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 13
Field Trip Part 3: Pursuing Temperance
The sound of tarot cards echoed in the cold hotel room with Saiou Takuma reading the fortune intently. A knock interrupted his silent studying with Asuka's serene voice penetrating through, "Saiou-sama, Fukugawa Nao has arrived."
The corner of his lips curved when he answered, "Send her in."
A moment later, the door opened with Asuka telling Nao to go inside. Her footsteps followed with door closing shut with a faint lock. The heiress looked over her shoulder first and then stared down at the back of Saiou Takuma's head. As soon as she did, however, a sharp pain returned to her head.
"I suppose that there is no escape."
"You are free to leave, but beware that if you do, you may not make it outside. Please, be at ease and take a seat. You are a guest and I treat my guests well."
Knowing her manners, she walked towards the opposite side of the round table where five tarot cards were in display for her to see. There was even a cup of tea still warm waiting for her, but it didn't look very welcoming. Earl Grey, she noted while sitting on the cushioned chair and eyed one of the face-up tarot card.
"My cards have seen who and what you are. Would you like me to explain?" he rhetorically offered, in which he received no answer. His long finger pointed at the middle card, "Temperance in reverse position: instability, insecurity and loss. In other words, it is a past that was once true according to you."
He turned over the next card to his right. A picture of a reaper wasn't very difficult for her to figure it out. "Death in upright position: a psychological transformation. That would refer to your mysterious memory loss, would it not?"
Nao hitched a gasp but hid it in her throat. She warily watched him flip over the next two cards. "The Lovers in reverse position: losing connection with a significant person. And lastly, the Righteous Pope in upright position. In other words - this is Ed's representative. That should summarize your current dilemma."
"What about the bottom one? What is it supposed to represent?"
There was a long pause before he answered, "The culprit. Go on, flip the card to see for yourself."
Nao inaudibly swallowed and her hand shakily reached for it. She took a deep breath when she felt the smooth texture of the card and quickly flipped it.
It was a fatal mistake. A picture of a devil stood in upright position but as quickly as she revealed it, a chronic pain surged into her mind like a thousand bricks had just fallen from a high altitude.
"A devil," she gasped. She remembered the one thing she thought of the man in front of her - a devil. "It was you."
"Not quite right. Rather you may be referring to the Light of Truth. You were the first to be blinded by light, but you were only such a small child."
"Was this intentional?"
"It was all for Ed's fate. He was destined to save me from destruction - hence the upright Devil. I only needed to clear out any nuisances but it appears to me that you never were. Now with your return, fate had changed among the three of us. Should the Devil influence Temperance, they become a common enemy to all."
"So you figured out who I was and have all the answers. What do you want with me?"
"All I need is your cooperation. You may either become a member willingly or I will have to do the honours myself."
"Would it be more suitable if Manjōme or Asuka dueled me instead? I had you perceived as an individual who wouldn't lift a finger for those who wouldn't get in the way of your fate."
"Well put, but unfortunately or fortunately, your fate was apparently already intertwined with Ed."
"I see," she narrowed her eyes at him. "In that case, I want to know what you will do to me if I am to become a member of the Society of Light."
"Simple. You are a top student of Duel Academia and you will become the society's greatest addition, now that Judai and Ed have a path that does not require it. They are now considered as threats and they are to be eliminated than converted. You will be the one to help me."
"Then tell me why."
"Because Ed will not even dare to challenge you to save you. He knows that he will hurt you nonetheless and would rather let you live as an enemy."
"So you are holding me hostage."
"You are precious to him. All the more reason to recruit someone of great value."
"In that case, I will not let you take me so easily."
"As I expected," he closed his eyes and moved his tarot cards aside for his deck. "We will duel with the standard rules. Should I win, you will become a member of the society. Should you win, and I will set you and your locked past free." Her hand holding her own deck froze in place.
"Will you? Can you?" she whispered in a dangerously low tone.
