You should’ve known I was going to use this ship. The problem is I struggled on what to do until late. After which I chose to illustrate a scene from my GX month fanfic which you can read here: https://yugirl.tumblr.com/post/661540661126905856/day-6-heartfelt-appeal
I’ll be honest. Despite it not looking as good as the others, I am proud of this. This is the only image where I didn’t sketch it before hand and used the model program provided in clip studio paint for the pose. So I can take pride in that at least, as well as the detail in the rings. Maybe I’ll try using one of the other ideas on Sunday instead.
GX Rare Pair Week Day 1: Royalty, Childhood, Lock and key
“I have all my fics planned!” *has a crisis and proceeds to write almost nothing*
So here I am, late once again. May or may not write all the things I intended but I HAVE AN AGENDA TO FILL DAMNIT.
Managed to blend all three of em into one fic. Origin story I guess?
He doesn't remember how old he was, he doesn't remember where he was, but he remembers looking at the screen. A duel was airing - likely between Yugi and someone else but he's forgotten that too - and back then a lot of the common monster designs scared the daylights out of him; but then she took the field in a shower of sparkles and bright colors and Syrus was immediately mesmerized. She looked so real, so lifelike; she winked at the screen and his insides did funny things he didn't have words for.
"I wanna marry her!" he blurt, having little understanding of the concept other than it was something moms and dads do.
"What?"
Zane had been there too, so this must have been before their relationship all went downhill. Syrus turned to him and said with all the conviction his child self could muster, "I'm gonna marry her! When I'm older." Because it was only something adults did. "I'm gonna marry her!"
"That's…" Zane frowned at the screen. "That's a duel monster."
"So I can't?"
Looking back, Zane must have put conscious effort into his reply. "I…don't know if it's impossible…"
The noncommittal answer had been enough to convince Syrus that he would in fact marry the pretty duel monster lady when he was old enough. He spent weeks telling everyone with an ear. Hella embarrassing.
But Syrus was head over heels and on a mission back then; he wanted to know everything about the Dark Magician Girl.
*
As a child in the royal palace, Mana idolized Prince Atem. They were close, best of friends and it seemed inevitable to her that she would be one of his wives someday, perhaps even his favorite. The smiles he gave her always filled her with warmth.
She was still a child, just shy of adulthood for the times, when a vengeful thief shook the foundation of their lives and kickstarted a war. She was still a child when her best friend came to her bleeding out his life and asking a favor that would only ensure his death. She was a child who helped cast a spell to save a country, using Atem's soul as the lock and his name as the key. She was a child who held her best friend in her arms as he took his last breath, and she had to keep the scream trapped tight behind her teeth. She couldn't speak his name, and no one else would, not ever again, because she was the only one who remembered it. That had been her part to play.
She was an adult when she chose to bury that most precious of secrets with her.
"Are you sure about this?" Set asked as they stood before the blank stone tablet.
Mana clutched her staff hard enough to hurt. "Yes. No magic lasts forever. Someone has to be here to guide him if and when he ever returns. I cast the spell-" Her voice shook, she took a breath and forged onward. "-I'm the only one who remembers. It has to be me."
He looks confused of course, because no one else even realizes they can't remember the former Pharaoh's name. They all refer to him by title as if he'd never had a name at all, and do not question the blank cartouche with the name chiseled out. It's better this way; no one to ask questions, to goad into giving up the secret, they key she guards, but oh does it hurt.
"If you're sure," Set confirms again, and Mana nods resolutely.
Although the power of the items has faded, some magic still remains. Set raises the Rod and Mana gives herself up to the process, cold stone sealing itself around her body and binding her soul. Here she will wait until her Pharaoh needs her again.
*
3000 years later, the Dark Magician Girl is awakened by the magic of a single card and the shadows that dwell in the pendant hanging from a young man's neck. The lock has been cracked and the battle has begun anew.
They win for good this time. Atem passes on and Mana remains sealed in stone.
It was her choice.
When she meets the boy with bright eyes - warm and living and so very unreachable - is the first time she regrets that choice.
SHIP: Tigershipping (Taniya x Misawa; one-sided in this chapter and mutual later on.)
