(A/N): Hey, I'm back! After...more than half a year. ; And for all those Pokemon fans who suscribed to me expecting moar Pokemon stories, sorry, but I'm venturing into other fandoms. This one is a Yu-Gi-Oh!GX fanfiction, still shipping/adventure, if you like that sort of stuff. The main pairing here will be Fianceshipping (Judai/Jaden x Asuka/Alexis), although it won't be overly romantic. Japanese names and vocabulary will be used.
Lots of thanks to JxAfan for helping me proofread this and offering lots of great support! You rock!
"Er..."-Talking
Er... -Thoughts
Archer
Prolouge
It had not rained for many years. In the eighteen years that the Tenjoins had ruled, the heavens had chosen not to bless the parched earth with a single drop of water. Many of the locals had chosen to flee, but many also remained.
The current ruler was new to the throne, only ruling for five years, but in those years, he had faced harsh criticism and ridicule-surely the heavens did not approve of his family? And truly, the ruler mused, he felt that the previous family did nothing to deserve being overthrown, despite their dark past, they had ruled justly. But, because of the massive propaganda his older brother-the previous ruler-had spawned, the populace remembered nothing of the previous family except their dark origins-not even their names were known, even to the rulers themselves. Surely, the people claimed, that even though the rule under the Tenjoins had proved unlucky, it was much preferred that the rulers have a noble upbringing, not a dark and mysterious past…
Hogwash! Had the populace not learned from their mistakes? Surely not…otherwise many more mages would be in power than simply having a ruling class of warriors take care of everything…
But worrying about the legal system would do him no good. Now, he was worrying about an heir. He felt that it was time that his corrupted family listen to the heavens and allow a true heir to step forth. But how could he find a suitable heir…?
He was certain that his son, Fubuki, would not be accepted by the heavens…and he truly doubted putting Fubuki on the throne would be a good idea in the first place, given his…eccentric nature…
But…perhaps…his daughter…
He knew that she was getting along well in years, and she had grown to be beautiful, as well as intelligent, not to mention that she had become quite the mage nowadays. She would be an ideal wife to an ideal heir, perhaps…
She would be the one to help him find the ideal heir, and help to end this accursed drought…
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"Alright, class, settle down!"
The class of peasant children grumbled as they slid into their seats. They were a rough bunch, with even the young girls roughhousing and working in the fields along with the boys. Times had fallen hard on the country, and it required much more harsh labor nowadays to grow enough crops just to feed a family or to pay for imported crops. Even compared to the life of the young teacher who stood across from them; the children's lives were much harsher.
"Mou, sensei! The big tournament's today! Why can't we just get a day off?" one of the more energetic boys complained.
"Yeah! We get to see a bunch of warriors and mages kick ass to decide the new ruler of this dump! That's way more important that schoolwork-'specially since most of us won't get any higher than farmers and hunters!" Sadly, there was truth in some of the boy's words, and the teacher knew it. He wondered sometimes why he had chosen to teach here of all places, but he had convinced himself that the children needed him. He knew now that a lot of it was simply imagination.
"Don't forget, they also get to marry Asuka-hime! Isn't that romantic, so many guys fighting over one girl?" one of the more effeminate girls sighed. Several girls sighed with her, despite heavy work in the fields; they did still have a feminine side to them. Many of the boys jeered back or stuck out their tongues and made sounds of disgust. The teacher smiled inwardly at this, he was glad that despite their troubles, the kids were still be able to be kids. But if conditions continued to deteriorate…that might change. All the more reason for the tournament to be held, in his opinion. He was rather looking forward to watching it, but he still had a job to do…
"Sorry, children, but I've got a job to do-"
He stopped for a brief moment, listening to the complaints of the children. He smiled, an idea coming to mind.
"But as a special treat today, let's keep the lesson short."
"Yatta!" Many children shouted that cry.
"And, since we're talking about the tournament, let's use this as an opportunity to talk about the different types of fighters in the arena fighting for the throne and Asuka-hime, ne?"
"Yeah!"
The teacher chuckled warmly. "Alright, then. Now, can anybody tell me what the top ranks of people are? They'll probably be the most people that you'll see that are fighting for the prize."
"That's easy!" one child yelled. "Warriors!"
"Alright, but raise your hand next time. And what sort of uniform, or outfit, do you see them wearing? Include weapons." The same boy raised his hand. "Yes?"
