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31_days2020-04-23 12:17 am
insaneladybug) wrote in 31_days2020-04-23 12:17 am
Entry tags:
[April 23rd] [Yu-Gi-Oh!] A Thousand Knives
Title: A Thousand Knives
Day/Prompt: April 23rd 2020 - "Why do we change, I wonder. I was always so sweet..."
Fandom: Yu-Gi-Oh!
Character/Pairing: Lumis, Umbra, Arkana
Rating/Warning(s): K+/PG
Word Count: 5,444
Summary: Lumis knew Arkana long before the Rare Hunters, but it's a series of painful memories brought back to the surface by a sudden invitation.
Yu-Gi-Oh!
A Thousand Knives
By Lucky_Ladybug
Notes: The characters are not mine and the story is! This is a plunnie I got while role-playing with Kohakuhime. It takes place in my post-series Pendulum Swings verse, which redeemed several characters including Lumis and Umbra. They are currently working for Duke at his store. I wrote this using the April 23rd 2020 writing prompt at 31 Days: "Why do we change, I wonder. I was always so sweet..."
Umbra sighed and brushed a sagging piece of turquoise hair away from his eyes as he set another box down near the shelves he and Lumis had been stocking. His vertically challenged friend was sitting at one of the tables where customers could play tabletop games, scowling at the same piece of paper he had been glowering at for the last thirty minutes.
"Lumis!" Umbra finally exclaimed in exasperation. "We're supposed to be working, you know. I could really use your help here!"
Lumis still didn't respond. From his expression, he might not have even heard Umbra's words. He looked like he was in another world.
Umbra frowned. Sometimes he got so wrapped up in himself and what he wanted that he failed to notice that Lumis was hurting. Lumis, by contrast, always seemed keenly aware of Umbra and worried about him to the point of overprotectiveness. Umbra couldn't count the number of times Lumis had asked him if he was alright, even in situations where no injuries were likely or possible.
Obviously something was wrong today. Lumis was very diligent about their work and didn't shirk his part of it.
Sighing, Umbra sank down in the chair across from the little man. "Lumis . . ." he tried again. "What's wrong?"
Finally Lumis looked up. ". . . I can't believe he had the nerve to invite us to his wedding anniversary celebration."
"Huh?" Umbra reached for the paper. "What is this?!"
Lumis relinquished it and folded his arms on the table.
Umbra didn't know what he was expecting to see, but it was certainly not a picture of Arkana and Catherine in each other's arms, smiling for the camera. Both looked genuinely radiant. Underneath was the invitation Lumis was referring to—the following Saturday in their backyard, two towns over from Domino.
Umbra set it down on the tabletop display of Dungeons and Dragons. "I have a better question," he said. "How did he know where to send this?!"
Lumis shrugged, still scowling at the board game.
Umbra was starting to feel actually creeped out. ". . . Okay, I know we're not friends with him or anything, but we did work together. Maybe he's inviting all the former Rare Hunters he could track down."
"After what he did, he has no right to act like we're old friends by sending that," Lumis said. He finally looked up. "I knew him before we met in the Rare Hunter organization."
Now they were finally getting somewhere. Umbra stared at him, stunned. "What?! When?!"
Lumis leaned back, staring out the window. ". . . I told you about my rotten childhood."
He had indeed. It had sickened Umbra—the many children who had made fun of Lumis's sunken eyes and upturned nose . . . the way his parents hadn't helped. . . . Lumis had always remained short in stature and overweight, and losing his hair young had only made it worse.
"I ran away from home as soon as I could," Lumis said bitterly. "Joining the circus was a tired cliché, but I actually did it. I had no intention of being part of its sideshow, however. I wanted to be one of the main acts!"
Now Umbra folded his arms on the table. This was a part of Lumis's past he hadn't opened up about before. "Was that where you learned acrobatics?" It had always seemed a complete oxymoron, that someone of Lumis's weight could carry himself so well leaping up the sides of buildings and swinging from flagpoles. It had bewildered and amazed Umbra. Every time he saw Lumis work, he was awestruck anew.
"No, I already knew how to do that," Lumis said. "That was why I joined the circus—I felt I had something interesting to offer. The ringmaster agreed with me, so I became their top acrobat.
"Well . . . actually, I had another reason for joining the circus," he confessed. "You've heard the cliché about circus people being a family and looking out for each other?"
"Yes," Umbra said slowly.
"I wanted that," Lumis said. "I had never had a family who cared. I wanted more than anything to know how it felt."
Now Umbra was pierced. "Lumis . . ."
Lumis sighed and leaned back. "Most of them were nice, but there was an upstart young magician who was just starting out. The circus was his first stepping stone to bigger and better things, as far as he was concerned."
Umbra's eyes widened. "Arkana," he realized.
"Yes. When I tried to make friends with him, well . . ." Lumis clenched his teeth and his expression darkened.
Lumis's eyes were hopeful as he chased the circus's star magician back to his trailer and knocked on the door. So far everyone he had met was welcoming. It didn't matter what anyone looked like here; all were accepted. It was a dream come true for the lonely, persecuted boy.
"Excuse me?" he called. "Hello?"
At last the door opened. Arkana looked straight ahead, then from side to side, frowning.
". . . I'm down here," Lumis mumbled in chagrin.
Arkana looked. "Oh, it's you," he haughtily remarked. "Our new acrobat."
"Yes!" Lumis exclaimed. "I saw your rehearsal and it was brilliant!"
"Well, of course it was!" Arkana gushed. "I am the best magician the world has ever seen! When all is said and done, even Harry Houdini will be second-place to me!"
Lumis was slightly taken aback. He hadn't expected such conceit. But then again, he considered his own act first-rate. Arkana was probably just confident and proud of his abilities, as Lumis was of his.
". . . Well, I wondered . . . that is to say . . . I hoped . . . you would come to dinner with the rest of us?" Lumis asked. "I'm new here and I'd like to get to know everyone better."
"Hmm. I'm afraid I really don't have time for socializing with other classes," Arkana said.
"Other . . . classes?" Indignation began to flare in Lumis's heart. "We're all in the same circus! There are no classes here! We're equals!"
"That may be your naive way of looking at the world, but even if there are no official classes, I am still the most superior to everyone here!" Arkana exclaimed. "Especially you. Who do you really think the audiences come to see—a sadly unattractive and overweight little man who flies across the big top and someday will splatter all over the ground below . . . or an incredibly handsome Adonis like me who will dazzle and delight at every performance and never go out of style by dying in my act?!"
Lumis backed up, the familiar anger and rage beginning to boil in his heart. "No one insults me and gets away with it," he snarled. "Not even an ‘Adonis' like you! You'll pay for what you said!"
