at my response. "I agree. It sounds like a good idea."
…
When we arrived at "Kokoro no Shuka," Mr. and Mrs. Shuka's restaurant, there were quite a few people there already. Even though the restaurant was small, like one of the small cafés you find on street corners and such, it was still quite popular. (Kokoro no Shuka means "Shuka's Heart" in Japanese. I figured since Mr. and Mrs. Shuka put their heart into their cooking, then that is what I would name the restaurant.)
I had always found the small restaurant quite comforting. Mr. and Mrs. Shuka were friends of my parents, even though they were quite young - in their mid-twenties.
The restaurant was new, so the floor was a sparkling white marble. The walls were maroon and had Mr. and Mrs. Shuka's cooking school diplomas placed meticulously on them as well as a calendar, a picture Mr. and Mrs. Shuka took with me when I won the town championship tournament last year, a wedding picture of the two, and another wedding picture of the two with me. They had just gotten married about five months ago and they had chosen me for their maid of honor. Mr. Shuka did not have many relatives and Mrs. Shuka's relatives could care less about her; they had disowned her when she decided to become a cook. Since Mr. and Mrs. Shuka were such good friends of my parents and I was their favorite duelist, they chose me for the position of maid of honor, even though I was only thirteen at the time. About a month and a half after their wedding, they bought an empty building, fixed it up with the help of my parents, and opened up their own restaurant.
"Ichiro! Hurry up with order number three! It shouldn't take you that long!" Mrs. Shuka called out towards the kitchen in the back.
"I'm almost finished! Don't get your shorts in a knot!" Mr. Shuka called back. Mrs. Shuka rolled her eyes and I chuckled at the sight. Even though they loved each other very much, they were always at each other's necks when it came to pleasing their customers. It was quite amusing to watch.
"Ah, it's the Kaichis!" Mrs. Shuka exclaimed once she finally noticed that we had walked in.
"Konnichiwa, Reiko!" my mother greeted.
"Great job in the first three rounds, Maki. Of course, I wouldn't expect any less from you," Mrs. Shuka stated matter-of-factly.
"Thanks. My last two duels will be easy as well. Kuina and Sujiro are fairly easy and we all know I can kick Rick's butt, no problem," I said proudly.
Mr. Shuka chuckled as he came in from the kitchen with a plate of food, apparently "order number three." "Yes, that Takinawa boy never could beat you in a duel," he commented as he served the food to a young man at a nearby table, "I never did like the whole Takinawa family. The father if always off on some business trip. Then, when he is around, he's always gloating about and thinking that he's better than everyone else is. The mother thinks she's so high and mighty and that her kids are little angels."
"Of course, they aren't," Mrs. Shuka cut in, "Rick is a nasty little punk, and I can't say his sister is any sweet princess, although she does act like a royal pain."
I nodded in agreement and my parents soon did the same.
"But I digress… What would you three like?" Mrs. Shuka asked.
…
Simon McMooran and the eight duelists with him reached Stonehenge. They were in enemy territory, so it was certainly dangerous, but they had a mission. They needed to summon the Rose Duelist, for the legendary duelist is the sole person who could help them defeat the Yorkists.
"We've finally made it. Now, Lady Mai, everyone here is aware of the plan, am I correct?" a male voice asked.
"Yes Simon. The instant the Rose Duelist arrives, we each take a red rose card and disperse in different directions," a female voice replied. The two figures were in the middle of Stonehenge, England, along with seven other cloaked figures.
"Very well," the male voice replied as he took eight cards with red roses printed on them and arranged them in a circle.
Meanwhile, a shadow lurked nearby, watching every move of the nine people gathered around the circle of red rose cards.
'So they're planning on summoning the legendary Rose Duelist… Well, this should prove interesting…' he thought.
…
"I'm going to the park. Don't wait for me," I said to my parents once we had finished eating.
"Okay Maki, but don't be late," my mother called after me. I waved goodbye and headed to the park.
The day was beautiful; there was not a cloud in the sky. Even though it was a bright summer day, a soft breeze was blowing.
As usual, I walked straight towards the swings when I made it to the park. It had always been my favorite place, my thinking place, my comfort zone; it had been ever since the "hair butchering" incident five years ago.
…Flashback…
"Maki, would you like to go get your hair fixed now?" my mother asked cautiously. We were driving along the road after a long tear-filled visit to the guidance counselor's office. My father left work early to find out what had happened since the guidance counselor had been vague on the details when she called him. The guidance counselor also called in Crystal's parents as well as her older brother, upon Crystal's request.
After a very long explanation, because neither Crystal nor I could stop crying, they finally understood what happened. Of course, they forced me to explain, so I kept choking out my words and I clutched my star plushy as if my life depended on it. We may have been nine-years-old at the time, but Crystal and I were deeply upset, albeit I was more upset than she was. The guidance counselor called in the other boys who had been in on the act, and after handing them each harsh punishments, dismissed them without another word. Mrs. Takinawa scolded Rick half-heartedly and did not even say a word to Crystal. Mr. Takinawa remained quiet throughout the whole ordeal. The actions of the parents did not make me feel any better, in fact, I felt worse knowing that Rick and Crystal would not receive their comeuppance.
