Happy Valentine's Day, everyone!

"Greetings, Yuna Yozora, and congratulations! If you're watching this message, it means that you have been accepted into the Leo Girl's Duel Academy.

"Better known by many as the 'Girl's Duel School,' or 'GDS', this all-girl's academy is the finest in all the world, dedicated to training aspiring young duelists to be the next great idols and champions of Duel Monsters. We promote a healthy, friendly environment for girls of the Junior and Senior dueling divisions to live among, and supply the latest and greatest of cards, so that the possibilities of your deck are truly endless. Our dueling arenas are also powered by top of the line Real Solid Vision technology, to truly bring those decks to life. With the best in Real Solid Vision, we also have the best in physical training and facilities, so that you can be at your best in mind and body in the dueling arena…."

Yuna paused the message, as she sat back in her seat with a sigh. For the past few hours, she had been riding the train to her new school, and had been waiting in both anticipation and anxiety as she knew the famous, prestigious academy known as GDS was drawing closer and closer.

She had no idea how she was going to do well at this academy; she wasn't at all an extraordinary duelist, using mostly old cards considered today to be obsolete, she didn't have the kind of courage or confidence she had seen in many duelists, both on and off the pro circuit displayed, she'd never even used a duel disk before, having only played the game on a table-top with her friends at school.

The brand new pink tablet-like device she held was a gift from her parents when they first found out she'd been accepted to GDS, which thankfully gave her plenty to pass the time until her arrival.

When she had her academy registered to her new disk, she had been sent a sort of orientation message telling her all about GDS, and though she had remembered everything it had told her the first time, Yuna couldn't help but watch the message again and again: Not only did it get her more excited for the moment when she would finally step foot into a new school and a new world to her, but because the woman speaking, for whatever reason, intrigued her.

She was a beautiful young woman with short royal blue hair and brilliant green eyes. She wore a vividly blue kimono with a bright red obi, and a duel disk under the long sleeve of her kimono. Yuna was entranced by her elegant speech, her kind, friendly voice, and… something else she couldn't put a finger on. Perhaps… a desire to be like her?

She put aside her new duel disk for a moment as she checked her watch; she was estimated to be at GDS at around 2:00pm, and her watch read 1:26.

"Guess I should get ready…" She said to herself nervously. She checked her bag to make sure she didn't leave anything behind when she reached her destination, then looked at herself in a mirror to make sure she was as presentable as possible.

A pair of deep blue eyes looked back at Yuna as she checked her shoulder-length pink hair, adjusting her bangs so that one light blue streak bordered the right part in her hair. She practiced a confident smile, but only a child-like girl grinning right back at her in the mirror. Yuna heaved another sigh, feeling like, despite recently turning 15, she was too young to be in the Senior Class at GDS.

When she had combed her hair just the way she liked it, she returned to her duel disk, and continued the video containing her acceptance message:

"...Help will always be given at GDS to those who ask for it, because our academy supplies the theory and practice to open the door to limitless possible dueling tactics, and our staff is host to some of the most welcoming, and skilled duelists around the world.

"Our goal while you call GDS home is to provide a comfortable, welcoming environment where you can grow and make friends, to supply you with the knowledge and the tools you need to be a great duelist, and to nurture and train you to be the best that you can be, both in and out of the dueling arena."

Yuna's excitement piqued as she could see the lush, gorgeous hilltop academy just ahead of her. She gathered up her belongings, slung her backpack over her shoulder, and stepped out of her compartment as she felt the train begin to slow down, ready to step out onto the platform, and into a new chapter in her life.

"My name is Kazumi Yuunagi, and I welcome you, Yuna Yozora, to GDS."

-Love and Duels in Full Bloom-

-First Love-

When she left the station, it was to find that the academy was a lot further away than Yuna had imagined. Though at first glance it was just a simple walk up hill, that hill was further away, and much larger than it appeared from the window of the train.

But whether it was right in front of her or halfway around the world, Yuna didn't care; the moment she left the train station, she had felt more invigorated than ever, like she could take on the entire world.