"Of course. It would not be a difficult task for me."
"Fine then."
They placed their decks on opposite sides of the table and began their duel. What puzzled her was that Saiou kept his cards face-down flat. "I cannot see my cards this way of course, but I can see through them. No need to worry with that skeptical expression. In fact, I will let you take the first turn."
"I appreciate your manners, but not your belittling," she drew her first card and began right away. "I summon Naturu Mantis in attack position." She placed her monster near the center of the table and continued.
Naturu Mantis (Level 4)
Insect-Type
ATK: 1700 DEF: 1500
"From my hand I activate the Permanent Magic: Seed Shot. When a Plant-type monster is summoned, this card gains a plant counter. When it is sent to the Cemetery, the opponent will receive 500 points of damage for every plant counter collected. I also set three cards face-down and end my turn."
"Oh? You are rather very resourceful with your card right from the very beginning, aren't you? Let us see how reliable they will be," he lightly praised and drew his card without looking at the content, placing it face-down on the table beside the rest of his obscured hand.
"I summon Arcana Force IV - The Emperor in attack position," he turned over his center card and to Nao's shaking anticipation, he was correct. He merely shifted it over so that his and Nao's monster were aligned.
Arcana Force IV - The Emperor (Level 4)
Fairy-Type
ATK: 1400 DEF: 1400
Suddenly, the card spiritually materialized right behind Saiou and began to tauntingly rotate clockwise. "Please call stop. If the card stops upright, all "Arcana Force" monsters on my field gain 500 attack points. On the contrary, they lose the same amount."
"Stop," she called. The card stopped rotating in the upright position, which somehow didn't surprise her. "The Emperor now gains 500 attack points," which Nao didn't flinch at the turned tables. "The Emperor attacks Naturu Mantis," he commanded but she intercepted it smoothly.
"I activate the Trap Card: Dimension Wall. When an opponent's monster declares an attack, the opponent takes the Battle Damage I would have taken."
"Well done," he shrugged as two hundred life points were taken from him. "However I am far from finishing this turn. I activate the Magic Card: Divination of Fate. Since the Emperor did not destroy a monster by battle this turn, I am able to Special Summon a Level 4 or lower 'Arcana Force' monster from my hand. I shall select Arcana Force VI - The Lovers in attack mode."
Arcana Force VI - The Lovers (Level 4)
Fairy-Type
ATK: 1600 DEF: 1600
As soon as he slid the card to the left of the Emperor, like before, the card appeared behind him, rotating in the same taunting fashion. "If it is upright then the Lovers can be used as two tributes for an 'Arcana Force' monster. Otherwise, I cannot tribute summon one."
"Stop!" she said, but to her dismay, it also stopped upright.
"I will set two cards to end my turn."
Nao nervously studied the entire field and the number of cards in both hers and Saiou's hand. Comparing herself to him, he appeared as if playing his cards were so effortless and routine. He didn't need to look at the cards to play and the intimidation slowly began to eat at her.
"What is the matter, Fukugawa Nao? It is your turn."
His thin tone of voice gnawed at her, making her shiver. She drew her next card and rushed through the next moves. "I activate Pot of Greed to draw two more cards from my deck." She glanced at her new additions for a moment. "Next I activate the Permanent Trap: Naturu Sacred Tree. Once per turn, I can tribute one Earth Insect-type monster to Special Summon one Level 4 or lower Earth Plant-type monster from my Deck. The effect also applies with the opposite direction. So I tribute Naturu Mantis to Special Summon Naturu Eggplant from my Deck."
Nao searched through and shuffled her deck.
Naturu Eggplant (Level 2)
Plant-Type
ATK: 1000 DEF: 700
"Permanent Magic Seed Shot gains a plant counter due to Naturu Eggplant. From my hand I activate the Magic Card: Landoise's Luminous Moss to negate all opponent's monster effects, so both the Emperor and the Lovers' attack power reverts to original strength. Now I tribute Naturu Eggplant to summon Naturu Bamboo Shoot." She switched Naturu Eggplant to the Cemetery pile and replaced it with Naturu Bamboo Shoot from her hand. Seed Shot gained its second plant counter.
