Takeru can hear his feet hit the pavement as he races across Den City, his heart beating rapidly in his chest. Ever since the incident time has stopped for him but now it feels as if it's moving quickly. As if he might run out of time.
Kiku, he thinks. Don't worry, I'm coming.
The snow-white, red-flame-hair young man knows that Kiku can take care of herself, even when those jerks took her back her home to lure him out if they messed with her any more besides taking her phone then she could have had them on their butts, he's just thankful it never went that far.
His mind races as he replays everything that has happened in just a few short moments. His grandparents have come to visit him, check-up on how he is and how he is doing. Normally they do this over the phone, but he figures that they missed him a lot that they wanted to see him in person - not that he minds, he misses them too.
Then when sat down for dinner and as he was asking how things are back home, how Kiku was, his grandparents fell silent and looked at each other before explaining things to him.
Kiku arrives at the Homura's home as she does everyday after school, keeping her promise to Takeru. She practices martial arts with Mr. Hormura - she's advanced passed Takeru as a yellow belt - before having afternoon tea with Mrs. Hormura with the sides varying everyday from cookies to fruit.
It was normal. Until it wasn't.
The lights go out for a few seconds before turning back on, the trio staring at each other in confusion all coming to the same thought that it must have been some sort of accident before a huge yellow monster made of electricity appears after the short power outage and wraps it's hand around Kiku, send a little spark her way to quiet her. Stating that if they want to see her again then they will have to get Playmaker, Soulburner, or Blue Maiden to come and find him.
Unknown to his grandparents, Takeru is Soulburner and he is not going to let anything happen to her.
"Takeru." Flame says from his duel disk. "You need to calm down."
"Kiku. . . . help. . . ." Takeru says to his originator.
"I know you want to help her. You forget I found you when you were around her, and how you feel about her. Trust me, I know. But going after lightning with no plan is no way to help her."
Takeru has no idea on how to tell Flame how he is feeling right now. Kiku has been his friend for nearly his whole life, ever since he started school after living with his grandparents. She's been there to help him with all of their homework and the assignments he doesn't understand, until they got to high school and Takeru (despite liking Kiku having helped him in the past) didn't want it anymore and just started skipping classes.
"Takeru, I'm asking you to please think this through. Think how much more hurt you'll be if you can't save her and Lightning takes control of her.
"Flame, I have an idea." Takeru finally says. Before Flame can ask what it is shouts his linking into Vrains.
Oh no. Flame thinks as Takeru transforms into Soulburner.
Inside VRAINS, Soulburner appears on his duel board in the center of Cyberse, all the words are quiet, the tower standing in the middle as a peaceful monument between them. Takeru looks at all the worlds, wondering where Lightning might be. He could be in Windy's or his own. Then again with Earth gone he might also be there. Ai hasn't been to his in a while, so Lightning could be there as well or he could be in Flames.
All those thoughts don't sit well with Takeru.
The final option is that Lightning is running around in Link Vrains.
Takeru grits his teeth, trying to figure out where Lightning might be. There is a total of eight places he might be in here: In one of his fellow Ignis's worlds, Cyberse Tower, or inside Vrains.
"Where could he be?" Takeru wonders aloud trying to figure out where Lightning is hiding; he has one-eighth of a chance of getting it right. Takeru then makes the decision of going to the tower, he may be wrong but he knows that Lightning is also willing to hunt him down.
Up in the highest point of the tower there is a small room. In the room a young teen girl with black hair in a braid over her left shoulder with her bangs parting to the right. She's in a black and white school uniform, laying under a blanket on a bed with a small yellow figure watching over her.
"Don't worry dear, he will join you soon enough." Lightning tells the unconscious of the girl. He has seen Flames memories, especially when Flame found his Lost Child. This girl was always around the punk-looking child. She appears to be a constant and peacemaker for him, for when she was around this Takeru kid smiles and is much more gentler whereas he is a little more serious when she is gone.
And now that he has the one person who can calm him down, a burning rage will rise within Soulburner and that will be his undoing.
BEEP.
The sound brings Lightning out of his thoughts as he receives a notification. Jin's originator press a button that opens a small screen that shows that Soulburner is within the tower. "Excellent." Lightning states. "Now that our friend has arrived, I must be leaving my dear."
Lightning leaves the room inside the tower and goes to greet Takeru
Just as expected Lightning finds Takeru wondering around the tower, Flame trying to inform him about how parts of it came to be. Lightning can appear behind, in front of, on the left or right side of Takeru. He chooses to appear in front but not before having some fun by adding a little wind to make Soulburner look behind him.
"It's about time you got here." Lightning greets his fellow Ignis and the Lost Child.
"I got your message, now where is Kiku?"
"Is that her name? Doesn't matter she's won't be joining us, but if you want some reassurance," Lightning makes a screen appear that shows the sleeping Kiku. "See? She's fine but she may not be much longer."
Takeru clenches his teeth and has to bite his tongue to not let his emotions get the better of him. "What did you do to her?" He slowly grits out.
"I haven't done anything, the excitement was just too much for her to handle she passed out. Of course, this is also just her conscious as well. Now I have a preposition for you: We duel, I win I get your conscious as well if not then you can have your girlfriend back."
"If I will only accept your conditions on the grounds that if I happen to lose, you can have my conscious just as long as you let Kiku's go."
Lightning takes a moment to "ponder" this request before agreeing. Internally, Lightning smirks as he thinks about the deal he made with the girl shortly after taking her: Keeping her mind just as long as nothing happens to Soulburner, Playmaker or Blue Maiden (mostly Soulburner). He agreed, but if he wins this duel then he can have three mindless zombies for his control out in the real world. Kiku will have no idea and the one way to break her spirit is to tell her that the new savior trio of VRAINS hasn't come for her and that her old friend is just going about his new life without her; while the one way to break Soulburner's is to get a fake footage of Kiku being mad at him for not doing his best. Neither will get the strength to try and fight their way back.
Flame can go crying to Ai and Aqua all he wants, it does not change the fact that his Lost Child will be permanently lost this time.
"Do we have an agreement?" Soulburner asks.
"I accept your terms."
Both parties ready their decks and disks. "Duel!" They say in unison, both more than determined to win this duel.