Leaving the station, Yuna came into a pleasant, historical town that made her feel as if she'd stepped back in time. Aside from cars on the roads, there seemed to be little traces of modern technology here, the stone and brick buildings around her clearly built hundreds of years ago.

As she explored her new surroundings, Yuna noticed that there were two large hills on either side of town, each one hosting its own academy, and as she walked down the cobblestone streets, she glanced back and forth between each one, curious which of these two was going to be her new home.

Yuna looked back to her duel disk, searching through the acceptance message in hopes of finding a map that could lead her to the right academy, but no such luck; included was a map of the campus itself, but none detailing where it was from her current location in this town…

"Oh, hey, are you a duelist?"

Yuna jumped as she looked up at the sudden voice, her disk leaping out of her hands.

"Whoa, there!" A girl chuckled as she caught the duel disk in mid-air, before returning it to Yuna. "Be careful, okay?"

"Oh, er… r-right, sorry." Yuna muttered awkwardly.

"No problem. So, what's your…" The girl broke off in mid-sentence, examining Yuna interestedly. "Hey, wait, you're the transfer student, aren't you?" She asked, looking Yuna straight in the eyes.

Speaking of eyes, Yuna was surprised not to have noticed before, this girl's eyes were very… interesting; the left one purple, while the right was green. To Yuna, these seemed almost like they were the eyes of a champion. The rest of this girl gave off a sense of confidence as well. Her hair was dark blue, parted into three sections in the front, while the back was jet black, and tied back into a ponytail. She wore a black shirt with a yellow kanji '5' on the chest, with a blue jacket overtop, and athletic dark pants boasting a bright gold strip down either leg.

"My name's Akira; Akira Yushida." The odd-eyed girl introduced herself. "I'm a 3rd year at GDS. What's your name?"

"A-ah, Yuna." Yuna replied, wishing she could speak in the same confident voice Akira used. "Y-Yuna Yozora. Uh, could you tell me which way it is to GDS? I'm… a little lost, so…" She trailed off uncomfortably, feeling really feeble.

"Yeah, it's right that way." Akira grinned, pointing to the hill east of where they stood. "Sorry, we don't get very many transfer students, so it's easy to forget that not everyone knows which one's GDS." She flinched as her own duel disk buzzed from her pocket. "I would walk with you to the campus, but I've got some things I need to take care of. Sorry. Can you find your way alright?"

"Yeah, thank you so much!" Yuna nodded, smiling as she hurried towards the academy to the east. There, she stopped short of a large metal gate, which swung open as she approached, as if to welcome her home.

From here, she only knew where to go by the dirt pathway leading out of the train station, and so she set out on the path, which wove through a thick forest, the crimson trees that lined the road branching out above her like a naturally-formed tunnel.

Yuna breathed in as she felt a soft, cool breeze blow past her, and watched as bright red leaves rustled across the path along her walk. She smiled as she tried to imagine her new school; if just the walk here held such beautiful sights, what could GDS itself possibly have to offer?

After walking for several minutes, Yuna noticed that the path had split off into two directions. Despite this, she knew the right path, which moved further uphill, was the right way; the left path wove noticeably downwards in the distance, leading Yuna to wonder what could possibly be that way.

At last, she arrived at GDS, and the dirt path had become a smoothly crafted brick road leading into what, at first, seemed like another, smaller antique town. She grinned as she saw all the other girls walking by her, each wearing the school's deep blue uniform; Yuna, who was currently wearing the uniform from her previous school, felt very out of place being dressed so differently.

"Everyone's starring….." Yuna swallowed nervously, trying not to stare back at the other people watching her. Not only was she feeling out of place, but clearly, she stood out heavily.

Eager to turn her attention away from the prying eyes around her, Yuna consulted the acceptance letter on her duel disk once more, and found that she was supposed to complete her student registration at the faculty office.

Elsewhere, the news of the latest addition to GDS was buzzing around campus; the academy hadn't seen a transfer student in a very long time, so many were eager to learn more about who this new duelist could be.

