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.
Huge thanks to ScarletWeather for writing the flashback portions as well as his continued support of my story.
--
"The card I choose is 'The Creator Incarnate'," Aino finished, and put the card in her hand. The Arena table automatically shuffled her deck for her.
"Katsuki-san... what's wrong?" Shougo asked.
"Im...impossible," Katsuki whispered. "She couldn't be thinking..."
"I now summon 'The Creator Incarnate' in attack mode," Aino went on.
"Oh dear!" Katsuki stammered. "Is she really going to...?"
Shougo seemed hypnotized. He could clearly see a black aura surrounding the card that Aino had just played.
There's no mistaking this feeling. Darkness... I thought I was rid of you! But now...
"I set two cards facedown to end my turn," Aino said.
"So it appears Aino is running a deck based on 'The Creator'," the announcer shouted. "But she doesn't seem to have drawn the key card just yet. Will her facedowns protect her?! Let's see. It's Toragami-sama's turn!"
"Draw," Toragami said. "Aino-san, we both know... that I know your plan."
"I know," Aino replied.
"You will not succeed," Toragami replied. "Like Katsuki-san, you are not playing to win. If you do not understand that the goal of all games is to win, you will not achieve your dreams. Understand this, Aino-san."
"These cards are not Aino-san's, as Katsuki-san said," Shougo went on. "They're... they're Toragami-san's old cards!"
Chiba gasped. "Old cards?"
Shougo clenched his forehead, though, appearing to be in great pain.
"You really should go back to the medical office!" Katsuki cried. "You're not ready for this!"
"No... I can... I must..."
There's a voice in my head, and it's laughing, he thought in his own mind. The laughter resounded. Mocking, scornful laughter. It's directed... at Toragami-san. Why? I need to watch this...
...I feel it's the only way... that I can find the answer...
Toragami then blinked heavily once, and made a declaration.
"I will have this duel won in five turns," she said, to the surprise of everyone. "And you will have not achieved your goal. And those words that I spoke will be fulfilled. Not even your passionate feelings can stop this, Aino-san."
-------------
YU-GI-OH! Negative Zero: Genex Finals
Turn 39: "Stolen Youth, Forsaken Smile"
-------------
"Your set cards are not ones that can stop my attack," Toragami said. "The set card to my left is 'My Body as a Shield'. In case I summoned 'Lightlord Magician Leila' to destroy your other set card, perhaps? But that is a high cost."
Aino tried to remain stoic as Toragami revealed her foreknowledge.
"The card to your right, 'Land of Demise'," Toragami went on. "If my Lightlord effects bring out a Beast Wolf, you can activate a field magic card from your deck. Perhaps 'Mausoleum of the Deceased Emperor'?"
Everyone in the crowd was heard to murmur.
"Toragami-san can see the future?" one said.
"No, it's got to be a bluff," another responded.
Shougo and Aino both knew it was no bluff.
"Do you mean... Toragami-sama isn't lying, is she?" Katsuki gasped.
"I think you know that very well," Shougo said, his eyes continuing to focus on the duel. "She has a special ability that's beyond knowledge."
"There's a part of her that is no longer human," Chiba added. "And she's putting it on public display. What could this mean?"
Katsuki seemed shocked. "No longer... human?"
"I summon 'Lightlord Paladin Jean' in attack mode," Toragami went on. The armored, genderless warrior appeared on the field with little fanfare.
Lightlord Paladin Jean - LV4 Light Warrior (1800 ATK)
"Jean, destroy The Creator Incarnate with Light of Freedom!"
Jean rushed Aino's monster and slashed it with her sword. Before she did, her sword began to glow.
"When Jean attacks an opponent's monster, her attack power is raised by 300 points," Toragami explained.
Lightlord Paladin Jean - 1800 ATK + 300 = 2100 ATK
Aino shielded her arms as a wave of air accompanied her monster's destruction. She almost felt the pain of the hologram.
Aino - 4000 LP - 500 = 3500 LP
"What were you hoping to prove to me by sacrificing your monster and your life points?" Toragami turned her head. "If you are serious about defeating me, please do not think you can stir up memories of my past."
"I would not insult you like that, Toragami-sama," Aino said as she held her cards tightly.
Toragami narrowed her eyes. "But you would insult me by addressing me as 'Hinata-chan'?"
Aino looked down off to her side.
"Save your words; I already know them," Toragami said gruffly. "After setting two cards, I will end my turn."
"I don't understand what Toragami-san is doing," Tenjouin observed. "Is she trying to get inside Aino-san's head?"
