Disclaimer: Yugi-Oh GX does not belong to me nor its characters or rights over the story.
Warn: This story may have heavy and uncomfortable themes/situations like use of drugs, violence, suicide, abuse, sexual harassment, intimate relations, rape, depression, trauma and bad language. If you do not like such, Do not read this.
The duel for this chapter is ready! And some bit of Fubuki goofiness too!
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Chapter 22: Fubuki VS Ryo
Fubuki finishes his surfing, there are girls all around watching him intently, his flirtatious tone and charming smile incites them even more until he is about to be run over by them. He has to disguise himself and run away from the flock of fans before they overwhelm him.
After they are gone, he takes a deep sigh and dresses his uniform over his swimsuit, his sparkling presence diminishing as a faint shadow dims his eyes, reminiscing about a time long gone.
A few years ago
Fubuki hides behind a rock on the bottom of the cliff, panting heavily and sweating aplenty, he covers his mouth with both hands overlapping, his eyes opening wide as he listens to hectic stomping of many footsteps approaching.
"Where is he?!"
"Aw, he escaped! I wanted him to help with my deck!"
"He's so handsome, I want him to teach me dueling too!"
"I just wanted to see his face! He is such a prince!"
The female voices squeak as they comment about him, he closes his eyes, holding his breath for a moment while escaping them, once the coast is clear he sighs deeply and walks towards the lighthouse, near the connecting ramp that goes up the cliff he was hiding under.
He stops upon hearing a low female voice coming from the side, he looks around until he sees a familiar figure, the dark-blue haired boy that was also popular besides him, the undefeated duelist that hasn't lost a duel ever since he entered the school this year.
His eyes squint slightly, the blue-haired has his PDA lifted at his face's height and someone seems to be talking to him, Fubuki smirks. Is it a girlfriend? No, she doesn't sound like a teeny girl. Who is it? He walks sneakily closer but staggers once he hears more clearly the voice, putting a hand behind his ear to listen to it.
"Ryo, are you eating properly? Do you have friends? You exhale this 'stay away from me, I'm too cool for you' aura. I'm a bit worried if someone will ever talk to you when you have this scary indifferent face, they may think you are a robot without emotions! And don't go listening to those people who say boys can't cry, okay? Are you adapting well to living in a dorm? I was pretty concerned at first, your father had to convince me you were responsible enough to live without our supervision, but you look healthy and I heard you had the top grades on the monthly exams ever since you entered. Now even Shou is following your example and wants to go to the duel academy too!" she chuckles.
"I'm fine." he resumes his answer in a few words, a troubled tone as his mouth curves slightly down abashedly and his brows furrow upwards, unable to keep up with the amount of worries she spurts out. "You don't need to worry too much."
"Sheesh, at least call your mother sometimes!" she pouts, but a sheepish smile comes to her lips right after "Anyways, I'm happy to see you look fine, see you on the holidays, sweetie! You're making us all proud!"
The call ends before he has the chance to reply anything, he lets out a tired sigh, it looks as if all the talking was too much for him. In a flinch, his eyes flash warily to the side, Fubuki almost jumps scared with how quickly his expression changed from awkwardly embarrassed to a serious, stern gaze.
"Ah, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt, just…" he controls his chuckle. "Haha, your mom seems like a nice person."
"You…" Ryo's eyes open a bit recognizing the other. "You're Fubuki Tenjouin…"
"Ah, you remember me…" he scratches his head a bit weirded by the situation "Yeah, we are in the same class, but I'm surprised to be remembered by…" he puts a hand to his chin, a dramatic tone on his voice "The undefeated duelist, the perfect student, the strict prince, Ryo Marufuji!"
"I don't know why people suddenly started calling me all that." he sighs deeply, averting his eyes to the ocean, folding his arms a standoff semblance.
"Heh?" he walks around and looks at Ryo from different sides, as if analyzing him "How do you not know? You have the best grades of the class, you never lost a duel ever since your entrance exam and you have quite the amount of female fans, rivaling almost the number of mine." he nods, closing his eyes, almost proud of his knowledge.
A second of silence occurs, Ryo stares blankly at him, then turns his gaze back at the horizon as if their talk had ended.
"Talk about unapproachable…" a drop of sweat rolls down Fubuki's face.
"So… Do you often come here to watch…" he skims through his mind hard to find the words "The waves?" another drop of sweat rolls down.