Naturu Bamboo Shoot (Level 5)
Plant-Type
ATK: 2000 DEF: 2000
"Naturu Eggplant's effect activates when it is sent to the Cemetery. Other than its own, I can select one 'Naturu' monster from the Cemetery and add it to my hand." She took back Naturu Mantis she sent earlier to her hand.
"Since Naturu Bamboo Shoot's tribute was a Plant-type, as long as it is on my field, the opponent cannot activate Magic or Trap cards.'
"I see. You could have offered the Insect-type but it would not activate the restrictive ability," he observed without a hint of frustration.
"Battle: Naturu Bamboo Shoot attacks the Emperor." Without any rights to activate magic or trap cards, Saiou calmly took the six hundred points of damage and moved his destroyed monster to his Cemetery. "Although I am not finished yet. I activate the Trap Card: Blossom Bomber. When a Plant-type monster destroys an opponent's monster by battle, the destroyed monster's attack power is inflicted to the opponent's life points." Saiou chuckled darkly when he was down to eighteen hundred life points.
"I expected this caliber from a genius student like you. I give you my respect. However, this duel is part of a greater plan and I have foreseen its outcome. You can most definitely attack all you can but the outcome will not change."
"I will not submit myself to fate so easily," she argued back with a hint of defiance.
"Of course. If you did then this duel would not be necessary. I am quite taken aback with your resistance."
"I challenge my fate for the good of all others."
"We shall assess that with this." He drew his next card face-down like usual. "It is time to face that fate you dare challenge. I tribute Arcana Force VI - The Lovers to summon from my hand Arcana Force XIV - Temperance." He replaced the former card with the other, making Nao freeze in her spot as soon as she laid eyes on it.
Arcana Force XIV - Temperance (Level 6)
Fairy-Type
ATK: 2400 DEF: 2400
Temperance, she mentally flinched. It was a word she wasn't quite familiar with but since the card resembled a distorted angel, healing came to mind.
"Temperance literally means abstinence, moderation or self-restraint. In other words in this context, you are the abstinence that Ed had restricted himself with," he revealed.
"I don't quite understand."
"Just think on the fact that it has been many years since the two of you separated. To be quite frank, Ed always reflected upon the past but did not take action to find the lost time. He sacrificed his happiness with revenge and a relentless work ethic, while you continued to live your life with a distortion inflicted upon you."
Nao's head began to pound as if a bandage was being peeled off of a sore dry wound, and there was a flash of images that she had never seen before. As she was hit with a torrent of a headache, the temperance card spun ambivalently.
"If it stops upright, then all my battle damage will be halved. If not, then yours will be halved as long as this card is on my field. So what will your fate be?"
She bit her tongue from saying 'stop', fearing that destiny would still toy with her. With each passing second, her mind swayed even deeper in confusion. She couldn't keep up with the images that passed through in and out, and couldn't help but think that most of her life was a lie.
Was it? Her missing past? Her family? Her friends?
What about Ed?
He was the only person she felt lighter, happier and safer. Despite that, after all these years, he kept himself away. But for whose sake, she cried. Here she was - fighting with all her might to keep Judai and Ed away from danger but in exchange for her own danger. If only she had more courage to face the Society of Light at that damned Virtual World game entrance, then she didn't have to be in this mess.
But an unconscious part of herself brought up something important - something that Nao would always have to remember no matter what.
"I won't let anything happen to you," Ed's voice echoed in her mind, changing the tide of despair that surged through.
That's right, she thought. Ed would still not let anything happen to her. "Stop!" she said, and a scowl on Saiou's face caught her eye, with Temperance's card in reverse position. "The battle damage I take will be halved."
