"The Rose Duelist: War Stories"
(Prequel to "The Rose Duelist")
By: Seto's Princess

Disclaimer – I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh or the original storyline for "The Duelists of the Roses" for Playstation 2… However, I do own Maki Kaichi, Mr. Morosou Kaichi, Mrs. Yakima Kaichi, Mr. Ichiro Shuka, Mrs. Reiko Shuka, Rick Takinawa, Crystal Takinawa, Sujiro Mitsuki, a few other random names I made up, and this story.

I wanted to post this before I posted the next chapter of The Rose Duelist. Anyway, I hope you like it. You get to meet all the Rose Crusaders in this chapter! Yay!

'Words in italics and single quotation marks' are thoughts.

"Words in italics and double" or no quotation marks are dreams.

Special note: Domino City is NOT the setting in the beginning of this story. Also, Seto, Yugi, the rest of the gang, and a few other notable people will NOT appear in this story. This story occurs before "The Rose Duelist," so Maki never met them.

Special Note 2: This story will be written in Maki's Point of View…

Chapter 3 – The Rose Crusaders

"Wow, this place is amazing," I gasped as Seto and I rode into the palace of England, currently taken over by Richard III and the Yorkist house, as well as the Rose Crusaders.

"I'm glad you like it," Seto said in reply to my comment.

"Welcome back, Rosenkreuz!" a woman said as she approached us. She was about 5'6" tall and she looked to be between 16 to 18 years old. She had pretty blue eyes and waist-long shiny black hair.

"Ishizu," Seto said and nodded in greeting.

"Ah, who is this?" the woman asked.

"The Rose Duelist," Seto answered with a smirk of pride, as if I was someone utterly famous.

"…As in 'The Legend of the Rose Duelist?'" she asked.

Seto nodded and the woman's eyes widened.

"So the legend is true! However, I never expected the Rose Duelist to be a young girl. Of course, youth should have nothing to do with it, seeing as how you are only fourteen and yet you are our leader, Rosenkreuz," she stated.

"Oh dear, I'm so sorry. You must think I'm rude for not introducing myself to you. My name is Ishizu Ishtar. Yours, dear?" she asked as she shook my hand.

"Maki Kaichi," I replied.

"I'm going to take her to see Richard III and then we'll join you and the other Rose Crusaders," Seto stated matter-of-factly.

"Very well then," Ishizu said with a nod. With that, she left and Seto took me someplace else in the glorious palace.

He took me to what seemed to be the throne room and there I met Richard III. Seto bowed before speaking.

"Your Highness, I present to you the legendary Rose Duelist," Seto said articulately. I took this as some sort of signal and bowed as well.

Seto then turned to me and said, "This is our soon-to-be King, Richard III."

"The Rose Duelist, eh? I assume she's joined our side then?" Richard III asked.

Seto gave a swift nod in reply and Richard III smirked.

"Nice work, Rosenkreuz. You shall receive a nice reward for this. Now nothing will stand a chance against us," Richard said with a dry laugh that made me shudder.

Seto and I bowed once more and left the room. We made our way to another stunning room of the palace. There were seven other people in the room, including Ishizu. Seto cleared his throat to signal our presence and the seven people in the room turned to face us.

"Fellow Rose Crusaders! Meet Miss Maki Kaichi, the legendary Rose Duelist," Seto announced as he gestured to me.

"The Rose Duelist?" one of them said in disbelief.

"The legends are true?" another one asked.

"A girl?"

"She's on our side?"

"Hold all your questions for later. Why don't you all introduce yourselves first? After all, we are in the presence of a legend and we don't want to appear rude, now do we?" Seto suggested. I blushed in embarrassment. I was not used to being flattered like this. I still had no clue what was going on. I did not understand the whole concept of being a legend. How could I be a legend if my only dueling experience involved a few rinky-dink hometown tournaments? My thoughts halted as one of the people spoke up.

