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higuchimon · 2 years ago

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[fanfic] Hunger For Vengeance: Chapter 1

Sora wrapped his hands around the pole just slightly above his head and pulled himself upward, gritting his teeth. He wanted this to look easy, no matter how difficult it was. He could feel the eyes of his fellow students on him, but ignored them as much as he could, focusing more on getting higher and higher.

I can do this. He had almost done it the last time they’d done the wall-climbing. He’d missed it only by a few moments then, and his blood boiled at the thought of how…

But he refused to let it happen again. He’d worked on this every night since then and now he scampered up the wall, flipping off of ledges and scrambling up poles as quickly as he could. Being small helped, and he heard the other students muttering as he flew up higher and higher.

I’m going to do it! He had only a short distance left to go. He reached upward that little bit more; if he could make it up there, then he’d won!

Gasps came from the other students, and Sora had time only for a flash of a thought, to be thrilled that he’d done it, that he’d succeeded – before a burst of violet flew past him, and when he looked up again, someone looked back at him.

“Hi there,” Yuuri, the dreaded champion of Academia, greeted him, bright purple eyes full of amusement. “I believe that I win.”

Sora stopped where he was, staring, his mind more or less stuttering to a halt. He’d been so close! How could that have happened?

The teacher clapped his hands to signal the end of the trial. “We have an unexpected victor! Yuuri-sama has won!”

Sora bit his lip hard, then pulled himself up the rest of the way. Yuuri, a definite air of mockery in the tilt of his head, shifted to give him room. Sora glared at him, not caring a bit about Yuuri’s reputation.

“What are you doing here?” He tried hard not to spit the words out, if only because he knew the teacher wouldn’t appreciate it.

Yuuri tossed his head casually. “I wanted to.”

Of course. What other reason would Yuuri have for even doing anything?

The teacher moved a bit closer. “Congratulations, Yuuri-sama.” No one knew if Yuuri had a family name. He’d been at the Academia since he was a little child, and if he’d had one, he’d never revealed what it might be.

Yuuri shrugged. “I wanted to make sure your students are in good enough shape.” His gaze flicked by Sora and then down to the others, none of which met his eyes. “I think most of them need to be pushed harder.”

“You’re quite right, Yuuri-sama,” the teacher agreed. Sora suspected the teacher would have agreed if Yuuri suggested that the students needed to be cut up and spread on toast. “I’ll push them even harder.”

Yuuri chuckled before he stood up, dusted himself off, glanced around just long enough to meet Sora’s eyes again, then leaped away, hopping over the school rooftops until he was completely out of sight.

As soon as he was, the remaining students burst into excited babbles, mostly circling around how amazing Yuuri was, as well as how terrifying, at least from what Sora could hear. He snorted under his breath before he jumped down.

“That was nicely done,” the teacher praised him, but there was an almost absent tone to his voice. “But you’re going to have to do much better. All of you are. I don’t expect you to be as good as he is, but you are going to be much better, before this is over with.”

He crossed his arms over his chest and regarded them all. “Go on. Get started, get up to the top as fast as you can.”

Sora didn’t waste another moment, but started climbing back up. He wasn’t going to let Yuuri, or anyone else, beat him yet again. He strained every ounce of himself trying to get to the top, ignoring how much he already ached from his previous efforts.

If I were in a battle, it wouldn’t matter how much I hurt.

He wasn’t sure of how many times he made the climb. He dodged some of the hazards easily from experience – the clashing walls weren’t much of a problem and leaping the water trap was something he’d been able to do in a single bound for months now. He scrambled across the staggered poles and wove his way among moving spheres, avoiding them without a single miss.

The next level up from this was an area of holograms, meant to replicate Heartland City and some of the duelists there. No one knew their names, nor did they care a great deal. But for those who were going to be involved in the upcoming invasion, it would give them a good idea of what awaited them.

This part was always the most difficult, since it changed every time. Some duelists didn’t appear and some didn’t. Sometimes they showed up in pairs or teams. Sora wasn’t sure of which of these holograms were based off real people or just what their teachers thought might be there. Nor did he care. As soon as he landed in that area, he had his duel disk out and ready.

“Do you really think you’re going to be able to beat this faster than he can?”

Sora didn’t look up. He knew that voice, far too well. “Do you, Kaneko?”

Kaneko Takaro chuckled, smoothing back his coal-black hair. “I won’t have any problems at all.” He strolled forward, as alert as any proper soldier. As far as Sora was concerned, he wasn’t really one. Kaneko was from one of those families who had more money than sense and the only reason he was here in the first place was because everyone had to be. If he’d been born in some other world, he probably would have been a rich layabout, doing nothing to advance any cause but his own pleasure.

Sora didn’t even remember if he had parents. He certainly didn’t remember living with them. The Academia was all that he knew, and he would support it to the day he fell in battle.

From the shadows there stepped two holographic duelists. They didn’t say anything, but raised their duel disks in response to the two who approached them. Sora hated the thought of teaming up with Kaneko, but he reminded himself that he didn’t have to like it. He just had to win.

And maybe if I get lucky, one of them will take him out. Losing in this wouldn’t end with anyone carded, but it counted on one’s record and ended up lowering one’s final score, not just in this test, but in the overall scores that determined one’s placement in the army or in the support staff.

Or, if one were truly spectacular, as a member of Obelisk Force.

Kaneko ran a basic Fusion deck, and word around class had it that it was one that he’d bought with his family money, not built himself. Sora remained contemptuous of the very thought. Most Academia students who didn’t have their own decks built by blood, sweat, and tears were issued a standard Antique Gear deck and taught how to use it.

As far as Sora was concerned, Kaneko would probably work out better either sweeping floors, throwing away trash, or maybe making beds. He certainly wasn’t a soldier, and he could be called a duelist only by a very loose definition of the term.

But right now he was the only ally that Sora had, as the two of them shuffled their decks and got ready to combat their illusionary enemies.

Kaneko took the first turn, setting two spell or trap cards face down and putting out a defensive monster. Sora hadn’t ever seen him duel but the tactics were pretty basic. He went for a more aggressive approach himself, and his deck co-operated with him, providing him the materials to Fusion Summon Death-Toy Scissors Bear right off.

That got a bit of a sniff from Kaneko. “Showing your best talents early, aren’t you?”

“You’re not showing anything at all,” Sora snapped back. The rules of the challenge demanded that he couldn’t attack his erstwhile ally, no matter how tempting it was. But he had a few cards that could play some very nasty tricks once he drew them.

Now the hologram duelists – controlled by the master computer in the school – began their tactics. Sora had heard all kinds of stories about how the holograms were programmed, and he’d faced them many times before. Every time something was a bit different, perhaps a bit more skilled. That just made it all the more entertaining.

These duelists didn’t XYZ summon right away. Whether they supposedly had something else in mind or not, Sora couldn’t guess. If they’d been real duelists he could talk to, then maybe he could figure out their strategy. But the hologram duelists never said anything beyond the basic commands for summoning their monsters and attacking. They didn’t even use summon chants!

“I summon Verz Castor and activate it’s special effect to Special Summon Verz Salamandra. Then I XYZ Summon Verzbuth, the Excition-Glimmer Knight,” one of the holograms intoned, and as the first two monsters vanished into a swirl of shadows, before them there stepped forward a third creature, with spiked gloves, a long white cape, and a sharp sword in one hand. Sora glanced at his duel disk’s reading and frowned.

I don’t like that effect. The monster itself wasn’t that powerful – a mere one thousand nine hundred points – but it could clear the field in a heartbeat, if the opponent had a hand advantage. There wouldn’t be any damage done after that, so they’d have time to rebuild their defenses, but Sora still didn’t like it. Something just didn’t feel right about this. He wasn’t even certain if the rules would count his hand and Kaneko’s or just one of them. So, best to keep his hand as slim as he could, just in case.

Kaneko either didn’t check the information or didn’t care. He just rolled his eyes as the first hologram ended their turn with a set card and the second hologram started their turn.

“I summon Vampire Ghost, then use it’s effect to send Vampire Sorcerer from my hand to the graveyard, and add another card with Vampire in the name to my hand.” The hologram then slid a card from the deck. “In addition, Vampire Familiar goes from my deck to the graveyard.”

Vampire Ghost was about a medium strength card. Sora wasn’t sure what their tactics were, but he’d seen enough not to underestimate the trouble they could cause. He also remained confident that he could handle whatever was thrown at them.

But now it was his turn again, and he wanted to get that other monster out of the way before it became a real problem. He snapped out on order to Death-Toy Scissors Bear, looking forward to having his monster slice up this XYZ monster like it was nothing, then add those nineteen hundred points to its own. The rest of the battle would be easy to wipe up at that point.

“I activate Negate Attack,” the first XYZ hologram declared flatly, and Scissors Bear halted, backing upwards. Sora gritted his teeth together before he set one of his remaining cards face-down. He knew what the risks were, but they required being taken.

Kaneko started his turn as if Sora hadn’t done anything at all. “I Flip Summon Faith Bird, then ” He squared up his shoulders, struck what he probably thought was a terrifying pose, and declared, “From the heart of the sun I call forth the brightest of flames! Fusion Summon! Level Six, Crimson Sunbird!”

Together, Faith Bird and the Sky Hunter from Kaneko’s hand spun around one another, then merged into the fierce phoenix Crimson Sunbird, which sailed straight down to strike at Vampire Ghost. The hologram’s life points only dropped by eight hundred, but one would have thought Kaneko had finished off the entire duel by himself from the smirk on his face.

Sora tried not to roll his eyes. He was pretty sure he failed at that, as the duelist with the demon monsters started his second turn.

“I activate the special effect of Verzbuth, the Excition-Glimmer Knight. Because my opponent ” He indicated Kaneko – “has more cards in his hand than I do, I detach one XYZ material from my monster and by doing so I destroy all other cards on the field.”

Sora’s hand flew up to cover his eyes as each card, spells, traps, and monsters alike, exploded into dust, flying to the graveyard, with the exception of that Excition-Glimmer Knight.

“I banish Vampire Ghost from my cemetery,” the second hologram intoned, “and pay five hundred life points. When that resolves, I summon Vampire Red Baron from my cemetery.”

That must have been one of the cards he’d sent there when he’d summoned Vampire Ghost. If Vampire Red Baron wasn’t the ace of this deck, then it was very close to it. The first hologram indicated the end of his turn, and the second picked theirs up in a heartbeat.

“My Vampire Red Baron attacks you directly,” he stated, pointing at Kaneko. The Red Baron’s demonic steed neighed fiercely, then charged forward, the Baron pointing the tip of his weapon right at Sora’s fellow student. It pierced him – if the setting on the holograms had been but two degrees higher it would have drawn blood - and Kaneko staggered back, one hand rising to where the point entered him. He was left with only sixteen hundred life points. “Turn end.”

Now it was Sora’s turn once again. He’d considered his options since Death Toy Scissors Bear had been destroyed, and now with his new card for the turn, he made up his mind.

“I activate Death-Toy Re-Knight to return Death-Toy Scissors bear from the graveyard to my field! Next, I active De-Fusion, and return the Fusion Material monsters.”

Sora liked being careful with his monsters, especially his Fusion ones. He preferred not too many people know what he could do. But in testings like this, he didn’t have that many options. If he didn’t do his best, he would fail. He knew what happened to Academia students who failed and he wasn’t going to be one of them.

“Sharpest of demonic blades! Fanged beast of the forest! Become one and display a new power! Fusion Summon! Ruler of the oceans! Death-Toy Piton Kraken!”

First one tentacle, then another, and another, and another, emerged from the pool of light. Then the rest of the creature heaved itself out, two sharp blades being used for arms. Sora pointed quickly to Vampire Red Baron. “Kraken, I activate your effect! Destroy that monster!”

At once the Kraken wrapped all tentacles and blades and blade tentacles around the Red Baron and squeezed until it blew up in a spray of black sparkles and shadows. But Sora wasn’t done yet.

“My Kraken can’t attack directly after it uses that effect. But it can still attack!” He spun and pointed towards the other monster on the field. “Attack Verzbuth, the Excition-Glimmer Knight!”

The sad part about fighting holograms was that they didn’t scream the way real people did. Sora had always rather liked the way that his opponents howled when his monsters struck into them. But this time, the hologram merely stepped backwards as a few life points dripped away.

“Is that all you can do?” Kaneko asked, snorting. “Are you done yet? I want to finish this duel.”

Sora wiped his mouth a little, then set down one of his cards. Without that monster on the field, he didn’t need to keep his hand slim, but every little bit of preparation helped. “Go ahead.”

He didn’t expect Kaneko to win the duel. He hardly expected him to survive it. But he couldn’t say that out loud.

