Finally, the dueling chapter is here. I'm sorry it took so long. I got major writer's block(Ironically on Friday the 13th ). You can ignore all of the Yugioh lingo. You don't have to understand it to understand the story.

On my way to get my Yugioh collection, I run into Kenji.

"Who is it?"

"It's Rokurou."

"Oh, hey Rokurou. Sup?"

"I'm just grabbing a game to play with Hisao and the others."

"Others? Who is others?"

"Shizune and Misha."

Kenji suddenly shrieks in horror.

"The Student Council!?"

"Yes, the Student Council."

"Damn, they move fast. I tried to warn you man, but did you listen..."

"Warning?"

"Oh, I forgot. I haven't told you. What I'm about to tell you could blow your mind. Are you ready?"

"Sure."

"I believe that this school is a battleground. The site of a feminist infiltration."

And that's when I burst into laughter. I couldn't believe it. There's another person like Kenta. My mind was blown, in a different way than Kenji intended.

"Hey man, what the hell? This is serious!"

I quickly recompose myself and prepare the same plan I used with Kenta.

"It's not that. It's just that I already know about the feminist infiltration."

"You do?"

I lowered my voice to a whisper. "Listen, I'm part of a resistance that fights against the feminists. However, our numbers are few so we're always looking for new recruits. I can send in an application form for you but it might take some time."

Kenji seemed to be listening intently. "How do I know I can trust you? You could just be a feminist spy."

"True, but if I were a feminist spy, I would've come up with a better cover story than that."

"Yes, very true. OK, I'll trust you, for now. But why did the resistance send you here? Did they confirm the reports of the feminist invasion?"

"Luckily the feminists haven't made their move yet. As for why I'm here, It's my job to determine who is with or against the feminists or even neutral. Hisao is a new recruit so I'm showing him the ropes. However, people will think it's suspicious if we start hanging out with a known anti-feminist, so we're going to have avoid contact for a while, got it?"

"A wise decision. I must go now. Don't want the feminists to get suspicious now."

He turns around and smacks into the wall before finding his door and entering. Looks like he won't be bothering us for a while. I sigh in relief. I grab my stuff and hurry over to the student council room, remembering it from our tour with Kazuko. Misha perks up when I enter.

"Rocchan! What game did you bring? Is it something fun fun fun~?"

"Yugioh!" I say as I present my briefcase full of cards in a overly dramatic fashion.

"So, how do you play?"

Misha seems eager. I go about explaining the rules to them. I got more excited as I went on. I couldn't wait to see the duel between Hisao and Shizune.

"So, I've prepared two Battle Pack decks for Hisao and Shizune to use so you'll both be even."

"Battle Pack decks?" Hisao questioned.

"A battle pack is a pack of 5 cards. Buy 10 of them to make a deck and duel each other on a even playing field. They're mostly used for Sealed Play tournaments."

I give them both their decks and start the duel when Shizune signs something to Misha.

"If you lose, Hicchan, you have to join the Student Council."

"What? No!"

"Just agree to it, Hisao. It'll be fun."

I crack a smile as Hisao glares at me.

"There, Hicchan, you're outvoted~!"

Hisao sighs in defeat. "Fine."

"Now, begin!"

Shizune attacks Hisao's life points directly with Beast King Barbaros (Atk:3000/ Def: 1200), bringing them down to zero. Hisao sighs in defeat.

"Yay~! Now you have to join the Student Council, right Hicchan?"

Hisao looks utterly and absolutely depressed at this remark so I decide to save him.

"Not yet. I have a proposal. I will duel you five times using a different deck each time while you can use whatever deck you want. If I beat you each time, then Hisao doesn't have to join the Student Council. If I lose once, we'll both join the Student Council without complaint and do all of your work for a week. Also, when I win one duel, I'll start the next with the amount of life points I had left in the previous duel."

Hisao seemed horrified at my suggestion while Shizune accepts without hesitation. Perfect. Time for the master to go to work.

Duel 1

"I tune my level 2 Dragunity Phalanx with my level 8 Dragunity Arma Leyvaten to Synchro Summon Trident Dragion. Now with Trident Dragion's ability, it can attack 3 times in a row. Now, Trident Dragion! Attack directly!"

Shizune's life points dropped to zero.

Duel 2

"I activate Heroic Chance, doubling my already doubled Heroic Champion- Excalibur's attack to 8000. Attack her monster now!"

Shizune's life points dropped to zero.

Duel 3

"I activate Foolish Burial, sending the last Lightsworn monster to the graveyard. Now I can special summon Judgment Dragon. I use Judgment Dragon's ability to destroy every other card on the field. Now, attack her directly!"

