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.
--
Ayukawa read the results of Shougo's blood test one more time, and sighed.
Nothing new is coming here, she thought to herself. I can't feel right with myself unless I start him on dialysis right away. We're not equipped at Duel Academy for that, though. That would mean sending him away...
She looked at the bed where Shougo lay.
It's his dream to be a recognized duelist, but now he's here. I wonder if he'd give up that dream if pursuing it meant he would die. I don't want to be the one to take that away from him.
"Ah, Ayukawa Emi. Deep in thought, are we?"
Mitsuo Tahuru had already arrived at the medical center.
"You're the sponsor of the Genex tournament... Mitsuo Tahuru," Ayukawa said, looking him over.
"That's right," Tahuru said. "I see you know me well."
"I also knew you and Tenjouin Asuka knew each other in school," she added. "And not on friendly terms."
"We had our differences," Tahuru admitted. "But that's not important now. What is important is that boy sleeping over there."
"Shougo-kun?" Ayukawa gasped. "What are you saying?"
Tahuru took a coin out of his pocket and flipped it. Looking at the result, he kept it to himself as he put it back.
"We would really appreciate it if you told a lie for us," he explained.
-------------
YU-GI-OH! Negative Zero: Genex Finals
Turn 37: "The Self's Motivation! Tahuru's Promise"
-------------
"A... lie?"
Tahuru nodded. "You see... I have an interest in Aoyama Shougo being at that tournament. Because if he's not, the entire school could be in danger."
He gave a coy smile. "But, what I really mean is, my organization has an interest. It'll be interesting to me either way."
"What do you mean, the 'entire school'?" Ayukawa narrowed her eyes. "What do you know about Shougo-kun?"
"I expect that Kiyotaki-san has told you of the 'Darkness incident' 15 years ago?"
Ayukawa nodded. "Yes, he told me... but to be honest, it seems like fanciful speculation."
Tahuru laughed out loud. "As expected of the head nurse of Duel Academy, you don't believe anything you do not observe for yourself. I'm a bit similar. For example, I didn't quite believe it at first when I read these hospital reports."
"Hospital reports?"
"Yes, 25 years ago, it would seem, a woman named Ayukawa Emi gave birth to a baby boy at St. Luke's International Hospital, and soon after gave it up for adoption."
Ayukawa's eyes widened. Wh... what? How could he know about...
Tahuru put the papers down. "I didn't believe it, so I looked into it myself. It seems you were in college at the time training to be a nurse, and taking care of a child would have gotten in the way of all of that. So you gave him up, just like that. How befitting of someone with a future in the medical trade."
Ayukawa was left speechless.
"Now, regarding Aoyama Shougo... that boy has the power of Darkness inside him. That is the cause of his illness. Nothing medical will demonstrate that to you, and there's nothing you can do. One day, sooner than you know, he will die. And even if you start him on dialysis, that can't be prevented."
"No!" Ayukawa shouted. "No... that's impossible. It's just a sickness of the kidneys. The blood work is cut and dry."
"But you can't find the cause, can you?" Tahuru smiled again — a cold and unfeeling smile. "Are you hoping a doctor will be able to?"
"A nephrologist will surely be able to," Ayukawa stated.
"Ah, but the tests poor Shougo-kun will have to go through." Tahuru closed his eyes and shook his head. "Doesn't it hurt your heart to think about it?"
Ayukawa clenched her chest. He was right; it did, quite literally, hurt her heart when she thought about the tests Shougo would have to be put through. If the blood work revealed nothing, it was quite possible a biopsy would have to be done. Dialysis was a foregone conclusion; a catheter would be placed into his body, and his circulatory system would be altered so that he could, in the future, receive dialysis via needles inserted into his arm.
Even then, recovery from kidney disease seldom happened. He was looking at a transplant and a future on immunosuppresant drugs.
"I'm telling you that none of those will help," Tahuru went on. "Here is what Kiyotaki-san tells me happened. Fifteen years ago, Darkness absorbed the souls of everyone in this world, and gained tremendous power. But he made the mistake of challenging Yuuki Judai to a duel. Darkness lost his hold of despair, and almost everyone returned. Shougo-kun was one of those who did not."
"Shougo-kun... remained in Darkness?" Ayukawa couldn't keep track of the conversation anymore.