"Um…they usually have heavy armor and they carry a sword and shield, and the shield has their family crest printed on it…oh, and they summon monsters using summoning tattoos on their hands…and they have a familiar, an animal that follows them for show, its to show off power or something…"
"Good, good. Can anyone else name their strengths and weaknesses?" This time a girl raised her hand first. "Yes?"
"They're best in close combat sensei!!" she exclaimed. "They have really good defensive and offensive skills, and they are hard to damage. But because of their heavy armor, they are not as fast as they could be. So a really fast fighter could hurt them if they dodged all the attacks and wore them down. But even that would take a long time because they have so much strength and endurance."
"All right, good job. What sort of monsters can they summon?" Another girl answered the question.
"They summon really powerful monsters with high attack power. They always have a family contract with a certain family of monsters, like the Marufuji heir has a Cyber Style contract."
"Very good explanation, my dear. Can anyone say why they are considered the highest class?" He pointed at another boy this time.
"They're always at the front lines of battle! They do all the heroic fighting and stuff, and are always in the heat of battle. It's really awesome and it shows how much power they have, so everybody recognizes their strength! So they're always stuff like lords and kings and all the higher ups."
The teacher clapped his hands. "Very good, we now know about the warriors. What class of fighters come after the warriors, children?"
"Um, magi…" a shy girl said when the teacher pointed at her. "They do all sorts of attacks, from short-ranged to long-ranged, so they usually aren't in direct close combat. They wear long robes and um…yeah…"
The teacher smiled at her. "Don't be shy, you did an excellent job. Perhaps you can tell us about their strengths and weaknesses?"
"Um…they're really versatile, and they can be all over the place, but they don't have as much power or endurance as warriors, so a few good shots can put them out. They're a lot faster though, and harder to hit because of their spells and lack of armor, so that makes up for it…they usually summon with the aid of a staff or some other tool, which is slower and less specific than a summoning tattoo-which have to be crafted specifically for a family of monsters, but can allow for a greater variety of spells and creatures…"
"Very good. What sort of monsters do they summon?" He pointed to a boy.
"Their monsters aren't as strong as a warrior's monsters, but they have devastating effects. They can also summon spells and traps that can power up their monsters or weaken the opponent's monsters. Magi don't always have a contract with a monster family, so it makes the monsters they summon more unpredictable."
"Good, very good. Why are magi lower down on the social ladder than warriors if they are both so powerful?" Another boy piped up when he was pointed to.
"They aren't usually in direct combat and are usually used only as a support for warriors, like, they would use spells to power up the warrior's monsters or use their own monsters effects or something like that. That's not considered as noble as being on the front lines. But, because of their strong abilities and their monster contracts, they are considered valuable assets, so they still have a good standing in the social ranks."
"Very good. What sort of position do magi hold?" The same boy answered.
"Um…they're usually the second son of a noble family, or a daughter from a noble family, or someone trained from noble stock to protect a warrior. They're also advisors, or judges, or bankers, or any other position that requires knowledge and stuff like that."
"Good work. Can anyone name the one exception to that standard?"
"Um…is it the Emperor Yugi-sama? Usually, a position like that would have a warrior in that seat, but the previous emperor, Kaiba-sama the warrior, gave up his position to Yugi-sama, who's a mage…" the shy girl said.
"Very good! Yugi-sama was one of the few magi in history who was acknowledged as being stronger than the strongest of warriors. We would go into that more, but we'll save that for our next history lesson, perhaps, as there is still one more group of fighters to get through…they are…?" He pointed to a boy who raised his hand.
"Archers, sensei. They're so far down the ladder that they aren't considered of much worth to the nobles…" the boy said.
"Alright, can you describe their appearance?" The teacher pointed to a girl that was near the back of the class.
"They wear hunter's clothes, and they have a bow and quiver. Compared to the other two classes, they are ragged and poor-looking."
"Excellent. Can anyone say their strengths and weaknesses?" A boy was chosen this time.
"They can only attack from long distances, so they can be of some support to that, but in a close combat battle, they're completely defenseless. Plus, when they run out of ammo, they can't really do anything else, so compared to magi and warriors, their use on the battlefield is short-lived."
"Alright then, can anyone say what kind of monsters they summon?"
"Archers don't really summon anything, sensei," a girl said when she was called on. "They have little to no magic power at all and when they do summon something, it's usually a random array of a few weak monsters-compared to what the magi and warriors can do, it's kind of useless."
