I know that all of you out there who have added me to their author alerts (if any of them still care) have been waiting for me to update on my stories that are out there and waiting. I will have to say that I am sorry and those stories are on hold until I get a reliable editor who is willing to rip them up for me,.
Recently, thanks to my brother, I have been introduced to many different anime series and manga because he is now in college, and he resorted to these things to entertain himself. Therefore, I found myself getting into anime such as Bleach, Orphen, and more notably, Yu-Gi-Oh.
I had always been predisposed towards Yu-Gi-Oh, taking everyone's word for it when they said that it was not worth watching. (actually they said it was "gay" but keep in mind, they're middle schoolers,") Therefore, I had missed out on a wonderful series. So I began with the Japanese Season 0 and continued onwards from there. I watched the Japanese versions, however, because 4Kids has a reputation for ruining anime with their censorship.
Anyway, you probably came here to read the story, not listen to my ranting. This is the story of Raphiel, a troubled teen running from a checkered past who discovers that there is more to card games than just dueling. Oh, and to prevent you all from yelling at me that I changed the rules, I'm using the changed dueling rules that are used in GBA games Sacred Cards and Reshef of Destruction. Nothing is majorly changed, just the effects of cards.
Disclaimer: I have no intention of stealing this franchise for my own. I couldn't even if I wanted to. I can't screw the rules, because I don't have any money…
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I crossed my arms and sighed for the umpteenth time. Riding in a car was really not my thing. I tried my best to get myself comfortable, but no amount of leather could prevent me from getting motion-sick. Even now I felt nauseous, and my only thought was to get out of this constraining taxi and breathe the free air again.
"Are you all right back there? You're looking a little ill," the taxi driver noted, glancing at me through the rear view mirror. I turned my attention to him, mildly surprised that the man actually spoke to me. Most taxi drivers were silent. But then again, this was Japan, not America. Not to mention that the man was right. I am ill, but I'm not going to show it.
"I'm fine. How much further to Domino High?" I replied in fluent Japanese, smiling grimly as I asked of my destination. I was glad I brushed up on my language skills before flying to Japan. This would have been a long trip otherwise.
"Not too much longer. Maybe a minute or two," the driver answered, his attention returning to the road. Whew, that's good. This is why I always walk or bike to where I need to go.
My thoughts turned to my destination, Domino High. Out of all the cities in Japan, I chose Domino City because I heard that many Duel Monsters Experts lived in the area, such as Insect Haga or the Champion himself, Seto Kaiba. I have a deck myself, but I didn't have time to dwell on this right now.
After choosing the city, it was merely a matter of finding the school with the best graduation rate. That turned out to be Domino High. I hoped I had made the right choice.
"All right, here we are. Domino High," the driver announced, slowing the vehicle to a stop. I sighed in relief as the nauseating motion stopped. The driver stepped out of the car and opened the door for me politely. I marveled at this. Man, I wish the people in America were as nice as this.
I nodded in thanks and got out of the car. The Japanese sun shined down upon me welcomingly, and I sighed contentedly. What a great way to start a new school term: with the sun shining and the atmosphere happy.
"Do you need help with your luggage?" the driver inquired, opening the trunk of the car. I shook my head and pulled my only suitcase out of the trunk. In fact, it wasn't really enough to even be called luggage. My suitcase had seen better days. Its black coloring had faded to a light gray, many zippers were broken, and the fabric had frayed in several places. Oh well. Beggars can't be choosers.
I looked at the side of his car, where the mile-yen ratio was printed in red letters. Reaching into my back pocket, I pulled out my wallet. I counted out the amount of yen I needed and gave it to the driver.
"Have a nice day, sir!" the driver said, and he got back into his car and started the engine. I turned my back to him, waving as I did so. With this, my eyes settled upon Domino High.
It really wasn't much to look at. The most prominent feature seemed to be its clock tower, which was smack dab in the center of it. Incorporated into this was its entrance. Hopefully, if this school was easy to navigate, the main office would be just inside.
School seemed to be in session, because I could spot other teens around my age passing the windows on both the first and second floors. Hmm, not exactly what I would have liked, but it would have to do. I hate when people stare at me when I walk into unfamiliar territory.