"Now, 15 years later, Darkness has decided to return to challenge the Light of Ruin at the height of its power. It chose Aoyama Shougo as its vessel, and he reincarnated into the boy on that bed there. However, the individual 'Shougo-kun' retained his self-awareness. He didn't want to be Darkness. So he's causing his body to self-destruct."
"I can't believe any of this," Ayukawa grunted. "It's unscientific nonsense."
"Feel free to believe or disbelieve all you want," Tahuru said. "What I'm proposing is simple. Tell Shougo-kun he is well enough to attend the tournament, and I can tell you where your child is. Or do you no longer care about his whereabouts?"
Ayukawa gasped in utter shock. "You..."
"That's right. That's the deal. Simple as that."
Tahuru took his coin out of his pocket again and held it in his hand. He then placed it on the counter. "I'll come back at 6pm. If the coin is heads, we have a deal. If it's tails, we don't. I like to keep things simple."
He picked up Ayukawa's medical papers and walked away.
Ayukawa stared into space, a bead of sweat rolling off of her face. She felt her age for the first time. It's been so long... I'm ashamed to say, so much has happened... I've forgotten. I've forgotten about my son. And now...
--
"Emi-chan, this is a child you're talking about. This isn't something you can just cut away."
"Mother, if I have this child, I won't be able to put myself through college... I can't, I just won't have the time. Didn't you want me to become a nurse?"
"But I can't... I won't let you do this!"
"You think you have power over me, then? Is that it?"
"You're talking about killing a child!"
"It's not a child until I give birth to it. It's my choice."
"I don't know what to tell you, Emi-chan. I suppose I was wrong for trying to force you."
"No... no, there's still time. I won't take any rash actions. I'm sorry, Mother.."
--
It had been years since Ayukawa had even looked at her deck, but she felt like she had to now for some reason.
"Fallen Angel Nurse - Reficul"...
Whereas many of her fellow students took careers in universities and hospitals, Ayukawa found herself becoming a consulting nurse in a school that was teaching courses in a trading card game that had become a worldwide phenomenon. Before she knew it, she was a teacher at Duel Academy.
All the spoils that she'd gotten from this life path, at the seeming sacrifice of the knowledge of one life.
"Ayukawa-sensei...?"
Shougo was starting to get up.
"Shougo-kun!" Ayukawa put the card down and hurried to the patient's side. "Don't overexert yourself. You should rest more..."
"I'm sorry, Ayukawa-sensei," Shougo said. "I was pretending earlier."
"Pretending?"
"To sleep..."
Ayukawa gasped in shock. Shougo'd heard everything?
"Ayukawa-sensei... you should do it," Shougo said. "To a guy like that, it doesn't really matter whether I know the truth or not. If you refuse to do it, he'd find some other way to get me there."
Ayukawa frowned and looked down.
"I know it's not any of my business," Shougo went on. "But... if you had a baby, don't you..." He halted mid-sentence, then pushed himself on. "Don't you want to know where he is?"
"Shougo-kun!" Ayukawa was momentarily angry.
"I'm sorry," Shougo shrank back.
"No..." the nurse calmed down a bit, then mustered up some compassion from inside and gave her student a smile. "It was a long time ago."
This really is none of his business, she thought to herself. But then why am I so eager to open up to him?...
--
"I got sick again this morning, Mother..."
"Yes, that does happen. Emi-chan, there is still time..."
"Why have you changed your mind so easily, Mother? Is it seeing me in pain...?"
"Emi-chan, you should know that I never considered it suffering when I had you."
"What is giving birth like?"
"Well..."
"It's painful, isn't it?"
"Can't we talk about this later?"
--
"It was when I was going to school, training to be a nurse," Ayukawa said. "I fell in love with a man who made a lot of promises he couldn't live up to." She frowned. "When I found out, he was gone. And I didn't have a lot of options."
Shougo looked off to the side. "I don't have a lot of memories of my past life," he admitted. "I kinda remember my mom, but only vaguely, like in a dream."
Ayukawa looked at Shougo, and she thought she could see a strange strength emanate from him.
"I know she'd do anything for me, though," Shougo went on. "And I'm afraid of what that means. I wonder if she's still in this world. Would she look for me?"
"Shougo-kun..."