(By the way, remember that this takes place three years in the past. Thus everyone is three years younger than usual. I'm making up the ages for Pegasus and Panik since no one really knows how old they are. Also, for those of you that have played the game, I had to change a few of the names. I never played on Yugi's side, so I don't know what the Rose Crusader's names really are. So, I'm just going to use the names from the American dub anime.)

"I'm honored to meet you Miss Kaichi. I'm Weevil Underwood. I'm thirteen years old and I specialize in insect type monsters," said a short boy with bowl-shaped blue-green hair and mischievous-looking blue eyes hidden under a pair of bug-like golden glasses. He cackled; the disturbing sound rang in my ears.

"My name is Rex Raptor. I'm twelve years old and I have a dinosaur based deck," said another short boy with brown hair, purple bangs, and mischievous-looking brown eyes.

A frightening towering man spoke up next. "Everyone calls me Panik. I'm twenty-seven and I specialize in dark-type monsters." He was practically twice the height of the previous two boys. He had dark blue hair and menacing-looking black eyes. I quickly turned to the next person in the room.

The next one was a really short boy, shorter than the others. He had spiky gray hair and a pair of gray eyes; he looked almost dead. "I'm Bonz. I'm twelve years old, making me the youngest one here, and I have a deck full of zombie monsters."

'Hmm… These duelists seem to reflect their appearance in their duel decks…' I thought and turned to the next Rose Crusader. He was quite tall and he had bright blonde hair in short spikes and sharp blue eyes.

"My name is Keith Howard. Just call me Keith. I'm twenty-one and I specialize in machine type monsters," he said.

I gasped as I saw the next person. He looked exactly like Maximillian Pegasus, the creator of Duel Monsters back in my world. He had long silvery hair and golden eyes, although his hair covered his left eye. "My full name is Maximillian Pegasus J. Crawford, but most people know me as Lord Crawford and the members of our group here simply call me Pegasus. I'm twenty-four years old and my deck is full of toon monsters," he said.

"Well, you already know my name, miss," Ishizu said with a bow of her head. "I'm seventeen-years-old and I specialize in light type monsters." (Okay, I'm not 100 percent sure what Ishizu's deck is, so if anyone knows, let me know, okay? Thanks!)

So, Seto was not the youngest member of the Rose Crusaders. Bonz was the youngest of the group. It surprised me how these people of varying ages could work together and form a team that was supposedly the ultimate fighting force of York house.

…

"Yakima, we should go home," my father urged my mother.

"No! Not until we find Maki!" my mother shouted, her eyes brimming with tears.

My parents had been wandering the streets of the city, searching for me along with the police. Mr. and Mrs. Shuka were doing the same.

"Yakima! Morosou!" Mrs. Shuka called out as she ran up to them

"Reiko! Ichiro! Did you find her yet?" my mother asked with a bit of hope.

Mrs. Shuka shook her head in dismay. She was also saddened by my sudden disappearance and had shed her own tears sometime during the search. Her soft pink cheeks were stained with dry tears now. "We're sorry Yakima. We just came back from the police department. They haven't had any luck either."

"They say we might have to continue the search for a few days," Mr. Shuka cut in. Another flow of tears escaped my mother's eyes and my father wrapped his arm tightly around her.

"We should all go home. It's quite late now and I'm sure we're all tired. We need some rest. We'll continue our search tomorrow, alright?" Mr. Shuka suggested. My mother continued crying but nodded her head.

"Would you feel any better if we slept over, Yakima?" Mrs. Shuka suggested.

My mother looked up, gave a slight smile, and answered, "I'd like that. Thank you."

Mrs. Shuka nodded with a gentle smile and took her husband's hand. "Come on Ichiro; let's go get our things and then we'll go to the Kaichi's." Mr. Shuka nodded and the two couples headed for home.

…

I gasped at the sight of the feast before my eyes. It was a bounty fit for kings! Of course, I should not have expected anything less. I was in a royal palace after all. Therefore, it did make sense that we would all be eating like nobility.

Clink clink.

