Disclaimer for this story: Yu-Gi-Oh! GX is property of Naoyuki Kageyama and InuYasha is property of Rumiko Takahashi. All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author, punkish furball. The author, punkish furball, is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. The author, punkish furball, makes no profit from this fanfiction. No copyright infringement is intended.
punkish furball – Hey, you guys! ^.^
Words to Ponder:
It's a new crossover! (fireworks and confetti) This time I will be dabbling in the world of Yu-Gi-Oh! GX. Like my Yu-Gi-Oh! crossover, FragmentedFate, I will be using the English names for the Yu-Gi-Oh! GX characters. While I like the dubs, sometimes they're way too silly.
I hope the first chapter is enjoyable and remember: Any questions? Comments? Words of Wisdom? Contact me! XD Without further ado, enjoy!
Fun Fact: Dr. Crowler or Cronos de Medici is Italian.
Prologue
The large ship headed to Duel Academy was abuzz with the excited chatter of eager transfer students. The scheduled entrance exams for transfers were conducted shortly after the initial entrance tests for those who applied late to the academy or wanted to switch campus locations. All those who passed this written exam were going to join one of the greatest dueling institutions established by Seto Kaiba himself. It didn't concern them that they were limited to joining the Slifer Red dorms—excluding the girls who were all welcomed in Obelisk Blue.
"What's with that guy?" one boy, Taski, asked his surrounding peers. He pointed at the raven haired boy looking at the sea from a port side window. He was one of the few people seated by his self. He looked around age twelve or thirteen, a few years younger than most Duel Academy applicants but still old enough to enroll. His deck box was strapped on his belt and his duel disk system was resting in the seat to his right.
"That's Higurashi Sota-san," one transfer, Hideo, answered, "He won one of Japan's regional Duel Monsters tournaments held in Domino City, Kaiba's hometown."
"Really?" another, Yukio, considered, "That must be how he got into Duel Academy."
"What do you mean?" Taski inquired.
"The tournament's grand prize was a scholarship with automatic admission to the academy," Yukio explained.
"I heard he came all the way from Tokyo just to compete," Hideo added, "He beat all his opponents without breaking a sweat!"
"Really?" Taski exclaimed, "That deck of his must be loaded with some pretty sweet rare cards!"
"Did he take the written exam with us?" Yukio asked Hideo, who seemed to have the most information on their fellow duelist.
"He had to so the academy could see how he ranked compared to the rest of us," Hideo responded, "I overheard the tests proctors saying he got the highest score overall."
"So what?" a female student, Chie, haughtily interjected in the conversation, "There's like twenty of us who made the cut out of everyone else who took the test. It couldn't have been that hard to get the top score."
"That's just it," Hideo stated firmly, "Higurashi-san got a perfect score."
"No way!" Yukio exclaimed in surprise, "Are you sure?"
"Yeah, I told you; all the test proctors were talking about it before we got on the boat," Hideo asserted. More and more students began to join the conversation, pooling together their knowledge on the elusive raven. On the other side of the ship, the topic of the teens' gossip listened to their words and took them all in with a slight grin. He didn't care if they talked about him or not. He didn't come to Duel academy to impress them or anyone else.
Sota heard a soft, shy voice call out to him. "Excuse me, but are you Higurashi-san?"
He looked out of the corner of his eye and saw a trio of girls standing next him. They were all dressed in the female uniform for the Obelisk Blue dorms and fairly cute.
"I am," he answered politely as he turned to look at them, "What do you want?"
"We were just talking about you," a petite blonde answered with a slight giggle.
"Is that so?" Sota replied, flashing them a slight grin.
"We heard a lot of good things about you from the other transfers," she continued, "And we wanted to introduce ourselves." The blonde girl, obviously the leader of the trio, introduced herself as Rina. The other two girls at her side were Tsukiyo and Satoko.
"It's nice to meet you," Sota responded, "I hope we get along well at the academy." The girls flushed slightly at his gentlemanly attitude; Sota was much more mature than the other boys on the ship and quite handsome. As the trio continued to speak with Sota, Satoko was drawn to the round, clear gem around his neck resting gently against his collar bone.
"That's such a pretty necklace!" Satoko exclaimed.
"You like it?" Sota asked as he looked down at the jewel around his neck. Satoko nodded enthusiastically.
"Did your mom give it to you?" Rina asked him pointedly, "Or maybe it's from a girlfriend?"
