Imperiled Future
by Matt Morwell
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IMPORTANT
: This story is the sequel to Intertwined Fates. If you want to read this story and haven't read its predecessor first, please do so, as you are not going to be able to follow what happens here otherwise.Author's Notes: I told you I was going to write a sequel, didn't I? We're picking up exactly where we left off: Jade has interrupted Kyle and Monica's outing in order to issue a challenge to Kyle for his two pieces of the Gate Guardian set... but she only wants to stake one of her own two pieces in return.
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"One card against two? Why not both Brothers?"
"Because if I win Suijin, then Guardian is useless to you," Jade answered. "If all the Brothers are in my deck, what possible use could you have for their combined form card?"
"Chosen One. Reasoning," Kyle answered, in reference to magic cards capable of summoning monsters without the need for tribute.
Jade frowned. "Those are dirty tricks. You asked what my stakes were and I told you. Now you're just wasting my time. Do you accept my challenge, or are you going to run?"
She crossed her arms, waiting for Kyle's answer.
--
Kyle McCraine took in a deep breath, blew half of it out his nose, then made his decision.
"I accept."
Jade smirked triumphantly at him. "Of course you do."
"Drop the smug act, Jade. I'm not buying it. I want a serious duel from you. But I think I can count on that." Kyle headed for his motorcycle.
"If I didn't know better, I'd think I touched a nerve," she said, shrugging. "But at least you know I'll never duel half-heartedly."
Kyle brought his motorcycle around to the curb and pulled up next to her. "Coming in your own way, or shall I take you there?"
She climbed on behind him. "Well, since you're offering. Are you sure your girlfriend won't object?"
He ignored the word girlfriend. "She's got her own transportation. She thinks her chances of surviving an accident are better when she's got an enclosed cabin, a seat belt, and an air bag."
Jade laughed. "Ah, the conservative type. You poor thing."
"I hope you're not planning to patronize me like this when we get on the platform." Kyle wrenched the handle and made for the downtown duelist center.
"I won't," she answered over the roar of the machine beneath them. "You're in a bad mood tonight; usually you don't mind the verbal sparring."
"Oh, I wonder why," he scoffed. "Maybe it had something to do with a certain duelist following me to a formal dance I didn't even want to attend."
"Hey," she snapped, sounding annoyed, "don't blame me for the fact that you got dragged there."
"I don't, I blame you for the fact that you're so blindly obsessed, you couldn't wait to challenge me until after I got home."
She didn't respond to that for a moment. "You really think the worst of me?"
He chewed the inside of his cheek momentarily, then shook his head. "No... not the worst. But you haven't given me much reason to think the best of you, especially not tonight. The last time I was at a dance, I didn't have a good time at all. Monica wanted to change that perception. So seeing her walk off like that... well... it didn't exactly do much for me."
"She'll get over it," Jade said with certainty.
"It's not her I'm worried about," he answered. "It's her and me, at the same time."
"If it's any consolation, I do know what you mean. And I'm saying again, she'll get over it. She's not a fool; what she saw was just that: what she saw, not what was. Anyway, you're not going to be this distracted for our rematch, are you?"
Kyle snorted in response and made a left turn. The duelist center loomed ahead. "If you really think, after seeing me duel, that that's going to be a problem, then you may as well just take Suijin and Gate Guardian right now."
She tightened her arms around his middle. "Well, that would save us a lot of trouble, wouldn't it? Are you offering?"
He couldn't help but shudder slightly at her touch. Despite her cocky act back at the auditorium, he knew he found her quite attractive. "It would save us the trouble, but I'm afraid you're not going to get them without a fight. Sorry."
"It's all right," she responded, as though his repsonse had been hard for him.
He rolled his eyes as he pulled into a parking space right next to the building. There was hardly anyone there this time of night, save the custodians performing maintenance – also known as mopping the floor – and the receptionist chewing bubble gum.
They must have made an odd pair, she in her red dress and he in his suit. Jade handed the receptionist some money, though where she had pulled it from was dubious. The receptionist looked up at them and offered a small smile. "I remember you two were in here not so long ago. This wouldn't exactly be my idea of a fancy restaurant, but... whatever floats your boat."
Kyle caught the reference, and his ears turned slightly pink, but he said nothing otherwise.
Jade, who had already started to walk down the hall to the large rooms where the duel platforms were, laughed at the remark. The sound echoed.
Kyle snapped on his ID bracelet as he made after her. He called out, "Why pay for me? Last time I tried paying for you and you wouldn't have it."
"Because," Jade said, "I didn't want you to pay for me."
He made it to her side and matched her pace. "Why?"
"It's just the way I am, Kyle. Quit reading so deeply into it."
He sighed. "There's no getting answers out of you, so I'll stop asking. Choose your station."