"What kind of girl do you think she could be?" One was musing, with devious thoughts on her mind during study hall. "I hope she's cute~!"

"I wonder what kind of deck she has." Another was speculating eagerly.

Yet another was simply kicking back, grinning excitedly, knowing exactly who her new classmate was going to be. "She's coming tonight, Hotaru! Aren't you excited?"

"You miss her, huh Reiko? Yes, I'm excited, but please try to keep it down."

"You kiddin'? You might have only met us recently, Hotaru, but Yuna and I have been the best of friends since we were in diapers." Reiko stood up proudly, one foot up on her chair. "Yeah, it's only been a few months since we moved to GDS, but that's a few months too many to be away from my best friend! I'm so happy to have her back, I could sing!"

"Ahem!" The teacher cleared her throat sharply from her desk, silencing Reiko and the rest of the class instantly. "Ms. Ryugamine? If you're in the mood for singing, may I suggest you join the choir?" She allowed the rest of study hall a moment to laugh as Reiko sank awkwardly back into her seat. "In the meantime, please quiet down."

"S-sorry…" Reiko mumbled awkwardly.

"You're so hopeless…" Hotaru sighed.

"I feel so hopeless…" Yuna sighed, slumping back against a tree as she took a break from navigating the grounds of GDS. She was supposed to meet up with the head of her dorm after finalizing her student registration, but she ended up getting very lost in the academy's landscape; not only was she unable to find the right building out of the town that was GDS, but she wasn't even on the main campus anymore.

She had no idea how she managed this, but Yuna somehow had found herself lost in the woods, without any idea how to get back to the main campus, much less find her dorm. She checked the map on her duel disk, but little good a map did when she was stuck in the woods, which surrounded the entire academy grounds.

Yuna's thoughts were derailed as she heard a rustling nearby. In the corner of her eye, she saw movement; someone else was navigating the forest as well. Only, as Yuna observed, this one seemed to know exactly where she was going. So, eager for help, Yuna tailed her intently.

Unlike the other girls of GDS, this person wore a white kimono emblazoned with bright red autumn leaves, her obi gold with matching red autumn leaves. She had short, vivid blue hair, and she carried a wooden box under one arm, while the other carried what looked like a canvas.

"I wonder where she's going?" Yuna wondered, feeling like she was only following this girl even deeper into the woods. "Or, what she's doing…"

The kimono girl led Yuna into a small clearing, broken by a single tree standing taller than those around it, and, after finding the right place to sit, she unpacked the wooden box, which held an ink stone that bore four shallow wells, a number of different colored ink sticks, and a small bottle of water.

Yuna watched as the kimono girl poured a small amount of water into each of the four wells, and ground a different color ink for each one. Then, she produced a case of brushes from the box, and began painting an outline of the trees in black with a thin brush.

She stopped her work, and turned her head, grinning. She knew she was being watched, and motioned for Yuna to come join her as she returned to her work.

"Did you come out here to admire the autumn scenery as well?" She asked, her tone almost playful.

"Actually… I'm kind of lost." Yuna admitted sheepishly. "Do you know how to get back to the Academy from here?"

"Yes, but there's no need to be impatient." The blue-haired girl smiled. "Please, join me. It's been a long time since I've worked in the company of others."

Yuna kept her eyes on the canvas as the kimono girl continued to paint. Once she had finished making a simple outline of the woods, she replaced her brush with a clean one that she loaded with red ink, emulating the vivid red of the fall trees around her.

"This scenery is gorgeous, isn't it?" The girl said with a smile.

"It is." Yuna nodded.

"I've returned to exact spot twice before," The artist explained as she picked up a third brush, this one dipped into blue ink. "And each time I returned, I've found a new world to capture on my canvas; at the beginning of the year, I found a lush, green forest, with cherry trees vividly in full bloom, and when I returned, it was to find a lively gathering for the creatures of the wild to make their homes. Now, I look upon a land painted with the most brilliant of reds that seeks to settle down as it prepares for the coming winter."

