Me: Greetings, everyone!

Yusei: Hey, there! Haven't seen you in a while!

M: Yeah, well, we were packing up to move to our new apartment!

Y: How exciting!

M: Yep! So here's a new chapter to celebrate!

Y: She doesn't own rights to Yu-Gi-Oh! 5Ds!

Trial of Roses-Chapter 4

"Man, those bugs are going to haunt me for the rest of my life..." I grumbled,
praying that this was the right room as I opened the door. The room was as big as a football field! In the middle was a dragon shaped fountain similar to the one in the Garden, but less ferocious, that sat in the middle of a giant pool the size of an old fashioned duel field.

"That's Ancient Fairy Dragon, in case you were wondering."

Turning, I smiled as the Princess, who was dressed in a rose colored robe with short sleeves, came up next to me with a fluffy pink towel in hand. She explained that the kingdom was once saved from an evil force by five dragons: Ancient Fairy, Black Rose, Stardust, Red Dragon Archfiend, and Black-Winged Dragon. They combined their powers and defended the kingdom from annihilation years ago, and were considered the guardians of the five royal families.

"Were you planning on taking a bath?"

"I was, since I can still feel the bugs crawling all over me..." I shuddered. "Those were some of the biggest bugs I have ever seen."

"So Jack wasn't kidding when he said you hate bugs," she giggled, setting her towel on a chair near the pool's edge. "Do you want to go first?"

I shook my head, bowing. "I insist you bathe first, Princess."

"Nonsense."

"But Princess-"

She snatched my towel from my hands, and snapped my behind, sending me reeling into the pool. Surprisingly, the water was very warm and very relaxing. I could just float here all day...

"Hey, you might want to take those clothes off before they drag you to the bottom. Come over here when you're finished so I can wash your hair." she called, kneeling near a small submerged bench, a few multicolored bottles next to her.

Did I just hear her right? Heat pooled into my face as her words rang in my head, but it wasn't because of the water's temperature. The PRINCESS, of all people, wanted to help me, her SERVANT, take a bath...

Shaking, I began to take my clothes off piece by piece; first my navy blue shirt, then my black cargo pants, but leaving my dark gray boxers on. One of the few things I first learned was that a man should never be exposed before a lady. We were a few years apart, I guess about three or four judging from her almost chibi appearance, but I wasn't going to be the one to have "The Talk" with her. Placing my clothing on the fountain's base, I swam to where the Princess was patiently waiting.

She smiled, squeezing some shampoo in her hands, and began scrubbing my hair. I couldn't help but squirm as her fingers worked out the tangles, trying my best to keep my composure.

I looked over my shoulder to see her reach for a glass pitcher that was floating in a basket just out of reach. Smiling, I moved to bring it closer, but gasped when I felt her free hand slip from my hair. I reached to stop her fall, and we both fell into the deeper water.

My lungs screamed at the water's sudden intrusion, causing my chest to start convulsing. I broke the surface, coughing up the water I had inhaled, and wiping the suds from my burning eyes. "P-P-Princess, are you alright?" Silence. "Princess?"

Again, no answer. The only sounds were the fountain's soft trickling and my breathing. Wait... I strained my ears and nearly missed a muffled scream. The water was bubbling a few feet away... Was it possible-!

I couldn't finish the thought as I dove under the surface near the bubbles. The slightly soapy water stung my eyes as I searched the bottom of the pool. Just as my lungs were beginning to scream for air, I caught a glimpse of a figure near the vent.

Her robe was slowly sucking her away into the vent system! She was struggling to remove it, but it had wrapped around her legs and chest like a snake. Bubbles billowed from her mouth as she caught sight of me and called my name, her eyes wide and fearful.

I grabbed the robe and attempted to rip it, but the fabric was too strong. My efforts doubled as her struggles slowed. If I didn't hurry, she was going to drown! Using every ounce of strength I had, I gave a might heave...and the fabric tore! Grabbing her, I pushed off from the floor and launched us to the surface, landing on the tiled floor near the bath's entrance.

"Princess!" I rolled her over onto her back and shook her shoulders. Her eyes were closed and she wasn't breathing. Was I too late? "PRINCESS!"

She suddenly bolted upright, water spewing from her mouth as she coughed violently. My body trembled as all the pent up worry I had held in melted away, leaving me exhausted. That was a close call...