He didn't take the cool and popular duelist as a reserved, brooding-mood guy who'd watch the ocean for long hours in an undisturbed silence, it was too funny. Is he guarding the lighthouse as a last boss or what?
"Why not? This is the quietest place of the academy."
"I can relate to that." he looks at the upper land, where his fangirls were crazily chasing after him. "Haha, but I didn't think the favorite place of our honor student would be the lighthouse."
"You're also pretty famous among the duelists here..." He finally spins around, his eyes sharpening while looking at Fubuki. "I see you're trying to keep up a conversation, but if you have anything to say, why don't you just say it in a duel?"
"Ah, this guy is quite intense…" he sweats while collecting his thoughts.
"Is that not why you came all the way here?"
"Y-you got me!" He spouts not wanting to admit the real motive. It's too late to refuse now. He clears his throat and tries to look equally cool "Alright, let's see your abilities first hand! I, King Fubuki, will defeat you! I draw!"
His eyes apprehensively glance at his hand, a smirk forming on his lips as he starts:
"I play Red-Eyes Insight! This card sends the Red-Eyes Black Dragon from my deck to the graveyard and adds a Red-Eyes Spirit to my hand! Now I summon my Black dragon's Chick and I activate its effect! I send my Black Dragon's Chick to the graveyard to summon Red-Eyes Black Dragon from my hand in attack position (ATK 2400/ DEF 2000)!"
"Hm… Well played, you set your field well at the first turn!"
"And I'm not done yet, I can't attack on the first turn, but I activate my spell Inferno Fire Blast! It targets a Red-Eyes on my field and inflicts damage directly to your life points equal to my Red-Eyes attack, but I can't attack this turn, not that it matters!"
The Black Dragon roars fiercely on the field, its jaw stretching menacingly as a ball of fire forms on its mouth, until he spits it in a jet all over Ryo's empty field, he shields his eyes with an arm from the brightness as his life points decrease.
LP: Fubuki - 4000. Ryo- 4000 - 1600
"I set a card down and end my turn!" He smiles challengingly to the other.
"Fine, I draw!" After a quick glance at the card he raises it before placing it on his field "I special-summon Cyber Dragon in attack mode (ATK 2100/ DEF 1600), now I normal summon Heavy Mech Support Platform (ATK 500 /DEF 500) and I activate its effect, I can equip it to a machine type monster, and I choose my Cyber Dragon, when it's equipped to a monster, it raises its ATK and DEF points by 500! (ATK 2100- 2600/ DEF 1600- 2100), now! Cyber Dragon, attack his Red-Eyes!"
As soon as the order is given, the machine Dragon shoots a light beam at the Black one that gnarls at it, being destroyed by the holographic effects and breaking into shards, the damage in the life points is done. Fubuki narrows his eyes as a gust of wind occurs.
LP: Fubuki: 4000-3800. Ryo: 1600
"I set a card and end my turn!"
"Very good! No wonder the other obelisk students were scared of you, machine monsters, huh! I draw!"
"I didn't expect to face a Red-Eyes deck either." He folds his arms, awaiting for his opponent.
"Well, we'll see how this goes… I activate my trap card: Red-Eyes Spirit! With this I can bring back a Red-Eyes Black Dragon from my graveyard to my field! And it doesn't end here, Ryo!" He clenches his fists after playing the next card: "I activate another spell card Inferno Fire Blast! I'm sorry, but I'm not giving the title of prince to anyone else!" He declared the last part in some sort of petty rivalry, Ryo just flinched at it in surprise. "Go, my Red-Eyes, finish him!"
He stretches his hand, feeling the grasp of victory as he stares at the stoic expression of his opponent, a small curve up appear on Ryo's lips, as if he's having fun with the duel, but it vanishes as soon as he starts talking:
"I'm elated to hear you consider me a rival, however, I predicted this would happen. I open my trap card: Damage Polarizer! It negates the effect-damage I'd suffer from your card and makes each of us draw one card!"
"Tsk, I see. So you're a hard one to talk to in duels too…" he mumbles under his breath "Heh, just you wait, I won't let you hog the popular boy spot all alone! This is not over yet, Ryo!" He declares as if this is some sort of competition, drawing his card with enthusiasm.
The blue-haired teen raises a brow, seemingly confused at how the other keeps talking about popularity and saying strange things, he draws his card silently.
"Here it comes! I summon Black Metal Dragon! (ATK 600/ DEF 600), now I activate its effect and equip it to my Red-Eyes Black Dragon, increasing its attack points by 600! (ATK 2400- 3000/DEF 2000) Black Dragon, attack his Cyber Dragon!"
