[CLOSED] Not This Again !

[luckydragonsfoot]

Who: It's the YGO Cast! (Wow!)
Where: A Quiet Room
When: Late Day 26, after they've left into VoidSpace
What: Unfortunately, Jonouchi had some Secrets.
Warnings: Warnings for discussion of historic massacre, of the ritual sacrifice variety, and the likely traumas involved in being part of it on the victim's side.

The Quiet Room, or one of them anyway, is better for this. The door closed and locked, and certain personal pokemon or stuffed animals filling the spaces that people do not. There is no paper, no pencil this time. What they are doing is not a game.

It was a matter of fun last time, at least somewhat- even when things grew tragic in nature, there could be some leftover humor, some talk of happier differences between the timelines they all had. But now?

Now they're speaking of Darker things. Now, Katsuya is simply looking grim and cold as the others settle in.

The door is locked.

Katsuya speaks.

"I..." His throat cracks under the stress, and he swallows, clearing it. "...Las' time as a group, we talked abou'...all th' differences in our worlds. Th' shit tha' set everyone apart, an' all tha'," Katsuya begins. "...I... ...I didn'...say, everythin'. ...But t' say everythin'...I have t' talk abou' something real bad. Somethin'...somethin' I don' think most 'f y' would've ever had t' know abou'," he whispers, remembering the differences between 'Zahra' and the others.

He grows quiet- but only for a moment. His eyes closed, Katsuya breathes in deep and begins.

"...What do y' know...abou' where th' Millennium Items came from?"

Comments

[blue_ice]

Kaiba has taken a seat across from Jonouchi, his large stuffed Blue Eyes in attendance at his side. He seems to regret opening this can of worms, but he knows how this goes by now: the blond won't be able to move forward until the toxic influence is drained.

He grits his teeth, but tries to keep his expression neutral. "Very little, just that they're from Zorc's power."

[bloomingdespite]

After their experiences at the "resort," (Wester had KNOWN there was something up with it, but noooo, nobody LISTENED to them) they'd figured that nobody would want to talk about whatever memories that were unearthed. They were all... private things. They'd put all the cards they could on the table at their last meeting, but some things were too sensitive to touch even with the passage of time.

But if Jonouchi brought everyone here, then-

Wait. What?

"...Zorc.

"As in the Ring-Spirit's Dark Master avatar? That Zorc?"

[sizedoesntmatter]

Yugi sat in his own little spot quietly, for the moment he figured he didn't need to talk all that much, but when he needed he made sure to speak up.

"Very little here to, I don't really remember learning anything about where they came from." At least he seemed pretty certain on that, but he soon glanced over slightly.

"Wester, I assume you mean the whole role-playing game avatar right? Zork was very much an actual thing."

[luckydragonsfoot]

Very briefly, Katsuya looks more tired about this talk about Zorc than he does anything else. That's not even the thing's name- he's sure it isn't, even if he doesn't know how he's sure and-

"Righ', yeah, sure," he breathes, rubbing his head.

"...Beginning then." He's had time to think about it. It's strange actually, how much he already knew offhand.

The only thing he'd been missing had been the items themselves, as it seemed.

"Long b'fore th' items," he begins, his voice flat, "There was a King."

It is easy to slip into storytelling. It's what he used to do, in more ways than one. He doesn't even realize when he's shifted in language- and nor will the others, potentially. The train after all, translates every tongue.

All there is, is a missing edge of street dialect.

"King wasn't too bad a guy. Decent sort. Maybe too decent, if y' catch my drift- easy to take advantage of. Brother though... ...well, brother was the opposite.

"Maybe too opposite- bet you can guess how," Katsuya notes darkly.

His eyes look across at them all. But they do not seem to see.

The story continues, and it's a good thing he yet lacks the power to make them see even shadows of the tale.

"King's brother y' see, got them in a bind- needed to cover their tracks, and it blew up in his face. Didn't take long before there was no going back...and the King, despite any try for peace, found war at his door.

"So the King's stuck. But the brother well he's got a plan. He's got a big ol' book promising power and greatness- just needs the King to say yes. King doesn't have much choice mind you...but here's the catch. Cause for stuff like this there's always a catch, like nothing you'd ever believe," the blond continues lowly.

"The brother takes his book, takes his soldiers, and he goes. But what the King doesn't know, what his brother does know, is that all that power only comes for one thing.

"And what the brother figures, is if he needs to sacrifice anything, what better than a village of lowly thieves."

The words hang on the air. He is silent- but not too long. There is nothing that can be said here after all, nothing more than shock and fear.

Katsuya continues on.

"Once....there was a village called 'Elna'am'. A remnant of a people from when shadows lived in the light, so old even they forgot. It was a village that took everyone, even the worst in- so in time, it was known as the Thieves' Village in turn. A village of thieves who forgot who they were.

