Yu-Gi-Oh! Fan Fiction ❯ Curse of Water ❯ Beginning of the End ( Chapter 1 )

[ P - Pre-Teen ]

By: Miashin

Hey all. Erm...yeah, sorry about vanishing like that. I was kind off ashamed of this story for a little while. I got the Japanese school system totally wrong. Factor into that my natural lazyness and procrastination and you've got the lack of a proper update to this story.

So I took the story down, updated it, and added a lot of extra stuff to the first chapter to apologize.PLEASE forgive me.

Now to set the story. The timeline is after battlecity, but before anything else, except the movie. Also, this story is based on a different timeline of events that occurred in ancient Egypt and somewhat the present world. Most basic things are the same, but there are also some major differences. Like Yugi being an orphan and such stuff. This story is obviously AU. But I do try to keep the characters as close to the originals as possible.

Lastly, even though this story is already set and planned out, suggestions are welcome. I won't change major points of it because those are set in stone, literally. But I will consider any suggestions you send in, and if I happen to use another person's idea I will give credit where it is due.

So now I'd like to welcome new readers, and old ones as well, to the first chapter of the first book in the Deity Trilogy.

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Key/Legend

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“blah”-normal talking

blah-Hikary to Yami mental communication (private)

blah-Yami to Hikary mental communication (private)

blah-general mental communication (non private)

(((blah)))-author notes

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In the back of his mind he suddenly realized that it had gotten strangely quiet. Hadn't there been talking just a while ago? Meanderingly he struggled back up into wakefulness. It was slow and hard going for his sleep deprived brain.

CLAPBANG!

His yami, who had also been sleeping, felt the distinct disadvantages of not having a physical body as he fell from his floating position and through the floor in surprise. Yugi himself uttered a yelp as his head shot of the desk and away from the explosion. There was giggling and murmuring around him, at least the rest of the class was enjoying this.

He looked down at the source of the disturbing noise. On his table now lay a very large teacher's edition of his literature book, which was now promptly being picked up by its owner.

“Mutou-kun, I thought I had made the rules of this classroom quite clear at the beginning of the semester. Isn't it a shame that you will be joining me after school today?”

There was nothing for Yugi to do besides reply with a tired and dejected “Yes, Mitsuhori-sensei.” With a nod of her head the teacher moved on to Jounouchi who, coincidentally, was asleep as well. She heaved a sigh of exasperation and let her book fall flat on the table.

CLAPBANG!

Jounouchi's yelp seemed to reach a higher pitch than Yugi's. Unlike Yugi, though, he tried to escape the offending noise, which ended with him tipping his chair backward and landing in an undignified heap on the floor. He got up as quickly as possible trying to salvage what little dignity he had left as Honda, who had been sitting behind him, helped him up. In the mean time the rest of the class was rolling with laughter, even Kaiba had a smirk playing on his face. Anzu though, in the back and a seat away from Bakura, was just shaking her head at her friends.

Once Jounouchi had his chair settled back to standing on all four of its legs and was about to sit back down Keiji spoke, “Well, Katsuya-kun, I guess we'll be seeing more of each other after school won't we?” the only reply she received was a half hearted grunt as Jounouchi sat back down with a distinctly more dejected air about him.

“As for the rest of you...”

Mitsuhoriturned around and a deathly silence fell on the class, broken only by the occasional whisper. “Since some of your peers seem to be forgetting, I will refresh your memory on my golden rules.” Her eyes traveled over the class, to Yugi she looked like a hawk scanning a field for its pray. She started walking toward her desk, snatching a bag from beneath one of the tables and the hand that had been trying to conceal it there.

“Number one, no drinking or eating in my room.” She droped the bag of Pocky that she had just taken and picked up a stack of credit card sized paper. Detention Slips Yugi thought. One of the slips went to the now Pocky-less boy. “Number two, no sleeping during my class.” Two more slips: one for Yugi, the other for Jounouchi. Keiji did stop long enough to eye Bakura critically. He too had had his head down, but unlike his two friends his work had been completed and he hadn't actually been sleeping, this didn't seem to please her any though. “Number three,” she moved on deciding to let Bakura get away with it this time, “no talking while I'm talking.” Another two slips, these for a pair of girls sitting in the back row beside Anzu. All the half concealed murmuring suddenly stoped, as if someone had flicked an off switch. “Number four, no playing with toys during my class.” Another slip for another girl, this time in exchange for some Duel Monster Cards. “Number five, no electronic devices that distract from my class work.” With the final rule the impossible happened, Seto Kaiba was, for the first time in school history, relieved of his PDA and put into detention. Stares followed the teacher as she moved back to the head of the class, stares and one cold blue eyed glare.