The now metallic looking dragon howls sending a sound wave towards the opponent, then he spits a fireball, instead of the Cyber Dragon being destroyed, the Heavy Mech Support Platform breaks into shards, astounding Fubuki.
LP: Fubuki- 3800 Ryo-1200
"What?!"
"This is the other effect of my Heavy Mech Support Platform, once it's equipped to a monster, it's destroyed instead whenever that monsters would be destroyed. Now, my Cyber Dragon attack and defense points went back to normal." He calmly explains, his rival grinding his teeth.
Cyber Dragon (ATK 2600-2100/DEfF2100-1600).
"A careful one, aren't you? You really didn't waste any moves here, I see what those boys fear in you!" A drop of sweat rolls down his face, but he grins excitedly "It's been a while I had an opponent like you, all the more reason to go all out!"
"Same here. My turn!" He draws his card, his eyes sharpening at the sight "I activate Fusion Gate from my hand!" He flips the card to show it before placing it on the field. "As long as this card is on the field, it allows me to fuse a monster by banishing fusion material from my field or hand! I banish my Cyber Dragon on my field and other three machine monsters on my hand!" He inserts Cyber Phoenix, Perfect Machine King and Cyber Ouroboros in the duel disk, they're swallowed and sent to the banished card's zone. "With this, I bring forth Chimeratech Fortress Dragon! (ATK 4000), its attack is the number of monsters used as fusion material times 1000!"
"You're kidding me, a bit too aggressive, aren't you? 4000?!" He is amused by the creature roaring on the field, standing elegantly.
"That's not all! I activate the effect of my Cyber Ouroboros I discarded just now, once it's removed from play, I can use its effect to discard one card from my hand and draw another! And I'll do just that!" He concludes sending a Cyber Dragon in his hand to the graveyard, taking another card and playing it after a single glance "Now, I normal summon Armored Cybern and I activate its effect, if my monster is a Cyber Dragon or used a Cyber Dragon as a fusion material, I can equip Cybern to it! When it's equipped to a monster it lowers its attack points by a 1000!"
Chimeratech Fortress Dragon (ATK-4000-3000)
The Chimeratech squirms while losing points, in a complaint, Fubuki's feet skid back in concern, is his opponent up to something? He's sure he is and he has this strange feeling on his stomach that he won't like it.
"When this effect is used, I can choose one monster on the field and destroy it! And I choose your Red-Eyes Black Dragon!" He points at it mercilessly.
The Red-Eyes is destroyed along with the Black Metal Dragon equipped to it. Fubuki closes an eye after some dust is sent into the air from the holographic system making a strong air current again. But a smirk flashes on his lips, he can see a path to victory again.
"Since you destroyed my Black Metal Dragon along with the Red-Eyes, I can use its effect to add a Red-Eyes card to my hand." The duel disk makes a card bulge out of it, another Red-Eyes Black Dragon, Fubuki adds it to his hand with an aloof, but expectant glint on his eyes.
"Chimeratech Fortress Dragon, attack him directly!"
LP: Fubuki- 3800 -800 Ryo- 1200
"My turn!" He draws and plays the card immediately "I activate Pot of Greed!" After drawing his other 2 cards due to the effect, he smiles confidently "Now, I will make use of your Fusion Gate and also banish monsters: I banish the Red-Eyes Black Dragon in my hand and the Meteor Dragon to summon Meteor Black Dragon! (ATK 3500/ DEF 2000), now I activate Stamping Destruction! It can destroy one spell/trap in the field if I control a dragon-type monster and deals 500 of life points damage if I succeed! And since your Armored Cybern counts as a spell/trap card now, I choose to destroy it!"
LP: Fubuki- 800. Ryo-1200-700
"Now, My Meteor Black Dragon, attack his Chimeratech!"
The monster that had lava bathing it all over roars powerfully before charging a fire blast that pierces the Chimeratech Dragon breaking it into parts.
LP: Ryo- 700-200
"Heh, we're almost even now! I set a card and end my turn!"
Ryo draws his card quietly, a faint smirk appearing on his lips as he flips the card for Fubuki to see it before he plays it. It was a Pot of Greed allowing him to draw two cards, almost as if contesting Fubuki's play on the last turn.
