Author's Notes
By popular demand and personal guilt, I'm back in the FF Net world. There are just a couple of things I would like to clear up before the story begins, and this applies to existing fans of the series and new ones
1: This is a rewrite of the original story, which I will leave posted just for the hell of it. You DO NOT need to know anything about the older version to read this one. Rewrite. From the beginning. Some things may be changed from the original story.
2: I actually know how to play Yugioh. All duels that take place in the story and all cards mentioned are real, and all combos/moves done are completely realistic, and work in the game. No godhands, no fake cards to force the main characters to win, no random card draws that the anime loves to do. 100 percent real.
3: In the case of some characters, cards from the japanese Duel Terminal series may be used (Genex, etc.) and may be unfamiliar to some people. I assure that they exist, and if I feel up to it by the end of this chapter, I will have "Featured Card" segments. In such cases, the original names of these cards will be used (Ex: Genex Heat instead of Genex Furnace.)
4: Four-thousand life points are used in almost every duel I write, not because I don't know to use eight-thousand, but because it makes for a much better read and serves homage to the anime setup. If every duel I wrote used 8000 points, they would take forever to write and some of the story would have to be cut to compensate. No one likes that. And yes, there's a story here. A good one.
5: To everyone who has submitted an OC. I still have it. But if you still would like me to use them, I ask that you PM me again so that I can make sure. If any of you have updated your OC's let me know before they become story relevant. I am no longer currently accepting OC's, but that does not mean that I won't in the future, so keep up :d
Have fun, and enjoy the story. There's cursing, violence. Probably sex. Mature themes. Stuff like that. Oh, and card games. Watch out for those tricky bastards.
Enzeru: Oh shit.
Arata: Holy shit!
Alek: No shit...
Yu-gi-oh! - Unlimited Boundary Redeux!
Chapter One - The Unlimited Boundary
Theme Song : Morning Musume - Kanashimi Twilight
http:/www(dot)youtube(dot)com/watch?v=1P73OQd2wsU
I have never seen so many people in one place before...
The wooden docks seemed to tremble with the presence of hundreds, the relaxing sounds of the sea muffled under the simultaneous talking. I was little more than a face in this crowd, barely even that. No one knew my name. No one knew I was even here, or why I was even here. The approaching vessel, I had hoped, would change that. There was a lingering feeling in my heart, something telling me that I was making a mistake.
"Stay home," it told me. "Stay home where you belong. Stay by yourself. You won't last long there anyway, right?"
Not even the roar of the ship could wake me from that trance. Definitely took a couple of years off of my life, though... It scared the hell out of me.
Why was I even here? You never question a big decision more than right before it counts... The boat slowed down, raising a hell of waves beneath it while the intercom rang through our ears, getting louder and louder as the massive ship inched closer. The letters SDA were written in white across the blue bottom-half of the ship, and the deck seemed to go on forever. The feedback cleared, and the voice erupted from the speakers.
"Hello, future and returning students! Southern Duel Academy welcomes you onto the ship, clear the area for docking!"
The people his comment applied to did as they were ordered, but I had no reason to care. I was too far back, behind the bulk of the crowd and hidden amongst faces. The speaker seemed more excited than most of the people here, trying to incite enthusiasm.
"Prepare your I.D. pass and any baggage you have with you," a set of ramps decent from the boat-side, each with one man at the top and quickly flooding with people. "Form orderly lines and make yourselves comfortable upon arriving on deck."
All I had was the floral tank top on my back, the black jeans and belt around my waist, and the pack swung over my shoulder. I didn't really need anything else... I wasn't leaving much more than a memory behind, at least not anymore. My ties with Neo Domino ceased to exist from this day forward.
It was about an hours wait, the newfound excitement made it feel like only seconds, before I heard this:
"Name and I.D., please," from the well dressed CIA clone awaiting me at the peak of the ramp. I was excited, until then. Until the moment where I actually had to speak...
"Um..." I flashed him my I.D. pass, a blushing picture of me with minor bio information. "En...zeru. Enzeru... Adoken...ai."
Sometimes, it felt as if two people were inside of me. Not really two people, more like two forces. The thoughts in my head were one of them, my true feelings and beliefs, a person I only wish I was. The other was my voice, the force that defined me. On the inside, I could be as opinionated as I wanted... But never could I actually express these feelings. On the outside was this powerful, defensive shell of social awkwardness. Surrounded by strangers, thrown into an environment I've never seen... I'm surprised I could get a word out.