RATING: G-PG for this chapter WORD COUNT: 2155
SUMMARY: Story: Fifteen-year-old Taniya, the youngest of the Seven Stars, is planted at Duel Academia as a student by Kagemaru. But with a relationship that’s perhaps not quite what she anticipated, a struggle with increasingly divided loyalties, and a cryptic prophecy, her hands are going to be full this year.
Chapter: Asuka thinks that watching the entrance exams is just going to be depressing, only to get unexpected company. Meanwhile, Taniya sees the guy of her dreams.
NOTES: This, like all of my submissions for this event, is a queued post since I will be on vacation during the actual Rarepair Week; I plan to post on Ao3 when I return home at the end of the month. This is a canon-divergence AU, and it’s a pretty ambitious idea by my standards. I’m not even sure I’ll be able to finish it, but I thought I’d at least post the first chapter.
Bonus art of Taniya as she appears in this chapter: https://dancingkirby.tumblr.com/post/686636132281253888/close-up-of-my-drawing-of-taniya-from-my-new
Close up of my drawing of Taniya from my new “Tigershipping age gap fix AU.” I’m hoping I can at least write part of it soon; possibly for
If Tenjoin Asuka were to be completely honest with herself, she would admit that she wasn’t having fun watching the entrance exams. Many second and third-year students, as well as first-year Obelisks who had gotten into Duel Academia via the prep school route or family connections, were in attendance. It was kind of a tradition…this way, they could get re-acquainted with each other after the summer break and check out the incoming talent among those who had taken the exams. This year, there was an added enticement: rumors of one young man who had scored an almost unheard-of 995 out of 1000 on the written exam. Only one person in the history of the school had ever gotten a higher score than this, and he was the guy currently standing to her right: Marufuji Ryo.
However, she simply couldn’t feel the anticipation like she knew she ought to. All she could think was that Fubuki should have been standing here on the walkway with them. He would have loved it had he been here, she was certain; cheering all applicants on regardless of rank. But he wasn’t here, and things were awkward in his absence. Ryo obviously felt it too: he hadn’t said a single word all morning, which was unusual even for him. Therefore, all she had to listen to was the commentary from Manjoume Jun and his friends, who were sitting directly below her and Ryo.
Manjoume was somewhat odd, she thought: rude to virtually everyone except Asuka herself, for reasons known only to him. He put on displays of bravado that were convincing enough to newcomers, although Asuka had known him long enough to suspect that these were intended to hide deeper insecurities. Currently, he was not in the least bit impressed with the crop of applicants they had seen thus far, and vocally made his displeasure known. He had placed all of them so far in one of two categories: “boring” or “terrible.” She had heard Manjoume telling one of his lackeys that he actually preferred the terrible ones, since at least their mistakes were entertaining to watch.
“When are we going to see Number One?” he griped. “That’s why we’re all here. Are they really going to save him for last?”
Asuka briefly considered how satisfying it would be to yell at Manjoume to shut up, but decided against it. She had a reputation to uphold, and was also feeling too gloomy to want to take any action. Instead, she leaned forward on the railing, staring into space and hoping beyond anything that this would be over soon…
“Excuse me. Is this spot taken?”
It was a female voice, rather low-pitched and with a hint of a foreign accent. Asuka looked up sharply to realize that another girl in an Obelisk uniform had approached her from her left, and she had been too despondent to notice. She thought that she remembered seeing this girl at the Obelisk Dorm orientation a couple days ago, although they hadn’t spoken to each other. And really, her appearance made it so that she was not easily forgotten. The primary distinction was her height and build. The girl was significantly taller than Asuka, who wasn’t exactly short herself. In fact, this newcomer was very nearly as tall as Ryo, and Asuka suspected that it was mostly his hair that put him over the edge. She was also a little gangling; evidently, she had done a lot of growing in a short time, and the rest of her proportions hadn’t quite caught up yet. Nevertheless, the girl had some impressive arm muscles, which were shown off well by the sleeveless uniform jacket.
“No. No, it’s not taken,” Asuka replied. In fact, she was glad that this girl had made her appearance when she did. Perhaps she could serve as a distraction. “My name is Tenjoin Asuka, and this is Marufuji Ryo.”
