The Scorpion and the Butterfly
It had been seven days since the event of Battle City.
She wasn't sure how, but it seemed that seven days was all it took for everything to 'blow over' so to speak despite how little time had passed. Maybe it was because of distance between everything; Kaiba was dealing with the repercussions from an entirely separate country after all, so there was only so much that those related to the dead and comatose could do in retaliation to the events. Or perhaps it was because the culprit had 'died' in the end, leaving the vengeance already dealt with.
Regardless of how quickly things had moved on however she was still there in Domino, for at least until later that evening. A fact that left her with considerable time to explore the city. Shizuka sighed as she looked around her former home down, people wandering the streets and going about their daily businesses. Occasionally in the plaza she was at a few kids would try using their own copies of the duel disk. Summoning holographic monsters to clash, flipping cards to their defense... After all that happened however, she could only look at those so long.
They'd brought Keiichi's ruined duel disk with on the helicopter it seemed. It was with him in the hospital now, but when she saw the blood along the sides and the scratch marks caused by clashing blades...
The girl shook her head as the other Malik's haunting cackle came to mind, standing up to move from the bench. She shouldn't be thinking about this she told herself, pulling a bit of hair from her eyes. There'd been a reason why she came down here after all. It was wonderful visiting with her brother, but some time with another person would be nice before she left.
Not to mention she'd left her phone at Anzu's during her first night in town as it seemed. Whoops.
"Hahhh..." Again Shizuka sighed, cracking and rubbing her neck while a few pigeons pecked at the ground. "This would be so much easier," she found herself muttering, "If he wasn't on 'house arrest'..." Supposedly, from what an e-mail that arrived the next day, her brother's unorthodox grounding was 'punishment' for not saying anything about the duels or where the scar came from.
For some reason, she thought there would be more to the reason behind the action despite that being enough reason for the one instilling the punishment. Being able to take direct damage in reality wasn't really 'normal' after all, and in the end Katsuya hadn't said much concerning it-
"Guess who~"
"G-GHHAH!"
Shizuka jumped as a pair of hands grabbed her shoulders, before hurriedly turning back to look accusingly at the source. "A-Anzu-chan..!"
"Hehehehe!" The woman in question merely grinned somewhat, crossing her arms. "Sorry, Shizuka-chan... I couldn't resist- you were drifting off more than even your brother!" Ah- That didn't mean- At the look on her face Anzu merely laughed again, before shaking it off and letting the grin fade to a more appropriate smile. "Sorry I'm late," she began, adjusting the vest she was wearing. "I lost track of time; I got your phone though," she continued, pulling it from her pocket to hand it to her friend.
"Ah-" Shizuka smiled, nodding. "Thanks; was it too hard to find Anzu-chan?"
"Nope." Again a grin came over her face, the woman stepping aside somewhat to allow her friend some room. "It was just on the table. So," she continued as they walked, "What have you been doing until now?"
A shrug. "Not much... Mostly, I've been thinking... It's been a while since I saw this city," she continued, laughing nervously. "I've been here a week, but I still haven't managed to see everything..!"
Anzu chuckled, shaking her head. "I would imagine... Has your stir crazy brother has been keeping you busy?"
At the mention of Katsuya she sighed, nodding her head. 'Busy' put it lightly... "Hahhh... It's horrible," she groaned. "He can't even go in the yard, so he keeps asking me to duel him during his off work hours..!"
More laughter, the pair slowly walking off from the center of the plaza. "Well, if everyone in the building is keeping him inside, I'm not surprised... Did you humor him at all with the dueling?"
"Hnnn..." With the dueling? How to explain that... "I tried..."
"Tried," Anzu repeated somewhat blankly.
Shizuka laughed weakly, the sound quickly dying as she held her arms close. "It's a little hard to look at even a deck of cards now, after..."
The elder of the pair blinked, biting her lip and turning away. "Right... I understand," she said quietly. "...Hey," she decided, putting a smile back on her face. "How about I show you around town today? You're leaving this evening right?"
Ah? She nodded, brightening slightly. "That's right; I was going to take the nine o'clock train actually..." It was going to be a long night with that in mind.
But not a long day. "We have from now until around dinner then right," Anzu asked with a nod. "You want some time to say good-bye to everyone too, don't you?"
Again she nodded. "Yep- Kyouko-han has something set up already actually... I have until five." She looked around Anzu as they came to the end of the park they'd entered from the plaza, continuing on and smiling. "So... Where to first then? I was going to visit the hospital," she began, "But... I think that should be last neh..?" Unless she wanted to end up depressed for the entire day at least...
Don't think about that though, don't think about it, she told herself. Otherwise she'd be depressed anyways, and then Anzu would get depressed and- "Ahhh... Alright then." Anzu crossed her arms, frowning with thought for a moment. "Hnnn... ...Oh! I have an idea," she said with a smirk, the expression looking decidedly unlike herself briefly. "Come on," she continued, the smirk moving into a more typical grin as her friend sighed in relief. "I want to show you something I remembered recently!" Remembered..? Heh..!
"Ah- Anzu-chan, what do you mean remembered? A-Anzu-chan..!"
That was about all she could manage to get out as she was pulled off to who knew where.
There was something to be said about missing a phone call. Generally, missing one was all it took. The next time it rang, the first missed round would have its owner on high alert so the phone would be picked up at the first ring. Maybe it would be missed one more time depending on location, but regardless. That was generally all it took, and he expected the same from who ever he called.
But no! That didn't happen at all! Five times. He called five times to this phone, and still there was no answer! "Grrrhh..." Katsugi, as only a choice few people called him, scowled as he stared at the screen. Five times was only the count for the first day; he'd called at bi-hourly intervals during the daylight hours since then, and he expected a response. With that in mind he pushed the button on his phone to turn it back on and check his messages, only for his sour mood to deepen in response.
No response. Nothing in his inbox.
He was still being ignored.
"Rgggg..." The bespectacled boy continued to scowl, bag still in hand from where he stood outside his apartment. It was probably dumb luck alone that didn't have him on the streets those last few days; dumb luck and the youngest of his sisters at least. 'He'll be gone before school starts', Sen had told them, both Cho and Kansai merely crossing their arms with mixed expressions of annoyance in response to the pleas she gave. 'Just wait until then! Please!' It would seem that what little room they had in their heart for himself was more than enough for Sen; her pleas had worked. He was allowed to stay, not that he figured it would be long; Ryuzaki would call soon he told himself. At the time after all, he'd assumed it was just a matter of setting things up.
Not getting an answer for so long however, changed his opinion on the matter considerably. In fact, it sent a cold feeling of dread down his back, a feeling he hadn't had for a while despite what he told himself. It wasn't the same as what happened during a duel. When he'd lost against 'Jonouchi', and against Yugi. That was a different 'dread', mixed more with detest and rage. It could hardly be called dread even.
This was an older feeling. A more 'pure' feeling if one could call it that. Ryuzaki after all, was easily annoyed. Pestering him enough would get a response with ease, that much he knew. And the fact was, while neither could very well stand the other for too long he was the closest thing to a friend that he dared to let near.
Friends, in the 'nice' sense, were hardly reliable after all. Pestering someone into aid was far easier and less likely to backfire as painfully in the end. Or at least, he'd assumed so; by day seven, he was almost wondering if it would have been more of an investment to bother with the whole 'friendship' deal. Maybe then he'd have an idea on what was going on.
The more logical side of him however, decided to just remind him that he was just worried... And that it would do him more good to admit the fact rather than trying to make sense of it all. Which begged an entirely different question to tell the truth.
What in the hell had Ryuzaki out of commission for the week in the first place? His phone had been on for a while; and ignored during that time. Now it seemed that it had either been switched off, or the battery had simply run dry, its signal long gone. So the answer to this question? There was none.
Next question then he thought mentally, staring at the screen of his phone with a frown. If he couldn't find out 'what', then how about where? From what the handy little phone tracker he accessed online, Ryuzaki's defenseless phone had apparently returned from Osaka to Domino-Tokyo, left Tokyo to sit over the ocean, paused momentarily there (hang on what?), and finally stopped moving around an uninhabited island that had formerly been home to a KaibaCorp warehouse.