"I summon Proto-Cyber Dragon, (ATK 1100/DEF 600) and I activate Cyberload Fusion! Using my Proto-Cyber Dragon on my field and two of my Cyber Dragons in the graveyard, I fusion summon Cyber End Dragon! (ATK 4000/ DEF 2800). Cyber End, attack his Meteor Black Dragon!"
At the command the Cyber End Dragon fills its chest proudly accumulating energy sending it as a blast towards the other Dragon that is engulfed by the light. Ryo stands tall while Fubuki is forced to close his eyes from all the brightness as his life points decrease.
LP: Fubuki- 800-300
The tension swells more, Fubuki takes a look at his cards before making his draw to initiate the turn, his enemy has a boss-like monster, they're both low on life points. While his eyes trail off on the card he has just drawn, considering possibilities, a link of enlightenment occurs.
"If I use that card, I can…" he plans mentally, a hopeful smile protruding on his mouth. "I activate the trap Red-Eyes Spirit to special summon my Red-Eyes Black Dragon from my graveyard! Then, I set two cards down and end my turn!"
"I draw!" His eyes widen a bit at the card, Power Bond, Fubuki felt almost as if Ryo smiled right there, but it was so hard to tell with him.
"This guy needs to get some more friends…" Is what the brown-haired thought to himself, then continues in a loud voice. "I activate my trap card, Half Unbreak! With this card, I can choose a monster on my field and prevent the destruction of that monster in this turn, also any battle damage I take that resulted from attacks revolving that monster is halved!"
"So you prepared something to protect your Red-Eyes? Interesting." He crosses his arms.
"And that's not all! I admit I understand better now where you got all the fame, still, I won't yield my position as the prince charming and King of this school yet!" He closes his fists determined. "I activate another trap card: Last Turn, I select a monster on my field to keep it and then, we both have to send all our cards from hand and field to the graveyard, except the card I chose! Of course, I choose My Red-Eyes Black Dragon!"
Ryo is stunned as their cards are all shattered and they have to insert their full hand of cards in the duel disk.
"Now, you can choose a monster from your deck and special summon it face-up in attack position and it must attack the monster I selected, the player whose monster survives the battle, wins the duel!"
Ryo frowns at it, but Fubuki can only smile, he was about to break Ryo's winning streak, an accomplishment many failed before him.
"You drove me to the corner, I didn't intend to use this, but it's my last resort! Your dueling is splendid! Now, you can go and summon your Cyber Dragon, Ryo, and lose to my Red-Eyes! This is the end!"
"Indeed, this is the end, but I'll have to disappoint you, because Cyber Dragon is not the only monster in my deck, and I don't intend to lose here." a resolute smirk comes to his face as he shows his next card "I special summon Kaiser Glider (ATK 2400/ DEF 2000), the effect of this monster dictates it cannot be destroyed in battle if it faces a monster with the same attack points!"
Fubuki's eyes waver, both monsters engage in combat entangling their claws and trying to overpowers each other, with the Black-Eyes shooting a fire blast that is countered by the other dragon doing the same, they both fly backwards and roar, but none of them dies.
"This is… This guy… At the last moment he…" the brown haired gulps dryly, thinking to himself, amused by the outcome "He's just a first year like me, right? But I have this feeling… That he will shake the leagues when he gets there…"
"Due to the effect of your Half Unbreak and the effect of my Kaiser Glider, none of them can be destroyed and because you used your trap Last Turn, which means… This duel ends here… In a draw…"
He sighs subtly after concluding, the holograms disappearing. Fubuki stands there, gaping for a minute, Ryo simply comes closer and stretches his hand as a greeting.
"That was a fine duel. Nice to meet you, Fubuki."
None of them was expecting a draw, but for some reason they don't mind it ended like this, on the contrary, it seems that Ryo's interest was piqued, not that it was Fubuki's intention.
"Haha, you're very talented yourself, Ryo! Only Fujiwara gave me this much trouble, I admit."
The have a firm handshake, the teal-haired teen folds his arms, a curious glint to his eyes as he questions:
"But what are you doing around here? Did you really come all the way for a duel?"
"Ah, no, about that… I was just-"
"Look! It's Fubuki! And he is with that other handsome one! Kyah!"
"Oops, they found me, see you later! I have to answer my lovely fans!"
He rushes ahead beckoning cheerfully while leaving behind a confused Ryo. Not a word was said between them, but the next day…
Ryo stares bemusedly and a tad weirded out at the brow-haired teen that takes a deep breath with the salty wind, his eyes cast onto the horizon.
"So… What brings you here today?" He's hesitant to ask, but does it anyway.
