IneffablePassion's note: I finally drew Nao, in case you haven't noticed. Currently drawing a full body shot and posting both up on DeviantArt soon.

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh!GX except for Fukugawa Nao. All Naturia Synchro Monsters are changed to Ritual Monsters and Tuner Monsters are converted to regular Effect Monsters. Credits go to Takahashi Kazuki and Director Tsuji Hatsuki.


Chapter 4

The Hierophant and The Temperance

It was early in the evening on a school day when Judai and Nao had a practice duel just for the sake of old times. Misawa also joined them to provide some spectating company. Nao had Princess of Cherry Blossoms, Talaya on her field while Judai had Flame Wingman and Sparkman on his.

"I activate the Magic card, Fusion! Come out, Shining Flare Wingman," said Judai. "Shining Shoot!" The silver hero flawlessly defeated her princess and her life points as the solid vision faded away.

"Gotcha," Judai winked.

"You really polished up on your dueling since last year's graduation duel with Ryō," Nao complimented.

"You think?" he scratched his cheek.

Misawa walked up on the arena towards the two. "You don't need to evolve your deck any more radically than you have, do you?"

"I dunno, I've been feeling like my deck should have some new stages to it. I mean with the new freshmen coming in and all," he trailed off and pulled out November's edition of Monthly Duel with the article about Ryō bookmarked.

"Maybe your deck is versatile enough that it's already fully evolved," Nao wondered. She stopped when her phone rang in her pocket. She had received one only for emergencies from her father before the start of the year, though she rarely called anyone.

"Yes, Father?" she answered the call. She paused to listen to the latest news and then she audibly gasped in shock, which caught Misawa's and Judai's attention. "Is that certain?"

Another pause.

"I understand. Thank you," she hung up and paled slightly.

"What's up?" Judai asked.

"My father just reported that Kaiser Ryō's next opponent has been decided!"

"The Kaiser's?"

Before she could answer him, Shō dashed inside the arena and gave the same news. He dragged the three of them back to the Red Dorm where the World League news were on television. The confirmed opponent made them not only anticipate for the match, but also curious as to how it would turn out for both duelists. Out of the group, however, two of them were especially uncomfortable about it.

Ed Phoenix and Kaiser Ryō prepared for the next Pro League Battle, the headline said.

Judai remembered when the Pro Duelist literally put together a deck out of eight packs and nearly defeated the Osiris. When Manjōme said that Ed wouldn't win against the Kaiser, Judai had some second guesses.

Nao couldn't understand why, but when Ed Phoenix's name would be mentioned out loud, she would feel herself freeze in an unknown emotion. Even if she had her support for Ryō, something didn't feel right, as if she was on the wrong side.

"Hey, the Fukugawa Family is sponsoring Ryō right?" Asuka asked Nao.

"Not to mention that if the Kaiser's performance goes downhill, so will the Fukugawa Family," Misawa warned.

"Yes, but we have full confidence in him. This is the Kaiser we are talking about," Nao firmly assured, despite that she had doubts of her own.

Meanwhile back in the city, Ryō walked out of the restaurant with a middle-aged man after having a fruitful conversation about the future plans.

"On that note, Kaiser Ryō, we are expecting greater efforts from you than those so far," said the man. "With your great efforts, the image of the Fukugawa Family, your sponsor, will prosper." They shook briefly shook hands.

"I won't betray your expectations. I will do my best," he said.

"Shall I give you a ride?" the man offered.

"No, thank you. There's a nice moon out today, so I'll let the night wind guide me home," he politely declined.

"I see," he entered his car. Just when the door closed, he rolled down his window. "I must give you the only warning I will ever give you."

He had a different tone than earlier in the evening, with some hints of sadness and caution. "I suggest to keep your relationship with my daughter no closer than a professional one. I understand and appreciate your connection with her, but this is business and I will not have Nao be a subject in the middle of it. It would only give the both of you nothing but grief."

"I understand, Chairman Fukugawa," he bowed.

"Well then, good night, Kaiser Ryō," said the chairman and the car drove away. Ryō watched the vehicle until he couldn't see it anymore, and his heart felt just a little heavier than usual. He would always feel more empowered to respect his opponents all for the sake of Nao. As he walked along the busy commercial streets, he wondered what kind of deck his next opponent, Ed Phoenix, would use. He reached into his pocket to fish out his own phone and read the most recent text message he received from Nao.

"Be careful tomorrow," it said.

After heeding to the chairman's warning, he hesitated on replying. Before he attempted to change his mind, a scream pierced through the air in a nearby alley. He dashed in the same direction but found a stranger collapsed on the ground and his cards showering his defeat.

"Your destiny has already been decided," said an ominous voice as it left the scene.

Ryō reached for the man and asked if he was alright, who replied that his opponent was a monster before losing his consciousness. He peered up over the skyscrapers just when a mysterious shadow slipped away. The police arrived moments later to retrieve the man, while the Kaiser continued to wonder what had just happened.

