Yu-Gi-Oh 5D's – Reverse of Arcadia
by Yusei
Summary - "As a member of Arcadia, Rena begins to learn of the organization's secrets as a war begins to unfold. The present and the past begin to clash, unleashing a future of doubt as the Signers rise up to battle the darkness".
Disclaimer - I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh 5D's or any of the characters.
A/N – Four-day weekend ftw. This has been half-done for some time and there wasn't a day where it could really be finished, forgive the long wait for this, especially after the ridicously duel during the last two chapters, it seems both World Championship fics have that problem. I'd like to say that the duel in this chapter did happen; this was duel largely follows the one between myself and Aki early on in the game. I'd like to thank mwaetht for pointing out the error, hopefully it's been fixed and works now. After the duel here, it's obvious what the outcome was, so I hope you enjoy this chapter. Please read and review.
Haruki / Rena -「Neo-Domino」- Duel Stadium
The sun had long crept up from the border of the planet when Haruki opened the door to Rena, Okita and Liquid's room. She watched the still room with cautious eyes, saying nothing until she found Rena in the corner bed, alone. The girl sat with crossed legs, cards laid out in front of her on the level bed, cards tilted on the small creases in the thick sheet. Smiling, Haruki entered more comfortably and moved to the end of the bed, where her swinging robe caught Rena's eye.
The redheaded girl looked up at the brunette, seeing a lilac band wrapped around the girl's head, falling behind her chestnut head. The small collection of cards in her hand felt to the back of her mind and she smiled up at her friend.
"Haruki, is everything alright?" she asked.
"Yeah, of course" Haruki giggled. "Hey, I heard something interesting's going on in one of the higher classes"
"Huh, what's happening?" Rena inquired, tilting her head.
"Seria-san claimed that Izayoi-san was going to duel with some of the students to see how far their powers have come from when they were in our class" Haruki answered with a bright face, leaning forward so loose hairs fell over her neck. "Don't you want to come and see how strong she is? The Fortune Cup means nothing, that Satellite guy got lucky".
"I don't know" Rena murmured. "He did beat Jack Atlus as well; maybe he's got some real skill. Just because someone's from Satellite doesn't meant they can't be good at Duel Monsters".
"Maybe, but I'm not convinced" Haruki pouted, puffing her cheeks at the idea of her friend falling for the missing result. "Isn't it convenient that that strange light engulfed the Stadium as the final moves were played out? That hid any proof of Jack losing".
"The scoreboard seemed to agree with a result" Rena answered.
"Anything could have happened" Haruki sighed, folding her arms over her chest. "I'm sure that Satellite guy had someone to tamper with the controls".
"Not everyone from Satellite has to be a criminal, do they?" Rena protested uneasily.
"Probably not, but that's the idea that the Director gives" Haruki replied.
"I bet he's never even been to Satellite and seen what it's really like" Rena scowled, leaning back and turning her head away.
"Probably not" Haruki answered with shrugged shoulders. "But still, don't you want to see what Izayoi-san can really pull off?"
Rena looked back and smiled at the brunette, collecting her cards and stood on the side of the bed. She laid the cards into the Duel Disk beside her feet and slid the device underneath the bed, where she had originally found it. Haruki smirked at her, a look mirrored in Rena's face.
"Took you long enough" the brunette gave a hearty chortle.
-遊戯王5D's-
Arcadia ~ Chapter 4 – Power of the Black Rose Witch! Appear Now, Black Rose Dragon ~ Arcadia
Okita / Liquid / Rena -「Neo-Domino」- Duel Stadium
Haruki and Rena had watched in awe as Izayoi Aki ripped apart the forces of her opponents, summoning her signature Black Rose Dragon that had fallen in the Fortune Cup tournament with ease every time and striking down anyone who opposed her creature. No-one stood a chance; it was all proof that she was the crown jewel of Arcadia.
After the duels had come and Divine had escorted Aki away from the training ground, Haruki and Rena made their way back towards the living quarters, ignoring those that walked briskly past them.
"It's strange, Izayoi-san seems different" Haruki sighed, gripping her chin.
"Perhaps she'll still tired after what happened at the tournament" Rena suggested.
"I don't think so, her powers seem stronger than normal. But she seems to be upset over something" Haruki answered. "She's probably blaming herself for not getting further, or that she lost to an unknown from Satellite. It's not the impression she was hoping to set about Arcadia".
"You mean she'll think we're weak because she lost to that guy?" Rena asked. "But they all saw what she was capable of before then. And even while she was duelling him, she put up a tough fight – he was all battered and bruised after all".
"That's why people fear us" Haruki sighed, looking down to the floor. "We're not all like Izayoi-san, but she still seems to feel the need to fight for us all. She should focus on herself; I don't want her feeling bad because she had a heavy burden on her shoulders at the tournament".
Having heard the conversation through the CCTV cameras set up in the corner of the ceiling, Divine turned to Aki with a soft smile. She, on the other hand, seemed withdrawn and distant. He crossed the short distance between them, where he laid his hands onto her shoulders and brought her wavering auburn eyes to his.