"Aha! This is such a nice place, also our duel was pretty fun! It's kind of befitting you ended it with Kaiser Glider, Kaiser… Kaiser Ryo! That's a good nickname, don't you think?"
"I'd prefer to not have nicknames at all…" he closes his eyes, blurting out awkwardly.
"Talk about reserved…" Fubuki notes mentally while forcing a troubled smirk, then continues "By the way, I often see with your friends, It's quite funny you still come here alone everyday…"
"Friends? What are you talking about?" he blinks genuinely curious, his eyes awaiting for Fubuki's answer.
"Those guys who were talking to you earlier in the dorms…" he answers, also confused.
"They're just students I'm tutoring."
"What about those cute girls?"
"Which cute girl?" he frowns even more confused.
"The ones that keep passing by you and giggling…"
"What about them?" his frown just accentuates, then he puts a hand on his chin "Hm… Now that you mention, I've been seeing girls beckon to me more frequently… I wonder why…"
His smile twitches not believing the amount of cluelessness, then as Ryo ponders deeply about his questions, Fubuki notices something, a flash of understanding that pierces him like a lighting.
"It can't be… This guy is always surrounded by people, but… Could it be… Could it be…?!" his eyes waver and his mouth opens slowly in astonishment "He doesn't have actual friends?"
He gasps in shock, Ryo simply shrugs off and turns around to look at the ocean again, his arms crossed and a stoic semblance on his face. Fubuki clenches his fists, his eyes sparkle with a decided glint as he lands a hand on Ryo's shoulder, practically slapping it.
"Ryo!" he wipes his tears with the other arm, firming his grip on the shoulder of the other "Don't worry! I'll be your friend forever!"
"Wha-" his posture breaks.
At that time, they hear the squeaking of the fangirls, they point at Fubuki with hearts in their eyes, he smiles abashedly scratching his head and starts running away.
"I have to go now, my fans need me!" he beckons happily. "We will spread our name through the whole academy, Kaiser Ryo!"
After that, he'd often use that place to escape his fans and they would occasionally talk. It seemed like his company didn't bother Ryo at all, in truth, they became friends enough to interact outside classes and tested each other skills in duels, deck building and all sorts of subjects, it felt as if Fubuki was the one worming himself close, though. Also, because of Fubuki's antics people started calling "Kaiser Ryo" due to his undefeated records, much to Ryo's dismay.
Thinking of this calm, reserved person his friend used to be and his respectful dueling philosophy he'd go on for hours, he can't understand what transpired. Fubuki's lips curve slightly down as he comes back to the present.
"Ryo… What happened to you in your time in the pro league…? Why won't you tell us…?"
At the lighthouse
Ryo's feet lead him to that rocky bridge, he stands there watching the waves, his black cloak contrasting with the whiteness of the rocks. The unsightly opponents he battled up the cliff are nowhere to be seen, Takuma and his loser friends disappeared.
Nostalgic memories speedily run through his head while he maintains his composure. He's been here with so many of the ones he used to call friends: Asuka, Fubuki and Rie too. Though the latter has become much more than that.
He casts a glance to the side, Rie stands there, the wind blowing her hair so strongly she puts a hand to prevent it from sweeping all over her face. How many times had they been here and talked, she turns her face at him and smiles shyly after noticing she is observed.
"The last time we came here, things were very different…"
His hand sneaks to the side of her face, his fingers brushing faintly and warmly on her skin, he approaches his face nonchalantly, leaning his forehead on hers, closing his eyes.
"But I am happy to be here with you again, under different circumstances, Rie."
The unexpected words made her eyes flicker for a moment, before her eyelids shut down, a serene smile clinging to her lips, her hands cupping his face and pulling it closer, to feel the tepidness of his skin on hers even more.
She stands slightly on her toes, surprising him with a short kiss, his orbs opening instantly as she lets him go, a gleeful smile forming on her as she types a message.
"I am happy to see you here too! I need to work now, but I want to meet you when I have some free time."
"You're going?"
His question comes in an aloof voice. She nods with a wry smile, clasping her hands in an apology, even though he didn't show a hint of surprise there, she could still grasp it enough, he turns his gaze away, a huff of disappointment.
"Take care."
She leans on planting a peck on his cheek before waving energetically and rushing out of the place, leaving him alone there. His fists close unwittingly, an almost pouting expression. He'd wish to have more time, but there is no point complaining when they both were here for distinct reasons.