Sota shook his. "This jewel belonged to my older sister."
"She just gave it to you?" Satoko asked in amazement.
"She must really miss you while you're at the academy," Tsukiyo commented.
Sota smiled bitterly and reached up to gingerly finger the translucent jewel. The three girls stilled as they noticed Sota's entire demeanor change.
"I'm not so sure about that," Sota answered, "but I do keep this to remember her by. I'm afraid that my sister is no longer with us."
"Oh," Rina stated sadly before giving him a short, respectful bow. The other two girls quickly followed her lead. "I'm sorry for your loss."
"And I'm sorry for bringing it up," Tsukiyo added sheepishly.
"It's alright," Sota said with a reassuring smile, "You didn't know. Besides, it's not all sad." He gripped the gem tightly in his fist. "I always feel her spirit with me especially when I duel."
"You really loved her," Satoko commented and smiled sweetly at Sota, "I bet she'd be really proud of you."
"I still do," he replied, "and I hope she is."
The girls stayed and continued talking with Sota until the vessel's captain announced that they would be arriving at the academy soon. As soon as Rina, Satoko, and Tsukiyo told him goodbye and walked away, Sota turned back to the window and watched the island come into view. He absently placed a protective hand over his deck box.
'I swear I will return you to this world and undo all your suffering. No matter what the cost.'
-O0o0O-
"Today's the big day!" Yuki Judai exclaimed as he joined his friends at their usual dinner table.
"What are you so excited about, dropout?" Manjoume Jun asked the ecstatic Osiris.
"The new transfers are coming tonight!" Judai replied happily, "Our Slifer family keeps on growing and growing!"
"As if any of them are gonna stay here," Marufuji Sho said glumly, "They'll just move up after dorm switch exams."
Jun scoffed and began eating his food. He wasn't about to starve just because a boatload of Osiris dropouts was running late. "As if anyone wants to stay a Slifer Red."
"I resent that!" Maeda Hayato countered from his place at the end of the table.
"Don't be such downers, guys! We Reds are the best!" Judai cried. The group continued eating their dinner until Professor Daitokuji came into the dining hall with his large feline, Pharaoh, tucked away his arms and stood at the head of the room.
"What's up, Daitokuji-sensei?" Judai greeted him.
"Hello, Judai-san," Daitokuji replied with a grin, "Make sure you save some food for our new transfer students. We have quite a large number coming in from the ship."
"So they're here?" Judai exclaimed and abruptly stood from his seat, "Let's go meet them at the docks."
"No thanks," Jun stated as he lifted his tray and threw it away. He quickly returned to his room for the night. Hayato followed his lead, saying he wanted to get to bed early.
"Are you still gonna join me?" Judai asked his blue haired friend.
"Sure," Sho replied with a nod. The two teens followed Daitokuji to the docks; it seemed they were the only students eager to meet their new classmates. When they reached their destination, all of the other school officials were out to meet the new academy students, the school's chancellor, Samejima, included. Even the head professor, Cronos de Medici, was in attendance, although he didn't seem too willing to be there.
Cronos groaned when the boat finally came into view. There was really no reason for him to be here, and he had much better things to do. All of the female students joining the illustrious ranks of Obelisk Blue would be taken care of by Ayukawa Emi. The boys were destined for Slifer Red.
'The last thing we need is more dropout boys,' he thought.
The ship docked and the students unloaded the vessel. They had already changed in their uniforms and were carrying their all belongings.
"Welcome to Duel Academy!" Samejima greeted the transfer students before he sprouted a condensed version of his usual welcoming speech and introduced the students to the faculty members in attendance. All of them listened attentively but were anxious to get to their new dorm rooms.
"Girls, please follow Ayukawa-sensei," Samejima instructed at the close of his speech, "and, boys, go with Daitokuji-sensei."
Once the meeting came to a close, Cronos prepared to leave when a raven haired boy brushed against him. He scowled at the new addition to Osiris; he won't hesitate to put him in line.
"Watch where you're going!" he shouted indignantly. Cronos was surprised when the boy turned to him and bowed apologetically.
"I'm very sorry, Cronos-sensei," he amended as he stood to his full height. A look of admiration was etched on his features. "I'm so excited to see you, one of the greatest professional duelists and my professor, and I let my enthusiasm get the better of me."