Something that had been replaced by, according to Google Earth at least, a tower.
The phone however, had continued to move following a number of moments at that location. It returned, or seemed to be returning at the very least, to Tokyo... By the same route it had taken in fact.
And then it died without warning. So, the answer to this question?
Either Ryuzaki had gone home and never bothered charging his phone or turning it on, which was hardly likely...
Or something had happened- And he was dead, either somewhere in the ocean, or somewhere in Tokyo.
Even he had to admit that 'death' was something to avoid regardless of connections and concerns. The idea that it was possible however... That he could be dead, that he could be cursing a ghost's name right now...
That, he decided, was the main source of his dread.
Next question then, his prying subconscious decided stiffly. If something happened to Ryuzaki, he should have been admitted to a hospital somewhere; so which one would he have gone to?
There were quite a few to choose from to say the least- perhaps not as many as say, Shinjuku, but there was certainly more than one. Which was why he was now closing up this cheap phone of his and instead pulling out a map and a marker from the side. The map was laid out before him on the pavement of the apartment lot- and the marker lid was pulled off and momentarily left hanging out between his lips as he ripped it off with his teeth. Alright.
To work then. "The closest hospital to the route he was taking is here," he muttered, marking it off along with the route to its final point. "Located in the south, the General Hospital. Chances of being moved to the Children's hospital," he continued under his breath, drawing a small 'x' across the paper, "Are minimal..." The building was too far away after all. Unless...
He stiffened, a new thought coming to mind. It was too far away... Unless the transport didn't come from rescue by boat along whatever 'trip' his phone had apparently taken. Unless Ryuzaki had been picked up by something else. Unless...
The boy frowned, moving the marker along a second route toward another of the more distant buildings. "...Nearest hospital with aircraft access," he hissed, standing up with an almost agitated glare as he stared at the sheet and the answers it left him with.
Domino University Hospital.
"The museum looks the same as ever," she had muttered, wandering the halls with Anzu at her side. The trip to the building had gone relatively smoothly, if not relatively silent aside from constant questions of where exactly they were going to say the least. When they finally did arrive at where they were going however, there was a bit of silence as she gave her guide a confused stare. It was, after all, Domino Museum.
The last place she'd expect Anzu to go out of her way to visit after all that had happened a week before. After the chaos with Malik. After all the horrific moments spent concerning Egyptian gods and shadow-formed monsters and chants her brother was unable to hold himself from repeating.
After the raised scar that remained from Noa's virtual hell, which she'd seen without meaning to after walking into her room with a question the first evening back. The scar that had formed only because the brain had truly believed the body to be in danger.
Yet here they were, regardless. Passing statues of demons and gods, of kings and priests, passing varied tablets and heading for one room in particular.
The room with the 'Tablets of Memory'. "So this is the tablet," she eventually said when they came across it, staring at the enormous slate of stone. Two actually she corrected, glancing at the other well protected slab. Two. "These are..."
Incredible, to say nothing more. Anzu nodded, arms folded in front of her as she stared at them almost distantly. "Yep- This is what started everything off. On Marine day," she explained, turning to her friend, "I took the other Yugi out around town to try and cheer him up. Yugi thought he seemed a little depressed," she continued. "He'd asked me to show him around." That was how it started?
Strange beginnings. "Eh..." So then... Continuing on this tangent... "So you went on a date that day," she asked, jumping at the response she received.
Anzu almost instantly tensed, blushing somewhat as she turned to the girl. "AH- It wasn't a date," the woman protested, face heating up. "B-Besides," she added with a cough, still blushing rather furiously, "Now that half my memories see him as some sort of great and mystical King... I... Hah..." She sighed, shaking it off. "I suppose in a way he actually is a 'great and mystical king', but regardless... With those thoughts suddenly there, it's hard to convince yourself otherwise..." She promptly crossed her arms, frowning and muttering under her breath. "I mean... He doesn't act like one most of the time but..." Ah...
...She should probably stop arguing with herself, Shizuka thought almost nervously. "Ehhh... A-Anzu-chan," she called out with a cough. "You were saying?"
The woman turned, blinking. "Eh? Right," she said with a laugh, shaking her self. "As I was saying... For most of the day, he was in a relatively similar mood to what he'd been in recently. It was a bit of a pain to be honest... However, when we came here, that feeling seemed to vanish. These tablets," she explained, sighing yet again at some hidden reasoning her friend was unaware of, "Somehow, they're both related to the other Yugi's memory... Though in the end," Anzu muttered dryly, "They don't reveal much about him at all..!" Oh-
"They don't?" Ah- Hold on then! If she knew that- "A-Anzu-chan! Does that mean you can read... All of this," she asked incredulously, gesturing to the stones before them with wide eyes.
She nodded, the red flush from seconds before fading somewhat despite her immense embarrassment. "Yea... Actually," she continued with a small laugh, hiding a smile behind her fist, "That's what I wanted to show you. The first tablet isn't much," Anzu explained with a slight shrug, gesturing to the stone at the side. "Other than descriptions of the monsters you see on it, the only other writing of interest are the summoning chants for the Gods. ...And I think we've heard enough of those for a lifetime," she added with yet another dry laugh, scratching her head as Shizuka did the same.
"Hahaha... Yea..." And many many more, she added mentally. So if that was that tablet... "...What about the other one then?"
Her friend gained a rather odd expression, Shizuka almost frowning in response. This look didn't seem particularly safe... "Hehehe... Take a look." Take-
She turned, staring at the tablet for a moment. It was exactly as the others described... The Gods at the top, someone with Yugi's hair on the side with the Dark Magician... "I know that this one is supposed to be the 'other Yugi'," she began, frowning as she looked to the fairly noticeable carving. "Ah... This other one though..." The frown deepened somewhat, and she looked back. "It's Kaiba-han right?" After the entire mess concerning genders she really couldn't be sure...
But Anzu again nodded, her well intentioned smirk growing wide with mirth. "Hnhnhnhn..! Right; when we started out, we thought the tablet was depicting a battle between the two," she began, arms still crossed while she explained. "In fact," she muttered almost darkly, "Ishizu seemed to want us to believe that..." Well, if it got them to fight she supposed... "However..." However? Again she chuckled, gesturing to the rest of the tablet. "As it turns out, it's the exact opposite," she explained. "The tablet has them both fighting off great evil together! In fact," she went on, chuckling dying down, "From what I can tell... This tablet is actually a dedication to the Other Yugi's memory, made by the Priest... The 'Queen' I guess," Anzu added somewhat off-handedly. "It almost makes me wonder what their relationship was like..." With a dedication like that...
She supposed it made her wonder as well. "So... Kaiba-han's 'other life' cared a lot more about him than we thought then..." Her friend nodded, and Shizuka smiled. "Hahah..." Really, how interesting... "Well... It's almost like history is repeating itself then isn't it?"
"Ah- Repeating," Anzu asked somewhat incredulously, turning back as her arms dropped to the sides.
Shizuka nodded, looking back to the tablet. "The 'priest' depicted is apparently male... And Kaiba-han pretends to be the same. And, like the Priest," she continued with a quick nod, "It was thought that she hated Yugi! However... From what nihan tells me," she stated, "I don't think that's the case. They might fight," Shizuka went on, shrugging. "And they might have an extremely bitter rivalry... But I think that if it came down to it, Kaiba-han would risk her life for him; both him and nihan both. She might not admit it," she laughed, "But she cares a good deal about her friends!"
Even if she didn't say they were. "Ah- Friends with Kaiba," Anzu muttered, eyes closing somewhat in thought. "... Hn! A few days ago," she said somewhat quietly after a few silent moments, "I'd have said that was impossible. But... A few days ago..." Well...
A few days ago, things had been different, hadn't they?
"Where are you going?"
He didn't answer the somewhat nasally tone as it floated from behind him, instead busying himself with his continued search of the apartment for what had somehow wound up lost within yet again. "Out," he said somewhat flatly, wishing to say as little as he possibly could.