"Simply telling the truth? I think not." Arkana flipped his long ponytail over his shoulder. "There is nothing you could do to me!"
He went back in his trailer and shut the door.
Umbra was staring as Lumis finished his account. "And that's why you're so indignant about him sending this invitation?!" he cried. "You're right that he has a lot of nerve after how he rejected you!" It made Umbra furious. He had grown to care so much about the partner Marik had assigned to him long ago. To think of Lumis trying to reach out in genuine friendship and being kicked away like he was nothing made Umbra's stomach turn.
"If that was all it was, I might have just shrugged it off after all this time," Lumis said. "No, there was a great deal more. I haven't even got to the worst yet. Not by a long shot."
"What more could there be?!" Umbra exclaimed. ". . . Don't tell me Arkana suspected you tampered with his rigging the night his escape trick backfired and mutilated him!"
"I didn't have anything to do with it," Lumis said. "But I can't deny I bitterly thought it served him right. I couldn't help noting the irony, that I had never had an accident in my act while his was the one that splattered. Anyway, by that time I was with the Rare Hunters and both Arkana and I had long since left that broken-down circus."
". . . But if everyone else was nice, why did you leave?" Umbra asked.
"Well . . ." Lumis's expression darkened more. "That is the worst of it. And it was ultimately Arkana's fault."
Aside from Arkana and his arrogant attitude, life at the small circus was good. Everyone else was nice or nice enough, and it didn't take long for Lumis to really settle into a routine. In between shows, he would walk around, visiting with everyone and sampling some of the good circus food. Sometimes he would observe the animals and their trainers working with them.
He tried to avoid Arkana whenever possible, but of course he was usually there too. More than once Lumis had accidentally stumbled on him watching the lions or the tigers. He had seemed darkly fascinated.
"Look how they respond to the chairs and especially the whips," he mused. "That fear of being harmed is the only thing that gets to them." He absently shoved a piece of popcorn in his mouth and chewed it slowly as he watched.
Lumis had found it unsettling when Arkana had put it like that. It reminded him too much of how he had been bullied and mistreated and everyone had tried to use fear on him to keep him in line. After that he hadn't wanted to watch the trainers in action anymore.
He often went out to get his personal groceries, and sometimes he was needed to get groceries for others. He was happy to help. One day they sent Arkana with Lumis to help him get a larger amount of supplies before they moved to the next town. Neither was pleased about the arrangement, but they dutifully tried to make it work.
They never made it to the store. On their way into town they had to pass by a liquor store, and as they approached it this time, several armed men burst through the doors. One tripped over Lumis and snarled and spat as he went down. "You little . . . !" Several obscenities left his mouth.
Lumis felt the familiar rage building in his veins. "Don't call me that!" he screamed, and shoved the robber off of him.
The police sirens startled him to a full realization of what was happening. He had stumbled into the middle of a robbery. Before anyone could move, the squad cars were surrounding them.
"This is your fault!" snarled the one who had tripped. He kicked Lumis viciously in the ribs.
The small man was up in an instant, enraged, tackling his new enemy to the ground. "It's not my fault!" he yelled, punching him hard. "You're the ones who got in our way! We were minding our own business!"
The use of plural nouns brought the cold truth to him just as the police officers ran out and two hauled him away from the robber. Arkana was nowhere to be seen. He had quietly slipped off, leaving Lumis to get caught up in this alone.
"What's going on here?" the first officer demanded. "A dispute among thieves?"
"What?!" Lumis stared at him. "I'm not a criminal! I'm an innocent passer-by!"
The man who had tripped on him just sullenly looked away, exercising his right to remain silent.
"We'll have to take them all in until we get this sorted out," the second officer said. "The owner's been shot. They still don't know if he's going to make it."
Lumis screamed and fought against them as they tried to arrest him too. "I wasn't part of this! I just found the scene! Arkana! ARKANA, TELL THEM! HELP ME!"
But Arkana never reappeared, if he was still in the area at all. The police wrestled Lumis to the ground and the handcuffs snapped down, cold and hard, around Lumis's wrists.
Umbra was horrified. "The police aren't supposed to act like that!" he cried.
"I know," Lumis said darkly. "I found out later that Arkana knew the police on that beat were overzealous and had been reprimanded more than once for their conduct. When we found that robbery, he didn't want to risk any chance of getting caught in it and being arrested himself. It wouldn't have been good for his precious reputation. So he just abandoned me."
Umbra clenched a fist. Now he was outraged and indignant much as Lumis had been. "What happened?!" he demanded. "Did you get out?!"
"Yes, but not immediately," Lumis said.
Going to the precinct had been terrifying. He had been booked and fingerprinted right alongside the other men and then taken to a holding cell. Refusing to stay quiet, he ran to the bars, gripping them as he yelled for his rights.
"I'm entitled to a phone call!" he screamed. "I'll sue all of you for false arrest! Then you'll be sorry!"
It was his further bad luck that the precinct was understaffed that night. It took several agonizing hours before anyone came on who was willing to listen to him, and when he heard what Lumis was yelling, he tracked down the offending officers before they could sign out after their shift. Between their story, the liquor owner's story, the other robbers' stories, and Lumis's story, the truth was finally pieced together and the cell door opened at long last.
"I am so sorry," the desk sergeant told him in dismay. "This never should have happened. The officers who arrested you and then wouldn't even let you make a phone call will be punished."
"I would hope they'll be taken off the force!" Lumis snapped. "I'll sue them both for false arrest, and I'll sue the entire department if they're allowed to stay!" He didn't really have the funds for such feats, of course, but he was angry enough that he would do it if he could, and he hoped his threats would scare the honest police into doing the right thing.
"This time they went too far," the sergeant agreed. "Is there anyone we can call for you?"
It wasn't like anyone in the circus owned a car. "I'll get a cab," Lumis grumbled.
****
The circus was dark by the time he got back. He had been wondering all the while if Arkana had returned and how he would explain the lack of Lumis or groceries. He had been planning exactly how he would blast Arkana for his betrayal, but thoughts of that left when Ruby, a trapeze artist, appeared.
"Oh honey, you're back," she exclaimed. "But what have you done?!"
"What have I done?!" Lumis cried in disbelief.
"Well, you see, Arkana came back and he told us how you disappeared as soon as you got into town. He looked all over but he couldn't find you. Then he saw you being arrested with men who robbed a liquor store and shot the owner."
An arrow shot into Lumis's heart. "That lying . . . !" He looked to Ruby with pleading eyes. "I didn't do anything wrong! As soon as we got into town, we saw the robbery and one of the fleeing criminals . . . crashed into me. Arkana just abandoned me and let me get arrested when I didn't deserve it!"