"You see, Aki? They still love you, you're an idol to them" he whispered encouragingly.
"But… they know I'm not myself" Aki sighed. "I failed you, Divine. I failed you and Arcadia".
"That doesn't' matter though, Aki" Divine insisted.
"That's the only reason I went to that stupid tournament" Aki mumbled. "I failed".
Divine frowned; he had come to the conclusion that the emotional strain from her duel with Yusei was still taking its toll. Her appearance during the training session had been to test that her powers were still stable; they worked – they were stronger than they had been for a long time – but they were uncontrollable, even to him. Aki had never truly grabbed the reigns of her powers, now even he was struggling to keep a grip. Something was wrong with her, but he had yet to learn exactly what. He cast his eyes onto the monitor showing Haruki and Rena, smiling and talking whilst they walked after the others; free to go wherever they wanted. A thin smirk grew over his face.
"Aki, I have an idea" he uttered. "Why not duel this one in private?"
"In private?" Aki echoed, puzzled by the proposal.
"Yes. You see, she's the newest member of Arcadia, and she seems to be struggling to truly get a hold of her powers. Sort of like you when you joined" he answered. "She has a lot of potential, she could become stronger, not as strong as you, but much stronger than most of her friends".
"She's just joined, but you want to push her powers to see just how much they can take?" Aki summarised. She watched the strolling pair through the screen; she had been isolated before joining the movement, she had been alone and scared, hiding behind a mask and living in black alleys. She had no-one to turn to until Divine appeared and smiled through the porcelain face; this time, things could be different. "Okay, then. I shall help her".
Divine's smile grew in strength; with the duel, he could kill two birds with one stone.
Liquid, Okita, Haruki and Rena were seated in a large chamber that doubled as a canteen. A few others sat at other tables, speaking to their friends or reading novels that fascinated them. Rena clutched the card mug in front of her, nursing a steaming hot chocolate; Haruki beside her had a plastic bottle filled with orange juice and the males opposite sat behind coffees. Okita smiled as he told the story of two of his peers trying to pull a prank on the others, planting a stink bomb in the toilets for the sake of lost school days at the Duel Academy, only for it to explode whilst they were still in the stall, bringing out laughter from his three friends.
"Even if it worked, Seria-san would have come down on them like a ton of bricks" Liquid chuckled. "They got off easy in that respect".
"I heard Seria-san can be really scary when she gets pissed" Haruki added. "I don't even want to imagine how red her face would have been if they managed to pull it off".
"I'll drink to that" Okita laughed.
Rena smiled at each of her friends, glad she had been able to meet with them after being introduced to the Arcadia Movement; she felt grateful to each. Her eyes fell to the steaming drink between her hands, wondering why she had forgotten about the past, knowing Divine's version of events that she pleaded to have memories overridden to forget the horrific experiences she endured, but found herself more curious to learn what had happened to her. She was lost in her own world, contemplating the past, staring into the clearing foam on top when a voice broken through.
"Rena?"
Her head shot up, finding all three faces on her. She smiled sheepishly and pressed her hand against the back of her head, embarrassed to have been caught out daydreaming whilst her friends laughed together.
"Is something the matter?" Okita inquired.
"No, I'm okay. I was just thinking about something" the redhead answered with the same smile.
Liquid said nothing, but sipped his coffee and watched the others over the brim of his cup. Beyond Haruki's shoulder, he watched as Divine and Aki entered the large setting, their mouths closed and their eyes scanning the room. He sucked in more coffee and gulped, feeling the burning liquid scorch his throat. He pressed the cup back down onto the varnished wooden table and took a few deep breaths to sooth his tender throat. Okita, Haruki and Rena all watched him curiously, watching him wince and clench his fists clench tighter to deal with the pain.
"Liquid, are you alright?" Okita asked, laying a hand onto his friend's back.
"I- I'm fine" Liquid gasped. He pointed over Haruki's shoulder and to where Divine and Aki stood, now fixed on their table.
The three turned in their direction, also surprised to find the pair standing where there were few Psychics that could be of any use to them at the time. They watched as Divine muttered something to Aki and then led her in their direction. Liquid searched the canteen for anyone else they could be heading towards, but found no-one else near them, but scattered across other tables, also watching the approach. The two came to a halt beside the edge of the table, towering over Rena and Liquid, who gazed up at them.
"Divine sir, Izayoi-san, is something the matter?" Liquid asked shakily.
"Nothing is wrong, I merely wished to speak with Rena for a moment" Divine answered, looking down to the redhead.
Rena's head sank between her shoulders and she looked to the others. "I'll be right back guys, I should see what Divine wants to speak with me about".
She climbed up from the curved wooden chair and stood before the superiors, failing in standing as tall as either, she found herself centimetres shorter than Aki. The two led her to the edge of the canteen and stopped beside the orange wall, the eyes of other Psychics were trained onto them – Liquid, Okita and Haruki among the stares.
"Is there something I can help you with, Divine?" Rena asked.