“All of the people in detention today are repeat offenders so I do not want to hear about how cruel this is. And even though some of you may think that circumstances allow the rules to be bent for you,” at this her eyes went from Jounouchi to Kaiba, “that is not the case. As it is I have had to waste the last fifteen minutes of class on this and so you will not have time to start your homework.”

There was a collective groan asMitsuhori turned around to write the assignment on the board. Yugi stole a quick glance in Kaiba's direction, the CEO's eyes read murder. Yugi then turned around to look at Jounouchi, despite being in detention himself the blonde seemed hard pressed not to laugh at Kaiba's 'injustice'.

Yugi winced as the bell rang and noise erupted both inside the room and in the hall. People were hurrying to half an hour of freedom, otherwise known as lunch, before their next class. He had been about to stand up before a fit of coughing seized him. After he regained control over his breathing a very clear and concerned voice spoke into his head

"Maybe we should call home."

Yugi looked to his left to watch hi yami desperately try to claw himself out of the floor. The younger was getting very tired of hearing that.

“Hey Yugi, you o'kay? You sound like my grandmother and look even worse, no offense.” Jounouchi said from behind Yugi as the smaller boy started packing his things.

“It's nothing, just a cold.” Yugi said wondering whether he was assuring his yami or Jounouchi with the statement.

“How'd you get a cold this early into winter?” Jounouchi frowned and then shrugged, “On second thought, never mind, I guess there has always got to be a first for the bug to spread.”

Once Yugi was packed up they both started heading out of the class, Jounouchi slowing his pace to let the other go ahead of him. Yugi couldn't help but notice that therest of his 'friends'had already left. He must really not be doing too good of a jobabout staying in touch with reality. They probably had planned the Jounouchi-bodyguard part too.

“If you're not feeling well, maybe you should call your grampa to pick you up.” Jounouchi said, trying to be helpful. Case and point, Jounouchi wasn't attune enough into details to be able to draw that conclusion off his own, meaning Anzu or Honda had put him up to this.

“I'm fine.” Yugi found himself repeating for what seemed the zillionth and first time. Definitely a couple billion at least sine he had to say it a nice thousand times to his grandfather, and then a couple million to his yami.

Yugi suppressed a groan as they entered the cafeteria. It was way too noisy for his already aching head. Not that the overdose of sound was anything new.

“Aren't you going to eat anything?” Anzu asked as Yugi came over to their normal table, Jounouchi having disappeared for the lunch line.

“I'm not hungry.” The smallest of the group replied as he sat across from Bakura and beside Anzu.

“You sure,” Honda, who was sitting beside Bakura, continued the interrogation, “not even for a burger?”

Yugi laughed a little at that, well he kind off had been expecting his friends to grill him about his 'cold' as soon as chance permitted. “No, not even for a double cheese and salade hamburger.” He said this time giving his companions a real unforced smile, well to the two that were paying attention anyway. Bakura had his head down on the table, eyes closed, face looking to the right, and hands resting limply in his lap.

“K, if you say so.” Honda said, as he and Anzu shared a concerned look.

Bakura opened his eyes long enough to pass a searching gaze over Yugi, wich was returned with equal force. Bakura looked and acted about as sick as the smaller, and after a second decided to quite the staring contest as he closed his eyes and sighed. The movement caused the millennium ring to hit the metallic table and give off an eary though somewhat pleasant chime. Yugi after a second decided to follow Bakura's example, but added his own flare as he pillowed his head in his arms instead of just laying it on the table. His own millennium item ruined it a little as it only made a hollow thunk against the table.

"So now you prefer the ring over me?" his darker half spoke out in mock indignation.

"It certainly looks prettier than the puzzle, and probably is a couple pounds lighter. Not to mention that you can sleep with it and not have to worry about rolling over on it and braking your bones. I wouldn't ever have to worry about loosing it either, since its power returns it to its owner. I certainly wouldn't have to be concerned about it braking into a couple hundred pieces if I hit it against anything hard. You wan't me to go on?" Yugi smiled at the table, he enjoyed his and Yami's verbal tennis, no matter his health.

"No, you've made your point quite clear." Yami added an extremely fakesniffle for affect, "After all I was only the pharaoh and nobly sacrificed my self to protect this world from..., YUGH, anchovies." Yugi couldn't help it, he laughed earning him a strange look from Anzu and Honda which he didn't see since he still had his head in his arms. Yami retreated away into his soul room, where he was separated from the input of Yugi's senses, which had just started to pick up on the smell of anchovy pizza as Jounouchi sat down beside Yugi and across from Honda.

