/AN - So, it seems FFNet is going through some HTML trouble or something lol took me three days to upload this successfully. Hopefully this gets fixed soon, I'm getting pretty far ahead in this now that things pick up. Can't even put my favorite little line in there... Ruins the whole story. /AN
"So, um... Arata?"
"Yeah?"
"I... notice you hang out with Enzeru a lot. Maybe you could... help me out?"
"...Hm."
Yugioh! - Unlimited Boundary Rewrite!
Chapter Six - Kouji
http:/www(dot)youtube(dot)com/watch?v=1P73OQd2wsU
Morning Musume - Kanashimi Twilight
It hit me, just then. I had been at SDA for about a month. And I haven't been to a single class yet. What the...
Arata showed me around the huge, blue apartment complex that made up the Blue dorm. She showed me her room after the long elevator ride to the top floor, and my heart sank when she guided me in. Why did she ever want to go home?
The room looked like it could've taken up the whole floor. The soft, red carpeting, the dark ambiance given off by the bright sunlight hidden behind black curtains. There were two beds lined next to each other in the far corner, and oddly not surprising enough, there was a poster of Arata above the post of one of the beds. She looked a little younger, sporting a black, sleeveless vest similar to the white and blue one she had recently adorned. Her vest read "Team SDA", she wore a golden medal over her neck, and a large golem creature stood behind her. The top edge had "Arata Muteki" written across the top, with "Blazing Temptress" written across the bottom. I looked to her, and she bore a face of modesty and embarrassment.
"Yeah. Well. About that," She laughed. "I was 14, one of the youngest people to top a Worlds, let alone win. I was on a team with Alek and another black rank, and in the final round, it came down to just me and Alek. I barely beat him, but I did," Arata said proudly. "But coverage made it seem like he stood no chance, and no one ever cared about him or his achievement, he's got a lot of animosity towards me about it..." She shook her head. "I mean, he was 13 and made it to 2nd place. That's amazing too. All they cared about was that I won. So, Alek received no acknowledgment, never does in the bigger tournaments. Whenever he plays, he never seems to even get a 'good game' from anyone. He's too good for locals, and the pro circuit doesn't consider him good enough. I think maybe that's why he acted different when he played you; he was having fun."
I didn't really know what to say to that.
"I'd hate to think that our rivalry contributed to driving him batshit... It's happened more than once. But when we play, it's more than just a landslide. It's bare knuckles kind of shit, I won 50 to 0 in our last game," and then I began to notice something about Arata. Whenever she talked about Alek, if it wasn't the cold competition and trash talk, she became gentle and concerned. The softy that I am, I've seen enough movies to know what genuine care looks like. "He absolutely deserves the recognition, I've never disputed it. But the collection of silver medals must get painful to look at sometimes."
Bring it up. Bring it to her attention. Tease her about it. She's your friend, she won't get mad. Do it. Say something. "...He'll be okay, Arata. Where does he live? Maybe we could see if he's there."
"But... Chancellor said they couldn't find him."
"So?" I asked.
"So... wouldn't that mean obvious places are out of the question?"
"Maybe that's what they thought too."
"...Where do you pull this shit from?"
I laughed.
"Yeah. I guess we could try. He'd be on the other side of the dorm," Arata shrugged her shoulders and dropped on her bed. "I don't care what Chancellor says. He'll never know."
"Never know what?"
"That you're living here."
"...What?"
"Yeah. All your baggage and stuff has been moved up here, got a second bed, I got you the hookup, girl."
"I'm... staying here? Really?"
She nodded her head.
The room suddenly became more marvelous. Features I tried to ignore at risk of being jealous suddenly became that much more awesome. Arata took the big smile on my face as the thank you, and she waved it off. "No problem."
"I mean it, though..."
"Really, it's nothing," She assured me.
"But you've done more than this that I haven't thanked you for. You've... done so much, really. Why are you trying so hard?" I felt myself tearing up a little. "Why are you doing so much for me?"
"Because you're my friend, of course. No, it's cause I hate you," Arata smiled.
"Seriously," I smiled too. "I'm sure you don't do this for all of your friends."
