Chapter 1: Far Away from Here

A lonely figure was laying on a bed, staring at a random spot on a wall of their room. Although it was still relatively dark, one could see the light provided by a large window, showing that the sunrise was close. The blankets were pushed aside as the person sat on the bed. Head down, arms on its knees, and only one arm reaching for its forehead. Upon getting on their feet, this person approached a desk on the opposite side of the room where their phone was plugged into a charger.

04:38

The time was displayed on the screen, above a photo of cards scrambled over the floor that served as a background picture of the device. The alarm wasn't set to go off until a little under an hour. Nevertheless, the person exited the room and walked down a short hallway, then through a sliding door leading into the bathroom. The young individual washed their face before looking up and letting a pair of icy-blue eyes meet the gaze of the figure who returned the favor in the mirror's reflection.

His hands were firmly holding the sink. He simply looked, with his reflection as the only company, immersed in the silence of the room, only broken by the occasional drop of water that fell from the tap. Not a single clear thought ran through his mind, instead, it was all a mess. From questions that ended up being answered in his head, either right or wrong; plans that were second-guessed repeatedly by his subconscious. With each passing moment, the room became foggier and distant - indistinguishable. The surrounding ambience began sounding muffled in his ears, with those very thoughts being all he could hear, building up to become a massive argument taking place in his head. But then:

*Knock knock*
—"Van, I heard you going in, are you done?"

The knocking sound alone was enough to bring the boy back into his senses

"Uh… yeah! Sorry." Said the teenager as he slid the bathroom door open, greeting the figure waiting for him outside with a smile and his eyes almost narrowed shut.

Before Van, stood a man taller than him, with light-brown hair adorned with some shades of gray, the morning shade of his beard could be seen drawn over his cheeks and down his chin. Giving the clear view of an adult man, maybe around his 40s or 50s.
He responded to Van's smile with a gentle but tired one, still waking up. The man would pat the boy's shoulder a couple of times, walking sideways into the bathroom as he gently tried to get the boy out.

"Alright, my turn then, son."

Van moved out of his father's way and headed across the dining room and into the kitchen. There he took a cold gulp of water from a bottle he always keeps for himself. Then approached to the coffee maker to prepare some for both his father and himself. As the machine worked, Van leaned back and rested over the kitchen counter with his hands drumming a bit over it. No matter how hard he tried to make it appear like a morning like any other… it was simply impossible. Last week of holidays and having just finished what would be, to his surprise, his last semester at school… at least in Germany, his home. He reflected in the conversation he had with his parents when they dropped this bomb on him.

They were just over in the dining room, having a meal in family with his parents. He could still remember the sound of the cutlery dropping from his hands from the shock of the surprise.

"W-wait… What?"

"Well, just like we said… starting next month, you will be switching schools an-"

Van slammed his palms on the table and stop up, "YES, I UNDERSTOOD THAT PART! But what do you mean I'm being sent abroad!? W-where, why?!"

"Please, Botsu, calm down. And listen to what we have to say…"

"But w-!" Then Van simply clicked his tongue as he heard his mother calling him by his second name. Choosing then to listen as asked, at least if he was going to rant at them, he wanted to know their version of the story.

Lukas then folded his arms and looked at him with his typical, stern and serious expression. However, this time he was serious for real,
"You barely passed your last semester, also you've skipped classes or sneaked out of school. So, on that basis alone, we figured that a change of schools was needed."

To this, Van simply blinked and opened his arms, exclaiming almost in a satirical tone,

"Well, don't you think that sending me to a new school -in a different FREAKI—country is a bit of an overkill?!"

Hinata then closed his eyes and sighed, shaking her head. Then while motioning with her hand said, "That's when your father judgement comes in. And certain details we have noticed."

Van lifted his brows at this and remained in silence when the question came.

"When was the last time you've invited any of your friends' home, or went over to one of their houses?" the man asked while slightly tilting his head to the right. Then added, "Or what about competitions you were planning to partake on? Haven't seen you take on dueling since those local tournaments you won. Lost interest?"