“Sheeze, you too Bakura?” the blonde said, “What is this, an epidemic?”

Yugi snorted and kicked Bakura under the table, signaling that the white haired boy should tell the story now that everybody was here. Ryou lifted his head long enough to say, “Me, Yugi, Park, pond, cold, magic, hospital, the end.” Obviously thinking that enough, Bakura returned his head to its original position. Yugi kicked him again but the other boy chose to ignore it.

Honda blinked owlishly at his pale hared friend before giving Jounouchi and Anzu a did-you-get-that look. Yugi started into another coughing fit, effectively cutting of any questions that they were about to ask.

“Maybe I'm just being slow as usual, but would someone care too explain that story a little better.” Jounouchi asked once Yugi had regained his breath.

With a sigh and another kick to Bakura (which was returned for good measure), and a "Your violent when you're not feeling well, aibou, Yugi decided that he might as well tell his part of the story. After all these were his friends, they had a right, as well as needed, tohave a proper explanation, and maybe Bakura would feel more talkative after Yugi had said his peace. And so lifting his head Yugi started on last Friday after school which...

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Flashback

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It had been a mostly uneventful Friday. Which wasn't a good thing in Yugi's book, since it meant that he had to sit behind the counter of his grandpa's store and...well...sit there...and look cute for customers whoalways treated him like a 10-year old. During the weekends there were usually a lot more people visiting the shop, since they had free time, and children brought home good grades for the week and got presents. But Fridays were slow, most everybody just felt too lazy after a week of working to go anywhere. Which is exactly why he had jumped at the chance to go out with Bakura and leave the store for even a short time. Bakura was for one thing the only other person available since Honda had declared Friday was cram day and Jounouchi and Anzu were at work. He had also been looking for a good time to talk to the white haired boy about the millennium ring, the memory of the dark spirits near sacrifice of Bakura leaving a bitter taste in the smaller boy's mouth.

But he really hadn't expected gentle, kind Bakura to protest the subject as vehemently as he did. They were walking through the park now, having stopped by Burger World for a short chat with Anzu a while ago. And as they entered the lightly wooded area Yugi decided to drop the argument for a moment with a sigh. The air was crisp causing the small boy to curl further into his jacket. 'Short person rule number 1: Have a lot of heavy and warm coats because you'll get cold real easy.' The season was just around that time where fall was starting to be forced to give way to winter, but still stubbornly hanging on like the many colored leaves on the trees.

Like thinking of the devil is to attract his attention, the winter shook its pale fur, starting the second sprinkle of white dust for that year. Yugi blinked at the perfect little crystal of white that landed on his nose, and, looking up, saw more bright jewels falling from the sky.

“I love the snow!” Yugi jumped a little at the outburst turning to look at Bakura who had also lifted his head towards the sky. “Ne, Yugi? Race `ya to the bridge!” The taller boy didn't even wait for a reply, he was off less then a second after voicing the challenge. It took a second for the event to register in Yugi's mind, before he started after Bakura with an exclamation of “Unfair!”

"He must really like snow to get this hyper over it." Yugi mused with a smile. "That, or he is trying to force out thoughts he doesn't wish to entertain." Yugi's smile turned into a frown. That was more likely it considering the subject area from a couple of minutes ago. He soon gave up on catching up to Bakura and decided to just walk to the bridge. 'Short person rule number 2: Don't bother trying to outrun people with longer legs then yours, it just doesn't happen.'

The bridge wasn't anything too impressive. It was a little traditional looking thing, made out of imported redwood, with the railing painted a brighter red and patterned with little gold dragons and phoenixes. It stretched over a small shallow pond that in spring and summer contained the most famous Koi in Domino city, not that that said much.

There were about five fish and they were all rather large, Yugi knew for a fact that they had tried adding some smaller fish into the pond a couple of years ago. Those other fish weren't there long though, and he was also pretty sure that the first five had eaten them. The five Koi had all been named, though not by the city or the park. They were just names that traveled around until everybody accepted them. The largest of the fish was calico patterned, with his back covered in ruddy black, his name was Akashin. The smallest, was almost completely black with a little white on his stomach, fins, and under his eyes, and his name was Shinshi. Zearzen, got his strange name because he was equally strange as an all white albino with bloody pinkish-red eyes. There was also Kazukori, he was covered in red patches all over, almost like a dalmatian. Takaha was the last and second largest of them, and he had a nasty temper. Whenever people would come to feed the Koi he would chase the others away. He was mostly red, with white splotchy lines covering him.