Ruby bit her lip. From her eyes, she honestly wasn't sure what to believe. ". . . It's not that I don't want to believe you, honey, but . . ."
Lumis's eyes darkened. It was no secret that Ruby was quite smitten with the dashing Arkana. In a situation like this, there would never be any contest; she would always side with him.
"What about the others?!" he pleaded. "They don't all believe Arkana, do they?!"
Ruby hesitated again. "It's just that he's been here longer," she said slowly, "and we got to know him more. . . ."
"You don't know him at all!" Lumis yelled. He turned, running to Arkana's trailer once again. "Arkana! Get out here and admit that you lied! ARKANA!"
The door slowly opened and Arkana gave an exaggerated yawn. "Oh . . . what is it? You know I need my beauty sleep . . . oh. So they finally let you go? Whatever time is it?"
Lumis fumed. "If you had stayed with me, they wouldn't have arrested me at all! And you knew I was innocent! Why did you lie to everyone here?! Why do you hate me so much?!"
"I don't hate you at all," Arkana replied. "But I have to do whatever I have to in order to protect myself and my spotless reputation. I'll never reach the big time if I get derailed by scandals."
By now Lumis was barely keeping his temper in check. "You turned everyone against me!" he shouted. "I thought I finally had a family, somewhere to belong, and you took it away!"
"If they turned on you so easily, they obviously didn't really care about you to begin with," Arkana pointed out. "It's a cold, cruel world out there. You have to learn that you can't rely on anyone but yourself if you're going to get anywhere."
That was the final straw. Lumis lunged with a cry, tackling Arkana to the floor. Blinded by rage and feelings of betrayal, he punched at the self-centered man once, twice, while Arkana shrieked and tried to push him away. Even though Lumis was half his size, he was stronger.
"Help!" Arkana wailed. "He's gone mad! He's trying to kill me!"
It didn't take long for the rest of Lumis's family to run over to the scene. Brutus the strongman grabbed Lumis under the arms and dragged him back as he still desperately flailed and tried to punch Arkana.
"Let me go!" Lumis cried. "I'm not trying to kill him! I just want him to answer for what he did to me! He lied to all of you about me!"
Brutus set him down on the floor. "What did he do but tell the truth?" he grunted. "You are a thief! We don't need your kind here. Circus people have a bad enough reputation as it is!"
Lumis spun around, blinking back the angry tears in his eyes. He would not let them fall and shame him even more. "I'm not a thief," he spat. "We both stumbled on that robbery. Arkana left me when one of the robbers crashed into me! The liquor store owner said I wasn't there when he was robbed! The police finally let me go!"
"The liquor store owner died," Tony the Ringmaster frowned. "He couldn't have said anything."
"It was a deathbed statement!" Lumis exclaimed. "I didn't . . . I wasn't mixed up in it! I'm not a thief! And I'm not a murderer either!"
"Even if that's true, I have to think about the reputation of this circus and of everyone in it," Tony said. "Your name will be connected with scandal from now on. I can't risk the circus closing down and all of these good people losing their jobs. I'm sorry."
Lumis stood seething, clenching and unclenching his fists. ". . . So you're firing me?!" he cried. "I won't give you the chance! I quit!" With that he stormed through his former family, pushing them aside as he went to his trailer.
"Honey, please understand . . ." Ruby tried to say.
"Save it!" Lumis ran inside and slammed the door.
He spent the next fifteen minutes packing his belongings. There wasn't a great deal to take; he had never been wealthy and he hadn't brought much when he had come here. His anger raged while he packed, but as he finished, it really started to dawn on him what had happened.
He had already lost his biological family—or rather, they hadn't loved him at all to begin with. Now he had lost another family. As much as he now hated Arkana, he had to admit that the magician was right about one thing—they couldn't have ever loved him either.
His anger gave way to the hurt underneath and he sank to the floor, sobbing hopelessly.
"What's wrong with me?!" he choked out. "Why am I not worth loving? Why . . ."
It took some time for the ache and anguish to burn out enough that he could pull himself together and open the trailer door. No one was around now; they had all gone to bed, no doubt. They didn't even care enough to wait up with him.
He slipped out into the night, leaving his dreams of a family behind.
"It was all downhill from there," Lumis finished. "I wandered aimlessly without anywhere to go. I tried to get as far away from there as possible; I didn't want anyone to recognize me or hear my name in connection with the robbery and murder. I left my real name behind after that. That was when I started calling myself Lumis."
"That was a strange alias for you to take on," Umbra said. "I thought Marik gave you that codename."
"No, I already had it," Lumis insisted. "I called myself that to remind myself of the light I longed for and wanted to have, even as I sank into the darkness. By the time Marik found me, I was so desperate for work that I accepted his offer. And then, ironically, I became what I had been accused of being—a thief."
Anger and hurt for his friend flashed in Umbra's eyes. "I had no idea. I knew you must have suffered betrayal in your life or it wouldn't have been such a triggering topic for you whenever anyone suggested it, but . . ." He clenched a fist. "And then to have to meet Arkana again in the Rare Hunters, after what he did . . . !"
"In the past it might have been absolutely devastating, but by then I was very bitter and cynical," Lumis said. "Somehow it seemed to make sense that I would meet him again, to even have to work with him. But I'll admit I hadn't expected to find that he had gone insane."
Being in the Rare Hunters was not the work Lumis had always dreamed of having. He would have balked at it once upon a time. But times had changed and he had changed and whatever naivete and hope he'd had years ago had become bitterness and greed. He wanted what he could get. At least in the Rare Hunters he finally had money, and the rare cards certainly didn't hurt. Arkana had been right about the world being cold and cruel. Lumis had known that as a child, but he had foolishly believed there was more to life than that. Now he knew there wasn't.
The Rare Hunters had also been a haven where Arkana and his brand of cruelty hadn't penetrated. But one day Lumis was told to show a new recruit around their headquarters. When he went, he found a strangely bandaged man who seemed familiar in some odd way. But Lumis couldn't identify him until he spoke.
". . . I never thought I would meet you here."
The color drained from Lumis's face. "Arkana?!" he rasped. "Master Marik brought you into the organization?!"
"He's going to bring my sweet Catherine back to me," Arkana exclaimed. "I drove her away and all was lost, but now I have a chance to win her back!"
Lumis took a step back. He had never heard Arkana rant and rave like that about anyone other than himself. A great deal had happened to him in the years since they had seen each other.
"You'll have to learn how to play Duel Monsters," Lumis said at last.
"Of course! Master Marik said you're going to teach me!" Arkana exclaimed.
Lumis clenched his teeth. Marik couldn't know about their rocky past together or he wouldn't have decided such a thing . . . or would he? What if he was testing Lumis to see what he would do? He had a chance to get back at Arkana, to sabotage his progress, but . . . if he did, he might only sabotage himself.