Van frowned, rolling his eyes, while also dropping on his chair, with his arm hanging over the back of the seat, then mumbled between his teeth, — "Guess… you could say so-huh?"

The boy's attention was caught by his mother's snicker, "Oh Botsu please… I may pretend not to pay attention to what you do in your room. But it's not hard to catch you doing notes related to your deck, or see you in your phone checking news related to that game…" said, showing a worried smile.

"The issue here is that, at this point, is not just how you handle yourself at school… you are little by little isolating yourself to everyone around you. You are dedicating your time to absolutely nothing.", his father said, "And yet, while you claim that you are no longer interested in that game; You lie about it, even to us."

Lukas leaned a bit over the table now, resting his arms over the wood, gesturing with his hands as he continued speaking. "Not only what your mother says is true, but also still carry your deck with all at all times outside home, right?"

The boy just closed his eyes, annoyed, and reclined his chair back, "Tsk so w-".

"Stop that, now." his mother stated with a clear imperative tone, having changed her expression from worry to a stern one, "You know I hate when you do that in the chairs. Sit straight and speak."

Van grumbled as his eyes narrowed, feeling the weight of his mom's scolding. He slowly adjusted his chair once again and simply huffed, "It's pointless…" shifting his look to a side, choosing not to look at his parents.

At this point, Lukas slowly stood up and leaned back on the counter that separated the dining room from the kitchen. Letting both mother and son have this.

His mother leaned forward asking "What is pointless? Botsu, talk to us. Help us help you…" showing a bit of both her worry for what was going on with her son, but remaining firm in needing to hear answers from his mouth. Very aware that simply sweet-talking won't do in this case.

Van then stood up from his seat spreading his arms open once more exclaiming "DUELING! I'm always watching what news dad and his team get from the east!" he then started moving around the room, waving one of his arms in frustration as he almost barked through his teeth. "They are so far ahead from us, it's just pointless. The scene here will never be the real thing, like it's over in Japan!"

Hinata shook her head with a defeated smile on her face, puffing, "As I thought…" bringing a couple of fingers to her forehead, "I didn't think your father's idea would actually be right…"

Van blinked a couple of times confused, "What?"

"Oh, now you let me have the credit for it, thank you honey." stated with a teasing tone while a gentle grin was shown on his face. Then took a short breath, focusing his attention back to Van explaining. "So you want to be serious about dueling. That's not why I showed you the game in a first place. But if it has come to this…" The man paused before closing his eyes.

The boy swung his arms once, his closed this time exclaiming "Can you cut it with the air of mystery and come clean already!?"

And thus, his father spoke bluntly, "You'll be going there. To Domino."

"We will send you to Domino, you'll continue your classes there. We are already arranging a place where you'll stay." Lukas said before closing his eyes and adding, "But! Bear in mind that while you are in the very Heart of Duel Monsters worldwide, should you fail at school. You will be sent right back here."

"In other words…" His mother interceded, "Your father decided to put their trust in your passion for the game…" With her eyes slowly closing, she added, "And I choose to trust both in his judgement and you… Because I'm certain if you were to continue the course we started to shift from the last semester; You'll end up in a dark place." Her eyes opened up again, showing a motherly determination, "A semester of your education, fine, that's something I'm willing to put in the line. But I won't gamble, letting you reach a dark place that you may or may not find a way out.".

"A dark place…" the boy muttered as he caught on to the scent of freshly made coffee that got him out of his memories and back into the present. Van served a cup for both his dad and himself. With the drink in hand and brought up to his lips, savoring it in that short first sip, Van thought about those words. Hanging his head back after swallowing the first bit of Coffee, his head hanging back.

"What are you thinking?" the voice of his father, who was approaching the kitchen and reached for the coffee served to him. Clean-shaven, and with his face washed, the man did look a bit more decent. Or at least as about as decent one could look up just after waking up.

"Good question…" Van replied, "Everything and nothing at the same time. I guess I just can't wrap my head around today being my last day here.".