"Well, maybe you're better than them."
"But I'm nothing special."
"Other people seem to think you are."
"But that's because of you, too!"
Arata just laughed again. "Fine, fine. Maybe I deem you more special than my other friends. Maybe... I don't really have that many friends. And, shit, if you stuck with me through Alek tearing you ope... wow that sounds wrong... open because of me, what's it going to take to get you to stop being my friend?"
"Well, nothing..." I answered honestly.
"There you go," Arata sat up to face me. "I'm not the most charming gal, and I never claimed to be perfect, but... well, my text inbox is pretty empty, if that gets my point across better. People don't... talk to me, like you do. I'll get smiles, respected glances, a hi once in a while. An applause when I play, cheers when I win. But what about when I don't? Who's there for me then? The way I see it, you're all I got," She laid back down to stare at the ceiling like boredom suddenly struck her. "Not to get sappy or anything. What time is it getting to be?"
'Like... 6 pm."
"...What?"
"Yeah. Why?"
"Fuck!" She screamed and threw herself out of bed and into the bathroom. "We had class like two hours ago!"
"...What? Really?"
"Yeah! Fuck!"
Following her lead, she pointed me into the room with my belongings in it. I dug around my bags for fresh clothes. I had long since unzipped my jacket, finding it a lot more comfortable to let it hang open, despite the naked feeling I got from it. I wouldn't go out in public or anything like this, and I certainly wasn't going to class topless. Putting on a shirt was going to hurt so bad...
It took me a minute but I manage to slide off the blazer and throw on a soft-blue tanktop. Raising my arms high enough to get it over my head made my torso move in a not-so-agreeable way, and indeed, the wounds hurt. I was fighting curses when Arata came to the room to hurry me up, picked me up off the ground, and dragged me out the door.
"What... point is there in even going now?" I asked her as we ran.
"Um..." Arata stumbled over herself once we got to the elevator. "...None, really."
"So," I asked as we panted for breath. "What are... we doing?"
"Spazing for no reason..." The elevator opened and we threw ourselves in.
"Yeah... sounds right."
When we got to the first floor and the door pried open, there was a boy waiting there that Arata seemed to recognize, an oddly nervous expression on her face. The red blazer he wore matched mine, and made me feel better about meeting someone new. His red hair was longer than mine, but protruded in jagged spikes to the middle of his back. He didn't seem to see me at first. "Hi, Arata," He said sternly. "So... Noticed you weren't in class today."
"Yeah," She laughed quietly, looking like she was about to die laughing. "About that."
I waved at him. "Hello there. Your friend, Arata?"
The man looked my way, and his face instantly turned red. "Um..."
"...Yeah, Enzeru. This is Kouji."
"Nice to meet you," I looked back to him, who seemed frozen in his step. I offered a hand, but he didn't move. "I'm... Enzeru."
"H..."
"...Excuse us for a moment, Enzeru," Arata asked, grabbing Kouji by his shirt collar and dragging him around a corner hallway. I stepped out of the elevator before the door eventually closed and pondered on whatever just happened. Before they neared the corner to return, I heard Arata slap Kouji, who was holding the back of his head when they came back.
"So, anyway," Arata continued. "Kouji here was just about to challenge me to a duel."
"U-Um, yeah. That."
"Okay... Why did you guys have to go over there for that?" I asked.
"Oh, no reason. Kouji was just... nervous, of asking someone of my caliber to duel," Arata smiled over to him. "But there's no need to be scared, young pup. I don't bite," Kouji and I waited for the "Hard" that normally followed that phrase, but nothing came, and Kouji laughed and so did I.
"Yeah. Okay, sooo scared of you," Kouji tried to fake it, purposely failing at it. "I'm trembling, honestly."
"Good thing we don't have class, I guess," I joked, but Arata didn't seem to grasp it.
"Let's... get this over with," Arata took a deep breath. "Lead the way, Kouji."
Interested, and with nothing better to do, I followed them through the halls and out the back of the dorm. Kouji didn't say a word the whole way, and Arata tried to start conversations here and there to get either one of us talking, but they never lasted. Once we got outside, we continued on to the top of a grassy hill, mostly and oddly secluded from other, populated areas. It was only when everyone had situated into place that Kouji spoke again.