"What if I refuse?" Lumis folded his arms. "You took everything away from me once, Arkana. I could do the same to you now."
Arkana stiffened. "But you wouldn't, would you?! You couldn't! You . . . you were always better than I ever was!" Utter desperation flashed in his eyes. Lumis had never seen that from him before. On most people it would make them look human. On Arkana right now, he looked wild, almost like a wounded animal.
Lumis stared at him in shock. "You really saw it that way?"
"Of course!" Arkana fell to his knees. "Oh please, help me! Nothing else matters except getting Catherine back!" He reached up, gripping at Lumis's robe.
Lumis felt repulsed for Arkana to actually touch him after everything. But on the other hand, it felt incredible to actually have power . . . to be needed . . . for Arkana to be outright begging him for his help.
"I'm not the same as I was before," Lumis told him. "You saw to that. I wouldn't be in an organization like this if I was the same foolish boy I was when you knew me."
Arkana went stiff in horror. "No! Please! Please, don't turn me away! I'll do anything! Whatever you want! All I care about is Catherine!"
Lumis sneered. "Yes, I'll help you. Don't worry. But never forget that this time, I've been here longer than you. I outrank you in every way. And if I wanted to I could choose to tell Master Marik that you've been failing your lessons. You'll just have to hope that I'm either still kinder than you were to me . . . or that I'll cooperate out of self-preservation. Master Marik is not a kind employer."
Arkana looked up at him in sheer joy. "I know you won't let me down!" he exclaimed. "And Master Marik won't either! He's a wonderful person!"
How strange it was too, to hear Arkana so naive about anyone. Especially Marik. But Lumis would leave that alone. If Marik wanted Arkana to think well of him, so be it. Lumis had his own assignment.
"The tables sure turned," Umbra remarked.
Lumis nodded. "Shortly after that, I met you. I didn't feel like talking about my past with Arkana, so I didn't."
"I never had any idea," Umbra said. "And the other Rare Hunters . . . if they knew, they weren't talking. There was always a lot of gossip going on among them, but no one besides me ever really knew anything about your life before joining the organization. And I never told any of them what I knew."
"I know that," Lumis said. "You were always a loyal companion. I still hate that I let Seto Kaiba manipulate my feelings so easily so that I lost faith in you, even if only for a moment."
"You had every right to doubt me after what you'd been through," Umbra said. "I never should have snapped at you and blamed you for what happened."
Lumis fell silent. "You know, I think I'll go to Arkana's anniversary party after all. I'd like to see what he has to say for himself, inviting us!"
"You won't be going alone," Umbra vowed. "I'll come with you. I want to know what he'll say too." He narrowed his eyes. "He has a lot to answer for."
****
Arkana and Catherine lived in a fairly well-to-do house with a large backyard. Colored crepe paper decorated the pathway around the side of the house, waving and dancing above the guests' heads. Around back, everyone had formed a line to go up and offer congratulations and well wishes one by one. Some had chosen to bring gifts, but some, like Lumis and Umbra, had not. Tables had been set up both to receive gifts and for the guests to sit and enjoy refreshments. A long buffet table hosted an array of desserts, as well as a flowing fountain of some type of lime-flavored drink.
Umbra wasn't too surprised to see that Marik had been invited. After all, it was because of Marik's post-Battle City repentance that Arkana had finally received the psychiatric help he needed and Catherine had been located. Marik had come with his siblings and even his friend Mokuba Kaiba. As Lumis and Umbra took their dubious places in the line, Marik turned and saw them.
"Hello," he said in surprise. "I didn't think you'd come. I . . . know about what Arkana did to you, Lumis. . . ."
"I wondered if you did," Lumis grunted. "Truthfully, I wasn't planning to come. But then I decided I wanted to know why Arkana invited us."
"Especially since it looks like he didn't invite any other former Rare Hunters," Umbra remarked.
"Arkana always was a loner," Lumis said. "I would imagine most of these people are Catherine's family and friends."
"Arkana has changed a great deal," Marik told them. "I barely recognize him anymore. I wouldn't be surprised if he actually has made a few new friends himself."
Lumis snorted. "I'd have to see that to believe it."
He did see some unexpected things as they waited for their turn in line. Arkana actually seemed extroverted and happy to be so, talking and laughing with some of the guests. At his side, Catherine was beaming. From her expression, she had been waiting to see Arkana like this for quite some time. When Marik reached the head of the line, she leaned over and hugged him, whispering a joyous "Thank you!" in his ear.
Lumis and Umbra approached soon after. Arkana quickly sobered to see them, but something in his eyes continued to look both nervous and hopeful.
"I . . . wasn't expecting to see you," he said. "Oh . . . this is my beautiful wife Catherine. She encouraged me to try inviting you."
Catherine smiled at them. "Arkana has told me a lot about you."
"I'll bet he has," Lumis grunted.
"I told her everything," Arkana said, "including how I wronged you all those years back." He looked down, humbled and sorrowful. "I know nothing can ever make up for what I did to you. I didn't really begin to understand until I had and lost Catherine, and even then, I still couldn't fully comprehend until I was sane again. You weren't looking for romantic love, but you were looking for other kinds of love, and I destroyed that." He bent down to be at Lumis's eye level. "I am so sorry. I have no right to ask for forgiveness, but . . . if someday you could find it in your heart to . . ." He shook his head. "Nevermind." He straightened. "I shouldn't even ask."
Lumis was just gawking at him. "That's why you asked us here?"
Arkana nodded. "I wanted to at least try to make things right."
Lumis took a step back. It wasn't at all what he had expected, and he wasn't sure in the least how to react. He had never thought he could forgive, but he had also never thought Arkana would be humbled enough to ask for it. In spite of himself, the fire he had carried so long in his heart began to melt.
"I . . ." He shook his head. He had backed up into Umbra and his friend was standing there, firm and steadfast, a hand on his shoulder.
"You don't have to give him an answer," Umbra said. "Especially when he puts you on the spot like this. He still can't do anything other than put on a show! Even supposedly making amends becomes an art form for him!"
Several gasps rose up from the guests. Catherine looked worried, but Arkana himself just looked resigned.
"It's alright," he said. "He has every right to be angry with me after what I did to his friend."
Finally Lumis let out a shaking breath. "Maybe it is a show," he agreed, "but in the past, the Arkana I knew would have never put on a show where he acknowledged he had done something wrong. That's why . . ." He sighed. "It's why I believe he's sincere now. No, I don't think I can give him an answer at this point. But . . . for the first time . . . I feel like I can consider it for the future."
Catherine relaxed. Arkana looked like an immense weight had lifted from his shoulders. "You really mean that?"