"Rena, you're the newest member of Arcadia, and you seem to be suffering the same difficulty that Aki faced when she joined" Divine claimed with a gentle smile. "I thought it would be best if you were to duel each other; Aki could help you unlock the powers that you're holding back. I know what you went through before was unpleasant and that subconsciously you're hiding those powers, but you've got to let them run free and show you have worth. Prove those people who taunted you wrong".
Rena frowned vaguely; Divine knew more about her past than she did, she didn't know anything of taunts and hateful faces, of vicious words and violent wishes. Her eyes softened and narrowed, sinking deeper into despair over the past that she had lost willingly. A hand fell onto her shoulder; she looked up to Divine, but found his arms both hanging by his side, which drew her to Aki.
"It's hard, but you will fight back and become stronger" the experienced girl whispered.
"Izayoi-san…" Rena breathed. "But what about if I was to find someone who can fight back? Like you did with that guy at the Fortune Cup?"
Aki flinched and her fingers tightened, pressing nails against the fabric of the Arcadia cloak over Rena's shoulder. The younger girl winced at the change in grip and looked back to Aki, her face was losing colour gradually and her eyes flared with emotions between fury and regret.
"Izayoi-san?" Rena echoed.
"Aki, I told you already, you should stop blaming yourself for what happened at the Fortune Cup" Divine hushed, grabbing both of Aki's shoulders and leaning over to bring his lips close to her ear. "It's alright, you need to keep calm".
"What's the matter?" Rena asked, unnerved by the change in Aki's face.
"Aki has been disheartened by her elimination from the tournament and claims that not being able to reach Jack Atlus means she's failed Arcadia" Divine sighed. "No matter what I tell her, she seems to stand by that".
Aki's body moved again and her arm fell. She heaved for air, taking in deeper breaths than normal, like Divine's voice had been a key to unlock her shutdown lungs. Colour returned to her face and she looked back up, somewhat regretfully at Rena.
"I'm sorry, I don't know what came over me" she muttered.
"It's alright, Izayoi-san" Rena answered. "Nobody believes you let down Arcadia, we're all proud of you for doing so well, enough to be recognised by the Director as a participant for the tournament. How you did means nothing, you proved that you have a lot of power and skill, more than anyone else here".
Divine signalled Aki's eyes with a nod. Aki smiled faintly at the girl, a sign of gratitude for her kind words. Rena smiled back and looked to Divine.
"Okay, I'll duel Izayoi-san" she stated.
A grin came to Divine's face and he stepped forward. "I'm glad you've agreed; with this duel, you should be able to tap into the Psychic powers you've been holding back. Then we can begin to see how much control you have over them".
"Yes sir" Rena replied.
"I'll have Seria come and fetch you later, for now, you have other things to get on with" Divine added, looking up to the three watching the distant trio from the table.
"The others" Rena commented, looking over her shoulder when she was reminded of their watchful eyes.
"You should spend the rest of the day with them. Seria will come some time in the evening after dusk" Divine suggested. "I'd also appreciate you not telling anyone else about this; it may draw unwanted attention from the others. It's rare that Aki duels students, especially younger duellists such as yourself, it may cause a stir and bring people to watch. Spectators are the last thing we need; this duel will be about you two".
"I understand" Rena replied with a nod.
"Alright then, we'll see you tonight" Divine stated with a smile, patting the top of Rena's head.
A twinge of jealously flashed in Aki's eyes as she watched the brief petting. Rena turned and moved back towards Liquid, Okita and Haruki, leaving Divine to lead the Fortune Cup participant out of the canteen and towards their private quarters. Rena seated herself beside Haruki, aware of the three stares through her closed eyes. She leaned back to straighten herself and caught a glimpse of the three.
"What was that all about?" Okita asked curiously.
"Perhaps it's regarding your returning late from the Fortune Cup and just going straight to sleep" Liquid mumbled. "I was beginning to wonder if you would be fit for a big operation like that, seems like I wasn't wrong to be concerned".
"It was nothing to do with that" Rena protested calmly, twitching her eyes with irritation. "I stayed at the Fortune Cup not by choice, but I managed to catch the final match; it was certainly interesting to see what people outside this place get up to".
"What are you talking about?" Haruki asked.
"A massive dragon appeared; it looked almost like it was made of red energy" Rena replied. "Gusts suddenly started whipping about and a flash came from it. When the light faded, the match was over. I know you guys wouldn't have seen it because the convoy was scheduled to leave at the time the match happened".
"Sounds weird" Haruki scowled. "They mock and fear us, but then summon out some dragon that has the same effect as our powers. Jerkoffs".
"I don't know if they did summon it" Rena responded, leaning forward slightly.
"Huh? What are you on about? You just said that it appeared" Liquid asked suspiciously.
"What I mean is that everyone seemed shocked when it appeared; like they hadn't seen it or expected it" Rena explained. "I don't think it was supposed to show up, but somehow, it did. Something strange is happening".
"Don't kick up a storm about it though, the Fortune Cup seems to be something people aren't interested in because a guy from Satellite won" Liquid sighed, shrugging his shoulders. "You may as well move on like the rest of us".