"But the Brother knew- and if he wanted power, that was how to get it.

"So he struck at night. They stormed the gates- killed anything in their path that didn't match the look of who they needed. And as for those ones..."

Here. Here is where he falters. With shuddering breath as he closes his eyes and remembers- telling the kids to hide like they were playing a game. Going to his sister's one last time because after that, both of them were...

How many more? How many more have to die?

His breathing shudders.

His eyes water. "...They took us...into the tunnels that were ours...dug a pit, and prepared a mould, and metal, and fire...and from there...Ninety nine people, were killed with one blade- tossed into a hole, while their anger formed the key. There was one survivor. ....it..."

He swallows.

He looks up. His words are back to his own. "I wasn' it."

[blue_ice]

Kaiba straightens suspiciously as he listens. There's so much he doesn't know about any of this...but of course, with all the trouble that's hung over them thanks to these items? He'd known there was likely blood spilled, but he'd assumed the sacrifice was willing, or 'willing'.

Power born from rage in the wake of mass death. "The universal price for power: other peoples' lives. Like Leviathan...."

But he shakes his head. As difficult as that had been, what matters now is their companion, and Kaiba senses something has changed once again. He leans a little closer across the cabin, his tone far softer than usual.

"...Jonouchi."

He's not sure what he's trying to convey with that. Surprise, concern, friendliness....some mix of it all.

[bloomingdespite]

Wester quiets down, listening to his story. Something deep inside their soul stirs at it, resonates with it, brings them immense pain just to hear it, and-

Before they know it, tears are trickling down their face. And Wester isn't even sure why.

"...who?" is the only thing they can choke out, even though they already know the answer.

[sizedoesntmatter]

Yugi stayed quiet as he always did when someone was talking. It would be rude otherwise. But this honestly not what he was expecting of all things.

He never really knew how the items were made, no one ever told him and the only person who really could have at least in his version of the world was no longer around. Maybe this was why nothing was ever said.

Quite possibly.

Unlike anyone else Yugi didn't say a thing, mostly because what was there really to say? Sorry that happened to the past you, which was... still a new thing for him as well.

Instead all the young man could do was silently tear up and just going to wait for a time when it's okay to hug the other.

[luckydragonsfoot]

It's a grim topic- to put it lightly. He's looking down not from shame or anything of the sort but instead because he feels if he looks, looks at their faces, he is going to break.

Katsuya finds himself trying for levity, with all there has been to say in return. It's a feeble try, one which fails near instantaneously. "...Guess now y' know why I didn' wanna say it twice, huh Kaiba?" He snorts, a poor attempt to sound out a laugh. "It's wild, y'know? Knew abou' dyin', knew abou' who did it even, knew all tha' crap, but not th' final piece- back home, me an' Yugi....we kept wonderin'...how could I be seein' what I was, hearin', feelin'...how could I be doin' all tha', if I hadn' ev'n touched an item- let alone kept one," Katsuya carries on with a swallow.

"Turns out... ...didn' have to, t' be 'related'." There is a sigh- an almost fond one, even if the mood is so dark, and he answers Wester's question.

"His name, at least where I was from...was Saraph. He was...he was just a kid," he whispers, pressing onward. "...an' he was so excited, f'r th' chance t' get out of that place, and when I saw what was coming," Katsuya breathes, slipping back into that strange foreign tone, "I couldn't let that happen... ...And I knew...black sheep of the black sheep, if I even tried calling for evacuation they would never listen. ....but if I could save one..."

He chokes. And despite his tears, smiles, eyes still cast downward. Whether the story is over or not- perhaps hug time may be now. "...What a fuck up I am, huh? ...I guess...he wanted revenge, more than life. I kept him out of the pit, and he went and became the king of thieves instead...nameless, and lost."

[blue_ice]

"Oh."

Bakura. Kaiba felt his stomach churn with...something, but he understood now why this was too much. He looked at Yugi and Wester, took in their aching expressions, and Jou's too...and sighed.

Did he really have to do everything?

"...Jou."

The name slipped out as he shifted across the car, squeezing into the space next to Jonouchi and stiffly curling an arm around his shoulders. Was this how...?

He glanced at their companions, silently pleading for help.

[bloomingdespite]

Even if Jonouchi's past self never existed-

Even if everything else was different-

The fact remained-

The village burned.

The throbbing, pulsating mass of darkness deep within the recesses of their heart twists at that, stirring.

They cup their face, tears flowing form their words as they realize. "The-

"The Ring...."

[sizedoesntmatter]

Yugi could see what Kaiba was doing and he could see that Wester was also clearly upset.