I strode purposefully to the double door entryway. I peered inside for a second, and then I opened the right door and entered.
Aha! If my Japanese was as good as I thought, then that room to the right of the entrance must be the offices. As I neared the offices, I happened to notice a strange thing about a particular student as he passed me in the hallway. It was his hair.
I mean, what the hell? God knows no one in America could get away with that kind of hairstyle. He would have been fine with just the golden bangs, but the whole spiky, red, and black look? Nuh-uh.
I smiled wryly and let the guy pass. This proves that styles in Japan were way different than in America. Anyway, on to more important things.
Pushing the door open, I entered the office. Looking around, I saw that the office consisted of a main desk with the usual secretary, and two hallways on either side stretching back. I assumed that the more specialized offices were down there.
The secretary looked up and saw me as I entered. She noticed my suitcase and raised an eyebrow, but she soon composed herself as I walked forward.
"Can I help you?" she asked politely.
"I'm the new student. I signed up just two weeks ago. I'm here for my schedule and rooming arrangements," I informed her. Formalities were the worst part about traveling. I preferred the times when I could just kick back alone and enjoy life.
"I see. Hang on while I look you up," the secretary replied, facing her computer. She clicked a few keys before speaking again.
"You are Raphiel Onyx, the American transfer student?" the woman asked once she apparently found what she was looking for. I nodded in confirmation. "Then you want to see Chouno-sensei down the left hallway. Third door on the left."
I thanked her and followed her instructions. Hmph. Japanese honorifics crack me up. I can never get them straight, but apparently this "Chouno" was a "sensei." Assumedly, that means teacher or something.
Upon entering Chouno's office, my first thought was "man, this place is clean." My second was "God, that woman is wearing WAY too much makeup!"
It was true. The woman sitting in the desk was wearing so much makeup, it was almost ugly. At least, that's how I feel. Maybe this style is considered pretty in Japan.
I cleared my throat slightly to advertise my presence. The woman looked up , saw me, and smiled. I kept my expression neutral. I did not feel like being friendly with anyone in authority, because you never know what they will get you to do if you did so.
"Yes? Can I help you?" the woman said. God, more formalities.
"Yes. My name is Raphiel Onyx, the American transfer student. I was directed to you by the front desk," I told her.
"Oh yes! I heard about you, Raphiel-kun. Please take a seat," the woman responded, motioning to one of the two chairs in front of her desk. I did so awkwardly. Raphiel-kun? Hah, that's a new one.
"My name is Chouno, and I would like to be the first to welcome you to our school. Let me hand you your schedule," the woman began, handing me a sheet of lavender colored paper. I took it from her, scanning it swiftly. Ah yes, the usual. Listed upon it were class names, times, room numbers, and teachers. I spotted Chouno's name next to my homeroom class.
"It appears that you are my homeroom teacher, Chouno-sensei," I observed, even using the honorific that the secretary had attached to her. Apparently it was the right one, because Chouno seemed happy at the respect I gave her.
"Really? Then we'll have plenty of time to get to know one another," Chouno replied, smiling again.
"I'll be looking forward to it," I responded respectfully. Hah, like hell. The only thing I'll look forward to is my sleeping time.
"Oh, silly me. You need a dormitory as well," Chouno said suddenly, and she began to rifle though her neatly organized desk. "Here we go. Dormitory #318 was assigned to you. Oh, and it's empty too."
I mentally cheered. A dorm to myself! Man, I haven't been in this school for more than an hour and I'm already getting lucky. Maybe it's an omen.
"I'll see you tomorrow, Raphiel-kun," Chouno said, handing me a room key. I thanked her and left the room, still pulling my pathetic suitcase behind me. Now, if she had only told me where the damn dorms were located. I guess I would have to ask someone.
I exited the offices and scanned the hallway, looking for someone to ask. I noticed that the halls were now mostly empty, because class must be in session. I spotted a middle sized teen about my age cleaning the hallways. He was wearing the school uniform, of course, but as usual, he had a really unusual hair style: Normal brown, but spiked slightly at the front. Damn these Japanese people and their hair!