The new girl smiled brightly. “Borjigin Taniya. Great to meet you!” Her grin was so infectious that Asuka, as dour as her mood was, couldn’t help but to smile back.
“So…Borjigin-san…” she began, carefully attempting to pronounce the surname properly. However, the girl waved it off.
“Please, call me Taniya. Use whatever suffix you want, or none at all if you prefer. I’m not picky.”
“All right. Taniya, then,” Asuka amended. “You can call me by my given name as well. Did you go to prep school? I don’t recall ever seeing you there.” The Obelisks all usually knew each other, especially the girls, since they were only admitted via the prep school and were not permitted to take the entrance exams. (This fact had always rankled her, honestly.) She wasn’t certain how Taniya could have gotten into the school otherwise.
Taniya shook her head. “No. I grew up in Mongolia and only moved to Japan two years ago. But I happen to know one of the teachers at the school, and he made arrangements for me to get a place there.”
“I see.” Well, that was a bit unusual, and Asuka was pretty sure that this wasn’t the entire story. However, this was Duel Academia, and Fubuki had told her that very few things were normal or usual there.
Obviously, this meant that Taniya would fit right in. Everything about her, from her two long braids of red hair that had obviously been carefully styled by someone close to her, to her forest-green eyes, to her large, pointed ears and golden-brown skin, had a bit of an otherworldly look to it. There was something almost magnetic about Taniya’s charisma, too, and Asuka found it difficult to tear her eyes away despite knowing that she was staring. However, the taller girl was observing her and Ryo nearly as intently. Then, in a heartbeat, she switched back to her previous bubbly self.
“Asuka-san. Have you seen any cute guys here yet that I should know about?” Taniya turned to her, winked, and giggled. Asuka felt her face warm a bit, and now even Ryo was gazing at Taniya curiously.
“No. Sorry,” she replied. Yes, this Taniya was strange, and appeared to interpret the norms of polite conversation somewhat loosely. But she could get away with it since she was so darn likable.
“Hm. That’s too bad. I guess I’ll have to keep my eye out, then,” the taller girl said. As they all turned their attention back to the testing arenas, a field was freed up and an announcement went out for the next applicant.
“Number 119, Marufuji Sho, please report to Arena 3. Number 119 to Arena 3. Thank you.”
“Your brother’s up, Ryo,” Asuka commented. She herself didn’t know Sho all that well; they’d grown up in the same neighborhood, had a couple of playdates when they were small, but had ended up going to different schools. She’d only really gotten acquainted with the Marufuji brothers after Fubuki’s disappearance, and even then Sho had seemed almost intimidated by her.
“So I heard,” Ryo confirmed. Asuka thought he’d have been a bit more invested in his brother’s success. Oh well. She herself kept an eye on Sho’s duel off and on; although he’d gotten off to a slow start, he began holding his own after a couple of turns. Then, they all heard the announcement they’d been waiting for.
“Number 1, Misawa Daichi, please report to Arena 4.”
“Finally,” she heard Manjoume say. He’d been right after all: Number 1 had been the last to get summoned to the arena. Everyone craned their necks towards Arena 4 to get a better look. Then, after a few minutes, they saw the platform on the floor below rise up to take its place on the arena floor.
Misawa Daichi proved to be a boy of about average height, with a sturdy build. His middle school uniform was either white or light gray; it was difficult to tell for sure from this height. Neither could Asuka get a great look at his face, though he appeared to be pretty regular-looking from what she could see.
Right then, she heard a very peculiar noise: a kind of elongated half-gasp, half-shriek that she thought sounded a bit like an amorous vacuum cleaner. She looked over to her left, to see that Taniya had made the noise. The redhead had fallen to her knees, and was staring at Number 1 so intently that a good portion of her face extended out from between the bars on the railing.
She turned back briefly to gaze at Asuka, eyes huge and sparkling.
Unbeknownst to Asuka, both Taniya’s vision and hearing were enhanced by her Duel Spirit energy. She saw the fine details that others could not.
