"Once upon a time, there was a princess who fought for her kingdom, and a prince who fought for his. The prince fell, and eventually, his legacy was cloaked in shadow. He was called a warmonger, the worst person to have ever ruled the kingdom.
The princess was distraught. She had known and honoured the prince for being as loyal to his kingdom as the princess was to her own. She knew him as someone who had been unwilling to let his kingdom be enslaved, who had fought to protect what was dear to him—and she refused to let people insult him.
So she did something she should have never done."
"What did the princess do?"
"Patience. I'm getting to that—"
"—ake up! Wake up!"
"Ahh!" Yuya tumbled out of bed. He heard Yuri snickering in the corner of the room and Yugo groaning next to him, on the floor as well. He pulled himself up to meet Yuto's dark grey eyes. "Yuto, why are you—"
Yuto sighed, closing his eyes and walking to the opposite wall, headbutting it. "Yuya, the exam is today. Yuri and I already changed. He told me to you two would wake up by yourselves, but I see he was wrong."
Yuri raised his hands, his smirk still on his face. "Not my fault that they're sleepyheads."
Exam, exam… exam?
Oh shit—Yuya ran to the wardrobe, grabbing the set of clothes he had decided to wear. "I'm changing in the toilet!" He shouted before Yugo had the time to process what Yuto just said, darting into the toilet. He heard the start of a swear word and Yuri's laughter before he locked the door tightly shut.
"This… is all… Fusion's fault. Run… faster."
The citizens of Domino City woke up to four boys with the same face running down the street with various messy fruit coloured hair and colour coded suitcases. The boy with hair like a purple cabbage and a long red cape was the one who had spoken, and seemed to be struggling the most out of the four.
Yugo predictably reacted. "My name is Yugo! Damn it, don't keep getting my name wrong!" he declared, running faster and sticking out his tongue. "Besides, you're the slowest here!"
Yuto was the most steady—that is, the one with the most consistent speed out of the four. He sighed and facepalmed—and immediately realised that that was probably not the best idea as he tripped on the gravel. Luckily, Yuya quickly steadied him. He gave his younger brother a nod of thanks, before carrying on.
"I should have brought the D-Wheel, but…" Yugo shot Yuri a dirty look. Two days ago, Yuri had attacked Yugo's D-Wheel with pink paint and they had sent it off for washing. Yuto shuddered at the memory of what had happened for the last two days. Yuya gave him a sympathetic smile.
Geez, sometimes it was like Yuya was the only sane one here. And then he remembered the hippos and cringed slightly. Yuya continued skating down the street with ease, much to his brothers' jealousy (in Yuri and Yugo's case) and amusement (in Yuto's).
"Don't blame me for your idiocy, Fusion." Yuri stretched out the last word, his grin growing. Yugo twitched, reaching for his duel disk—
"Guys! We're already late! Can we deal with this later?" Yuya gave the two a worried frown.
Yuri and Yugo exchanged a look, before they separated with sighs. Yuto suppressed a chuckle. The two could never say no to Yuya. Of course, he was the same but still…
They got to a glass walled building, and a quick glance at Yuto's phone confirmed that it was the right place. At his nod, they burst in, Yuya skidding up to the front desk while his brothers caught their breath. "Yuya Sakaki, Yuri Sakaki, Yugo Sakaki and Yuto Sakaki." He rattled off. "Are we… can we still take the exam?"
The receptionist chuckled. "Yes, although you were quite lucky. In a few minutes, we won't be allowed to accept students anymore. Please bring your brothers…" she looked at the three panting and half dead brothers near the door, "—into the room. Are they alright?"
Yuya glanced back and laughed. "Don't worry! They're hardier than they look." He skated over. "Guys! Time to go in!"
Yuto gave him a thumbs up and began pulling Yuri and Yugo towards the door. Yuri gave him The Look (the look, the look that the three of them except Yuya knew as "I will kill you once Yuya's not looking.") and he returned it. They entered the waiting area, where another teacher was sitting down calmly.
"Sakaki?" She asked. The four nodded and she smiled. "Ah, the way you guys came into the lobby reminded me of how one of my best friends first got into Academia. Please take a seat. The student before you is finishing up."
