Of Tears and Hope
Disclaimer: I do not own YU-GI-OH! GX. All its characters as well as its cards and content are all owned by VIZ, Konami and Shonen Jump.
Aloha from the big island readers! Mango here with a new update since I just moved to Hilo Hawaii. I am betting some of you who followed Dark Destiny are wondering, 'what happened?' Rest assured this story is still going to have the same characters as the previous one. The difference being major plot changes and some character renovations etc... That being said, this story will start off a bit different than the previous one. I decided to take the old story down after having read through it and found a more than enough errors to warrant a rewrite. After some helpful suggestions and an idea for restarting, I am proud to bring you this new story. As always, please review. Fasten your seatbelts, because it's time to duel!
Arashi Tatsuya sat upright in his seat as his consciousness returned. He blinked as his surroundings came into full view. He was in his parents car only the windshield was broken and his parents were hunched over in their seats. His sister was sitting in a similar fashion only she wasn't moving either. Panic immediately overtook Arashi as he shook his sister in attempts to wake her up.
He shook her again but to no avail. Lin Tatsuya, along with her parents were gone. Arashi's body trembled with fear. He was alone. All he could hear was a faint beeping sound that just steadily grew louder to the point of irritation. He couldn't tell where it was coming from. He searched the car with intent on finding what was making that infernal racket. His eyes shot open and he sat up quickly in his bed, sweat trickling down his face as he breathed heavily.
The sound was coming from his alarm clock. It was 7:30 in the morning. A groan escaped his lips as he stretched his arms. He did not like mornings. He glanced around his dingy room in silence. He slept on a mattress that had a few rips in it. He'd been sleeping on it for four years. It wasn't much of a setup but at least it was better than being homeless right? Sort of.
Truth be told, Arashi was in a small room on the side of an underground dueling arena. The smell of alcohol and smoke was always filling the place and while it wasn't perfect, it did provide Arashi with a place to stay that was removed from the rest of Domino City. Today was August 30th, Arashi's birthday. He was now fifteen years old.
He finally got up out of bed and got into his clothes which consisted of a torn up sapphire hooded jacket with a white T-shirt and faded ripped jeans with white sneakers. He had long untamed obsidian locks that fell past his shoulders. Violet irises looked out from beneath the bangs. He bore a strong resemblance to his sister, almost like a younger version of her, only male.
Today was supposed to be like any other day. That was until there was a sound of commotion outside his room. This didn't surprise Arashi considering where he stayed. There was always a bunch of noise and Arashi could never seem to get any peace. The underground held cage duels which involved inflicting real harm to one's opponent. Arashi had several bandage wraps on his body so he could heal from many painful duels. The only non duel inflicted injury was the scar on his face from the accident four years prior.
Arashi, curious as to what the commotion was about, grabbed his duel disk and deck and headed out. As he stepped out, he was just in time to see someone falling down the stairs where the entrance was. Arashi tilted his head in confusion as he saw the man struggle to get up.
At the top of the stairs stood a woman with lavender hair that fell to her shoulders, the rest showering down her back and ending at her waist. She had piercing emerald irises and she was fair-skinned. She wore a form fitting business coat that was unbuttoned, revealing a white long-sleeve button-up shirt. She had a black business skirt to match her coat as well as high heels.
"I'm not going to ask again..." the woman said coldly.
"Where is the boy?" She questioned, her gaze sweeping the room in search of said boy who happened to be standing alone in the back out of sight.
Just who was this woman? What was she doing there? All of these questions ran through Arashi's mind as he watched her walk down the stairs. Everything about her set off red flags.
"Well, is anyone going to answer me, or do I have to get rough with the lot of you as well?" The woman inquired, her eyes still scanning the room in hopes of spotting who she wanted.
"What's going on here?" A gruff voice from the back of the room called out.
The man was wearing a maroon business suit with a top hat to match. He had a rather thick mustache and beard. He wore sunglasses to cover up his eyes. A lit cigar was in his mouth, which he took out to speak once more.
"State your business or get out...this is no place for a lady like yourself..." the man grunted, blowing a puff of smoke the woman's way.