"That's why I think you should take the deal, Ayukawa-sensei," Shougo said, holding his wrist. "If he can really do this for you... show you where your child is..."
"But what about you? You can't go anywhere in your condition!"
Shougo looked at the machines he was connected to. "You could maybe ask a student to watch over me," he suggested. "Then it'd be okay, right?"
Ayukawa still looked conflicted, so Shougo leaned forward.
"Listen, Ayukawa-sensei... I know it's not fair that I deal with this," he said. "But that's something I chose for myself. I'll tell you what I told Tenjouin-sensei... suffering's not avoidable in life. If I die, then you don't have to worry about me anymore."
This is crazy, Ayukawa thought in a panic. It doesn't make any sense! I can't let Shougo-kun go! I just can't!
"You need someone to watch over Shougo-kun?" an unknown voice called.
Shougo and Ayukawa turned to the doorway to see Shiho Katsuki standing there.
She thumped her chest for dramatic effect. "I, Katsuki Shiho, will personally watch over Aoyama Shougo-kun!"
Shougo blinked. "Katsuki-san? ...But, why?"
Katsuki laughed a bit. "Don't get the wrong idea. It's not like I like you or anything. It's just... well, since you appeared, I've been seeing Toragami-sama a bit happier. And I think it's probably because of you... and to see you this way, it's just more than I can stand! So, I'll do what I can."
"Hold on a minute," Ayukawa said. "I haven't approved of anything just yet. So, don't get too excited."
Katsuki tilted her head a bit. "How long has it been since you slept, Ayukawa-kyouyuu?"
Ayukawa blinked a bit. Her face! Did it show that much?
"Maybe you haven't made your decision yet, but you can at least get some rest, okay?" Katsuki went on.
"I'll wake you up before the time passes," Shougo offered.
Ayukawa didn't want to accept it, even though everything in her heart said to trust them. To trust these... children...
--
"You're going to have the child, Emi-chan?"
"I'm not going to have him. But I'll bear him to term. I'll give him up to a family who can raise him."
"You're going to have a connection to that boy, and it might hurt you in the future..."
"As long as the family who takes him in is kind and supportive, it's okay. We have our own paths. Mine and my son's... no, the child that I bear... we're not going to walk the same path."
"Emi-chan, are you sure?"
"I've thought about this for a long time, Mother. It's my decision..."
--
Ayukawa was awoken from her memory... her dream?
"You're pretty lucky, Ayukawa-kyouyuu," Katsuki remarked. "Even though Aoyama-kun is pretty sick, he's the only person here right now who needs care. You can relax."
Ayukawa smiled a bit. "You'd need more training before you can really take care of Shougo-kun," she said.
"Mmm, well, nursing does interest me," Katsuki replied. "Although I don't know if I have the personality for it."
Shougo was sleeping.
"You were planning on watching him tonight, right?" Katsuki went on. "You're not going to watch the finals."
"I'd like to, but I really do need sleep sometime," was Ayukawa's reply.
"So I'll watch him while he watches the finals, then," Katsuki said. "Unless his condition gets worse while I sleep... would that be okay?"
Ayukawa bit her thumb nail, deep in thought. You can leave it to Katsuki-san for now, her thoughts said. She might not be trained, but she's got a good heart...
"Man, Ayuawa-kyouyuu, you really are tired. You need to rest more. Leave Aoyama-kun to me..."
Ayukawa's thoughts swirled as she closed her eyes. Beyond her control, she was dreaming...
--
The students of Duel Academy were called to another assembly at 5pm.
Tenjouin greeted the students formally, then went straight to the point: the assembly was gathered to witness the selection of the brackets for the tournament. It was a single-elimination format with only one duel each match. Since both duelists would be selecting their decks before the match, time was a factor.
The board behind Tenjouin lighted up with the brackets.
AINO NAOMI vs. TORAGAMI HINATA
MARK WALKER vs. ISABEL SUÁREZ
MASAKI GANRYU vs. MIZUNO KAGOME
ITOU TOMOYO vs. CHIBA KATSUROU
"The exchange students have to fight each other?" some transfer students whispered to each other. "That doesn't seem fair."
"That happens sometimes in random seeds, though," another remarked. "You can hardly complain."
Mizuno smiled. So I get the famous Masaki Ganryu as my first opponent, she thought to herself. When I defeat him, I'll get a rematch against Toragami-sama, and this time, everyone will be watching!