Lukas simply laughed in response, "You make it sound far too dramatic. But I can get that confusion you described. It was just the same the first time I was sent abroad to cover a sporting event in the first big paper I worked for." He then motioned to follow him, heading over to their backyard. "This may not come as a surprise to you, but I never thought we would have ever been in this situation when I suggested Duel Monsters to you." He'd then take another sip and add, "But I'm certain this is a necessary change for you."

Van was still confused by the decision of sending him over to Japan. Even though the idea was exciting to him, there were things that were bothering him. Felt almost like a tinny pinch at the back of his head that would simply not go away.

"Why do you trust me so?"

Went out from the boy's lips before correcting himself shortly after, "- I mean, why are you so sure I won't underperform like I have been doing here?"

Lukas rose one of his eyebrows up, "Because I trust you, you are my son. That's the simplest answer I can give you. But, if you want a bigger answer, then it's not just that." He'd show a small smirk, adding, "It's also because I know you won't betray that which has filled you with passion before. From what I see, you need to revive said passion."

"Passion?" Van asked.

"Forgot the reason I suggested the game in the first place already?" Before taking his next sip of coffee.

"Yes, yes, I know. To find my true passion. And I like the game, but what's the point if I'm not going to the top?"

Lukas simply looked at him in silence for a while and replied with a question, "What's the point, right?"

The boy narrowed his eyes and asked, suspicious of that last question, "What?"

To which his father simply grinned at him, teasing his son and shrugging, "What, what?"

"Never mind…" Van rolled his eyes, "My flight is leaving after midday. You said that my… uncle will take me in while I'm there?"

"Yep, uncle Daichi." Said with a calm nod, "Your mother's big brother, actually. According to your mother, he has been living in Domino for a while, and didn't seem bothered at all by the idea.".

"If that's surprising, then that doesn't sound good" Send with his eyes narrowed, edged in triangular edges.

Lukas blinked and was quick to wiggle a hand from side to side and shake his head repeatedly, "Oh, no. I didn't mean that. They are on the best of terms. It just comes as a surprise to me because I don't remember her mentioning him that often."

Van shrugged, "Tell me about it… barely know about him."

"That and considering that the terminal will be a sea of people is why he won't be waiting for you there. You will go to the address given. We checked it with your mother, an apartment building."

"Located not far from the center." The voice of Hinata could be heard from inside the house before she soon joined them, a cup of tea in hand. "It seems that He has been living there for years now. Mentioned something related to a good streak of luck in the casinos…" However, instead of just going on about the topic, she waved her hand dismissing the topic, "I only really care that he swore not setting foot in one since then. So at least he doesn't seem to be burning his money there".

Both Van and Lukas simply stared at her, letting go a "Huh…" both their eyes and mouths closed flat not being entirely sure the last bit of Hinata's statement was entirely true. However, her husband would quickly shake his head and clear his throat, "In any case. I'll get ready for work. You two will work on the baggage, right?"

"And more detailed information on how to get to Daichi's home," Hinata replied with a nod and a soft smile. "The underground system can be a bit chaotic to follow, even in a city like Domino."

And thus, the following hours were all about getting ready. On one side, Lukas got ready for work, even though he was going to go later, so he could bid farewell to Van. On the other side, Hinata spent a good portion of the morning explaining to his son the different combinations of stations he should know. Not only for Daichi's home, but also for other points of interest, such as his new School.

Then came preparing all of his baggage and getting ready for the departure itself. And even at that moment, the young Van couldn't just think straight at all. Every minute brought more scrambled thoughts into his mind. Questions that brought worries, worries that brought insecurities, insecurities that brought doubt. And only with the assistance of his mother was he able to stay focused enough.

Hours later, the three of them were at the house entrance.

"Alright… I guess this is where we split up." Lukas said, looking both at Hinata and Van with a mixture of happiness and sadness. He knew this was the best for his son, but the idea of being away for so long was eating him up. Despite that, he remained strong before resting on one of his knees before him. "I'm not going to give you the typical parent speech… your mom's here for that."