"Out to stay," the woman in the living room questioned, looking up from a series of papers with raised eyebrows.
The boy paused, sunlight bringing a glare against his glasses before he shook his head and turned away from the semi-blinding light. "I don't know," he said flatly, standing up with a spiderweb-patterned wallet in hand. "Stop asking."
"Hard enough for us to pay for the apartment without highschool fees," she drawled, raising her voice a little more as her brother walked stiffly out of the bedroom. He knew that damn it, he knew how tight things were, and he'd offered a way to pay but they'd refused! So stop pushing the subject! Just stop..!
He wanted to shout that right now but before he could...
As Katsugi's eyes met those of his sister's he turned away, Kansai's own gaze far overpowering his own. It didn't matter, he told himself, pushing it from the back of his mind. Not any more. And it wasn't as though he wanted to stay with the same people who believed in all-or-nothing when it came to his 'tuition fund'. "I'll be back later," he instead told her, adjusting his glasses and he slipping his somewhat worn shoes on. "If Sen asks, I'm at the park."
"Like last time," Kansai responded, snorting incredulously. The sound echoed about the small empty apartment with an almost haunting tone, her brother easily able to picture the look of utter distaste on her face. "Hah! As if- you had her running around for hours. You know better than to get her worked up like that," she added darkly, her younger brother again pausing in his leave as he stiffened. "Remember what happened last time..?" Last time...
Tch! "Fine then," he snarled, tone far more similar to his usual 'public' sneer. "Don't tell her! She'll keep asking either way though"
"Then tell her where you're going for once, dumbass!"
"She'll just follow me," he protested.
"Oh, is that it again?" Yes it was! It was, now just-
"Just-" The boy grit his teeth, wrenching the door open and slamming it shut behind him before he could hear his sister's response. Screw it, he snarled in the back of his mind, storming down the hall to the staircase. Screw her, screw Chou, screw everything about that place! They'd probably just be having leftover rice anyways, it wasn't as though he wanted any... And Sen was probably busy as it was, so why was he so worried that she'd try and follow?
Another door was opened and thrown shut, his face red and his footsteps as heavy as his feet could possibly bring them to be. Really... If he'd at least made it a fair distance through the tournament he'd have probably held off the complaints until he left but no! He had to lose his top card to some blond scumbag, leaving him unable to even cheat his way through the tournament! The snake... Stupid, wretched 'It's your own damn fault', his conscience sneered and-
"RRGGHH!" A stone was angrily kicked from his path, wallet stowed in his jacket pocket before he finally bothered to to close the sides somewhat. Stupid, he growled to himself, continuing to kick at the stones and trash littering his path, stupid! And watch; Ryuzaki probably managed to break an arm or something while on a boat or... Or...
...Come to think he thought to himself with his ever present scowl, just what brought him back to Tokyo in the first place? The kid he'd 'hired' to steal Jonouchi's deck mentioned someone similar in appearance to him, but this was around the same time that he'd received a mail from him saying he was 'disqualified'. So with that in mind...
...No, he told himself, crossing yet another street on his trek to the hospital he'd decided made the most sense. Ryuzaki played along with him when he mouthed Yugi off. Ryuzaki had been the one to grudgingly thank him for the tip on the latest tournament, giving an honest 'thanks' rather than doing what he himself would have and being smug and closed off about it. There was no way he wouldn't have done the same in regards to the supposed 'King's friend. No way he'd have gone from shouting threats at his side to 'joining the enemy' so to speak.
So then what had he been doing here damn it! WHY was he here! The answer to that question...
With the hospital standing before him, he supposed he was about to finally get one.
By the time they'd left the museum, the sun's position left little to question on how much time they had left for the day together. The clock of course offered a little more aid in that regard, but it was nonetheless obvious that 'high noon' had passed, given the shadows that no longer sat directly beneath them in the sun.
It was now two o'clock; Anzu was to meet with Yugi around three in the middle of the very plaza that she and Shizuka had met up in according to the woman, and so they decided to head back rather than distract themselves with anything else they could do.
"Sorry about the 'tour'," Anzu ended up saying with a somewhat apologetic laugh. "I'd honestly thought we wouldn't take so long at the museum... I was even going to stop by the aquarium where your brother fought Kajiki," she added, rubbing the back of her neck. Kajiki?
"Oh- The Okinawan champion," she asked, receiving a nod in response. Hnnn... She closed her eyes for a moment, nodding as she pulled up any memory on what she knew of him. "I think Keichi told me about him... The fish duelist right?"
Another nod. "That's right," Anzu said. "Kajiki fights with a fish deck. He's not a bad fisherman either," she added with a smile. The expression quickly twisted into a scowl however, the woman turning away with a rather steamed look. "Of course," she muttered darkly, "The first time we found this out he used it to lure Yugi into a duel..." Er... What? "That's behind us though," the woman decided with a shrug, a smile coming back into place. "In the end everyone is fighting for something after all, however desperately. Kajiki was, and still is, no different than us."
"Right." Of course. Though that mood swing was a little disturbing... Shizuka stared at her friend a short while longer, before shaking herself. "No different... Ah... Anzu-chan," she asked, coughing lightly. "Since that day, has anything been..." She averted her gaze, falling silent as she looked for the word. "Ah... ...Different," she offered. Not quite the word she wanted but... Close enough really.
The woman blinked. "...Different," she repeated, the two stopping in the middle of the small market street. She paused a moment, before realization dawned across her face. "Ah. You mean after everything else," she continued, turning away. There was a short bit of silence, followed by a small shrug in response. "I suppose it's a little different," she admitted. "My mom seemed quick to point out a growing temper the other day, but I think she's more surprised by how quick I can throw that off now. It's strange," Anzu went on, brushing a bit of hair from her eyes. "And I'm sure that Malik is dealing with the same thing, but it almost seems like cheating; if I force myself to think of the memories that aren't mine... About all that he went through, all that happened to him... And quickly pull my thoughts back... I realize that there's really little I have a right to get upset about. Moreover, I can't get upset about it- it actually seems to calm me down quicker than anything else," the woman sighed, shaking her head. "Ah... Try not to tell anyone else though," she added quickly, laughing nervously as her friend stared. "It's one thing to be reminded when Egypt is involved, it's another when I'm constantly drawing on it to alter my own emotions..!"
Errr... That was true, but what was she supposed to say to that? How did she even try and share that with anyone, it was completely..- ...Hahhhhh... "Alright," Shizuka answered with a swallow, shaking her head. Moodswings solved by... Moodswings. "I understand." Sort of. Almost.
This was just confusing really... Maybe it would be better if she just left for the hospital no- "Ahh... Okht," a familiar voice protested from a distance, the two blinking and turning toward the source. "You don't want those ones, they're not as good as-"
"Malik," another voice answered, the words more or less left as gibberish in her ears. "You're speaking in Japanese again."
"...Oh," the first answered rather lamely, a shock of blond hair now visible amid the crowd.
Ah- That was- "Malik-han," Shizuka called out in surprise, the Egyptian turning at the sound. "And Ishizu-han," the girl added, Malik's sister following his gaze. "...You're... At the market," she asked almost confusedly, the others bearing similar expressions before responding.
"Ah... Yea," Malik eventually said, slowly replacing the look with a smile. "Since we're staying for a little longer than planned," he explained confidently, "We had to make a grocery run. I remembered this place from whe-" He froze, coughing as he hurriedly corrected himself. "Er... I just remembered it. In any case," he continued a little more positively, "We were thinking of trying sukiyaki today, so we're picking out the vegetables-"
"Oh- Sukiyaki," Anzu repeated with bright eyes, cutting in with a smile. "What do you have so far," she pressed, the question gaining an almost tired sigh from Ishizu in response.
"Malik... You're the one who felt like having sukiyaki..." Oh- That was right, Ishizu probably wouldn't press for Japanese food would she...
"Ah- but it's really good," her brother told her, "Trust me!"
"Have you actually had sukiyaki?"
He blinked, smile dropping momentarily. "...Well... No," he coughed, "But it's still good!"