This boy…this boy! Those slate-gray eyes, and that square jawline, and his regal bearing…oh! She thought that he went beyond cute…that in fact he may have been the most handsome guy she had ever seen in her entire fifteen years and six months of existence.
But it wasn’t his looks that drew her in the most. Rather, it was the fact that he appeared to have no fear or test-taking nerves at all. He had come here to win, not merely to try. Truly, calling him a boy did not do him justice; no, he looked like a full-fledged man.
She had never before met a male who made her feel this way. The crush she’d had on Darkness’s host for a couple of months last year, which had seemed all-consuming to her at a time, now felt flimsy and juvenile compared to this.
“I love him!” she said out loud as she removed her face from the railing and rose back to her feet. Tenjoin Asuka and Marufuji Ryo both looked at her askance. Oops…had she used too strong of a word?
“I like him,” she amended, although that word seemed woefully inadequate to express her sudden burning passion. “Do either of you know anything else about him?”
“His name is Misawa Daichi,” Ryo informed her, in a deep voice that was almost monotone. “He got the second-highest score in Duel Academia’s history on the written exam. A prodigy in math and science, so I heard; good enough to possibly go straight to university, but he chose to come here instead.”
Well, Taniya was beyond happy that he had. Over in Arena 3, Ryo’s brother had managed to pull off a narrow win, although she scarcely noticed. Not when she had this hunk to drool over. Misawa had scored a good hit early on with his Vorse Raider, although the proctor now appeared to be setting up that most annoying of strategies: stalling.
“Aw, come on!” she protested when the proctor summoned Big Shield Gardna. “That’s against the rules!”
Ryo looked down his nose at her. “No, it’s not.”
“Well, it should be!” Taniya insisted.
“Keep it down, will you?” yelled the boy with the nasally voice who was sitting below them. “Some of us are trying to watch here!” Taniya obeyed, but only so she wouldn’t have to listen to him again. His voice hurt her ears.
Meanwhile, the proctor had also summoned Gear Golem the Moving Fortress, and paid 800 life points to do the same amount of direct damage to Misawa. He obviously thought he had this in the bag, but he had forgotten about Misawa’s facedown card. Which was Ring of Destruction. It was glorious, and it won him the duel. Taniya did a little happy dance.
The mystery nasally voice guy, whom Taniya couldn’t see from this angle, was still not impressed, remarking, “We should’ve just stayed at the campus.” However, she barely registered his words, as she was too busy trying to get Misawa’s attention.
“Hey! Up here!” she shouted. Unfortunately, Misawa either didn’t hear her or was ignoring her. He calmly left the arena and sat down in the area reserved for the students who had completed their practical exams.
“Nooooo! Wait! Come back! I wanted to talk to you!” She leaned so far over the railing that she might have fallen over it if Asuka hadn’t reached out to pull her back in the nick of time. Thus thwarted in her attempts, Taniya slumped down to the floor and sulked a bit. However, she wasn’t about to give up that easily. They were going to a school on an island, after all. It was only a matter of time before she’d be able to finally meet the object of her affections. He wouldn’t know what hit him! Yes, she knew she had her duties and all, but who said she couldn’t have a little fun on the side while waiting for that? It wasn’t like anything was going to happen soon. They didn’t even have their seventh Star yet.
She was so absorbed in her planning that she barely registered all the fuss about the boy who had come in late.
"Are you sure he didn't do anything to them? I mean, it's - not impossible, is it?"
"They were his friends, weren't they?"
"That doesn't mean anything. They're both gone. And he's still here."
"I heard they found blood where Fujiwara was."
Ryou turned a page in his book and did his very best to ignore all the whispers that raced around the room. He knew he wasn't doing a very good job of it. But he was quite skilled at focusing on what was in front of him so that gave him something else to think about. He'd already hashed over everything to do with the disappearance of his two best friends as much as he could. He and Principal Samejima had carefully reviewed everything to do with Fubuki's recent vanishing and came to the conclusion that there wasn't anything that Ryou could have done differently.
So now he was alone. There were other students who he associated with on occasion, but none of them were even close to being as close to him as Fubuki and Yuusuke were - had been.