Kaneko shrugged his shoulders and drew a card. “I activate Ancient Rules and summon Crow Tengu! And because you don’t have any monsters to defend you, I’m going to attack you directly!”

His new monster spread great wings and shot towards the second duelist who used the vampire deck, crashing hard into them. Their life points dropped down to a mere eight hundred and fifty – that had been a lot of damage.

Kaneko ended his turn without setting any other cards, and the demon duelist took his next turn, summoning Verz Zahhak, equal in strength to Crow Tengu. The black dragon charged, tail wrapping quickly around Crow Tengu, and squeezed until they both exploded.

Now it was the other duelist’s turn. They set out cards quickly and without emotion, summoning Vampire Retainer, a great wolf that had half white fur and half black. It wasn’t that powerful; anything Sora had could take it out, and he suspected that Kaneko could even summon something strong enough on his next turn. At best it might do some damage to Kaneko, but that was it.

“I activate Vampire’s Desire,” the hologram spoke hollowly, and a translucent image appeared next to the duel disk. “By targeting one Vampire monster in my graveyard, and then sending one monster I control to the graveyard, I can Special Summon the targeted monster. Vampire Red Baron!”

Of course that would be the one. In a heartbeat, Sora realized what was going to happen next. Vampire Red Baron shot forward once more, trampling over Kaneko and throwing him backwards, slicing the rest of his life-points to shreds.

That left only Sora to finish this, against two powerful monsters. He grinned to himself. This was going to be good.

He regarded the two cards in his hand – the last two that he’d have in this duel, and exactly what he needed to win this duel.

“I summon Edge Imp DT Modoki!” This could be one of his strongest cards, depending on what else he had on the field. Then he activated the face-down card he’d set the previous turn. “Death-Toy Mad Parade! When I activate an effect that destroys a card my opponent controls and I control a Death-Toy monster at the same time, I can destroy as many cards my opponent controls as possible.” He grinned one of his best savage grins. “And you take five hundred damage for each one of those.”

He did rather miss the looks of fear that most of his opponents had at this point, as both Vampire Red Baron and Verz Zahhak exploded. Now the vampire duelist vanished, having been defeated, and only one more remained, with a simple two thousand seven hundred points left. He wasn’t done yet.

“I activate Death-Toy Factory! By banishing a Fusion card from my cemetery, I can Fusion Summon a Death-Toy monster, using the cards I have as material. Blades of the demon, monster from the sea, unite as one and become something more horrid than ever! Rise, Death-Toy Sabre Tooth!”

As the creature spun into existence, Sora added the final and best part of the effect. “All Death-Toy monsters I control gain an extra four hundred attack. So that’s twenty-eight hundred attack.”

And the hologram duelist only had twenty-seven hundred.

Death-Toy Sabre-Tooth flew forward, teeth biting into empty air, and Sora grinned as the sound of victory rang out. He couldn’t stay here forever soaking in it, however. Kaneko was already back on his feet, and he glowered a little before turning to the nearest exit.

“We’re not done yet!” He darted on out, longer legs allowing him to cover more distance, and Sora bit off a few words he’d heard some of the teachers use when they thought he wasn’t listening.

Then he raced off as well, forging ahead, finding all those places that he could get into that Kaneko couldn’t, being too big. It took him some effort, but he managed to get ahead, finally reaching the final obstacle, the climbing wall that Yuuri had beaten him up the last time.

So far he didn’t see any sign of Yuuri at all, but he hadn’t the last time either. His rage at that defeat still simmered and he wanted to do something about it. Running the obstacle course wasn’t doing nearly enough to thin the fury.

He’d figure out something. For now, he plowed ahead, keeping ahead of Kaneko by the thinnest of margins, crawling up to the top of the wall, ignoring how the spikes hidden within slipped in and out. They were never on a regular schedule, but he braced himself, raced upwards, and reached the top of the wall.

“Very good,” the teacher praised him. “You improved your score by five seconds. That was excellent dueling as well. But you do need to improve your teamwork. You might be sent into the field with a partner of some kind.”

Sora groaned; he didn’t want to but he couldn’t stop it. The teacher either didn’t notice or was too busy with grading the others to care. Sora leaned against the nearest wall not likely to pierce him with a spike and considered what he might do next. By now the sun had just begun to dip to the horizon and that meant it was just about dinner time.

“All of you are dismissed for dinner,” the teacher finally told them. “I’ll see you all back here tomorrow morning.”

From here there was a short cut back to the main building and Sora headed that way. No one talked to him and he didn’t talk to anyone. There were a few who chatted among one another as they walked; Kaneko had a couple of friends, or people he talked to anyway. Exactly what they talked about Sora wasn’t sure, but he had too much on his own mind to worry about it.

Meals at Duel Academia tended to be works of art. Not only was the place packed full of people from loosely the age of seven on upwards, the vast majority of them were teenagers, which meant the appetite than being a teenager caused. Some of the students ate in their own quarters, either making their own food or having it brought from the cafeteria itself. There were tables set a bit higher up that had some of the higher ranking students there. Sora recognized Edo Phoenix; school rumor said that he would be leading the invasion once it began. There were others as well, very few of which he knew the names of.

Yuuri wasn’t there. School rumor said that he only ate in his quarters, but no one knew why. Sora tried not to think about that as he went for his own food, thinking longingly of the sweets available in his rooms that he’d enjoy after dinner.

And he couldn’t help but think what he might do to get some revenge on Yuuri.

To Be Continued

Notes: Because this was also written for the YGO Big Bang, the story is complete and will be updated on a daily basis for the next few days.

#fanfic #higuchimon writes #ygo arc v #chapters: hunger for vengeance #bad things happen bingo #ygo big bang 2022 #shiunin sora #yuuri (arc v)#dennis macfield

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over-roaming-waves · 2 years ago

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Chapters: 7/77 Fandom: Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters (Anime & Manga), Pokemon Legends: Arceus (Video Game), Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Atem/Mutou Yuugi, Atem & Mutou Yuugi Characters: Mutou Yuugi, Atem (Yu-Gi-Oh), Shou | Akari, Laven-hakase | Professor Laventon, Denboku | Commander Kamado Additional Tags: Action/Adventure, Slice of Life, Time Travel, Slow Burn, one bed, Survival, when you and your companion are in a different time and are from different times as well, Cannon Typical Violence, Other Additional Tags to Be Added Summary:

Yugi was in his room, glad that his puzzle had granted his wish when he was dragged through time and space, a mysterious voice calling for him to catch all Pokémon. But he wasn’t the only one dragged in, and the world he finds himself in is a far cry from the video game he played.

The Yugioh/Legends Arceus crossover with a few more twists. AKA Yugi and Atemu’s Pokélicious adventure.

#yugioh #ygo #pokemon #pkmn legends arceus #yugioh big bang 2022 #Blindshipping #pokémon #pkmn #AO3 fanfic #ao3 link #what is my life

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better-name-for-rp-blog · 3 years ago

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// Hey y’all! Quick update!

Life’s getting pretty busy at the moment, which is why I haven’t been as active here or on discord. It’s getting close to finals, I’ve started dating someone for the first time in like four years, and I’m involved in the YGO Big Bang 2022, so I’m doing a lot of writing for that as well! All of this is very exciting and I can’t wait until you all get to see my piece for the Big Bang!

Unfortunately, though, that means I’ll be a bit slower for the foreseeable future since I’m juggling so many things and a lot of them have deadlines. I’ll reply when I can, but until then, thanks for your patience!

#( ooc )#( announcements )

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merryfortune · 2 years ago

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Meeting Mum’s Special Friend

Written for YGO RARE PAIR WEEK 2022

Day 7: Coffee Shop AU | Childhood | Treating Injuries

Title: Meeting Mum’s Special Friend

Ship: N/A | Mimi/Nekoyama, Mimi & Yoshio & Nekoyama

Series: Sevens

Rating: G

Word Count: 1,668

Tags: Post-Canon, Fluff, Established Relationship, Meeting the Family, Food as a Metaphor for Love, Outsider POV

Yoshio observed his mother with a grumpy look on his face. She had been acting weird. Weirder than usual. Which is saying something because his mum is weirdddd.

Yoshio began to notice this increase of weirdness about a month ago. His mum went out for dinner at the A.I. Restaurant with someone she called a special friend. At first he thought maybe she meant someone from work but she was too giddy and smiley to be meeting her co-workers. She usually seemed so drained after dealing with her fellow executives but ever since she became Vice President, her attitude had changed somewhat. But still. Special friend, whomever could that be?

She didn’t get home until late, either. Saying goodbye to someone at the door. Yoshio had been asleep but he’d heard the door bang and clang so he curiously peeked out from his bedroom and down the hallway. He could see part of the foyer to him and his mother’s apartment and his mum looked so happy.

She was moving and grooving, having a hard time saying goodbye but she managed to fan off this friend. Literally. She had her fluffy pink fan, waving it around and she finally closed the door, giggling to herself. She turned around and saw Yoshio.

“Hey Mommy, are you going to be up much later? You're being really loud.”

Yoshio recalled telling her, being really shy about it since he didn’t want to get in trouble for being up past his bedtime. His mum had trusted him to be a big boy who could look after the apartment, warm and eat leftovers, and go to bed without any problems within his usual routine.

But instead of getting in trouble, or even apologising, his mother sashayed over to him and gave him a big hug. She smelt a little funny, like those sparkling juices that she loved to drink in moderation. It made Yoshio’s nose twitch, that and the overuse of floral perfume but he hugged her back. She patted his head.

“I’ll be quiet, promise. Oh, Yoshio, I feel really good about this guy.” she said, laughing.

“Oh, uh, okay…” Yoshio mumbled and his mum let him go.

She pinched his cheeks, “You go back to bed, I can tell your tired, sleep in, its a Sunday tomorrow after all… Er, well, it already is Sunday since its midnight but you know what I mean, sweetie.”

“Yeah…”

And those sorts of funny little moments happened scatteredly over the course of the month, now that Yoshio really thought about it. He remembered seeing his mother pick up her phone and talk for hours with someone, all whilst bouncing her foot and curling her hair around her finger, giggling cutely. Or she was listening to music on a pair of wire headphones and swoon over whatever she was listening to, often singing under her breath as she made dinner. There was also that time that she was flicking through a magazine about really shiny cats and when Yoshio tried to take a look, she shut it in his nose and quickly buried it in her room with a no touching rule.

It was all really weird and now, Yoshio knew why.

His mum had gone and found herself a boyfriend. A really weird boyfriend. A boyfriend who was weirder than her and Yoshio couldn’t be more repulsed by him.

“Yoshio, dear, I want you to meet someone very important to me tomorrow. I’ll make your favourite, I promise. I really want you and my… my special friend to get along, that would mean the world to me.”

Yoshio understood why now.

He remembered his mother’s words from the night before. She had been all working mode about it rather than mother mode so Yoshio had taken her seriously. He wanted to make a good impression on her special friend since his friends - well, mainly Rook out of them - had let him know what special friend meant in adult-ese. It meant boyfriend but his mum’s new boyfriend was an abomination like none other.

Yoshio sized up the man on the threshold of his and his mother’s apartment. He was tall. Like really, super tall. And he wore really weird clothing, sort of like a magician’s clothing, in black and white splits, but there was something very unnervingly catlike. He had shiny, gleaming eyes of yellow and green, one colour to each eye and a big grin on his face which felt way too forced.

Looking up at this person, Yoshio felt sick to his stomach but he didn’t really know why. For as long as he could remember, it had always been him and his mum against the world, like the protagonist of his favourite anime and his mum. And his mum didn’t mention his father much outside of the fact that he had black hair just like him but that was about it but seeing this eerie interloper in his family’s affairs made his skin crawl.

Yoshio scowled and he did notice that his mother prickled at his expression. She looked so sorry and awkward but Yoshio just defended his look. His lower lip poking out further, pouting, whilst his mother finally introduced her son and her special friend to each other.

“So, Yoshio, this is Nekoyama Schrödinger, and he is my boyfriend, and kitty, this is my son, Yoshio.” she said, her hands trembling as she made various gestures to them both.

“Good Yoshio, I hear.” Nekoyama purred and he leaned down close to Yoshio, sizing him back up just as much as Yoshio had been. He shook Yoshio’s hands aggressively. “It is paws-itively wonderful to make your acquaintance.”

Yoshio’s mouth felt very tight. So tight he feared he wouldn’t be able to open it earlier which would be a shame as his mother had made his absolute favourite food. Tonight was meant to be a special night, after all, but right now it seemed like it was heading down a highway to a wreckage. And Yoshio wanted to assure that apocalyptic course.

