Chapter 9: Undying Love - The Figurative Heart of the Cards

Kuroki sat at the stadium inside the academy, waiting for everyone else to finally gather together for the latest announcements. That's when he saw Portman entering the stage.

"I'll thank you all for gladly taking parts in duels the two days that you were on the cruise trip here. And to congratulate you all, I shall choose the one who has piqued my interest, and host a mock duel! It'll be between, our 2nd year, Kishiki Okimura, and our newest 1st years, Kuroki Kudou! They shall handle the duel that will inspire you all! Please report back here tomorrow at 4 pm sharp. After classes begin and end of course."

Kuroki felt eyes leering and glaring at him. He could sense the tension between him and his peers who were most obviously jealous for some odd reason. Who was the guy he was supposed to duel tomorrow? He didn't know anyone by that name at all. In fact, he didn't know anyone's name but the few he met and hung out with on the trip. His feet took him up and led him towards the counseling center, where the students were to pick up their schedule and get their IDs, alongside their dorm room number.

"Name?" The secretary asked.

"Kuroki Kudou." He answered, looking around for anyone he may recognize.

"Here you go. There is your ID, dorm room key, and a telepad, given out by the Star School Administrative Committee. Your dorm room number is located on the back of the key, and if you have any questions, call the number on the bottom of the telepad and our staff will answer. Do you have any questions for me?"

"Hm, not at the moment. Thank you ma'am." Kuroki slightly bowed thanking her.

"You're welcome. Now have a great day. Next!"

Kuroki blindly walked around campus thinking of any ways of improving his deck. But then again, he needed a place to go before spreading out his cards. He looked around and opened up his telepad. Turning over his key, he was located in dorm F16. On his telepad, that had meant he was by the cliffside of the island, looking down at the beach. It was past a fork and a small branch of forestry. So Kuroki turned the direction of the dorm, following the now dirt path, directly away from the academy building.

Without thinking, he turned to his left as if on instinct. Looking through bushes and trees, there wasn't anything remotely worth mentioning. But Kuroki felt as if eyes were lurking on him. Slightly disgusted at the feeling, he paced himself faster down the dirt road. Soon enough, he reached the dorm. It was slightly run down, but it had 6 stories. Every floor had 4 rooms, meaning his must've been on the 4th floor.

Kuroki approached the normal looking door, feel much at ease since his walk from the academy. He hadn't seen much of Itou, Maya, Kintaro, and Vance today. But he was sure they would be watching his duel tomorrow.

'Just why did it have to be me? Is it because I beat Professor Portman himself?' Kuroki thought to himself. He scrounged his pocket for his dorm keys and unlocked the door. Pushing it open, the door swung back at him hitting him in the face head-on. The injured Kuroki stumbled backwards wondering what made the door swing back at himself. Then he realized that there was a body on the ground.

Kuroki screeched aloud, afraid that he had found a murdered body. But the body winced and moved over allowing the door to be opened fully. It was a guy, taller than Kuroki, with blue eyes and brown hair, flattened down, yet flowing everywhere like bed hair. He seemed to have been sleeping.

"Ahhhhh… are you the new student?" Kuroki was, first of all, surprised. He looked down at the guy, whom was oddly only in boxers.

'Who was this weirdo?' Kuroki grumbled to himself some words.

"Ah, let me introduce myself. My name is Ryuta O'Hara. I'm a second year here! Yay! I get a cute first year as a roommate!" Said Ryuta leapt up in the air, as tired as he was, excitedly as he spread his arms wide to hug the slightly frightened Kuroki. It wasn't comfortable to him.

Kuroki pushed himself away patting himself down and letting himself in. He tossed his bags on the seemingly comfy couch and turned to his new roommate. "Ahem, my name is-"

"Kuroki Kudou!" Ryuta happily yelled while flailing his arms around said boy.

Kuroki sighed and then thought about it. "Why do you know my name?! Heck, everyone seems to know my name before I know them!"