A few seconds and an awkward look later, and my eyes were to the ground, watching my feet press forward onto the vessel. I was actually here...
The boat was set for departure in a couple of hours, so I had plenty of time to kill... Not that I had anything to do with that time. Just kind of stood in place... People passed me up from behind, people walked right by, and the formation of cliques began. The formation of cliques, and duels.
As expected, students couldn't wait to raise their disks and start at each others throats. The thrill of the game. Monsters being summoned, spells being cast, traps being set, and life points being stolen. I smiled, looked down to the deck case clipped to my belt, took another look around, picked a direction, took a deep breath... And found the nearest wall to sit against.
People watching. It's a professional sport.
I felt like such a little kid sitting there, though. Too scared to ask someone to play with her...
"That's fucking ridiculous!" Complained the loud voice of a distant man.
"Well, stop challenging her then!" Complained a second voice.
"I refuse, she can't win every time!" The first growled.
"What the fuck are you doing?" A woman asked. I peeked up from my comfortable position, to see a brief rain of cards across the deck. My feet moved faster than my mind, and my hands pushed me from the deck and forward onto my knees, collecting as much of the deck as I could in my hands. The man responsible did the same, our hands racing to collect as many as possible as if some kind of game. Few seconds needed to pass, and the two of us were on our feet, pointing at the other with the halves we collected. The two of us walked in a circle, as if in stalemate. His feet inched towards the rail, mine towards the woman. She ran at the man, growling with her fist back.
"Down, Arata," the man smiled. "If you even look at me the wrong way, your deck is going over!"
"What the fuck is wrong with you?" Arata growled, taking a step back towards me to settle the man's hand.
"And you," He looked at me. "Give those to me."
A brisk wind tossed my red hair about, trying to conceal the emerald glare I gave him.
"He's not joking with you," A man in similar outfit but much longer hair snuck beside him. Jeans and t-shirt was a favorite today, also what Arata was adorning. Different colors of course... "Give it here."
I looked at the small stack that I had, then over to Arata, who just watched me. I thought for only a second, dropped the bag on my back to the ground, and knelt down to tear the slit open. I swapped my deck with Arata's in the case at my waist, and removed my duel disk from the bag.
"You're kidding," He said.
"If you want this half," I slid my arm into place, lighting the disk as two halves came together on the right of my wrist. "You'll play me for it."
His disk then activated, an idle response to mine. A hologram screen rose from the life point counter, prompting him to accept or deny my request. "Why should I bother? I can just get rid of these now and never have to worry about it again."
"Do that, and you'll have her on you. She can't touch you so long as you have her deck, but you won't be satisfied unless you have all of it."
"What the fuck? You're betting my shit in a duel?" Arata glared at me next.
I twisted my smile. Not the reaction I wanted... Can't win them all I guess.
"How am I supposed to trust you?" Arata asked. "You could be just as bad as him!"
Come on now...
The man just laughed at me.
"Fine, fine... I'll bet my deck too," I sighed.
He laughed even harder. "For what, my deck? Fuck that."
"I didn't say that. I'm not interested in taking your cards from you, all I want is what you took from Arata. Nothing more. Against that, I bet both my deck and what I have of hers. Fair enough?" I asked, both him and Arata. "I'm not asking you to trust me with your life or anything, and as far as I'm concerned you never have to see me again after this... I just want to resolve this as un-violently as possible... You were wronged, and I want it to stop there."
She didn't speak. Not a word... As for the man, I couldn't care less what he said. I detached a small, red eyeglass from my duel disk and slid it over my eye, wrapped around my ear like a headset. All I needed to hear was the chime of his disk, the confirmation sound from the hologram screen, and the interface speak.
"DUEL DISK SET"
"D-GAZER SET"
Duel!
Enzeru - 4000
Gradius Guy - 4000
Remember the two forces? Well I guess there's a third one. A combination of the two existing personalities. Intense and risky, but rational. Intelligent, but subtle. My "real" face, I guess you could say. The person I've always wanted to be.
"I had planned on spending the boat ride fixing it up... But I guess this deck will have to suffice," I smiled at him.
"I'll have no trouble defeating a scrub, this won't take long."
I looked back at Arata. "I've got it covered... Alright?"
She just nodded, threw her back to the wall, and watched on.
"I'll start, I draw!" The man pulled six cards from the top of his deck. I pulled the normal five.
Herald of Purple Light, Beckoning Light, Negate Attack, Honest, Dawn of the Herald...