Rena frowned and tilted her head downwards, thinking that it was possible Liquid was right. There was still so much about the tournament that bothered her; the dragon, how a Satellite man had won over Aki, Carly and what she was up to. She gazed down at the hot chocolate without a thin layer of foam floating on top, seeing her reflection stare back.
In the bedroom, Rena pulled the Duel Disk she had sitting on her bed before out from beneath the veil. Haruki stood in the doorway, watching as the girl prepared. She moved deeper into the room, otherwise empty with the absence of Liquid and Okita, Haruki frowned when she noticed Rena was attaching the Duel Disk to her wrist.
"What are you doing?" she asked.
Rena turned to Haruki, smiling innocently whilst sliding her cards into the deck slot of the machine clamped to her. "Divine said he's going to help me reach my powers. He said that after I came here, something happened that made me seal my powers inside, so that they won't work properly. Divine offered to help me tonight, he told me to bring my Duel Disk and cards so we could see what I could do with them".
"That's strange" Haruki mumbled, gripping her chin curiously. "So that's what you were talking about with Divine and Izayoi-san".
"Just don't tell the others, Divine wants this to stay secret" Rena pleaded. "I think that right now, I only border as a Psychic Duellist; someone that can't even use their powers".
"No, that's not true at all" Haruki answered, shaking her head. "You have the powers inside of you, just because you can't use them yet, it doesn't mean you're not a Psychic. Most people can't use or control them the majority of the time when they arrive here. I suppose it's because you're the newest member of Arcadia right now that Divine is focused on you".
Rena nodded with a smile, relieved that she was capable of confiding in Haruki. A knock came from the door, drawing the attention of both girls. The door creaked open and Seria's head slipped in with a warm smile.
"Rena, Divine sent me to get you" she confirmed.
"Alright, I'm coming" Rena answered. She cast a glance at Haruki, smiling optimistically still. "If I don't get back in a while, then I'll catch up with you in the morning".
"Okay then" Haruki uttered with a nod.
Rena strode across the room, crossing from Haruki to Seria and followed the elder Psychic out of the room. Left alone, Haruki frowned, feeling a sense of isolation around her, she wanted to know exactly what had shut down Rena's powers and why, but she had to sit on the outside and look inwards, hope that the session with Divine would succeed. Until then, she had nothing more to do than wait.
Rena followed Seria through the corridors that had led her to the bedroom when she first moved from the laboratory to the living quarters. She observed the details left behind during their last voyage through the level of the building. The peach corridors fell behind, replaced by sterile metal cobalt, dropping the temperature of the air and Rena's blood. The uncertainty over her history crept up her spine and the memory of waking up in the cold place warmed only by buzzing monitors came back.
"Seria-san?" she asked.
"Don't worry, this is just a route Divine asked us to take to avoid the others catching on" Seria stated without looking back at the girl. "Izayoi-san is that important to people here, and it's not often that people other than those in the higher ranks get to go to Divine's office".
"That's where we're going?" Rena asked.
Seria paused in front of two steel doors and pushed the tip of her finger against a small button depicting an arrow pointing towards the roof of the building. The doors opened, granting the two passage to the box. Once they stood in the centre, they began to close, shutting them away from the outside world. The lift began to move, climbing up the layers of the tower across the space of a minute and stopped gently. Once again, the now chestnut passage was opened up before them and Seria was first to step out, leading Rena in the opposite direction and along the new corridors.
A series of turns brought them before two oaken doors, Seria paused in the centre and tapped the divide with her knuckles. Rena stood behind her silently, watching the door handles gleaming under the lights fixed over their heads.
"Divine, sir, it's Seria" the elder woman called.
The door opened towards them, forcing both females to retreat a few steps. Divine's smiling face appeared, still the eyes with a professional shine to them unlike those he had given earlier.
"I see, you've come as I hoped" he uttered calmly. "Come in, Aki is waiting for us".
Seria bowed and permitted Rena to cross the corridor, the girl did so and paused in front of Divine, looking back at the higher rank woman, her eyes sealed closed in respect for the man in front of her.
"Isn't Seria-san coming?" she asked anxiously.
"Seria has other maters to attend to, I'm afraid" Divine answered. "But I'll make sure she comes back once you and Aki are finished. Is that alright?"
"Uh… yeah" Rena sounded, adding a nod onto the end of her reply.
Divine opened his arm to grant her access, giving her room to enter the large office. She gazed in awe at the chamber, marble statues of figures stood in front of pillars fixed into the walls, a simple bookcase fitted between two near the large picture window, reaching from floor to the ceiling, and a subtle des in front of glass barrier. By the box, Aki stood with her pink Duel Disk attached to her left arm, watching the pair patiently.
"Izayoi-san" Rena exhaled.
"Aki has been eager to help you" Divine claimed, standing by Rena's side, the door creaked closed behind them. "I know this may seem a bit intimidating, but Aki is here to help you, if her powers bring any harm to you, just say so".
"O- okay" Rena gulped.