"You realize we won't be able to eat all of this when we get home right?
"All the better to make it while we're here then!"
Another defeated sigh, Anzu and Shizuka still awaiting their response as the elder of the siblings smiled. "We've bought tofu and noodles," she told them. "However, we're still trying to decide which mushrooms to get."
Ah... Mushrooms? Well, this was a produce stand she supposed... "Hnn... You're stuck on mushrooms," Anzu asked, looking to the side. "You're getting shiitake right? Those ones are really the best for this kind of dish, you just need to slice them properly..!"
"AH- That's what I was just saying," Malik added, a muttered 'you got that from her memory' passing over him completely. "But Ishizu thinks that it'd be better to get enokitake, since we could put some in salad.."
There was a confirming nod from the woman, a slight frown coming over her face. "I'm worried about leftovers..."
"Ach- Okht," he snorted, "Between myself and Rishid you should be more worried about not having enough!"
"I'm still worried..."
"Ahahaha... Well, you could always get both," Anzu offered, rubbing the back of her head as the others turned. "And then, if there is left over," she coughed, "Just use the shiitake in another dish... Such as a soup..."
"Ah... That's a good point," Malik muttered, his sister giving him a somewhat flat look as he turned. "Heh- alright then! Let's do that, I think the enokitake is over here... Thanks Anzu," he added quickly, looking around his sister again as the teen nodded.
"It's fine..! I'm sure you'd have thought of it in the end..!" She waved somewhat as the Egyptian's left, Shizuka finding herself left with a frown.
"...Those two," she ended up saying, her friend turning in slight confusion. "...So Malik-han is slipping up with his memories as well then?" And it seemed a little worse than Anzu's to be honest...
Anzu turned, smile faltering a little as she gave an almost depressed nod. "Yea, he has. I suppose he at least has a better use though- what he learned growing up is all great, but it's hardly applicable to the 'real world'! All this..." She sighed, shaking her head as they continued down the street. "In the end, while the memories remain I'm just glad it's all over. We can enjoy the rest of the summer, and maybe when I go to school, Malik will be doing the same in his own country! It might not be like our class system," she laughed, "But-"
"Is it really all over," Shizuka found herself asking, stopping in place for a moment. A feeling of dread was coming over her. A dark, pressuring feeling like what she'd had during her brother's duel against the 'other' Malik. Again Anzu stopped, this time turning with an expression of confusion as her friend went on, all other sounds on the street seeming to stop in place. "The 'other' Malik is gone, that's true," she said quietly. "But... Doesn't it feel like there's something else coming..?"
Again the silence became pressuring, Anzu's eyes seemingly skipping over the girl in an attempt to find a joke in her words. "...Shizuka-chan..." She forced a confused smile on her face, shaking her head. "Of... Of course not! Something else... Don't say things like that," she laughed, despite the remaining unease. "...Really..." She shook her head, the smile becoming a little more honest. "Nothing bad will happen, alright? There might not be much time left," she added, her friend now becoming the confused one, "But nothing like that will ever happen again... Okay?" Not much time left?
For what?
There was a short span of silence between them after that, and though she found herself flashing the woman a smile and a nod to avoid any further awkwardness between them she couldn't help but doubt her words. When she closed her eyes she saw something beyond the darkness typical of the act. Beyond even blindness, beyond the coldest pit of a cave. Something scarier, something... Even darker, if that could even be possible. Seeing things like that, and hearing screams when she closed her eyes...
How could she possibly believe what Anzu said? And yet despite that- "Ah! Yugi!" Shizuka's eyes snapped open and to attention once more as she turned to the side, Anzu waving as their friend walked over from the other end of the plaza. "Yugi! Over here!"
"Ah- He's early," Shizuka noted, looking up at the clock in the middle of the place. By almost half an hour in fact. "I take it you're leaving on your date then," she added with a slight smile, her friend chuckling almost nervously.
"Hahaha... It... It's not a date," she protested lightly, "We're just going for a walk..!"
Oh really now? "A walk..?"
"R-Really! It's just a walk!"
'Just' a walk? ...Gh... "Hahahahaha!" She shook her head, deciding to let the topic drop rather than push it further. "Whatever you say Anzu-chan... Listen," she continued, turning with a wave. "I'm going to head off now, alright? Have fun with Yugi-han!"
Anzu nodded, waving after the girl with a smile. "I will! Enjoy the rest of your evening, alright," she continued, moving to meet with her friend.
"Right!" Of course! Of course...
Really, she thought to herself as she left in the opposite direction, a wry smile on her face. How could she think that something was going to go wrong?
He was really lucky in the end that they'd let him in to see him. Even after buying a card and using the defense that he was delivering it for a friend of his, the doctors had been somewhat reluctant. With that in mind, perhaps he was more lucky that anyone he'd fought with during the last half a year had kept their mouths shut.
It meant the doctors did nothing more than absently wish him luck in the next tournament due to his talent in the nationals, as opposed to cursing his name due to what he'd done to lose those last two tournaments following the event. 'Insector Haga', they'd asked in surprise, the boy getting straight to the point before letting himself get sucked in by his pride. For once, his own skills didn't matter right now; he had to know. Was a 'Ryuzaki Keiichi' admitted recently? There had been hesitance with the question, along with a number of glances to another at the side. So he'd tried again.
Had 'Dinosaur Ryuzaki' been admitted recently?
He was lucky that the world thought they were such good 'friends', thanks to those playful interviews around the time of the national final match. He'd been in a good mood... He was confident that he'd grind Ryuzaki in the dust, and in the end he had, something that put him in an even better one. He supposed that after the fact, it was Ryuzaki's own good mood that convinced the world that they weren't 'enemies', with the absolute worst of the labels being 'rivals'.
So he was allowed in. The doctor had given him a few instructions and directed him to the correct room. Clean hands, quiet voice, with a time limit of 'until visiting hours are over' or 'four o'clock'.
And soon enough after a wave of dread and confusion at the instructions that were far from suited to a mere broken arm, he found out why Ryuzaki hadn't answered his phone. It was hard to do anything after all...
When you couldn't even breathe on your own. Katsugi had been tempted to go back and tell the doctor off for pulling a trick on him. For giving him the wrong room, for simply getting something wrong and playing a sick prank, but as he stepped into the room and allowed the door to close behind him he couldn't ignore the fact that it was indeed Ryuzaki's backpack sitting at the side. That it was his jacket, and his hat hanging out of the somewhat opened sack.
That his hair, despite having been cut to clear a path to wounds that needed to be surgically treated, was most assuredly that of his 'friend's. "What the hell," he finally whispered, eyes shaking as they looked over the motionless boy. At the numerous wires and sensors hooked up to the body, at the bandages covering his chest, face, and arm, at the machines steadily recording synthetically controlled vitals. "What the hell is this," he repeated, unable to even take a seat in the chair that sat in an almost hidden position near the bed.
The papers at the edge of the bed said this was his condition from a full week prior, with no change and no signs of recovery beyond slowly healing wounds. That this condition had been from before his phone even stopped running, from before...
The card he'd bought in the gift shop to protect the image needed to get in dropped to the floor long ago, and he had yet to bother picking it up. It was a simple 'get well' card. He hadn't even signed it, all he'd done was grab the nearest one with a dinosaur on it so that the idiot wouldn't mouth off at him for picking one with bugs when he came in.
But... It looked as though even if that had happened, he wouldn't have been able to complain about it.
In addition to severe bruising on his back there were lacerations to the chest, arm, face, and neck, the page began. The one on his arm had been irritated by dust and rusted metal, as had the slice across his neck and shoulder. Metal had become embedded in both of these cuts, but thankfully not the face.
He didn't want to think about how much worse the scars on his face could possibly be if they'd become infected, not that the others had the chance to do so or would any more. All that aside however, the hair that had formerly grown far past Ryuzaki's shoulders was now cut short; if they were to pull the metal shards from the injury after all, the surgeons had no choice. "...It doesn't look right," he muttered, narrowing his eyes at the sight. "You with short hair..." Nothing looked right. Not the hair, not the tubes, not the bandages wrapped around each wound.