Alone. He tried not to think too hard about that or about the other whispers that flew around the room. No one wanted to get his attention. They just talked about it where he could hear it. He ignored it all, or at least didn't respond to it. What else could he do? He knew he hadn't had anything to do with either of their disappearances. Yuusuke got too involved in whatever strange studies he'd been in. Fubuki had just vanished. There one moment and gone the next.
No matter how people chattered and whispered among one another, as far as Ryou was concerned, it was too quiet. Yuusuke had never made much noise, but Ryou had always been aware that he was there. Fubuki certainly made more than enough noise for the other two of them combined. Not having him there made it seem as if a hole had been cut out of the world.
The clock bonged a deep, resonant noise, and Ryou at once got up, tucking his book away. The other students quickly shut up and backed off, no one getting anywhere near him. He'd expected that. They'd been like that ever since word of Fubuki's disappearance spread throughout the school. They would talk wherever he went, but not a single person dared to approach him. He almost wished they would, just to clear the air.
He made his way to his room - his new room. Everyone who had still been in the Obelisk Blue elite dorm had been relocated to the main Obelisk building. This room didn't feel anything like his old one. That one had had the marks of all the times he and Yuusuke and Fubuki had spent in it. This one was flawlessly kept, not a scratch or scrape or personal item out of place. Everything was where he'd left it. It would always be where he left it.
Ryou settled down into his chair on the balcony. The sun had long since set and now stars sprinkled the skies overhead. It was the new moon; it would be very dark except for the starlight.
Fubuki said Yuusuke talked about darkness. Is this what he wanted? Ryou got up and headed over to the small area set up as a miniature kitchen. Not much could be made here; it was mostly for hot drinks and the occasional snack. He made tea, and stared down at it for a few moments as it dawned on him he'd poured out three cups without even thinking about it.
He missed them. He had no idea of where they were or if they were even still alive. He wanted to believe that they were, that he would see them again one of these days. He had no idea of when or how - it could take years. It probably would.
Ryou took the three cups over to the table outside and carefully doctored each one until they were just the way he, Yuusuke, and Fubuki liked them. He picked up Yuusuke's cup and sipped at it.
Fujiwara Yuusuke. One of the few who'd ever given him a true challenge in a duel. He might not ever have that again. They'd enjoyed several games of shogi against one another - and Yuusuke usually won those, though Ryou had a few victories under his belt as well. They'd taken pictures together. Ryou still had copies of those - though he knew that Yuusuke's copies had been destroyed. He glanced to the nightstand beside his bed, where the picture of himself, Yuusuke, and Fubuki rested in a silver frame. Yuusuke, Ryou thought, would become a researcher, perhaps help Industrial Illusions when it came to developing new cards.
When he finished the tea, he set the cup down, then picked up the next one.
Tenjoin Fubuki. The tea gave him the feeling of the sea, of laughter and daring, of teasing and steadfast support. Fubuki hid how good he really was at dueling. He probably wouldn't have become a Pro Duelist, but he would support Yuusuke and Ryou no matter what they did, assuring them that each of them was an achiever in their own way. And he would probably encourage them in their romantic lives, no matter what.
Not that Ryou had ever considered a romantic life. He had the two people he cared about the most and he had his deck. He'd never thought he'd need anything else.
With that cup done, he sampled his own at last. He would become a Pro Duelist. He would be the Champion one day. He couldn't think of anything that would deter him from this. Even without the other two there. Perhaps that could even - somewhat - help. He would focus on his studies. Focus on his dueling. It would give him something to do, which he knew he needed.
There had been a tradition for the past few years, that the most talented duelist be referred to as the Kaiser. While there wasn't anything official about it, rumor had been that Yuusuke would be the one so named. But now Ryou alone stood a chance at it.
Then that's what I'll be, he determined. No matter what happened, he would live his life to remember those he'd lost. He loved dueling but he loved those two as well. He would not forget - no matter what.
The End
Notes: It is implied that Yuusuke was capable of defeating Ryou. So perhaps he might have been the Kaiser if things had been diferent.
It’s the sixth day of GX Rare Pairs Week! This is also the last thing I’ve written for the week; I did intend to write more but I wasn’t able to get to it This is day 6 - I’ve chosen the prompt Post-Canon!