"I'll start by summoning my Victory Viper XX03(1200/1000, Light/Machine/Effect, Level 4) in attack position, and setting two cards face-down."
A glistening dance of shining sparkles brought forth the battleship. A size large enough to compensate the low points, it hovered over the holographic card beneath it, a set of lasers set to fire.
"I end my turn with that. Impress me."
"My turn then, I draw!"
Call of the Haunted.
"I set three cards, and set one monster in defense position!"
A much less dramatic turn. Four cards were then placed before me, three of the vertical, the one above horizontal.
"And that's it."
"I'm scared now," The man teased. "I draw again, my turn."
He paused for a moment.
"Then, I summon my Gradius(1200/1000, Light/Machine, Level 4) in attack position as well, and send my Victory Viper to attack your monster!" A second ship appeared, standing by for its brother to strike. The ship fired its weapons, to be nullified by my trap.
"Negate attack," I tapped the appropriate button on my disk, revealing one of my face-down cards. "I'm safe from your attacks."
"For now," He sighed. "I end."
The card vanished, and I pulled the next from my deck.
Majestic Mech - Ohka
A favorite.
"I activate the effect of Majestic Mech - Ohka from my hand. With it, I can summon him without the normal tribute cost."
"I know the effect. He won't last longer than a turn, though."
"A turn is all I need him for. Go, then! Majestic Mech - Ohka! (2400/1400, Light/Fairy/Effect, Level 6)"
Before my eyes was a pastors dream. Light danced, wings spread, and an angel sang as a lion roared. Glowing crimson lit up the off-red metal that formed my familiar. A blinding light gathered between its maw. "Attack, my beast! Take Gradius out!"
Before the secondary battleship could prep a gun, its metal frame was engulfed by the violet light.
"I then activate the effect of Honest from my hand, increasing Ohka's attack by the monster he battles..." I tossed the card into the graveyard mid-attack, and watched the blast thicken. A second pair of wings spread from Ohka's back, signifying the successful sacrifice of Honest.
The man covered his eyes to protect him from the light, speaking the moment the attack died down to admire what was left of his monster. Nothing.
"A powerful card to waste," He coughed. "You're worse than I thought... Your monster could have taken mine out without the use of Honest! A very rare card, though. I look forward to adding it to my deck."
"Yeah, we'll see," I smiled back at him.
Enzeru - 4000
Gradius Guy - 1600
"It was a nice dent in my points, I'll admit, but that's how it's going to remain!"
"I end my turn, and Ohka vanishes from the field... You did well," I watched him fade.
"My turn again, I draw!" The man pulled, and moved right into his turn. "And summon a second Gradius (1200/1000, Light/Machine, Level 4) to the field. Once again, Victory Viper! Attack and destroy her only monster!"
The lasers charged once more, and fired at my face-down monster. A small bundle of violet light, with tiny wings barely able to keep him in the air. The guns tore the card's hologram apart, sending it right to the graveyard.
I sighed.
"When Victory Viper destroys a monster by battle, I can pick between three effects. In this situation, I'll use the last one, and summon a token identical to my battleship."
Identical, in every way, in every stat. Both that token and the remaining Gradius ship prepared their guns, and aimed for me. A blue, square interface screen rose up from my disk, displaying the number "4000". As the guns were launched, and smoke was raised from the ammunition, the number began to decrease.
Enzeru - 1600
Gradius Guy - 1600
"Sorry to say, but I have you beat..." I pointed out.
"Because you totally have the upper hand right now," He pointed back out.
I shrugged my shoulders.
"I end my turn, quit wasting my time!"
"If you say so," I pulled my top card. I didn't even look at it. "I'll stop 'wasting your time' right now. Reveal, face-down! Beckoning Light!"
"..."
"By discarding the two cards I have in my hand, I can add two Light monsters from my graveyard to my hand," I gently slid my two cards away, and held my hand out to gracefully accept the two cards my disk gave back to me. "And I welcome my Majestic Mech - Ohka (2400/1400, Light/Fairy/Effect, Level 6) back to the field with his effect."
And with that, my beautiful creature returned, violet light overflowing from its maw, seconds from attacking. And yet still...
..."Not enough," My opponent crossed his arms. "Attack all you want with Ohka... It's points aren't high enough to end the ga–"
I flipped Honest around between my fingers, flashing the face of the card.
"When I discard Honest, my monster gains attack equal to your monster's attack... High enough for you?"
The blue interface rose from his disk.