"Very well. Temperance attacks Naturu Bamboo Shoot," he said and Nao's points were down by only two hundred points, but Saiou was free to use his magic and trap cards.
"I shall place one card face-down to end my turn."
"Draw," Nao said with a little more confidence. She analyzed her hand and the field for a moment before proceeding. "I summon Cursed Fig in attack position."
Cursed Fig (Level 1)
Plant-Type
ATK: 200 DEF: 200
"Permanent Magic Seed Shot gains a third plant counter. Battle: Cursed Fig attacks Temperance."
"How valiant, but you of all people should know the consequence that attack," he reminded, seeing that Nao's life points dropped to twenty-seven hundred and her monster destroyed. "I am well aware of mine, but you may not be aware of yours. When Cursed Fig is destroyed by battle and sent to the Cemetery, I can select two face-down Magic and Trap cards on the field. While this card rests in the Cemetery, those set cards cannot be activated. I will choose the cards set in your first turn."
Saiou held back a gasp when he thought he saw vines of decayed and dry figs wrapped around his set cards, indicating that he couldn't use them anymore. He thought he had foreseen it but it was hard in some cases to accept that fate can be challenged.
"Finally, I activate Seed Shot's final effect. By sending it to the Cemetery, each plant counter inflicts 500 points of damage to your life points." When his scowl grew just slightly, there was a dark glimmer swimming in Nao's mauve eyes. "Taste the bitterness of destiny you foretold."
There it was - and he knew she couldn't turn back on that hidden dangerous intent. Being left with three hundred life points was enough.
"I see your true nature, Fukugawa Nao," he said, making her take aback with a look of shock. "You cannot deny that malicious hunger for vengeance. For years you had swallowed all the poisonous sneers of underestimation, and it seems you had enough. The Society of Light will be a splendid opportunity to let it simmer and grow."
"I don't need the society to help me," she shook her head.
"Fate will not fail us, Fukugawa Nao. Allow me," he offered as he drew his card. "I activate the Trap Card: Decisive Power of Absolute Destiny! First I declare a monster, and if that monster is in your Deck, then it is Special Summoned on your field. I declare your Naturu Pineapple."
"Impossible!" she cried in disbelief when Naturu Pineapple was visibly forced onto the field. Nao's eyes widened at the sight of what seemed to be a devil, holding a squirming Naturu Pineapple in a vice grip. "He knew!"
"Then I activate the Magic Card: Ace of Sword." When he turned the card over, the materialized illusion of the card began to rotate. "The upright effect inflicts damage to the opponent's life points equal to a selected monster's attack power. The reverse effect inflicts damage to me. The fate of this outcome in sorely in your hands. So?"
Nao's hardened eyes flashed darkly when she saw the card rotating near the reverse position and called, "Stop!"
But the card did not stop where she wanted. Ace of Sword spun until it stopped in the upright position, defying against her.
"The selected monster, Temperance's attack power is inflicted as damage to your life points!" Nao saw a glimpse of a long sword piercing through her, and then felt an immense pain in her chest, gripping it tight in hopes of soothing it when her life points dropped drastically to three hundred.
"This is the outcome I had foreseen. Temperance attacks Naturu Pineapple!" When it drove itself to her last defense, a harsh blinding light engulfed her into a tight embrace.
There was no room for a scream or even a small grunt of pain.
There was only silence and the sound of her knees hitting the floor. Nao's head slumped forward, unresponsive and limp. When she looked up after a few long moments of silence, the mauve eyes that once clung onto the innocent life she had left was now empty and visibly darkened.
There was no memory.
No emotion.
Just a blank slate.
White.
White.
White.
A/N: This chapter was actually a lot harder to picture than you think. Literally, I just sat in front of my computer for a good ten minutes thinking of... well a lot of things. A lot of psychological madness, but very likely to be realistically unrealistic. Okay, well Interlude Year 2 will be written this weekend (hopefully) and thanks for still sticking around!
Reviews are welcome but not obliged.
That's all folks, Ineffable.