"So, what do you say we bet on this game? To keep 'someone of your caliber' from getting too bored with playing me."
"Oh boy, a bet. What do you have in mind, my friend?" This started to sound scripted...
"Well, let me see... I will wager... twenty dollars on your victory, Arata."
"Ooh, deal," She said without thought. "But, sorry to say, I'm broke. Whatever could I wager in return?"
Little bit more scripted... like she wasn't even trying anymore.
"Um... Well, don't fret, Arata. I'm sure a favor could be substituted for the money."
"...Did you just ask me for sex?"
"Wh? No!" Kouji's face immediately flushed.
"Did you just offer me money for sex?"
"No! No no no!" Kouji violently shook his head. "I was suggesting dating Enzeru!"
...
Arata was in tears, laughing so hard she could suffocate. The suggestion did not surprise her, but how rattled he became at her taunts could keep her entertained for hours. I expected a "Hell no!" from her, but to my great surprise...
"Sure thing," She said between gasps for breath. "You'll win a date with my little Enzeru. Too bad, twenty bucks is a good deal for sex, on my part."
"Arata! What are you doing?" I stomped my foot and yelled at her.
"Did she really just say that...?" Kouji asked, stunned.
"Winning free money, obviously. He could've asked for my deck and I would've accepted. I'm not worried."
"I mean... I might've misheard... Did she really just say that?" Kouji asked again.
"Bet a date with you! Don't throw me in this!"
"He didn't ask for me. It's a compliment, really."
"How is that a compliment?"
"Nobody fazed by that? Just... regular, everyday, normal garbage that comes out of her mouth? That's fine. I get it," Kouji dwelled.
"I'm testing your trust in me, Enzeru!" Arata lied. "If you believe in my abilities and my intuition, sit down and enjoy the show."
Both of their duel disks then activated, and they moved an appropriate distance away.
"Arata, I swear..."
"I promise, it'll be fine. Blame him for asking, not me."
I didn't even want to look at Kouji, let alone talk to him.
"You ready?" He asked, shaking off the shock and awe that dripped from his face.
"Hell yeah," She smiled.
Duel
Arata - 4000
Kouji - 4000
The coin flipped, and Kouji won the toss.
"I'll start, then!" Kouji announced, pulling the cards from his deck.
"Yeah, yeah," Arata waved a hand.
"To start, I'll summon Blazewing Butterfly(1500/1500, Fire/Insect/Gemini/Effect) from my hand in attack position!"
Fire swelled up from one of the monster zones before Kouji, and as the card had been placed, a pair of wings began to form around the body of a red butterfly.
"Then I'll set one card, and end."
"My turn then," Arata pulled the top card of her deck. "I draw for my turn, and summon Laval Warrior(1800/500, Fire/Warrior/Effect, Level 4) in attack position, and attack Blazewing Butterfly!"
While I've played with her many times, I've never actually seen Arata dueling with the holograms. The stone creature ripped apart the earth and crawled from a flaming fissure, magma dripping from his arms and taking the form of axes in each hand. Without another moment, it started running at Kouji's monster, slashing its blades about until the butterfly had shattered into sparks.
Arata - 4000
Kouji - 3700
Kouji felt the burn that came with losing life points, but he shook it off. I couldn't help but notice, after every move that was made, he turned his head to look at me, only for a moment. Any time that I caught his eye, he would turn away.
...Was he playing Arata to impress me or something?
"I set one card, and let the turn go to you. You nervous?" Arata smirked.
"Of course not!" Kouji proudly stood, drawing his next card. "My turn! And I play Gemini Soldier(500/300, Wind/Warrior/Gemini/Effect, Level 2) in attack mode!"
The soldier flew on to the field with a cross of his arms, a shuriken in hand as he attempted to strike a heroic pose.
"Afterwards, I equip the spell card Supervise to him. With this, my Gemini monster is treated as an effect monster. Otherwise, they're considered normal."