She crossed the chamber and stood in front of Aki, her face showing all uncertainty to the arrangement clearly for the experienced Psychic to see. She smiled at the apprentice.
"It'll be okay, I'll limit my powers so nothing happens" she assured.
"Thank you, Izayoi-san" Rena mumbled.
"Aki, Rena, you should face each other horizontally, I'd rather there not be any risk of the window breaking and someone taking a nasty tumble" Divine called, interrupting their brief conversation.
Aki nodded and moved towards the bookcase, Rena aligning herself opposite and in front of the marble statue opposite, a large base beneath the sculpture waited behind her.
"I'll let you move first, Rena" Aki called across the room.
Both girls activated their Duel Disks, a brief flicker of light coming from the machines and a lively whir to announce their awakening. The two drew five cards from their decks and held them in their left hand, watching each other throughout the procedure.
"Duel!"
DUEL START
AKI - RENA
4000 - LP - 4000
FIRST TURN – RENA
"Okay, draw" Rena called, removing a sixth card from her deck. She turned it around, smiling at the text across the box beneath the card's artwork. "I summon Mystic Tomato [ATK 1400] in attack mode".
She threw down the card, summoning a sparkling blue vortex. Through it, a giant version of the fruit bounced through, sporting a large open mouth with jagged teeth. A purple tongue waved from the demented mouth, yellow eyes with blood pupils leapt from one spot to another with a large nose between them. On top of the simple body, the green stem that would normally connect it to the plant of its birth wagged sharply.
"I also set a card face-down" Rena added, sliding the card into the lower compartment of her Duel Disk. "Turn end".
SECOND TURN – AKI
"It's my turn; draw" Aki bellowed, tearing the top card of her deck away from the others. "I activate Fragrance Storm, which will destroy your Mystic Tomato. And since it isn't destroyed through battle, its effect won't activate".
Gales blew swept across the field from the Magic card's hologram, tearing apart the fruit on Rena's field. The winds howled wildly, like a real storm was taking place inside the large chamber, Rena groaned as she held up her right arm to shield her eyes. Her hair and uniform flapped uncontrollably as a result of the winds, but neither Aki nor Divine seemed surprised about the power. The gales died slowly, what Rena could see afterwards was an expressionless Aki and an intrigued Divine standing in the corner of the battle.
"Fragrance Storm also lets me draw a card – if it's a Plant monster, I can draw a second" Aki stated, removing the top card of her deck. She didn't draw a second, but inserted the card into her hand and retrieved another. "I summon Twilight Rose Knight [ATK 1000] to the field".
A miniature whirlwind began; the entrance for the black and violet armoured knight. Ice blue hair hung either side of its face and over its forehead, pressed down by a helm resembling an upside-down 'T'. A white cape hung from the broad shoulder plates, matching the body suit underneath the armour, revealing through the waist, thighs and just above the elbows. The bottom half of the armour hung like wilting petals; one covering the crotch and hanging solely, the other stretching across the back and around the sides of the legs, matching boots could be seen sticking out as it stretched its legs. A small sword was its choice of weapon, gleaming when it waved slowly under the creeping moonlight; the main source of light above the nightlights of Neo-Domino.
"A Tuner…" Rena exhaled anxiously.
"Twilight Rose Knight's effect allows me to Special Summon a Plant-type monster when it's summoned" Aki stated without any sign of feeling. "I summon Gigantic Cephalotus [ATK 1850]".
Beside the knight, a two-legged plant rose, made of a body and leaves for legs and feet. From the back of its head, a long orange stem hung like a tail inserted in the wrong place, across the body underneath, there were pink markings, matching the jaws hanging on the outside of this mouth. That mouth quickly opened and it began to snap wildly, showing its plain orange mouth and tongue, Rena flinched at the savage creature.
"Uh oh, now she has a total of seven stars" Rena gasped, drops of sweat building across her forehead. "That means she can Synchro Summon her ace!"
"You're correct" Aki mumbled. She threw up her right arm and stretched her fingers. "I'm tuning my Level 3 Twilight Rose Knight with my Level 4 Gigantic Cephalotus!"
The knight relinquished it body, three stars dancing the sky and joined, birthing three green rings. They descended over the beast-plant, finding the four stars within it and snatching them. They played for a few seconds as Aki chanted and lined up.
"Tsumetai honoo ga sekai no subete wo tsutsumikomu. Shikkoku no hana yo, hirake! Shinkuro Shoukan! Arawareyo, Burakku Rōzu Doragon! [ATK 2400]" [1]
A pillar of light exploded from the process of tuning and from it, the large dark dragon with immense rose petals across its body in the form of wings and decorations that Rena had seen from Aki's duel in the Fortune Cup was reborn. The beast hissed viciously, saliva laced around its tongue. A shudder ran down Rena, staring at the beast for the first time in person, she could feel the emotions weighing her down. Was this how the boy at the Fortune Cup and others felt as they faced the deadly creature?
"So that's it… the majestic Black Rose Dragon" she breathed with a tight throat. "It's beautiful, but, it feels like there's so much anger".