"Excuse me, but do you know where the dorms are?" I interjected. The teen looked up from his work to see me. He noticed my suitcase, and then he became all friendly.
"Ahh, a new student! My name is Hiroto Honda," the teen stated proudly. I REALLY wanted to bury my face in my hands, but I kept up my image of politeness. Why must EVERYONE try to get to know me?!
"Pleased to meet you Honda-kun. I am Raphiel Onyx," I replied, taking Honda's offered hand and shook it.
"Likewise, Raphiel-kun. The dorms are all the way at the back of the facility. Just keep going until you see a row of two story buildings. You can't miss them," Honda answered, pointing.
"Thanks. See you later," I said and then followed his directions. Maybe now I could have some time to myself.
I chuckled slightly at my own expense and then I scanned the building numbers. I was in the 200s, so I walked to the right until I came upon my dorm. It didn't look like much. It was simply a thin, two story building with two windows on the front-one for each floor.
Opening the door, I was surprised to see that this dorm actually DIDN'T smell like crap. It seemed to be pretty clean, as well.
There are usually two dorms to a building. Apparently each floor is a separate dorm. According to Chouno, however, this dorm is empty and both floors are mine, though I doubt I need more than one.
There were two bunk beds placed against one wall, two closets, and one desk. In the back of the room was a bathroom. I guess this floor was intended for four occupants. For now it's mine.
I set my suitcase on the floor and unzipped it, revealing my four sets of casual clothes. I was sure that once I opened the closet, various sizes of the school uniform would be inside, so I didn't need to worry about that.
I opened one of the closets to reveal, as I guessed, school uniforms. However, there was room for more, so I hung up my four shirts inside. On the floor of the closet, I placed my neatly folded jeans. When I was done, I used the clean (surprisingly) bathroom and then threw myself on the bottom bed of the bunk nearest to the door with a sigh. I looked out the window to see the sun setting. Damn winter and its short days. Oh well. It may be early, but I guess I'd better sleep. I need to wake up early in the morning.
Oh! I almost forgot! I rose from my bed and walked over to my suitcase. In the upper zippered pocket was my Duel Monsters deck. Can't leave that in there. I took it out and placed it in a safe place on top of my jeans in the closet. Okay, now I can sleep.
I closed my eyes and smiled. I had high expectations for this school. I only hope that it lived up to them.
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The alarm on my wristwatch went off, beeping harshly. I opened my eyes reluctantly. Thanks to this damn winter season, it was almost pitch black outside. Oh well. At least I got a decent amount of sleep.
I got up from the bed and entered my bathroom. I took a quick shower, making sure I was clean enough to make a good lasting first impression, and then I dressed in a school uniform that fitted me. I went to leave, but then I remembered my deck. I didn't think I'd need it…oh hell. I went over to the closet, picked up my deck, and pocketed it. Then I left the dorm and joined the stream of students heading to their homeroom class.
Hmm, my schedule said room 028. That seemed to be the one ALL the way over near the entrance. Oh well. I could use the exercise.
I reached the room and entered. The room was filled with desks arranged in an orderly fashion, with a long teacher's desk in the front of the room. Not very complex.
The room was half full at the moment, and even more trickled in. I spotted the cleaning guy in the back of the room. What was his name again…Honda! That was it.
"Excuse me, Raphiel-kun," a female voice stopped me as I went to pick a seat. I turned to see Chouno, the lady from the office, standing behind the teacher's desk. Oh yeah, she is my homeroom teacher. "Please sit here next to me for a moment."
Bemused, I did what I was told, sitting down in a chair next to her. God, this was awkward. Now everyone was looking at me strangely. Damn you, Chouno, for putting me in the spotlight!
The room soon filled, and I had a chance to survey them. Oh God, it's that short guy with the messed up, spiky red and gold hair again. I'll never be able to concentrate if I sit behind him.
"Good morning class!" Chouno announced cheerfully. The class immediately went silent. This surprised me. Was the class afraid of her or something?
"Good morning, Chouno-sensei," the class chorused back. They sounded like a choir of zombies. Apparently Chouno didn't care, because she moved on.