Seto gently tapped his spoon against his glass to receive everyone's attention and stood up. He was seated to the right of Richard III, who was at the head of the table. I sat on Seto's right, followed by Ishizu, Pegasus, Keith, Bonz, Panik, Rex, and finally Weevil.

"First, I'd like to offer a toast – to our soon-to-be-king and the rightful heir to the throne, Richard III," Seto announced and we all toasted to him. Richard III nodded and gestured for Seto to continue.

"My fellow Rose Crusaders today is a special day. It is a day that may have already decided the future of this kingdom. We are in the presence of a true legend," he said and gestured towards me. I blushed madly and stared down at my plate in embarrassment. Seto continued nonetheless. "I offer a toast to Miss Maki Kaichi, the Rose Duelist. May she guide us in our quest to obtain the Red Rose Cards and defeat the forces of Lancaster!" Seto exclaimed and the other Rose Crusaders and even Richard III raised their glasses to toast me. My face turned an even deeper shade of red, if that was possible, and I suddenly began concentrating on the rose pattern along the rim of my plate.

…

"How do you like your dinner, Miss Kaichi?" Ishizu asked.

"It's delicious, thank you," I replied with a slight smile. Ishizu smiled back.

"So, Miss Kaichi, I've been meaning to ask you, what type of monsters do you specialize in?" Pegasus asked and took a sip of his wine.

"My deck? Oh well… My monsters are mostly light types, like Ishizu's," I answered.

"How much dueling experience do you have?" Weevil inquired.

"Well I…" I did not know what to say. 'What should I say? What would they say if I told them my major dueling experience involved some small city-wide tournaments and nothing more?'

"Now she wouldn't be called the Rose Duelist if she didn't have any significant dueling experience now would she? Isn't that right Maki?" Seto interrupted and saved me from having to fumble for an answer, even if he was not aware of it. I smiled at him gratefully and nodded.

"How old are you Miss Kaichi, if you don't mind me asking?" Keith asked.

"I'm fourteen," I replied and took a bite of my dinner roll.

"Fourteen, eh? So you're the same age as Rosenkreuz here," Panik said.

"I guess so," I said and glanced over to look at Seto. He turned to me with a questioning look. I could not help but stare at those blue orbs of his. No one had ever caught my attention like this before. Is this what people called love at first sight? I thought so. I had no idea how wrong I was those three years ago.

"Something wrong?" Seto asked, causing me to break my eye contact with him.

"What? Oh, no, not at all," I said, stared back down at my plate, and took a bite of my chicken.

…

"So Miss Kaichi, are you really going to help us fight the Lancastrians?" Rex asked as all the Rose Crusaders entered their meeting room.

"I guess so," I mumbled as I took a seat to Seto's right as Ishizu gestured me to do.

Seto clapped his hands to have everyone's attention and they all settled down in their seats. "Alright everyone, let's talk about the Red Rose Cards. Simon mentioned that he spread the cards among certain individuals just after summoning Miss Kaichi. I think it's safe to assume that a large number of those individuals are his confederates currently located in France. Maki," he said and turned to face me, "I would like to ask you to enter France from Dover and retrieve those cards for our cause. I would go myself. However, I'm needed here to maintain our barrier against any invading forces."

'Go to France? I guess I'll have to. It's not like I have any idea what's going on anyway…' I nodded in reply. "Sure."

"Excellent. First I'd like to give you some special training. I assume you are not fully aware of the situation. Therefore, I'd like to prepare you for what may come in this war. That includes some self defense techniques, some historical studies, and I'd also like you to learn some French," Seto said.

"Alright," I said.

"Your training will begin tomorrow, then. Weevil, Bonz, and Rex will start with your basic training. Ishizu will help you with history, and Pegasus will teach you French. Once Weevil, Bonz, and Rex have taught everything they know, Panik and Keith will show you some advanced fighting techniques," Seto explained.

I nodded in reply and looked around the room. So, I would start my day with the three youngest boys of the group. Although they each appeared somewhat bizarre, I was not afraid of them. Ishizu, the only female member of the group, besides me, seemed very nice. I assumed I would not have a problem with her. Pegasus also seemed somewhat nice and he appeared to be the type of adult I would be able to communicate comfortably with.