Shizune's life points dropped to zero.

Duel 4

"I activate the trap Fragment Fusion, allowing me to Fusion Summon Gem-Knight Master Diamond. Gem-Knight Master Diamond's ability gives it an extra 100 attack points for each Gem- monster in my grave. Attack her life points!"

Shizune's life points dropped to zero.

Duel 5

"I activate Puppet Ritual. Since you have higher than 2000 life points than me, I can use this to Special Summon 2 level 8 'Gimmick Puppet' monsters from my grave: Gimmick Puppet Magne Doll and Gimmick Puppet Twilight Joker. Now I overlay them to Xyz Summon Number 15: Gimmick Puppet Giant Grinder. With its ability, up to twice per turn, I can destroy one of your Special Summoned monsters. If its an Xyz monster, you take that monster's attack points as damage."

Shizune's life points dropped to zero. I push my glasses up in a smug way that they do in some anime. It was a good thing I drew Puppet Ritual when I did or I might have lost that one. I only had 700 life points left. Shizune seems mad that she lost but regains her composure as she signs to Misha.

"Wahahaha~! You're really good at this game, Rocchan!"

"Well, I have been playing for a long time."

"No, really! Your strategies were perfect even if you used a different deck each time! You'd be perfect for the Student Council~!"

So that was it. They're trying to use flattery to get me to join. Not happening.

"Hicchan, you on the other hand didn't think about your moves enough before you made them! This is a strategy game that requires thinking. I wonder if you'd even be any good for the Student Council..."

"I guess I don't have to worry about joining or not in that case."

"Giving up just like that? I expected more of you."

"Fine, I'll consider joining the council, but I want to take a look at the clubs before I decide."

"Really, Hicchan? You're not just saying that to make us feel better?"

"Yeah yeah, I'm just not sure that I want to."

"Aw... Okay, Hicchan, but we're not going to give up so easily. You said 'maybe'; there's still a chance you'll come around. Come on, we could really have fun! We could play more Yugioh and maybe one day you could beat me, unless we graduate before that."

"That doesn't make me feel any less reluctant about joining, you know."

"Wahaha~! Surely you're not that horrible at card games? Maybe we can have Rocchan give you some special lessons, to give you a handicap."

"I might have just said that to make you feel better, after all."

"Awww, that's cold, Hicchan..."

Hisao glances at the clock. I follow his gaze and realize we've been playing Yugioh for a while now.

"Sorry, I think I have to go. I wanted to go to the library. It's not closed yet, is it?"

Shizune thinks about this for a moment before answering.

"It should be, unless the librarian is absent. I think you're right, Shicchan. We... think the library is open. It's on the second floor; can't miss it. Do you want us to show you where it is?"

"No thanks, it's okay. See you tomorrow."

"Bye bye!"

We leave and Hisao heads to the library while I head back to the dorms. On the way back, I realize something. Kazuko forgot to show us the library. I knew we were forgetting something. I quickly head back to look for Hisao but he is nowhere to be seen so I decide to look for the library since he will eventually end up there.

Luck is on my side as I find myself in a room filled with books. I don't see Hisao anywhere. Oh well, I might as well get some books to read since I'm here. After asking a very nervous librarian about the different sections, I go through the aisles and pick out a few books.

I try to find someplace to read when I notice someone sitting in a beanbag in the corner of the library. It's the dark-haired girl from before. I would normally follow Kazuko's advice and be more social, but I feel that approach won't work with her. I fall back on my anti-social behavior and sit in a beanbag a fair distance away from her; not too close to make her uncomfortable, but not too far away for her not to notice me.

She does tense up a bit when I sit down but nothing more. I open up my books and begin to read.

After a while of reading, Hisao finally shows up. He doesn't seem to have noticed me, if he does he doesn't show it, as his attention is focused on the dark-haired girl. He walks up to her. She starts and looks up at him as scared as a rabbit. This can't end well.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you."

"It... It's okay."

This is the first time I hear hear voice and it's barely audible, I almost didn't hear it at all. I doubt I would've if I hadn't been listening to the conversation.

"So, umm... do you mind if I sit here?"

"O... okay."

Hisao takes his seat next to her.

"So,errr... sorry again for startling you. I'm Hisao."

"I... know. We... are in the same... same class. H-H-Hanako. I'm... Hanako."

"Don't let me interrupt your reading. I'll... just check these books if you don't mind."

An uncomfortable silence falls. Things went better than I expected. Based on Hanako's behavior I predicted she might run away or something similar.

"I... I..."

"I... ?"

It seems I spoke too soon.

"Ivegottogodosomething!"

