CIVIL WAR

Chapter 1: T.E.I.T.B.I.T.E.

How could it, why could it? Judai laid there in bed, staring at the ceiling. He watched Pharaoh snooze on the beam supporting the ceiling. his fur pulsed slowly with each breath. Judai was guilty. Why would he not be? So what if they lived, he still killed them. He would remember the sins passed on by his friends. Why forgive him? It could be laid to rest, but it would ever squirm in his dark heart. The only thing he could hear was the dark beat of his heart, which only abide to the rhythm of Haou's march. He shifted, his dark colored jeans wrinkling slightly.

He was deemed the Darkness of Justice, but why? He followed in the footsteps of so many other dark ones by doing his atrocities, and yet he still managed retain his worldly possessions. Pharaoh yawned slightly. The shell of Haou sat up. He leaned over in despair. What can I do to make it up?, he thought. The mangled memory ate away at him, yet he stayed strong. He stared at the pale yellow floor of the unlit room for a while. It was late dusk outside. He looked out at the glowing academy bordered by the dark wood, outranking the stars in majesty for the night, wondering how long; he wasn't sure what he was asking this of, but he felt it for something, someone. He was the last member of the Osiris Red dorm, which suited him just fine.

He dozed off when the moon stared into his room, shy of the midnight light. He felt like he was in a nightmare of sorts, and yet there was nothing on display. He just shuddered at his memories. He finally got an image in his slumber: he was sitting first row in an empty movie house. The floor had a yellow and white diamond pattern, and the chairs were upholstered with red. The silver screen was shrouded behind two red curtains, and the lights were dim. Judai merely stared at the curtains. He grew tired of waiting, and paced with soft thuds to the curtain. He grabbed on of them, and tore it down, and then the other. He sat back down, and then all the chairs were occupied by tall ,pale men in black bodysuits, wearing sunglasses, and haired styled in spikes. The camera hummed to life, and the screen lit up. Judai watched his like go by on it; his loneliness as a child, his entrance to Duel Academia, his grapple with the Light of Ruin, and his dark deeds committed under his subjection to darkness. The Osiris panicked, and then turned to see if his mom was there to comfort him, and then realized he was all alone. All the men laughed hysterically throughout the movie, while Judai sobbed weakly, loudly, and then finally started to scream; his memories came to poke fun at him, and the laughing men made him feel small.

Judai shot up sweating. He panted heavily, and Pharaoh spoke to him with a soft sound. He grabbed his deck box, and then pulled out the contents. His Elemental Heroes weren't laughing. He forgot they were there for him. He watched them shine in the twilight. It was early in the morning. He rose from his bed, slipped on his shoes, attached his Duel Disk to his arm instinctively, and walked on outside.

It was an arduous task to bear. He had not the strength of Atlas to hold it for all his life. He needed to purge himself. He let the ocean breeze try its hand has he sat in the lazy midday sun on the dock. He aimlessly fished. The rod he held loosely, and the line refused to work. The trees yielded little in the wind, allowing it to bully their leaves. Judai gazed blankly into the water. He heard slow pacing; someone was coming. He polished his eyes to look brightly dim, and then turned around to face Sho. Sho bounced in his gait slightly. He greeted him respectfully. Judai felt uncomfortable. He conversed about the trivial with him, his mind cloudy on such a sunny day. He couldn't focus due to the nightmare he had to bear. Sho was a bright beacon in his mind, yet the buzzard in his mind still chewed. He waved goodbye to his loyal friend, and turned back to his work. The eddy sat there, churning slowly inside, until a disturbance caused his composure to go astray. He heard his name.

"Judai..." it said. He turned around, and then his heart jumped. It was that man. He stood there, towering above him, casting a shadow over his entire body. "You have betrayed us..." He said.

"What commitment do I have to you?!" Judai ordered as he stood up, three feet away from the edge of the dock. The man merely laughed, and then responded.

"Committment? You have every commitment to us." He laughed again. "I came urgently to reclaim the Supreme King, Judai." Juadi stared.

"What for? Who are you?" Judai ordered. 'Why so suddenly?" He also asked.

"The darkness is impatient, Judai. I came with every intent to revive the King, the darkness of justice, and I will." The man stepped closer. "I bear the truth, my king. I am a nameless envoy. You can call me Trueman." Judai stepped back. The evaporated to reveal an abyss, and the sky darkened to purple. The Duel Academia crumbled into rubble, and the trees whithered and died. The Osiris dorm wore down like a century passed in a second.

"The truth? I already know the truth. Haou is not tainted." The eddy grew stronger and more furious. "I don't know why you're here, but I'll have to cut your visit short." Judai held up his Duel Disk. Trueman laughed.

"I knew it would come to this! I am born of that very darkness, Judai. The art of Duel Monsters brings about ruin. I know now what I wanted to know." Trueman started to turn, but Judai delayed him.

"Leaving already?" He asked. " I won't let that happen!" Judai stepped closer. Truman turned to face him. Trueman stepped forward twice, causing Judai to step back even more.

"Now is not the time. You are not ready." Trueman started to break down into a dark dust. Judai stepped back, and fell off the dock. He started to scream, but was caught by someone's hand. He was pulled to safety. The eddy became weak as he looked around. Everything was normal, and Asuka stood above him. His fishing rod was floating in the water, and he was reduced to a mangled mess of fear. She looked at him worriedly.

"I'm...fine." Judai said. He started to walk off.

"But-" Asuka was stopped.

"No worries. I'm just kinda dizzy right now, is all." Judai headed for the Osiris dorm. Asuka reached out, but pulled her arm back. Then she stepped before him. As Judai stopped, she spoke.

'No, you're not. I saw you just standing there, stepping back until you fell off." She looked down. Judai went around her. "Tell what's wrong!" She demanded as she grabbed his arm.

"Why are you so concerned?" The eddy, which was speeding up, asked annoyed. She beamed at him.

"Simple: I don't want you to get hurt. Is something bothering you?" She asked. Judai brushed her off, sucking his emotions back into his brine of a heart. He pulled away.

"Really, nothing's wrong." He continued. "You have better things to do, anyway. You have nothing to worry about, Asuka, nothing." She stared at him. He walked off. She stood there for a second, and then walked off as well.

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Trueman stood observing Judai's world through an opening in the floor. The room was a glowing realm, with every color of the spectrum shining, including the color white. Many other men who looked like Truman observed as well. They all nodded as he turned away from Asuka. They had found their first target.

A/N: Uncharacteristically short, eh? It's just the beginning, people. It's an AU, obviously. I know there is OOC everywhere, but get over it. I know it's there.