"Don't have to explain anything to me," Arata waited anxiously for her turn to start. "Your Gemini's don't have a thing on me."
"Arata, I swear," I repeated, glaring to her field.
"Relax, chica, have some faith."
"Gemini Soldier, attack Laval Soldier!"
"...Why?" Arata's face sunk.
"Oh, thought I didn't have to explain anything to you," Kouji laughed as his life points decreased.
Arata - 4000
Kouji - 2400
"My Gemini Soldier cannot be destroyed by battle once per turn, and whenever I take battle damage from a battle involving him, I can special summon a Gemini monster from my deck!"
"...Alright then."
"...You're so intimidated, I can just feel the seriousness you're putting into this," Kouji jokingly applauded. "Good show."
"Shut up," Arata laughed. "Continue."
"With this effect, Gemini Soldier allows me to summon my Dawnbreak Gardna(1500/500, Light/Warrior/Gemini/Effect, Light) in offensive position. To then activate the spell card Double Summon!"
"Wait, wait... me thinks my pro-senses are tingling. You... get to summon... twice, right?"
Kouji made a fake gasp. "Why, you're superhuman!"
Alright. I kinda laughed.
"Yes," Kouji continued. "I get to normal summon twice. With this, I tribute my Gemini Soldier to bring out my ultimate, Chthonian Emperor Dragon!(2400/1500, Fire/Dragon/Gemini/Effect, Level 6)"
"...So yeah, Arata," I glared at her again.
"Chill, chill," She smiled. "Wouldn't want to get you all flustered before your date."
Before I could talk, Kouji continued. The black dragon twisted and roared as its massive body came forth from the card space, and threw its arms apart to watch Arata's moves. "The effect of Supervise then activates, special summoning my Blazewing Butterfly back to the field."
"Whatever makes you happy," Arata shrugged. "Your battle phase has already passed, so you can't really attack with your new monsters."
"That's fine, I'm not worried. I end my turn."
"Alright then, my turn!" Arata drew the next card. "I activate Foolish Burial from my hand, allowing me to send one card from my deck to my graveyard. With this, I send Laval Judgment Lord. Then, I normal summon my Laval Gunner(1200/900, Fire/Warrior/Effect, Level 4) in attack position. You ready for this, Kouji?"
"Ready for what?" He asked.
"When my Gunner is normal summoned, I can mill the top five cards of my deck, so long as I have a Laval monster in the graveyard."
"...Okay."
Arata drew five cards, showed them to Kouji, and let them all settle in the grave. Laval Lady of the Burning Lake, Laval Lancelord, Laval Miller, Searing Fire Wall, and Molten Whirlwind Wall. "This makes four Laval monsters in my graveyard, with Warrior and Gunner on the field. But, while I have three or more Laval creatures in the graveyard, I can special summon Laval Coatl(1300/700, Fire/Pyro/Tuner/Effect, Level 2) from my hand for free. Thus... completing my victory. Feel like paying up now or should I just go through the song and dance?"
"I'm interested in the song and dance. I hope it's catchy," Kouji grinned.
"If you say so," Arata reached for her extra deck as Coatl vanished into two stars, spiraling around Gunner and awaiting for the call. "Let me show you what a real dragon looks like, Kouji. Synchro Summon!" Gunner ascended into the sky, surrounded by the green rings that stole the color from his body. The two stars lined up perfectly with a stream of light piercing through the rings. "Tuning my level two Laval Coatl into my level four Laval Gunner. Erupt, Lavalval Dragoon!(2500/1200, Dragon/Fire/Synchro/Effect, Level 6)"
From the familiar pillar of light erupted a pair of wyvern wings, glistening in the light of the flames that surrounded it. Its sharp beak made it resemble a bird more than a dragon, but the fire that overflowed from its mouth was unmistakeable. It shrieked as the light faded away, and Arata's turn continued. Kouji seemed unfazed.
"After that, the turn plays itself. Lavaval Dragoon!" Arata called, and the flames appeared. "Attack his Dawnbreak Gardna!"