Jade, again, picked the blue station. Her deck was strapped in a sort of carrying case on her thigh, rather like a holster. At his look, she shrugged. "I hate purses."
He also shrugged as he made his way to the red station. "Like the woman said, whatever floats your boat. I should think about getting one of those, actually... more easily accessible."
She smiled at him, while her deck went through the shuffler. "I challenged again, so it looks like you get to pick your start."
He slipped his deck into the shuffler. "I'll go second."
Jade drew her opening hand and regarded it. "I play one magic/trap card face-down, and then a monster in defense. Your move."
Kyle perused his opening hand. "I place two magic/trap cards face-down and then activate Swords of Revealing Light."
Jade made a face. "Tell me you're not running scared on the first hand."
"Just assessing my options early on, is all," he answered blandly. He placed his Swords card on the field; the weapons of pure light stabbed down across Jade's field, revealing and paralyzing her monster. Jade's Ancient Elf (1450/1200) was revealed, pinned down.
"That ends my turn," Kyle said, crossing his arms.
Jade drew and looked her hand over for several moments. "I'll end my turn without playing a card," she finally stated.
Kyle raised an eyebrow, but said nothing as he drew his next card. "I place another card face-down and finish my turn there."
"I draw... and I'll switch my Elf to attack mode, equip him with a Book of Secret Arts, for another 300 attack and defense points. End turn."
"Great," Kyle muttered as he drew. "I play one monster face-down. Your move."
"I'll play another card face-down, end turn."
Kyle's Swords of Revealing Light vanished from Jade's field, thus freeing up her miffed-looking Ancient Elf. He drew, then made his choice. "I sacrifice my face-down Neo the Magic Swordsman (1700/1000) to place another monster face-down. End turn."
"Hm," Jade said. "Now what do I know of in your deck that has a good defense? Can't be Suijin because there was only one sacrifice. So it's either a high-defense monster or an effect monster." She smiled. "My turn; I draw. And I think I'll have my Elf attack that face-down of yours."
Kyle raised an eyebrow. "As you wish. Reveal Total Defense Shogun (1550/2500). You were thinking high defense or effect, and you got both. Little bonus for you. Hope you enjoy."
Jade smiled. "Surprise, surprise." The Ancient Elf was repelled, and Jade's LP scrolled down to 3250 for the failed attack.
"End turn," she said cheerfully.
Kyle sighed as he drew. The cheer in Jade's voice didn't exactly boost his confidence. "I place one magic/trap card face-down and a monster in defense mode. Back to you."
"I play Dark Hole," she announced as soon as she drew.
He rolled his eyes, but nevertheless discarded his monsters as the flashy holograms vanished from the field. "Nice."
She grinned. "And another monster face down. Your turn!"
He drew. Nothing to attack with? "I place one magic/trap card face-down. End turn."
His m/t field was now entirely covered with face-down cards, an effect he hoped was not lost on his opponent. And indeed, Jade was eyeing the fully lit back row of the holographic field. "Taking quite a chance, aren't you?"
Kyle shrugged. "Long as they're face-down, you won't know until and unless you try to attack."
"And if I draw a Feather Duster, or a Giant Trunade, or a Heavy Storm... you're screwed," she reminded him. "End turn."
"You're assuming I have no way of countering any of those," he smirked, drawing his next card. "One monster face-down, and end turn."
"I play Graceful Charity," she said.
"Yay," he mumbled.
"Hmmm... and I discard Mirror Wall and Invitation to a Dark Sleep." She put the two announced cards in her graveyard. "Then I play another monster face-down, and end my turn."
Kyle noted the cards she'd discarded. "Something tells me you're not overly worried I'll attack."
"Attack? You've been defending the whole game. If I'm supposed to be feeling threatened, you've got a lot more work to do."
He drew and shrugged. "Best to be prepared both ways. In any case, I place one monster face-down and end my turn."
Her move was quick. "I draw, and flip my Magician of Faith (300/400) to attack mode. I'll use her effect to bring back my Graceful Charity card."
"Once again, yay."
"This time, I'll discard Fairy's Gift, and Mystical Elf."
"Keep using that move and you're going to run yourself low on good cards pretty quickly," he commented.
"It gets me exactly what I need," she informed him. "I play Dian Keto the Cure Master, for another 1000 Life Points. Then I'll play Soul of the Pure, for another 800."
He nodded in acknowledgment, even as her Life Points soared from 3250 to 5050.
"End of my turn," she announced, again rather happily.
He eyed Jade warily. She wasn't being cheerful for no good reason; she most definitely had a plan. "Okay... I flip Aqua Madoor (1200/2000) into attack mode. Madoor, attack her Magician of Faith!"