The ship I’ve be writing for for this week is a polyship: competitorshipping! That’s Chazz, Jaden, and Jesse. However, this one was intended to be longer but I wasn’t able to get to finishing it. And I didn’t get to the point where Jaden would even be involved, so... I guess this is jewelshipping! That’s Jesse and Chazz! I like this ship as well so I’m fine with it, even if it’s not what I intended.
I’ll also be posting this to ao3 - you can find the link to that in the notes of this post!
(If you read Return to the Different Dimension, this is canon to that universe).
It was in Duel Links that Jesse and Chazz met again after high school.
A couple of years had passed without either seeing the other. They’d gone their separate ways after graduation, both with their different priorities.
Chazz, of course, was a pro duelist. He didn’t have a perfect dueling record, he lost a few duels here and there, but honestly, Chazz was happier this way. After losing his first duel in the pro circuit, he realized one loss wasn’t the end of the world that he’d feared it would be. And after a childhood of perfection, Chazz was tired of trying to be perfect. He never put in any less than his best effort, but he didn’t beat himself up for every mistake. In fact, he was still one of the better duelists among the pros.
Jesse decided he needed a break. He still loved dueling, that never changed, but that third year of school took a lot out of him. Taking care of himself was important, and an eventual career as a pro duelist was still waiting for him. For now, he took on a part-time job. He worked at a small family-owned game shop, running the cash register and taking inventory and helping out any customers any way he could. It kept him afloat and he enjoyed the job without working himself until he couldn’t keep going.
After Duel Links was opened to the public, they were both drawn to Duel Links like moths to a flame. Chazz was just one of many pros taking Duel Links by storm, and just because Jesse wasn’t dueling as a career yet didn’t mean he didn’t still duel for fun sometimes.
And then they reunited.
They worked together somewhat, Chazz getting Jesse to help him readjust his decks since Chazz didn’t care for it as much as Jesse did. In return, Jesse got to enjoy Chazz’s company. Jesse hadn’t seen anyone from high school since they graduated (though they all did keep in touch), so the change was welcome. They never dueled against each other, though. Chazz only participated in ranked duels, and Jesse never dueled enough in Duel Links to catch up.
Chazz was looking through Jesse’s cards, while Jesse looked through his. The two of them were looking through cards together, seeing if there were any cards they might want to trade for use in each other’s decks. They’d been doing this in a comfortable silence, but Chazz was bored, and some conversation might help this go by faster.
“I might disappear from here for a while, just to warn you. I have to move.”
“You’re moving?” Jesse asked. “Where’re you going? How far?”
“I don’t know yet, but I’m not moving that far.” Chazz rolled his eyes. “Where I am now is inconvenient for work, and dealing with the landlord’s not worth it. I have to do it for my own sanity.”
Jesse hounded Chazz for more specifics: what areas was he looking in, what price range was he looking at, and as Chazz gave the answers, his eyes widened. “You’re not going to get much better for that.”
“I’m aware, dweeb. The location is worth it, though. I’m only ever there to, like, sleep.”
“What if you could afford a better place to stay?”
Chazz narrowed his eyes. “I can’t afford better. Why should I care?”
Jesse held his hands up in front of him. “Just indulge me for a bit.”
“Well, it depends on how much nicer it was.” Chazz sighed. “I mean, I guess I would. It’s not like I want to spend more time where I am now.”
“Hmm. What if you had a roommate?”
“What are you suggesting?”
Jesse smiled. “I mean, I’m just throwin’ it out there. Worst you can say is ‘no’, right? I could use a different apartment myself, the area you’re looking in is better than where I am now for where I work, and together we could probably afford to rent somewhere better.”
“I’ve lived with slackers long enough for a lifetime,” Chazz scoffed.
“Aw, don’t be like that, Chazz! We work pretty good as a team on Duel Links, I think! It’s worth a shot, ain’t it?”
“I’ll think about it, but I refuse to promise anything.”
“I wouldn’t expect anything less.”
It actually didn’t take Chazz long to agree to it, the idea of staying somewhere nice and having someone to come home to outweighing his pride. They gave it a try, and the two of them worked well together.
