It's been a while so I thought I'd bring back my Yu-Gi-Oh GX story. To recap: as the duel between Tao and Kazuya ended Tao declared that his next opponent would be Destiny saying that she is the last power he needs to be healed of his scars. Now deterred from her normal cheerful attitude will Destiny accept or refuse the duel of her life.
DISCLAIMER: ALL THE CREDIT FOR YU-GI-OH GOES TO KAZUKI TAKAHASHI AND SHONEN JUMP. I OWN ONLY SOME OF THE OCs AND THE DECKS USED BY THEM.
Duel VIII: Look on the Bright Side: Zodiacs v. Cosmos
Waking up alone in her dorm Destiny woke up and sat up in her bed looking outside the window. Sighing out of relief she walked to the door when she heard footsteps coming down the outside walkway. Peering out of the window Destiny cringed as she watched Tao walk by and stop by her window. Hiding under her desk when Tao peeked into the window Destiny broke into tears while he walked away.
"What am I gonna do?" Destiny thought through her tears.
Slowly walking down the steps to the dining area Destiny poked her head around the corner to find Amun and Locket already eating. Sighing out of relief she walked in to find Tao in the back table set several meters from the front table where the other two were already seated. Eating her breakfast almost immediately after sitting down Destiny ran out of the room leaving Amun dumbfounded.
"What's up with her?" Amun asked with Locket chuckling.
"You just can't understand a woman's thinking, Amun," she said patting his head.
"I think that's more of a good thing," Amun said sarcastically. "You think it has something to do with Tao?" he asked looking back at Tao still eating his breakfast.
"It's definitely a possibility," Locket agreed. "But Destiny wants nothing more than a duel with people. Why would she be so scared now?"
Pondering the question for several minutes Amun shook his head as Tao got up from his seat and walked back by the others.
"It's not a question why she's scared now." Tao said. "But more of a question of how much she's endured since coming here compared to what she's endured before coming. She's afraid of something, but it's not dueling…it's me," he said walking away.
Watching him leave Amun snapped his fingers and turned with a smile to Locket, "He's right!" he shouted. "Do you remember what Kazuya said after their duel? He said, "So I am human…" meaning that because he and Tao have lived those lives Tao seems more monster than he does human."
"That makes a little sense but still, is the differences of how those two lived their lives really have that much affect on any form of companionship that they share?" Locket asked.
While on the courtyard to the school building Destiny continued to run past students leaving them confused with tears in her eyes.
"What's wrong with me? It's so bad I can't even look at him," she thought to herself.
Still running through the halls Destiny entered the class and returned to her seat and kept her head buried in her arms causing a murmur amongst the students. Still crying over Tao Destiny looked up and saw a boy standing in front of her with the same style pants that Tao wore and cringed about to punch him. Catching the fist the boy looked down at Destiny and poked her on the head.
"If you're going to come out, now would be the best time," the boy said in a voice completely different from Tao's.
Destiny looked up as he said and found the boy to be about the same height as Tao but with long silver hair reaching over his cheeks to an extent with a stray bang reaching over his face, light cyan eyes, a long white coat revealing a solid light yellow t-shirt, and white pants matching the black slacks that Tao normally wears. Sighing out of relief Destiny breathed deeply and shook the boy's hand.
"I'm Destiny, and you are?" she asked sitting back down still looking up at the boy's face.
"Gaia, Gaia Cehack," the boy now named Gaia answered. "And I can't help but notice you have a problem."
"Am I that obvious?" Destiny asked.
"As a train wreck," Gaia said simulating a crash with his hands. "And my guess is that it has something to do with that kid Tao."
"Hit the nail on the head…wait! How did you know my problem was with Tao?" Destiny asked dumbfounded.
"Subtle you may be, but not your monsters," Gaia said looking down at her deck. "Your cards' spirits told me all your problems, but they themselves can't conjure up a reason to explain your recent withdrawal from your social community."
"Because Tao is part of it," Destiny answered and looked at his empty seat. "He's been taking things from people like Amun's scarab amulet and Jason's jewel, and I think he's going for my necklace next," she said slightly touching the necklace with the zodiac symbols decorating it.
Gaia looked down at Destiny as she began to tear up and then hit the top of her head with his fist and grabbed her hand and led her to the public dueling field. Throwing a duel disk her way Destiny instinctively caught and looked up at Gaia out of confusing as he placed a deck inside and looked at Destiny to do the same.
"If we're going to duel the time is now!" Gaia declared as the bell rang for classes start.
Destiny turned around to leave when the doors closed around her forcing her into the room. Looking back at Gaia who held a small remote controlling the door Destiny grabbed her deck and placed it in the duel disk and touched her necklace again. Chuckling Gaia looked down at his deck and closed his eyes only for him to open them again after several seconds.
"They want to fight," Gaia said smiling confident.
"What?" Destiny asked.
"The Cosmos cards in my deck," Gaia said. "They feel the urge to fight your Zodiacs more so than any other deck they've ever faced with me."