Despite his mother’s expression that twisted, making Yoshio twinge with guilt yet he was determined to keep digging in his heels. Her heart was neither here nor there, per the reflection of her wishy-washy look, as she shepherded both Yoshio and Nekoyama to the dining room table and had them sit opposite each other.

His mother brought over plates of her city wide famous Neapolitan spaghetti and for a moment, Yoshio forgot his grudge. His face lit up and he licked his lips as his mother placed it in front of him…. And then a bowl in front of his newly crowned greatest enemy. Yoshio frowned and his mother sighed again as she placed the third bowl, for herself.

She sat down and after a pause, so she could catch her breath, they said their courtesy. Then, it was dig in and don’t wait. That was certainly Yoshio’s philosophy as he scarfed down his all time favourite food. He wanted to be out of his chair and off the table and back in his room watching his favourite shows rather than spend any more time than necessary with Nekoyama.

It was just a shame that wolfing down his mum’s spaghetti meant he couldn’t enjoy it. His discontent broadcast as clearly as the smears of sauce on the sides of his mouth. He glared at Nekoyama and stabbed his plate. The stand-in was more than apparent and Nekoyama’s shoulders slackened.

“Oh, Good Yoshio, I really had hoped to make a good impression but if I have offended you in some way, please, speak now or fur-ever hold your peace.” Nekoyama lamented, his tone of voice dreary.

“Honey, you have done nothing-” his Mother tried to protest, she covered his hand.

“No, he has done something.” Yoshio interrupted, nerves and impulses crackling like unruly electricity. “He-He’s replacing Daddy.” His eyes began to water.

“Oh, Yoshio-chan…” his Mother cooed at him and she changed her direction of focus unto him. “I… I didn’t even realise you remembered your father…”

“But you always say… I look just like him.” Yoshio sniffled.

“I don’t want to replace your Father,” Nekoyama gently assured Yoshio, “I merely want to be your mother’s dearest companion. Our relationship is not meant to repeat the past but rather bring us both new joys. I would like that for you as well, in whatever fashion that pleases you most, Good Yoshio.”

Yoshio paused. He… He felt kind of silly now. All prickly and in the wrong. He chewed his bottom lip and glanced at his mother. Her smile was soft and gladdening. He sighed.

“Fine. You can be my Mommy’s new special friend but you can’t be my new dad.” Yoshio grumbled.

Nekoyama beamed and his Mother made a delighted noise, “Thank you for accepting me and your mother’s relationship, I hope we can have a good friendship too.” Nekoyama replied.

“Who wants dessert? I have a caramel pudding in the freezer that needs to defrost, how does that sound?” his Mother asked, excited.

“I would love some pudding. But can I have seconds on my spaghetti first?” Yoshio asked.

“Of course, of course, dear.” his Mother replied.

“I would love the same, purr-recious.” Nekoyama flirted.

“Oh, you.” his Mother replied and playfully swatted at Nekoyama’s arm as he leaned in, nuzzling her face and she blushed.

Yoshio had to look away. It was just way too gross to watch old people be all lovey-dovey. But at least he could look forward to having a much more pleasant dinner experience to have. Soon, or so he hoped, he just had to wait for them to get over this repulsive honeymoon phase of their relationship. Ick. But nothing Neapolitan spaghetti and caramel pudding wouldn’t erase the aftertaste of.

And so long as his Mommy was happy, Yoshio supposed he could be happy for her as well. Even if she had found someone who was an even bigger weirdo than she was.

#YGOrarepairweek2022 #yugioh sevens #sevens #yugioh #nekoyama schrodinger #atachi mimi #mimi atachi #nekoyama x mimi #mimi x nekoyama #yoshio atachi #atachi yoshio #writing tag #THIS IS THE FIRST FIC I WROTE FOR THIS SERIES AND I LOVE IT SO MUCH #HOT CONTESTANT FOR FAVE SEVENS SHIP <3333

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duelistkingdom · 2 years ago

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call to action

[first chapter] [master list] [next chapter] [read on ao3]

Summary: in the hero’s journey, a call to action is signified by establishing the hero’s values. in it, a hero is booted out of the comfort zone and forced to reckon with the outside world. a quest or journey is presented, and often times the hero may refuse the call. no matter what, however, the hero will wind up forced to answer the call to action.

Rating: T

Ships: Yuesi Fudo/Aki Izayoi

Warnings: canon typical violence, all the warnings that come with calamity ganon

consider supporting me on kofi / battle city tiers & above get first access to chapters!

Someone was screaming, begging in his ear to stay awake, to cling to life, that they needed him; and Yusei badly wanted to assure them he would. Yusei felt sick to his stomach as the smell of burning flesh filled the air. His strength was failing, and he faltered. He needed to help, but how could he? He was powerless against this horror… and then he remembered nothing. A golden light filled his vision, so brilliant that it was both comforting and horrifying. That same person who was begging him to stay awake was now asking him to open his eyes, and he had the gut feeling he would do anything this person asked of him.

His eyes slowly opened, a pulsing blue light replacing the gold. He could feel a strange liquid around him, one that he wanted to call water but did not feel quite right to call it that. A mechanism above him pulsated blue light as well, and he heard her properly for the first time. “Wake up, Yusei,” she said, so gently that he had a feeling that whoever she was, she was important to him. As he pushes himself up, he looks around the room. It is dark, except for the small amounts of light around him. A clicking noise drew his attention, and a strange object was ejected from a pedestal. As far he could tell, he was trapped in this room. He might as well take whatever had been ejected from that pedestal.

Yusei surged forward, finding it awkward and clumsy to move now. It felt as if he had not moved in ages. The woman then remarks, “That is a Sheikah Slate.” As he steps in front of it, she then says, “Go on, take it.”

Surprised by this encouragement, he grabs the slate and fully examines it. It lights up, and there is very little on it. “It will guide you after your long restorative slumber,” the woman says, and Yusei tries to imagine how that might be the case. He then looks down, noting that he is wearing, well, next to nothing. “Now go.”

A door opens, revealing the way forward. Yusei spots two chests, and opens the first one to his left. In it, he finds a pair of pants that seemed rather ancient and yet… they fit him perfectly. Where they once his, he wonders as he opens the other chest to reveal a worn shirt. The pedestal near the door glowed the same way his newly acquired Sheikah Slate did. With no other options, Yusei presses the slate to the pedestal and discovers it opens the door. A bright light pours in, and Yusei squints as his eyes adjust to the new light. The woman’s voice speaks again to him, calling him “the light,” and Yusei marvels at the new smells that flow in. He hadn’t noticed how stale the air was until the door had opened.

A slew of senses nearly overload him, barely noting that the woman declared the land to be named Hyrule. It was part of the background information at this point. He is forced to climb to make his way to the exit, and as he surges forward, he can’t help himself. He has to stop and admire the view - an impossible, beautiful view that caused words to fail. It knocked his breath out as he examined the land sprawling out in front of him: to his left, large, towering mountains and a strange creature flying high above; directly in front, a towering castle that seemed to call to him; and to his right, a volcano that seemed to be actively exploding.

The land in front of him seemed almost endless, and called to him. Yusei felt as if he’d known this land his whole life, even if it connected to nothing in his head. In fact, strangely, Yusei had no name for anything in front of him. All he had was instincts and gut feelings and the overwhelming feeling of loneliness. Some part of Yusei told him that being this alone was not his default state, that he’d had companions before. He had no name for what he was missing. Words failed him, but thankfully, he did not have to explain himself. There was no one around to talk to, no one to tell him where to go next.

This feeling would not last long, as he finally spotted an old man to his left. The old man seemed to know him, and Yusei got a gut feeling he should recognize this man. No name connected to him, however, and his face did not feel familiar. It was frustrating to have no names for anything, nor memories to at least guide him. Yet if he was not alone, it would be wise to at least go speak to the man. He makes his way to the old man, pushing through the feeling of sensory overload. He couldn’t let the birds chirping distracting, the sound of crickets chirping, or the rustle of the wind in the trees. The smell of wood, rust, and dust was everywhere. “You,” Yusei said, surprised by how deep his own voice was despite the feeling of long term disuse, pointing to the old man. “Who are you?”

“It’s quite rude to point,” the old man says, as if he was speaking with an old friend rather than a rude stranger he’d just met. Again, Yusei falters. Is he supposed to know this man? “I’m no one, just an old fool.” The old man’s eyes alight with a twinkle, and Yusei feels a strange tug of emotion in his heart. An emotion for which he has no name; just that he had the strangest feeling that not only did he know this man, he once held very complicated feelings towards him. “I’ll spare you my life story. However… what brings a bright eyed young man such as yourself to a place like this?”

Yusei glanced around, looking up at the stone of the structure they were under. It seemed like a natural formation and yet… he could spot it. The obvious scrap of tool against stone. Someone had purposefully shaped the stone in this shape, with the intent of it being shelter. And it was ancient. It must have been long abandoned, and the old man was merely taking advantage of its existence. “I don’t know what a place like this is,” Yusei confessed, taking a seat next to the fire the old man had started. How much did he tell this old man? How close had they been before Yusei had lost his memories? Was this a trap? Now why would he think that? “I… seem to have simply woken up here.”

“I see,” the old man said, and again, Yusei found he had no name for the emotion that passed over the man’s face. “We are in what legend claims to be the birthplace of Hyrule,” the old man said, standing up and motioning for Yusei to join him. The man gestured to a crumbling structure that time seems to have forgotten, a strange look on his face. “That temple you see there was once the center of ceremonies. The decline of the kingdom one hundred years ago had left the temple to rot.” As Yusei took in the structure, he couldn't help but get the feeling something more than abandonment had led to the temple’s state. “Do you have any questions that need answering, courageous one?”

Yusei frowned. “May I borrow your torch?”

The old man turned to him, a light hearted grin on his face. “But of course,” he said, gesturing to the torch. “However, I truly recommend you take the ax as well. There are monsters out there, dangerous ones. I would say some of the sticks around seem well balanced enough, too. A flimsy weapon, to be sure, but a sharpened stick is better than nothing against the creatures.”

Yusei nodded, taking the ax and torch. As he backtracked up the hill to retrieve a branch he’d seen earlier, he couldn’t help but wonder exactly what the wilds would have in store for him. He’d been dumped into the world with hardly any memories, and nothing to his name. Surely someone had to have thought to leave him a map at least. Then again, if he’d been left without any weapons, perhaps whoever left him here did not expect him to survive. He examined the branch in front of him, noting the weight to it. It felt familiar enough, like an extension of himself, but it was flimsy an sure to break. Not only that, he only had an offense. While he might not remember much, he had the strangest feeling that he knew how to fight and he’d need a shield. The strange structure in the distance had a strange pull for him, and he furrowed his brow, trying to remember why it would seem familiar to him.

He was musing this as the woman’s voice entered his head again. “Yusei,” she said, and it tugged at something primal inside him. As if this was a voice he’d do anything for. The urge ran so deep, his knees buckled as if ready to submit. “Yusei, head for the point marked on your Sheikah Slate.” Yusei frowned as he pulled out the Slate, confused. When he’d examined the Slate earlier, there had been no point marked on there. But now there the mark was, pulsating yellow. A mark of where to go next, as if answering his questions of what he was supposed to be doing. “I believe in you.”

Immediately, he spurred into action, following the point as if it were the guiding star. It was strange what he remembered, Yusei supposed. He couldn’t explain it if someone asked him about it. He just knew certain things, and other were as if he was trying to open a locked door. Despite the voice giving him a warm feeling, he couldn’t name the feelings attached nor could he pin the name of the person who the voice belonged to nor could he say what his relationship to her was. It was just a voice, one that warmed him and one he’d trust with his life. He was lost in thought when a creature actively lunged at him, and all Yusei knew was that it was ugly and mean.

His instincts kicked in before his thoughts did, dodging the monster’s attack and attacking back as if time had slowed down. It was as if this is what he was born to do. Whatever he’d been before, it must have required him to be skilled in combat. As Yusei examined the monster’s remains, he felt almost sick. Still, he took what it left behind, a strange feeling that it’d be useful later. Another action he could not fully explain the reasoning behind. He stuck close to the man-made path, noting the rot of it. Again, Yusei is stunned by the age of it, and the sheer scale of obvious destruction. Something had ripped this up, he thought as he stared at the fountain that clearly was once splendid. The massive temple in front of him was missing its entire right side, and Yusei could feel it in his gut: something bad happened here.