The woman seemed unfazed by this action as the cloud faded before it reached her. The woman did not look amused. Meanwhile, Arashi was still in the back, trying not to be noticed. Unbeknownst to everyone, there was a spirit hovering beside him. This spirit could be likened to that of a woman with eagle wings and the head of an eagle for a hat. This was the duel spirit of Guardian Eatos.
The spirit glanced in the woman's direction and noticed that there was also a powerful spirit near her. It was the spirit of a man with icy blue irises, short snowy locks and he was fairskinned. He wore an azure hakama and what appeared to be a breastplate with a crest with golden edges in the center. A sword was latched onto either side of him. His gaze mirrored that of the woman's.
"I've already stated why I'm here...and if I don't get some answers things are going to get very ugly..." the woman said flatly, her gaze going beyond the man before as she had spotted Eatos hovering beside Arashi.
'So there you are...'' The woman thought as she located Arashi.
"I'm losing my patience, and we don't take too kindly to threats down here, so if you could just move along I have things to do..." the maroon suited man growled.
"Well that's just too bad...lucky for you I've found what I came for and I'll be taking him with me..." the woman said as she glanced over the man's shoulder at Arashi.
The man followed her eyes to Arashi who had poked his head out to see what was going on. It was clear to the man what she wanted. Could he really afford to let her take him? After all he was everyone's favorite duel dummy. Sadly, Arashi was basically their 'punching bag' when it came to dueling. He was halfway decent, but the people in the underground were on an entirely different level. Arashi only managed a few victories since he'd been in the underground.
Arashi had been down there for four years. And in all of his time down there he had suffered battle after battle in order to survive. And survive he did. After making a pact with Guardian Eatos, he had a will to survive. It was his favorite card alongside its counterpart. Yes, Arashi had come a long way, but he still had more room to grow.
The maroon suited man glanced back at the lavender haired woman with a frown. Who did this woman think she was coming in and taking his property? Who died and made her Queen?
"The boy stays here...he's our property so I'm afraid taking him is out of the question?" The man said with a twisted grin.
"I'm sorry, I don't recall asking your permission to take him...he's coming with me..." the woman said firmly.
The man paused for a moment. It was clear to him that this woman wouldn't leave without taking the boy with her. This wasn't getting him anywhere. On top of that, the look in her eyes showed she meant business. Her presence was overwhelming, although he showed no signs of fear, it was still there. There was something about this woman that made him feel uneasy.
After a few moments of deliberating with himself he glanced over at the cage. His answer came to him at that moment.
"Alright..." he said gruffly "if you can defeat one of our best down here, you can have the boy. If not, you will leave and tell no one of this place or what you saw here...am I clear?"
The woman thought for a moment, her eyes glancing around the room intently. It was obvious he would choose from their best. Her emerald optics glanced at each face, sizing them up to see who would be a challenge and who was not.
'Hmmm...baldy over there looks like he's packing some heat...then again so does that muscle head in the corner...' she thought as she turned back to the man.
"Deal...you can have one of your cronies duel me...it's been several years since I went 'slumming...'" the woman said with a smirk, remembering a certain young fellow who used that phrase.
At that moment, one of the men who had been listening to the conversation stood up and slammed his fists angrily on the table.
"I've had it with this wench! First she barges in here like she owns the place, and now she basically calls us low class. I've had just about all I can stand, let me tear her apart boss!" The man growled.
"Ah Goro Masaru...yes, I was just considering you..." the maroon suited man said to the tattooed individual.
Goro Masaru was like a walking canvass covered in various tattoos ranging from skull heads to dragons. He was fairly well built, and had a cigar between his lips. He was average height for a man, around 5'10" and had black hair that was slicked back. He wore a black muscle shirt with leather pants and boots to match.
"Why don't you show our guest how we do things in the underground...show no mercy..." the maroon suited man grinned.
"Don't you worry boss...I'll beat her so bad she won't want to duel ever again..." Goro laughed.
"Are you two quite finished? I have places to be and they don't include standing around wasting time on insects like you..." the woman said flatly.