"I admit I'm at a loss myself," Kiyotaki said. "By calling Aino-san's cards, there are those who will accuse Toragami-san of cheating."
"But that's not possible!" Matsutani asserted. "We've made sure of it!"
"Nevertheless, that won't stop them," Abe sighed. "Especially those who hold a grudge against the Toragami zaibatsu."
"Now, because of Lightlord Paladin Jean's effect, I must send the top two cards of my deck to the cemetery," Toragami said. She took the cards off her deck and looked at them. "And one of those cards is 'Lightlord Beast Wolf'; I must Special Summon it to the field."
Placing her other card, "Honest", into the cemetery, Toragami summoned the monster, who looked larger than life in the Duel Arena, wielding his staff weapon menacingly.
Lightlord Beast Wolf - LV4 Light Beast-Warrior (2100 ATK)
"That triggers my magic card, Toragami-sama," Aino said. "Reverse card open, 'Land of Demise'. As you said, I can play this when you Special Summon a monster, and play a field magic from my deck. I choose 'Mausoleum of the Deceased Emperor'."
The background around the two duelists became a tomb, with ceremonial lights illuminating the dank scenery. Aino was flanked by two obelisks, with stone statues guarding both obelisks. Behind her, between the obelisks, a flame burned.
Shougo was once again overwhelmed with the dark aura that he saw in Aino's cards, and another vision came to him...
--
The arena was noisy and filled with shouting people, some taking bets on the two duelists playing in a cage in the center of the area, some shouting encouragements or insults. Occasionally, someone would throw a bottle of something at the cage. It would always break to pieces before it could reach either player, the contents harmlessly spattering over the floor as a few stray fragments of glass ricocheted away.
Toragami was probably the only silent person in the room. Sneaking out had been surprisingly easy. After that, she had followed the first person with a duel disk that she saw, and her footsteps had led her here. It wasn't as scary as the underground arenas she'd heard people talk about. It was more like a bunch of amateur duelists getting together off the street to duel for a wild crowd. She smiled. Here was a place where she could see if she was really strong.
Suddenly, she felt a hand on her shoulder. She turned around slowly to see a man dressed in a pinstriped suit and fedora wearing a large pair of sunglasses. "Excuse me, but we’d like you to come with us for a moment."
Toragami glanced around. Several members of the crowd had surrounded her, mostly younger men. All of them were wearing sunglasses. A few were grinning.
"And what if I don’t want to?" Her voice trembled slightly and she tried to disguise the fear in her eyes.
The man in the suit grinned. "Well then, that would be very unfortunate for you, wouldn’t it?"
Toragami looked at the rest of the crowd. Their attentions were focused on the two dueling in the cage. There was no chance that she would get help from them.
The young duelist bowed her head reluctantly and followed the man in the fedora as the others surrounded her.
--
Shougo held his head. "Katsuki-san," he said. "How much do you know about Aino-san's relationship with Toragami-san?"
"What business is it..." Katsuki began impulsively and then stopped herself. She decided to answer honestly. "Well, the relationship of the Aino and Toragami families go way back. To be honest, when I met Toragami-sama, Aino-san had already been friends with her for awhile."
Shougo's voice went down a shade. "I think I may be seeing some harsh event in Toragami-san's past," he said. "The emotions I feel... they're very strong."
"Shougo-kun..." was all Katsuki was able to say before she wrung her hands in silent prayer and turned her attention back to the duel. Aino-san... stay strong! Toragami-sama, please don't treat her like just any other opponent!
"It's my turn," Aino said. "Draw." She looked at the card she drew and played it immediately. "'Trade-In', activate. In exchange for a level 8 monster in my hand, I can draw two cards."
"She had a level 8 monster?" Chiba shouted incredulously. "If she did, why not play it with 'Mausoleum'?"
"The card I discard... is 'Archangel Christia'," Aino said, showing Toragami the card before putting it in her cemetery pile.
"That card?!" Katsuki shouted.
Shougo noticed Katsuki's reaction. That must be it... the 'true ace' she was referring to earlier. Why would Aino-san discard that now?
"I now draw two cards," Aino went on, looking at her new hand. "And by paying 1000 life points, I can activate the effect of 'Mausoleum of the Deceased Emperor'."
Aino - 3500 LP - 1000 = 2500 LP
"I can normal summon one monster from my hand without offering sacrifice," Aino explained.
"Could it be she drew 'The Creator'?" Katsuki gasped. "Was she hoping she'd draw it?"