Something soft brushed my hand. I suddenly noticed how close we were, and that my hands were on either side of her. "Princess, I'm so sorry!" I yelped, sliding backwards and blinked in surprise. Whatever was left of the once robe was hanging off her shoulders like a shawl, revealing a light pink one-piece swimsuit.

"I'm usually very careful when I come to bathe since I can't swim in the deeper ends. Please let me make it up to you!" she cried, kneeling in front of me.

I shook my head, holding my hands up as she came closer. "No, it's okay!"

"I insist!"

We fell backwards into the shallows as she attempted to reach my hair. Though the water only came to our waists, she still kept a firm hold on my arm until she found her footing. Her hands were so soft and small, they seemed to be as fragile as the porcelain mask she wore during our outing earlier this morning.

After seating me on the shallow's floor, she grabbed the conditioner from the floating basket and began working on my hair again. There were hardly any tangles preventing her fingers from combing my hair, and I didn't bother hiding my small smile this time. It was much more enjoyable this time around.

I turned my head slightly when I felt her pause. "Princess?"

"I must be dreaming..." she whispered, tilting my head backward into the water and scrubbed until the last of the soap was gone. She released my head and retreated to where the towels were, her curious eyes never leaving my hair.

Looking into the water, I caught sight of something gold in my reflexion as she threw the white towel over my head. I couldn't help but grunt as her hands roughly raked through my hair. What was she trying to do, pull it out?

She threw the towel toward the room's entrance and placed her hands on her hips, moving to stand in front of me. "Amazing! Even after getting all that dirt and grease out of it, your hair still sticks up!"

I blinked up at her, scratching the back of my head. No matter how many times I had raked my own hands through it, it always stuck up on the sides. Even Jack couldn't get it to stay flat.

"What about these gold highlights, huh?" she whispered softly, running her hands gently through my dark hair. "Did you get them from your dad too?"

"I don't think so, but who knows."

"I think they look nice,"

I looked up, and my eyes locked on hers. They were warm like melted caramel, and held a soft sparkle. With the soft light coming from the fountain and from the pool lights, she looked as pretty as- No! I shook the thought away. She was the Princess and I was her servant! Speaking of her being a Princess..."Princess, can I ask you a question?"

"Of course."

"Don't you have lessons and such?"

Her entire demeanor changed into a brooding, nearly depressed state. The sparkle in her eye disappeared and her smile died. "I actually have a music lesson after studying history around 9:30 tomorrow morning."

The worry in her eyes was really bothering me... I understand that not everybody likes learning stuff like history, but she just didn't seem like one of those people. "Could we come along?" My chest clenched as the worry turned to horror.

"It won't be very interesting, I promise! It's quite boring! Why don't you take Jack and Crow back to New Domino for the day?" Her smile returned, but it was weak. "After the lesson, I'm free for the rest of the day."

"Princess, I'm pretty sure I speak for the three of us when I say that it's our duty to accompany our Princess to and from her lessons." I said gently, then sighed. "I'm pretty sure Jack would appreciate the chance to exercise his mouth."

"It's not too late to change your minds..."

"We are here now, and here is where we are staying." Jack huffed, crossing his arms over his chest and leaning back against the wall. "Deal with it, Princess."

"Such disrespect!" shrieked her tutor, Ms. Brixly, in a high soprano pitch that hurt my ears. She reminded me of one of those opera singers; big and fat with plenty of rolls. The crimson colored tight fitting dress barely reached her knees, doing nothing for her figure, her matching high heels were four inches high and seemed to bend with the strain of sustaining her weight, and her bright orange hair was curled and pulled up into a high bun on top of her head; closely resembling Crow's hair. "How dare you speak that way to the Princess!"

Jack's eyes narrowed and smirked. "Instead of running your mouth, why don't you actually run those legs? Maybe around a track or on a treadmill, for example." The tutor suddenly grew ten times her normal size, towering over him, her cheeks as red as her dress. Crow grinned and snickered as I rested my head in my hands. This guy was a total smartass...

"It's okay, Ms. Brixly," the Princess walked over to where we were standing and smiled sweetly as she slung her arms around us from behind. "Jack, who is the blonde one, is always like that. Crow is the carrot top, and Yusei is the silent one."

I bowed my head in embarrassment as she gave us all a quick kiss on the head. Crow could only blink in surprise, reaching up and touching the area, while Jack just kept his eyes locked on the ceiling. We turned our attention to the girls as they approached the black grand piano in the west corner, waving us away.

"Alright, my dear, time to get started."