"Awwww. Little first year is mad. Haha. Well, I can answer for you, at least on my part."

"Please do."

"Well, I heard I was getting a first year as a roommate just last week. And since I haven't had a roommate since the beginning of my first year, I researched as much as I could by going through your files in the school database, your health records, and I even know your likes and dislikes. Like how you hate mushrooms."

"You're a creepy senpai!" Kuroki cried. "And that is in violation of my privacy!"

"Aw, don't be like that. I promise I'll give you your personal space."

"Good! And we better keep it that way."

Kuroki took out a small tin, containing his extra cards for his Keyblade Deck. His one and only Deck he has used. He searched around his cards looking through the Fusions, Synchros, Xyz, Pendulums, and even Links, which he somewhat despised before the New Era Playstyle rulings had been released.

"Oh, are you preparing for your duel tomorrow?" Ryuta asked. Kuroki hummed and nodded in response. "Ah, about that duel. You're probably going to have trouble against your opponent."

"Why do you say that?" Kuroki asked.

"Because the guy you are dueling uses a Romanticdere Deck." Kuroki eyed Ryuta.

"Come again?"

"You'll find out."

"As Yugi Muto once put it, you must have the heart of the cards. And with that, you can bring about miracles!" Ryuta's eyes sparkled in glittering happiness.

"Oh please. What matters now is consistency and power. Not miracles. We can't rely on the luck of the draw." Kuroki muttered.

"Haha, so you say. But I think you'll come to understand it, my underclassman." Ryuta rubbed Kuroki's hair around, making it ruffled.

"Hm, sure…"

A few seconds passed with awkward silence, while Kuroki stared at his cards and Ryuta happily watching Kuroki do his thing. Then Kuroki faced Ryuta. "Can you not? Like not look at me while I am focusing?"

"Ehhhhh? But I'm bored."

"If you're bored, go do something." Kuroki bit back his tongue before impulsively insulting his roommate.

Ryuta pouted and looked down laying on his still exposed stomach. He sighed, not knowing what to do at the moment. Suddenly, an idea popped up in his mind.

"Oh, Kuroki…" Ryuta whispered in his ears. In response, Kuroki pushed Ryuta away, swatting him like a fly.

"What is it?" Kuroki grumbled.

"Let's duel, for your practice, and as a congratulatory duel for getting in!" Ryuta couldn't help but smile, and so for Kuroki. A duel may help him set his deck for tomorrow, so he couldn't help but do the same as Ryuta.

"Fine… we can duel. On one condition." Kuroki grinned. Ryuta blinked. "You have to cook me something. I'll be hungry afterwards!" Ryuta chuckled.

"Sure!" Ryuta grabbed his deck and his duel disk, and proceeded to drag Kuroki outside with him as he already had his duel disk and deck on hand. Standing on a small field of grass, just behind the dorm facing the ocean, both boys inserted their Decks into the Deck slots. "You ready, underclassman?"

"Hmph, yeah." Kuroki cracked his knuckles preparing himself.

"Alright then, let's…"

"Duel!"

Kuroki vs Ryuta

LP: 4000

Rules: New Era Playstyle

"Since you're the underclassman, as the senpai here, you go first."

"Fine by me," Kuroki said. He looked at his starting hand. He had Sora already and 'Drive Form'. All he needed was Donald or Goofy in his hand. He took his 'High Drive' and activated it. "From my hand, I activate the Spell Card, 'High Drive'. I send 1 'Drive' card from my hand or field to the GY and then draw 2 cards. I'll send 'Drive Recovery' from my hand to the GY and then draw." He looked at his hand again. He drew Donald and 'Drive Revert'. "Okay… I'll activate the Spell Card 'Drive Form' from my hand to Drive Summon my Drive Form monsters from my Extra Deck using monsters I control and in my hand as materials."