Not that there were any Koi in the pond today. The fall and winter in Domino were too harsh for the fish, so they were moved into an aquarium within the city hall. As it was now, the pond had a small thin ice covering running along the edges. Solid enough to get a glazed white look but not yet strong enough to reach far into the pond or support any wait.

Bakura was leaning on the red railing of the bridge and staring into the cold waters of the pond while his right hand traced small circles on the Sennen Ring. He didn't even bother looking up as Yugi walked across the bridge, his footsteps making small hollow thumps that echoed underneath them.

“Ne, Yugi, where are your parents?” The question was tentative and musing, giving the smaller the option to ignore it as he looked over the railing into the water as well. For which he had to hop on one of the lower bars to get height enough to see over the edge. Yugi looked up long enough to notice Bakura watching him from the corner of his eyes. The smaller considered staying quiet, but after a brief conflict with himself he decided to give an answer.

“Dead...murdered.” The last word had been added after a small pause and even then it came out as barley more then a mumble. Bakura looked up with a start, ”Sorry...” he said as he averted his gaze back to the water.

“Don't worry about it.” Yugi chirped trying to lift the depressing mood that had covered the small little bridge. Bakura looked up again to give him an incredulous look.

“But...doesn't it hurt?” he questioned a bit disbelieving.

“No not really. I don't remember them. I was just a little over a year old at the time. It's just been me and my grandpa for as far back as I can think.” The smaller replied sounding just that tiny bit wistful. It did hurt a little when other people came to school or walked around with their parents.

“Oh.” Bakura thought over that for a little while.

“Why?” Yugi said abandoning looking down the railing. “What about your parents?”

Bakura sighed as his right hand closed over the Sennen Ring impulsively. “My father used to be a really nice person. He'd play with me and take us, me and my sister, along on his trips. But when my mother and sister died on one of those expeditions he changed. He didn't want to take me along anymore and just grew distant. Now he just drowns himself in his work.”

“Oh.” Yugi felt like a parrot but he really couldn't think of anything else to say.

“That's why I can't let go of the ring.”

“Nani?” One of Yugi's eyebrows lifted at that, the statement made no sense.

“I got into the occult because I wanted to talk to my mother and sister again. Or just to see them if nothing else. But nothing I ever tried worked. Not until my dad brought me the Sennen Ring. I can't control it, but that doesn't change the fact that it is the first supernatural thing that ever occurred to me.”

“And even if the spirit is evil, at least with it around I won't ever be alone.” The last sentence was added as nothing more then an after thought, but Yugi could feel that it carried more meaning and weight then anything else his friend had said.

He had also effectively gotten his feet wiped out from underneath him, figuratively speaking, and really couldn't think of anything better then `but it's EVIL' to argue with. He did feel sorry for his friend, well maybe not sorry as much as sympathetic. Bakura, the normal one at least, didn't deserve to be put through something like this.

"People that deserve to be punished often are not, and those that don't deserve it get the harder cards played on them."

"That's not a very optimistic view, and must you relate everything to games."

"It'srealistic and yes."

"I was being rhetorical."

"I know that too."

Yugi sighed, sometimes his darker half just wasn't worth dealing with. The yami probably knew exactly how to convince Bakura, though it probably involved some game, probably Duel Monsters, and ridiculously high stakes. No, better not try to deal with all that now, especially since the temperature was dropping and he wouldn't mind going back to the store and sitting around with a nice warm cup of tea. He pointed this out to his friend.

“...So why don't we go to my grandpa's shop. I could get you a discount on some cards.”

Bakura pushed away from the railing to face Yugi one of his eyebrows lifting. “Peace?” he put out his hand a small smile fighting at the corner of his lips.

“Peace.” Yugi agreed not bothering to hide his amusement at the quick turn of the situation. As they shook hands in mock formality Bakura's smile won the fight against his depressing mood.

It didn't last long though. Neither of them had been paying much attention to their surroundings. There hardly was any need to since the park didn't get dangerous until after 7:00 p.m. But as Bakura's eyes focused on two new figures at the end of the bridge, in the direction from which he and Yugi had come, he felt a sinking in his gut. They looked just a year older then him and Yugi and, even though they weren't wearing any uniforms he recognized them as a local group of vandals from nearby Gaikin Highschool that went out of their way to jump him on his usual rout home.