Underneath the dragon, Aki's eyes sharpened while she watched girl analyse her dragon, gazing at it with a mixture of awe and terror. Her hand twitched, it was rare that she'd summon Black Rose against a fellow Psychic. She felt naked without the Black Rose Witch mask; that which would shield her face; there were even fewer occasions when she would summon the legendary dragon without the mask to hide her face. But after the damage done to it at the Fortune Cup, it was going to be a long time before she could wear a mask again; be it a repaired version of the lost face or a mere replacement.
"Black Rose Dragon, direct attack!" she hollered, pointing at Rena. The girl flinched and dropped her face to the irked Psychic opposite with a face of shock. "Black Rose Flare!"
Rena lifted her arms in an instant, terrified by the power behind the purple mist. The force slammed into her, easily throwing her back across the room and onto the ground at the base of the statue behind her. Her body shuddered as she struggled to pull herself together, her eyes squeezed tightly shut. Divine smirked at the move and how Aki's powers had been proven unaffected, at least now, after her duel at the tournament.
AKI - RENA
4000 - LP - 1600
Rena took a moment to push her upper half from the floor, laying on her stomach and pushed up by her forearms. She looked up at Aki, finding a wicked smile painted onto the superior Psychic's face; the sight of it sent a chill running down her spine.
"Izayoi-san?" she uttered fearfully.
Aki didn't answer, her face didn't change; she was lost in herself for the moment. Rena shakily pushed herself to her feet, panting after the heavy blow that sent her so far back. She staggered to the spot in which she had been standing. On the edge of the battlefield, Divine continued to watch with folded arms and a subtle smirk; this was what he wanted – to push any potential of his subject and to test the effectiveness of Aki's Psychic powers.
"I end my turn" Aki stated breathlessly.
Rena lifted her head, she was back. The girl took a step forward, her brows creased uneasily as she tried to assess just what state of mind Aki was in, as well as where she was likely to end up after the duel if she was to keep using those powers.
"Izayoi-san, are you… are you enjoying this?" she asked.
Aki's face broke into one of horror, disgust at the mere suggestion that she was enjoying the torment of someone else. She shook her head and glared hatefully at the girl. In her place, she could see the black haired man from the Fortune Cup, that Satellite King she knew as Fudo Yusei.
"Stop spouting lies!" she snapped. "I would never enjoy the suffering of someone else, especially when they're a Psychic that's been abused like me".
Rena frowned and looked down to the deck given to her by Arcadia, hoping it could offer a barrier against Black Rose Dragon. She pressed the tips of her fore and middle fingers onto the top card and pulled it away.
THIRD TURN – RENA
"It's my turn. Draw!" she called. She set her eyes onto the card she had drawn and smiled; thrilled to have such a useful card in her possession and at a crucial time. But there was still that unsettled feeling inside of her, about taking the brain of another being and bending it to her will, she brought the card back from arm's length and gazed at it for a moment.
The delay only served to irk Aki, and to disappoint Divine, who frowned from his spot on the edge, a mere outsider to the clash, but still holding the strings of each duellist. He was about to speak up, to question Rena over why she was hesitating, when she pushed the card into the Duel Disk.
"I activate Change of Heart" she called. "This lets me take control of your Black Rose Dragon for this turn".
"Black Rose Dragon!" Aki gasped, looking up at the beast hovering over her head.
The dragon vanished from her side of the field and appeared on Rena's; the inexperienced member didn't smile with revenge or sympathy in mind, but looked across the field sternly. Something was wrong with Aki and she was hoping to uncover exactly what. She pulled another card from her deck, slapping it down onto the slot next to the Black Rose in the central slot.
"I summon Sangan [ATK 1000]" she added in an equally firm and louder tone.
On the field in front of her, a small fiend with titian hairs darker than Rena's covering its body, two arms and legs of green came out from the hairy body with grey claws. Three yellow eyes with cat-slit pupils blinked at different seconds above the smiling mouth with jagged white teeth. Divine's smirk deepened; now he could see if any power had been wakened in Rena, even if she wasn't a true Psychic, there was still the possibility.
"Sangan, direct attack" she shouted, pointing to the defenceless Aki.
The creature bounced across the field and lunged at the vulnerable girl with its grey claws and demonic teeth. Aki gasped with disgust as the creature soared in her direction, biting down on her Duel Disk. There was nothing that came from the blow.
AKI - RENA
3000 - LP - 1600
Aki waved her arm, throwing off the small creature. The beast hissed and bounced back to Rena's side of the field, underneath the superior Synchro dragon that had been stolen from her. That fact alone burned inside of her, just waiting to exact revenge for snatching a card that meant so much to her. Rena pointed in her direction once more, her eyes blazing with determination.
"Black Rose Dragon, direct attack!" she yelled. "Black Rose Flare!"