The petite sorceress disappeared underneath a tidal wave conjured by his monster, and Jade's Life Points descended to 4150.
"I doubt if you're concerned yet," he stated, "but maybe you'll reconsider your plan of attack now that I've revealed I've got one. Your move."
"And I'll play one card face down. End of my turn."
Kyle drew. "I place one monster face-down, and then have Madoor attack your face-down monster."
Jade's monster appeared, a young woman with a fiery orb. "My Fire Sorceress (1000/1500) is not destroyed."
Kyle's Life Points dropped to 3700; as they did so, he considered noting that the proper name of the card was Fire Sorcerer, but then decided against it. It was Jade's card, she could call it what she wanted. He shrugged. "At least I know what it is now. That'll be all for me."
"My turn, I draw." Then, after a moment, "End turn."
Kyle drew his next card. "I end my turn."
Jade drew. "I equip my Fire Sorceress with Buster Rancher, and then end my turn."
Kyle frowned. That card amplifies attack power, but only when the monster equipped with it is battling monsters with an attack or defense power above 2500. "What good will that do?" he asked, as a massive weapon more suited for a space ranger was mounted on Jade's monster. "I don't have any monsters out with the kind of attack or defense power that thing needs in order to fire."
She smiled cryptically. "You'll see."
"I suppose I will, at that." Kyle drew. "I'll end my turn without playing a card."
"I draw." Jade blinked at her next card and smiled. "And I'll play Soul Exchange on your face-down."
Kyle groaned. "I really wish you wouldn't. I like Kiseitai (300/800)." The worm-like creature squealed as it was struck with the effect of Soul Exchange.
Jade winced at the sound. "Ew. Too bad. I sacrifice it and my Sorceress for Cosmo Queen (2900/2450)."
"And the party begins," Kyle said, rubbing hands together eagerly at the sight of Jade's massive Duel Monster. He felt no flame of fear licking him... only a feeling that he was being challenged to take the creature down. A challenge he was eager to meet.
"Unfortunately, due to Soul Exchange's less than appealing effect, I'll have to end my turn without attacking," she sighed, crossing her arms in disgust.
Kyle drew his next card and let out a small grunt of satisfaction. "Good thing you used Soul Exchange. I might've been screwed if you'd sacrificed one of your own monsters. As it is, I suppose now we'll get to have a little monster rematch on our hands. But I should stop talking and just come out with it. So here it is. I sacrifice Aqua Madoor and my face-down Wall of Illusion (1000/1850) to bring out Suijin (2500/2400)!"
Jade didn't bother to disguise the hungry look in her eye at the sight of the Labyrinth Brother as it flowed onto the field.
"If you'd like to attack him, be my guest," Kyle scoffed. "As for me, I'm going to hold off. End turn."
"Actually, I had something else in mind," Jade replied matter-of-factly. "I play Change of Heart!"
"I'm ready for that one," Kyle said. "Activate Magic Jammer!" He discarded his Luminous Spark field card to accommodate the cost of using his trap.
Jade nodded, unperturbed. "Thank you! End turn."
He snorted. "I place one monster face-down. That ends my turn."
Jade drew. "Hm. A standoff so far. End turn," she said, discarding from her hand to keep to the card limit.
He raised an eyebrow as he drew his next card. "I'll end my turn here," he announced.
"I draw. Wonder who'll get their wanted card first?"
He kept his mouth shut. She grinned. "No comment? Odd. End turn."
Kyle was silent in his next draw. "I place another monster face-down and end my turn."
"I draw, and also play a monster face-down. End turn."
He scanned his hand for several moments, and looked up at Jade. "Maybe the fairy-tale ending can still happen."
She raised an eyebrow at him. "Really." It wasn't a question... it was more like a challenge.
"Well... for me, at any rate. Happily ever after and all that." He took a deep breath, and then placed a card in his one open magic/trap slot. "I play Heavy Storm."
Jade blinked, but put all her set cards into the graveyard. "Interesting move."
He smiled sorrowfully at his set cards and briefly flashed them at Jade: Trap Hole, Regulation of Tribe, Negate Attack, and Reverse Trap. Her own were revealed to be Waboku, Enchanted Javelin, and also a Regulation of Tribe; but with the activation of his Heavy Storm card, lightning obliterated all seven cards.
He took another deep breath, and this time expelled half of it. "Now I play Raigeki."
"No!" It was out of her mouth before she could stop it, but the lightning was unheeding, taking away her Cosmo Queen and her Witch of the Black Forest (1100/1200). She glared at him as she thumbed through her deck, per Witch's effect.
He waited patiently for her to select her card. Her selection was swift.