With this she runs off, leaving Hisao dumbstruck. I pick up my books as Hisao follows after her and follow. She seems to have disappeared by the time we got to the counter. The nervous librarian I talked to before was talking with a rather tall blond girl who seemed foreign. Hisao walks up to them.

"Hey, did you see... er... notice a girl run past here?"

"Um, maybe... what did she look like?" asks the librarian.

"Long, dark hair. Kinda shy. She had... well... some scars... on her... face."

'Kinda shy'? She literally ran away from you. This thought goes unsaid as the blond girl speaks up.

"You wouldn't be talking about Hanako, would you?"

"Yeah, that's her. I saw her reading and tried to talk to her, but I think I scared her off or something."

"Oh dear. Yuuko, would you excuse me, I had better try and find her."

"S-sure. I'll just hold on to these until you come back."

Hisao asks a question I would very much like to know the answer to. "Um, what's going on?"

The blond girl answers. "I'm sorry, but I'll have to explain it to you some other time."

"Right. I'll see you later then..."

I realize that the blond girl is blind when she picks up her cane and hurries out the library.

"I don't think I'll ever get the hang of this place. Did I do something wrong?"

Yes, you did. Otherwise Hanako wouldn't have run away. Again this goes unsaid as the librarian, now known as Yuuko, speaks up.

"What did you do?"

"Nothing! I was just looking for some books and then she got in this fit and ran off. The most offending thing I can think of was that I might've looked at her general direction a few times."

"Well, she is a very timid girl. You have to be very careful around her. She can be very jumpy, I think, and she's not accustomed to talking with other people."

I figured as much.

"Isn't that a bit... strange?"

"Not really. We're in a school for the disabled. Of course some people are mentally affected by what happened that put them here. Trust me I know." I say thinking of my insanity even though it doesn't directly imply.

"But how should I deal with these people? Forcing myself to act overly casually only makes me feel phony. Like I was supposed to ignore the elephant in the room."

Yuuko fidgets a bit, deciding on whether or not to answer this question.

"I think it's an elephant only if you feel that way."

"Exactly. After all, we're those elephants now. It's like pointing out another human just because they're human."

"I guess you're both right. It's more about me than anyone else."

Silence falls once again as Yuuko shuffles around her papers.

"Did you have any books? I should be closing soon. I mean this library should be closing. But I have to do it. I hope that's not too inconvenient for you."

"Oh. Yeah, I want some books, but I left them over there because... I'll just go get them."

I check out my books while Hisao gets his books. His stack is significantly larger than mine, something Yuuko notices as well.

"Wow. You read a lot, don't you?"

"I surprise myself with that too, honestly. At least, when I really think about it. I had a lot of free time earlier this year, so I just kind of... started reading books to fill that time. I couldn't do much else."

"I see."

Hisao checks his books out and we head back to the dorms. We see Kenji in our hallway, but he goes into his room as soon as he notices us.

"I wonder what's up with him."

That's right, Hisao doesn't know about Kenji's 'problem'.

"It's kind of a long story."

I explain to him about Kenji's fear of feminists and my plan to avoid him.

"Feminists? You made that up."

"I wish I did."

"I guess it makes a little sense, with his paranoia behavior. Anyway, see you later."

"See you."

We each go to our respective rooms. I get my homework done rather quickly, only limited by my writing speed. Afterward, I read some of my new books and watch some anime until night falls and I go to sleep.

Got to keep running. Got to get away from it.

I had 3 pieces so far. Only 2 more and I'm home free. I was running in a field of mist where my vision was limited. I hear a dragon's roar in the distance. After a few minutes, I hear it again, this time louder.

Shit, it's getting closer. I have to hurry. I see something on the floor in the distance. Yes! The 4th piece!

I hear a deafening roar behind me that freezes me in my tracks. I spin around and the dragon was right there staring at me with its blue eyes. It opened its mouth and prepared to attack.

I have no choice. I have to use it now.

"Go! Kuriboh!"

The monster appeared in front of me and protected me, despite being nothing but a small ball of fur, while I grabbed to 4th piece and ran. I'm sorry, old friend.

I kept on running for some time until I saw the last and final piece. I'm almost there. Just have to get it.

Suddenly, the dragon landed right on top of the piece. I had no protection up my sleeve and no time to run. It opened its mouth and released its Burst Stream of Destruction. I screamed as it engulfed me.

I wake up in a cold sweat. I take a moment to reflect on the dream I just had. I hadn't had a dream like that since... since...

since Chouko's death.

And there it is the next chapter. As always, reviews are appreciated. I wonder how many people got my reference I was making with the 5 pieces. Leave a review if you know. See you in the next chapter.