Shougo noticed the field magic card on the field had that sickly black aura too, and before he knew it, he was pulled into another vision.
--
Toragami shivered slightly, maybe from fear or maybe from the cold. She couldn't tell. The warehouse she was trapped in was damp. The men who had surrounded her were standing off to the side — except for one.
"Toragami Hinata, heir to the Toragami zaibatsu. Nice of you to provide us with such a privileged guest for the evening."
Toragami managed to regain her composure slightly. "How do you know who I am?"
"Never mind that," the man facing her replied before waving his hand vaguely. "All you need to know is that we wanted to give you a little... 'test'."
"'Test'?" Toragami asked. She couldn't hide the note of anxiety in her voice.
The man grinned as he walked off. Two of the others, following him, escorted her to a duel arena that was in the center of the warehouse. "This arena," the man explained, "has some special rules."
Before Toragami could ask what he meant, a pair of shackles shot from the sides of the arena and clamped to her ankles.
"This is an older arena, designed and stored here by the creator of Duel Monsters himself," the man explained. "It's so old that the original device he intended to use as a penalty for the loser is broken. Now look up..."
Toragami lifted her head. A massive steel beam was suspended above her. If it fell from that height, she'd be crushed. She looked over her opponent — a similar beam was suspended above him. She noticed that a pair of shackles had clamped to the legs of the man who had been talking to her.
"We’re going to duel, you and I," the man explained. "And here's how it's going to work. Those steel beams up there are held in place by four electromagnets. Do you know how those work?"
Toragami nodded, her face turning pale.
"Now, only one magnet is needed to keep these things from crashing down on us. But every time we lose a thousand life points, my friends back there will turn off the power to one of the magnets. So when somebody loses all their life points..."
Toragami gasped.
"Now, now, don't act so frightened," the man grinned. "After all, isn't your family trying to conquer the world of dueling? If that’s true, you must be pretty strong, so you shouldn't have anything to worry about."
The men standing outside the arena laughed.
--
"I summon 'The Creator' in attack mode," Aino's voice broke Shougo out of the vision.
A large angelic being arose to the field, body colored entirely in red with a ring behind it. Its hands seemed to hold, as its name suggested, the power of creation itself, and the Duel Arena made it all the more enormous. Aino herself looked palpably shocked at its entrance.
The Creator - LV8 Light Thunder (2300 ATK)
"And now I activate The Creator's effect," Aino went on. "By sending 'Gravekeeper's Spy' from my hand to the cemetery, I can Special Summon one monster in my cemetery."
A white-armored, red-winged angel took form on the field beside "The Creator", as if the latter had brought her into being with just its thought.
"Resurrect, 'Archangel Christia'!" Aino shouted.
Archangel Christia - LV8 Light Angel (2800 ATK)
"Two powerful monsters! This is a turnaround!" Chiba said, duly impressed.
"Don't get excited just yet," Katsuki reminded him. "Toragami-sama still has two facedown cards."
Indeed, Toragami looked unconcerned about the monsters; rather, her face showed hints of exasperation.
"Aino-san, you've summoned Archangel Christia, but you seem to have forgotten that her effect seals off the effect of The Creator," she said. "Neither player can Special Summon when she's on the field."
"I haven't forgotten," Aino replied.
"Then perhaps your point was to cause me to recall my life as a child?" Toragami shook her head. "That is the past, and it no longer exists."
"I don't believe that's true," Aino said. "I think the person you know as a child is still there today, somewhere. I know it's true. Toragami-sama... no, Hinata-chan... whatever force you have that allows you to see through everyone's strategy is going to consume you. Please wake up! I want to see your smile again!"
Toragami turned her head and scoffed. "You're just like that boy," she said. "You assume that my ability to see through what is hidden is because of the Light. You don't understand anything. Do you really remember what I told you that day?"
Aino nodded, but her eyes had become misty.
"Tell us," Toragami said, compelling her opponent.
Aino bit her lip and looked down at the field, and her hand. She tried very hard to hide her tears. "The day we became opponents would be the day our friendship ends," she said quietly.
"Wh... what?!" Katsuki shouted, gripping the seat in front of her and standing up. "No! That's not true! Toragami-sama would never say anything like that!"
"Calm down, Katsuki-san," Shougo said.
Katsuki snapped her head towards the Osiris student and was about to yell at him when she saw the tears in his eyes, too.
"Opponents cannot be friends," Toragami stated. "If you came here to fight me, you should know that. So, Aino-san... will you attack me?"