Whatever happened here, it was bad and it was on a scale that Yusei could not fully wrap his head around. As he pressed forward, he couldn’t help but notice the camps of the creatures just laying around the temple. Was this their home now? Did he have any right to simply barge in, and attack them? It was better to leave them be, he supposed. Not until they declared an attack first. Some part of him didn’t feel right attacking. Unfortunately, as he arrived in front of the point marked on the Sheikah Slate, a creature decided to lunge first. Yusei was surprised by his own efficiency. He’d stripped the monster of its shield and its sword long before the monster could even land a hit on him. Surely this meant something about who he was before this, right?

It wasn’t something he cared to dwell on as he moved forward towards the pedestal that was marked off. It spoke to him, telling him to place the Shiekah Slate on it. With nothing better to do, he did so only to be immediately warned to “watch out for falling rocks,” and then he was knocked flat on his back from the ground shaking. His eyes went wide, rolling to avoid debris hitting him - again, before he even had the thought to move. The ground under him continued to rumble for a few seconds, and he could hear terrified birds fleeing trees. Eventually, the ground stabilized enough for him to stand.

When he stood up, he instantly stumbled back, woozy from the realization that he was now thousands of feet in the air compared to where he started. The view of Hyrule as he looked around was impossible. Large snowcapped mountains in the distance, the view of the massive mountain near where he exited from, and the strange mountain with a straight line between it all were sights to behold, and Yusei took them in. He wondered if he was the first to ever see this view, as it seemed to be linked to this strange tower that had sprung out of the ground. As far as he could tell, several of them had sprung out of the ground around Hyrule. He frowned - certainly wasn’t exactly what he was expecting to see. The stone spoke again, informing him it was distilling “local information.” A map, Yusei thought idly. Isn’t that what he was hoping for? And the strange voice had guided him to one.

His hopes were dashed, however, when the Slate was returned to him. It rendered only part of the map. Yusei’s frown deepened as he examined the scaling of the map and it occurred to him that the entirety of the map would be… massive. If this tower only distilled this portion of the map, he thought as he glanced up, eyeing the towers then back to the empty map. Then the rest of the map must come from those towers. How irksome. He put the Slate away, but out of the corner of his eye, something horrific seemed to be emerging from the castle. Words failed Yusei trying to describe it. Even “horrific” felt too soft a word to explain what he was witnessing. Whatever the eldritch monster swarming the castle was, it inspired an ancient fear etched so deep in his bones that no amount of amnesia could make him forget it.

It was a fear as primal as the fear of the unknown, and it was a fear that evolution kept no matter what. The being of pure horror seemed to be coming for him, and Yusei backed up without a second thought. A golden light, the same light that had awakened him, glared from the castle, yanking the horror back. It settled, but there were still trails of the horror left that the light could not seem to contain. It seemed to be made of hatred, longing for the death of those who gaze upon it. “Try, try to remember,” the voice called out to him, a desperate edge to her tone now. Yusei badly wanted to do as she asked, but he could not seem to unlock whatever door held the key to his memory. “You have been asleep for the past one hundred years.”

The beast was starting to break free again, and again, all Yusei felt was terror. He had no name for this monster that clearly wanted to ravage him, pick him apart, and leave him for dead. This wasn’t like the petty monsters he’d faced earlier; none of them had left him with the feeling of dread this one did. “The beast,” the voice said, seeming to refer to the eldritch horror that spread before him. The best felt too kind of a descriptor for it. “When the beast regains its true power, this world will face its end.” A feeling of deja vu swept over him, as if he’d heard all this before. A sinking feeling entered his gut, feeling as if he’d already lost to it once before. Or maybe twice. In fact, the sensation felt more like he’d faced this creature several times already, as if he was born to face this monster. A bleak thought, to be sure.

“Now then,” the voice instructed, taking a deep breath, as if steadying herself. “You must hurry, Yusei. Before it’s too late.” The monster was yanked back into the castle a final time, and the castle loomed over him. Despite his fear, Yusei knew one true fact about himself: he would, in fact, head to the castle. He would answer the call of the voice, and aid her in the defeat of this horrific beast. It was as if he’d done it before, over the course of at least a dozen lifetimes. Still, it would be reckless to jump off the platform as if he might sprout wings to fly to the castle. Instead, he started his descent down slowly, avoiding as many reckless moves as possible. Whoever designed the tower seemed well aware of how steep of a fall he could take before it’d hurt him, with each step one he could easily jump to.

He was lost in thought about this when the old man returned, descending in front of him on a paraglider with a light laugh. “Strange towers like this one have popped up all over the land,” the old man remarked, gazing past Yusei and upward at the structure behind him. “It’s as if a long dormant power has awakened from its slumber.” The words felt pointed at Yusei, as if he was accusing him of something. Or perhaps he wasn’t accusing Yusei of anything at all. Perhaps the tensing Yusei felt was from something else. “Tell me, young man, did anything strange happen while you were atop that tower?”

Yusei had no reason to trust this man. And for the first time, Yusei was suddenly very aware that he had been far too trusting at first. He’d been desperate for a connection with another person and hadn’t thought about the potential of danger. The old man gave a good natured chuckle at Yusei’s lack of response. “I see you do not fully trust me,” the man said, as if he expected this guarded nature. “I understand. Times like these, trust is dangerous to freely give. However, it is not necessary to guard the truth of what you saw up there from me. I saw you react, as if you heard something from the direction of the castle.”

“Then why ask,” Yusei said before he could stop himself. More to the point, Yusei was now concerned that if the old man could see his reactions, then someone else might have as well. It was kick starting something, an old reaction that he had no reason for. He felt the urge to hide his emotions, hide his reactions, guard them close to his chest as if they might be used against him. He had no reasoning for this desire. “Wait, how could you see me? I was high up.”

“In due time, courageous one,” the old man replied, and Yusei felt frustrated. The old man had claimed he’d answer any of Yusei’s questions but seemed to pick and choose which ones were worth answering. “For now, a more pressing concern. Did you recognize the voice?” Yusei shook his head, turning his gaze back to the castle. It was honest enough that he did not know who the voice belonged to, but there was something deep in him that reacted to the voice. Whoever she was, she was ingrained into his very soul. He wished he remembered her name. The old man gave a great sigh, as if the answer disappointed him. “That is very unfortunate.” He looked over towards the castle, a strange look passing over his face. “Have you seen the atrocity surrounding the castle?”

Yusei looked back over at the castle. The monster that had made his heart clench up and inspired a sense of fear was no longer swirling around, but a strange mist remained. “Yeah,” Yusei replied, surprised by how easy it was to hide the fear he felt. It was as if he’d done this his whole life. “I saw it.”

“It is called Calamity Ganon. One hundred years ago, that monster brought Hyrule to ruin,” the old man said, a faraway look in his eyes. Yusei could almost believe the man had witnessed it happen by how haunted he looked. “Many innocent lives were lost the day that evil appeared. For the past one hundred years, Hyrule Castle has contained that evil, but only just.” The old man paused, letting those words sink in. Or perhaps he wanted to see if Yusei would respond. Yusei wanted to inquire about the staff of the castle, of what happened to them. However, he had a sinking feeling he already knew. “The Calamity’s power has grown in the past one hundred years. Tell me, do you intend to make your way to the castle?”

It was a non question. “Of course,” Yusei replied, glancing away from the castle. Despite the fact he knew he would make his way there, it still brought a sense of terror to him. “I have to help.”

“It seems you haven’t changed one bit in the past one hundred years.” He did not react to Yusei’s mouth dropping open. Yusei wanted to ask how he knew him, but the old man had already turned away from him. The old man then gestured to the walls of the plateau that they were on, a meaningful look on his face. “On this plateau, we are surrounded by walls on all sides with no way down. No death would be more foolish than the one you would face if you jumped off,” the old man explained, and then a small smirk appeared on his face. “Additionally, a strange malefic mist surrounds us. It would make your grip on the walls less sure, and you will find yourself falling to your death before long. Then again, if you had a paraglider like mine, that would be a different story.”

“Paraglider,” Yusei asked, attempting to keep his features neutral. “Would you be willing to give it to me?”

The old man laughed. “Of course,” he said. “But nothing in this world comes for free. How about I trade it for some treasure that slumbers nearby? Follow me.” It wasn’t like Yusei had many options. If the old man was right, then there was no way for Yusei to merely rush towards the castle. Moreover, Yusei knew he was ill prepared to take on any threat. He’d only just managed to get a proper sword from one of the fallen monsters, and the shield he’d obtained was flimsy. As he followed, all he could think was that he was unable to do anything but rely on meager directions, none of which fully helped. He was still just as confused as to how he ended up here as ever.

He was even more confused when he stared at the glowing structure the old man had led him to. He recognized the structure, but it wasn’t glowing when he’d passed it early. “This structure began glowing when that tower did,” the old man remarked. “I would think that would be a good place to hide treasure, don’t you think?” Yusei said nothing, but he certainly agreed. “How about I trade you the paraglider for the treasure inside that shrine?”

Well, at least now he had a new thing to do.

#fic: call to action #myfanfic #ygo big bang 2022

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arien-elensar · 2 years ago

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Chapters: 12/17 Fandom: Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters (Anime & Manga), Yu-Gi-Oh! - All Media Types Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Jounouchi Katsuya | Joey Wheeler/Kaiba Seto Characters: Jounouchi Katsuya | Joey Wheeler, Kaiba Seto, Kawai Shizuka | Serenity Wheeler, Kaiba Mokuba, Mutou Yuugi, Mazaki Anzu | Tea Gardner, Honda Hiroto | Tristan Taylor, Otogi Ryuuji | Duke Devlin, Bakura Ryou, Mutou Sugoroku | Solomon Moto, Rebecca Hopkins | Rebecca Hawkins, Kujaku Mai | Mai Valentine, Valon (Yu-Gi-Oh), Vivian Wong Additional Tags: Duel Monsters (Yu-Gi-Oh) Summary:

Jounouchi takes us from July of their final year of high school through June of the following year. With Mokuba and Shizuka now friends, he finds himself spending more time with Kaiba than he’d ever anticipated. What started as a way to keep an eye out for his sister, blooms into something more. Expect lots of celebrations, fun outings and tender moments.

#puppyshipping #violetshipping #joukai #kaijou #kaiba #kaiba seto #seto kaiba #jounouchi katsuya #joey wheeler #yugioh #ygo big bang 2022

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arien-elensar · 2 years ago

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Chapters: 2/17 Fandom: Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters (Anime & Manga), Yu-Gi-Oh! - All Media Types Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Jounouchi Katsuya | Joey Wheeler/Kaiba Seto Characters: Jounouchi Katsuya | Joey Wheeler, Kaiba Seto, Kawai Shizuka | Serenity Wheeler, Kaiba Mokuba, Mutou Yuugi, Mazaki Anzu | Tea Gardner, Honda Hiroto | Tristan Taylor, Otogi Ryuuji | Duke Devlin, Bakura Ryou, Mutou Sugoroku | Solomon Moto, Rebecca Hopkins | Rebecca Hawkins, Kujaku Mai | Mai Valentine, Valon (Yu-Gi-Oh), Vivian Wong Additional Tags: Duel Monsters (Yu-Gi-Oh) Summary:

[Updated with the correct version of chapter 1 and added chapter 2]

#puppyshipping #violetshipping #joukai #kaijou #yugioh #kaiba #kaiba seto #seto kaiba #jounouchi katsuya #joey wheeler #shizuka kawai #serenity wheeler #mokuba #mokuba kaiba #kaiba mokuba #ygo big bang 2022

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higuchimon · 2 years ago

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[fanfic] Hunger For Vengeance [chapter 5: end]

Kaneko shook his head, tossing the berries he’d not yet eaten onto the ground and stumbling backward, brown eyes wide and startled, lips stained with the evidence of his sins, clearly showing what he’d done even if he thought he could lie about it. Not that it would do any good. Yuuri, Dennis, and Sora had seen him strut in and take from Yuuri’s garden as if he owned it.

“Is there an antidote?” Kaneko finally sputtered. “Please, I’ll do anything!”

Yuuri’s lip curled. “Really. You think you can convince me to spare you because you beg me? How special do you think you are?”

Kaneko’s hand dropped to his duel disk. “I’ll duel you for an antidote!”

“What would be the point?” Yuuri retorted without a breath of hesitation. “You would lose anyway. Besides-” A very slow smile twisted over his lips. “I don’t have an antidote for those. I’ve never seen a need for it.”

Sora stifled a snicker at that. He didn’t do it very well, but he put his best effort into it. Yuuri’s eyes darted over to him, and Sora spied equal hints of merriment in the other’s expression. They had more in common than an enjoyment of dueling, Sora realized. He might not ever be on Yuuri’s level, but he could be above everyone else, at least.

That would have to do. And with some effort he could earn his own honor and praise.