Yuna watched as the artist, with quick and precise strokes of her brush, painted a group of little blue birds, capturing the ones that were gathering on the real trees' branches, adding a sense of contrast to the bright crimson leaves around them.

"What sort of land do you think I will find the next time I return?" The artist concluded as she put the finishing details on her painting. "One that's calm, silent, and sparse? Or, a snow-covered wonderland?" She looked up at Yuna. "Or, maybe one that I'd never even imagined?"

Yuna gasped as she looked into the eyes of the painter, recognizing her almost instantly: She had short blue hair, brilliant green eyes, and a matured, yet young face displaying kind elegance. This was the same woman in her academy acceptance message.

When Yuna was silent for a long period of time, she paused herself, coming to a realization, "Oh my, I've been so rude! I haven't even given you my name yet." She set down her brush, stood, and bowed politely. "My name is Kazumi Yuunagi. I'm very pleased to meet you, Ms…?"

"Uh, Y-Yuna." Yuna gave her own name. "Yuna Yozora."

"Ah." Kazumi smiled. "So you're our new transfer student, then." Yuna blushed as Kazumi drew closer to her, lightly caressing her cheek. "Welcome to your new home, Yuna. What do you think of it so far?"

"Ah…" Yuna muttered, lost for words. Her heart was hammering as Kazumi wrapped her arms around her shoulders, drawing herself even closer. "I-I really…" She fought to look away from Kazumi's gaze, feeling immobilized by simply making eye contact with her….

"Are you alright?" Kazumi asked, amused as she broke her physical contact with Yuna. "I'm sorry if I came off as… overly affectionate."

"I-it's alright..." Yuna smiled sheepishly. "Er, I was just… surprised, is all…" She backed away a step or two from Kazumi, though at the same time feeling a little guilty for doing so. Kazumi grinned, amused and adoring of the new transfer student.

"Um…" Yuna fidgeted. "I've been searching for the dorms. Could you please help me?"

"Absolutely." Kazumi nodded.

She gathered up her art supplies, and led Yuna out of the woods, back into the antique academy. Yuna could tell by the way she navigated the woods, that Kazumi had many years to accustom herself to the whole of GDS, undoubtedly knowing the entire academy's layout by heart.

"This is the way that you want to go." Kazumi spoke up as she led Yuna to the opposite end of the main school grounds, leading back into the woods. "Remember: It's past the church down this road." She indicated the dirt path that branched off from the brick road, passed a handsome marble-white church with a large, high bell tower that clearly towered over every other building on campus.

"There's no shame in being lost, you know." Kazumi grinned over her shoulder at Yuna as they walked back into the woods. "I remember when I first came to this academy, I was often late -sometimes even outright missing classes- and missing curfew regularly because I couldn't figure out where anything was around this school." She chuckled at such memories. "Oh, how mad the housemother would get…"

Yuna smiled as Kazumi led her to the dorm, all the while telling her stories about her early years at the academy. For a moment, Yuna almost felt as if she belonged perfectly here at this new school, like Kazumi was an old friend that she was conversing with.

A short walk through the woods later, Yuna spotted a gorgeous three-story white building with a royal blue roof that stood out beautifully among the bright red foliage. Surrounding the dormitory was a ten-foot concrete barrier, and, to Yuna's alarm, a metal gate that was already sliding shut.

"Oh no!" She squeaked, noticing only now that the sky was dyed a deep orange, the sun setting, and curfew very fast approaching.

"We'll make it." Kazumi smirked. With shocking agility, she dashed towards the slowly closing gate, Yuna struggling to keep up, and in a smooth motion, moved through the ever-closing gap.

Yuna, however, was not quite so lucky. Although she kept up with Kazumi relatively well, she almost crashed headlong into the gate as it slammed shut. She sighed as she backed away from the gate, feeling her day turning sour pretty quickly.

"Don't close just yet…!" Yuna heard a voice shout behind her. She turned around to see a tomboyish girl about her age sprinting to the dorm at full speed. She had a face that seemed upbeat almost all the time, with determined dark blue eyes, and identical dark blue hair in a short ponytail. A coat of sweat was visible in her face, obviously having been running for quite a long distance. "Just a few more minutes…!"