Not long after, he has the sensation of being watched. There is someone at the top of the cliff, to his surprise, it is Fubuki. For a moment, even from the distance he can feel their eyes met. Not saying a word, the friend takes his leave. He understands the calling and follows Fubuki.
Tenjouin reminisces about his talk with principal Samejima. After being defeated by the new Kaiser, the principal washed off at the shore of the island after fainting and has shown a deep worry about the state of mind of his former student.
"Ryo… Did you really change that much? Back then you… Your dueling was so different… Did you forget the core of your dueling?"
Those sorrowful doubts shackle his mind, he leads his best friend to the volcano on the island. He wears the same clothes he wore as "Darkness", Ryo doesn't flinch at the sight, he knows his friend has been cool and reserved, but the face he has now is just devoid of emotions.
As soon as their duel starts, Fubuki goes all out with his deck, dealing a full fledged Red eyes attack worth of life points damage. Ryo doesn't even flinch at it.
The duel proceeds, the presence of darkness takes a toll on Fubuki's mind. It tries to swallow him. Nonetheless, just by looking at his friend's indifferent gaze is enough to motivate him to try harder.
It is not long before the explosions of their duel calls the attention of certain students, namely, Judai, Shou and Kenzan after seeing his Red eyes Darkness dragon flying above the terrain of the volcano, they have to check what is happening.
The more Fubuki relies on darkness the more it crawls under him, but if it's Ryo, he is determined to take them both out of the dark. Everyone is shocked when Ryo discards 30 cards of his deck to the graveyard to nullify the life points damage.
"How can he do this…? Why has he changed so much? You were not like this, Ryo… Not at all… You used to be intense, but respectful. Now you're just…"
Lowering his head, Fubuki is blanketed by a dark aura, his voice suddenly changes, a mask that represents the spirit of darkness materializes on his face, his aggressive dueling style comes to surface under the control of the evil spirit. His body is no more his, neither is the duel.
He empowers his dark dragon more and is about to destroy Ryo's new deck, until the turnabout happens. By fusing his newly acquired 3 Cyberdark monsters, a powerful 7100 attack monster arises by combining its parasitic abilities of sucking attack points from other monsters and the effect of increasing it's attack by the number of discarded cards.
The last blow is dealt, nonetheless, Fubuki sees himself trapped in a dark world. He couldn't reach his friend. As he is slowly consumed by guilt, he hears a voice.
"I don't know what you are, but let go of him."
It repeats again until he can see through the mask covering his face, a light and from that light, he can hear Ryo's voice. Bewildered, he gazes into the strong, bright light.
"Fubuki, I am not trapped inside any darkness. Frankly, I haven't been more sober in my life…"
"Are you saying you didn't even lose sight of yourself?" he gapes. It can't be. "No, Ryo, this is not you… You aren't…"
"I didn't forget anything, Fubuki. I just wanted to try being someone who brings about the power of darkness that even light can shine on."
"Why would you want that?"
"To earn victories."
"Victories? Why are you so focused on victories? You don't need to have this type of mentality, you really don't…! What about Rie-chan, what would she say if she sees you like this?! Asuka, Shou… Everyone! Even when you lost duels in the pro league, no one ever considered you a loser, Ryo! Everyone believed in you!"
The silence is the only answer, he gasps at the sight, before he can inquire more, the light along with the image of his friend disappears from sight, as he calls out to him. A faint smile comes to Ryo's lips when the mask of darkness breaks, a hint of relief for setting Fubuki free. But it dilutes into curved down lips.
"Ryo..."
He stares at the vague, serious gaze of the blue-haired. In defeat, he falls to his knees. Judai and Kenzan rush to aid him. Shou has a frown looking at his brother, indignant with the person he has become.
Fubuki's eyes focus on the Kaiser ahead, his eyebrows coming together as he wonders about his friend's current status.
"That was definitely Ryo back there… So he hasn't forgotten about his respectful spirit… Against me or against darkness… Back then he was always the reserved type, but I knew from the beginning his duelist heart was burning from inside." he stands up with a resolute expression. "Ryo… You've changed, but… Your spirit is still the same, isn't it?"
"That was impressive, Ryo! This medal is yours." he cheerfully throws the medal at the other.
Instead of picking it up, he lets it fall on purpose and stomps on it mercilessly, disrespecting his friend.
"I'm not interested in these things. I'll be satisfied as long as I win." a fulfilled smile plays on his lips and it turns into a malicious smirk.