"Grazie!" Cronos replied graciously, a complete change from his previous tone. The boy may be a Slifer Red, but Cronos was never one to deny a compliment. "So you've heard of me?"
"It's an ignorant duelist who hasn't, Cronos-sensei," the raven boy commented and Cronos beamed.
"And who are you, young scholar?" he asked the boy.
"Higurashi Sota," the raven answered.
Cronos remembered that name amongst the list of transfer students Samejima presented them. He was a skillful duelist and the Domino City tournament champion. His acceptance to Duel Academy was based on his dueling skills not his written exam scores like the others. However, there was no doubt his test grade reflected his superb skills.
'He's far too good to be wasted in Slifer Red!' Cronos thought.
"Why don't you come with me to see the Obelisk Blue dorms?" Cronos offered, "You won't be in Slifer Red for long."
Samejima overheard the exchange and was in shock. "Cronos-sensei, this is unlike you."
"I'm merely introducing the boy to his future classmates," Cronos explained, "You don't have a problem with it do you, Chancellor?"
"As long as he's back before curfew, I don't object," Samejima replied with a grin. Cronos was actually being civil with a non-Obelisk blue student, and he was not about to look this gift horse in the mouth. "He should still have the chance to meet his peers in Slifer Red as well." He turned to Sota. "Would you like to go with Cronos-sensei?"
The raven eagerly nodded, wearing a wide grin. "I would be honored."
Forgetting the other new arrivals, Cronos led Sota toward the Obelisk Blue dorms, amiably chatting with him the entire trip.
-O0o0O-
"What's Cronos-sensei doing with a transfer student?" Sho asked as he and Judai watched the professor pull the boy away from the other males, "All male students are in Slifer Red, right?"
"They are," Judai answered, "but I bet that guy really impressed him!" He looked around and spotted a group of male students headed to Slifer Red dorm following Daitokuji.
"Hey!" Judai called out to them, "What do you know about that guy?" He jerked his thumb in the direction of Cronos and the male transfer student.
"Oh, Higurashi-san?" a bespectacled student answered, "He's the winner of the Domino City regional tournament, and he got a perfect score on the entrance exam."
Judai whistled lowly, clearly impressed. "Wow! Those are some pretty heavy stats for a Slifer Red."
Just as Judai started walking away with Sho in tow, the faint wispy form of Winged Kuriboh appeared from his deck, flattering around his head.
"What is the, Kuriboh?" Judai asked the duel spirit. The creature mewed excitedly before pointing one of his stubby green limbs in the direction Higurashi headed in. Judai looked and saw two transport forms floating at his side.
"Oh, I see now," Judai exclaimed, "Those are duel spirits!" He couldn't make out their exact forms from this distance, but that didn't stop him from stopping and calling out to them and the duelist they shadowed. Winged Kuriboh mewed softly at his card holder, shaking his head at his boorish behavior before disappearing.
"Hey! Over here!" Judai yelled, waving his arms about wildly. Everyone else left the docks; only he and Sho remained. Sho sighed as Judai continued shouting to gain Higurashi's attention, but it didn't stop him in his trek to the Obelisk Blue dorms with Cronos.
"Aniki, please!" Sho beseeched him, "We're left behind!"
Judai paused and looked around, seeing that they were indeed alone. He turned to his short friend and sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck. "My bad, Sy!"
"What were you trying to do?" Sho asked curiously. He and Judai started walking back to their dorm.
"Didn't you hear me?" Judai answered, "Higurashi has a few duel spirits! I was trying to get their attention, but I don't think they heard me."
"Are you sure?" Sho asked skeptically.
"Of course I am!" Judai replied, "Why else wouldn't they answer me?"
Sho groaned and tiredly placed his head in his hands. "That's not what I meant."
-Oo0oO-
"Here we are!" Cronos announced as he stepped inside the large dining hall shared by male and female Obelisk Blue students with Sota at his side. Ayukawa blinked owlishly at the sight of Cronos with the raven haired boy wearing the Slifer Red jacket.
"Cronos-sensei," she greeted him hesitantly, "What a surprise."
"Hello, Ayukawa-san," Cronos replied, placing his hand proudly on Sota's shoulder, "I'd like for you to meet this brilliant student!"
Tenjouin Asuka, Queen of Obelisk Blue, curiously watched her professors interact with the student a few meters away. Her close friend and companion, Marufuji Ryo, stood at her side observing them as well.