She came to a grinding halt as she realized that she was far too late. "Damn! Hate it when I get locked out…" She sighed, almost sounding like this was a minor inconvenience at the worst. "Guess I won't have to go the long, hard night alone though, eh?" She said teasingly to Yuna.

Yuna moaned, depressed. She knew this girl was only joking, but that somehow didn't make her feel any better…

"Say, I don't think I've ever seen you around here before." The tomboy commented. "Are you… Hey, wait! No way…! Yuna?!"

Yuna twirled around at the call of her name. She thought this tomboy looked familiar, but now, it was plain as day: "Reiko!" She said happily, jumping out to grab her long time best friend in a hug.

"Friend of yours?" Kazumi asked with a grin.

"Friend of yours?" Reiko returned, nodding to Kazumi.

"Er, yeah…" Yuna replied to both girls at once. "Uh, what do we do now that we're locked out, though?"

"I'll get the housemother." Kazumi said simply, about to turn to the door. "She'll understand, since…"

"Better idea." Reiko smirked. She took her school bag off her back, and hurled it over the gate, Kazumi catching it, but looking to Reiko curiously. Then, Reiko took a running jump, and climbed up the gate, sitting on top of it as she turned to Yuna expectedly.

"C'mon, it's no trouble, long as we get over before anyone notices that we're out here." Reiko called, offering a hand to help Yuna over.

Yuna, giving in, jumped to grab Reiko's hand. "Won't we be in serious trouble though?" She said, highly concerned.

"Don't worry!" Reiko assured her. "What the housemother doesn't know, won't hurt her!"

"And, what does the dorm mother not know, may I ask?"

Yuna's hand slipped out of Reiko's grip as her heart stopped, seeing what was unmistakably the housemother standing right outside the dormitory entrance with her arms crossed seriously, clearly disapproving of Reiko's actions.

"It's not even my first day, and I'm already in big trouble with the housemother!" Yuna felt like crying, she was so embarrassed about her current situation. She and Reiko were currently standing before the housemother's desk as she watched them glaringly.

"Yuna Yozora," She spoke. "I understand that you are a new student, and that you may have a difficult time navigating our school's grounds, but I want you to understand that there's a curfew in place for all students, and that you're to be on the inside of the gate not a second later than 7:00pm. I don't want to have to have this conversation with you again. Understood?"

"Y-yes ma'am!" Yuna squeaked.

"And Reiko Ryugamine," The housemother continued. "This is not the first time I've caught you missing curfew, nor is it the first time I've caught you jumping the gate."

"It is the first time that I'm late for a good reason, though…" Reiko said, but both she and Yuna flinched as the housemother slapped a ruler against her desk, making a loud, sharp snap.

"Regardless of your reasoning, you know better than to miss curfew better than anybody else living under my roof." She retorted. "Now, first thing tomorrow morning, I want you and Ms. Yozora to scrub the entire church from top to bottom, until…"

"Pardon the intrusion, Mother Tenma." Everyone had their eyes on the door as Kazumi intervened on the conversation. "I'm sorry to have disrupted your disciplinary discussion, but Ms. Ryugamine and Ms. Yozora are only late because of my actions. I required their assistance in a matter of the upmost importance, and so I request that I take any and all blame for their tardiness."

Mother Tenma appeared deeply annoyed by Kazumi's interruption, but despite that, she relented. "Very well." She sighed. "You two are dismissed." Reiko and Yuna sighed with relief as they began to walk away, but winced as Mother Tenma slapped the side of her desk with her ruler again.

"However!" She spoke up. "I do not wish to repeat this discussion. If this happens again, I will not be as merciful, even if Ms. Yuunagi is here to bail you out. Understood?"

"Yes, Mother Tenma!" Yuna and Reiko said in unison, bowing together before scurrying out of the housemother's office.

"Thank you, Kazumi." Yuna sighed a deep relief.