The slashes across his chest barely avoided causing fatal injury, according to the sheets. One wrong move and his ribs would have been broken in against his lungs, one wrong move and more than just veins and arteries would be struck and severed, bringing a far worse fate than the bruising of the opposite side. If a single sliver of metal had come in to sever his liver...
Well. If what the charts said were true he was lucky he hadn't bled out regardless of hitting something like that. But what did this? Papers wouldn't tell him that. Even the injuries themselves couldn't tell him, so what did this? As Katsugi's eyes lowered down to the ground he found their gaze focusing on a familiarly white device near the side of the bed, resting beside the boy's backpack. A duel disk he realized after a few moments, eyes narrowing in both confusion and distaste. But looking at the sides there were dents and scratches all along the side, and if he took an even closer look...
He pulled his hand back the moment he recognized the stains across it, faded black and maroon leaving little to imagination. It was permanently locked into it's 'ready' position. In the middle where the halves joined was a 'hole' of sorts where a small blade could have fit. And the scratches were each along one side, only one...
Ryuzaki's wounds were all caused by a single, sharp object, with the obvious intent to kill.
"You turned your duel disk... Into a blade," he muttered quietly, fighting back a wave of nausea. He remembered those interviews after the championships. Though he'd won, he'd been feeling a little ticked about it being overshadowed to announce a separate tournament. Nonetheless he'd been confident that said tournament would be as easy as the one he now left as champion, and so he'd quickly gotten over the distaste and replaced it with his usual confident cheer in the matter. He and Ryuzaki... They'd been pulled aside for an interview that same day. Admittedly, the attention he was getting made him more than a 'little' happy- it wasn't as though Chou, or Kansai, or any of his classmates looked to him like this. To one he was another mouth to feed, to another he was a pain, and to everyone else he was the kid who kept overshadowing them all in the academic classes while rubbing it in their lazy little faces- if he could do it why the hell couldn't they just shut up and study themselves?
And as for Sen... Well... She was nice enough, but that was his twin sister. It wasn't the same. They were 'supposed' to get along. Not that he cared of course but-...
...Ryuzaki didn't seem to care if he was interviewed or not as he recalled. True, he'd ended up agreeing to the request with a grin and soaking up the praise as much as he could, but...
'Whaaaat, this guy,' he remembered him saying that day when asked about what he felt over his loss. 'That was just one time; next time we fight,' the boy had laughed, 'I'll definitely win! Heheheheheee!' To which he himself had of course responded 'as if', before they moved onto the next question.
'So, Haga-san, Ryuzaki-san,' the interviewer had asked, television smile wide and expectant. 'What do you plan to do in the future?' The answer to that question...
That was easy! He was going to rise to the top in the duelist field; he'd form his very career out of it. He wouldn't be the 'know-it-all' brat who knew too much about bugs- no matter how hard he tried no one was going to listen when he tried to explain the true power behind the insects. Duelists though...
They'd listen to a duelist. And the game... The cards he had... That was as close to 'friends' as he would ever get anyways.
Ryuzaki's answer wasn't the same as his. He instantly grinned, that was true, but unlike himself Ryuzaki did not respond by saying 'I'm going to duel of course!' Instead, he said...
'Me? Well, I suppose once I finish school,' he said with an almost careless shrug, 'I'm gonna follow after my aunt, digging fossils out for the world to see. That's a long time from now though! I'll just stick with kendo and duel monsters until then, hehehehe!'
Kendo? Tch. He hadn't thought of Ryuzaki as the school club sort. He certainly didn't bother with that. The closest thing he'd be able to stand was cram school, and what use was that for him? He was even skipping a year! His marks were off the charts! He was the 'greatest'! He...
Imagine his surprise when he found out that Ryuzaki was also the 'greatest' in his school. Next to the same girl he'd contacted before to get that information.
...Kendo and duel monsters...
Katsugi's eyes were shadowed behind his hair and glasses as he stooped down to grab the battered duel disk at the side, staring at if a few moments before stowing it under his arm and fixing his 'friend's body with a narrowed look. This feeling he had right now... Cold, dark, and an old, old, old feeling he didn't want to have return.
Especially not because of this body before him now.
...Duel monsters...
His grip tightened on the dueldisk and he moved to leave the room, decision grudgingly and stubbornly made despite any thoughts he could possibly come up with against the idea. Alright then he decided, not saying a word even as doctors and nurses asked how he was in passing. If they were going to have that fight again to prove who was better, then he would make sure that fight happened properly.
Even if it cost his entire 'winnings' from that last tournament he'd won.
In all of her planning for that day, there was one glaring fact that she probably shouldn't have avoided before saying 'goodbye' to Anzu.
Until today, one of Katsuya's friends had been the one to accompany her to the hospital to visit Keiichi's bedside, generally from either Anzu's house as had happened on day 1, or from the Kaiba mansion, in the form of Yugi, Honda, or whoever happened to be willing. And while neither took routes she particularly recognized, she'd managed her way around fine at any given moment following this.
It was now coming to her attention however that while recalling a small number of streets to draw a map was one thing, actually following said mental map was a little harder... Not to mention linking each landmark and building to a set location in her mind- it was exceedingly difficult when things had not only become a faded memory from the last time she'd been in the city, but also changed considerably on their own as it was.
She swore that arcade wasn't there eight years ago... And the same with that bar. Nonetheless she sighed, scraps and bits of conversation floating through her ears as she looked for another street sign to use as a basis of location.
'I wonder what we should order,' could be heard coming from outside the cafe at her side.
'Noodle, Noodle, come get your noodles,' from the small ramen stand being pulled by an over eager young man.
'Uwaah! The new Kaimen Rider,' from outside the toy store.
'Ahh... S-So you'll be able to look after her house then? C-Chou-oneesan would have done it herself,' a more polite voice muttered shakily, 'But she has her work...' The voice went on, Shizuka frowning as she attempted to locate it. 'I would myself, but I have to finish middle school, and Kansai-oneesan still has her university classes, so I can't do anything until April and- Ah! You will,' the voice questioned in surprise. 'Ah..! T-Thank you very much Rao-san! Bye-bye-'
"Un-!"
"Ah-!"
Shizuka winced as her shoulder crashed into that of the girl before her, the latter having only just moved from behind a support pillar. "Gh... Ow..." Found the voice...
"A-Ahhh..! S-So sorry," the girl hurriedly said with a slight shout, bowing rather steeply as Shizuka stared. The girl in question appeared to fill just about every possible stereotype of the shy young school girl- her hair was pulled back in a loose braid, her glasses hid her eyes, and a majority of her was hidden beneath modest clothing. Even her general speech pattern suited the 'type' she noted. "I should have looked where I was going," the girl was worriedly exclaiming. "You'll have to forgive me..!" E-Eeeh..?
Shizuka blinked, shaking her head as she got over the shock. "Ah... It's fine," she said quietly, 'public voice' again taking the lead as she coughed. "It's just an accident right..?"
"Ah... R-Right..." The girl, likely around her age, nodded, standing up again with a slight swallow. "A-ano... My name is Haga, Sen... Pleased to meet you!" Again the girl bowed, face flushing somewhat as Shizuka continued to stare. "And again, I'm sorry..!" Hnn... She was fairly nervous wasn't she? And in addition...
She looked rather pale... Was she alright in that poncho with this weather? "Ah... Kawai Shizuka," she said somewhat quickly when the introduction registered. "The same." Another bow, and she continued. "Don't worry about bumping into me alright? Like I said... It's just an accident, isn't it?" There was a short nod, before 'Sen' protested somewhat regardless of apparent agreement.
"A-Ano... That's true... But it's still my fault," she said nervously, "If there's anything I can do..."
W-Why was she so insistent on making amends..? "E-Ehh... It's fine, really," she laughed, shaking her head. Really, no big deal so don't... "Although..." Sen blinked, and the other girl continued. "I'm not from around the area... Normally I take a different route," she explained, "But I'm trying to find the Hospital near here. 'Domino University'- do you know which road I should take?"