Kaneko shook his head even harder. He looked as if he were about to shove his fingers down his throat, before Yuuri stopped him with a wave of one regal hand.

“Throwing up isn’t going to help you. These berries are very fast-acting and they’re already dissolving into your system.”

“What can I do?” Kaneko all but wailed as he scrambled at his deck again. “I have rare cards! You can have any of them that you want! They’re all yours!”

Sora couldn’t stop his snort this time, and put in much less effort at trying to do so. “What makes you think you have anything that he’d want?”

Kaneko glanced back at him, and Sora savored the sweet expression of fear, terror, and sheer panic written all over his face. It dwarfed anything he’d felt since that day at the climbing wall.

Worth it all. Every last bit.

“I can’t – I can’t give you back your sweets,” Kaneko whispered. “They’re all gone. We ate the last of it last night. I’m – I’m sorry…?” He sounded as if he didn’t know if he really were or not.

Sora just shrugged. “I wasn’t expecting them back.” He hadn’t been. He’d known from the moment Kaneko took them out of his room that they’d all be gone as fast as the brat and his cronies could shove them down their throats.

Kaneko fidgeted, features starting to turn a trifle green. If that was because of the berries or because of his anticipating what they’d do, Sora had no idea. He wasn’t sure if Yuuri would know either.

“I’ll duel you! You can help, can’t you?” Kaneko offered, eyes darting in between Sora and Yuuri. “I know you can!”

Sora pretended to consider it for a few seconds before he shook his head. “I’m only allowed to duel right now for classes. Yuuri-sama’s orders.” Which was once again quite true. The fact that Yuuri had only issued those orders ten minutes before Sora came out here for morning weeding didn’t matter at all.

With every word Kaneko looked more and more terrified. One of his hangers-on peeked in through the gateway, not passing the roses and thorns, and politely cleared his throat.

“Yuuri-sama? If you’d allow it, I would duel you in his place for the antidote.”

Yuuri gave this one a slow and careful look up and down before he once more shook his head. “It doesn’t matter if one or all of you make the attempt. First, you’d all fail. Second – as I told him already, there isn’t an antidote. He’s just going to have to live or die on his own.” He waved one hand again. “You may ate him back to his dorm. Find out there what happens to him. I am not interested. If he lives and tries to enter my garden again, or makes any attempts against my servant or me, I’ve already received permission from the Professor to card him – and tear the card up.”

There were plenty of rumors about what happened to someone who was carded and their card destroyed. Most of those claimed that it killed someone absolutely. Being carded put a person into stasis, of sorts, but the card’s destruction meant the destruction of their soul.

I wonder if that’s true. It would be fun to find out. Maybe if Kaneko annoyed him again, he could try it and find out. But how would he know if Kaneko’s soul was destroyed? Did souls even really exist?

All questions he’d deal with another time. For now he was too busy enjoying Kaneko’s self-pitying moans as his friends quickly escorted him out. The berries hadn’t been in him long enough for the effects to really happen, even with Yuuri’s enhanced strain, but he’d really be feeling it by that night. The only thing Sora regretted right now was not being there to hear what would be coming next.

Once the group had gone, Sora stopped holding himself back. Peal after peal of satiated laughter rolled out of him, to the point he dropped to his knees and held his stomach from how hard he cackled. He’d never imagined getting revenge could be that satisfying, even without dueling!

It didn’t matter to him anymore that Yuuri had been his original target. Yuuri made it plain that getting revenge on him wasn’t easily done. But he’d also done better – taught Sora how to get revenge on other people.

When Sora finally stopped laughing, Yuuri still stood there, watching him, that little smirk on the side of his mouth.

“You haven’t finished weeding,” Yuuri pointed out to him. “You still have a while left on your punishment. That’s not going to change.”

“I know.” Sora agreed, pushing himself to his feet and heading over to the nearest patch of unwanted greenery. Everything he’d seen and done this morning had given him a jolt of energy almost as addictive as sugar itself. So now he started weeding with a greater will than usual.

He could hear Dennis and Yuuri chatting again and this time he paid a bit more attention. It probably wasn’t his business, but who knew what could be useful in the future? It wasn’t as if he were going to tell what he’d heard to anyone else.

“It shouldn’t take me much longer. I’ve got the area pretty narrowed down,” Dennis said. “If I see anything I think you’ll be interested in, I’ll make sure to let you know.”

“You’d better. I’d hate to put in all this effort and not get anything for it.” Yuuri replied, running his fingers over one of his smaller plants, a flytrap of some kind. Sora had seen a larger version of that inside the main greenhouse and did not want to know what it ate.

More than him, that was for sure. At least for now.

Weeding. Mulching. Carrying water and watering plants, getting lectured over and over on what every plant that Yuuri had here could do, and being quizzed on them, usually when he least expected it. Yuuri also put him through various workout routines, more intensive than the usual ones that the Academia insisted the students went through.

Not once did Sora beat Yuuri at those. Sometimes he thought he might be close, but always, always Yuuri flitted by him with careless ease, seating himself at the top and waiting for Sora to get there. Sora kept on trying regardless.

Maybe I can’t beat him, but I can beat everyone else! Sora told himself every night as he fell into bed, too exhausted to think of much more than that. His stomach rumbled repeatedly, but he slept too soon and too deeply to pay much attention to it.

He didn’t forget what food tasted like. He didn’t think he ever could. Being so close to it when Yuuri and Dennis ate most certainly didn’t help matters at all. Or maybe it did; the scent of the food reminded him of what it was like to eat.

Tastes flooded his memory whenever he came close to a plate. The sweetness of his favorite snacks, how savory some others were, the heaviness of meat, the lightness of a carbonated drink, the richness of home-brewed tea. Sometimes, very few times, he waited before he brought the plates over, just so he could breathe in for those few extra seconds and remember.

He didn’t keep very good track of the days after Kaneko was sent packing. Yuuri would let him go when he was satisfied, no sooner. If he wanted Sora for longer, then he’d simply extend the time. Yuuri’s rules were Yuuri’s rules, which weren’t necessarily those of the Academia. If the Professor wasn’t going to intervene – and there wasn’t any reason that he would – then Yuuri would and could do anything that he wanted.

“Sora.”

At the uttering of his name, Sora looked up to see Yuuri and Dennis coming towards him. The very first thing he noticed was that Dennis had a Duel Disk on his arm. That wasn’t so surprising at first, not when most of Academia’s students carried theirs on a regular basis.

He almost never wears it out like that, though. The second thing he noticed was another disk flying towards him. He caught it automatically and glanced down, blinking to see his deck already in there.

He’d only dueled a few times since this started. He was allowed training and simulation duels, but never a real duel. Yuuri’s reasoning there had been simple – he was being punished. Therefore, he wasn’t allowed the honor of a duel.

“Dennis needs a little practice and we don’t want anyone else seeing what deck he’s using. The idiots around here don’t know how to think before they act most of the time.” Yuuri’s lip curled at that, and Sora wasn’t going to argue that point at all.

He pushed himself onto his feet, dusted himself off, and slipped the Duel Disk into place. “Looking forward to it!” Sora caroled, a bit of a laugh sliding out from his lips as he did. Thrills raced through him; for once he was being a duelist and a warrior instead of a garden boy!

Yuuri stepped to the side and Dennis waved cheerfully as the two of them squared off against one another. Sora’s stomach made it firmly known that it was almost time for the evening nutritious drink, and he tried to ignore it. The duel was far more important than anything else right now.

Sora hadn’t ever seen Dennis duel before, but he’d always rather assumed that the other used a Fusion deck, like everyone else in the dimension. It was the best summoning method after all, representative of how an army worked together, sacrificing themselves for others to get stronger. It was what would prove Fusion was the best of all four dimensions.

What he wasn’t expecting was about three turns into the duel, with Dennis having summoned those strange Entermage monsters, to begin a summoning chant like nothing Sora had ever heard before. Let alone what it was that he’d summoned.

“Rank Four! Entermage Trapeze Magician!”

What appeared on the field didn’t really appear as much as it posed before Dennis, and for a brief second, Sora thought it looked approving? He didn’t have time to do much more than entertain the thought before Dennis started on the next part of his attack.

Sora wanted to believe that he was distracted by how his stomach rumbled and clenched, but over the last several days, he’d gotten used enough to being hungry that he knew neither Yuuri nor Dennis would believe it. Even worse, he couldn’t believe it. Lies were best when the person telling them believed them.

But no matter the reason behind it, Dennis tore through his defenses and he fell backwards, slamming against one of the tallest, thickest trees. Stars spun in front of his eyes and he tried to remember which way his feet were before he could see properly again.

What he heard first was, of course, not what he expected right now.

“Good dueling, Dennis,” Yuuri praised. “A real XYZ duelist wouldn’t be able to do that.”

“I know.” Dennis was absolutely preening, spinning in circles and as Sora pried his eyes open, he spied the entertainer sporting the biggest, brightest smile he could have on his face. “I think I’m going to fit in perfectly there.”

“Don’t get too comfortable,” Yuuri warned him before he glanced to Sora. “I think that he’s conscious.”

Sora pushed himself to his feet, fighting back all the pain flowering from how he’d fallen. “I didn’t know you XYZ dueled,” was all he could bring himself to say right now.

“I’ve been learning so I can go undercover in that dimension,” Dennis replied chirpily. “It’s not really that difficult. Fusion is harder.”

Of course it was. Sora shook his head in an attempt to clear it, then dusted himself off and fully got onto his feet. That might be the only taste of XYZ dueling that he ever had – he would savor it to the depths of his heart.

“Shu’uin Sora.” Yuuri took three measured steps towards him, and Sora snapped to attention, from sheer instinct if nothing else. Yuuri regarded him before he spoke again. “It’s been two weeks since your offense. I’ve decided that you have made up for it as best that you can, and are therefore released from my service.”

Sora blinked a few times. He hadn’t expected to hear that at any point, especially not now when he had just finished one of the better duels of his life.

“I’m – I can go?” He tasted the words ever so carefully. Was it really true? Or was Yuuri testing him? Teasing him? Anything was possible. With Yuuri, everything was possible.

Yuuri allowed one eyebrow to creep upward. “I said it, didn’t I? You can not only return to your previous quarters, but you can now eat.” He tilted his head in thought. “But unless you want to throw up, I’d advise you to have soup first.”

Sora had no idea of where to start. He knew he wanted to eat; he knew he had to eat. He knew he couldn’t eat too much or he’d probably throw it all back up again. But the closer he came to the kitchen, the more that he could smell, and he wanted everything he’d missed over the last two weeks.

Sushi, in all of its varieties. Tempura, which he knew had been served at least twice during his time of punishment. Ramen would probably be his best bet to start with, but he was certain that he could smell sukiyaki, and it had been so long since he’d had stewed beef and vegetables that even that smelled good. He’d always preferred desserts, but after this time, he just wanted anything.

Tonkatsu also sounded – and smelled – fascinating, and the idea of who knew how many varieties of curry he could shovel down his throat provided more than a few quick fantasies.

Maybe some karaage? Spiced fried chicken would taste so good. Though truth to tell, he was certain that almost anything would taste good.

Yakitori or yakiton also ranked high on his list of what he’d like to eat. Maybe even both. Why chooses between chicken and pork if he didn’t have to? There was also yakiniku. Adding beef to his options opened so much! Maybe onigiri too. Rice balls were light enough that it might not upset his stomach until he got used to full meals again.

When he wasn’t thinking about food he kept checking out the area, wanting to be sure that Yuuri hadn’t somehow turned up to mock him. Had he really been set free to do as he pleased? Or was this one of Yuuri’s tauntings of him? He knew so many of the tales about what Yuuri would do and he knew first hand how sadistic the other was.

But he saw nothing. He reminded himself that didn’t mean anything. Yuuri remained the top student in every class, even the ones he didn’t take, and that meant he could appear from anywhere and do almost anything without it being any form of effort.

Sora made it to the kitchen without incident and lightly tapped on the door. Perhaps this would be it – there wouldn’t be anyone there to provide food, and the next proper meal wasn’t for hours. He was tired of waiting. He wanted to eat now.

Noises came from behind the door – voices at first, then footsteps hurrying over. The door opened, and for the first handful of seconds, Sora expected either a guard telling him to get out of there or just random servants cleaning up the place. He would scream if that happened. Scream until his lungs burst.

The head cook looked down at him, one eyebrow quirked for a few seconds before she nodded. “Of course. Yuuri-sama sent word that you were going to be coming. This way, Shu’uin-san.”

Sora blinked; Yuuri had done that? It didn’t seem like him. Then another thought, cold and calculating, slipped into his mind.