"Not at all, Yuna." Kazumi smiled lightly. She bent down slightly to land a kiss on Yuna's cheek, making the small girl blush bright red. Kazumi giggled at Yuna's reaction. "Now, be sure that you keep out of trouble~!" She said in a mock-stern voice resembling Mother Tenma's. "Senior dorms are on the second floor, by the way."

Reiko just watched Kazumi in perplexion as she walked away, not sure what to make of her. "So… something going on with her that I should know about?" She smirked, nudging Yuna's shoulder teasingly.

"Eh?!" Yuna blushed even more brightly. "N-no! I- we just met earlier today." She retold her encounter to Reiko as the two old friends ascended the stairs to the Senior rooms.

"Sounds like you've had quite a first day." Reiko said. "What room are you in? I might pay you a visit tonight~!"

Yuna checked her registry information on her duel disk, which stated she was assigned to: "Room 109."

As Reiko gripped the knob to her own room, she looked up to see the number 109 on the door. "Hey, how 'bout that?!" She laughed. "Y'know, Hotaru said something about me getting a new roommate soon…"

When she looked around her new room, Yuna could easily identify the bed in the back corner as Reiko's; cards had been strewn across the bed lazily, with only a single blanket thrown back on top. Yuna had never known Reiko to be the most tidy of individuals, and clearly GDS's dainty environment hadn't changed that about her whatsoever.

She was however pleased to see that her baggage had already been brought here, set next to the neatly-made, clearly unused bed.

"So, before you start unpacking," Reiko smirked as she closed the door, Yuna's heart leaping as she locked it with a low 'click'. "I think there's something we need to take care of." Reiko's smirk turned much wilder as she advanced on Yuna.

"Eh?" Yuna gasped. "R-Reiko? What are you…?"

"C'mere, you!" Reiko cackled as she pounced Yuna with devious intentions, wrestling her onto her new bed.

"Reiko! S-stop it!" Yuna squealed as she tried to resist her friend's actions. "What're you… Wha-ha-ha-ha…! St-stop!" She broke into involuntary laughter as Reiko began tickling her playfully.

"Let's get you out of those clothes first~!" Reiko said deviously, taking advantage of Yuna's moment of vulnerability to strip off her shirt and unbutton her skirt. Before Yuna could resist her again, Reiko went straight for her sides, and tickled her back into submission.

"N-no fai- hahahaa!" Yuna was gasping for breath as she was put into another bout of laughter, giving Reiko enough time to take off her skirt.

"Now…" Reiko continued enthusiastically, producing a long white measuring tape. "Let's get the measurements for your uniform."

"Eh?" Yuna snapped back to reality at these words. She'd been expecting something naughty with Reiko's wild actions...

"What?" Reiko shrugged. "We've gotta get your uniform measurements tonight if you wanna get your uniform in time for classes."

"R-Reiko! If that's all you were trying to do, you should have just said so!" she flustered, her face a very deep shade of pink.

"And what fun would that've been?" Reiko laughed. She had always taken amusement in embarrassing Yuna. "Yuna, you're always so cute when you get flustered!"

"Geez, Reiko…!" Yuna pouted as she stood, raising her arms for Reiko to take her measurements.

Already, she could tell that she was in for a very interesting school year.

To Be Continued….

I wasn't sure about rebooting this series at first, but after finding so much enjoyment in reimagining Yuna's arrival at GDS and envisioning the academy through her eyes, I decided to start over fresh, and with a much more clear vision this time around, I hope to have more fun times ahead in this run.

I've always enjoyed all-girl Yuri school anime, especially Strawberry Panic, and I've wanted to make one set in the GX universe for a long time, but after Arc-V came out, I saw so many more creative possibilities, and here we go!

Oh, and in case anyone's wondering, this series is meant to take place after the events of Arc-V, so be prepared to see a few familiar faces as time goes by ;D

Next time, Yuna's first day of classes at GDS will take place, and she'll learn firsthand the art of the Action Duel!

See you then! And Happy Valentine's Day!