Through the door, we could hear her go through simple warm-ups, rising and falling through the scales as easily as breathing. The notes rang through the air softly as a gentle breeze swept through the open window down the hall. I closed my eyes, enjoying the simple tune. The music changed as she added her other hand, giving it a mysterious feel as she began to play Moonlight Sonata. My fingers tapped along the window sill as if it were my own piano, keeping pace with her. It was a personal favorite of mine and a family I once stayed with insisted I learned to play. Since then, I had been secretly using the town's music store to get to know the different instruments. Looking from Crow, who was dozing on the floor resting against the wall, to Jack, who was occupied with his pager, I slowly added my left hand and lost myself in the music.

Then it stopped...

My hands dove into my pockets as Crow suddenly sat upright from his place beneath the open window, tilting his head. He had way better hearing than myself or Jack, so it was no surprise when he would catch sounds that we couldn't. What DID surprise me was the fact that his eyes grew twice their size.

"Someone's with them. I think it's the King." he explained, seeing my unvoiced question. "He's asking her about yesterday."

I noticed that Jack stiffened, his eyes darting to the closed door as he put away his pager. "What did happen in the courtyard? He didn't hurt her or anything, did he?"

"Like you warned, he was very handsy. Where else do you think that bruise on her cheek and arms came from?" his eyes narrowed, challenging me to question the matter further. "Do I need to elaborate?"

Shaking my head, I moved my attention to Crow, who was starting to look uncomfortable. Jack and I nearly jumped when he stood, his gray eyes never leaving the door. I raised an eyebrow as his lip twitched.

"Calm down, will you?" Jack grumbled, shoving his shoulder. "It's not like anything is going to happen."

Crow slapped his hand away, his eyes becoming charcoal. "Don't touch me! I'm trying to hear what's going on! He's upset about something, and it has to do with the Princess!"

(Cue piano version of Falling Inside the Black by Skillet)

Cold darkness suddenly flooded my mind as music came from within the room, slowly forming an image... There was a small lithe figure dressed in what appeared to be a white sundress hunched over, her eyes hidden behind long bangs that reached the floor. There were tears slowly trickling down her cheeks, but there was something wrong...her eyes were a dark red, almost a black.

My eyes shot open as something whipped me in the face, nearly knocking me off my feet, but there was nothing there. Jack rammed the door as glass shattered, and we spotted the Princess sitting alone at the piano, her hair covered her eyes as the breeze from the window next to her grew into an all out tornado. The way her fingers moved over the keys reminded me of a spellcaster from old fairytails...

I guess her tutor must have been dismissed once the King had entered since she was nowhere in sight. The King! Where was he? I combed the room with my eyes, and finally found him disappearing behind one of the farther doors. "Handle this!" he commanded, slamming the door behind him.

I turned to see Crow and Jack dodging furniture as it was thrown about the room. Looking to the Princess, I noticed that something was off. Her cheek was red... as if recently... "Princess!" Her head tilted at my call, but her hands continued the music. Pain suddenly exploded across my face, whipping my head to the left. My head was forced to the right as the pain came again, this time from the left. It was as if I was being slapped...

"Princess, that's enough!" Crow yelled, slowly making his way toward her. "I know what happened!" He was suddenly thrown back into the wall near me, knocking the wind out of him.

"What exactly happened?" I asked, helping him up.

He looked up at me, his eyes tight with worry. "He slapped her. He was upset that she allowed someone else to touch her. He started calling her awful things..."

It didn't make any sense! Every father was protective of their daughter, but why would he be upset about "allowing someone else" to touch her? She wasn't a possession, but a human being! But maybe because she was their only child...

"We have to snap her out of it!" Jack shouted, reaching to grab onto the piano. "If we don't, she could tear this whole place apart!"

True to his words, the walls began to crack and the floor was starting to shake as the music became nearly deafening. I clenched my head in pain as another force slammed into me, knocking me to the floor, and banging my head. Forcing my legs to stand was when I noticed a strange occurrence: there were droplets of crimson red dotting the piano keys and the Princess' gown, smearing as she played. Her fingers were now slick and covered with blood as she began to climb the scales.

"Akiza!" I yelled. Her head slowly turned, and I felt myself grow cold at the sight of her bloody tears. One of her eyes had turned bright blue, almost matching my own, while the other was crimson red. The pain and fear in them hit me hard, her emotions were very similar to what I had felt after news of my father's passing reached me. I wasn't going to let her suffer like I did!