"AS you may have noticed, we have a new face in class. Raphiel-kun, please stand up," Chouno continued. I suppressed a sigh and did what I was told, keeping my expression neutral. The class's eyes riveted on me, much to my annoyance.
"Raphiel-kun is an American exchange student who has just arrived here to learn with us!" Chouno droned on, her voice sounding very girly and annoying. God, shut up and let me sit down. "Raphiel-kun, you can go sit down now, over there next to Yuugi."
I followed her pointing finger to see an empty desk next to…sigh. It's that short guy with the crazy hair. Oh well, there's nothing for it. I did what she said and went and sat down in the seat she indicated. Behind me, someone tapped me on the shoulder.
"Good to see you again, Raphiel-kun," came Honda's voice. I turned my head halfway and nodded in acknowledgement. I kept silent so I wouldn't disturb Chouno. Speaking of the devil, she was talking again. Something about new rules and stuff. I don't care, because I have a list of rules on the back of my schedule. Instead, I surveyed the teens around me.
In front of me was a fairly tall individual, with a confident smirk and spiky blonde hair. Hah, his hair is the most normal I've seen so far on a guy. In front of the crazy red and gold haired teen was an attractive girl with shoulder length brown hair. Finally, on my right, was a pretty girl with strange, pale hair and an innocent looking face.
Okay, I'm not going to bore you with the details of my school day. Basically, my first day consisted of me going to each of my classes and spending them getting textbooks and materials while the others learned. So far, I didn't have any classes with Honda or any of the others I mentioned. Also, on one interesting note, the roster for my homeroom indicated that the legendary Seto Kaiba himself was in my class! Of course, he wasn't there. Dammit.
However, for recess, we were to return to homeroom and check in before heading outside. So I ended up back in Chouno's classroom.
As everyone headed outside to play sports and whatever, I decided to stay inside. Sports simply aren't my thing.
"You're staying inside too?" came a childish voice from next to me. I turned my head to see that guy, Yuugi or whatever, facing me. I guess I had to answer.
"Of course. I don't play sports," I replied, keeping my voice curt, hoping that Yuugi would get the message and leave me alone.
"Haha! Neither do we," Yuugi said, laughing. We? I looked around me to see all of the people who were sitting around me in class.
"So, Raphiel-kun, how's Domino High been treating you?" Honda spoke up from behind me. Sigh. I guess I was actually going to have to be social. I was about to answer when Yuugi saved me.
"You know him, Honda-kun?" the teen asked curiously.
"Yeah, I met him in the hallway when he first got here. Isn't that right?" Honda replied, directing his last sentence at me. I crossed my arms and nodded.
"I suppose I'd better introduce you to us all," Yuugi mused. It took all of my willpower not to groan. I don't care what their names are, because I may not even be staying here that long. You never know.
"This is Mazaki Anzu," Yuugi began, indicating the brown haired girl. Anzu smiled warmly and offered her hand. I took it, making sure to be gentle. I may not care for their company, but I will never be rude.
"Ha! I can introduce myself! I am Katsuya Jonouchi, and Yuugi's best buddy!" the blonde haired teen declared suddenly. I shook his hand as well, my eyebrows slightly raised at his boldness. The others chuckled somewhat at his antics. Yuugi was about to introduce the last girl, but Honda cut him off.
"Last, but by NO means least, we have the beautiful Miho Nosaka!" Honda announced cheerfully. Miho smiled brightly, offering her hand. I took it as well, noticing the grin on Honda's face. Beautiful? Sounds like someone has a crush. Not like I care.
"So, Raphiel-kun, do you like games?" Yuugi prompted after the introductions were over. If my ears could perk up like those Japanese cat girls, they just did. NOW they had my attention.
"Games? Like what?" I asked, instantly alert. Maybe, just maybe, these people were duelists. If so, then I want to test them. Just to see how well they fare against my advanced deck.
"Um, I don't know, board games, card games, and stuff like that?" Yuugi clarified, seeming somewhat embarrassed. Then Jonouchi vaulted over his desk until he was next to me.