By the time we were finished, school had already let out and it was past 4:00 PM. After the hours of crying, my eyes were tired and droopy. I climbed into my parent's car quietly, too tired to say anything, barely making a sound except for the occasional sniffle.
"Maki, did you hear me?" my mother asked. She sat with me in the backseat in an attempt to comfort me.
"What?" I asked and looked up. My mother looked at my tear-stained face with sympathy.
"Would you like to go get your hair fixed right now?" my mother repeated. It took a while for her words to sink in, I was not thinking properly at the time. I shrugged, unsure of anything that I wanted. My father seemed to notice my action in the car mirror and he suggested the park instead. I looked up, confused. It was an odd suggestion in my opinion.
"What did you say, daddy?"
"How about the park instead?" he asked. I looked up at my mother as if to receive a conformation from her and she replied with a nod.
"Yes please," I uttered with a tiny smile and a glint of eagerness in my eyes. My father nodded and we were off to the park.
I spent the whole day there, playing on the swings. Thankfully, it was a Friday, so my parents were able to take me to the hair salon the next day to fix up the uneven sides of my so-called "haircut."
…End Flashback…
The playground was as full of kids as any other day, yet there were two empty swings, for which I was grateful. I took an empty swing and gently swayed back and forth. I was not at all looking forward to what happened next. Crystal came up from behind and took the empty swing next to me.
"Hey there, Maki." She said it so casually as if we had been the best of friends. I glared at her through my bangs, so I'm sure she did not notice.
"What do you want?" I hissed.
A sigh escaped her lips as she contemplated what to say next. "Listen Maki, um… Since I finally got you here without my brother or Sujiro around, I just wanted to talk."
"What is that supposed mean?" I asked and knit my eyebrows together in confusion.
Another sigh, she did it often. "No offense to my big brother, I love him to death and all, but he's always been a big jerk. Maki… we were really good friends once…"
"Once… That was years ago, over and done with…" I interrupted.
"Yes, well, I know you're not a jerk like my brother, so why are you acting like this? You act as if you hate the world, as if everyone is your enemy. Really, Maki, what can I do to apologize for what happened five years ago? I'd like to give our friendship a second try."
"You'd like to give our so-called friendship a second try… and it took you, what, five years to say this to me? You're more pathetic than I thought, Crystal. If you really did want a second chance, you wouldn't be supporting your brother every time he tried to annoy me with his stupid comments."
"Maki, I…"
"Leave it Crystal. I will never forgive you for what you and your brother did to me, so just forget it and leave me alone." I stood up and began walking off towards the dueling building. However, just as I was a few feet away, a searing pain coursed through my head.
"AGH!" I cried out in pain and fell to my knees, holding my head. Crystal rushed to my side and tried to touch my head but I slapped her hand away. "Don't touch me!" As soon as the pain had come, it went away. I stood up slowly, just to be careful, and continued walking away; ignoring the questioning look that Crystal gave me.
…
"Welcome back folks! Here are the match-ups for the semi-finals!" the announcer exclaimed as the TV screen over the door lit up to show who would duel who. "It looks like Rick Takinawa will duel Kuina Okomo and Sujiro Mitsuki will duel Maki Kaichi!"
"Oh man," Sujiro whined, uncharacteristically for a seventeen-year-old, as he took his seat across from me. I smirked and glanced to my right to see Rick with a bored expression on his face, shuffling Kuina's deck. Kuina, on the other hand, looked ecstatic and could not wait to duel the best male duelist in town, even though it was highly possible that she would lose. I turned back to face Sujiro and we took each other's decks to shuffle them.
…
"And the winners are… Rick Takinawa and Maki Kaichi!"
Excited screams filled the audience as we shook hands with our opponents and then the two losing duelists made their way to sit in the crowd.
"This is it, the final match of our tournament! Rick Takinawa will face Maki Kaichi for this year's Omihachiman City Championship title!" More cheers filled the audience as Rick and I shook hands, as was always custom before a duel, and took our seats opposite each other.
Various girlish squeals filled the audience along with a sequence of cheers.
"GO RICK! WE LOVE YOU!"
"You can beat her Rick!"
"Kick that Kaichi's butt!"
"RICK! RICK! RICK!"
Of course, that was also the occasional cheers for me, "GO MAKI!" and, "THREE YEARS IN A ROW, YOU CAN DO IT!"
"Are you ready to lose, Maki?" Rick asked snottily.
"Lose? To you? Ha! This duel will be a piece of cake," I said as I drew my five cards.
"That's what you think Maki, but I've gotten better," he stated casually as he drew his five cards.
"So have I," I retorted.
"Well then…"
"Let's duel!" we exclaimed at the same time and the duel began.
At precisely that moment, another searing jolt of pain shot through my head. My head felt as if it were being split in two.