"Yes," Lumis said. "I will try to forgive you. Maybe . . . maybe I actually can."
And Marik smiled.
Day/Prompt: April 23rd 2020 - "Why do we change, I wonder. I was always so sweet..."
Fandom: Yu-Gi-Oh!
Character/Pairing: Lumis, Umbra, Arkana
Rating/Warning(s): K+/PG
Word Count: 5,444
Summary: Lumis knew Arkana long before the Rare Hunters, but it's a series of painful memories brought back to the surface by a sudden invitation.
A Thousand Knives
By Lucky_Ladybug
Notes: The characters are not mine and the story is! This is a plunnie I got while role-playing with Kohakuhime. It takes place in my post-series Pendulum Swings verse, which redeemed several characters including Lumis and Umbra. They are currently working for Duke at his store. I wrote this using the April 23rd 2020 writing prompt at 31 Days: "Why do we change, I wonder. I was always so sweet..."
Umbra sighed and brushed a sagging piece of turquoise hair away from his eyes as he set another box down near the shelves he and Lumis had been stocking. His vertically challenged friend was sitting at one of the tables where customers could play tabletop games, scowling at the same piece of paper he had been glowering at for the last thirty minutes.
"Lumis!" Umbra finally exclaimed in exasperation. "We're supposed to be working, you know. I could really use your help here!"
Lumis still didn't respond. From his expression, he might not have even heard Umbra's words. He looked like he was in another world.
Umbra frowned. Sometimes he got so wrapped up in himself and what he wanted that he failed to notice that Lumis was hurting. Lumis, by contrast, always seemed keenly aware of Umbra and worried about him to the point of overprotectiveness. Umbra couldn't count the number of times Lumis had asked him if he was alright, even in situations where no injuries were likely or possible.
Obviously something was wrong today. Lumis was very diligent about their work and didn't shirk his part of it.
Sighing, Umbra sank down in the chair across from the little man. "Lumis . . ." he tried again. "What's wrong?"
Finally Lumis looked up. ". . . I can't believe he had the nerve to invite us to his wedding anniversary celebration."
"Huh?" Umbra reached for the paper. "What is this?!"
Lumis relinquished it and folded his arms on the table.
Umbra didn't know what he was expecting to see, but it was certainly not a picture of Arkana and Catherine in each other's arms, smiling for the camera. Both looked genuinely radiant. Underneath was the invitation Lumis was referring to—the following Saturday in their backyard, two towns over from Domino.
Umbra set it down on the tabletop display of Dungeons and Dragons. "I have a better question," he said. "How did he know where to send this?!"
Lumis shrugged, still scowling at the board game.
Umbra was starting to feel actually creeped out. ". . . Okay, I know we're not friends with him or anything, but we did work together. Maybe he's inviting all the former Rare Hunters he could track down."
"After what he did, he has no right to act like we're old friends by sending that," Lumis said. He finally looked up. "I knew him before we met in the Rare Hunter organization."
Now they were finally getting somewhere. Umbra stared at him, stunned. "What?! When?!"
Lumis leaned back, staring out the window. ". . . I told you about my rotten childhood."
He had indeed. It had sickened Umbra—the many children who had made fun of Lumis's sunken eyes and upturned nose . . . the way his parents hadn't helped. . . . Lumis had always remained short in stature and overweight, and losing his hair young had only made it worse.
"I ran away from home as soon as I could," Lumis said bitterly. "Joining the circus was a tired cliché, but I actually did it. I had no intention of being part of its sideshow, however. I wanted to be one of the main acts!"
Now Umbra folded his arms on the table. This was a part of Lumis's past he hadn't opened up about before. "Was that where you learned acrobatics?" It had always seemed a complete oxymoron, that someone of Lumis's weight could carry himself so well leaping up the sides of buildings and swinging from flagpoles. It had bewildered and amazed Umbra. Every time he saw Lumis work, he was awestruck anew.
"No, I already knew how to do that," Lumis said. "That was why I joined the circus—I felt I had something interesting to offer. The ringmaster agreed with me, so I became their top acrobat.
"Well . . . actually, I had another reason for joining the circus," he confessed. "You've heard the cliché about circus people being a family and looking out for each other?"
"Yes," Umbra said slowly.
"I wanted that," Lumis said. "I had never had a family who cared. I wanted more than anything to know how it felt."
Now Umbra was pierced. "Lumis . . ."
Lumis sighed and leaned back. "Most of them were nice, but there was an upstart young magician who was just starting out. The circus was his first stepping stone to bigger and better things, as far as he was concerned."
Umbra's eyes widened. "Arkana," he realized.
"Yes. When I tried to make friends with him, well . . ." Lumis clenched his teeth and his expression darkened.
Lumis's eyes were hopeful as he chased the circus's star magician back to his trailer and knocked on the door. So far everyone he had met was welcoming. It didn't matter what anyone looked like here; all were accepted. It was a dream come true for the lonely, persecuted boy.
"Excuse me?" he called. "Hello?"
At last the door opened. Arkana looked straight ahead, then from side to side, frowning.
". . . I'm down here," Lumis mumbled in chagrin.
Arkana looked. "Oh, it's you," he haughtily remarked. "Our new acrobat."
"Yes!" Lumis exclaimed. "I saw your rehearsal and it was brilliant!"
"Well, of course it was!" Arkana gushed. "I am the best magician the world has ever seen! When all is said and done, even Harry Houdini will be second-place to me!"
Lumis was slightly taken aback. He hadn't expected such conceit. But then again, he considered his own act first-rate. Arkana was probably just confident and proud of his abilities, as Lumis was of his.
". . . Well, I wondered . . . that is to say . . . I hoped . . . you would come to dinner with the rest of us?" Lumis asked. "I'm new here and I'd like to get to know everyone better."
"Hmm. I'm afraid I really don't have time for socializing with other classes," Arkana said.
"Other . . . classes?" Indignation began to flare in Lumis's heart. "We're all in the same circus! There are no classes here! We're equals!"
"That may be your naive way of looking at the world, but even if there are no official classes, I am still the most superior to everyone here!" Arkana exclaimed. "Especially you. Who do you really think the audiences come to see—a sadly unattractive and overweight little man who flies across the big top and someday will splatter all over the ground below . . . or an incredibly handsome Adonis like me who will dazzle and delight at every performance and never go out of style by dying in my act?!"
Lumis backed up, the familiar anger and rage beginning to boil in his heart. "No one insults me and gets away with it," he snarled. "Not even an ‘Adonis' like you! You'll pay for what you said!"
"Simply telling the truth? I think not." Arkana flipped his long ponytail over his shoulder. "There is nothing you could do to me!"
He went back in his trailer and shut the door.