"What's Cronos-sensei doing with a Slifer Red?" she asked incredulously.
"He must be a transfer," Ryo said. He never noticed the boy before not that he paid much attention to many Osiris students.
"Still," Asuka remarked, "he's never been one to mingle with them willingly."
A group of girls standing near the two overheard their conversation and immediately recognized its subject. They introduced themselves to the Obelisk students as Rina, Tsukiyo, and Satoko.
"That's Higurashi Sota-san!" Rina exclaimed. Asuka and Ryo turned to the blonde and her two friends. Asuka noticed the adoring stares they sent Sota's way.
"What's so special about him?" Asuka asked them.
"He won first place at the regional tournament in Domino City," Rina answered, "And he scored perfectly on the entrance exam." Her friends nodded eagerly in agreement.
"Sounds pretty impressive," Ryo commented.
"But there's more to him than that," Tsukiyo stated, sighing dreamily, "He's an honorable duelist. He duels in memory of his older sister."
"His older sister?" Asuka questioned, "What happened to her?" She had fond memories of her older brother, Fubuki, and continued to investigate his disappearance. An issue with an older sibling like that was something she could readily identify with.
"He didn't really explain what happened to her," Satoko replied, "but he said she was no longer part of this world. So I guess she's…"
"Do you see that pendant around his neck?" Rina asked after her friend trailed off her sentence, "It belonged to her."
"I see," Asuka commented. She wasted no time as she approached Cronos and Sota, who was clearly being ignored by her fellow dorm mates.
"Tenjouin Asuka-san!" Cronos exclaimed once she was close enough and nudged Sota in her direction, "This is Higurashi Sota-san, a soon-to-be Obelisk Blue student."
"Nice to meet you," Asuka welcomed him with a polite bow, "I've already heard a lot about you, Higurashi-san." Sota chuckled and quickly returned her welcoming gesture.
"All good things I hope," he said as he stood up.
"Of course," Asuka replied, "You've made a really good impression." Her eyes immediately found the round, clear marble-like stone around Sota's neck. It was very pretty and clearly a girl's trinket. Sota noticed her stares and began protectively fingering the gem between his thumb and forefinger, giving her a cold look. Asuka instinctively stepped back at the change in his demeanor.
"Cronos-sensei?" Sota addressed the professor.
"Yes?" he answered.
"Thank you for taking the time to show me around the Obelisk Blue dorms," he said with a polite bow, "I really appreciate it."
"Nessun problema!" Cronos stated, waving the gesture off, "Think nothing of it, young scholar."
"I should head back to the Red dorms now," Sota said, "I'll see you in class, Cronos-sensei and Tenjouin-san." He began walking to the exit and left the dining hall. Once the Slifer was gone, the atmosphere lightened considerably and the Obelisk students began to mingle with each other once more. Ryo approached Asuka as she stood in the same spot and watched Sota leave.
"Are you that interested in a transfer student?" he asked her. Asuka sighed dejectedly and shook her head.
"I think I may have upset him," Asuka sullenly admitted, "He caught me staring at his necklace and left. His sister must have really…" She trailed off, not able to finish her sentence. While she still held onto hope that Fubuki was still alive, Sota had none at all regarding his own sibling. He knew exactly what happened to her, and Asuka felt ashamed for bringing up such obviously bad memories.
"You'll have your chance to apologize," Ryo assured her, "If he's as good a duelist as I've heard, Yuki-san will be acquainted with him very soon."
Asuka smiled halfheartedly. "I suppose you're right."
-O0o0O-
"Aniki!" Sho cried, looking at his hyper friend with an exasperated look from his spot on his bunk, "We gotta go to bed!" It was nearly midnight and the Slifer still hadn't calmed down from his earlier excitement. While the new Slifer students ate their dinner, Judai eagerly waited for the much talked about transfer student to appear although he had already eaten his meal. He excitedly watched the door for Sota's arrival. Much to Judai's dismay, he arrived at the mess hall only to get his room assignment from Daitokuji before he turned in for the night.
"I can't right now!" Judai replied happily, "I'm just so pumped!" After his departure to the Obelisk dorms, everyone talked about Sota, singing praises of the young duelist. He couldn't wait to duel him!
Hayato groaned and rolled over so he faced the wall, hoping to block out Judai's voice. "You can meet the new kid in the morning. He isn't going anywhere."