"Domino University..." Again the girl blinked, before nodding rather shyly. "Y-Yes... My older sister, she studies there... Shall I show you the way," she asked, her new friend nodding.
"Sure- are you sure it won't take any of your time though?"
"Ah- V-very..! Don't worry," she insisted with nearly wavering tones, "It's no trouble..! It's the least I can do after bumping into you like that...!" Really..! But...
It was just her shoulder... Was it really that bad? In the end Shizuka simply continued to smile, throwing off any confusion and sighing. "Alright... Thank you for this. So," she went on, "Which way..."
"Ah... Y-You want to go this way," Sen said quietly, pointing down toward the other end of the street. "Follow me, I'll show you..." She began walking, Shizuka following close behind as the girl continued. "You're going to the hospital right? There's a short cut through the park then..." Ah?
"Through the park..?" Really? "But isn't that off to the side..?" That couldn't be right at all from what she remembered. She knew things changed, but-
The girl nodded, sunlight playing across her glasses before she adjusted them and smiled. "C-Correct. Ano... It is indeed out of the way... But because of its size, it takes less time to cut through. There are fewer intersections to cross, and less people to walk past so... In the end, it becomes faster..." Ah...
"Hnn..." Taking that into consideration, she supposed she was right actually. "I've never thought of that," she muttered. "But... How do you know such a quick path to the hosp-" Shizuka cut herself off, shaking her head as she remembered Sen's earlier statement. "Right," she laughed. "Your sister... She takes classes there doesn't she..."
Sen again nodded, turning back as they came to the park in question. "A-ahn... That's right..! Kansai-oneesan is working on her bachelors degree in criminology. Although," she added, giving a somewhat nervous shudder, "I'm not actually sure how she's paying for it..." That...
Wasn't that a little backwards if she was reacting like that..! "Er... Y... Your sister sounds... A little..." Even after a few lines she was feeling uneasy... "Just a little..."
"Strange?" As Shizuka hurriedly attempted to deny the phrase Sen smiled, laughing almost mutely before speaking. "It's fine... She's a little odd," the girl admitted, bowing her head. "The fact that so many find her strange isn't surprising. She's really a nice person though..." Ah... If she said so, but- "That reminds me," Sen continued, voice almost a whisper. "At the hospital... Are you visiting a student there, or a doctor perhaps?" Hn?
Neither... If anything, she was doing what most would wasn't she? "Patient," she corrected. "I'm seeing a patient."
Sen blinked, pausing as they came to the end of the park. True to her word, if they looked down the other side of the street the Hospital could be seen. It hadn't taken long at all... Just another block or so and she'd be there in fact. But- "...You have a friend in there," Sen asked, voice rather quiet with worry. "...What happened?"
Ah- That...
…
How to explain that? "...He..." Shizuka swallowed, a frown coming over her face. "...He got in a fight," she said somewhat hesitantly, not completely meeting Sen's gaze. "They have him in critical care now. I don't even think he's woken up yet, I..."
"...N-Nnnh...You should get him something for him," the girl offered, bowing her head again. "Some flowers, or... Or maybe a card..." As Shizuka looked back to the girl she ducked, before continuing on. "A-Ano... I don't think it will make things faster but..."
"It's fine," Shizuka told her. The look in this girl's eyes- They'd just met but she was so worried... Why though? It looked almost as though if she poked her with a stick she would burst into tears right now..! It was almost scary even..! "I'll be able to find my way there from here," she continued, pushing it from mind. She was probably just shy, Shizuka decided. Maybe she had someone close in the hospital herself even- who knew. "You probably have somewhere you should be now, right," she asked.
Another nod. "Right... You're right," the girl repeated as she nodded. "It's going to get dark before I get home if I don't hurry. I still have to pick up a few things... Well... I hope your friend gets better, Kawai-san." She bowed once again, a light smile on her face. "It was nice to meet you..!"
"Ah... You too, Haga-han..." Haga... As Sen turned to leave quietly the girl frowned, narrowing her eyes. Hang on now, she thought to herself, where had she heard- ...Ah! "Nh... Haga-han," she shouted, the girl turning for a moment to blink somewhat owlishly. "I was wondering... ...You mentioned sisters but... Do you have a brother as well?"
"A brother..?" She blinked, before nodding. "Ah... Y-Yes... My little brother... Katsugi," she called out, her friend stiffening somewhat. "Ah... Do you know him," she asked, voice rising somewhat. "He never talks about his friends..! Do you know him then?"
Know him? Blood drained from her face somewhat, smile almost frozen out of habit. 'Haga' was the name of the one that Jonouchi had cursed, the one that her brother had effectively considered scum of the earth since before her surgery. 'Katsugi' however...
It was just now that she remembered her phone conversation earlier the other week. 'Moshi moshi,' she could remember saying into the phone, her eyes still bandaged at the time. 'Who is this?'
'Oh- Haga, Katsugi. I'm a friend of Ryuzaki's, I was just calling to tell you he's on his way back alright..? Gh-hehe... Shouldn't be long, okay?' That boy...
"No," she eventually said, moving to walk toward the hospital with a hidden and confused frown. "My mistake."
Re-selling cards was something of an art form that was almost akin to playing the stock market. The only major difference in the comparison really was that while stocks went up and down on an apparent dime, the cards only went on way most of the time.
Up.
After a card was no longer printed, its price began to rise. If it had already been rare, this price could reach mammoth proportions; Blue-Eyes alone for example, reached millions in US dollars after its printing was canceled. That however, was expected; with only four copies, the cards were a rarity already. Some collectors even balked at the idea that their 'dream card' was still in use.
Not that the current owner likely cared all that much...
It was somewhat different for more 'common' cards however. After printing stopped with those, the price would slowly increase over time with demand and population. After one year perhaps two people would search for the card. Another and it would be twenty, another and it would be one hundred... Provided it wasn't so common that there was no increase in purchases of the card.
With rare cards however, this was made even easier if not guaranteed. Those cards were already worth enough on their own; some were even worth the price of a booster pack upon release, or even more than that. Give it a few months and they were worth three times their original worth. Just one year more and the amount spent on it could potentially reach thousands of yen..!
Some of the cards he had were a few years old already with that in mind- their value had already jumped. All together, the total of the non-insect cards he'd gathered from tournaments and ante would add up to a fair amount of money. An amount that could have possibly funded his own schooling.
Rather... If he hadn't skipped half-way through the year, he'd have had enough to fund it. As it was, looking at the cards he had now and comparing it to what he could have had and what he needed to win...
The value was half of what it could have been. Not nearly enough for an education in fact. But by the end of everything, it was enough for what he needed to do. And it was worth it.
Of course now that it was said and done he was out of breath, leaning against a pole, and a number of thousands of yen short... Specifically 25 thousand.
Not... That this... Mattered... The more light-hearted side of his mind insisted. Sometimes he really... Hated that tiny little side of him. "Hah... Hah... Hahhhh..." Tired... Katsugi gripped the box under his arm as he stumbled back into the hospital, ignoring the looks from any doctors he passed.
"Um... Sir are you alright," one worried receptionist asked, turning from the desk as he wandered past. He was fine... Trust him... "Sir," she called out as she stood. "Sir..?"
Leave him alone... Elevator doors closed before the woman could continue, and the boy collapsed somewhat on the side of the impossibly empty device. If anyone... Ever... Found out he'd done something like this... "Well," he decided, muttering to himself through his still heavy breathing, "Maybe if I'm lucky karma will stop spitting in my face..."
...It probably wouldn't of course, but it wasn't as though that would keep him from trying. It would be nice though, if he could get his sisters off his back though. The light on the side buzzed and Katsugi picked himself up, forcing a look of apparent composure over himself as the door opened. In the end, he hadn't wasted his money on a duel disk for that sort of reason. Losing those matches was a 'fluke'- he would win the next one easy! He just didn't want to risk being unable to fight the very person he was preparing to live with because of something so trivial as this.
And it wasn't as though Ryuzaki would accept the gift if he knew it was him who gave it to him, Katsugi insisted to himself. He'd to the same after all, if he idiotically decided to do something like this to begin with. It wasn't cool to get a gift from a rival, it was pathetic. If anything, he himself was being pathetic for giving him a gift at all.