I lunged at her, my arms reaching for her as Crow and Jack did the same. The second our arms wrapped around her shoulders, her head fell back as her hands finally stilled. The blood red tears that were trickling down her cheeks slowly stopped as her glazed eyes stared blindly up at the ceiling. "Help...me..." she whimpered, closing her eyes and falling limp.

We took her to her room and cleaned her up the best we could. The dress was ruined, so we had to throw it away and ask one of the other servants to redress her. Jack had left for a short while to check in with her tutor and came back with a smirk on his face, a tell-tale sign that he had caused unnecessary problems. It wasn't until later that evening that she finally woke up.

"We cleaned you up the best we could, Princess." I said, gently helping her sit up. "You really scared us back there." I blinked as her toffee eyes suddenly glowed gray.

Her entire posture stiffened as she spoke, her voice deeper and almost growl-like. "I need to go to the Garden."

"With all do respect, you need to rest." Jack crossed his arms over his chest. "Don't make me tie you down to that bed."

"Take me to the Garden." she demanded, her eyes flashing brighter. "Judgement awaits the Musician."

Crow, who had been standing on the other side of her bed, grabbed the damp washcloth that we had used to clean her face of the blood and squeezed it over her head. The amount of water may have been small, but it caught her attention. Her hand suddenly grabbed the front of his shirt and brought him close enough that their noses were touching.

"What was that for?!" she screamed, her eyes turning back to their caramel color. "That was cold!"

"She's back to normal!" Crow smiled, slipping out of her grasp as she tilted her head,

She looked from Crow to Jack, then to me. "Why am I in bed? Wasn't I in the middle of speaking with my father?" Her hand reached up and touched the cheek that was still slightly red. "And why does the right side of my face hurt?"

"You're saying you don't remember?" Crow whispered, his eyes shadowed.

"Did something happen to me? Please, you have to tell me!" she begged, grabbing onto any clothing we were wearing that was within her reach. "Whose time of judgement is it?"

I looked down at her hand grasping my sleeve and noticed that it was shaking slightly at the word "judgement". Sitting on the edge of the bed, I placed a hand on her shoulder and looked her in the eye. "It might be better if you didn't know, Princess, especially with what happened this afternoon."

"Sorry, Yusei, but I disagree."

My eyes locked with Jack's, warning him to stay silent. Who knows how she would react if the past events were recalled. We didn't need her to have another meltdown.

"I think Jack is right." Crow said, sitting cross-legged on her other side. "It's better she hears it from us than anyone else. We were the only witnesses, after all."

Crow had me there. I sighed, nodding my head. "Do you want to tell her, or should I?"

"You lost control of your powers and said something about a musician."

"JACK!" We chorused, pulling him down onto the bed and slapping our hands over his mouth.

"I did?" she said, tilting her head.

"Princess, during your conversation with the King, did he called you dirty and unclean because you didn't stop that Koda kid from touching you." Crow began, not meeting the Princess' curious gaze. "He also called you his prized possession, and that no one was supposed to touch you besides him."

Jack suddenly shoved our hands away, his eyes dark and tense. "Sounds like Koda isn't the only handy one around here."

"He slapped me, didn't he?" I heard her whisper softly. "Even after he said he wouldn't do it again..."

My stomach churned. If the King viewed her more as a "prized possession" than his daughter and called her dirty because she had allowed Koda to touch her when the King said he should be the only one doing so... This was starting to sound a lot like..."Princess, is he-"

"Don't even think it!" she suddenly screamed, her hand suddenly slapping me across the face as she stood. The window shutters suddenly blasted open, wind tearing through the room. "My father would never do anything like that! He just doesn't understand why I am different than other kids my age! He doesn't understand how I feel about my powers, about how I despise them! NO ONE DOES, AND NO ONE WANTS TO!"

I felt my chest constrict at her words, and tilted my head forward so that my bangs shadowed my eyes. Didn't she hear a single word I had said that night, the night she found us? We weren't afraid of her then, and we certainly weren't afraid of her now! All I wanted was to help her, but who was I to help the Princess? I was just a damaged and outcast orphan that no family wanted... I was just like her before I met Crow and Jack; No one had tried to understand me or my feelings. I had to show her that we weren't that different, but how? "That's a downright lie, about no one wanting to understand you."

