The non-original characters in this fanfiction are copyrighted to Kazuki Takahashi, Studio Gallup and Toei where applicable. All other characters are considered public domain by the author and may be used freely, but he does request that you ask permission as a courtesy.
The card names used are translations of the Official Card Game (OCG) names. For the TCG names, see the "Cards used" at the end of the story. And don't forget to e-mail me your thoughts (vm_postitnotes@yahoo.com). Thank you very much for reading.
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YU-GI-OH! -0
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Turn 15: "The Never-Ending Battle! The Will to Fight"
Asuka Tenjouin was in the medic's office where Shougo lay attached to medical monitors. "What's wrong with him, Ayukama-sensei?"
Emi Ayukama was previously the head of the female dormitories of Obelisk Blue, back when Obelisk was the only destination for female duelists. When Kiyotaki made the dorms co-ed, Ayukama retained her position as the head school nurse. And while her hair was now pulled to the side and she bore a few wrinkles, she had overall aged very well.
"I know we're colleagues now, but it's hard not to think of you as 'sensei'," Tenjouin said and smiled slightly. She then looked at Shougo and frowned again.
"I can't identify what's wrong with him," Ayukama said. "His vitals make it appear as though he's sustained some damage to his body, but I can't find any wounds. His temperature is higher than normal, and he doesn't respond to outside stimuli."
"Something happened," Isabel said desperately. "I don't really remember what happened but... I know Shougo-san helped me from someone! He did this to protect me. I... wish I could remember more. I really do."
Tenjouin bit her lip hard. 'I can't believe I actually suspected him of being involved with the quitting students,' she thought. 'I've had enough of the secrecy. I'm going to go see Kiyotaki-san and find out what exactly is going on here!'
--
At around the same time, a boat was pulling into the harbor of Duel Academia island. Hinata Toragami, flanked with two bodyguards, was returning to the school. Her friends, Aino and Katsuki, were waiting for her when she arrived.
"Welcome back, Toragami-sama!" Katsuki said.
"I received your schoolwork and turned it in as requested," Aino reported.
"Thank you both," Toragami said as she got off the boat. The guards stayed on the boat and drove it away as she started to enter the school grounds.
"Did your business go smoothly?" Katsuki asked as they walked.
"It went as expected," Toragami replied. "And things here?"
Aino glanced at Katsuki, who gave her a glare. Aino decided it best not to mention Katsuki's loss to the American student for now.
"Where is Aoyama Shougo?"
"Eh?" Katsuki said. "You want to know how that guy is doing?"
Toragami narrowed her eyes, which caused Katsuki to stammer.
"He's in the medical office," Aino said. "Something happened to him last night... he's unconscious."
Toragami's eyes widened... and there was an expression Aino had not seen in them in a very long time.
"Please remind me," she said to Aino. "After class, I'll need to visit the medical office."
--
Chancellor Kiyotaki looked up from his desk to see Asuka Tenjouin staring at him with daggers coming through her eyes.
"May I help you?" he asked, dispensing with asking her how she got in his office.
"I want to hear the truth from you, Kiyotaki-kochou," Tenjouin said. "No more games! Aoyama-kun is in the infirmary and we don't know what's wrong with him. But I know you know something."
"Tenjouin-san..." Kiyotaki said, appearing to be bemused. "You're compromising your professionalism."
"I don't care!" Tenjouin shouted. "As the head professor of the highest ranking dormitory I've made it my job to care for all students, and I can't do it if I don't know what's happening to them." She looked down and tried to hide her powerless tears. "So please... please..."
"Calm yourself, Tenjouin Asuka," Kiyotaki said. "I'll tell you what you need to know."
Tenjouin looked up.
Kiyotaki shuffled his papers and then glanced up at Tenjouin.
"You are familiar with the Darkness incident from 15 years ago, yes?"
"Darkness?" Tenjouin's eyes widened. "How do you know about that?"
"You're familiar, then?" Kiyotaki repeated himself.
"Y... yes... but that was a long time ago. How do *you* know about that?"
Kiyotaki turned towards the window. "What I'm going to tell you... does not leave this room. Once you exit my office, you officially have no knowledge of any of it. Are we clear?"
"I don't know if I can make that promise," Tenjouin said. "If any of your information can help Aoyama-kun, I have to share it."
"I wouldn't ask you to make this promise if I had that kind of information," Kiyotaki said. "All I can do is shed some light on what is happening."
Tenjouin sighed. "You're my superior, so I really have no choice in the matter, do I?"
--
Chiba was standing a vigil for his friend. It was the first thing he did when he heard what had happened to him.
He wrung his hands tight. "I should have gone with him," he said aloud.
"It wouldn't have helped," Isabel said. "I was there, and I couldn't help him either."
"I just can't believe this happened," Chiba said. "Shougo-kun's my friend."
Isabel rubbed the back of her head. "You know, I was really angry at this kid just six hours ago. I wanted to beat the tar out of him. And now... ugh. I feel awful about myself."
Chiba thought back to the duel Shougo had with Isabel, and that momentary flash of energy... almost an aura, that he had seen coming from Shougo's deck. At the time, he'd passed it off as just the night playing tricks but now it seemed relevant.