The dragon's jaws snapped opened and its head flew back. Aki braced herself, holding up her Duel Disk in front of her as a barrier and her right arm behind that. It was then that she could feel the latter arm throbbing, she clenched her jaws and glared down at the limb for a split-second, more focused on the imminent attack. The dragon flung its head forward, unleashing another stream of purple mist. The mass struck Aki, who found herself also struggling to deal with the strength of the impact. She, too, was thrown back, but a much shorter distance. A cry came from her as she hit the ground, lying on her back, Divine's arms tore apart and his face changed altogether; he looked stunned, disbelieving what he had just witnessed. Not only was Aki downed, but it seemed that he may have been onto something.
Rena said and did nothing but watched, she knew that the instant she ended her turn, Aki would regain control of her dragon and more than likely, she was going to tear apart her Sangan and lifepoints with it in a fit of unstoppable rage. But for now, she had a moment to brace herself; she had more lifepoints than Aki, she was the one standing.
AKI - RENA
600 - LP - 1600
Aki picked herself up, struggling and wincing after the blow dealt to her; this was the pain that she inflicted on people. She pressed her right hand against her left shoulder, having struck it against the floorboards. Divine was ready to help her, but stayed in his place; he had to remain. Aki's face was twitching, but in her half-open right eye, there was a bitter chilling feel – 'pissed' didn't even come close to the fury building inside of her.
"Turn end" Rena stated, with slackened arms hanging either side of her.
"I'll show you to turn a treasured card against someone" Aki hissed. "I'll make Black Rose Dragon a monument to your sin".
Rena merely watched Aki with the same harsh eyes, determined not to allow fear to seep through and expose itself for Aki to see. Black Rose Dragon vanished from her field and returned to Aki's; where it belonged.
FOURTH TURN – AKI
"It's my turn. Draw!" Aki spat, tearing the card from her deck and placing it in her hand immediately. What she was after was vengeance.
"Black Rose Dragon, attack Sangan!" she yelled, pointing at the lonesome creature. "Black Rose Flare!"
The dragon unleashed a third stream of purple, swallowing the guilty fiend and smashing it out of action. Rena groaned as winds rushed past, ruffling her hair and styling it roughly. She lowered her arms, glaring at Aki, who was grinning madly, her eyes wide to match the psychotic air about her.
AKI – RENA
600 – LP – 200
"Since Sangan was sent from the field to the Graveyard, I can draw a monster with less than 1500 attack points and add it to my hand" she called. A card slid out from near the top of the deck, gripped between her fore and middle finger. She pulled it from the stack without touching the other cards and showed it to Aki. "I choose Genex Turbine [ATK 1400]".
Aki narrowed her eyes at the card, but did nothing more than slide two cards into her Duel Disk. She exhaled heavily and declared her turn over with a sharp glare towards her opponent.
FIFTH TURN – RENA
"Draw!" the redhead called, keeping her eyes fixed on her rattled opponent. "I don't know what's happened to you, Izayoi-san, but I want to help. Maybe you're carrying around a heavy burden after everything that happened at the Fortune Cup, but I'm sure this isn't like you, to take it out on other Psychics, I thought you were all for protecting Psychic Duellists".
"I am, don't twist things!" Aki snapped, slicing the air with her right arm.
"Then you can't be yourself right now" Rena murmured in response. "But I'll help you out by stopping this rampage. I summon Genex Turbine in attack mode".
The green Genex machine that resembled a small tunnel with various components lighting and protruding from its cylindered body emerged onto the field, hovering above the ground.
"Genex Turbine's monster effect; it increases the attack points of all Genex monster by 400 points".
"That thing still isn't strong enough, you're just putting yourself in danger of losing" Aki snarled.
"Not quite" Rena protested, lifting the card she had drawn from the deck. "I activate Rush Recklessly, which will increase the attack power of Genex Turbine by a further 700 points".
The monster began to glow once more, further power poured into its body [ATK 2500]. Divine raised an eyebrow at the playing field; Black Rose was the weaker of two creatures, vulnerable to an attack without any barrier to stop it going through. The dragon was facing extinction, something extremely rare and only shown publicly at the Fortune Cup.
"Genex Turbine" Rena called, throwing her right hand upwards, pointing at the dragon. "Bury Black Rose Dragon!"
The front face of the machine began to glow, firing a wide ray that slammed into the dragon, piercing it and ripping through its body. The creature shirked in agony and exploded into a shower of pixels, Aki stared with horror and absolute abhor. She lowered her grim eyes down to Rena, who watched the face uneasily.
AKI – RENA
500 – LP – 200
"Izayoi-san…" she whispered.
"You're just like him" Aki hissed. "You're just like him!"
"Like who?" Rena asked impulsively.
"He said that I didn't need this place; that I could think for myself" Aki growled, clutching the sides of her head.
The actions disturbed Rena, unable to do more than watch uneasily as Aki struggled to pull herself together. "Izayoi-san, I didn't want to destroy Black Rose, but… it was causing trouble".
"No!" Aki snapped. "It's other people that are trouble, they cause us trouble. You couldn't possibly understand, you've had things easy I bet. You don't know what it's like to be completely alone, like there's no-one else in the world that cares in the slightest".
"I do…" Rena whispered, lowering her head and narrowing her eyes sorrowfully. "Divine told me that my memories were wiped on request because I suffered something horrible in the past".