But he wasn't going to duel him if he had a faulty duel disk covered in blood. That...
That was worse. "Don't think this is because we're 'friends' or anything," he muttered under his breath, putting the box neatly beside his friend's backpack with a scowl. There was no answer of course, but he hardly expected one. Miraculous revivals were for soap operas and dramatic films with happy endings. Not for real life. And yet, even though he knew he couldn't hear him, he continued. "You wouldn't want my duel disk," he almost hissed, narrowing his eyes from where he stood. "...Knowing you, you'd say it 'taints' your honor as a duelist." For him, it hurt his pride simply by doing all this- Yet nonetheless he was still there, trying something anyways. "I haven't done more than touch the box," Katsugi muttered. "You don't have that excuse now... ...I..."
Hmph. If he went back now, he'd be worse off than if he went through with it, he decided, standing with his hands in his pockets in silence. Footsteps sounded from outside of the door, the boy not bothering to turn at the sound. Probably another nurse he told himself. Nothing m-
"Ah..." He blinked, looking up as a young girl with somewhat reddish brown hair walked in with a look of surprise. "You..." She frowned somewhat, looking over the boy with a confused gaze while adjusting the flowers in her arms. "…Who are you..?" The answer to that question...
He supposed he'd have to give it to her even if he didn't want to.
AN: HAGA! HAGAAAAAAAA! He's made his first 'POV' appearance! I tell you though, it's hard to write a character who is openly a prick to others without completely flanderizing him into an asshole like the anime and manga did. Then again, when you don't get the background on a prick, what else are you supposed to think? A prick is a prick, if you don't get an excuse for the actions, you're not likely to think anything else.
In any case this chapter, being a breather, is a little shorter than average... But it makes up for it in plot points, side characters and the below! (Also it's more or less dialogue; remember; duels are filled with more description so that no one gets bored to tears by lifepoints. I turn duels into fight scenes more often than not.)Regardless of specifics, you could still argue that we're back to standard size chapters now! I hope you enjoyed this one in particular, because the next chapter covers the next arc...
Yu-Gi-Oh R! (Not to mention, we don't hear of Haga, Ryuzaki, or really anyone in the next arc outside of 'in passing'. Unless they're always living in Domino of course... And since Haga is moving...)
Also, it seems that 'the answer to that' has become a bit of a mental catchphrase for Haga. Interesting... I think I like it actually.
Back to business though! The Contest Entries are in! So as to make sure they don't get skimmed over, they're down at the bottom, in their own section! Send in your votes through reviews... Competitors may vote, but not for themselves! Moreover, to try and spread the votes a little more Each voter votes THREE TIMES; in order of preference! 1, 2, and 3!
Again, the entries are below, so have fun with that!
Anonymous Review Responses
U-UWAH! Sorry Maggiemay! I didn't realize..! -gives great big bear hug- ;;A;;
Ohohohohoh, you should be used to my foreshadowing antics by now! ...I think. Any ways, what's this about a score card? I must have more!
Entries are now all below~ Hope you enjoyed the chapter!
I'm glad you enjoyed the ending Imadork! After all there was, the story needed a bit of humor. (And ooooh, Mokuba's going to get a hell of a lot more than just some mileage on that, hehehe...)
And ahhh? Got the shadowing did you? -mad chuckling- Now you get to wait for it to show up.
Also, thanks for letting me know about that; I was able to fix it before anyone else could read it and go 'Whaaaaaaaat?'
Hehehe, I don't think they're all angry, though some of them might have some choice words... (coughpantherwarriorcough). Selket is still there, but she'll be dipping out when she wants; she's still a part of Rishid's deck too after all.
Iona! Glad you liked it! Though they're hard to get done, the ending tends to be one of the points of an arc that I enjoy the most after the fact. And she has indeed gained a semi-second family... Though you can probably sense a bit of unease concerning that in this chapter; while there's acceptance, there's also worry about how much of who is in control so to speak- think of it has developing a conscience with a mind of its own... It isn't as extreme in Anzu, but for Malik it's quite persistent as Japan is more or less Anzu's 'domain'.
And aaaah~ AHHHHH, they do reflect some things we'll be seeing soon! In fact, they reflect things that caused the speed at which the next arc occurs; Yugioh R ends with the Kaiba siblings returning from the States.
AND YES? Hahaha, that's pretty much what it translates out to, much to poor Jou's shame. He does have it coming for what he did though. Least it only lasts the entire summer! ...Waaaaait...
Any ways, as always, I hope you enjoy the chapter above! I'll try and get the next one out soon!
Usagi's Manga & Japan Guide/Corner
The section that has the sudden urge to draw Haga now...
H-H-HAGA!
That's right! Haga's point of view! There's a reason for it, but you won't actually see it for quite a while.
Mostly because the next arc is kind of Yu-Gi-Oh R, and following that, he kinda lives in Osaka. Not exactly within range of Jou and the others. I have to say though. There's villain point of view, and then there's side villain point of view. And given that the main goal is to move Haga into relatively neutral territory without skewing the character, it's an interesting experience.
For one, we know he's not above cheating to win. And yet he's obviously a good enough duelist to make it through the championships at the very start of the series, before Duelist Kingdom, on his own. It would seem however, that Haga's mind works like this with initial cheating; Exodia is a threat. It defeated Kaiba, it defeated the most powerful monsters in the game. And, since the game didn't have the tribute rules back then, this was obviously fairly frightening... As in most cases, the most powerful thing couldn't be matched.
So, to cement moving further, get rid of the threat in any way possible. It's a desperate move, and an obvious sign of insecurity. And yet... The sheer detail going behind these insecure methods show considerable intelligence. Moving on. Haga is smart, but as we know he's also bratty. He's selfish, he doesn't care for others, and the fact is he isn't above rigging the game in his favor.
Yet while I say 'cheating', he never actually does. He tosses cards into the ocean, he slips cards into others decks, but during actual matches he does not cheat. In fact, during Doma he simply moves onto more psychological methods it seems. Remember what he said during his match against Yami Yugi?
Remember what Yami Yugi did to him because of it?
The fact is, it all comes down to this in my opinion; he's just a kid. He wants to win, and he'll do anything to do that. He wants the spotlight, he wants the praise. And ironically, it seems I've given him a pathetic Freudian excuse for that; besides Sen, his sisters tend to treat him like a little unwanted tumor. And while I'm sure most would do that, to the point where he expects it from people who know him in more than simply passing, it stings just a little when its family.
No wonder he's got a thing against friends in the fanfic.
Of course... Haga is still an absolute prick in this fanfic, and the fact is he just really wants to win above anything. Give him a slight agitated break though, he is 13-14 with a genius complex, not to mention he's dealing with whatever 'trauma' I gave him to have Doma make sense. He'll get better... Eventually.
Haga's 'friendship' with Ryuzaki is a little confusing. The fact is, while it's the closest thing he has, Haga's lack of trust along with his general unfriendly attitude prevents a solid bond from forming. Despite this however, he knows him just enough to worry for his safety, due to the combined need for a place to stay and legitimate fear.
In a sense, Ryuzaki's balancing on a point between 'friend' and 'tool' in Haga's eyes, if only because he refuses to acknowledge the fact that a friend can even benefit him. It's tipping toward friend by the end thanks to the earlier worry though.
When one thinks of Japanese mushrooms, they tend to think of Shiitake, which are often dried and sold for use in miso soup or other veggie dishes. Enokitake mushrooms are also popular for sukiyaki however, and are reportedly rather crisp, often either canned or used in soups and salads.
Why didn't Malik think of Anzu's solution? Because they're still different people..! So naturally, whoever would have thought of it first before the 'merge' would still think of it first afterward. Malik tends to be a little more argumentative from what I can tell anyway... (Though there isn't much to go on for post-Battle City Malik unfortunately.)
The main point of this however is that while everything's been accepted there's still an obvious worry of how much the second memories are affecting each person; Anzu's already demonstrated a bit more control. However, it's partially to do with location. Right now they're in Domino; that's her 'domain'. If they were in Egypt, she'd be slipping into Arabic like no tomorrow!