So Yugi knew what he had to do. It was clearly obvious, but he also didn't think to speak as actions tend to speak louder than words sometimes. So first thing first he was going to at least join the hug, but at the same time he figured he would also at least extend a hand for Wester to take should they eventually be able to look up.

[luckydragonsfoot]

Kaiba's hugging him first. He...

He can't help but let out a laugh as that happens, the others joining in their own way while Wester has their own quiet breakdown. It's a small one- and then a broken, pained but longer one because doesn't it figure this happened last time, the last time he...

Katsuya rubs at his eyes, swallowing back the continued tears. "With...w'th what happened on tha' island, it seemed really clear tha'...shit wasn't gonna stay buried," he begins with a sniff. "I figured, somethin' like tha', none 'f y' needed t' know if...if it never came up, but what I saw up on th' mountain..."

He realizes pretty quickly he should be clear there. "...It wasn't uh...it wasn' that, th' thing I saw there. Which jus' means makin' sure nothin's a surprise but. ...I mean I don' wanna say both lives have sucked but... ...I mean there's...moments, I guess. I... ...I told Kaiba a bit abou' why I did have t' share th's though, which is...I guess not a bad thing, but it's kinda an importan' thing, y'know..?"

The blond sighs. "The me I...used t' be, I guess- which is kinda weird sayin' tha' since it feels more like we're still th' same damn person but whatever- but tha' me could do a bunch 'f shit, tha' I picked up on doin' now. An' while it ain't everythin' th' items can do- that'd be fuckin' weird if it were that much," he snorts, shaking somewhat under the grip of the others, "It ain' everythin' but it's...I mean, 's a lot, was enough t' get me banished from th' fuckin' city that took in everyone, so tha' says plenty I guess..."

Which makes the tale all that much worse perhaps, given that it means he should never have been there. But regardless.

"I uh... ...when duels are goin' on...duels, Shadow games, whatever... ...I can...see th' monsters. For real, I mean, what's act'lly there," he coughs, glancing toward Yugi and Wester and ultimately finding himself looking away soon after. "Kaiba...figured it out, summoned th' damn dragon, th' cheat..." He huffs, frowning to Kaiba this time. After all- "Fuckin' cats, all 'f 'm..."

It's fine. "Uh...'s normally only my end? I don'...think 's a good idea t' try pushin' f'r more than tha', shit hurts bad 'nough on mine, an' th' monsters aren' exactly huge fans 'f doin' that kind 'f damage..." That's one thing down. But. Well.

"Course, uh. They didn'...have duels like tha' back then so 'n terms of what there is in common, well... ...th' guy I shared all those memories an' things with, we figure if one thing matches, everythin' else will too righ'? And...well. Uh...that me kinda. Summoned a dragon outta 'is shadow. An' I'd rather not get surprised by tha'. Or watch you guys get surprised by it..." It just seems like a Bad Thing to be surprised by!

[blue_ice]

Another potential thing to worry about. Their decks...was all of this lurking beneath the surface always? Were they disturbing the spirits every time they played?

One of many questions that burned as he listened, pulling Yugi and Jou closer.

"We've stuck together through enough by now, we might as well keep going forward," he murmured. "We'll deal with that as it comes, though I'd suggest having one of us stay with you on missions when possible."

And then...well, there's Wester, upset for a different reason. He glances at them, then at Yugi's outstretched arm...well, he's this far off the deep end, might as well keep going. He extends his free hand to grasp Wester's elbow, squeezing gently.

[sizedoesntmatter]

Yugi figured that it was a lot to take in and that Wester was just handling it in their own way right now, so he knew for the moment if they didn't want to be bothered and let them adjust to this kind of bombshell then that was what he was going to do and focus on the situation at hand.

But he nodded slightly, all the while his brain was just settling and getting used to the new information at hand.

"I mean it would be bad of us to not stick together all things considering. Would also be a very bad friend as well." Though he soon paused, trying to think of anything else that he might have to say.

"Though maybe not all of us together all the time on missions."

[luckydragonsfoot]

This would be a very awkward hug if he hadn't experienced one like it before! But...here he is. "...Yeah. ...Thanks guys."

Here they all are, with Wester sort of stuck there, no doubt glued to the thought of the puzzle, or-

He chokes, Kaiba's words slowly registering alongside Yugi's. "NYH- A-Ain't all 'f y' on orange!? What're y' gonna do, take turns jumpin' ont' blue!? They got barely any folks as is, I ain't swappin' t' yours..!"

[blue_ice]

"Right, blue. I've seen all of us handle ourselves in a fight."

He looks tired, but continues onward. "I'll take my turn in the rotation, but I need to focus on helping other oranges get up to speed programming-wise. It'll be done."

Even if he has to have them share his laptop. "Point is, we have options."