"AARRGGHH!" I screamed and held my head with the hand that wasn't holding my five cards as the pain lingered slightly longer than the last time. I shuddered from the pain, closed my eyes tightly, and my breathing became heavy.
The audience hushed and stared at me with confused expressions on their faces. Even Rick gave me an incredulous look. My parents and the Shukas seemed worried and they stood up in case anything should have happened.
"Miss Kaichi, are you alright?" the announcer/referee asked me.
About three minutes after the pain started, it went away without a single trace. I lowered my hand, my breathing returned to normal, and my eyes fluttered open.
"Miss Kaichi?" the announcer quipped.
"Maki! Are you alright?" my mother asked worriedly from the stands.
I looked up and around me; everyone was staring at me intently. Crystal looked the most worried. After all, she had witnessed the same thing before in the park.
I nodded at my mother and turned back to the announcer. "Yes, I'm fine."
"Very well," he replied, "Let the duel begin!"
…
"Oh, please work! We need the Rose Duelist now!" the cloaked man standing in front of the circle of red rose cards, Simon McMooran, cried in despair as he tried chanting the summoning spell for the third time.
The sky was a deep purple. It must have been midnight; the sky was so dark. Finally, something sparked from the red rose cards and the sky began to swirl in different shades of blue and purple. The eight duelists stood watching in awe as the wise old man standing in front of the red rose cards continued chanting the summoning spell.
The shadow that lurked nearby watched intently, waiting for the moment the Rose Duelist appeared to show himself. 'Hurry up, old man; I don't have all day… You are such a fool, Simon McMooran! First I'll convince the Rose Duelist to join my side and then I'll take your red rose cards!'
…
"Well, well, Rick. This is the end for you, you stupid wanna-be. You may be known as the best male duelist here, but you are nothing compared to me. Face it, it's over. It's time for me to take revenge for what you did to me in third grade," I sneered and laughed sadistically.
"Ha! You have to be kidding me! You're down to your last 200 life points! I'm a much better duelist than you'll ever be," Rick Takinawa retorted with a smirk.
Oh, how I wanted to wipe that stupid smirk off his smug face.
"THAT'S WHERE YOU'RE WRONG!" I screamed aloud as I played 'Monster Reborn'.
"WHAT? NO!" Rick shouted and his eyes widened in horror.
'Wait a minute… Isn't this what happened in my dream? This is exactly what happened in my dream, word for word, move for move. How can this be? What about that bright light? Am I going to see it now? Well, there's only one way to find out…'
"I told you it was over," I said with my own pride-filled smirk, but before I could summon the monster I wanted to finish Rick, a bright light engulfed everything.
'This is it… Now what?' I wondered, closing my eyes to shield them from the luminosity. I could not see and had no idea of what was to come.
Then, another sharp pain coursed not only through my head, but through my entire body. I felt as though something was ripping my body apart. I tried to scream, but no sound came out.
…
Brilliant light burst from the red rose cards as the summoning reached its end. Lighting burst from the dark swirling sky. With a roar of thunder, one final jolt of lighting crashed down from the sky creating a swirl of smoke on the ground. The sky stopped swirling. Simon McMooran finished the spell and the smoke receded… In one swift movement, the eight duelists each took a red rose card and fled the scene, unnoticed by the shadowy figure lurking nearby.
…
After about a minute or so, the pain stopped and the light returned to normal. I slowly opened my eyes. What I saw surprised me to no end. It was nighttime, so I had to adjust my vision to look around. I was in a large open space, with a magnificent array of gigantesque stones arranged in a wide circle. It looked oddly familiar, like something from out of a textbook. I racked my brain for some kind of answer, and it hit me - I was in Stonehenge, England.
"Oooooh!" a voice disrupted my thoughts. "…Summoned from the mystic circle of red and white roses, the one capable of harnessing pure power! There is truth to the legend of the Rose Duelist!" an old man, covered in cream-colored robes and a tall hat adorned with gold exclaimed. "But wait… The legendary Rose Duelist… is a young girl?" he asked, flabbergasted.
TBC…
I was debating with myself when to write this story. I wasn't sure whether to wait until "The Rose Duelist" was over to write this and post it alongside the sequel, or to post it now. I finally decided that it was best to start posting this now. "The Rose Duelist" is now on chapter 18 and Maki's life is really going to start becoming complicated. I thought it would be easier for both you and me if I wrote the prequel now rather than wait for later. This way, you can finally come out of the dark about Maki's past and finally find out what happened to her in the three years that she disappeared. Also, it helps me because my original plan had been to wait until after the Rose Tournament was over and have Maki finally explain her past to either Seto, or Yugi and his friends, or both. However, by posting the prequel now, I won't have to go through that and you won't have to wait so long for me to reveal Maki's past.
One more thing… I am so sorry I haven't been able to update any of my other stories. School started about a week ago for me, and they're already piling homework on me like there's no tomorrow. I decided to at least treat my "Rose Duelist" fans and post this… I can't guarantee that the next chapter will be up soon, though… I am so sorry for this. Darn school. I hoped you liked this first chapter though. It is a nice 10 pages long. Ja-ne!