"Why you...that's it, in the cage! When I'm done with you, you're gonna wish you'd never set foot down here!" Goro snarled.
Arashi was still watching what was going on. He'd never seen anyone get Goro so riled up. The man had a lot of pride, and he also had a bad temper. This woman seemed to know that and exploited his major weakness. A sigh escaped his lips as he glanced back at the woman as she was hooked up to the shock device while her duel disk was strapped onto her wrist.
'This won't end well...whenever Goro is mad he can be merciless...however...something tells me she wouldn't do this unless she knew what she was doing...' Arashi thought as he watched the duel begin.
"Before we begin, I'd like to know the name of my victim" Goro said with a sadistic grin.
The woman rolled her eyes and shook her head as she brandished her duel disk. She clearly wasn't in the mood to talk at all. There was a fury in her eyes that was indescribable. She was prepared for war if it were to come to that.
"Who I am doesn't matter...what does matter is that they're going to be scraping you off the walls of this cage by the time this is over..." the woman remarked with a wry grin.
"You've certainly got a mouth don't you? I guess I'll have to teach you some manners" Goro grinned, activating his duel disk, prompting the woman to do the same.
Mysterious Woman (4000)
Vs.
Goro (4000)
First Turn: Mysterious Woman
The woman drew her first card and glanced down at her hand.
"I set a monster in defense mode and I'll place two cards face down. That concludes my turn for now..." she said as she glanced back at Goro.
Turn Two: Goro
"All that talk and you come out defending? I was expecting more than that. I guess this won't take too long at all, now let me show you how it's done" Goro sneered as he drew his card.
"I summon Enraged Battle Ox in attack mode!" Goro declared, bringing forth a powerful armor clad oxen wielding a battle axe.
Enraged Battle Ox (ATK/1700 DEF/1000)
"Destroy her monster!" Goro commanded, causing his beast to rush forward and cleave her monster in two.
The monster was Blizzed, Defender of the Ice Barrier (ATK/300 DEF/500).
"What a weak card, oh and you'll be paying a hefty price for that loss because of my monsters ability. Whenever he destroys a monster in battle, if the defense points are lower than his attack points, the difference is dealt to you as damage. This might sting a little" Goro grinned.
And true to his words, an electrical current shot through the woman's body, causing her to cry out in pain and fall to her knees. Steam, rose from her clothing and she struggled to stand. Finding her balance she looked back at the man with the same blank expression.
"Awww, did that hurt? Too bad! There will be more pain where that came from" Goro laughed maniacally as he took a card from his hand and placed it on the field.
"I'll end with two face downs. Over to you sweet cheeks" Goro smirked.
"Before my turn begins, since Blizzed was destroyed, I get to draw one card" the woman said as she drew her card.
Mysterious Woman (2800)
Vs.
Goro (4000)
Turn Three: Mysterious Woman
A smirk crossed the woman's visage as she brushed herself off. Soon she started laughing which caught everyone by surprise. Those that were relishing her in her agony suddenly started to worry.
"You take a mere 1200 life points from me and you are already considering it a victory for you...how foolish are you?" The woman chuckled darkly, drawing her next card.
"What did you just say?!" Goro roared, stomping a foot onto the ground angrily.
"You heard what I said you twit...and now I think it's time I quit fooling around with you...that one free shot was all you will get from here on out..." the woman said as she grabbed a card from her hand.
"I play the spell card Medallion of the Ice Barrier, allowing me to bring an Ice Barrier monster to my hand. And I have just the one in mind..." the woman said as she searched her deck, taking the card she desired before shuffling her deck again.
"First I'm going to activate Magic Triangle of the Ice Barrier. This will allow me to reveal three Ice Barrier monsters with different names in my hand to destroy one card you control. I think I'll destroy that ox of yours..." the woman smirked, watching as spears of ice pierced through the mighty ox, destroying it instantly.
"My ox!" Goro yelled "you'll pay for that!" Goro snarled, gritting his teeth.