Umbra was staring as Lumis finished his account. "And that's why you're so indignant about him sending this invitation?!" he cried. "You're right that he has a lot of nerve after how he rejected you!" It made Umbra furious. He had grown to care so much about the partner Marik had assigned to him long ago. To think of Lumis trying to reach out in genuine friendship and being kicked away like he was nothing made Umbra's stomach turn.
"If that was all it was, I might have just shrugged it off after all this time," Lumis said. "No, there was a great deal more. I haven't even got to the worst yet. Not by a long shot."
"What more could there be?!" Umbra exclaimed. ". . . Don't tell me Arkana suspected you tampered with his rigging the night his escape trick backfired and mutilated him!"
"I didn't have anything to do with it," Lumis said. "But I can't deny I bitterly thought it served him right. I couldn't help noting the irony, that I had never had an accident in my act while his was the one that splattered. Anyway, by that time I was with the Rare Hunters and both Arkana and I had long since left that broken-down circus."
". . . But if everyone else was nice, why did you leave?" Umbra asked.
"Well . . ." Lumis's expression darkened more. "That is the worst of it. And it was ultimately Arkana's fault."
Aside from Arkana and his arrogant attitude, life at the small circus was good. Everyone else was nice or nice enough, and it didn't take long for Lumis to really settle into a routine. In between shows, he would walk around, visiting with everyone and sampling some of the good circus food. Sometimes he would observe the animals and their trainers working with them.
He tried to avoid Arkana whenever possible, but of course he was usually there too. More than once Lumis had accidentally stumbled on him watching the lions or the tigers. He had seemed darkly fascinated.
"Look how they respond to the chairs and especially the whips," he mused. "That fear of being harmed is the only thing that gets to them." He absently shoved a piece of popcorn in his mouth and chewed it slowly as he watched.
Lumis had found it unsettling when Arkana had put it like that. It reminded him too much of how he had been bullied and mistreated and everyone had tried to use fear on him to keep him in line. After that he hadn't wanted to watch the trainers in action anymore.
He often went out to get his personal groceries, and sometimes he was needed to get groceries for others. He was happy to help. One day they sent Arkana with Lumis to help him get a larger amount of supplies before they moved to the next town. Neither was pleased about the arrangement, but they dutifully tried to make it work.
They never made it to the store. On their way into town they had to pass by a liquor store, and as they approached it this time, several armed men burst through the doors. One tripped over Lumis and snarled and spat as he went down. "You little . . . !" Several obscenities left his mouth.
Lumis felt the familiar rage building in his veins. "Don't call me that!" he screamed, and shoved the robber off of him.
The police sirens startled him to a full realization of what was happening. He had stumbled into the middle of a robbery. Before anyone could move, the squad cars were surrounding them.
"This is your fault!" snarled the one who had tripped. He kicked Lumis viciously in the ribs.
The small man was up in an instant, enraged, tackling his new enemy to the ground. "It's not my fault!" he yelled, punching him hard. "You're the ones who got in our way! We were minding our own business!"
The use of plural nouns brought the cold truth to him just as the police officers ran out and two hauled him away from the robber. Arkana was nowhere to be seen. He had quietly slipped off, leaving Lumis to get caught up in this alone.
"What's going on here?" the first officer demanded. "A dispute among thieves?"
"What?!" Lumis stared at him. "I'm not a criminal! I'm an innocent passer-by!"
The man who had tripped on him just sullenly looked away, exercising his right to remain silent.
"We'll have to take them all in until we get this sorted out," the second officer said. "The owner's been shot. They still don't know if he's going to make it."
Lumis screamed and fought against them as they tried to arrest him too. "I wasn't part of this! I just found the scene! Arkana! ARKANA, TELL THEM! HELP ME!"
But Arkana never reappeared, if he was still in the area at all. The police wrestled Lumis to the ground and the handcuffs snapped down, cold and hard, around Lumis's wrists.
Umbra was horrified. "The police aren't supposed to act like that!" he cried.
"I know," Lumis said darkly. "I found out later that Arkana knew the police on that beat were overzealous and had been reprimanded more than once for their conduct. When we found that robbery, he didn't want to risk any chance of getting caught in it and being arrested himself. It wouldn't have been good for his precious reputation. So he just abandoned me."
Umbra clenched a fist. Now he was outraged and indignant much as Lumis had been. "What happened?!" he demanded. "Did you get out?!"
"Yes, but not immediately," Lumis said.
Going to the precinct had been terrifying. He had been booked and fingerprinted right alongside the other men and then taken to a holding cell. Refusing to stay quiet, he ran to the bars, gripping them as he yelled for his rights.
"I'm entitled to a phone call!" he screamed. "I'll sue all of you for false arrest! Then you'll be sorry!"
It was his further bad luck that the precinct was understaffed that night. It took several agonizing hours before anyone came on who was willing to listen to him, and when he heard what Lumis was yelling, he tracked down the offending officers before they could sign out after their shift. Between their story, the liquor owner's story, the other robbers' stories, and Lumis's story, the truth was finally pieced together and the cell door opened at long last.
"I am so sorry," the desk sergeant told him in dismay. "This never should have happened. The officers who arrested you and then wouldn't even let you make a phone call will be punished."
"I would hope they'll be taken off the force!" Lumis snapped. "I'll sue them both for false arrest, and I'll sue the entire department if they're allowed to stay!" He didn't really have the funds for such feats, of course, but he was angry enough that he would do it if he could, and he hoped his threats would scare the honest police into doing the right thing.
"This time they went too far," the sergeant agreed. "Is there anyone we can call for you?"
It wasn't like anyone in the circus owned a car. "I'll get a cab," Lumis grumbled.
The circus was dark by the time he got back. He had been wondering all the while if Arkana had returned and how he would explain the lack of Lumis or groceries. He had been planning exactly how he would blast Arkana for his betrayal, but thoughts of that left when Ruby, a trapeze artist, appeared.
"Oh honey, you're back," she exclaimed. "But what have you done?!"
"What have I done?!" Lumis cried in disbelief.
"Well, you see, Arkana came back and he told us how you disappeared as soon as you got into town. He looked all over but he couldn't find you. Then he saw you being arrested with men who robbed a liquor store and shot the owner."
An arrow shot into Lumis's heart. "That lying . . . !" He looked to Ruby with pleading eyes. "I didn't do anything wrong! As soon as we got into town, we saw the robbery and one of the fleeing criminals . . . crashed into me. Arkana just abandoned me and let me get arrested when I didn't deserve it!"
Ruby bit her lip. From her eyes, she honestly wasn't sure what to believe. ". . . It's not that I don't want to believe you, honey, but . . ."