"Oh? This is quite new for me. I've never seen such cards. Haha!" Ryuta laughed softly.

"Well, here's your first time. I will Fusion Summon. Using Sora as the catalyst with Donald as the power, Sora can reach a new form to fight. Blessed with the wisdom of light, may you bring down your judgement, Drive Fusion Summon! Level 6, 'Drive Form - Sora the Keyblade of Wisdom'! (LIGHT/Warrior/Level 6/2100/1400) I'll set 2 cards face-down and end my turn!"

Turn 2

Kuroki

LP: 4000

Hand: 0

Field: 3

GY: 4

"Hmmmm, now it's my turn. Draw!" Ryuta eyed his hands and pouted, making kissy faces to Kuroki. "You better be going easy on senpai! He's not in his best form right now."

Kuroki cocked his head. "I need to go all out or else, I am going to lose my duel against Kishiki Okimura tomorrow. So you need to do your best too."

"Awwww, but I don't wanna hurt my kouhai."

"What… was with the switch between… underclassman and kouhai?" But Kuroki could feel an immense atmosphere forming around Ryuta.

"I activate the Field Spell 'Crownstar Darkauditorium'. When it is activated, I can send 1 'Crownstar' monster from my hand to the GY, then send 1 'Crownstar' monster from my Deck to the GY. I'll send 'Crownstar Brocadrai' (DARK/Aqua/Level 3/1400/1500) from my hand and 'Crownstar Flannel' (DARK/Aqua/Level 4/1500/300) from my Deck to the GY."

"Crownstars huh? So it's going to be a lot of GY and shuffling, and then there's the burn. Though, now is not the time to activate Sora's effect." Kuroki mumbled to himself.

"If 'Flannel' is sent from my hand or Deck to the GY: I can Special Summon it. I now Normal Summon 'Crownstar Damaskian'. (DARK/Aqua/Level 4/1700/600) When he is Normal Summoned, I can discard 1 card to send 1 'Crownstar' monster from my Deck to the GY and add 1 'Crownstar' card from my Deck to my hand. I'll send Brocadrai and add 'Crownstar Encore'. I'll also chain Brocadrai's effect in my GY to it, and shuffle Flannel into my Deck to Special Summon it. Darkauditorium can send Brocadrai to your GY. Since a card was sent to your GY, Brocadrai inflicts 100 damage to you, and since Darkauditorium had it sent to your GY, it also inflicts 100 damage to you. (Kuroki's LP: 4000 - 3800) Also, because Brocadrai activated his effect, Damaskian inflicts 100 damage to you too! (Kuroki's LP: 3800 - 3700) Since Flannel was shuffled into my Deck, I can send 1 'Crownstar' monster from my Deck to the GY, except itself."

"Oh come on!"

"I send 'Crownstar Denima' (DARK/Aqua/Level 2/700/1700) to the GY. Darkauditorium! (Kuroki's LP: 3700 - 3600) Brocadrai! (Kuroki's LP: 3600 - 3500) Damaskian! (Kuroki's LP: 3500 - 3400)"

"Agh, this burn damage is annoying! Grah! I should have negated Darkauditorium!"

"Now I activate 'Crownstar Encore'!"

"I'll negate it with Sora's effect. When a Spell/Trap is activated: I can negate the activation and destroy it."

"Ah! Aw… but Damaskian's effect. Since a monster effect was activated, you take 100 more damage!" Ryuta winked at Kuroki.

"Ngh!" (Kuroki's LP: 3400 - 3300)

"I'll end my turn!"

Turn 3

Kuroki

LP: 3300

Hand: 0

Field: 3

GY: 6

Ryuta

LP: 4000

Hand: 1

Field: 3

GY: 2

"I'll draw!" Kuroki looked at his one card in hand. 'If I want to win, what can I do? The Brocadrai and Denima in my GY are there for some reason. But why? He must have something up his sleeve. Now calm down, me… it's just a practice duel.'