They can hear his muffled laughing as he walks away, for them all that is left is to meditate upon his words and the person he has become. He doesn't even spare a glance at his brother.
Leaving the area of the volcano, he occults himself into the forest, disregarding all the eyes watching over him in bemusement.
The next day
Rie walks along the road to the main building, ever since she came to the island, she has seen many white-coated students, something in their eyes seemed off. There were also the rumors about Ed Phoenix, the young duelist celebrity being in the school grounds as a student and participant of the tournament, but she couldn't find him and figured he'd been staying low.
She sighs, her boss even told her to get a good scoop and investigate the students, in part because he was worried about his son too. Her eyes widen when she sees Asuka also wearing a uniform like those of the strange cult in the school.
Her feet hurry on their own, she grabs Asuka's arm, forcing the other girl to turn around and look at her.
"Asuka, are you fine? Why are you talking to those people?" she peeks at the weird students that just cast an indifferent glance at her.
"Rie?" she smiles faintly, but it is robotic "I'm fine. Sorry, but I don't have time to talk now, I have an important mission to accomplish…"
She coldly turns around and leaves alone while Rie wonders what happened to her, unable to ask anything. Her arm stretches, but she hesitates when a hand lands on her shoulder, she turns around scared.
"Rie-chan." Fubuki displays an amicable smile.
"Fubuki-san…" she looks over her shoulders, pronouncing only with her lips.
"You saw Asuka, didn't you? She has been acting like this thanks to the strange cult that started in the school, the society of light…" his eyes wander off for a moment before he smiles fondly again "Do you have some time to spare?"
She nods worriedly, wondering how he would feel about his sister's sudden attitude change, his next question surprises her as they walk out of the forest.
"Rie-chan, tell me everything! I heard you and Ryo started dating, no, you're his girlfriend already, aren't you? It's been a long time since he last updated me. I take it he's busy with the pro league. I hope he isn't giving you too much trouble."
His last sentence came as a test to probe the waters before initiating the conversation, she types quickly.
"Yes, we're fine." she agrees with a slight shake of her head "Did you meet Ryo on the island?"
"I did. He looks like he went through a whole visual change, haha. I never would have imagined Ryo would act like that… But I think I understand a bit more why… Anyways, let's not get you bored talking about him, tell me how you have been doing! I heard you're writing an article for the Genex in a magazine, I can give you very good info on it."
He grins confidently and starts spouting his so-called information, making her laugh a bit at how he hasn't changed much since they last saw each other. A part of her worry is that the friendship between him and Ryo is fine.
"How did Asuka get involved with those people?"
"Ah, such a hard question, Rie-chan, but I will tell it to you."
His eyes are saddened just by thinking on how to best explain, but he tells it anyway as they walk. After getting herself some questions answered, they have a friendly chat. All the talk about the society of light worries her, Fubuki doesn't mention a single time about his latest duel with Ryo.
After a while, they head separate ways. From her peripheral vision, she catches a glimpse of a dark figure in the woods, near the main road to the academy. Her brows furrow in worry and she follows him.
Inside the forest,
Not long after
A drip falls to the immeasurable sea of darkness, if waves spread around, Ryo sees his image reflected on that darkness under him. He sits on an invisible bench, looking down to his own reflection. That perfect image of his is disturbed by the oscillations in the dark water.
That is right, back then at school, it looked as if he had no worries. To everyone, he was the perfect image of a student, duelist and of a person. His quiet, reserved demeanor attracted duelists and fans alike. But why… Or when did he start having this heavy sensation on his chest?
He never tried to live up to expectations, he just dueled and gave his best, respecting, confronting, surpassing. Then when… When did he start feeling like his limit has reached? Someone that is perfect cannot grow more is what he told Judai. Since then… Since that day he realized that the image of perfection could only be upheld in that small academy. Compared to the world and all the duelists he could find, that perfection was so… Insignificant.
Yes, this insignificance grew inside him, even after his ten victories as a pro, he didn't change a bit. And when he lost for the very first time in his whole career, the blow was too strong. The feeling he reached his limits, that his so-called perfection was nothing more than expectation coming from others struck his heart, it made it weigh in his mind, and stagger him completely. He was paralyzed.
After many losses, the light in his eyes dimmed. If he is fated to be a broken duelist, if he can't do anything as he is now, then he just needs to change, right? He needs to stand up and think of ways to improve. That what he has and that what he lacks, by figuring out those, he will become better.