But what could he do about it?
"You should probably go find Mark and tell him what happened, Isabel-san," Chiba said. "He'll want to know."
"I... yes," Isabel said and left.
Chiba wrung his hands again and watched the machines connected to Shougo. 'Fight, Shougo-kun... hurry back to us!'
--
Tenjouin was still standing and Kiyotaki was still facing the window.
"I come from an organization that has been monitoring the island that Duel Academia is on," he said.
"Organization?"
"The organization I come from monitors supernatural activity," he went on. "We have learned a bit about the creature called Darkness that appeared on this island. It gained a substantial bit of power and threatened to eradicate the world. More to the point, it absorbed the energy of almost every living thing in this universe. It did this through a power we call 'despair'."
"How did you find all of this out?" Tenjouin asked.
"Records of people were wiped for a period of time from everywhere on Earth," Kiyotaki said. "For awhile, no one existed. And then, the records were restored. By virtue of this blank period, we have been able to gather some clues."
He turned towards Tenjouin and opened a folder that contained a list of names.
"When Darkness was defeated, there were certain names, though, that did not return."
"What?"
"The entire world was under the thrall of Darkness, including the members of our organization. It would be understandable for us to dismiss the mission of comprehending its power as impossible, but it is nevertheless unacceptable to simply give up. Darkness is a threat to mankind, and we must seal it away."
Tenjouin sat down at last and put her hand to her chin. "Darkness... I suppose you know, then, about how it took over my brother."
"We know it requires a vessel. We do not have information on who it used. All we have to go on is the list of names we have. As I told you before, there were some that did not return. However, one of the names on that list is of particular import."
He pointed Tenjouin to the name on the list, and Tenjouin gasped in shock. "It... can't be..."
"It is," Kiyotaki said. "Aoyama Shougo, aged 24 years, was among the human beings that did not return."
--
Chiba had fallen asleep on his vigil; he had missed his classes. He wanted to be there when his friend woke up.
But he came to with a start when he heard people moving around in the room. He looked up and saw Hinata Toragami and Shiho Katsuki in the room.
"what?!" he said, which caused Katsuki and Toragami to turn towards him. "What are *you* doing there?"
"Who do you think you are, addressing Toragami-sama that way?!" Katsuki shouted.
"What, it's not enough that you humiliated him, now you have to gloat over his misery?" Chiba yelled, getting off of his chair. "I don't care if you own all of Japan, get out!"
"You don't understand, Chiba-san," Toragami said.
Chiba did a double take. "What?"
Toragami didn't say another word, just stared intently at Chiba. He looked down, suddenly embarassed. "Sorry... Toragami-san."
"Don't be sorry. You have every right to resent me. I destroyed your friend in a duel. But you understand - that's war. Don't you?"
"W...war?"
Toragami turned her eyes away. "Chiba Katsurou... don't think I don't understand the reason why you're here. You should know better than anyone... a duel is no different from a battle. And a rivalry is no different from a war."
"Toragami-san!" Chiba said indignantly. "I think of Shougo-kun as a rival too, but that doesn't mean we can't be friends."
Toragami crossed her arms tighter and frowned deeper.
"Don't you have a class to be at?" Katsuki asked somewhat contemptuously.
Chiba gasped and looked at his watch. "Please excuse me!" he said hurriedly as he ran out the door.
Toragami just stared on with a seemingly dire expression on her face.
'Aoyama Shougo... what kind of rival can you hope to be for me if you die here?'
--
"When an applicant named Aoyama Shougo, aged fourteen, applied to Duel Academia, the organization was of course curious," Kiyotaki said. "And I happened to have had been the lead professor here for two years by then. So, naturally, they called on me to observe this boy."
"What are you saying, exactly?" Tenjouin said. "That Aoyama-kun is... is connected to 'Darkness' somehow? That's impossible!"
"Can you really say that anything is impossible, Tenjouin-san?" Kiyotaki said, crossing his hands together and lowering his head. "In the time *you* spent on this island as a student, the world was nearly led to destruction four times. And on one occasion, you were helping the enemy do it."
"Kiyotaki-kouchou!" Tenjouin shouted.
"Don't misunderstand me," Kiyotaki replied, putting his hands down. "We are familiar with that power as well. In fact, we have substantially more information on the Light of Ruin than of Darkness, since the former used several public figures to assist it on its quest."
"The Light of Ruin..." Tenjouin was uncomfortable repeating what she was hearing, but it was a lot to take in.
"Yes... we fear that the Light of Ruin has returned as well."
"What?" Tenjouin felt fear grip her heart. "Why? Why all of a sudden?"
"We don't know," Kiyotaki replied. "I only know that my organization has detected signs that it has returned. But... we fear the worst."
Tenjouin got up out of her chair. "If you knew this, then why did you let Aoyama-kun enroll? Isn't it dangerous to let him in this school? Don't you find it a tad irresponsible th--"
"Do *not* talk to me of responsibility, Tenjouin Asuka," Kiyotaki said, suddenly speaking in an angry, firm tone of voice. "What about the Chancellor that sat in this chair when you were coming here? Did Samejima-san not take many, many chances with his own students? Put them knowingly in peril's way for the sole sake of exploring their true potential?"