Keith and Panik, however, were obviously much older, much taller, and much stronger than I was. Keith had a sort of mischievous aura to him. Panik made me feel uncomfortable altogether. I had no idea what to expect from them, but I was going to try my best to undergo whatever training they made me do.

I had to; I realized by then that I would have to actually go through with the whole war in order to return to my world. I would need special skills. I needed the physical and mental preparation to survive. I had to know any and all the secrets the Rose Crusaders had to offer me.

"Well then, that's all for tonight. You may all converse among yourselves now, but I expect you all to sleep early. We need to be well rested for tomorrow's events," Seto said, stood up from his chair, and walked away. I kept my eyes on him until he disappeared behind a nearby door.

"So Miss Kaichi, would you like to play a game of chess?" Weevil asked as he casually strolled up to me with a goofy-looking grin on his face.

"Err…" I hesitated. Chess was not really my game. I had played it quite a few times before, but as far as winning went, I could only defeat my dad. My more challenging games were against Mr. Shuka, but I would always lose.

"Hey! Wait a minute! You still owe me a game, Underwood!" Rex shouted from his seat as he stuck out his finger in some attempt to make his point.

"Ohh! You know he means business when he uses your last name, Weevil," Bonz said mockingly.

"Another one? I beat your sorry behind in the last four games!" Weevil retorted.

"Four? It was THREE!" Rex shouted.

Ishizu sighed. "You boys are impossible."

"First of all, it was two wins and secondly, you do owe him a game, Weevil," Pegasus pointed out as he stood up from his seat.

"Yeah, remember when you broke Rosenkreuz's sunset painting? Rex ended up being blamed for it. You clearly said you would give him fifty chess matches to make up for it," Keith added with a smirk.

"Aw man. How many do I still owe you?" Weevil asked Rex.

"Twenty-seven." Rex stated matter-of-factly.

"Twenty-seven?" Weevil asked disbelievingly as his eyes widened.

"Yes, twenty-seven!" Rex exclaimed.

The two boys started off on a full throttle argument. I felt out of place in the whole situation. I was a new member of the Rose Crusaders. I did not have any special bonds with any of them; not that I wanted any. However, I was alone in this world and I felt very uncomfortable about it.

Suddenly, someone tapped my shoulder. I jumped a little in surprise and turned to see Pegasus standing behind me with a smile on his face.

"Those two will be at it for hours. How would you like a tour of the castle? It's much better than sitting here listening to those two bicker about petty things," he suggested.

"Sure. Thank you," I said in response.

He smiled and held out his arm the way gentlemen in the olden times did when they escorted ladies. (Just think - "Titanic.") I looped my arm around his and he escorted me out of the meeting room.

…

"…and this is our physical training room." Pegasus said as he led me into a large open room with some sort of training equipment piled neatly in a corner of the room.

"So… I'll be training here tomorrow?" I asked.

"With Rex, Weevil, and Bonz, yes," the silver-haired man answered.

"I see."

"Come, I'll show you the library," he said as he gently tugged my arm and led me out of the room.

"Oh, there you two are," a voice from behind us uttered.

We turned to see the speaker – Ishizu.

"Pegasus, Panik was looking for you," she stated firmly.

"Ah. I was just giving Miss Kaichi a tour of the castle," he responded.

"I can show her the rest," Ishizu said.

"Alright," Pegasus said. "Well, Miss Kaichi, this is where I take my leave. Forgive me for leaving you in the middle of our tour," he said as he removed his arm from mine.

"No, it's fine," I replied.

"Very well. I'll see you tomorrow Miss Kaichi," Pegasus said with a bow and walked away.

"So, do you know where you were headed next, Miss Kaichi?" Ishizu asked as she turned to me, her black hair flowing with her.

"We were just about to see the library," I replied.

"Follow me then," Ishizu said and I followed her to another room in the castle.

…

"So where do you guys think she is?" Sujiro asked as he plopped down on the Takinawa's couch.