When he accepted Saruyama's offer, his mind was at the verge of breaking. He was eager, impatient to find an answer for all his questions, but his hurry just caused him pain and harm. That duel broke all there was left inside him, it remodeled him into a new duelist, cruel, sadistic, overflowing with power and glory.
Is this the power he wanted? Yes. He did want a power like this, but even after trouncing all enemies in front, he is still not satisfied. His only satisfaction springs from the victory. That is all he can see and all that he will respect.
In a flinch, he awakes from his deep contemplation of his life, warm fingers brush on his face, a soft sensation presses against one of his legs, and a smooth sensation of someone's lips brushing against his, he is barely able to feel that short kiss. He finally notices Rie is sitting on his lap.
"Rie? Since when are you here?"
She smiles ruefully, as if she'd been trying to awake him from this inner slumber for some time. A faint smile plays on his face, did she do that to get his attention?
"What is it?" he rests one of his hands on her leg, she jolts at the gesture and blushes.
"I saw you coming here and wondered if everything was fine with you."
"Yes. I'm fine…" his answer is vague, all hints of his early concerns vanishing from his expression "Why do you ask?"
"I was wondering why you decided to come to the tournament. It didn't sound as if you would back when we talked..."
"I had some matters to settle here, plus I thought it's possible I may find a worthy opponent here."
She puts a hand to her chin, analyzing his expression, he lets out a grunt in discomfort, wondering what she is thinking. A smile comes to her lips.
"Even back then, you were all about dueling. That part of you didn't change a bit..."
She chuckles silently. Even without any sound, the sight of her slight trembling shoulders as she enjoys the moment makes his heart pulsate harder. In school, she wouldn't often laugh like that at the beginning, but now she can so casually and freely chuckle like that.
His gaze is cast to the ground in a meditative tone again, he didn't change a bit? What is she talking about? All he did was to change. How can she say this…? His lips open in an attempt to contest her claim, however he stops himself. Can he really say otherwise?
"You look a bit down. Is there something bothering you?"
There is a sketch of surprise on his eyes, a guilty smile plays on his lips. She seems genuinely curious, but he is not the most talkative and open person, he'd been like this since forever.
"Rie… You are really an amazing woman."
She is flustered at his words especially when he envelops her with his arms and brings her close for a kiss to her forehead. She is even more at loss of what to do when he gets up, she slides from his leg and they both stand up. His grip firms on her shoulders.
"Maybe we should go somewhere else..."
Her eyes open wide and her cheeks become redder than tomatoes, her heart races almost jumping out of her chest, her head shakes in denial immediately sweating nervously.
"Ryo! This is the academy and I came here for work!"
"I thought you said you got a room at the girl's dorm to stay here for work."
Slightly bemused by her refusal, he lets her go and steps back as she types frantically on her device, still visibly flattered and embarrassed by his behavior.
"T-That's not the problem!"
"I was just joking, you don't need to fret this much. I wouldn't do that. I'm well aware you're here for work." He chuckles at her exaggerated reaction.
"I-I need to go now, but I will be here for a while, we can still meet up to talk. Don't overdo yourself."
She waves her hand before leaving, he is too stunned to react, his brain seems slower than usual for some reason. Is it all the reminiscing about the past? Or the fact that she easily let him go, leaving him alone?
Alone. He wanted to be like this for a while. After his losses, he distanced himself from Rie and everyone else, a foolish way to try to stand up all by himself. This resulted in his new self. Had he relied on someone else back there, would he have come up with a different change to himself?
He was so absorbed into boosting his career, yet he never forgot his promise of becoming a true pro duelist and accepting her feelings that he almost neglected the most important part, to be close to her. Now that he has it, he doesn't regret a bit what he has done.
The promise he made was nothing but an excuse, because he didn't feel like he could just tell his feelings out loud and embrace it, because he was afraid of many things and couldn't handle them at the same time as his other worries.
He wanted to separate his career and love life as two different things, but believed to be unable to do it, so he chose one first. Such a trait of weakness. Back then, he should have just welcomed both. Having the support of someone he loves, that is in no way shameful. He will accept all the good and ugly parts of it and face it like the man he is.
He hates the way he was before, being called perfect when he obviously had so many flaws and difficulties, his dueling skills aside, he had no power whatsoever.
That is why, this time he embraced her feelings and let his feelings be heard too. Unlike his cowardly, childish former self, he is ready to achieve victory in every aspect of his life and he won't be stopped by anything while at it.