Lumis's eyes darkened. It was no secret that Ruby was quite smitten with the dashing Arkana. In a situation like this, there would never be any contest; she would always side with him.
"What about the others?!" he pleaded. "They don't all believe Arkana, do they?!"
Ruby hesitated again. "It's just that he's been here longer," she said slowly, "and we got to know him more. . . ."
"You don't know him at all!" Lumis yelled. He turned, running to Arkana's trailer once again. "Arkana! Get out here and admit that you lied! ARKANA!"
The door slowly opened and Arkana gave an exaggerated yawn. "Oh . . . what is it? You know I need my beauty sleep . . . oh. So they finally let you go? Whatever time is it?"
Lumis fumed. "If you had stayed with me, they wouldn't have arrested me at all! And you knew I was innocent! Why did you lie to everyone here?! Why do you hate me so much?!"
"I don't hate you at all," Arkana replied. "But I have to do whatever I have to in order to protect myself and my spotless reputation. I'll never reach the big time if I get derailed by scandals."
By now Lumis was barely keeping his temper in check. "You turned everyone against me!" he shouted. "I thought I finally had a family, somewhere to belong, and you took it away!"
"If they turned on you so easily, they obviously didn't really care about you to begin with," Arkana pointed out. "It's a cold, cruel world out there. You have to learn that you can't rely on anyone but yourself if you're going to get anywhere."
That was the final straw. Lumis lunged with a cry, tackling Arkana to the floor. Blinded by rage and feelings of betrayal, he punched at the self-centered man once, twice, while Arkana shrieked and tried to push him away. Even though Lumis was half his size, he was stronger.
"Help!" Arkana wailed. "He's gone mad! He's trying to kill me!"
It didn't take long for the rest of Lumis's family to run over to the scene. Brutus the strongman grabbed Lumis under the arms and dragged him back as he still desperately flailed and tried to punch Arkana.
"Let me go!" Lumis cried. "I'm not trying to kill him! I just want him to answer for what he did to me! He lied to all of you about me!"
Brutus set him down on the floor. "What did he do but tell the truth?" he grunted. "You are a thief! We don't need your kind here. Circus people have a bad enough reputation as it is!"
Lumis spun around, blinking back the angry tears in his eyes. He would not let them fall and shame him even more. "I'm not a thief," he spat. "We both stumbled on that robbery. Arkana left me when one of the robbers crashed into me! The liquor store owner said I wasn't there when he was robbed! The police finally let me go!"
"The liquor store owner died," Tony the Ringmaster frowned. "He couldn't have said anything."
"It was a deathbed statement!" Lumis exclaimed. "I didn't . . . I wasn't mixed up in it! I'm not a thief! And I'm not a murderer either!"
"Even if that's true, I have to think about the reputation of this circus and of everyone in it," Tony said. "Your name will be connected with scandal from now on. I can't risk the circus closing down and all of these good people losing their jobs. I'm sorry."
Lumis stood seething, clenching and unclenching his fists. ". . . So you're firing me?!" he cried. "I won't give you the chance! I quit!" With that he stormed through his former family, pushing them aside as he went to his trailer.
"Honey, please understand . . ." Ruby tried to say.
"Save it!" Lumis ran inside and slammed the door.
He spent the next fifteen minutes packing his belongings. There wasn't a great deal to take; he had never been wealthy and he hadn't brought much when he had come here. His anger raged while he packed, but as he finished, it really started to dawn on him what had happened.
He had already lost his biological family—or rather, they hadn't loved him at all to begin with. Now he had lost another family. As much as he now hated Arkana, he had to admit that the magician was right about one thing—they couldn't have ever loved him either.
His anger gave way to the hurt underneath and he sank to the floor, sobbing hopelessly.
"What's wrong with me?!" he choked out. "Why am I not worth loving? Why . . ."
It took some time for the ache and anguish to burn out enough that he could pull himself together and open the trailer door. No one was around now; they had all gone to bed, no doubt. They didn't even care enough to wait up with him.
He slipped out into the night, leaving his dreams of a family behind.
"It was all downhill from there," Lumis finished. "I wandered aimlessly without anywhere to go. I tried to get as far away from there as possible; I didn't want anyone to recognize me or hear my name in connection with the robbery and murder. I left my real name behind after that. That was when I started calling myself Lumis."
"That was a strange alias for you to take on," Umbra said. "I thought Marik gave you that codename."
"No, I already had it," Lumis insisted. "I called myself that to remind myself of the light I longed for and wanted to have, even as I sank into the darkness. By the time Marik found me, I was so desperate for work that I accepted his offer. And then, ironically, I became what I had been accused of being—a thief."
Anger and hurt for his friend flashed in Umbra's eyes. "I had no idea. I knew you must have suffered betrayal in your life or it wouldn't have been such a triggering topic for you whenever anyone suggested it, but . . ." He clenched a fist. "And then to have to meet Arkana again in the Rare Hunters, after what he did . . . !"
"In the past it might have been absolutely devastating, but by then I was very bitter and cynical," Lumis said. "Somehow it seemed to make sense that I would meet him again, to even have to work with him. But I'll admit I hadn't expected to find that he had gone insane."
Being in the Rare Hunters was not the work Lumis had always dreamed of having. He would have balked at it once upon a time. But times had changed and he had changed and whatever naivete and hope he'd had years ago had become bitterness and greed. He wanted what he could get. At least in the Rare Hunters he finally had money, and the rare cards certainly didn't hurt. Arkana had been right about the world being cold and cruel. Lumis had known that as a child, but he had foolishly believed there was more to life than that. Now he knew there wasn't.
The Rare Hunters had also been a haven where Arkana and his brand of cruelty hadn't penetrated. But one day Lumis was told to show a new recruit around their headquarters. When he went, he found a strangely bandaged man who seemed familiar in some odd way. But Lumis couldn't identify him until he spoke.
". . . I never thought I would meet you here."
The color drained from Lumis's face. "Arkana?!" he rasped. "Master Marik brought you into the organization?!"
"He's going to bring my sweet Catherine back to me," Arkana exclaimed. "I drove her away and all was lost, but now I have a chance to win her back!"
Lumis took a step back. He had never heard Arkana rant and rave like that about anyone other than himself. A great deal had happened to him in the years since they had seen each other.
"You'll have to learn how to play Duel Monsters," Lumis said at last.
"Of course! Master Marik said you're going to teach me!" Arkana exclaimed.
Lumis clenched his teeth. Marik couldn't know about their rocky past together or he wouldn't have decided such a thing . . . or would he? What if he was testing Lumis to see what he would do? He had a chance to get back at Arkana, to sabotage his progress, but . . . if he did, he might only sabotage himself.