I owe him for this. Yuuri would inevitably collect because of that. Sora would repay him, too.

For now, he followed the cook into the kitchen area. The Academia kitchen wasn’t one room, but several, with no fewer than three cooking areas per room, plenty of counter space for preparation everywhere one looked, and cooks rushing this way and that either cleaning up or preparing or something. Sora wasn’t actually sure what, only that whatever was going on, it all smelled delicious and he wanted to wander through it all to pick out what he craved the most.

He ended up being guided to a small room off to one side, with a single broad table that had a bench set next to it, and a bowl of something steaming set on it.

“Start eating,” the cook instructed him. “I’ll bring you some more when you’re done with that.”

Before she’d finished the sentence, Sora threw himself onto the bench and started to spoon the hot soup there – ramen, he quickly discovered – into his mouth. Next to the bowl was a steaming hot cup of deep steamed sencha tea. Sora took a careful sip of that; he’d never been that much of a tea drinker before, but it was something that wasn’t water or those ‘nutritious drinks’, and so he savored the mildness as deeply as he could.

He had no idea of how long it took him to finish the ramen, but as soon as he did, the cook set another bowl down and he plowed into that one.

It took three bowls of ramen and four cups of tea before the cook finally declared he was finished. Sora stared at the empty bowl and turned towards her, mouth opening to ask for more. She raised one finger.

“You’ve not eaten properly in two weeks. You need to teach your stomach how to handle the food again. Give it time. I’ll handle your meals until then.”

Never before had Sora ever encountered someone who’d said anything like that to him. He eyed her cautiously; she was going to want something from him. They always did. Even Yuuri – especially Yuuri – wanted something from him.

But she said nothing, only gathered up his bowls and cups and gestured for him to leave. Sora headed out, his stomach properly full and warm for the first time in far too long. At first he wasn’t sure of where to go, then the simple desire to go home hit him hard.

He took a few steps before he stopped and realized he was heading towards Yuuri’s greenhouse. No. He wasn’t going back there anymore. He twisted himself around and headed for the Blue dorms. Through corridors and up stairs, around corners, until he finally came to the last hallway. His room was at the far end, and he headed down there with something of a spring to his step.

Along the way he passed a room with the door open, and he glanced inside. He wasn’t at all surprised to see Kaneko in there, stretched out on his sofa, staring up at the ceiling. From what Sora could see, he still looked a little pale.

Wonder how long it’s been since he could hold something down? At least during his punishment, he hadn’t worried about throwing up. From what Yuuri said, Kaneko would have been doing a great deal of that until the berries finally passed through him.

Perhaps he made a noise, because Kaneko turned towards him. Sora did not stop himself from smirking and offering a little wave before he traipsed on to his room, whistling cheerfully. If Kaneko said or did anything else, he certainly heard nothing about it.

Once he stepped into his room, he could tell very few people had been there since the last time he’d left. There was the sense of emptiness, the way that it had been cleaned until no trace of his former presence existed there, and even though he already knew better, he searched until he was certain not so much as a single lollipop remained.

He would rebuild his supplies. He would make this place his again. And he so looked forward to showing the rest of the class how much time with Yuuri had improved his skills.

Soon enough the war would begin properly, and he would do everything in his power to ensure that Fusion came out on top.

The End

Notes: Okay, that’s all of that! My first entry for Bad Things Happen Bingo. One down, twenty-four to go. Look for my second one in September. With luck, anyway.

#fanfic #higuchimon writes #ygo arc-v #chapters: hunger for vengeance #bad things happen bingo #ygo big bang 2022 #shiunin sora #yuuri (arc v)#dennis macfield

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higuchimon · 2 years ago

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[fanfic] Hunger For Vengeance: Chapter 4

Yuuri’s firm hand twisted Sora around and those cold eyes stared down at him. Sora tried to wriggle away, reaching for so much as a crumb, and not getting it as Yuuri tugged him away with that utter, infuriating calm of his.

“You were told,” Yuuri said, hauling Sora away from what had been the greatest treasure of treats he’d ever seen. “I’m not going to bother the Professor with this. He’d only agree that what I decide is the right punishment for you.”

Sora’s eyes widened as Yuuri kept on dragging him back through the corridors. There wasn’t any hiding from the guards this time, but they made no more indication that they saw the two of them than they had the first time.

He must have said something to that effect, since Yuuri chuckled, still keeping that relentless grip on Sora’s neck as Sora’s feet pattered helplessly on the carpeted floors. There wasn’t anything he could do to stop himself from being dragged back to the greenhouse. All he could do was wait to find out what Yuuri had in mind – but he fought regardless.

“The guards knew to watch out for you. They’ve been alerted to you being my servant since it started,” Yuuri pointed oout calmly. “They saw you coming. You’re not nearly as stealthy as you think you are.”

They’d seen him? All of his efforts had been for nothing? What little struggles Sora had managed to put up now faded away and he didn’t put up any more of a fight as Yuuri returned him to the greenhouse.

He was dropped into that tiny room again and Yuuri stared down at him. “Two weeks in total,” Yuuri declared. “No food. Only water and those particular drinks. You will work in my garden as often as I wish you to, serve myself and Dennis all of our meals, and anything else that I want you to do.”

His lips curved up for a few seconds. “You will also have dueling lessons – taught by me – and your normal lesosns – also taught by me. When this time is over with, you’ll be improved in so many ways.”

Sora opened his mouth, but a single coherent word failed to come out of it. He closed it again, shuddered, and tried to think of something that he could say. Finally he found words.

“How did you know?” It was only the first question he wanted to ask. There were so many others, but that made it past his lips first.

“Because I am many things, but I’m not stupid. I could hear your stomach rumbling. I knew what you were likely to do. Better to let you try and learn why you can’t now, and get it out of the way.”

Sora blinked a few more times. The logic seemed to check out but he couldn’t really be sure. He was still too hungry – and too confused, too heartsick, and too frustrated. Yuuri out-thought him with scarcely any effort at all.

Then Yuuri caught his chin between his fingers and tilted his head back, regarding him thoughtfully.

“You could be such a fine soldier. I know you want to be one. Think about revenge when you can plan it to the end – and see it through to the end. Know your enemy – and know who you want to be your enemy. Know what you want to get out of what you’re trying to do and if what you want to do will get what you want. Was stealing my water can really going to get you anything you wanted? A few moments of praise, perhaps? If that?”

Sora wasn’t even sure if he could talk right now, not with that steel-hard grip that he was fairly sure would leave bruises. But Yuuri’s words also sank into him, and he couldn’t help but think it over a little.

He’d wanted to steal the watering can because Yuuri had made him angry by so easily beating him in front of everyone else. To show off his own skills – but would it have worked? Would anyone have even really cared? Even with it being colored for Yuuri, would it have been believed? Would he have believed that someone could steal from Yuuri and get out of there in one piece.

No. No, he wouldn’t have. He would have assumed that whoever the thief was, they would have painted a watering can and that was it.

Slowly his head drooped as best he could at the moment. Yuuri, clearly aware of how his thoughts ran to some extent, nodded, releasing Sora from his grip.

“If you want to prove how much better you are, then be better. Learn what I can teach you.” Yuuri smiled a slow and lazy smile, one that sent chills down Sora’s spine. “I can teach you exactly how to get what you want. But you’re going to have to work hard for it. Do you think you can do that? Can you learn?”

Sora raised one hand to rub at his chin. A cold core of steel flickered into existence in his heart. This was everything that he’d wanted and he could only imagine what Yuuri might be able to teach him.

“Yes,” he said at last. “I can learn.” He would learn. He would step out of this place ready to prove himself as he ever had before.

That got another quiet little smirk, the merest flicker but there all the same. “Good. Now, I believe that you want a very satisfactory revenge on Kaneko Takaro.”

Sora tensed. He’d never been sure of how much Yuuri knew about the dynamics of other classes. As far as he knew, no one had ever seen Yuuri in any classes, anyway. But he was the top of the school and there wasn’t anyone likely to forget that.

Slowly, again, he nodded. Yuuri took a step back, though clearly it wasn’t out of fear of Sora. Silence hung in the air between them, until Yuuri finally broke it.

“I have noticed that he’s not the brightest person ever. That can be very useful for the forging of revenge.” Yuuri leaned against the wall, eyes gleaming bright in the shadows. “But this must be done carefully. And you have many lessons to learn before that. Go to sleep. Tomorrow, we will begin.”

He stepped out of the room, the door closing behind him. Sora sank down onto the cot and stared up into the darkness as it closed around him. His stomach still ached. The air remained full of scents that only teased and taunted him with their wonder. If he’d just been a little faster, perhaps he’d at least have a few morsels of sugar to lick off his fingers.

Did he dare to trust what Yuuri said? He wanted to. Yuuri offered everything that he’d ever wanted and some that he’d never known that he wanted.

No one else offered that. No one else knew or cared if they did know. If he didn’t do something about it himself, then not only would he not get his revenge, but he’d get pushed farther down the pecking order. He’d never be able to get a worthwhile assignment. He’d never see any real action. Academia would have wasted everything on him.

He wasn’t going to let that happen. Not at all.

“These.” Yuuri flicked his fingers over a bush’s berries. Sora stared hard at them, thinking over everything Yuuri had ever mentioned about what types of fruit he raised. One thing everything in the greenhouse had in common – it was all poisonous and toxic to some degree or other. It might not cause instant death, but Yuuri assured him a significant amount of what was grown here would make one wish that it had, and the rest made one regret it had ever been touched or eaten in the first place.

“Black nightshade,” he recalled at last. He knew that wasn’t all that Yuuri wanted to know and scrabbled his memory for more. “They bloom in late spring and can be mistaken for edible berries. Some people eat them, but it depends on the exact strain, and getting the wrong one can cause problems. Stomach pains, diarrhea, and vomiting.” Yuuri made no motion he was satisfied with the answer, so Sora kept on thinking. Oh! “They can also cause fever and sweating, confusion, and drowsiness. Eating the leaves can almost certainly kill animals. Eating them unripe is almost definitely going to kill whoever does it. Boiling the leaves makes it safer to eat them.”

Finally Yuuri nodded. “Not bad.” He picked a few berries off the plant and casually tossed them into his mouth. Sora didn’t touch it. Yuuri, as he’d found out, would eat anything from his garden, and it didn’t matter if it were traditionally poisonous or not. He would always be fine. Whether the plants couldn’t poison him, Yuuri knew how to tell edible strains from poisonous ones, or some other reason, Sora didn’t think he’d ever know.

Sora glanced away, then back as something else occurred to him. “They’re usually considered weeds. But you don’t.”

“Of course not.” Yuuri ran his fingers over one of the leaves. “Weeds are plants that the gardener doesn’t want in the garden. But I want all of mine.”

He adjusted his position on the table he was sitting on before he looked back at Sora. In the past three days, Sora had flung himself relentlessly into learning everything Yuuri could teach him. Dennis showed up to every meal, of course, and he and Yuuri talked about things that Sora still wasn’t sure about.

He very quickly got the impression that their conversations involved the coming war, though.

Dennis is going to be a spy. It didn’t surprise him that the Professor had assigned someone to that. Someone had to check out the lay of the land, figure out where trouble might turn up the quickest, and find some way to neutralize it.

He kind of envied Dennis for that chance. Having this punishment on his record probably wouldn’t earn him a plum assignment any time soon.

But he hadn’t yet figured out quite what it was that Yuuri would be doing. Clearly Dennis knew. But they never spoke much about Yuuri’s side of things. What little Sora had managed to catch told him only that he was waiting for something.

What would I do there? Sora thought that over as he got back to work on spreading the mulch. What came to mind first was carding as many people as possible. He’d only had a few lectures on the carding process and he hadn’t yet seen it happen. But he wanted to so very much.

That was what he would do, he decided. If he were assigned to the XYZ dimension – and he knew that he probably wouldn’t be, even before this mistake of his that was for the highest rankers – he would card everyone that he saw. He savored the thought of the looks in their eyes, the terror and fear and pain and wanting to flee but unable to do so, because there wouldn’t be anywhere to go.

Sora giggled under his breath at the thought.

“What’s so funny?” Yuuri asked from where he’d moved on to pinching the few brown bits off some of his plants.

Sora hesitated for a second before he shrugged to himself. It wasn’t as if he were thinking anything wrong. “I was thinking about what it would be like to go to the XYZ dimension. I’d like to card a few people. Or a lot of people.”

That got a bit of a chuckle from Yuuri. Sora hadn’t heard that often. Dennis, lounging in his own favorite chair, also laughed, and his was much louder, if not as insulting. Sora winced and got back to the mulching, not expecting anything else from the two.