"Good work, children. The flaws that you see on them on the battlefield, their inadequacy compared to the other fighters, are incidentally the reason why archers carry such little prestige compared to the other two classes. Archers come mainly from our class of people-hunters, traders-a large difference in profit and power compared to the others. As a result, it is often hard for peasants to elevate their status. There is one way, however…does anyone know?"
One boy raised his hand, he had a smug smirk on his face; he apparently knew the answer. So the teacher called on him. "Yes?"
"They can be like my dad. He's an archer that was hired for a lord's squadron. He stays at the castle walls and guards them." The boy smirked as the others "ooh"-ed and "ah"-ed, he was obviously drinking up their praise and satiating his ego. The teacher smiled warmly at the childish show before interrupting.
"Ah, that is correct. It is difficult, however, an archer must be able to summon at least one monster in order to do so, which, as we have already said, is rare. So, I take it that your father can summon a monster…"
"Yeah…but it's not that strong. Still, it's something!"
"It's something, alright. You should be proud. However, on the battlefield, archers are little more than sacrificial pawns used in order to preserve more able fighters, which is probably most likely what will happen to your father…"
The boy pouted and started to look somewhat deflated; he was clearly not pleased with what he had been told.
"Ah, I'm sorry! I am only saying this from an informative point of view; it is my job as your teacher, after all!"
"Yeah, I know," the child said in a sulky voice, but he grinned up at the teacher nonetheless. No harm done, he was still a child, not able to take in the full meaning of the teacher's words. No doubt his mind was filled with thoughts about the tournament.
Speaking of the tournament...
"Ah, I did say that I would end class early today, didn't I?"
"Yeah, you did!"
"Mou, sensei, don't go back on us!"
"C'mon, sensei!!"
"Hahahaha…go on, you rascals. Have fun watching people beat on each other and fight over women."
The children laughed as they all rushed out the door, all eagerly anticipating and talking about the tournament; starting all sorts of childish rumors among themselves. Ah, the joys of youth…
The teacher chuckled to himself as he began picking up his supplies, before he noticed that one child had hung behind, standing in the doorway. The teacher took a closer look. Ah, it was the boastful child from before, the one with the father who had secured a position as a lord's archer. He didn't look so prideful now; instead he looked shy, inquiring. It made him look completely different, the teacher thought with mild amusement.
"Ano…sensei?"
"Yes, go on."
"Sensei…do you think any archers would be in the competition…?"
What an odd question. Surely the child must be joking. After the discussion they had today, it was made clear that an archer would not last against a mage or a warrior in a fight; and the difference in wealth made the idea even more ludicrous. There was no way possible that an archer would even be allowed into the arena.
"No, I don't think so."
The boy rubbed the back of his head in a sheepish manner.
"Yeah, I thought so too. I just thought it would be cool, I mean, that's better than all those romantic fantasies the girls come up with, and it'd give archers a better rep than they already have, and, and…" He deflated. "Aw, forget it. It's never gonna happen."
The teacher smiled.
"It is fine to think such things, so long as you know the reality behind the situation. After all, without dreams, life wouldn't be much fun, now would it?"
The child brightened up instantly.
"Yeah! Thanks, sensei!" He ran out the door, yelling at the other children in the distance to catch up. Again, the teacher chuckled. Children and their fantasies…
Perhaps he should head on over to the competition to check it out as well. Not to see if there would be an archer there, of course.
After all, a peasant archer could never have all the qualities needed to win against a mage or a warrior…much less win a princess'-or a country's-heart.
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The coliseum was packed today. Of course, with the event that was happening within those walls, there was no doubt that it would be crowded with as many people as it could hold-and then some.
Today, it was the opening of the royal family's tournament. Lords had been invited from all over the land, as well as the more powerful of the mages. The winner of the tournament would win the prize of the throne and the princess' hand in marriage.
The said princess was sitting in a throne between her father and her brother, not looking very excited over the whole situation. With dusty blonde hair and a similar shade of color in her eyes, she was a rare beauty. Currently dressed in a royal blue gown, the standard color of Lord's stature, despite her being a mage. She herself did not give a royal appearance, her hand supporting her chin as she leaned on the elaborate throne that she sat in. She was clearly bored.
Her brother, sitting on her left, was also not giving any sort of royal appearance at all. He was acting more like a young, excited child, despite being four years her senior. At first glance, they did not look as if they could be related, with his hair and eyes being a deep shade of brownish-black; however, if one observed the way the two acted around each other, it was clear that the two were siblings, and very devoted siblings at that.