"What if I refuse?" Lumis folded his arms. "You took everything away from me once, Arkana. I could do the same to you now."
Arkana stiffened. "But you wouldn't, would you?! You couldn't! You . . . you were always better than I ever was!" Utter desperation flashed in his eyes. Lumis had never seen that from him before. On most people it would make them look human. On Arkana right now, he looked wild, almost like a wounded animal.
Lumis stared at him in shock. "You really saw it that way?"
"Of course!" Arkana fell to his knees. "Oh please, help me! Nothing else matters except getting Catherine back!" He reached up, gripping at Lumis's robe.
Lumis felt repulsed for Arkana to actually touch him after everything. But on the other hand, it felt incredible to actually have power . . . to be needed . . . for Arkana to be outright begging him for his help.
"I'm not the same as I was before," Lumis told him. "You saw to that. I wouldn't be in an organization like this if I was the same foolish boy I was when you knew me."
Arkana went stiff in horror. "No! Please! Please, don't turn me away! I'll do anything! Whatever you want! All I care about is Catherine!"
Lumis sneered. "Yes, I'll help you. Don't worry. But never forget that this time, I've been here longer than you. I outrank you in every way. And if I wanted to I could choose to tell Master Marik that you've been failing your lessons. You'll just have to hope that I'm either still kinder than you were to me . . . or that I'll cooperate out of self-preservation. Master Marik is not a kind employer."
Arkana looked up at him in sheer joy. "I know you won't let me down!" he exclaimed. "And Master Marik won't either! He's a wonderful person!"
How strange it was too, to hear Arkana so naive about anyone. Especially Marik. But Lumis would leave that alone. If Marik wanted Arkana to think well of him, so be it. Lumis had his own assignment.
"The tables sure turned," Umbra remarked.
Lumis nodded. "Shortly after that, I met you. I didn't feel like talking about my past with Arkana, so I didn't."
"I never had any idea," Umbra said. "And the other Rare Hunters . . . if they knew, they weren't talking. There was always a lot of gossip going on among them, but no one besides me ever really knew anything about your life before joining the organization. And I never told any of them what I knew."
"I know that," Lumis said. "You were always a loyal companion. I still hate that I let Seto Kaiba manipulate my feelings so easily so that I lost faith in you, even if only for a moment."
"You had every right to doubt me after what you'd been through," Umbra said. "I never should have snapped at you and blamed you for what happened."
Lumis fell silent. "You know, I think I'll go to Arkana's anniversary party after all. I'd like to see what he has to say for himself, inviting us!"
"You won't be going alone," Umbra vowed. "I'll come with you. I want to know what he'll say too." He narrowed his eyes. "He has a lot to answer for."
Arkana and Catherine lived in a fairly well-to-do house with a large backyard. Colored crepe paper decorated the pathway around the side of the house, waving and dancing above the guests' heads. Around back, everyone had formed a line to go up and offer congratulations and well wishes one by one. Some had chosen to bring gifts, but some, like Lumis and Umbra, had not. Tables had been set up both to receive gifts and for the guests to sit and enjoy refreshments. A long buffet table hosted an array of desserts, as well as a flowing fountain of some type of lime-flavored drink.
Umbra wasn't too surprised to see that Marik had been invited. After all, it was because of Marik's post-Battle City repentance that Arkana had finally received the psychiatric help he needed and Catherine had been located. Marik had come with his siblings and even his friend Mokuba Kaiba. As Lumis and Umbra took their dubious places in the line, Marik turned and saw them.
"Hello," he said in surprise. "I didn't think you'd come. I . . . know about what Arkana did to you, Lumis. . . ."
"I wondered if you did," Lumis grunted. "Truthfully, I wasn't planning to come. But then I decided I wanted to know why Arkana invited us."
"Especially since it looks like he didn't invite any other former Rare Hunters," Umbra remarked.
"Arkana always was a loner," Lumis said. "I would imagine most of these people are Catherine's family and friends."
"Arkana has changed a great deal," Marik told them. "I barely recognize him anymore. I wouldn't be surprised if he actually has made a few new friends himself."
Lumis snorted. "I'd have to see that to believe it."
He did see some unexpected things as they waited for their turn in line. Arkana actually seemed extroverted and happy to be so, talking and laughing with some of the guests. At his side, Catherine was beaming. From her expression, she had been waiting to see Arkana like this for quite some time. When Marik reached the head of the line, she leaned over and hugged him, whispering a joyous "Thank you!" in his ear.
Lumis and Umbra approached soon after. Arkana quickly sobered to see them, but something in his eyes continued to look both nervous and hopeful.
"I . . . wasn't expecting to see you," he said. "Oh . . . this is my beautiful wife Catherine. She encouraged me to try inviting you."
Catherine smiled at them. "Arkana has told me a lot about you."
"I'll bet he has," Lumis grunted.
"I told her everything," Arkana said, "including how I wronged you all those years back." He looked down, humbled and sorrowful. "I know nothing can ever make up for what I did to you. I didn't really begin to understand until I had and lost Catherine, and even then, I still couldn't fully comprehend until I was sane again. You weren't looking for romantic love, but you were looking for other kinds of love, and I destroyed that." He bent down to be at Lumis's eye level. "I am so sorry. I have no right to ask for forgiveness, but . . . if someday you could find it in your heart to . . ." He shook his head. "Nevermind." He straightened. "I shouldn't even ask."
Lumis was just gawking at him. "That's why you asked us here?"
Arkana nodded. "I wanted to at least try to make things right."
Lumis took a step back. It wasn't at all what he had expected, and he wasn't sure in the least how to react. He had never thought he could forgive, but he had also never thought Arkana would be humbled enough to ask for it. In spite of himself, the fire he had carried so long in his heart began to melt.
"I . . ." He shook his head. He had backed up into Umbra and his friend was standing there, firm and steadfast, a hand on his shoulder.
"You don't have to give him an answer," Umbra said. "Especially when he puts you on the spot like this. He still can't do anything other than put on a show! Even supposedly making amends becomes an art form for him!"
Several gasps rose up from the guests. Catherine looked worried, but Arkana himself just looked resigned.
"It's alright," he said. "He has every right to be angry with me after what I did to his friend."
Finally Lumis let out a shaking breath. "Maybe it is a show," he agreed, "but in the past, the Arkana I knew would have never put on a show where he acknowledged he had done something wrong. That's why . . ." He sighed. "It's why I believe he's sincere now. No, I don't think I can give him an answer at this point. But . . . for the first time . . . I feel like I can consider it for the future."
Catherine relaxed. Arkana looked like an immense weight had lifted from his shoulders. "You really mean that?"
"Yes," Lumis said. "I will try to forgive you. Maybe . . . maybe I actually can."
And Marik smiled.