“I think you’re more likely to get sent to either Standard or Synchro. And probably Standard,” Yuuri said thoughtfully. “You could blend in fairly well there. I’ve heard they have all the Summoning methods instead of just one.” He wrinkled his nose. “If that’s where you’re sent, do your job well.”

“You don’t have to tell me that.” Sora snapped, getting more mulch under one of the bushes. Every proper student of the Academia knew to obey their orders. Some were just better at it than others.

Dennis shrugged, Sora catching sight of the movement out of the corner of his eye. “What I’m curious about is what you plan to do with that guy who was bothering you. Kaneko, his name was?”

“That’s a good question.” Yuuri leaned forward, flicking his fingers through the leaves of a plant Sora hadn’t yet committed to memory. “What are you planning to do with him?”

Sora had spent whatever non-asleep free time he had over the last three days thinking about this. At least when he could – the fact was that so much of that non-asleep time was taken up with thinking way too many thoughts about food. But whenever he could get his head to focus, there it was. Bit by bit he’d worked out what he wanted to do, and he thought this would work.

He leaned back on his heels and regarded Yuuri. “Kaneko is an idiot.” Neither of the other two argued that point with him. He wasn’t sure if they actually knew Kaneko or had only heard about him. Not that it mattered. Yuuri only raised an eyebrow as he waited for what else Sora had to say.

“But he is an idiot with more freedom than you have right now,” he pointed out when Sora said nothing for perhaps a bit too long. Dennis nodded his agreement, shuffling cards casually as he did. Sora had noticed that he very seldom stopped moving. It was one of the things he did so most people didn’t take him seriously as a threat.

Sora wasn’t going to make that mistake. Nor would he fail to listen to the rest of what Yuuri had to say.

“I’ve told you. Have a plan and have plans for your plans. What are you going to do?” Yuuri turned to face him head-on, an avid gleam of curiosity in his eyes.

Sora couldn’t help himself from smiling. He had wanted to ask Yuuri about this. Now he could finally set everything in motion. It would be up to Kaneko to set everything else on the path he wanted, but he was pretty sure the idiot would do just what Sora wanted him to do.

He was just that kind of idiot.

The next day, Sora was up before dawn. Gardening, he’d learned, was best done before the heat of the day started. Also, Yuuri got up before light properly tinted the sky, and he always made sure Sora got up then as well. He didn’t like to wait for his breakfast.

Once again Dennis appeared to share the meal. Sora still wasn’t any fonder of doing this and getting little more than liquid meals at all times but he grit his teeth together and thought about how he’d feast when this was all over, and oh, everything he served smelled so much better with the thought of how the day was hopefully going to go. He couldn’t be sure it would; idiots were impossible to predict properly. But he didn’t think it would end up taking too long in the end.

It really didn’t. Once he finished serving breakfast and scrubbing up the dishes – a task Yuuri had only recently started him on – he was out there weeding and nurturing the plants as Yuuri coached him once again through a strange combination of botany, horticulture, and toxicology. He was reasonably sure by now that Yuuri’s plants obeyed the laws of physics only because Yuuri didn’t want it widely known he could do some very strange things with them.

He was, in fact, very sure that at least one of those plants watched him as he worked. But given how difficult it could be to tell if a plant had eyes, let alone if they were turned in one’s direction, he couldn’t do anything about it. He’d never felt so powerful and so powerless all at the same time in his life.

I can do this. He repeated that to himself as often as he could as he dug and watered and pulled and scraped and picked. It was what got him through all of this.

“Well, what’s this?”

Oh. Sora smiled to himself, the quickest and faintest of expressions before he replaced it with a dour, unhappy look. He didn’t turn around, but kept himself focused on his work right now. But there he was, the idiot that annoyed him more than any other – Kaneko himself. He hadn’t entered the garden, but lurked outside of it, within range of the sharp thorns the black roses there grew.

Sora hadn’t ever seen true black roses until he’d started this punishment. But there they were, as black as a pitch-dark night, soft to the touch, and if Yuuri were to be believed, their blossoms hid thorns that carried a very deadly toxin. Going past them would be almost impossible for someone of Kaneko’s size.

“Having fun digging in the mud?” Kaneko laughed, and Sora could hear other people snickering too. So he’d brought whatever cronies he could find along as well. All the better. The more people who saw what was going to happen, the better it would work out for him. “You look like you’ve lost some weight. How’s that no-sugar diet working out for you?”

He laughed again, head tossed back, loud and raucous. “Or should that be no food diet?”

Sora pressed his lips together harder. His stomach answered for him, rumbling loudly, and he reminded himself it wasn’t that far until noon and his second nutritious drink of the day. He couldn’t wait for real food but this would suffice for now.

“I have to say, I had a good breakfast already. And my friends and I shared some snacks last night. Maybe you’ve heard of snacks? Daifuku, some pocky, manju ” He clearly paused for effect. Sora refused to be affected. “Lollipops. Ice cream. We were stuffed once we were done.”

Sora breathed in and breathed out. He kept his mind focused on Yuuri’s advice, then slowly turned and looked at Kaneko. “Actually, I’m not sure of how much I really like sweets anymore.” He offered a bit of a smile. “Going without – well, it changes how you think. Especially here.” He waved one hand to indicate all of Yuuri’s garden. Today several of the fruit-bearing bushes and trees seemed to all but glow with the results of their labors. “You wouldn’t believe what these taste like.”

Lie only when you must. Lies are too easily found out. But truths that aren’t telling everything can be so very useful. So Yuuri had said and now Sora tried his best to put that into action.

Kaneko frowned almost as soon as he started to talk. “You’ve got to be kidding me. You were on the fast-track to losing every tooth in your head and you suddenly don’t want sweets anymore?”

“Didn’t say I didn’t want them,” Sora insisted, widening his eyes to look a touch innocent. As innocent as any warrior of Academia could ever be, of course. “Just that I don’t know yet and what you can get here – it’s not like anything else you’ll find anywhere.”

Again, truths that were true but didn’t tell the whole story. Sora found that he enjoyed spinning this. What could he get someone to believe, if he let them fill in the blanks on their own? What might he have to do to convince someone of anything?

He truly began to hope that he would find out very soon.

Kaneko glared at him, tossed a quick glance at the others that Sora could only barely see the shadows of, and looked as if he were about to step away. Sora made no protest, just started to get back to work. If Kaneko had been brighter or more cunning or more suspicious, then he might well have figured out something was going on.

As it was, he tugged his sleeves down and his collar up to protect himself from the black rose thorns, then pushed his way into the garden. Sora raised his head and shook it right away.

“You shouldn’t be in here. Yuuri doesn’t like it when people come in here without permission.” He drooped his head just that tiniest bit, as if to draw attention to his own current predicament of being mired in mud to the wrists, without so much as a speck of food to his name.

And again Kaneko paid no attention to what he said, but grabbed for the nearest bunch of berries that he could see. Sora said nothing at all. He’d done what he should – warned Kaneko that Yuuri didn’t like people in his garden. If Kaneko was going to be dumb enough to grab berries without knowing what they were, that wasn’t his problem. He hadn’t even invited Kaneko here. His hands were clean.

Metaphorically speaking, of course.

Kaneko shoved the berries – at least a dozen of them – into his mouth one after the other. Now Sora could see the ones that he’d come with, and none of them looked thrilled about this. They had no idea of how bad it was going to be for all of them.

“These aren’t that bad,” Kaneko admitted. “I mean, I liked your snacks better, but they’re - “

“Poisonous.” Yuuri said from where he and Dennis relaxed just out of sight, lounging on their most comfortable chairs in the shade. “Extremely so. A particular strain I bred myself. Much more toxic than the usual variety, which are already nasty enough. I have little patience for intruders and none at all right now.”

Sora could not have been happier if he’d made the effort.

To Be Continued

Notes: So, Sora picked up an Evil Mentor (temporarily).

#fanfic #higuchimon writes #ygo arc v #bad things happen bingo #ygo big bang 2022 #chapters: hunger for vengeance #shiunin sora #yuuri (arc v)#dennis macfield

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higuchimon · 2 years ago

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[fanfic] Hunger For Vengeance: Chapter 3

A few seconds was all it took before the name clicked in Sora’s mind. He certainly hadn’t expected to see Dennis Macfield here, let alone see him stroll over and take the other free seat at the table.

“That’s Shu’uin Sora,” Yuuri answered, as if Sora weren’t capable of speaking for himself. Right now he didn’t seem to be at all. “He tried to steal the watering can you gave me.”

Dennis’s eyes slitted towards Sora for a few seconds. “And you’re letting him live?”

Sora was starting to wonder if Yuuri’s reputation for pure ruthlessness had been a bit exaggerated. Shouldn’t he have just carded Sora if the offense were that bad? But the way Dennis reacted – maybe this was the closest Yuuri could come to mercy?

“For now, at least. He’ll be useful once the invasion gets started properly.” Yuuri flashed a smirk at Dennis, who flashed one right back.

“We can always use cannon fodder, can’t we?” Dennis settled into the chair, leaning his feet on a small footstool that Sora hadn’t noticed before. “What are you using him for?”

“For the next week, he’s going to weed my garden, and do general chores.” Yuuri tapped his fingers on the table. “Which include bringing the meals.”

Sora shook his head, clearing it, then lifted off the top of the tray and started to set the plates before the two. He could smell what they were having even more now, and it made his stomach rumble even louder. Yuuri chuckled.

“He’s also not allowed to eat anything beyond those nutritional drinks.”

Dennis snickered. “And he’s serving meals? And people think the worst thing you could do is kill someone.”

“Killing someone has its points,” Yuuri said with a shrug, starting on his food. “But it can only be done once. There are other things that I can do that are far more interesting – and which I can do again and again.”

Sora decided he wasn’t going to stand here and listen to this. He’d taken no more than three steps when Yuuri’s voice lashed out.

“You weren’t dismissed. Stay over there.” Yuuri gestured to a corner of the room. “You’ll want to clear off the table when we’re done. Dennis will be joining me for every meal and some snacks.”

Sora wasn't even close to being surprised when he found out his ‘assigned spot’ to wait was where he could catch the scent not only of whatever Yuuri and Dennis had to eat, but whatever else was stored in the kitchen area. He wasn’t sure if Yuuri cooked for himself or if he had it provided from the main kitchen, but the scents were strong and clear. Candy was kept in there somewhere. He’d never not recognize that sweet fragrance!

And I can’t get my hands on it! Sora pressed his lips together, clenching his fists, and focused on a point in the distance, ignoring whatever it was that Dennis and Yuuri were talking about. He made sure that it wasn’t him and then he thought about anything else he could get his brain wrapped around.

How annoyed he was at Kaneko for stealing all of his sweets. Sure, Yuuri had told him to do it, but Kaneko enjoyed it too much, and wasn’t going to dump it in the ocean like he’d been told.

I think I’m glad that I’m not in class. I’d rather not smell it on his breath or see him with sugar stains all over his face.

Kaneko would be childish enough to leave evidence of what he’d done as well. Sora couldn’t think of any ways to get back at him, not just yet. He didn’t doubt that he’d figure something out, though. If nothing else, he’d survive this week with Yuuri, return to his quarters, and stock up on his favorite sweets all over again. Let Kaneko have one small stash. He’d always be able to get more.

Macfield gave Yuuri that watering can? He guessed it made sense on why Yuuri would be upset over someone stealing it, then. It wasn’t likely that many people had ever given him things, and Sora knew for a fact if he’d ever received a present from someone, he’d strangle any attempted thieves and use their internal organs to do it.

So maybe Yuuri really was being – lenient? Would that be close to being the right word? He couldn’t think of what else might fit.

How was he going to get to the rest of his classes? Yuuri had mentioned something about that, but Sora couldn’t remember it right off-hand. It was still too early in the morning for him to connect too many thoughts and he’d reached his limit with getting those connections right now. If he’d had a proper breakfast it might be different, but as it was -

Yuuri cleared his throat quite noisily and Sora snapped back to the present. The plates were all clean of food, and the delicious scents weren’t as strong as they had been before. Sora hurried over, stacked up everything, and started to carry it back to the kitchen area.

He couldn’t stop himself from hearing Yuuri and Dennis now, though.

“So how has your search been going?” Yuuri sounded only mildly interested, as if he asked more from courtesy than anything else.

“Not as well as I would like. But it can’t take much longer. There aren’t that many places to look there.” Dennis shifted in his chair and Sora entered the kitchen area, now a bit too far away to hear anything more than their voices, not what they said.

That was just fine by him. One lesson that students learned quickly at Duel Academia was not to listen to things that weren’t their business, and to figure out what was and wasn’t their business very quickly. Sora liked to listen and keep track of what he heard; one never knew what could be useful information at some point. But he preferred not to be noticed listening. Since Yuuri and Dennis knew he was there, better not to listen at all.