"HOW WOULD YOU KNOW?!" she screamed, tears streaming down her face as the wind shredded the curtains and blew objects all over the room. "I have been treated like a monster since I was given this power! My mother doesn't want to see me anymore, my father can't stand the sight of me for longer than necessary, and the servants are so afraid of me that they won't come near me, let alone serve me willingly! My father even tried to send me away, pretending that I never existed, but the Garden refused to let me leave the castle!" She pointed to the North tower that looked like it had been bitten into by something big. "When my father saw that I couldn't leave, he decided to lock me away, keeping me from having any contact with other people! I was so alone and afraid of myself! I couldn't stand to even look in the mirror!"

I felt Crow flinch as she punched the vanity mirror. Jack moved to stop her, but I pulled him back. It was better for her to get everything off her chest now than to keep bottling it up and hiding behind a fake smile. Since day one, I knew that her smile was just a mask to hide her pain. There had been plenty of times where I had seen faint glimpses of her true sadness when she thought no one was looking.

She began to sob uncontrollably. "All I had was a piano and my rose dragon! SHE was my only friend and family! SHE was the only one who cared enough to break me out of that tower father locked me in for two years! SHE helped me when no one else did!"

I stood and walked up to her, slowly wrapping my arms around her. She stiffened, trying to pull away, but I held her gently yet firmly, keeping her hands pinned at her sides so she wouldn't hurt herself anymore. Her struggling intensified as Jack came up behind me and placed a hand on her shoulder while Crow hugged her from behind.

"Unhand me at once! I command you to release me!" she screamed, thrashing against us. "I'm your PRINCESS! OBEY MY COMMAND, NOW!"

"Not until you understand what we are trying to convey," I whispered in her ear.

"What nonsense!" She began to fling herself every which way, trying to break our hold. "What could you possibly want to tell me that I haven't been told already?! I know I'm a monster! I know I'm different! I know I'm a freak! I know I'm dirty and unwanted! What else could you possibly say that hasn't been said already?!"

"Forget all those things that people told you," The wind died as Jack's hold on her shoulder tightened, turning attention from her rant to us. His lips were set in a firm line as his eyes pierced hers, his gaze unwavering. He was telling her that not everything said was true unless she truly believed the words to be true in his own special way; he may have an attitude, but he always spoke the truth and she knew that very well.

"They weren't afraid of you, Princess," Crow whispered, his arms shaking slightly as he tightened his hold on her. There were small tears trickling from his clenched eyes as he buried his face in-between her shoulders. He himself knew fear very personally... I had first met him being chased by guards and dogs to drag him back to a family that had him fight in underground rings. Despite his size, he had defeated all the guards that were chasing him, but the fear in the family's eyes tore him apart. Other than his opponents in the ring, I had been the only one outside the ring to not show any fear as I stood between him and the guns they had pointed at him.

We understood her fear, and we wanted to show her that it wasn't because of their fear of her, but the opposite. "They were all afraid that they wouldn't have the courage or ability to help you." I rested my forehead against hers. Jack and Crow had found me outside my fifth family's residence. I had been punished for assisting someone who had been struggling with a drug addiction of desoxyephedrine, crystalized methamphetamine, by providing them other means of coping with life. The family owned a pharmacy, and with all the notes that my father had left me, I had created a new type of drug that was less harmful and very easy to make while acting as an antidepressant. I had the resources to help the person, but my family had not approved of the use of their medicines on someone from the lower spectrum. While my family had turned them away because of society's thoughts on that particular drug, I had stood firm and found something close to a miracle.

"You may have been shunned and isolated up until now, Princess, but now that we came along, you will never be alone." we chorused, tightening our hold as she cried.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Back in the Garden...

The blue rose bush was dripping, almost as if actually crying. The greenery of the bush became more of a teal as the rose blossoms became tinted with the faintest hint of red on the petal brims.

Beneath the Garden...

The Concealed One's eyes opened, but instead of revealing faint gold orbs, they were blood red. She puffed a cloud of smoke, glancing up at the surface of her dwelling. The Princess was in pain and was extremely angry at someone. Searching the girl's recent memories, she saw the events that had caused the sudden onslaught of anger. Focusing her energy, the Concealed One searched the minds of the castle inmates and found that the Musician was the cause. She was going to receive judgement very soon for her crime...

Nipping and clawing at her restraints, she struggled to free herself from the chains that the king of long ago had placed upon her. A sudden warmth enveloped her and stilled her movements. A stream of tears began trickling down her cheek as she felt the Princess' sadness pour from her soul like a rushing waterfall. The warmth slowly calmed the flow, eventually causing the tears to cease...

M: How was that? You like?

Y: It was pretty good!

M: Please read and review!