"Fubuki, why can't you be serious during something like this?"
"I'll be serious when you stop being bored, Asuka!"
The father, Tenjoin-sama, chuckled in amusement. He treasured every moment when his two children still behaved like children, for there would come a time when they would have to shoulder the responsibilities of their birthright. Asuka had already shouldered some of it, she knew that her judgment was crucial in finding the one heir that would restore their land to its former glory. Behind that bored face, he knew, was a strong queen-to-be, ready to lead by her future husband's side as an advisor and confidant.
"You try being the pig put up for auction!"
At least…he was pretty sure he knew…
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The preliminary rounds had gone quite well. Already, near half of the many contenders had been eliminated, due to either loss or by Asuka's judgment. It was now time for the last round between two hopefuls eyeing the prize. One would be sent home, and the other would join the other successful competitors in the next round.
Now, a warrior came onto the field from one side of the arena, his armor gleaming in the sunlight, sword in one hand, shield in the other. This warrior, Asuka thought, looked the same as all the others-buff, muscular, brimming with pride and arrogance.
She wanted this guy to lose already, and she hadn't even seen the other opponent.
"Let's welcome the glorious challenger, everyone!" the announcer shouted, his voice once strong, now starting to sound ragged and tired. This man was shouting himself hoarse, and would surely be replaced by another peasant coveting the spot that paid well-paid well enough for peasants, anyways. The poor sap was getting himself cheated after suffering like this, Asuka thought. Hopefully, the one she chose to rule by her side would agree with her on this mistreatment of the lower class, and work with her to change it.
"And on the other side, his opponent!" Attention shifted to the other side of the arena, where a person walked onto the stage.
This person immediately got Asuka's attention. He was dressed much differently from the elaborate royal blue armors of the warriors or the ornate yellow robes worn by the magi. This person, for one, was wearing neither armor nor robes, but a ragged black traveler's cloak, the hood covering the face. The person was not entering with any sort of stride or prideful walk, instead, they looked as if they were pushed into the arena, stumbling in at first; then, as they straightened out, turned in circles as they walked towards the center, as if they were trying to take in the entire view of the circular coliseum. When they reached by the announcer's side, opposite of the warrior, the person lifted the hood from their face, revealing the face of a boy around Asuka's age. He had angular chocolate brown eyes that hinted at maturity and wisdom, although now they were widened in amazement and confusion. His hair was oddly colored, a layer of orangey-brown hair on top of a layer of dark brown. The hair itself was spiked, looking almost wild.
The announcer looked confused as well, he did not understand why a contestant wearing such tattered, almost peasant-like, clothing would be in the competition, but he shrugged it off. If he didn't do his job professionally, he wouldn't get paid, after all. He instead faced the warrior.
"Now, challenger, any words to say before you clash with the other hopeful?"
The warrior held up his shield-which held the crest of some sort of green sphere, lined with two curved white lines-and shouted upwards, aiming his words directly at Asuka.
"I, Ayanokouji Mitsuru, swear on my sword that I will win this tournament and your heart, Asuka-hime!"
Go rot in hell, egotistical- Asuka cut of her thoughts before they took any more of a violent turn. She was now hoping fervently that the other boy would beat the warrior. However, she knew that was highly unlikely, impossible even. He appeared to have appeared there by accident, had no visible weapons or armor, and his clothing resembled more of a peasant than anything, which he most likely was.
The outcry was met with various cheers and jeers, the people in the stands getting easily excited by the warrior's vow. How they could still be awed by something that was near similar to the other hundred or so challengers, Asuka didn't know.
The announcer then turned to the boy, who was still looking around in confusion and awe.
"Any words from you, challenger?"
The boy looked at the announcer, his expression serious, before breaking into a stupid sort of grin, his hand rubbing the back of his head sheepishly.
"Yeah, can I get a little help here? I'm kinda lost."
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(A/N): So, what do you think, people? Be honest, offer suggestions, flames, whatever. Judai here will be a bit different, he will have season four's appearance and somewhat maturity, but he will retain characteristics from the first three seasons. And yes, Ayanokouji Mitsuru is a character from the series. He only appeared for one episode. If the hint I gave you guys isn't enough, I'll give you one word-TENNIS. :) Anyways, let's hope I can update this one on a regular basis! Later!