Yuya and his brothers sat down to watch. The girl in the arena was using dancer monsters, with a cat-like dancer standing in front of her. "Cat Dancer's effect!" She announced. "I tribute Blue Cat to let it attack all your monsters twice this turn, and the first time, they're not destroyed by the attack! Finish him, Cat Dancer! Full Moon Cresta!"
The Duel Bot let out a sound of applause. [Well done! Please head to the stands.]
The teacher nodded. "Alright, Yuya Sakaki, you're up first—" Her phone beeped, and then she gave it an irritated glare. "Or not. Chronos-sensei, I will be having words with you after this…" she looked up at the confused boys. "Sorry. Someone's changed the order, so Yuto Sakaki will be duelling first."
Yuri and Yuto, the oldest two frowned. Something was off—why would it matter to anyone which one of them duelled first? Yuya grinned at Yuto. "Go get them!"
Yuto stood up with a simple nod. Yuri gave him a confident smirk, although he could see his own worry reflected in his brother's eyes. "Don't embarrass us." And a hidden message—don't lose.
"I won't." He said, giving them what he hoped was a reassuring grin. "Just watch me."
"I'm Hokuto Shijima." The tester—who happened to not be a Duel Bot—said with a friendly smile. Yuto's suspicions grew just at the sight of him—who is manipulating these events behind the scenes, and why? To kick them out? He would have to discuss this with Yuri later; but first he had to deal with this. "Second year here. It's good to meet you, Yuto Sakaki. I wish it was under other circumstances."
"Do we know each other?" He asked.
"No," Hokuto replied. "But I know who Yusho Sakaki is—"
"Never say that name again." He hissed out. That name, the name of that man… he regretted reacting the moment the initial rage began fading. He didn't usually react that way—not even to that name. It usually set off Yuri or Yugo instead. But he was slightly testy today… and the fact that the boy had said his father—no, that man's name so casually infuriated him more than anything else. No one had the right to say that name. "We're here to duel, aren't we? Come on!"
[Duel Mode Randomised. Mode: Master Duel.] The computer announced to the room. [Challenger Yuto Sakaki will take the first turn.]
Hokuto recovered from his shock. "Come and get me!"
"Duel!"
Yuto Sakaki: 4000LP
Hokuto Shijima: 4000LP
"I'll begin then." Yuto drew his five cards. "I will Normal Summon The Phantom Knights of Ragged Gloves (3*/1000/500/DARK/Warrior/Effect) to my field!" The monster appeared, purple miasma flowing from its ghostly body. "Now, since I have a "The Phantom Knights" monster on my field, I can activate the effect of The Phantom Knights of Silent Boots (3*/200/1200/DARK/Warrior/Effect) and Special Summon it from my hand!"
"2 Level 3 monsters…" Hokuto muttered.
"If you're guessing what I think you are… well, you're right. Prepare yourself, Hokuto Shijima! I Overlay my two monsters! Souls of knights who fell on the battlefield. Revive here and now, and become the light that breaks the darkness! Xyz Summon! Appear, Rank 3, The Phantom Knights of Break Sword!" (R3/2000/1000/DARK/Warrior/Xyz/Effect)
The two monsters pooled into a dark bubbling shadow on the ground. It exploded and formed into the shape of a black horse—which let out a fearsome roar, while its back oozed out more shadows that formed into the upper torso of a human—and blue flame appeared on the monster's neck, forming the shape of a head.
"That kind of creepy monster…" Hokuto stepped back. "Not bad, Sakaki."
"A monster with Ragged Gloves as material gains 1000 attack. I set two cards and end."
"If you will face me with darkness, I know the perfect monster to face you, Yuto Sakaki!" The boy drew a card and smirked. "It's here."
"Before you continue, may I ask a question?" Yuto said, as calmly as he could.
"Ask away. You seem like a nice kid, Sakaki."
"Who wants to get rid of us, and why? Who is Chronos?"
Hokuto's eyes widened. "Interesting. You managed to guess that? How'd you figure it out?"
"I didn't." Now that his thoughts had been confirmed, he glanced at Yuri, who gave him a subtle nod. So he was taking this down… "You just confirmed it for me though. So who and why?"