Arata - 4000
Kouji - 1400
"And to end the game, attack, Laval Warrior! Destroy his Blazewing Butterfly once more!" Warrior charged once more, flailing its axes like a mad man and brutally stabbing the butterfly until it vanished. Instead of returning, Warrior remained on Kouji's field.
Arata - 4000
Kouji - 1100
"Which then activates my Laval Warrior's effect, with at least four different Lavals in my graveyard, he burns you for the attack points of any monster he destroys."
Kouji stepped back, his arm in front of his face to protect himself from the large golem towering over him. He slammed the axes down, and while Kouji wouldn't feel the hot sting of a blade, he felt the force of the attack bringing him to the ground as his monsters disappeared.
Arata - 4000
Kouji - 0
Their disks deactivated, and Arata caught her breath from all the yelled and laughing. Kouji, however, stayed down on his face. I clapped, in relief, and stood back up to greet Arata at her spot. I shook my head at her the whole time, and she did the same to me.
"It was all planned out, albeit poorly," Arata admitted.
"Yeah, wasn't very hard to tell. Was the duel rigged?"
"Oh, no, I beat him totally legit. He put up a good fight though."
"So... what was the point of all that?"
"The kid's nervous. I've seen him play before, and I think he's alright. He's just such a wallflower when he's not holding his cards. He's got a crush on you, he just doesn't have any balls unless he's playing."
It was an odd feeling, but I felt my face turn a little red. "Why would he... have any interest in me?"
"He says he saw you play Alek. Thought you were adorable, brave, ballsy. He wanted a chance to meet you, but every time he tried, he couldn't approach you. If he knew how meek you were, maybe he wouldn't feel so bad."
"H-Hey now," I protested. But she was right, I was a little timid.
"Why don't you go over and talk to him a little? That's all he wanted out of this, I think. He knew he was going to lose, he knew this wasn't going to work. It's not like he had a devious plan to get you in bed or anything," so blunt Arata... "He wanted a conversation."
I took a deep breath. "You overcomplicate things... You know that?"
She innocently shrugged her shoulders, a reaction I've come to expect whenever she does something questionable. I looked back to Kouji, and he laid motionless.
I walked over, after a long moment of contemplating. I don't think he really noticed me until I sat down next to him and said "Hey."
His head lifted from the ground, and he stared at me for a moment. The confidence and bravado he showed while dueling remained in fragments. "Um... Hey."
"Arata says you wanted to talk. Went through a lot of trouble for it... Figured you earned that much, at least."
I didn't mean to sound cold, I guess it kinda sounded that way after I said it, cause his face didn't seem to perk up.
"Yeah. Sorry about... all this. Looking back, it was a little under thought."
I pinched my fingers together. "Just a little."
But he laughed. "You probably think I'm a creeper now. I get that a lot. I can't really... convey what I want to say to people very well. I'd understand if you wanted to kick me or something."
"Well, at first, yeah I kinda did. Thought you were just a jerk. But you're funny, I like your sense of humor. I don't think you're so bad."
And then was when his face lit up. He picked himself back up and sat facing me, smiling now like he had relaxed a lot. "Really?"
"Yeah, sure. But... I don't really know you. I'm... flattered, that you tried so hard. But next time, just say hi. We'll start with that."
He seemed surprised that I wanted there to be a "next time". But without thought, he nodded his head. "Right. Okay. Thanks..."
"Let's play together sometime. Seems like it'd be fun, Kouji."
I could hear Arata's snickering from behind me.
"...Really, Arata?"
Alek pulled the curtain back over the window, a deep sigh passing through his lungs as he paced back to his bed. There, laid a single card. Dark Armed Dragon. On the bed post, there rested a line of silver medals against plaques. He turned back to the card, and reached for his nightstand drawer. There, he found a handgun, loaded with a full clip. Holding it in his hand just made the anger flow freely from his fingertips.
"I'm tired of hearing your voice in my head..." He mumbled, his eyes glued to the card that had been driving him mad; that was ruining his life. He turned the gun around in his hand, and violently pressed the barrel against his own ribcage. "I refuse to let you make a fool out of me anymore..."
The dark voice echoed in his head; hysterical laughter. "You have no idea what you just started."