The look on his face was almost regretful. Almost. Even as persistent as her drive is to get the Gate Guardian set, she has to earn it first. And she won't earn it now. "Sorry, Jade. I sacrifice my face-down Magician of Faith (300/400) and Kotodama (0/1600) to play Tri-Horned Dragon (2850/2350) in attack mode."
His Tri-Horned Dragon appeared next to Suijin, all claws and teeth and bursts of flame.
Jade had lost. They both knew it.
"You may want to hold on to something. Tri-Horned Dragon, attack her Life Points."
Tri-Horned Dragon stomped across the field and swiped its claws at the base of Jade's platform; it bucked, simulating the devastating attack, but she stoically stood through it as her Life Points descended to 1300.
"Suijin... attack."
The Labyrinth Brother's tidal wave was next, washing up against the base of the pedestal and causing it to again jump under the simulated stress.
And her Life Point counters scrolled down to zero.
She bit the inside of her cheek and very stiffly set the cards in her hand down on her field. A Maha Vailo (1550/1400), a pair of Malevolent Nuzzlers, an Axe of Despair, and Megamorph.
Kyle scanned the cards she'd put down and nodded grimly. Four equip cards, and a monster whose attack increases with every equipment on it... if she'd lasted to next turn, she'd have had a monster with an attack power of 7400. Even Tri-Horned Dragon would have been made mince-meat... and my Life Points along with it. He knew not to underestimate her.
He removed his cards from the field and graveyard and pulled the remainder of his deck out of the auto-shuffler, then lowered his dueling station to ground level and waited for Jade.
Jade collected her cards, then touched the button to lower her own platform. As she walked towards him, he saw that she had Sanga and Kazejin in her hand. He blinked at her.
"Since you never specified which one you wanted if you won," she said tersely, answering the unasked question.
He cocked his head. "Kazejin is your card. You earned it. I won't take that from you. Sanga's the one I want."
Some of the tension seemed to drain out of her, and Jade held out Sanga to him, holding his gaze. Her voice was strong, her tone firm and sure. "I'll still have the Gate Guardian in the end."
He took the card back, but didn't break the gaze. "I want you to stop chasing me, Jade."
"Why?"
"Because you'd have me duel night and day for rights to the Brothers. Dueling isn't my life," he answered. "And neither are the Labyrinth Brothers... contrary to popular belief."
"Well, maybe they're mine right now. And you either duel, or you don't. It's not something you can turn off and on. So long as you're a duelist, I'll be keeping my eye on you." She slipped Kazejin back into her deck and put it away.
He gave her a look of equal parts desperation and exasperation. "What's your problem, Jade? Ever since I won Sanga, you've treated me like a bullseye. Are you just looking to take me down? Am I intruding so blatantly into your 'private domain'?"
"In a word? Yes," she snapped. "I hope this is your fairy-tale ending." She turned to leave, pulling off the ID bracelet as she went.
"Jade!" he barked, moving after her.
She stopped stiff in her tracks. "What?"
He stepped forward, and had to repress an instinct to reach out and touch her, lest the hand that did so be removed quite violently from his arm. "I'm not trying to ruin everything for you. If I'd realized what I was getting into by betting on Sanga, I wouldn't have dueled Zack in the first place. I don't want to be your enemy... but you sure as hell don't seem to want to be my friend."
He saw her jaw shifting to one side before she moved off again, striding briskly down the entrance hall. Even her dress seemed to exude anger; for a moment, he entertained the imagination that its color was harsher, its rippling... angry. "Just you wait, Kyle, until you have something that you'll push everything else aside for. Something you want so badly, it'll dictate every single thing you do. You don't have something like that yet, so you have no idea. I do." She turned around and gave him a glare. "So until you do, don't you dare judge me."
"I haven't passed judgment on you. And if I came off as otherwise, I'm sorry," he said. "But... we don't have to keep fighting each other like this."
She tossed the ID bracelet in the trash can by the door. "Why don't you go home, Kyle. It's getting late. Call your girlfriend or something. I'm going home."
He bowed his head. Even though he'd won the duel, he still felt as though he'd lost something.
"Sleep well," he muttered.
He paced over to the receptionist's desk. The poor woman was looking half-asleep by this point, but when she saw the well-dressed gentleman, her eyes popped open to full alertness. "Well, hello there! How was it?"
"It was fine," he mumbled.
The receptionist scanned his face. "She won again, huh?"
For several moments, nothing was said. Then Kyle reached into his back pocket and pulled out his wallet.
He tossed one duelist's admission fee on the desk.
She blinked at it. "Gonna go back in there, are you?"
He shook his head. "Nah... tip."
Her eyes grew as wide as saucers. "Tip...?" she squeaked.
"Tip," he nodded. "Treat yourself to ice cream. See a movie. Play mini-golf. Drive a go-cart."
Before she could even find her voice again, he was already out the door.