"What the fuck is this...?"
"Attack, Majestic Mech - Ohka! Unleash all of your power!"
The violet light could no longer be held back. Erupting from Ohka's maw with a loud, powerful roar, the raging attack engulfed all of his monsters, all of his field...
Majestic Mech - Ohka = 3600 ATK
Gradius = 1200 ATK
Damage = 2400 Points.
Enzeru - 1600
Gradius Guy - 0
The blue interface slipped into a "danger" red as the points hit the magic number. The cards vanished from the field, Arata stood up straight with a quiet wonder in her eye. Slight traces of smoke escaped the man's jacket once everything had settled. I held my hand out for the cards, and donned my shy persona once more while my feet pressed forward. I detached my duel disk and left it with my bag, giving my arm a break and raising the half-empty deck case from my belt. The man just stood still. Waiting for me.
Arata went to speak, but nothing came from her lips. She had the right to be confused, and I honestly wouldn't blame her if she didn't say a word to me the whole time. I came as close as I wanted to be to the rail, and kept my arm extended without a word.
He just sighed. We watched each other for a couple of quiet seconds before finally...
"Fuck you! Fuck you, and fuck Arata."
He tossed the deck over the rail, and let gravity take them away...
Several things happened that second. The deck box tore open, and I threw myself after her cards... My entire body went over the railing, alerting the CIA-copies almost immediately. I gathered as many cards as I could get before they could seperate too far apart and forced them into the box with the rest of Arata's deck, sealed it closed, pulled my arm back, and threw the weighted, silver case up with every bit of my strength after the whole endeavor. I couldn't hear a thing behind wind and water, and soon the incredibly cold embrace of the sea held me tightly. It was a long drop... It was a hard fall...
I shot up from the minimal warmth of the bed(clinging to every bit of it), gasping for breath and shivering all over... I had on little more than my bra, and I grasped even tighter to the blankets that wrapped me with my face a deep red. The room was small, lit up only by the light of a dim desk lamp. Arata's legs were crossed over the top of the desk, with her chair leaned back and arms behind her head, watching me with a pen cap between her teeth. A bit of laugher hid behind the smile she gave me. "About time... Pretty ballsy of you. Wouldn't be surprised if you got a cold after that stunt."
I continued to look around the room... Both my bag and disk laid on the floor next to the bed, with my deck on the edge of Arata's desk. My clothes were folded and placed at the foot of the bed mattress, while Arata had changed outfits entirely. Her deck occupied the rest of the desk, organized card by card, taking up as much space as possible.
"At first, I didn't really know what to say... Some random girl jumps in after an altercation and decides to handle it for you, it's like something from an anime. I guess I still don't know what to say, so you try," She fought the awkward laughs.
"Um... I'm sorry miss... If I didn't get all of your cards..."
"Please," She sat her chair upright and swiveled around to face me. "You're kidding. Everything important is accounted for, you saved just about every card in my deck... What's gone is gone, and I'll do something to replace them. I'm more concerned about you," She laughed. "What the fuck?"
"I'm thankful... What do you mean?"
"You stepped in and defended me, but I've never even seen your face before... You totally didn't have to do a single thing that you did, all of my cards should have been stolen or destroyed."
"You didn't deserve that."
"You couldn't have known that, though. I could have been a terrible person; I could have deserved it."
"But aren't, weren't, and you didn't deserve it... I'm sorry if I overstepped my boundary."
"No such thing, sweetheart. There exists only limits that we set for ourselves. Set no limits, and there are no limits. Anyway," She poetically recited, and held her hand out towards me. "My name is Arata Muteki, and I want to personally thank you for what you've done for me."
The line was inspirational. Something that, while I may not have understood where she was coming from now, I did understand that it was truth. Setting no limits made sense. An unlimited boundary... I took her by the hand, and smiled as the blushes faded away. "Enzeru... Adokenai. It was, and is, my pleasure."
That poetic verse, and that one handshake, permanently changed who I was... Or who I thought I was. Or who I wanted to be.
-Character Illustration-
By
Meaghan "Onryo" Conley
Note: does not allow directly linking to other websites, input the . where (dot) is for the website to work. Make sure to comment on the illustrations too! Onryo works hard on those for me.
Enzeru - http:/duskeventide(dot)deviantart(dot)com/art/Adokenai-Enzeru-111842874?q=1&qo=1
Arata - http:/duskeventide(dot)deviantart(dot)com/art/Muteki-Arata-115631142?q=1&qo=1