"She probably planned the whole and ran away so she wouldn't have to duel me," Rick said egotistically and dropped some popcorn into his mouth.

"That's impossible, Rick. She couldn't have disappeared in a second. Someone would have seen her, and as far as I heard, the police couldn't find a single person who saw her exit the building. Besides, no offense big bro, but she can kick your butt, so running away from the duel is out of the question," Crystal commented with a reproachful expression.

"Whose side are you on anyway?" Rick snapped.

Crystal shrugged and took a handful of Rick's popcorn.

"Hey!" he shouted.

"No seriously, where do you think she is?" Sujiro repeated.

"Don't know, don't care. Why do you care all of a sudden?" Rick asked.

"I don't. I just don't think it's fair that you get to win on a technicality. Besides, without her around, who are we going to pick on?" Sujiro replied suggestively.

Rick laughed loudly. "Ha, you got that right! I hope they find her. Then I can rub my victory in her face."

Crystal sighed. "Rick you can be so pathetic sometimes."

…

"Here we are, Miss Kaichi. This is the library," Ishizu said as she opened a large door that led to a very large library. "Oh! Excuse us Rosenkreuz, we had no idea you were here. I was just showing Miss Kaichi the library," she quickly apologized as she realized that we weren't the only ones in the room.

"It's alright," he replied without taking his eyes off the book he was reading.

"Miss Kaichi, here is where you'll be taking your history lessons. I'm not much of a teacher, but I will try my best to teach you everything you need to know," Ishizu explained as she gestured around the library.

It was absolutely wonderful. Every wall had a bookshelves filled with thousands of books. There were two glorious oversized windows at the opposite side of the room. A large desk was in the center of the room. Seto was sitting there, carefully studying a thick book. There were three other books stacked up next to the book he was reading, but other than that, the library was completely neat and tidy.

I took a look around. The books on the shelves varied in sizes and topics. There were reference books, hundreds of history books, hundreds of literature books, many language books, and books of other topics as well.

'Wow… This place is magnificent… They don't have anything nearly as amazing back home…'

The sound of a slamming book broke me from my reverie and I turned to see Seto standing up and putting his books away.

"It's quite late. We should get to bed. Goodnight, Ishizu. I'll take care of Miss Kaichi now," Seto said as we walked up to us.

"Goodnight Rosenkreuz. Goodnight Miss Kaichi," Ishizu said with a bow and walked away.

"I'll show you to your room," Seto said. I nodded and followed him.

…

"Here we are. This will be your sleeping chamber for the duration of your training. Once you have completed your training you will begin your travel to France," Seto said as he led me into an empty room. I stepped in and gasped as I took in the sight.

The furniture was a beautiful hand carved mahogany. The bed sheets were made of white silk. A large window opened out to a balcony looking out onto a magnificent sky dotted with stars as if they were freckles.

"Rosenkreuz, it's wonderful!" I exclaimed in an almost breathless whisper.

He must have heard me, for he chuckled. "Only the best for our honored guest. Well, third best if you count Richard III's room and my room of course."

"I love it! Thank you," I said as I turned back around to face him. Our eyes met and once again I was mesmerized by the beautiful blue orbs.

"Well, good night Miss Kaichi," he said, breaking our eye contact.

"Please, call me Maki."

"Good night… Maki." He took my hand and kissed it, causing a blush to form on my cheeks.

"Good night, Rosenkreuz."

TBC…

Well, I think that was a nice ending for a chapter. Not exactly a cliffhanger, so I guess it should not kill you. Anyways… I can't guarantee an update on "The Rose Duelist" anytime soon. I need to start working on the "New Years" special for "Life At My House." Which reminds me… Attention all Life At My House fans! I will not post the next chapter or "Life At My House" until I finish my "New Years" special. Also, I am going to post the "New Years" series as part of "A Life At My House Christmas," NOT as part of "Life At My House." So, add "A Life At My House Christmas" to your favorites and/or alert lists if you want a heads up when I update. Thanks! Ja-ne!