Next chapter is up xP Here I'm introducing another character - the one and only Kamishiro Ryoga! I'm starting to think of more continuation ideas for this story, so I should be updating again fairly soon. Thank you to everyone who's reviewed/favorited/followed this story so far :D

I also have other stories ongoing, which I will be posting fairly soon ~

Anticipation

At fourteen, Kamishiro Ryoga felt like he knew everything about anything. He stood tall and proud; his hair was purple and fell to halfway down his neck; it curled slightly near the ends. His eyes were a deep blue, somber and emotionless. He was famous for his participation in various prestigious dueling tournaments. For that, Ryoga, or Shark, his popular nickname due to his love of water attributed monsters, was admired by many from afar.

However, he also had a reputation for being a loner; a tough and cynical guy who barely spoke or showed much emotion at all; the guy who hung out with the wrong kind of crowds. He would drive his motor-wheel to darker alleys, hanging out at broken down and abandoned game shops with tougher and older guys. He was a bit of a mystery – closed off to the world around him. He was most alive when he dueled, calling attacks, pulling off spectacular combinations and destroying his opponents – often, he took their decks as part of his own personal anti-rule. Shark didn't seem to care as he did it.

But, deep down inside, Shark was as human as anyone else. He had suffered dearly; he dueled with a passion that had once been fuelled by pleasure, but was now tainted by the hatred and the pain from his past. Shark hid it well behind a mask of indifference, his often vicious words being used to conceal the pain he truly felt. He didn't feel joy in hurting others, but it was all he could do anymore – the happy people were annoying. Shark would never admit it, but he was in fact insanely jealous of anyone like that.

Speaking of annoying people who were always happy…there was one difference about today that Shark noticed immediately – the distinct lack of kattobingu being sounded by one Tsukumo Yuuma. A year younger than Shark, Yuuma was not someone Shark knew well, but it was impossible not to notice him with the way he was always taking insane risks, yelling his silly catchphrase; being a general loud and obnoxious idiot. Everyone in the school had at least heard of Yuuma's antics – trying to jump twenty boxes in gym class every time, trying to swim across the whole pool underwater, nearly drowning himself every day in the process, and most of all, his insistence on becoming the best duelist in the world even though he had never actually won a single duel in his life.

Usually, Yuuma had an insane amount of energy and pep. Though today, Shark had seen Yuuma a few times in the hallways – he looked a bit distant, lost in thought. Yuuma had baggy eyes, he looked tired. Too distracted to focus, he'd almost tripped over his own feet several times, knocking shoulders with people as he made his way through the halls. Shark couldn't help but ponder for a moment over what could possibly be so draining to Yuuma's normally infinite drive and excitement.

Once the day's lessons were over, Shark was passing by the classroom when he happened to overhear the discussion between Yuuma and his two friends. Shark stopped nearby, pausing to listen. He was well aware of the entire situation with the comatose duelists, and unlike most other people, he knew what had caused it. It was those newly discovered and extremely powerful cards – the Numbers.

Shark had heard many rumors about a strange group of people called "Numbers Hunters". They were trouble – infamous for being seemingly invincible due to their Numbers collection, ruthless, and never leaving anyone to tell the tale of their meeting. Shark had darkly chuckled at that – then where would the rumors come from, if no one was left to share the experience?

And now Tsukumo Yuuma wanted to get involved in that? There was no way he could. Not only was he a mediocre duelist at best, but he was not the kind of person who would be normally attracted by the Numbers cards. They were powerful cards, giving the owners a rush that was supposedly unlike any other – Numbers users felt they could conquer the world. Shark knew this to be true – a few members of the gang he hung out with had Numbers cards. They had enough power to prick Shark's curiosity – he wanted to get himself a Numbers card, despite the so-called "risks" presented by the Numbers Hunters.

Tsukumo Yuuma, who had somehow found his energy again, bolted out the classroom door. He didn't even notice Shark as he ran past, followed closely by his friends, frantically trying to catch him and stop him from getting into trouble.

'It must be exhausting to be friends with that guy…' Shark mused silently. He put his hands in his pockets, and continued on his way, putting Tsukumo Yuuma to the back of his mind once more – he had more important things to worry about. Like finding a duelist with a Numbers card – and beating him.

xxxxx

Yuuma ran through the hallways, dodging the stray student or teacher, heading straight for the main exit. Hot on his heels were Tetsuo and Kotori. He ignored their calls for him to stop.