Hokuto laughed. "I can't answer either, but I think you'll find out quickly. Now, I shall begin my turn. I set the continuous spell Sword of the Stellarknights! Once per turn, I can special summon one of my "tellarknight" monsters from my hand, but it is destroyed at the end of the turn! I will special summon my Satellarknight Alsahm (4*/1400/1800/LIGHT/Warrior/Effect) to the field!" A knight with two large shoulders (seriously, they looked like jetpacks) appeared. "When Alsahm is summoned, you take 1000 damage! Star Arrow!"
The monster fired an arrow at him and Yuto winced—he knew that Real Solid Vision would hurt like hell, but that actually felt like he was shot!
Yuto Sakaki: 4000 - 1000 = 3000 LP
"I'm not done! I Normal Summon Satellarknight Vega (4*/1200/1600/LIGHT/Warrior/Effect) to my field as well!" Another knight appeared, although this one was taller and had a ring running around its waist. "When Vega is summoned, I can special summon a "tellarknight" from my hand once per turn! I will special summon Satellarknight Capella (4*/1100/2000/LIGHT/Warrior/Effect) from my hand!" A knight that looked like a grown up Alsahm this time—how many did this guy have?
"Looks like Shijima is preparing to summon that thing."
"That knight? Oh, it wiped out all my monsters!"
Yuto overheard some students talking in the stands. This wasn't good…
"Prepare yourself, knight of darkness, for the power of the light! When Capella is used in a Xyz Summon with three or more materials, all materials can be treated as Level 5! I overlay them all! Ruler of a legion of stars, descend with your radiant light—and banish the darkness! Xyz Summon! Rank 5! Stellarknight Constellar Diamond! (R5/2700/2000/LIGHT/Wyrm/Xyz/Effect)"
Unlike his own Xyz, the monsters all began shining with light and the light all merged into one shining figure. The monster that emerged was not a knight, but a dragon, one with shining midnight-like wings lined with shining star silver.
This was Hokuto's ace, huh?
He heard his own dragon's cry and grinned. "You'll get your turn, don't you worry."
"Unfortunately, it won't!" He heard Hokuto say, and was momentarily confused before he realised that the boy probably thought he was talking to Break Sword. "I activate the spell card Stellar Lifebreak! I can detach an Overlay Unit from a "tellarknight" monster on my field to destroy a card on the field! I will destroy Break Sword!"
The monster was shot with a bright laser, but Yuto remained unperturbed, even smiling. "When Break Sword is destroyed, I can special summon its materials and increase their levels by one! Phantom Resurrection!" His monsters appeared in defence position.
"Tsk. So you escaped a direct attack… Stellarknight Constellar Diamond will attack your Ragged Gloves! Crystal Laser!" The monster was obliterated immediately. "You're lucky. I'll defeat you next turn—"
"Yuto won't lose to you!" He hears Yuya shout from the waiting room. He smiled—and then his smile vanished as he saw Hokuto's eyes narrow and his lips mouth out 'Yuya Sakaki' in the most derisive way possible—
Three things happened at once.
The soda bottle in Yugo's hands crumpled in his clenched fists.
Yuri's hands slid around a secret bag in his cape.
And Yuto—
"Keep your eyes on me," he said. He barely recognised the dark snarl as his own voice. Everyone's eyes immediately looked at him—including his astonished opponent.
At that moment, the slightly aggressive if polite boy had been unrecognisable.
"I am your opponent. Not anybody else. Certainly not Yuya. Now end your turn." His rage could easily be heard in his voice. "Never look at him that way again."
A loud roar came from his dragon, one only he could hear. Hokuto snapped back to attention. "I… I end my turn."
"My turn. Draw. The spell, Phantom Knights Cloak. This turn, if I have two or more cards set on my field, my monsters are unaffected by card effects." How could they judge Yuya like that? Nothing was Yuya's fault, it had never been… especially not that. "From my hand, I Normal Summon The Phantom Knights of Cloven Helm. (4*/1500/500/DARK/Warrior/Effect)" He glared at Hokuto. "For that look you gave him, I will drive you into hell with my favourite monster. I overlay my two Level 4 monsters!" A dark vortex formed behind him, lightning flying out of it wildly.
At that moment, his dragon's roar rose to its highest pitch.
At that moment, to the students, Yuto Sakaki resembled a maddened thunder god.