In a white room in a place unknown, a hooded and cloaked man read his daily tarot reading when he heard footsteps behind him. "How careless. Why don't you give up on these foolish games?"

"These aren't games to me," said a teenager in a silver tuxedo that matched his silver hair. Ed Phoenix smirked at his new accomplishment of the day.

"I wouldn't expect the man you seek to be among the scoundrels loitering around that area. Well," the older man paused, "I suppose it would be different if this is a ritual that you need to settle your overflowing anger." He held out one of the cards in front of him. "I have seen your future. Your duel with Kaiser Ryō…"

"It will end in my victory," Ed finished. "The card that has appeared is the Chariot, a perfect victory."

"So, has the ability to be able to predict the future been endowed onto you, just as it was onto me?" he mused.

"No, Saiou, that is the only card that has appeared when you tell me fortune. Even when I battled with Yuki Judai, that would've been my victory. However, you ordered me to lose."

"Your connection with Yuki Judai will bring about a new growth within you. You should have also known that there was some small achievement you gained from it."

"A duelist of his caliber? It's true that your predictions have always pointed me to the shortest path towards becoming the strongest duelist. However, it's a waste for me to go to that academy. My goal is to dominate the Pro League, and to stand at the top of the world - and to make sure that I find him."

"Ed, in the futures that I see, there are no mistakes," the man Ed referred to as Saiou, assured him.

"Fine, then. After my match with the Kaiser, settling that matter will come in due time, as well."

"I will offer you one last consolation should you return to the Academy. Perhaps it is time to recover the past that may have not been a mere dream, Ed. The one you had hidden away does not need to be hidden anymore," he cryptically advised when he flipped over the Temperance card on the table, which make the Pro Duelist freeze slightly. He placed his right hand in his pocket as he left the room to retire for the night.

Nao held her temple as the most anticipated duel was on standby for the broadcast. She couldn't sleep very consistently last night because of another chronic headache she had to endure.

She dreamt the same dream that constantly replayed itself in her mind. She felt the pounding rain on her skin and the clothes clinging onto her prone state. She couldn't quite put a finger on it, but she saw a white sinister light nearby. As it slowly and sneakily floated towards her, Nao wanted to move and flee, but because it was a dream she was forced to watch.

There was pain, however, rippling through her body as if she relived the very moment. She cried out through her hoarse throat for a name, but she couldn't hear what she said. All she could hear was a ghostly snicker and the heavy rain. When she woke up that morning, the headache only gotten stronger than when she was asleep. She informed her parents about them, but her questions and concerns were never answered. At one point, she ended up searching through Manjōme's drawers for some pills to relieve her headaches.

Nao was almost about to assume that something terrible was hidden from her.

She was also worried when she never gotten a reply from her last message to Ryō. When she sent it to him, she felt that something drastic was going to happen and it made her slightly nauseous. This duel was supposed to be an exciting moment, not a dreading one. Nothing had been sitting right with Nao and she couldn't find a way out of it.

She looked up when Asuka said that the duel was about to start. The cameras spanned from outside of the Kaiba Dome to the arena where thousands of fans and spectators enthusiastically cheered for both duelists. The fireworks began and Kaiser Ryō was the first to make his appearance, calm and collected like he usually was. The scariest part in Nao's opinion was that Ed Phoenix was just as calm, and on the borderline of mock.

The two fan clubs on camera also set Manjōme on edge of jealousy.

"At last, the big match of the century has come to fruition! Building high opes for not losing his ten matches, it's Kaiser Ryō! And striking against him - accomplishing his desire for the top ranking the other day without losing his own thirty matches is the Noble Youth of the Pro League, Ed Phoenix," introduced the podcaster. "What kind of dueling will these two show us?"

When they switched on their duel disks and drew their first five cards, Ed took the initiative for the first turn. "It's my turn. Draw!"

There was a brief moment when Ed gave a small smirk, "The monster I'll be summoning… is this guy!"

The card that he held out shellshocked every student and professor in the classroom, especially Judai and the others. It was a deck that no one had ever dreamed of seeing.

Ed had just summoned Elemental Hero Featherman in Attack Position.

As the duel continued on screen and while Judai and the others had gotten used to the fact Ed had a Hero Deck against the Kaiser, it only went downhill for Nao's hopes and Ryō's efforts. His strategies were deceivingly large scale, but his opponent swatted each attempt away like a mosquito. It was in the middle of the duel when he started to get serious. The students were on the edge of their seats when the Kaiser brought out his Cyber End Dragon to make a victory run, but Ed turned it into a weakness, and afterwards - his defeat.

No one uttered a word. Nothing seemed possible anymore. After fathoming the fact that Ed Phoenix confidently bested the perfect alumni, the Professional League looked more dangerous than imagined. Nao remained in shock until she went off to be alone and collect herself before she would return to the Red Dorm. Not even sleep could calm her.

Meanwhile back at in Manjōme's room, the group gathered at the couches discussing the match amongst themselves. Shō kept glancing at the empty spot beside Asuka, where Nao would have been. "I wonder if Nao is alright."