"The only one who will be paying for anything is you once I'm done...and it won't be pretty, especially with the second effect of my card. It allows me to special summon one of the Ice Barrier monsters in my hand, and I choose Royal Knight of the Ice Barrier!" Raising her hand over the board she slapped the card down and brought forth her powerful knight.
Royal Knight of the Ice Barrier (ATK/2000 DEF/2000).
"And since that was just a special summon I'm allowed to summon again if I so choose, and I think I'll do just that...come forth Cryomancer of the Ice Barrier!" She bellowed, summoning forth another monster to her aid.
Cryomancer of the Ice Barrier (ATK/1300 DEF/0)
"Next I'll activate Call of the Haunted to bring back Blizzed, Defender of the Ice Barrier..." she stated, bringing forth her frozen feathered friend back from the grave.
"Next I activate double summon, allowing me to summon one more time..." she said with a smirk, reaching for her next card.
"Now I'll tribute Blizzed in order to summon General Raiho of the Ice Barrier!" She placed the card on the field, bringing forth a white and blue robed man with a sword at his right hip and a fan in his hand. He had long black hair as well as piercing blue hues.
'She plans to attack me with all of those, but what she doesn't know is that I've got a trap set for her...once she attacks I'll blow her away...and with what I have planned, she's done for...' Goro thought to himself with a devious grin.
A smirk crossed the woman's visage as she glanced over at Goro.
"Unfortunately for you, I'm not entirely finished. Sure, I could just end it here...but what fun would that be? I'm also not an idiot because I have a feeling those traps are set up for my undoing...which is why they've got to go..." the woman said with a glare.
"I tune my Cryomancer with my Knight in order to summon my strongest creature!" The woman declared, raising her hand into the air, watching as a card shot from the extra deck.
"You know...it's said that Odin held a perfectly accurate javelin that always hit its target and always killed. How appropriate that you will be undone by a card holding that name. From the frozen wastelands, I beckon you forth! Bring destruction upon your enemies as your icy wrath unfurls! Come to me, Gungnir, Dragon of the Ice Barrier!"
Gungnir, Dragon of the Ice Barrier (ATK/2500 DEF/1700)
The majestic beast roared loudly as it burst forth, craning its neck as it looked down at its foe. Everyone in the room was on the edge of their seat. Some were excited, others nearly wet their pants at the sight of the beast.
Arashi's eyes went wide as he saw the power of the creature. He had a feeling that the worst was yet to come. He had underestimated this woman. She knew exactly what she was doing. And now Arashi had a feeling Goro was about to be in a world of hurt.
"Now, I'm sure you're wondering what purpose Gungnir has here...well let me put it to you plainly by activating Pot of Greed" the woman said as she drew two cards from her deck.
"I'm allowed to discard two cards from my hand to destroy two cards on your field...and since you have only two face down cards...you get the picture" the woman said with a devious grin.
The look of sheer horror came over Goro's face as the woman discarded two cards to the grave. He watched Gungnir beat its wings and send a blast of icicle spikes towards his two cards, one being Magic Cylinder, the other being Mirror Force.
"Ah...that old gag? I saw that coming a mile away...you may get away with that down here...but not with me..." the woman said darkly as she glanced at her two monsters.
"Why don't we put this to bed shall we?" The woman said coldly, pointing to Goro who was now backing himself against the cage wall.
"Coward..." the woman spat.
"Finish him..." she commanded, watching as Raiho took out his blade and raised it high, slashing downward to unleash a torrent of icy wind towards Goro. Gungnir opened its mighty jaws and shot forth a devastating beam of ice towards Goro, resulting in an explosion that rattled the cage, setting off the shock device that was strapped to Goro, giving everyone a light show. Goro didn't have enough time to beg for mercy for none would have been given.
Mysterious Woman (2800)
Vs.
Goro (0)
The smoke soon cleared and the woman could be seen standing above Goro who was now unconscious. That same icy stare she had walking in returned to her features as she looked over at the man in the maroon suit. She glanced down at Goro once more.
"My name is Ayano Hibiki...not that you'll remember it...when you wake up..." she said as she turned towards the maroon suited man again.
"I believe we have a deal..." Ayano said firmly.