The image of the strange duelist from the previous night was in his mind's eye. He needed to find that person again, and confront him or her about what they were doing. Maybe he'd be able to convince them not to use Duel Monsters as a means to hurt (or kill) people. It just wasn't right. 'I could even duel them…I'll do kattobingu for sure!' He thought in excitement, picking up his already quick pace.

If Yuuma dueled the mystery guy, he'd make a connection with them. He could never forget how he had made his connection with Tetsuo through duels. He'd challenged Tetsuo every day he saw him, asking over and over until Tetsuo would accept. They'd duel, and Yuuma would always lose. Tetsuo would often taunt him for his lack of skill and how his own moves were far superior, but no matter what Tetsuo ever said, Yuuma would get back up and ask for a rematch immediately. The cycle would repeat itself, and every time they dueled, Yuuma could feel their bond growing – it grew to the point where the pair became best friends. Maybe he could do the same for this mystery duelist? He'd teach that guy the true meaning of dueling, and he'd get to know more about them as a bonus.

He reached the main entrance, descending the stairs quickly and rushed down towards the road. Yuuma moved so quickly that he almost didn't see the incoming single wheeled maroon motorbike speeding towards him. Yuuma yelped, jumping aside just in time for the bike to pass him. The driver spun the bike, skidding to a halt to look back at Yuuma. Yuuma recognized the driver to be Kamishiro Ryoga – Shark.

"Ah…Shark! Sorry about that!" Yuuma said, looking the other boy in the eye and smiling awkwardly. Shark simply stared at Yuuma, not showing a single hint of emotion. The two locked gazes for what seemed like an eternity before a voice cut through the silence.

"Yuuma are you alright?" Kotori asked, running up behind him – Tetsuo wasn't far behind. Yuuma blinked, suddenly remembering what had just happened.

"Yeah I'm fine." He said, turning to his concerned friends, but quickly turned back to face the bike as he heard Shark rev up the engine. Yuuma watched Shark drive off, wondering what he was rushing off to. His thoughts were interrupted by Kotori grabbing his ear.

"Ow, ow, ow, Kotori it hurts, stop it!" Yuuma cried in pain, but Kotori didn't let him go.

"That's what you get for taking off like that! Don't be so reckless! Come on, we're going home." She proceeded to drag Yuuma off in the direction of his house, Tetsuo following and Yuuma continually complaining the whole way.

xxxxxxxxx

Miles away, in the Heartland tower, Kaito Tenjo lay on a stretcher in the medical ward. His shirt was off and IV tubes were injected on his chest and arms. A few feet away, Orbital 7 was punching frantically at the keypads on the computer nearby with its' many wired 'fingers'. Kaito lay still, allowing the various syringes of photons stream through his veins, giving him the energy he needed to continue his hunt.

And he definitely needed it now - Haruto had recently taken a turn for the worst. He was thinner, his already meager amount of energy depleting even further; and the most annoying part was that Mr. Heartland continued to dismiss all of these evident issues. Even his own father, , refused to step in. He left his two sons to Mr. Heartland while he hid himself in his laboratory and never spoke a word directly do either Kaito or Haruto.

Kaito disliked his father immensely. He didn't trust Heartland either – he merely cooperated with both because he understood that Haruto's life - and to a lesser extent, his own - were in their hands. Heartland would not let them go either - not until the Numbers were all gathered...and the Original eliminated.

A pair of mismatched eyes flashed through his head, making him tense almost in anticipation. If there was any duelist out there who could challenge him, it was Astral - the only duelist who had ever forced a draw out of him...it was far too close to annihilation for Kaito's comfort.

Of course, their entire meeting had been pre-determined by external forces - both were hunters seeking the same game. It was only a matter of time before the two top players met in a clash over each other's Numbers. And both had been proud - each having countless victories and not a single loss under their belts. It was part of their reputation to win.

Although Kaito knew the Original was a winner, it was one of the few traits about Astral on which he had been correct. He had pictured the emissary to be tough and cold; ruthless and above all things, inhuman. This was a being from another world after all.

But in that regard, Astral stunned him by displaying very human-like feelings. When he had first met Astral in an alleyway in Heartland City, he'd been dressed in black from head to toe - Astral had looked like just another human, though because Orbital 7's sensors had determined Astral to be more than what he appeared to be, Kaito had known immediately who Astral really was.

If he hadn't let off that blue-white glow as they dueled, or been discovered by Orbital 7, Kaito would have assumed Astral was human - he behaved like one too. Kaito had seen the fear flashing across his eyes when the tables turned, Kaito pushing against his own advances and almost cornering him. Kaito was sure this expression of shock and terror had been mirrored on his own face as Astral had forced himself out of the tough spot - he ended up pushing Kaito back so hard that Kaito had lost all hope of winning.