"Archangel Christia!" Aino shouted, pushing her hand out. "Attack Toragami-sama's Beast Wolf!"
Christia soared in the air with a shout, and rushed towards Toragami's Beast Wolf.
But Shougo's eyes were only on the card hologram on the field...
--
"I... I-I end my turn."
The young Toragami was shivering in terror. Her opponent had only summoned a "Killer Tomato" in defense position, but even so… she obviously didn't want to kill him. Every few minutes she’d look up at the ceiling in fright.
"Don’t be so squeamish, Toragami-sama," the man said mockingly as he drew. "After all, I wouldn't have proposed this wager unless I was willing to die. Or perhaps you're just too scared of dying yourself? If you are, I could always let you go, and you could run away like the weakling you really are..."
"Shut up!" Tears were beginning to form in Toragami's eyes. "Shut up, shut up, shut up!"
The man gave another crocodile grin. "'Killer Tomato' switches to attack position and attacks your face-down monster."
Toragami gave a sigh of relief as her monster flipped face-up. "G-Gravekeeper’s Spy's monster effect activates. I special summon a second 'Gravekeeper’s' monster from my deck." A second spy appeared beside the first one.
To her surprise, the man began to laugh. "That’s exactly what I hoped for..."
Both spies began to scream in agony as they suddenly caught fire. The flames leapt to the sky and began to change, transforming into a screaming giant made from molten lava. Toragami realized she was trapped in a cage on the giant’s neck. "What is this?"
"My Lava Golem," the man replied. "I release two of your monsters to summon it to your field. During your standby phase, it will inflict one thousand points of damage to your life points. I set one card and end my turn."
Toragami's hand began to shake as she drew. If she didn't win this duel quickly, the Golem would guarantee a loss in four turns. "Lava Golem, attack Killer Tomato!" she ordered. She noticed her life points ticking down as she gave the command, and she heard a sound above her — one of the magnets turning off?
The giant monster gathered flames to its mouth and delivered a single blast of flame. However, the fireball was intercepted — a large wheel with some sort of spikes attached to it plowed through the burst and landed on top of the giant, causing it to bow its head to the ground.
"My 'Torture Wheel' prevents your monster from attacking," the man cackled. "And furthermore, you will lose five hundred life points during each of my standby phases."
Toragami’s vision began to blur as she looked at the cards in her hands.
The men surrounding her laughed…
Meanwhile, the two men standing by the circuit breaker near the back of the warehouse chuckled. "Look at her. She's about ready to piss her pants," one scoffed. "He's really got her goin'."
The other nodded in agreement. "She's so scared; she doesn't realize we don't even have a killswitch." They both started laughing.
Their laughter was suddenly interrupted by a harsh voice. "Excuse us."
Both thugs turned to stare at a very angry looking Aino, flanked by two members of the city's police department.
--
Shougo looked depressed as Toragami's past was laid out for him. Someone like him couldn't hope to understand that kind of situation; or at least, that's how he felt.
A loud noise pierced his senses.
"Reverse card open, 'Command Silencer'," Toragami said in her characteristic monotone. "Your attack is cancelled, and I draw one card from my deck."
A noisewave disrupted Christia's attack on Beast Wolf, and she backed off, returning to her position on Aino's side of the field.
"You've been in this situation before," Toragami went on. "Do you wish to test me by making another attack?"
Aino bit her lip and moaned.
"Well, I don't understand," Chiba mused. "We've seen Toragami-san's deck. If Aino-san were worried about 'Holy Barrier - Mirror Force'..."
"This is a combo that Toragami-sama likes to play," Katsuki explained. "When her opponents have two monsters, she draws their attacks out by using 'Command Silencer' first to get a card, then 'Mirror Force' when they attack again."
"That's a small gain for two entire cards, though," Chiba said, evidently still confused.
"Not if you know what cards you're going to draw." Shougo continued to observe the duel with rapt reverence. "But now there's a mind game going on between them. Aino-san wants to end this as quickly as possible, but she's stuck in a bind."
Tenjouin crossed her arms. "That's a good move," she said, seeing through the strategy. "But what kind of a heartless thing is that for Toragami-san to say?"
Kiyotaki sighed heavily. What exactly are your plans, Toragami Hinata? I cannot see through them.
Aino's expression looked increasingly sour as she looked over her hand.
"Remember... this is the second turn," Toragami said. "You should decide on what to do while you still have time."
Aino just looked resigned. "I set one card facedown," she said, concluding her Battle Phase. "Turn end."