Both father and son shared a snicker at that comment, with the mother letting go a short sigh and shaking her head; showing a small smile at their goofiness.

"Just do your best and remember that we are proud of you." He'd then pat his shoulder twice, standing up.

Van scratched the back of his head and replied teasing his father, "This is the part where I say "I promise you, dad" right?".

To which Lukas looked at him over his shoulder while walking away, "Yes, but don't make that promise to me. Make it to yourself!" said, raising his voice as both were apart from each other.

Van blinked a couple of times, "Huh?" puzzled a bit by what his father said.

"Botsu!" His mother called at the car's door. Making her son quickly turn around, replying, "Coming!"

Once in the car. Van let go a low "Oh!" and check the pockets of the jacket he was wearing.

"Forgot something?" His mother asked with her brows up in question, however, they slowly lowered with some drops of sweat on her face showing a bit of displeasure, "Oh… those, of course."

Afterwards, he closed his eyes and put on a pair of small, round, sunglasses. With their dark-blue lenses, those sunglasses were clearly made to look good rather than protect the eyes from bright lights; as the size did not cover the eyes entirely.

Van looked at his mother and rose his brows, "Hm?" and in response, Hinata simply sighed and shock his head in defeat "Those are never going away, aren't they?" She'd then turn the ignition on and state, "Seatbelts."

The boy did as she instructed, but then closed his eyes, leaning back on his seat and in his relaxation, brought his feet up to his side of the vehicle's dashboard… but that was a mistake. Because he could soon start feeling a sinister force in the air. Something so terrific it couldn't be put into words.

"Botsu, dear… could you… put your them down?"

The sweet voice, but commanding of his mother. With her eyes shaded by her hair, and dreadful aura building up.

It wouldn't even take a second for Van to feel a shock down his spine and plant his feet on the car's floor, sitting straight. His eyes open wide and hundreds of sweat drops running down his face at a very fast speed (S.D).

"Thank you!" His mother said in the sweetest manner possible, with a gentle smile filled up with sparkless around her, having changed her demeanor entirely. Then, the trip to the airport began.

It was an oddly silent trip. Van didn't expect so, in fact, he was ready for his mother speaking every single second of the way. But no… and that simply left things open for him to focus on his phone. Check social media and the Duelist Forums on the internet. Nothing interesting, some discussions about competitions in the area, the usual nutcase rumors about the game and famous duelists.

To all of these, he showed his usual lack of interest, he wasn't planning to get involved even if he wasn't leaving; one could say that he was simply check them out of habit and little to none of a particular reason. The internet surfing then boiled down to simply listening to one of the personal music playlists he had loaded in his phone. His eyes would then look out his window and up to the sky. It was as clear and blue as a summer day in Germany could deliver.

Finally, he took a deep breath and decided to ask his mother, "How is it there?"

Hinata wouldn't take her attention off the road, asking back, "Do you mean in Domino or Japan?"

"Well, Domino. But now that I think about it, ever been there?"

"No, not really. I've visited different cities of Japan but never Domino." chuckle a bit, commenting, "But that was a long time ago, and around the same time I met your father."

The boy closed his eyes, pulled his head back in thought, "Hm… oh that's right… In Saitama, was it?"

"Yokohama" she corrected him, holding that gentle smile at the memory brought in the conversation. "He was covering a Football championship for the paper he was part of at the time." then she chuckled again, "We were both still trying to find our footing. Your dad was still rather new at sports journalism, and I was still at university. A friend of mine just happened to help me to get a part-time job during the matches at the food stands."

Van would then roll his eyes at her digging that story out and comment jokingly "Reaching to dad's heart through a Hot Dog, fries, and a Soda." And soon after he'd feel a soft smack on his head, letting go a soft chuckle.

Hinata sighed at his joke, but added, "It's nice seeing you in a good mood…"

Her son shrugged, replying, "Days and… days, I guess." Personally, he wasn't feeling any different. Or perhaps he was, but it has been a while since his head was a mess - a scrambled mess of frustration, doubt and who knows what else; that if he was in a good mood, the feeling was numbed down by all that lingering up there.