You might notice that this chapter effectively breezed through the final episode of season three. This is mostly because, despite it being more or less a mash up of flashbacks, it served useful in starting off a breather chapter. So even though it only provided say... A loose 'plot' to the chapter, it was still handy.
Nooooo, Shizuka does not have the same ability Jou does. She just has a nasty feeling. People get those sometimes you know.
'What? They aren't running him through!' Well, the fact is... Yugi and his friends don't like talking about Duelist Kingdom. So while the world knows Haga didn't make it through Duelist Kingdom at all, they don't know that he actually tossed Exodia overboard.
Similarly, Jonouchi isn't going around bragging that he beat a kid who dumped a card in his deck; the fact is, that would probably make him (Jonouchi) feel like an asshole. So while the world again knows that he didn't make the finals...
That's all they see. The national champion of Japan lost in the tournaments, which are considered on a separate league from the nationals as it is. So while our main characters know he's an utter prick...
The rest of the world doesn't. Hence his better treatment.
'Wait! Usagi, if Jou and Yugi enjoy duel monsters so much, wouldn't they have seen that interview and known about the kendo and such?' Well normally yes but... Seeing how the tournament was immediately followed by Pegasus' tape hell, I don't think they'd have caught the interview.
To clarify Haga's 'investment', duel monsters cards are only in print so long- same as in the real world, once the card stops being printed out, it begins to gather more value. So... With whatever rare cards he'd won beforehand (Haga did not fight Jonouchi first after all, and there's still his prize from the Nationals to consider), holding them for a certain amount of time would likely fetch him considerable money.
Of course, he'll never know what 'considerable' could have been thanks to this...
Alright, so snagging the price of cards took me a bit. For the uncommon cards, they tend to be in the range of 4-6 dollars. Not much at all. Rarer ones however, have an increasingly varied range that is partially tied to demand. This can go anywhere from that six dollar range to a whopping THREE HUNDRED! (!)
However, three hundred dollars is pushing it, so we'll just say that the rare cards he had were in the fifty dollar range. As to why Haga didn't just use this toward his schooling, he already knew that it would only cover so much; it'd be a waste of time and money to sell the cards so early otherwise.
In any case, this is how people who have stores that buy cards back can make entire careers out of buying booster-packs, opening a bunch of them, and selling cards back. (My fiance used to do it until we moved actually.)
Speaking of Haga and Ryuzaki by the way, while this IS covered in passing next chapter, it's short enough that I'll say it now- he'll be waking up just before the school year starts again. In fact, he gets back into classes with no trouble, though he'll be resembling a mummy for the next bit. Actually, there's a bit in the next picture covering that.
And yes, Haga would be going with him to Osaka on that trip. Much to Ryuzaki's distaste. (I seem to have accidentally implied Shrimpshipping while I was at it...)
FanArt And My Art Section
Just one picture today; I felt like drawing Haga in something a little different! Which is good, because I only have one song.
Reference/Concept: Haga & Ryuzaki – http : / / i5. photobucket. com/ albums/ y153/ natasha_unos_1/ HagaRyuzaki. Jpg – In which I draw Haga in something a little more casual (though his general wear and habits will be a source of conversation between himself, Shizuka, and Ryuzaki once we get to them again), and Ryuzaki with short hair.
The fact is, doctors tend not to do things like cutting hair if they don't have to, and they probably could have just pulled it back... But sometimes things happen without thinking, and Ryuzaki's condition kinda had them focused on just getting rid of whatever was at the site of the injury.
Sadly this included a lot of his hair, so they just cut the rest to make it neat and tidy. Don't worry though, it grows back..! (Though I have to say, he doesn't look bad... Just 'different'.)
Also Haga's face on the side is mostly me messing around... Though I wouldn't doubt he's made that particular expression before.
Musical Notes
Some more from Piko! Specifically, his cover of 'The Disappearance of Hatsune Miku'. Not exactly fitting at all, but I had my music on shuffle. And it... Just... Kept... Playing...
I was also listening to covers of 'Dog Day Afternoon' (Kagamine Rin) and 'Petenshi ga Warau koro ni'... Or 'When Swindlers Cry Out'. (Also from Miku initially.) And... Also 'Tengaku' and 'End of Solitude'. (Also from Rin!)
Yep! This is another one of those chapters where the music has nothing to do with the text. Or is it? Tengaku seems to have a mood a little too similar to what Haga goes through for pretty much the entire chapter... Not to mention 'For A Sick Boy' (Luka) though that's more by title than anything else.
CONTEST ENTRIES!
Remember; when you vote, vote for THREE ENTRIES, in order of Preference! For example...
'1) Entry 1, 2) Entry 3 3) Entry 2'
Voting will be held for TWO UPDATES; in other words, you have until the update after the next! Good luck to all those competing!
From MaggieMay:
Jounouchi sees Seto NAKED! And that's only the beginning in this fantastically twisted retelling of the Yu-Gi-Oh! Saga. A completely IC Kaiba Seto that is totally different than what you've ever seen before.
The story of Yu-gi-oh! with an X twist. One little letter - X instead of Y - and you have a whole new game. Yugi may still be king but Seto is definitely queen, with Jounouchi as her court (and courting) jester and jack of all trades.
Ever wonder why Seto acts like he has constant PMS? There is an explanation. Jounouchi and the gang learn that gender really doesn't matter. Or does it? Retelling of the Yu-gi-oh! Series – with one little difference that changes everything.
Think you know Yu-gi-oh! and Puppyshipping? Think again. This is the story retold with a small adjustment that changes everything. You don't know Yu-gi-oh! like this. Strap in 'cause it's gonna be a bumpy ride.
From Imadork:
Jounouchi Katsuya will always look out for his friends, no matter how weird things get. That means he will keep on fighting, whether facing maniacs with freaky powers, monsters from a childrens game, or the fact that Kaiba's a girl. Wait, what?
From Jadej.J:
Seto Kaiba has secrets that run skin deep but when Jou gets drawn in all bets are off. Both teens' dark secrets come to the surface & life changing experiences that will take them into dark secrets of Duel Monsters that no one knows.
From Sora Kohaku:
Being a teenager is hard. Especially when your friend may have split personalities and your father is an alcoholic. And, maybe, just maybe you're going crazy.
Being a teenager is hard. There's part-time jobs, school work, friends, first crushes, and of course the possibility of going insane. Oh, that's not suppose to happen? Poor Jonouchi.
After a extra credit project goes almost too well Jonouchi finds himself getting closer to his classmate Kaiba. Too close. Living in the same house too close. For every thing that starts going right for him there's another going wrong.
Who would have thought getting caught breaking and entering would turn out so well? Not Jonouchi for sure. Though for every thing going right for him there's another two or twenty going south.
If there was a certain point that things started changing Jonouchi was pretty sure this was it. This was undeniable proof that it doesn't pay to slack off.
Curiosity couldn't possibly kill him, though Jonouchi doesn't doubt that given the chance Seto Kaiba would. It's just his luck that Mokuba Kaiba likes him so much.
There are secrets...and then are SECRETS. Secrets that can change the very nature of the game. Jonouchi is finding himself in possession of a lot of these as of late. So it's no wonder that he finds himself wondering if he'll survive them all.
Smoking kills, alcohol kills, and even children's card games kill—wait, what! Jonouchi knows his life has never been very normal, but this is insane! Or, quite possibly he's the one that's insane.
Rewards are very fickle business. In comparison to how the universe decides to award Jou, Kaiba is pretty straight forward.
Jonouchi Katsuya was the exception to the 'no jobs' rule at school. Jonouchi Katsuya also happened to be the great exception to the 'normal' rule when it came to children's card games.
Jou had a hunch- just a hunch nothing else- that Seto Kaiba was hiding something. It's just his luck that he was right.
Now then! A few minor edits have been made for spelling, along with the occasional removed comma to keep the character count where it should be, but otherwise this is it! Let the votes come in, and until then, I'll see you next time!