Maybe I can figure out something later. He’d deal with that later.

As soon as he entered the dining area, he saw Yuuri gesturing to him and followed along to the garden. Dennis strolled along with them, chatting about something that didn’t make a bit of sense to Sora, but Yuuri seemed somewhat interested. That didn’t stop him from raising one hand to halt Sora, then pointing to a garden bed.

“Do you know what a weed looks like?”

Sora opened his mouth, about to say that everyone knew what weeds looked like, when Yuuri shook his head.

“Let me rephrase that. Tell me which of those are the weeds and which of those are the ones that I planted and want to keep.”

Now Sora took another look at the garden bed. There were plenty of flowers there in many different shapes and colors, with amazing fragrances that wafted outward from them. He blinked slowly and frowned, leaning over to get a good look at them. A few of what he saw had berries on them. So they weren’t all flowers?

He honestly had no idea, and he wasn’t sure how to tell the difference. With a shrug of his shoulders he admitted to that.

“Then settle down. It’s time for your lessons to begin.”

Sora wanted to lean against the nearest supportive surface and forget plants even existed for about five minutes. In his deepest heart, he wanted to burn every one of them on the planet to a fine powder and dust it all over Yuuri. The problem with either of those was that he’d had it rubbed very clearly in his face that humans needed plants to survive and not the other way around – and that Yuuri would probably feed him deadly nightshade with one hand while dueling with the other and be more worried about which card he was going to play next than about Sora.

But after the last few hours of having every fact he had ever imagined, and far more that he never had, drilled into him about the wonders of plants, gardening, and everything else Yuuri lectured him about, he thought he could be afforded a few uncharitable thoughts. He knew he’d never be able to succeed at them. But he enjoyed them for those few moments.

He couldn’t enjoy much else. He’d not had a speck of food all day. Yuuri provided another nutritious drink for lunch, and he was allowed all the water that he wanted, but other than that, nothing had passed his lips. To add insult to injury, he’d once again had to serve Yuuri and Dennis, this time at lunch, and the scents were even more delicious this time around.

Today they’d had nikujaga, and the scent of the braised meat and vegetables made Sora’s mouth water just by thinking back on it. He’d never been a huge fan of vegetables but right now, he would have chewed a carrot to the bone, or whatever it was carrots had.

He wasn’t allowed to cook, of course. He suspecfted Yuuri didn’t want him to sneak a few bites or to lick his fingers or something. The food was brought to the greenhouse by some means Sora hadn’t yet seen, and he brought it out to where Yuuri and Dennis sat at their table and chatted about things that Sora found himself pretty sure he didn’t want to know the details about.

Soldiers of Academia weren’t squeamish, but this was Yuuri. There were limits to everything.

This included Sora’s desire to stoically accept his punishment. The more he smelled what the other two were eating, the more he wanted to eat something for himself! The drinks weren’t cutting it. He knew he wasn’t going to die of hunger, even if he felt like he was.

Yuuri didn’t confine himself to simple water, either. Sora didn’t know what he drank, but it was tinted dark brown and he thought it might be some brand of tea. Whatever it was, Sora could smell it as clearly as he could the food.

The longer he went without eating, the more he seemed to smell everything around him anyway. The meals he brought to Yuuri and Dennis. The thick loam and moss in the greenhouse, along with the myriad of flowers there. A few of the trees held fruit, and he could smell the fruit. Some of the scents weren’t that great, but he could smell them anyway, and right now, anything that he thought might be food smelled wonderful.

Don’t think about it! Sora sharply reminded himself, trying to stare at a distant point and not having that much luck.

Yuuri’s fingers snapped and Sora at once re-focused on him, to find sharp violet eyes staring at him, a hint of disappointment gleaming in them. Sora winced and tried to brush some of the dirt off of his fingers. After hours of digging in the dirt, he wasn’t certain if he’d ever have fully clean hands again.

“You’re not trying to fall asleep on me, are you?” Yuuri asked, one eyebrow arched ever so carefully. Sora fidgeted.

“No.” He was lying. He knew he was lying. What’s more, he knew that Yuuri knew, and that Yuuri knew he knew he was lying. One lesson he’d learned very fast was that Yuuri missed almost nothing.

The side of his tormentor’s mouth quirked up. It wasn’t a smile but it might have been the ghost of one. Yuuri glanced away for a second, then back to Sora.

“Go get yourself cleaned up. I’d rather you didn’t bring us dinner reeking like that. Exactly how many times did you fall into my fertilizer?”

Sora winced. He wasn’t even sure of the answer, except as a simple way too many. His uniform hadn’t ever been this filthy before, and he had stains over more parts of himself than he’d actually known existed.

Yuuri made a dismissive gesture and Sora trudged off to where he’d been shown was the bathing area. Why Yuuri had all of his own facilities instead of sharing with everyone else was beyond him. Maybe no one wanted to share with him. Or maybe Yuuri didn’t want to share with anyone else. The possibilities were endless and mostly served to give him something to think about as he trudged along.

It wasn’t just how filthy he was. But his fingers ached and his head ached from everything Yuuri had been jamming into it. He’d never learned more about gardening, plants, and how to tell what was wanted apart from what wasn’t than he had today. Yuuri hadn’t even bothered to let him check his regular classes.

I probably should. He knew what he should do, but that required a lot more energy than he had right now. He’d get around to it in the morning.

He hoped. If he had the energy then.

The bathroom wasn’t Yuuri’s bathroom. Why Yuuri had two bathrooms, one an elegant work of art with colored marble and a large bathtub capable of up to four people washing at the same time, heated towels, bath gels of any kind that could be thought of, a small waterfall in one corner, and even more plants than some of the outside areas had, and this one that just had the usual fixtures and a table that had some clothes on it, Sora also didn’t know.

At least he wouldn’t have to deal with Yuuri’s looks while he was in here. It wasn’t the kind of bathroom he was used to – the ones in the Obelisk dorm were much more to his taste – but it wasn’t filled with plants and he didn’t feel like he’d leave a mark on anything that he touched either.

So now he stripped off what had once been his uniform and sank himself into the tub, scrubbing himself over and over with the rough soap that he’d found. Scrubbed, scrubbed, rinsed, rinsed, over and over until he could see his skin and his nostrils weren’t filled with the scent of sweat and dirt and whatever else had inflicted itself on him.

Throughout the whole thing, a single thought burned in the back of his mind – how hungry he was. It had scarcely been a day but he wanted something solid to eat.

Then I’m going to get it. It couldn’t be that hard to find his way to the kitchens and get something. He knew from experience that the cooks kept a specific cabinet filled with snacks for those sentries who stood night duty. They didn’t always eat at the same time as everyone else, and the Professor was a firm believer in making certain his student-troops got the food they needed.

Most of the time, anyway.

But he wanted food, and regardless of what Yuuri said, he was going to get it.

Sora crept through the shadows of the garden, taking each step as silently as he could, avoiding anything that could make a sound. There were a few buzzing insects, but not many, and the splash of the fountain covered up what noise he couldn’t avoid making. He had to be careful. Not being careful meant that Yuuri would hear what he was up to, and he’d have to deal with whatever came from being caught.

Not going to happen. He pressed his lips together and slowly worked his way out of the garden and to the greater expanse outside of it. No one stood guard near Yuuri’s greenhouse. Or technically greenhouses – he’d learned the reason it was so big from the inside was because there were three or four of them all connected to one another. That gave Yuuri probably the largest quarters in Academia that wasn’t actually the Professor’s.

He cast a quick glance behind himself. The moon had risen and set early, so he wasn’t worried about stray light giving him away. But he looked regardless. There was just the faintest trace of worry. He couldn’t shake the feeling that someone was watching him.

No. It was just nerves. Why shouldn’t he be nervous, given that he was deliberately disobeying the rules of his punishment? What Yuuri would do to him if he were caught didn’t bear thinking about. But if he could get away with it – then he’d have food. It had been a day and a half. The thought of six more days like that – no, he wasn’t going to do that. Even if it had been a gift – probably Yuuri’s only gift ever – it was a damned watering can.

So Sora moved forward, keeping to the darkest parts of the gardens, flitting this way and that, watching out for the guards as he grew closer to where they stood duty. He’d always been pretty good at this and now he put that to the test.

He wasn’t sure of how close he was to the main building when he heard quiet voices. The moment he grasped those were people talking, he flicked up to the nearest tree, climbing as high as he could go, and peered downward. At first he didn’t see anything at all except the guard just on the edge of the trees. The guard didn’t seem to be looking anywhere in particular, just doing their usual scan of the area.

Then he spied movement. It didn’t seem to be coming towards him, but more at an angle. As it drew closer, the shadows resolved into two figures, walking close to one another.

Huh. He stared down through the starlight filled area and thought he recognized both of them. That wasn’t much of a surprise; he’d seen them both at school meetings and the like. He’d just never seen them together like this. He wasn’t sure if anyone had ever seen them like this.

But there walked Tenjoin Asuka and Himura Akane. They weren’t touching, but he’d never seen that level of attention from either of them to anyone else. Both of them seemed to have just enough awareness of what was going on around them to not walk into trees or off the path, but that was about it. Sora was way too far away to even guess at what they were talking about.

Are they on a date? He knew some of the older students dated one another, or had people they had ‘understandings’ with. This was a school; there were classes in everything. He’d learned enough about how reproduction worked to know that he wasn’t interested in it right now. He’d never been on a date himself either.

These two just looked so comfortable together. It baffled him more than anything else.

He shook his head silently, watching until they were out of sight before he dropped back down and started forward again. Whatever they were doing wasn’t any of his business. He made his way forward, flitting through underbrush and by bushes, thankful as he seldom was that he hadn’t yet had a growth spurt so he could do that.

The closer he got to the main building, the better he could smell what had been cooking that day. He closed his eyes and breathed in deeply, recognizing roasted pork, seared fish, a variety of vegetables – it all smelled even better than what he’d served to Dennis and Sora just a few hours earlier. Sora stopped, swallowed, and tried to focus. He wasn’t going to get anything proper to eat if he let himself get distracted by what he was smelling.

Finding his way to the kitchen itself was the most difficult part. While everyone knew that the cooks kept that special larder for the night guards, Sora himself had never been a night guard. Exactly where that larder was he didn’t know. He’d just have to do this best to find it before someone – such as one of those night guards – found him.

He started by finding a window set close to the ground, mostly hidden by bushes, and worked on getting it open. It had been locked, and it took more than a little effort to tease the lock open. Duel Academia wasn’t very big on locks being pickable – but they also taught students how to do it. One never knew where one’s future targets might hide, after all. Any knowledge could turn out to be useful.

Sweat rolled down the back of his neck as he tried to figure out what to do when he didn’t have any of the tools he’d been trained with. Using tiny twigs from the bushes wasn’t the best substitute. He ground his teeth together as the ones he’d picked broke for the third time, and carefully picked another batch.

It might have been the fifth time – or longer – before he could finally raise the window up enough so he could slide inside. The corridor he emerged in wasn’t as brightly lit as they were during the day, but he could see where he was going, at least.

Even better, he could smell where he was going. The scents were even stronger down here, and he had to wrap his arms around his stomach in an extremely vain attempt to keep the growling sounds under control.

I’m going to eat very soon, he promised himself. It had been easy to focus on anything else when he was outside and the scents weren’t nearly this strong. Now it smelled as if whoever was cooking tonight was still down there, and everything was just hot and sizzling and perfect.

He swallowed and kept on going, forging his way forward. Up ahead, the lights were a little brighter, and he carefully peered around the corner, having dropped as low as he could, scouting the area ahead. There weren’t any signs of anyone moving – lots of mouthwatering smells but not any movement or sounds. He spied a row of cupboards and made his way there. These might not be the ones he’d heard about, but they would probably have something he could eat.

They’re not locked! He all but squealed in delight as he opened one and peered inside, seeing plates and platters, each covered with a napkin or the like. He had no idea what any of them were, but reached to lift the first one he could reach.

Underneath the plate was a pile of tempura. His favorite had always been hot tempura, but he wasn’t going to complain. He reached for the first helping, heart pounding, then dropping as a far too familiar voice spoke.

“I believe that’s another week you’re going to be hauling fertilizer and weeding my garden.”

To Be Continued

Notes: One day I’ll write more Asuka x Akane fic. That day is not today.

#fanfic #higuchimon writes #ygo arc v #chapters: hunger for vengeance #bad things happen bingo #ygo big bang 2022 #shiunin sora #yuuri (arc v)#dennis macfield

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