"Let me put it this way. Do you play Duel Monsters?" the blonde interrogated. I let a grin steal its way across my face.
"Jonouchi! That's not what I was going to ask…" Yuugi weakly protested from behind Jonouchi. Anzu, Honda, and Miho chuckled behind them.
"I thought you'd never ask!" I said, withdrawing my deck from my pocket, displaying it to them.
"Aha! He plays!" Jonouchi said, pumping his fist into the air. I decided to see if I could duel now.
"Does anyone want to play?" I challenged, standing up. Yuugi and Jonouchi looked uncertain.
"I would, but I promised Jonouchi that I would play him today," Yuugi apologized. Jonouchi shrugged. I sat back down again, the grin fading. Man, now that I'm in the mood, I want to duel dammit!
"Tell you what! How about you come over to my place after school? Then we could duel!" Yuugi suggested, his eyes lighting up. I looked at him, intrigued.
"You mean it?" I asked, wondering if he was serious. Not many people in America invited someone over after just meeting them. Yuugi nodded, smiling.
"Sounds interesting! I'll tag along, if it's okay with you guys," Anzu spoke up.
"Count me in. I want to see this!" Honda added. With this, Yuugi seemed to grow happier, while I merely grew more nervous. If they all wanted to see this duel, then does that mean Yuugi is a good duelist? Hmm, maybe I'll actually have a challenge.
"Say, why don't we all go? I'll bring chips and drinks!" Jonouchi announced, setting up a table for his and Yuugi's duel. The group of teens cheered and exchanged high fives, while I sat there feeling awkward. Miho saw me and patted me on the back.
"Don't be shy! It will be fun!" she assured me. Oh I wasn't shy. Not in the least.
"All right. I'll show up once I finish sorting through my new school supplies. I'll need the address, however," I affirmed. Yuugi gave me directions on a slip of paper, and then he sat opposite Jonouchi and they began to play Duel Monsters.
This was good. Now I had a chance to review my opponent and his strategies. I joined Anzu, Honda, and Miho and watched the two duel. However, Honda seemed more preoccupied with Miho than the duel. Go figure.
As I watched, Jonouchi began to lose badly. However, he took it all in a good mood, saying that the duel was good practice. I noticed Yuugi's deck contained more monster cards than it did spell cards, and many of the monsters were weak. The only monsters that proved a threat to me were the ones that required one tribute.
Jonouchi soon lost to Yuugi, and I didn't even see any monsters that could touch my trump card. Also, my trap cards would tear him to pieces.
"Good duel," I told them, and soon after the bell to return to class rang.
The rest of my school day ended the same way it began, with more gathering of materials for class. Tomorrow, the real schoolwork would begin.
When school ended, I spotted Yuugi and his friends walking off campus, probably heading to whatever homes they had. I also noticed a strange pendant around Yuugi's neck. Strange. I hadn't noticed that before. I made a mental note to ask him about it this evening.
I walked into my dorm and set my newly gained textbooks and materials on the floor. I spent a few minutes checking my deck, and then I organized my school materials on the desk. Now, I had a duel to fight.
I discarded my school uniform and put on a pair of black jeans and a black tank-top. I went into the bathroom to make sure I looked all right.
As I gazed into the mirror at my own visage, I sighed. I look exhausted. Picking up a brush, I began to comb the knots out of my black hair that extended down to just below my shoulders. Once it looked fine, I grabbed my deck and left my dorm, heading for Yuugi's place. It was time to duel.
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So…What do you all think? Yes, I used everyone's original Japanese names, because I HATE what 4kids did to the show. Watch the abridged series. Then you will know what I mean.
I tried to make this story seem more like a journal entry than just plain limited 1st person. It makes Raphiel seem more human.
Yes, most duels will have their own chapters. Also, I will be doing the duels rather randomly. For example, I first compile everyone's decks and assign each card a number. Then, I roll two dice. The number shown is the card drawn that turn. That makes the duels more random and exciting, because even I don't know how they will turn out.
I'm not going to moan about it, like I do in EVERY other story of mine, but please review when you finish this chapter, because there's nothing more inspiring than a good review.
Later,
Terran34