Chiba looked nervous. He had met Itou briefly when they were building their deck sets. He glanced at her. She was a charming Obelisk Blue with an endearing personality, from what he remembered. He didn't want to fight her.
But to carry through Shougo-kun's wishes... I'll face any challenge!
Aino clenched her hands together. Somehow I knew it would come out this way, she thought to herself. The world's in a rush. I'm not going to keep you waiting anymore, Hinata-chan.
"You have two hours to prepare," Tenjouin said. "The tournament will start at 7pm sharp. Students who plan on watching the finals need to come to the technology center as soon as possible to secure seating. Other interested parties will be watching as well, so seating is limited. If you are unable to find a seat, you can watch the matches on our closed-circuit channel. Thank you. That will be all."
And just like that, the Genex finals were underway.
--
When Tahuru arrived, the coin was not on the table.
Instead, Ayukawa was standing there to meet him.
"I've decided to decline your offer," she said. "But Shougo-kun will be attending the tournament under supervision."
Tahuru blinked. "Well, if he's going to the tournament anyway, then why don't you just let me tell you where your son is?"
Ayukawa shook her head. "I made my decision a long time ago. That if I were to have a child... I couldn't tell him I just gave up on him. Much less that I was actually considering ending his life. I was the cradle that nurtured his existence... but that's the extent of my role. I'm not going to complicate his life anymore."
Tahuru grit his teeth. He didn't appear to like her tone.
"You tried to tempt me by appealing to my maternal instincts," Ayukawa went on. "But life is not about that. Even now, you're living your life as a gamble, Mitsuo Tahuru. Things are not going to go your way if you just keep trying."
Tahuru scoffed dismissively. "Well, if you want to be a fool, that's your prerogative. Since Aoyama Shougo will be there, I don't have any business with you any longer, it seems."
"There is one thing," Ayukawa said.
She then flipped his coin, which she had held in her hand, to him. He instinctively caught it.
"You should keep that as a reminder," she told him. "Stop playing games with your feelings, and with the feelings of others. Now please leave my office. Some people need their rest."
Tahuru just adjusted his glasses and went on his way, playing the coin in his pocket.
"Ayukawa-sensei," Shougo said weakly from his room.
Katsuki, who was watching him, touched his shoulder. "Settle down there, kid," she said. "Like she said, you need your rest."
"But why didn't you...?" Shougo pressed on.
Ayukawa smiled. "I don't understand mother's instincts or anything like that," she admitted. "But I know that I don't want to be a nuisance. If I showed up in my son's life now, it would complicate things for him." Her voice choked up just then. "I do... I do want to see him. But it's not to be."
Shougo looked weary, and Katsuki forcefully made him lay down.
"Careful!" Ayukawa stammered, running into Shougo's room. "Don't use force!"
But Shougo shook his head and smiled. He didn't say anymore.
I'm going to live a life like you, Tenjouin-san, Ayukawa said as she looked out the window. With no regrets.
--
Shougo: "I guess I'm going to be watching the finals after all."
Katsuki: "Don't worry, Shougo-kun, I'll keep an eye on ya. But you gotta promise not to pass out on me for this fight!"
Chiba: "The first fight of the finals begins with one that we've all been both eager and fearful to see. Two childhood friends fighting against each other."
Isabel: "And Aino-san says she's going to do her best to win? Come to think of it, I have never seen her deck."
Katsuki: "It doesn't help that Naomi-chan is using a deck I know will push Toragami-sama's buttons! What exactly is she trying to prove? Wait... could it be that she...?"
Shougo: "I'm not sure what's going on, but somehow I can feel the cards speak the truth to me. That's what you'll have to look forward to next turn on Yu-Gi-Oh! Negative Zero: 'The Limits of Omniscience! Aino vs. Toragami'."
Tenjouin: "Duel... standby."
--
TODAY'S FEATURED CARD: "Fallen Angel Nurse - Reficul"
Level 4 dark angel, attack points 1400, defense points 600. When this card is on the field, effects that would heal the opponent do damage to them instead. Use this with cards like "Soul Taker" and "Rich Goblin" to give yourself an advantage while doing harm to your opponent. She can be very helpful in the right situation if you can keep her alive!