"Why do you want to duel me?" Destiny asked.
"That's simple," Gaia said with a chuckle. "Problems are like projects; they never mean anything until they are resolved. Let's begin! I start!" he shouted drawing a card from the top of his deck. "I summon DFF-I Warrior of Light (1300/1800), in attack mode!" he shouted placing the card on the empty slot casting a hologram of a large warrior with extensive armor, two elongated horns on the helmet, and a thin, long blade in his right hand. "Next, I'll set two face-down cards and end my turn. Your move!"
Destiny looked at the monster you looked back at its owner and smiled slightly making Destiny widen her eyes. Shaking her head Destiny drew her card and looked at it and then back at the monster in front of her.
"I summon Zodiac Aries (1800/1000) in attack mode!" Destiny called out placing the card in the empty slot projecting the hologram of the dark transparent ram. "Now by its effect I'll destroy the left-most face-down card."
Aries jumped up over the warrior and rammed into the face-down right behind it disintegrating it while Gaia continued to smile. Destiny cringed at his smile and looked back at Aries who returned to her side.
"Now, attack with Celestial Burn!" Destiny shouted.
Aries shot out a stream of fire decorated by star shaped patterns. Gaia snapped his fingers causing the warrior in front of him to make a defensive stance. Absorbing the attack in its entirety the warrior stared with cold eyes at Aries who was taken aback by the circumstance.
"What gives?" Destiny asked.
"When my Warrior of Light is attacked while in attack mode I can change it to defensive mode should I see it fit," Gaia explained.
Growling slightly Destiny placed two cards in her spell/trap card slots and conceded the turn to Gaia.
"My draw! And I play DFF-II Firion (1600/800) in attack mode!" placing the card in a slot the card projected itself as another warrior, but with differently designed armor and with two swords instead of one, as well as a large bow and arrow clipped to its back cape. "Now, I roll a die and then I add the result to his attack points times 100."
Throwing a large die onto the field Gaia watched as it spun on its corner before landing off onto one side with two on it. The two dots on both corners of the die shined a transparent yellow raising the attack of the monster by 200 to 1800.
"Eh, no matter," Gaia said. "Firion, attack Aries with Fervid Blazer!"
The warrior with the arrow on the back of its armor jumped up and shot the arrow on its back and then began slashing at Aries who tried its best to fight it off. The two then both hit each other in a critical area and the two exploded. Aries retreated back into its card and fell into the graveyard area of the duel disk while Firion retreated back to the spell/trap card and then took a resting stance.
"How did that happen?" Destiny asked.
"Whenever one of my Cosmos monsters are destroyed I can either place them on my spell/trap card zone or to the bottom of my deck," Gaia said. "Which leads me to this, Assist-HP!" he said holding up a card with a ray of exploding light on it. "While one of my Cosmos monsters is in the spell or trap zone I can tribute it to inflict damage to my opponent equal to the monsters attack points."
The light from the card converted Firion to complete energy and then shot it towards Destiny striking her on the majority of her body dropping her life points from 4000-2400. Gasping while standing up Destiny looked at Gaia who stayed with the same smile he came on his face since the beginning of the duel.
"Why do you keep smiling? Because you're winning?" Destiny asked with an annoyed demeanor on her face.
"No," Gaia said placing his hands up in defense with a small chuckle. "I smile because there's no reason not to smile."
"What?" Destiny asked. "Oh I get it, you're one of those kids whose life has been nothing privilege and riches?"
"Nowhere close," Gaia said looking up. "I come from a modest family, but so what about where I come from? Think of it this way; I have parents, I have a game that I play and have fun doing it, and most of all I have friends. What more can a person need?"
"But you don't understand the circumstances of my problem," Destiny said trying to defend herself.
"Regardless of the situation it can't stop you from being who you are," Gaia said cutting her off. "But for now let's finish this challenge; I play another card face-down and end my turn."
"Right!" Destiny shouted drawing a card from the top of her deck. "First I summon Star Gazer Pegasus (1500/1500) in attack mode!" she called out summoning the astral formed winged horse. "Now by his effect, I can bring to my hand one of my WIND Zodiac monsters, like Gemini!" she said catching the flying card from her deck. "Next, I play my first face-down, Solar Alignment! Now any Special Summoned monster is treated as thought it were Normal Summoned instead. Next, is my second face-down card, the spell card House Ascension!" she said with a card glowing in her hand. "With this I can summon a Zodiac that is the same attribute as another monster I control. So since my Pegasus is a WIND monster I can summon Gemini (1500/1500) from my hand!"
Gemini took the field with the twins holding each other's shoulders in an astral silhouette decorating its body in star design.
"And because of Solar Alignment Gemini's effect kicks in doubling his attack points," Destiny explained as Gemini's attack raised form 1500-3000. "Now attack with Double Strike!" Destiny called out as the two twins grabbed each other's arms and swung each other at the knight still in the defensive position."
"Heh," Gaia sounded pressing a small button on the duel disk activating his face-down card. "Mirror Force! With this I negate your attack and destroy all your attack position monsters!"