Tenjouin backed up one step with wide eyes. "Kiyotaki-kouchou..." she gasped.
Kiyotaki then calmed down and withdrew back into his chair. "Samejima-san did what he did because he knew the world would need the power that that boy possessed. And now, we may be in need of a different kind of power. And this is the only way that that power can be awakened."
--
Chiba stood on the edge of the bluff where the Osiris Red dorms stood and looked out at the setting sun, hands in pockets. He didn't see the Osiris headmistress heading towards him.
"Chiba-kun," she said. "You didn't show up at classes today."
"Matsutani-sensei... I know," Chiba replied. "You know about what happened to Shougo-kun, yes?"
"Yes, of course," Matsutani said and smiled a bit. "But that's no reason to slack off in your studies. Chiba-kun, you're the best student Osiris has and although it would be sad if you left us, I still want to encourage you to move up to Ra. Don't let something like this hold you back."
"I don't know if I want to move up," Chiba said. "Shougo-kun is not just my roommate, he's my friend and... I think he needs my help."
"That sounds very unusual coming from you!" Matsutani said. "You used to be so individualistic, saying every duelist should stand on his own."
"I still believe that," Chiba said. "But sometimes a general has to recognize when one of his soldiers needs help. Not... that I think of Shougo-kun that way. It's just a metaphor!"
Matsutani laughed. "Well, he's certainly had an effect on everyone. Your friend's shaken things up a bit."
Chiba just sighed and looked out at the sea again. "I'll show up in class tomorrow," he said. "Thank you for your concern... Matsutani-sensei."
Matsutani nodded and knew it was a point to be discreet. She returned to her office quietly.
--
Tenjouin walked out of Kiyotaki's office. He had said he didn't have any further information, other than Shougo and Darkness were connected somehow and that there were signs that the Light of Ruin was returning.
She went to visit Shougo in the medical office and found Hinata Toragami there standing vigil.
"Toragami-san?" Tenjouin said. "What are you doing here?"
Toragami glanced up. "Tenjouin-sama," she said and bowed her head, showing a surprising amount of deference.
Tenjouin blushed slightly. "'Sama'?" she asked.
"You've inspired me very much," Toragami said. "There is no other way to address someone like that."
Tenjouin knew a bit about this girl. Hinata Toragami was the daughter of a powerful family in the Japanese business world. She was widely recognized as an expert duelist and was, in fact, undefeated - she had picked up the nickname 'Blitzkrieg Queen'. To be honest, there was more reason for Tenjouin to be impressed by Toragami than the other way around.
"Are you friends with Aoyama-kun, Toragami-san?" Tenjouin asked.
"No," Toragami said. "Truth be told, I don't like him very much at all."
Tenjouin was taken aback at the student's blunt honesty.
"So... why are you here?"
"I dueled him before," Toragami said. "I thought he was promising. But he disappointed me. I won't let him be a disappointment anymore."
"You dueled Aoyama-kun?" Tenjouin said. "Surely he wasn't as bad as that."
"Come now, Tenjouin-sama," Toragami replied. "You and I both know you would have defeated him easily."
"Still, he's certainly not a terrible duelist. And even if he was, that doesn't mean he deserved what happened to him."
"'Deserve'?" Toragami said with a frown. "I don't know the meaning of that word."
Tenjouin blinked, somewhat confused. It was strange to hear something like that coming from the daughter of a family of privilege.
"Have you come to watch over this boy?" Toragami said, turning her eyes to her teacher. "Don't you have other students that are important, too?"
"Yes, but of course I'm concerned about this one," Tenjouin nodded.
Ayukama came into the room. "Alright, it's time to let Aoyama-san rest. Let's go."
As Tenjouin turned to leave, she thought she saw something strange. She turned back briefly and glanced at Toragami.
Was she... glowing?
'It's my imagination,' she thought to herself.
Toragami paused before she herself left Shougo's room.
'There is a reason I let you live,' she thought to herself. 'But if you're going to further strain the people who believe in what you offer... you MUST be stronger than this, Aoyama Shougo. You can't afford to be a child anymore!'
Her right hand clenched hard.
'I'll be waiting here to defeat you once again.'
--
MARK: "It's here! It's finally here!"
KATSUKI: "Calm down, you loser dog."
MARK: "Toragami agrees to duel the greatest American champion, Mark Walker! Isn't it great? I can finally show Duel Academia what I'm made of!"
KATSUKI: "And because you beat me once you think you have a shot against the Blitzkrieg Queen? Don't kid yourself!"
MARK: "Toragami agrees to duel me, no holds barred. It'll be a battle for the ages, so make sure to watch my awesome victory!"
KATSUKI: "Next time on Yu-Gi-Oh! Negative Zero: 'Mark vs. Toragami: The Insufficient Belief'."
MARK: "That's right! No one believes in themselves more than I do!"
KATSUKI: "Loser..."