"Formed from pitch-black darkness, to fight those foolish enough to oppose it with its treacherous fangs! Now, descend!"
The students muttered among themselves as the lightning struck uncomfortably close to them.
"Hey," a blue haired student pointed out with a frown. "When did the sky…" All the students looked up to see that somehow in a few seconds, the sky had been filled with storm clouds. Seemingly unaffected by all this, Yuto continued his chant.
"Xyz Summon! Rank 4! Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon! (R4/2500/2000/DARK/Dragon/Xyz/Effect)"
The bipedal dragon emerged from the vortex, letting out its fearsome roar—this time, for all to hear. Its faded black and purple body curved as it bared its fangs at Hokuto. The lightning curved around Dark Rebellion and him, although it didn't shock either of them.
"Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon's effect! I detach two Overlay Units to halve your monsters' attack and add it to Dark Rebellion! Treason Discharge!"
Lightning flew out of the monster's scales, burning all around the star dragon which let out a screech of agony.
In the stands, a pink haired girl shuddered. "That dragon… it wishes to destroy everything… it's so angry."
"No." The girl next to her shook her head, her black ponytail swinging along her shoulder. "It doesn't wish to destroy everything. It's… it's afraid to lose everything. It wants to protect what it cares for, and it doesn't care if it has to steal its enemy's strength to do it. I can respect that."
The pink haired girl stared at her. "Whatever you say, I guess." She rolled her eyes. "I wonder how you can see that though."
"I wonder why you can't," the second girl said absentmindedly, never taking her eyes off the black dragon. "This is about to get interesting."
"I will activate my traps, Phantom Knights Sword. They will both increase Dark Rebellion's attack by 800 each." He nodded to Dark Rebellion. "You and me, partner… Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon will attack your Stellarknight Constellar Diamond!"
He focused all his rage. Just this once.
"Rebellious Lightning Disobey!"
Dark Rebellion rose into the air, firing down a flurry of bolts—and finally one dark ball of electricity, mixed with slight silver. The wyrm monster burst into dust, and one of the bolts narrowly missed Hokuto, hitting the wall behind him.
Hokuto Shijima: 4000 - 4100 = 0LP
[Winner: Yuto Sakaki!] The robot announced. Yuto walked towards Hokuto, who had fallen in shock and offered his hand. Hokuto gave him a strangely unreadable look, before accepting the hand and getting pulled to his feet. "I do think you are a decent person, Shijima-kun." He said quietly. "But I can't let any insult, no matter how small, slide. If we let a look pass, it might be words next, or worse—" he cuts himself off, releasing the boy's hand and beginning to walk away.
"Sakaki!" He heard Hokuto shout. "Call me Hokuto. I can understand why. And for what it's worth, I'm sorry."
Yuto paused. How should he respond to this? Yuya gave him an encouraging look from the waiting area and he sighed. So forgiving… he would be happy that Yuya thought that highly of him in any other situation.
What he would do…
He smiled. "Call me Yuto." He replied. "And for what it's worth—you're not the first, nor will you be the last." He walked back to the stands and sat down in as empty a spot as he could find.
Geez… Yuya was the only subject that could make him break his composure, huh? That much was the same for two other people here.
"Good luck, Yugo."
"Good luck, Yugo!" Yuya said with a bright smile.
"Win, Fusion." Yuri said at the same time with his classic smirk.
For once, Yugo didn't blow up at the words. He simply grinned. "Of course! I'll definitely win, so watch me!"
What Yugo didn't say was that all of them were slightly rattled. They had moved all the way to Domino from Maiami just to escape the mutters and whispers. Yuri hated that it had all been in vain. These bugs!... Damn it… he hoped that Yugo would finish off his opponent quickly. He would do the same.
See if anyone would dare to come after them after that.
They will absolutely protect Yuya this time.
A/N: So yeah! This is my first attempt at a Yu-Gi-Oh fanfic! I hope this will be a nice read to everyone… and I hope I'll continue having fun writing it!
Chapter Preview: Chapter 2–Clear Wings and Dripping Fangs
Yugo and Yuri have their Entrance Exams, as the tension at the presence of the Sakaki brothers builds up, with people demanding they leave. Then, someone stands up!...
See you around, guys!
-Blaise