Scar

Memories (2)

(based on no episode in particular. Happened in... (my fabrication of) IV's memories of his past life, still partly inspired from im-aggressive's drabble. Any situation you recognize might not come directly from me :p)

Disclaimer: Of course I don't own YGO Zexal, otherwise, IV would be an anti-hero protagonist along with Rio as the heroine, and the anime would be full of dramas instead of card games!

***

Number 5 had always been the obedient one; a perfect example for his youngest brother, Number 3, but a stark contrast to his other brother, Number 4.

It was true Number 4 had always been the spunkiest one in their village; always running and jumping, trying to outrun everyone else, but he had never been this spiteful like he was now. It had been different, of course, when their father and mother had been around to remind them not to go too far.

Their father had been a lord of certain area once and he was loved by his people. They weren't a royalty as they didn't have a throne room in their otherwise huge dwelling, and they interacted with the villagers like normal people; no bowing, no saluting and such. Their mother was a paragon of woman perfection; beautiful, poised, multi-talented, and prioritizing manners over intellectual knowledge. She was the one keeping the bookings—or even everything—of the household while raising and governing her sons. They were busy, but never failed to spare some quality family time. It definitely sounded like one of those fairytales their mother used to read them, and it might as well be, as the happiness seemed to vanish in a blink of an eye—just like the stories.

It had happened one night, when everything was asleep. Or it was supposed to, if Number 5 wasn't feeling like he couldn't sleep for some unknown reason, he just sat on the bed, looking out from the window, wondering why the village's scenery outside was blazing; it looked like there was a huge bonfire beyond the tress obscuring his view. Were there any festivities they missed out? Well, they wouldn't be allowed to go out this late anyway, but he was sure their parents had retreated to their room the same time they did and it was unusual if his parents didn't attend the local festival unless they were feeling unwell—and he was also sure they were fine before. Maybe they simply opted out of it to spend the evening with their children as they had been busy the last few days. It would be winter soon, and they had to secure the harvest before the grounds covered with snow and as the lord of the land, they had to make sure everyone got their share fairly.

But something still bothered him somehow, so he climbed out of his bed and carefully tiptoed his way out of the room, trying not to make any noise. It was really quiet in a middle of the night like this and the lighting was so dim that he could barely see anything. He tried looking out from another window in the hallway to get better look of the bonfire scene. Someday, a few years from now, he would be required to attend such occasion with his father, and then, maybe, with his own family. He still couldn't imagine himself becoming like his father; leading and managing an entire area. Indeed, he was currently in training, and although he was a spitting image of his father, he still couldn't get the picture of him as someone like his father.

As he stared absently outside the window, he finally realized what had been bothering him. Bonfire by the end of autumn was an annual festival, and although he spent most of his times in the house drowning in lessons, didn't mean he paid no heed to what was happening around him. He would run errand from his father sometimes, going to the village with his brothers to deliver messages or buy things, as well as getting to know the villagers better. He had heard some things about preparation for the momentous occasion when he had been out to the village earlier this day, but if he remembered correctly, it wasn't supposed to be held until a few more days on full moon. Could it be the festival was moved up? Was there really something he missed out?