Meanwhile, Arashi was still marveling at what he'd just seen.
'She just...annihilated him...effortlessly...' Arashi thought, his body trembling with a mixture of fear and excitement.
The man in the maroon suit said nothing. There was nothing he could say to convince her to not take the boy. After what he'd just witnessed, it would be suicide to try and stop her. If his guard at the door couldn't stop her, or one of his strongest duelists...what chance did anyone else have?
Ayano made her way through the crowd, the people parting as she passed. Her 'target' was in sight. She stopped in front of Arashi, her emerald gaze now fixated upon his violet hues. A soft smile replaced the blank expression she held previously.
She had to stoop down a little, considering Arashi wasn't very tall. She was now eye-level with him.
"Those eyes...they're just as I remember them. Just like Lin's..." Ayano said with a faint smile.
At the name 'Lin' Arashi's eyes widened. Images of the wreckage ran through his mind. The fear he experienced when he felt no pulse and recieved no response from his parents and sister replayed in his mind once more. Arashi wanted to run, but something was holding him there.
He felt the presence of Eatos beside him, his only friend. She was looking down at him with a calm expression. She simply nodded to him, which in his mind meant 'relax.' Arashi took a deep breath and looked back up at Ayano, a skeptical expression dawning on his visage.
"What do you want with me?" Arashi inquired, never one to beat around the bush.
"I'll get to that...but first you need to tell me something..." Ayano said as she looked down at him, her expression turning more serious.
"Do you want to grow stronger...and make your sister proud like you promised her years ago?" Ayano inquired, catching Arashi off guard.
"How did you...who told you about-don't worry about that now Arashi..." Ayano cut him off.
"Just answer the question...do you, or do you not want to be come stronger?" Ayano asked once again.
Arashi thought for a moment. That was what he had set out to do in the first place. That was why he resorted to underground dueling, to get stronger. He thought that if he could beat the odds and endure any pain and duel his way to the top he could get stronger. It wasn't but moments after she asked the second time did he realize what she was really asking.
"I...I do..." Arashi said nervously as he glanced back at Ayano.
"Then come with me...learn what it's like to duel for fun and honorably, instead of for power and survival. Learn what it is to duel the right way. You may be able to become powerful down here, but you will never grow if this is all you know. Learn what it is to be truly strong...your sister, if she were around, would be furious with you if she found out you were doing this for the past four years. So I offer you this...come with me. Come to Duel Academy" Ayano said as she offered her hand.
Arashi looked at her hand for what seemed like a long time. Saying yes would mean he would be saying goodbye to the cage duels, the smell of alcohol and smoke as well as cheap perfume. Saying yes would mean no more sleeping on a torn up mattress in a dingy little room. Saying yes...would mean he would receive a blank slate. He would be given a new start in life. Duel Academy was something he thought of but never really considered doing. He couldn't afford it and he wouldn't fit in. Now, here was this strange woman who just dueled for his freedom and now she was asking him to join Duel Academy.
What if he didn't fit in? What if nobody trusted him? Being an underground duelist gets one a reputation and his was bound to be out there. Was it worth the risk? Obviously it was because after what seemed like forever, Arashi took her hand.
"I'm in..." Arashi said with a faint smile.
"Good...I shall drive you to a hotel where you will be staying before, during and a few days after the exams until you start classes. We're also going to need to get you some new clothes...all of yours, I'd imagine...are charred no?" Ayano said as she walked to the exit with Arashi in tow, nobody daring to get in her way after what they'd just witnessed.
Soon they were out the door and driving out of sight. The rest of that day was spent getting Arashi new clothes to wear, and other necessities as well as a hotel room for a while until the examinations started. Soon it was time for Arashi to take his exams. One thing was for certain, he was determined to get into the Academy no matter what.
So Arashi has been freed from the underground. After Ayano tended to his needs, he is now ready to face one of the most difficult challenges known to man; dealing with people. His fate depends on how well he does on his exams and his practical. Will Arashi get into Duel Academy? Or will he have to try again another time? Find out next time on Yu-Gi-Oh! GX, Dark Revolution!