Judai pouted; clearly his friends didn't share his enthusiasm. He stood to his feet and headed for the door. If Hayato and Sho wanted to go to bed that badly, he wouldn't keep them up any longer. "I'll be back, guys. I'm gonna see if I can jog the adrenaline off."
"Run if you have to," Hayato muttered and snuggled deeper in his sheets. Sho did the same before mumbling for Judai to be careful. Judai grinned in their direction before he opened the door and exited his room.
'Now where to?' he thought absently. He didn't want a run-in with campus security, so he decided he would stick around the Red dorms. Judai started heading toward the balcony closest to the cliff overlooking the sea; it was one of the best places on the island to look at the ocean. Just before he reached his favorite spot, Judai come to a complete stop. It was already occupied.
A girl was standing in front of Judai leaning on the railing and looking out the ocean. She wore a green and white school uniform with calf length white socks and brown loafers. Her soft raven locks fluttered in the gentle breeze, and the pale light of the full moon gave her an ethereal look.
'She's so cute!' Judai thought even though he couldn't see the girl's face, 'But I've never seen her around before.' She was around the same height as Asuka, so she could have been a freshman like him and around his age.
'She could be one of the transfers,' Judai mused, 'but why would she be at the Red dorms this late at night?' Seeing as his thoughts weren't giving him any answers, Judai decided to ask the girl herself. With his customary energetic attitude and friendly grin, Judai walked toward the girl until he stood to her right. When he looked at her face, he saw her eyes closed and her lips pulled into a serene smile. She was so enthralled by the view of the ocean and feel of the sea air that she didn't even notice his arrival. Judai grinned; she was cute from this angle too!
"It's a great view up here, isn't it?" Judai mentioned. The girl's eyes snapped open at the sound of his voice, and she turned to him with frightened blue eyes. Slowly, she inched away from him and backed up against the railing, gripping it tightly.
"Hey, I'm not gonna hurt you!" Judai insisted, trying to calm her down, "I just wanted to introduce myself." He smiled welcomingly in her direction, hoping that she would understand he meant her no harm. The girl relaxed and loosened her grip on the rail, but she didn't seem less upset and continued eyeing Judai curiously.
"My name's Judai," he introduced himself, "What's yours?"
The girl remained silent and shyly looked away from him to the sea once more.
"Come on," Judai urged her with a smile, "You can tell me your name, right? How are we gonna be friends if I don't know your name?"
At the end of his sentence, the girl looked sharply at Judai with shocked gaze. Judai was confused; it seemed like this was the first time in a long time that she heard anyone tell her kind words.
"Are you alright?" Judai couldn't stop himself from asking. He didn't like seeing others sad or upset, and the girl in front of him was no exception. He reached for her, but, just before he came he could touch her hand, her image flickered before it disappeared completely.
"What?" Judai whispered curiously as he slowly pulled his hand back, "She's a ghost?" He heard a familiar cooing sound before Winged Kuriboh emerged and appeared at his side.
"What's up, Kuriboh?" Judai greeted the duel spirit warmly as he petted his brown fur. Kuriboh playfully circled Judai's head before gesturing to the spot the mysterious girl previously occupied.
"That girl," Judai stated and Kuriboh rapidly nodded his furry head.
"Kuri, kuri!" he squeaked excitedly.
"So she's not a ghost?" Judai asked and came to a quick conclusion, "In that case, she must be a duel spirit!" Kuriboh closed his bright yellow eyes and nodded, happy that his card holder came to the right conclusion.
Judai never saw the petite, humanoid monster played at any school duels; he was sure he—and Sho and Hayato—would remember seeing a Duel Monster that cute on the field.
"She must belong to one of the transfer students," Judai thought aloud. Then he remembered seeing the transparent figures shadowing Sota when he left with Cronos. He couldn't make out their forms before, but Kuriboh did indicate they were the boy's duel spirits.
"Could she be in Higurashi's deck?" Judai grinned and held his fist high above his head. "Now I want to duel him even more!"
Judai jumped when a loud pounding noise erupted against of the dormitory doors followed by an angry shout. "Keep it down out there, dropout!"
Judai grinned at the doorway before he returned to his room for the night. "Sure thing, Manjoume!"
-O0o0O-
punkish furball – That's a wrap, people! I hope you enjoyed it for there is more to come. L83R! XD
(edited 05.19.2012)