A giant mirrored wall blocked the twins from attacking and then blasted the attack back at it and then burst into fragments destroying Pegasus and Gemini simultaneously. Gaia looked through the wreckage with a smile on his face.
Growling as her two monsters were sent to the graveyard, "I'll set one more card face down and end my turn."
"Draw!" Gaia said drawing his top card. "First, I summon DFF-VII Strife (1900/1200) in attack mode!" Gaia shouted summoning a monster with no armor but long dark trouser, a short sleeved shirt with a shoulder brace while holding a giant sword behind his back. "And by this monster's effect I can destroy your face-down card without so much as a 'how do you do'."
The warrior slowly reached for the sword and then ran forward slashing directly through it and disintegrating it as quickly as it was slashed. Destiny stayed motionless as the warrior returned to Gaia's side.
"Now attack, with Cross Slash!" Gaia called out.
The warrior grabbed his sword once again and slashed at Destiny three times making a large symbol from the slashes. Destiny fell backwards as her life points dropped from 2400-500. Gaia placed one more card face-down and then conceded the turn to Destiny who was left with two cards left in her hand.
"Alright, draw!" she called out. "I summon Zodiac Virgo (200/1900) in defense mode!" she said placing the card in a sideways position as the transparent form of a young woman appeared with a star pattern covering her body. "Next, I activate her effect allowing me to destroy one monster on the field whose battle position is the same as hers."
Virgo eyes shined a spectral white that destroyed the knight still lying in defense mode only for it to retreat back to the spell and trap zone.
"Next, I play the field spell card Planetary Alignment!" she called out as a large field opened up with the many planets circling the field. "And with this I can automatically bring out one of my Zodiac from my deck whose attribute is the same as one of my other Zodiacs on the field. So I'll play Zodiac Capricorn (500/1700) in defense mode!" she called out as the combination of a goat and sea creature appeared in astral form with the uniform star design. "And by this card's effect and Solar Alignment I can bring out one Celestial Fusion card from my deck to my hand," she said as the card shot out into her hand. "Next, I'll play Celestial Fusion to fuse Virgo, Capricorn, and the Taurus in my hand to fuse my Celestial Emissary Humus (2800/3000) in attack mode!"
The three Zodiacs circled and vortex themselves together and reappeared as a giant mass of rocks.
"And when this monster is summoned I can destroy one monster you control and inflict damage to you equal to its attack points as well as negating its effect," Destiny said pointing the golem in the warrior's direction.
Taking the brunt of a blow from the golem's fist the warrior disintegrated with Gaia losing life points from 4000-2100. Destiny began to smile while panting and then gave the final order to attack for the win. Gaia just smiled and shook his head.
"I'm sorry it had to end like this, Destiny," he said.
"What do you mean?" Destiny asked. "This game is mine!"
"Not after this, Assist-HP! By sacrificing my DFF-I Warrior of Light you take six hundred and fifty points of damage…more than enough to defeat you," Gaia explained revealing the face-down card. "This battle is over!"
The shining light from before reappeared converting the Warrior of Light to energy and then shooting the compressed energy through Celestial Emissary Humus and straight to Destiny. Destiny's life points dropped from 500-0. She fell backwards and remained motionless and then stood back up and then smiled at Gaia.
"I didn't know it felt so good to lose," Destiny said.
"Maybe you never knew how it felt because you never experienced it," Gaia said walking towards from the stadium.
Destiny continued to chuckle when suddenly she stopped and widened her eyes. She clutched her necklace and then fell backwards. Seeing her unconscious Gaia ran up to her as she had just fallen into a near comatose state as she struggled to get a word out.
"…Tao…" she said before fallen back out of consciousness.
Gaia sighed out of stress and then looked at the windows seeing Tao walk by them with a cold stare on his eyes. Gaia gritted his teeth and then began to walk towards him when he suddenly felt a tremendous pain in his chest and fell over. Groaning out of pain Gaia looked at his reflection in the window and saw his hair turning black and his eyes changing color into a dark red color. Snickering evilly Gaia stood back up and with his left hand pulled a deck out of it switching the deck already inside the duel disk with the new one in his hand.
"Where the Cosmos has failed, Chaos will triumph!" he shouted holding his fist in the air while cackling loudly.
Looking back at Destiny Gaia grinned and walked away, "Even as Chaos, I will help you. Albeit, in a slightly unorthodox method. See you later, Zodiac."
Chapter eight complete. I apologize for the late update, I've been getting ready for school so what're you gonna do. BTW thanks for Gaia he's a really fun character to work with, but is there more to him than meets the eye…at this school I wouldn't be surprised. Also, yes, the person who sent me this deck based his cards around the Dissidia game for Final Fantasy.
Next time: Holding true to his promise with Destiny Gaia goes off to challenge Tao who accepts, but is forced to make a wager that threatens his ability to gain the power he needs and his enrollment record at the academy. Next time: Trial of Chaos; Tao v. Chaos.