In Defiance of Destiny

The birds sung merrily in the morning light of Ohtori academy, but Touga couldn’t bring himself to enjoy their song as he stood on the balcony, watching the sun rise. He couldn’t bring himself to be pleased by much, actually. There was a pit, deep within his stomach, that he couldn’t make go away, despite his best efforts. He glanced down at the piece of paper in his hands with a sigh, rereading the words for the hundredth time. The meaning was as plain as day, and yet Touga was certain that there must be some deeper message that he had yet to discern. He wished he knew what it was, desperately needed to know before he….

“Niisan? He’s waiting for you.”

The harsh voice broke into whatever deep thoughts Touga might have been having, and he pasted a smile to his face as he turned to face Nanami. His sister deserved a smile; after all, it wasn’t her fault that he’d dug his own grave and built the coffin to go in it.

Besides, she was only there because he wasn’t where he was supposed to be. They understood the rules, all of them. Even knowing that previous duelists had taken on destiny itself, holding to the fragile threads of their hope that were snapped like cheap cotton, they still chose to pursue their dreams. They had all resigned themselves to their fates and fragile dreams, even knowing that dreams were far easier shattered than obtained.

Squaring his shoulders, Touga stepped to meet her. Unconsciously, he reached into his pocket, feeling the body-warmed cylinder that rested there. Perhaps, if enough of them held onto the threads, they could create something strong enough to set them free. Now, it was his turn. He had a dream, he had hopes, and he had someone who was willing to help him fight for them. Maybe they would be strong enough together. If nothing else, he had to try. For those who had fought before him, and for those who would come after. He had to stand for those who were willing to stay by his side, and he needed to fight for her.

“I’m going. I just needed to clear my head first.” He answered his sister’s unvoiced question, clasping her shoulder briefly before walking past her, through the doors of the dormitory.

As he passed Nanami, however, the paper he had been looking at fluttered to the ground, unnoticed. Curious, the girl picked it up, frowning at the unfamiliar handwriting.

It would only be a fool or worse who would confuse you two. Make sure you don’t confuse yourself.

The words made no sense to Nanami, but as she watched her brother walk away, she couldn’t help but think that perhaps they meant a great deal to him. Carefully, she folded the piece of paper and put it in her pocket, then hurried after Touga. After all, she had a few things she wanted to say to her brother before he went to meet his bride.