"This is strange," Shougo pondered out loud now. "If Aino-san were worried about 'Mirror Force', why not summon 'The Creator' in defense position?"
"Toragami-san's thrown her off of her normal game," Chiba sighed. "That much is obvious from her deck choice, but now..."
Katsuki looked around her. Some of the people watching the duel could see what was going on, but not most. Most were simply eager to see two friends fight to the finish. They had no idea what this duel really meant to them... and to her.
Toragami-sama... you can't be as cold as this. I believe in you.
--
Shougo: "Is this really the only way to absolve the past?"
Tenjouin: "The duel between Aino-san and Toragami-san continues, as each make their move to win with heavy hearts."
Chiba: "If Toragami-san has a heavy heart, I'm not seeing it... she's being brutal!"
Shougo: "What the Light of Ruin twisted my rival into is becoming clear to me... and I understand Darkness' intentions now. But I'm not going to succumb to that!"
Katsuki: "Shougo-kun, what the hell are you talking about?"
Shougo: "Katsuki-san, something more important than the world is at stake at this duel. We're talking about a simple friendship between two young duelists. Chiba-kun, I know you can see the Light too, so you know..."
Chiba: "That aura..."
Tenjouin: "The language of the duelist is a direct one, and the result of the duel will come out. Who will be victorious in the end? Everything — the duel, the friendship, and the fate of duelists everywhere — will be decided next time on Yu-Gi-Oh! Negative Zero: 'One'. Duel... standby."
--
TODAY'S FEATURED CARD: "Archangel Christia"
Level 8 light angel, attack points 2800, defense points 2300. With 4 angel type monsters in the cemetery, you can special summon this and return 1 angel monster to your hand. It also prohibits special summons. Was this Toragami-san's true ace?
--
CARDS USED BY NAOMI AINO:
THE CREATOR INCARNATE
Effect Monster (LV4 Light Warrior, 1600/1500)
You can sacrifice this monster to Special Summon 1 "The Creator" from your hand.
LAND OF DEMISE (TCG name: "Demise of the Land")
Instant Magic
Activate only when your opponent Special Summons a monster. Select 1 Field Magic card from your Deck and activate it.
MAUSOLEUM OF THE DECEASED EMPEROR (TCG name: "Mausoleum of the Emperor". Note: This card has a different effect in the actual game.)
Field Magic
Once per turn, by paying 1000 Life Points, the turn player can Normal Summon or Set a monster without offering sacrifices.
TRADE-IN
Normal Magic
Discard 1 Level 8 monster to draw 2 cards.
ARCHANGEL CHRISTIA (TCG name: "Archlord Kristya")
Effect Monster (LV8 Light Angel, 2800/2300)
If you have exactly 4 Angel-type monsters in your cemetery, you can Special Summon this card from your hand. If you do this, add 1 Angel-type monster from your cemetery to your hand. While this card is face-up on the field, neither player may Special Summon. If this face-up card would be sent from the field to the cemetery, return it to the top of its owner's Deck instead.
THE CREATOR
Effect Monster (LV8 Light Thunder, 2300/3000)
You cannot Special Summon this card from the cemetery, Once per turn, select 1 monster in your cemetery. By sending 1 card in your hand to the cemetery, Special Summon that monster.
GRAVEKEEPER'S SPY
Effect Monster (LV4 Dark Spellcaster, 1200/2000)
FLIP: Special Summon 1 "Gravekeeper's" monster with 1500 or less Attack points from your Deck.
--
CARDS USED BY HINATA TORAGAMI:
LIGHTLORD PALADIN JEAN (TCG name: "Jain, Lightsworn Paladin")
Effect Monster (LV4 Light Warrior, 1800/1200)
If this card attacks an opponent's monster, it gains 300 Attack points during the Damage Step only. During each of your End Phases, send 2 cards from the top of your Deck to the cemetery.
LIGHTLORD BEAST WOLF (TCG name: "Wulf, Lightsworn Beast")
Effect Monster (LV4 Light Beast-Warrior, 2100/300)
This card cannot be Normal Summoned or Set. When this car is sent from your Deck to the cemetery, Special Summon it.
HONEST
Effect Monster (LV4 Light Angel, 1100/1900)
During your Main Phase, you can return this card from the field to its owner's hand. During either player's Damage Step, when a face-up Light attribute monster battles, you can send this card from your hand to the cemetery to have that monster gain Attack power equal to the Attack points of the opposing monster, until the End Phase.
COMMAND SILENCER
Instant Magic
Activate only when an opponent's monster attacks. Negate that attack, and draw 1 card.
