Rose Wars

By Ash Kaiba and Katie Mae

DISCLAIMER: We do not own any of the Yu-Gi-Oh! characters or Yu-Gi-Oh: Duelists of the Roses video game for PS 2. We do own the original characters: Katharine, Ashlyn, and any other character you don't recognize.

Ash Kaiba: Hey! No more Summer School. Now, I can work on this! Welcome to chapter 5, the fifth installment of Rose Wars…. I forgot what I was going to say next. KATIE MAE, YOU'RE RUBBING YOUR BLONDENESS ONTO ME!

Chapter 5: Charlotte

"Seto, hurry up!"

Man, she has a sharp tongue. Seto moaned as they walked towards the valley. Katharine skipped ahead, as if she was excited to be away from Tommy and with her brother. Seto, on the other hand, wanted no business here.

"Mother wants us back home soon to help look after our guest." She reminded him.

Mother…The only reason why he was a zombie in this place. Seto kept silent, praying his sister would skip ahead of him and do whatever Mother wanted them to do. That was when he jinxed himself.

"What's your problem? Those berries won't pick themselves, you know." She asked, after turning around with a sigh.

"I…I don't feel comfortable here…" He answered.

He watched her look around, trying to pin point the cause. His sapphire eyes caught it automatically. Then, she saw it: The empty cave, which stirred up a sense to leave his real parents and return to the dragon…as her own.

"Oh…well then, come on, let's go this way!" Katharine pointed away from the cave. But, as she tried to walk away, Seto noticed that something caught her eye. His sister started to hike up to the mouth of cave, looking at the ground.

"Katharine! Get away from there! Stop! Katharine!" He yelled up to her, praying she would stop and turn back.

"Seto, come look at this! Isn't it pretty?"

The boy approached her, cautious of the area around them. The blue irises kept a constant check. Any small movement would send him and Katharine back home. Upon arriving, he looked down at what his sister found. Small, silvery-white shards littered the hillside. "Yeah, they're great," he answered, bored.

His sister continued to collect the large pieces. Seto thought he'd pay a visit. Then, his eyes were snared by a rock that shone the same color as the shards. He picked it up, cradling it gently in his hands. It felt smoother than glass. Yet, it remained solid. What is this? I could sell it for money. A vibration within the rock pulsed through him. What? What was that?

"What do you have there?" He heard behind him. Seto jumped, hiding the rock behind his back.

"It's nothing, don't worry."

His sister glared at him. "If you have to hide it, it's not 'nothing'!" She yelled, diving at his waist. Her hands flew around his back, trying to get a hold. Seto kept it well out of her reach. "Let me see!"

"No!" He yelled, trying hard not to raise his voice at her. He felt a hand on the rock. ""Let go of it!"

He added, attempting to keep it out of her hands. But, she managed to get both hands on it. With a strong tug, it was in her grasp. He watched her eye it with curiosity.

"Amazing… All right, here you go." She replied as she handed it back to him. Then, it rolled. Seto leapt out to catch it, but was too late. The rock crashed into the ground. A loud thud echoed in his ears and Katharine's. He glanced at her closed eyes; then shifted his gaze back to the rock. "I'm sorry, Seto…"

Seto remained silent. He knelt down to the rock. His fingers struggled to get a grip on the smooth surface. His arms lifted it back up, off the rock underneath. A gasp escaped his lips. Katharine directed her attention to the rock. Seto lifted his eyes to her. "What just happened?" He asked, unable to comprehend how a smaller rock broke a big, thick rock in half…cleanly.

"That little rock just broke the bigger rock…" She answered, her voice in a whisper.

Seto rose back to his feet. He gently placed the rock into Katharine's basket. "I want to hang on to this…just in case." He replied as she stared at him. Then, she led him away.

That afternoon…

"Hi!"

"Welcome home," their mother greeted. Their father sat at the table. Seto didn't like the expression on his face, but didn't question.

"What took you two so long?" He snapped.

Seto didn't answer. He didn't want to think about it.

"I was looking at this pretty shards near the cave." Katharine answered.

"Did you bring any?"

"Yes, Papa." She answered, pulling her handkerchief out and handing it to their father.