"She's just in shock, but she's taking this too hard," Asuka sighed.

"Didn't you guys also notice that she's been acting more withdrawn than usual? She looked like she hasn't been getting enough sleep either," Manjōme pondered. Sometimes in the middle of the night, he would hear distant shuffling and gasping from upstairs where Nao and Asuka slept. He also noticed his pain relief pills running low, and he wasn't the one who took them.

"There's also something strange. She seemed to be more forgetful these days. She kept asking my name," Kenzan noticed.

"That's right! She even asked me who Hayato was," Judai added.

"She may be too stressed about the Kaiser's career than her own personal life," Misawa crossed his arms. "It happens."

The Ojama Trio appeared and muttered to themselves, "Now that they mentioned it, she had forgotten about us, too." Even they hummed in thought. After moving on from Nao's dilemma, Judai, Shō and Misawa decided to do some background research on Ed Phoenix back at the Yellow Dorm to prepare him for his duel, while the others waited for the heiress to return.

Night had already fell on the island when Nao clutched onto her phone for any message from the Kaiser. The surreal moment when his life points hit zero was still very difficult to swallow. Both Cyber Twin Dragon and Cyber End Dragon did not stand a chance. She replayed the entire duel in her head over and over, until she realized a cold truth - Ed had been flawlessly playing around with Ryō to the last moment. His composure was indeed very tranquil and confident.

It frightened her.

That was not the end of it. Ed had stated on television that he was on his way to the Academy to settle a score with Judai - a battle of heroes against heroes. He credited that destiny had served him well. Now, the Pro Duelist would arrive here at any moment. Thinking that she had enough of grieving and concerning, she stepped out of the washroom in the main building into the dark and empty halls. Naturu Pineapple floated around her and Nao gave a weak smile at it.

"I'm sorry for worrying you, and everyone else." The pineapple shook its head in denial.

"I promise I'll be more careful. I'm okay right now, so you don't have to look out for me anymore today." Naturu Pineapple noticed the tiredness in her eyes through that smile, but it complied and disappeared back into its card.

Nao was just about to pass the closed card store by when she felt that she wasn't alone. A shiver ran up her spine as she carefully took her next few steps with the heels of her boots softly clicking the floor. Apart from her shoes, she could hear the faintness of another pair following the same rhythm. She stopped and so did they.

No student here would trail her like this.

At her fearful conclusion, she ran immediately to the nearest exit she could find. Even when she was finally outside in the dark night, the pursuer still chased after her. She tripped on her own two feet and fell onto the ground with her palms grazing the cement.

"Somebody!" Nao wheezed out through her tired breaths for any help. "Somebody help me!"

The stranger was about to catch her while still on the ground when they both heard a dark chuckle loud and clear. "Attempting an abduction of an innocent girl - that's the scum that exists among people everywhere."

"Who's there?" snarled the stranger and spotted a phantom-like figure outlined in the moonlight.

Nao could have sworn that she had seen a devil before her eyes.

"Why don't you repent for that crime of yours with a duel?" The stranger growled and turned on his duel disk. Nao backed away enough to be safe from any damage. She listened to the newcomer's voice as it got louder as she unknowingly shuffled closer to it, without daring to look behind her. Her mind begged for her to find her saviour, but her heart told her otherwise. With conflicting thoughts, she watched the kidnapper wither to his knees in terror of the devil. The explosion created by her saviour's monster made her cover her ears.

"I see you don't know when to give up. Your destiny has already been decided," he declared and commanded a final attack as the devil leapt up. A shriek penetrated through her hands and the criminal was silenced. She couldn't dare to move an inch when her saviour jumped from the top of one of the stone monuments and walked towards him from behind her and took out the deck from the holster. Ed Phoenix skimmed through the cards and frowned. "How could someone like you be carrying that card?"

With that he carelessly tossed it on top of the defeated criminal.

Nao let her ears free, and all of her fears and trembling gradually faded away. She warily stood up and gazed at his figure from behind. There was no doubt that it was indeed Ed Phoenix, but rather than being excited, there was intrigue but also slight intimidation emitting from him that she felt.

From the corner of her eye, she saw a foreign object glistening under the full moon on the ground. She slowly picked it up and identified it as a thin black and silver hair pin. There was some warmth lingering on it as she held it on her cold and slightly scratched palm.

"Are you hurt, Nao?"

When she heard him, she immediately hid the hairpin in her hand behind her back. Then she asked herself why she did so on a whim, as if she always had something to hide. She was about to lie that she wasn't but it then hit her that Ed knew her name. At first, she thought it was strange, but then again, she was well known as the Fukugawa Family's youngest daughter. Something in her mind told her that he didn't mean it that way.

"Have I," she stopped herself. The thought of meeting him before was itching her mind, but didn't feel that it was right to ask.

"No I'm not hurt, but thank you," she politely and hesitantly answered instead.