"But… it's still a special place. Japan that is."

The words of his mother then got his attention again.

"Maybe It's because I was born there, and I have that bias, but it's a place like no other. The people, philosophies…" She'd then shift gears while taking a turn to an exit that would lead them to the airport, "When I think more about it, I'm actually happy that you are going there. It's a part of you, of your roots."

Her son hummed for a moment, asking, "Do you think dad did think of that as well?"

His mother paused for a moment and blinked after giving it a bit of thought, "Actually… that's a good question. I do wonder if he thought about that as well." Keeping a careful eye on the road at all times, Hinata drove the remaining distance until they arrived at the airport.

Once inside, Van was met with the sight of the terminal. Never considering having a chance to set foot in one of them, let alone travel abroad to another country. While they were walking across the massive building's first floor, his mother checked her phone's clock, slowing her phase down. Then she looked at her son walking in front of her.

"You know…"

Van blinked, stopped on his tacks and looked over his shoulder. "Huh, something wrong?" asked, adjusting his sunglasses. His mother looked at him with a gentle smile.

Hinata simply moved her hands on her back, gripping one of her wrists and pressing it hard on her palm. The moment was weighting down on her more than ever. She thought to be ready, but no parent is ever really ready for something like that.

Her worries were building up, doubts about this being the right call. If this could actually lead to something worse, what if this was actually leading her to that dark place, she didn't want him to reach. It was almost as if her subconscious were telling her to call everything off and take them home. Her lips separated from one another and finally spoke up.

"…There is still an hour before the flight. How about something to eat before leaving?"

The boy looked back at her, letting go a casual "… Uh, sure!"

They ventured then to the section of the terminal with the cafeteria and restaurants. Both fast food and the ones that simply made a poor attempt of serving real food, and that always ended up delivering disastrous and bland dishes. Making the fast-food places the more reliable options.

Van was given the option to pick the place, and they settled with your typical burger shop. Having a simple order for both of them.

The meal itself was awkwardly silent. The kid didn't really have anything else in mind to bring up as a potential conversation topic, and his mother was just looking at him with a solemn expression on her face. Not a word spoken.

Of course, he tried to wing it as he could, but it was impossible to not realize that she was just staring him down. With his burger finished, the boy took a sip of his soda and then decided to ask, "Uh… why are you staring at me like that?"

Hinata then blinked, clarifying that actually she was distracted, lost in her thoughts. "Oh! I-… I'm sorry, it's just…" another smile just as solemn as the expression she had through the whole meal spread across her face. "I just wanted to have a look at you, as good as I could, for as long as I could before you leave…" with her eyes slowly getting watery as she added "… such a pretty young man you've become, and growing so fast…"

"H-hey, please, don't do that…", said Van, rubbing his neck. "This is already hard enough as it is…" Then he'd reach to his refreshment again. He was trying to hold strong, the last thing he needed was more doubts in his mind.

His mother then wiped her eyes laughing before responding, "Haha… I'm sorry, it's just that you will be away for a long time. But…", then paused, taking a long sigh and closing her eyes, "stopping now will do more harm than good." Then, stood up and picked up her belongings, "Let's get going… it's almost time"

Van stood up after her, and hastily reached for his bags, "hey, hey wait up!" exclaimed as now his mother was being faster than he. Now she was ahead, and he was the one trying to catch up, only that now there was no time left to call for a stop like a while ago, and she was right in what she said earlier. This was going to be the last time they would see for a long time, a semester… maybe more? And there he was again, losing focus of things around him, just reacting and following her, losing a bit of grip of time and place.

"Alright, here we are…" Van blinked and looked at her for a moment, then at the gate where his flight was going to depart. He felt like he couldn't move, heavy. He couldn't take that next step, and he didn't know why…

"Botsu?"

His doubts were there, and unclear. He just didn't know what was chewing him up from the inside… he should've been delighted to go there, to Domino! And yet, all of these doubts were like a mist in his head. An evil mist, something shapeless that apparently was just there to torment him.