“Ne, Bakura...” Yugi's tone as well as the echo of footsteps behind him alerted the taller of the two targets to the presence of more people behind him. Turning around he saw three more students blocking the other side of the bridge.

"I'll take them."

"Don't hurt them."

"Of course no—YUG—!"

Yugi felt more then saw the electric spark curl through the air. It arched up his spine and into his chest and head, cutting of the connection with his yami. Time seemed to suddenly slow, there was a crash beside him as three of the Gaikin slamed Bakura into the railing. The usually brown eyes of his friend were trieing desperately to shift to a more redish hue as the Ring's spirit fought to gain control of the body. Yugi was only able to take one step towards the struggling boy before the other two Gaikin students where on top of him. "YAMI!" but there was no reply or sign of help, the electric feeling was still spinning through the air, and somewhat absently Yugi noted that he could almost see it now, attached to the Gaikin students like strings to a puppet, writhing and curling around their necks and heads in blue threads. He really couldn't put up much of a fight, they were almost more then twice his size, and before he knew it he had been heaved over the bridge and into the pond.

Bakura hadn't fared much better sadly. Unlike Yugi, he noted the electricity's build up just before it's initial release. For a moment he was frozen with fear as an echo of the electric power surged through his body, this one coming from the ring, though, instead of the air."RUN!" the commandleft no room for argument butless then half a second later the power from the ring was being forced away as it's far darker counterpart spiked from the air into Bakura's spine, the two powers beginning a struggle against each other with the ring quickly losing ground.

The three students on his side of the bridge moved forward at the first spark of power that ran through the air, he tried to turn around and run but one grabbed him by the right arm. A second took hold of his left and, overbalancing, he fell and was slammed into the bridges railing. The power of the ring had almost completely been squashed away and any forethought he might have had gave way to panic. Looking around he saw Yugi being thrown over the bridge. He heard the splash of his friend hitting the water as the three captors tried to lift him over the railing as well. He was slightly proud in the back of his head that he was making it rather difficult for them, kicking and punching and generally making a chore of the whole thing. Never the less, with the help of the other two students he soon found himself joining Yugi in the pond.

Though...it wasn't a pond anymore. Hitting the water wasn't all that painful, the cold however made him gasp, getting a lung full of the icy liquid as a reward. Straitening to push of the bottom his feet found nothing but more cold water below him. Striking frantically with both his arms and legs he broke back through the surface, choking and spitting out the water that had made its way down his throat. He wasn't there for long, the electricity arced over the bridge as the 5 students ran for the woods laughing to themselves. It bounced into the water skidding along the surface and diving down, farther then he could sense. Not that he wanted too.

Difficultly he mad his way through the water towards the shore on his right. The cold had already started to freeze his limbs and suck away his strength, but at the same time the water seemed to almost solidifying around him. It fealt more and more like he was trying to swim through jello then through liquid. But the electricity singing around him drove his fear and kept him moving until with a final heave of his legs, as they found purchase on the ground near the shore, he pushed himself up and out of the icy cold mockery of a pond into the blistering freeze of the air. He may have been cold but he was more then a little relieved to find that the electricity seemed to have contained itself to the water and not followed him back out.

For a moment he kneeled in the frosty ground shivering and gathering his wits back together. He could still feel, and hear to a certain extend the lightning at his back. But what truly brought him back to reality was the heavy splash of something else breaking the waters surface. Whipping around he couldn't see anything, except black lightning skimming over the water and congregating around one particular spot in the liquid. For a moment he wavered, not knowing what to do.

He wanted to rush into the water and help Yugi, the smaller boy was probably in trouble seeing as he hadn't reappeared at the surface yet. But he couldn't get his legs to move closer to the water and the terrifying black lightning. The indecision and panic of maybe having his friend hurt right before his eyes increased the force of the shivers that were running down his spine.

“Hey! Are you alright!” Bakura looked up to see an old couple hurrying over the path towards him. There was a tight concerned look around the woman's face, the man on the other hand looked like he was about to hurt someone.

“Those punks didn't do anything to ya'? Come here you're alright now.” The woman spoke kindly as she took of her thick wool jacket and wrapped it around him. `How had they covered that distance so quickly?' his mind questioned before turning to more important matters. He tried to tell them about Yugi and the water, and for kami's sake couldn't they SEE the black lightning. But he found that his throat seemed to have frozen and his lips and tongue refused to pull themselves together enough to shape words.

Looking panickly back at the pond he saw the lightning strike out from the water and towards him and the couple. He gave one last warning shout before a fork of it struck him right in the chest and blackness enveloped his vision.

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Updated on: Friday, March 18, 2005