"What?" Aki gasped, staring with wide eyes at the girl.
"Aki, this isn't the time for that discussion" Divine urged. "The point of this duel is to check your powers and see if we can unlock our struggling friend's powers".
Aki looked to the man, giving him a brief nod. She turned back to the duel to find Rena standing with her head tucked between her shoulders, scratches across her face and body, her matted after the damage dealt and the howling winds. She was beginning to resemble the Fudo Yusei she had battled at the Fortune Cup again, trying to break through the apparent wall that she had built up and tear apart everything she knew. She shook her head, determined to keep things the way they were, the way she knew her world.
SIXTH TURN – AKI
"It's my turn" she called. "Draw!"
"Izayoi-san… I don't want to duel anymore" Rena muttered tiredly. "I'd rather we try to help each other in different ways".
"I don't need help" Aki snapped. "Stop trying to change me, I told you already that I don't need your help. Don't touch my mask and don't vanquish my dragon!"
Rena lifted her head, puzzled by Aki's words; Black Rose was gone, her mask was destroyed. Was she experiencing a delusion, believing herself to be back at the Fortune Cup? Did she believe she was duelling that Satellite man again? She pressed her hands over her ears, to block out the distant chants that declared her a witch and a tyrant, someone to be rid of and siding with the social outcast over her; someone born and raised in the City.
"Stop it!" she shrieked.
"Izayoi-san" Rena called, opening her hand and reaching towards her.
Aki opened her eyes sharply, taking a step back and throwing down the card she had drawn.
"Stay away from me!" she snapped. "I activate my face-down card - Synchro Spirits; this lets me remove a Synchro Monster from my Graveyard in order to return the monsters used to summon it back onto the field".
The white card slid out of the Graveyard, taken away from the game and followed by two more cards; those selected for retrival from the burial ground. Twilight Rose Knight and Gigantic Cephalotus both appeared from a white flash that concealed Aki's field for a half-second.
"Why play those weaker monsters?" Rena asked aloud, raising an eyebrow.
"Because of my oher face-down card" Aki shouted, pressing down on the central key. "Dimensional Return. This returns monster from play back to the deck, so Black Rose Dragon will return to my Extra Deck instead".
The Trap card spun open, its name and effect matching what Aki had already explained. Rena gulped, knowing full-well that Aki had every intention of returning her beloved Black Rose Dragon to the game, possibly even to exact revenge for having it turned against her.
"I'm tuning my Level 3 Twilight Rose Knight with Level 4 Gigantic Cephalotus" the magenta-haired Psychic bellowed.
"No way!" Rena cried.
A wide column of pink light slammed down against the ground, shaking the room and whipping up another storm. Aki didn't look back, but instead, threw her right arm up.
"Be reborn, Black Rose Dragon!"
The dragon reappeared, flapping its floral wings fiercely, adding petals to the winds, and unleashed a whole roar. Rena stared up at the creature, stunned by the revelation, the play that Aki had managed and, in doing so, turned the tables – there was nothing to protect her Genex from Black Rose's storm. Aki was showing no remorse, the blast was going to come full force.
"Black Rose Dragon!" the young woman yelled, throwing her arm forward. "Erase his Genex Turbine once and for all!"
The dragon opened its jaws, pouring another blast of purple across the field. The blast smashed Genex Turbine with ease, like it was made of glass, and carried on, slamming into Rena and throwing her back. The girl cried out as she was torn from the ground and launched backwards. She hit the tall base of the statue behind her, sliding down onto the floor in a heap, sitting slouching against the base with her head forward, senses fading.
AKI – RENA
500 – LP –0
DUEL END
Rena's dull eyes flickered; the maroon carpet over the floorboards was moving in and out of focus, it was difficult to tell what was happening anymore. She could hear distant voices, making them out as Aki and Divine.
"She's hurt. I've brought harm to someone else who didn't deserve it!"
"Calm down, Aki. She'll be fine; you don't need to blame yourself".
"But… but Divine… she-"
"She's a big girl, she can handle it. Seria, can you come by and pick up the girl? I believe she's ready to return to her room".
"You're sure she'll be fine?"
"Of course, Aki, I wouldn't like to you".
After that, Rena's senses gave out and she sank into darkness. The voices moved further away and the night became nothing; there was no pain and no panic, she was peaceful and lost in her own way, drifting out of consciousness and searching for somewhere safe.
-
Arcadia ~ PREVIEW ~ Arcadia
Haruki: Rena, you look like you could do with getting outside.
Okita: Yeah, why don't we go to the D-Wheel course and have a practice?
Liquid: It's near Arcadia too, the people that run it have ties with us, so they won't discriminate.
Rena: That sounds good, Divine shouldn't mind and nothing should happen. Yu-Gi-Oh 5D's – Reverse of Arcadia, "Speed World of D-Wheels! Accelerated Duelling".
Haruki: Hey, who's that there?
[1] "Chilling flames engulf the entire world. Pitch-dark flower, set into bloom! Synchro Summon! Appear now, Black Rose Dragon!"