"Botsu?"

The boy pressed his teeth, hard and pressed his eyes shut then blinked a couple of times. As if he were trying to clear his sight. Was all of this truly what he wanted? To go there, and aim to be among the top of the game.

Was it all an excuse because maybe there was a part of him that knew it wasn't really cut for it?

Maybe he was simply afraid of being there, far from home, far from his family, alone… and find out that cold truth… and then he felt someone grabbing his shoulders, snapping him back into reality.

His mother was holding him.

"Botsu!"

"Talk to me… if you would rather not do this. Then tell me - We will figure something else out, alright?" She tilted her head to a side, ever so slightly, as she continued, "We won't be mad at you. I know how scary all of this might be for you. I know that you may have doubts, I had them at university—to be good enough, to finish my career. I had them when I left Japan and moved here to Germany with your father, even though I loved him, leaving the place until then I called home was terrifying for me…"

Van at this point was half listening to her, but still part of what she said was the sentiment he could relate with at this moment. There was more though, he could feel it. His eyes darted between the gate and his mother sporadically. But then he heard

"When you were born, I never felt as afraid and vulnerable like that moment…"

He blinked and focused his eyes on her and listened to Hinata as she said, "… Wondering if your father and I could provide you with everything, if we could guide and protect you well enough. That's… an everlasting fear of every parent. The idea of something happening to you… and yet…" Hinata hanged her head down for a moment to catch her breath and say, "We have to face it."

Van's eyebrows trembled a bit as she said so before going up with his eyes opening wider. With each word, he felt things become clearer. And at the same time, little by little, he felt a lump form in his throat. He wanted to break down and cry, but there was something inside her that urged her not to. Pride? or not wanting to worry his mother further, perhaps?

Hinata then shook her head, "We can't let all those fears and doubts hold us in just one place, never let us move forth, and just destroy us…" Then she smiled at him again, "You are still young though, and still have time… to muster that courage, to learn how to face those fears. So… Botsu…"

"Can you do this?"

Everything she said up to this moment was resonating in him. He wasn't touched by the idea of a continuous and apparent never-ending struggle. As a teenager, he was having his grasp of that, perhaps inexact of how the real world is, but the idea was there. The thing that moved him and made the twister in his mind was the fragility of one's world, the weight of every step, and how fear and doubt would continuously pull someone down when taking the said step. This was just one step of many to come…

Then, almost without realizing it, he opened his mouth to reply "Yes…"

A sigh of relief was heard from his mother before this one quickly stood up and cleared the way for him to move on, "Just a favor… please, once you arrive there. please call me."

Van looked at her with a small smirk on his face, reaching for his bags before rushing to the gates and presenting his tickets and documentation. As he left, he turned back one last time just to see her and wave her goodbye.

He had taken a decision, accepting and facing it. The frightening idea of going far away and finding if he was cut to be among the best of a game and sport had taken over his life. Of being far away from his family, of being far away from everything he knew. But… with the words of his mother, he couldn't help to wonder… there must be something else, that not everything should lead to disaster. That there must be something good… far away… And then his new worry was born, one that actually helped him for once.

Should he choose to stay at home in Germany…

… then he thought might stay there…

…for good…

Author's note: Well, here is the first official chapter. As per usual, I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I'm enjoying writing them. I will usually try to upload the new chapters every between Fridays and Sundays trying to always staying at least 2-3 chapters ahead in my writing the moment I'll make an update.

Also I am debating if my descriptions of comedic moments such as super deformation of characters (turning into a chibi form for example) are well enough or if I should make any sort of note like (S.D). I would appreciate feedback in that regard.
Also, like I said before in the prologue. I will take my time with this story and I don't only mean it in the phase that I'll write and upload, I meant it mainly on the story itself. Things will take time to build up so at moments it may feel slow. But its for the sake of a better build up.

Again, thank you all for your time reading this, I hope your first week of 2023 started off well and hopefully will lead up to a wonderful year.