Charles opened the fabric. His tanned fingers picked up a shard. The hazel eyes analyzed it. He knew what it was. "Did you bring any whole pieces?"

"No, Papa," his sister answered, covering him.

"Then, go upstairs. Get ready for dinner."

"Yes, sir." Seto replied.

"Seto…"

The boy turned and faced his father. "Yes?"

"It's good to hear you speak." Charles smiled.

Seto returned it and followed his sister's footsteps. He knocked on the door, telling his sister he was coming in. Katharine yelled at him 'clear.' He stepped in and closed the door. A wrapped bungle sat on his bed. Seto unwrapped it and stared at the rock. He covered it back up and hid it in his dresser. His hands grabbed clean clothes. "Katharine, thanks for covering me back there."

"Your welcome. Seto, what are you going to do with it?"

"I plan on selling it."

Seto straightened his tunic and breeches. He tidied up his hair and stepped over their water bowl. He splashed his face and wiped his hands. Seto dried his face and hands with his rag. Then, he sidestepped for Katharine to do the same. Once she was finished, they walked down the stairs. His blood froze…as an unknown voice echoed.

"Charles, my boy!" The voice called. The sound grated Seto's eardrums. The boy gripped his head, covering his ears with his palms.

"Seto!"

"Not so loud!" The boy wailed, struggling in his sister's arms. The world suddenly sounded louder than before. He could see details that he missed before. A strong grip had him.

"Easy, boy. Easy."

Seto stared up at a man with shoulder length platinum blonde hair. He could clearly see the mahogany irises. The man had a calming aura around him. Seto relaxed and immediately lowered his eyes upon seeing the collar. It was a light red (but not pink) trimmed with gold thread. He has to a lord. Maybe even a duke. He has to be rich. "Thank you, sir. Is there anything I can do?"

The man shook his head as he helped Seto up to his feet. Charles immediately shoved the man away from his son. "Come on."

"Father…"

"What happened?"

"I'm sorry, sir. Everything just sounded louder than normal. Just now, it sounded like you were yelling. I mean no offense, Father. Don't know how it happened."

"All right," his father whispered, echoing to Seto as normal speech volume. "Go join the others for dinner."

"Yes, Father."

They went to the table and sat down. Seto remained by Katharine. Charles was in between his wife and guest. The man gabbed on with Mary listening. The children stayed silent. Seto prayed the man would just shut his yap.

"Anyway, I didn't mean to. But, Charles, it is so good to see you again! I haven't seen you since what…seventeen years ago." The man exclaimed. Charles Rosenkreuz said nothing. "So, how are you? What have you been doing since you left the army?"

"Charles," Mary asked in confusion.

Seto held his tongue.

"I want you out, Crawford…tomorrow morning." He snapped.

"Now, now, Charles, don't be so pushing." The man 'Crawford' cooed.

"I was captured because of you," Charles growled. Mary gasped with Katharine. Seto started to choke on a piece of pork. Charles jumped to his son. "Seto…"

Seto coughed up the piece of meat and tried to smile reassuringly to his father. Charles didn't buy it and sent him up stairs to rest. He complied. Echoes of their conversation reached up to him. He opened the door. Closing the door, Seto lied down on his covers. The newly found irises stared up at the ceiling. Father is overreacting. I'm fine…and hungry. He just wants to hide something from me. Why? Who is that man anyway? Maybe I can come up something to do with that rock. He thought as he stood back up and headed to the dresser. He pulled and snagged the wrapped bungle. Seto approached his bed as he wrapped the rock completely. The boy analyzed every smooth detail, fingering the edges.

Mama…

What? Who said that? He wondered. Seto started feeling drowsy.

Mama… Mama…

The rock started to crack near the top. The weary feeling grew more inside him. Seto fought hard to keep his eyes open. His vision dimmed. Seto heard a small squeal. The last thing he saw was a small reptile. He blacked out.

Mama…Mama…Mama!

Ash Kaiba: Holy cow! That took me awhile to write. If you have any possible ideas, please tell us. Maybe we'll use them…maybe not. You never know. Thanks for reading…from both of us.