Thankfully, Kaito had managed to hold Astral's attack back enough to end the duel as a draw. In both duelists eyes, a draw was not a victory - there was no prize. Astral and Kaito had stayed in the alleyway, staring at each other, both exhausted from dueling as the AR space around dissolved. Kaito could not help but ask.

"Why do you hunt Numbers?" Somehow there was a part of him that needed to know. Astral had answered, to his surprise. The blue-glow seeped back into his body, signalling the end of the duel.

"They are my pieces of memory." Astral had said simply. Kaito had been surprised by the response. Mr. Heartland had told him the Original was an evil creature that was sent to destroy humanity, and yet Astral did not seem that type of being. Unless this was all a trick - Kaito had learnt during their duel that there was more to Astral than what met the eye.

"And why do you hunt Numbers?" Astral had then asked Kaito. He'd smirked.

"My reasons are my own...just know that you will never get them as long as I hunt." Kaito had replied, before ordering Orbital 7 to carry him off into the night sky. His photon level had been drained too far to challenge the Original again. Astral had let him go - perhaps he'd been tired as well. Kaito didn't know.

He closed his eyes as the machine began to wear down - he'd absorbed enough photon energy for now. He sat up, swinging his legs over the edge to face Orbital 7, who rushed up to him.

"Kaito-sama, you are working too hard! Perhaps we could take a night off from the hunt toni-" Orbital stopped when he was leveled with Kaito's glare.

"We are hunting tonight." Kaito said firmly, pulling on his shirt and standing. He could not afford another night off, no matter how tired he felt. Astral would not wait and neither would Haruto. And he absolutely could not let Astral beat him - Haruto's health depended on it.

"We're going." Kaito said, exiting the room as he spoke. "He can't hunt in the daytime without raising alarms – I will be taking advantage of this opportunity while it lasts."

"U-understood!" Orbital chirped, rolling as fast as it could behind Kaito as he walked down the hallways of Heartland Tower. Kaito walked with his head high, already predicting the number of opponents he would face and the Numbers he would collect. He had no time to waste. Astral would not wait for him. He had to beat the Original at his own game before he was beaten himself. Next time the two faced each other, Kaito would be strong enough to beat him and get rid of his biggest competition.

Kaito turned at a doorway that led out to a balcony, and continued to walk straight to the railing. He paused at the railing, staring down at Heartland City. Orbital 7 halted next to him.

"Orbital." Kaito ordered – he didn't need to say anything further. The robot activated its scanning mechanisms, allowing Kaito to identify a Numbers holder's current location – he could hunt the nearest ones to him first. Orbital opened its chest plate, revealing a computer screen resembling a sonar system used on submarines and aircraft. A small door on top of its head opened, and a small satalite dish emerged; the dish began to rotate slowly, transmitting a signal received from the Numbers cards. Looking at the computer screen, Kaito was pleased to note three figures appearing in range of their current position – that meant there were three Numbers holders within the 100km radius that the scanner could detect.

"Target acquired." Kaito said, noting the closest one and memorizing its coordinates. "Orbital, we're going."

Without another word, Kaito climbed up on top of the banister, standing tall and calm. He paused, staring off into the sky blankly. The sun was still up, and would be for at least another few hours. Kaito had to take advantage of the daylight while it lasted. Without further ado, Kaito jumped off the rails, plunging headfirst towards the city below. He fell for several seconds before he felt Orbital 7 latch onto his back, stopping his fall abruptly, and sweeping him off to the sky. Kaito glanced over the world below, like a falcon searching for its prey as he headed towards whatever unfortunate Numbers holder whose cards he would be taking that evening.

Kaito spotted his target below – it wasn't hard to recognize Numbers holders. They were all typically tougher looking people – they all had a similar gleam in their eyes, almost as if they were on drugs. However, the purple aura emitting from their body along with the often visible purple Numbers mark on their skin was unmistakable. The Numbers holder was crossing the somewhat busy streets of Heartland City. Kaito narrowed his eyes as he took note of the bystanders – he'd have to stop time earlier and to make his entrance as unnoticed as possible.

Without a second thought, Kaito swooped downwards, heading directly for the intersection his target was approaching. Once he reached an acceptable height, Orbital dropped Kaito, and activated its stop time mechanism. This was a very handy tool that created a field in which only Numbers holders could be animate, allowing Kaito to swiftly hunt and retrieve Numbers cards unnoticed. To the general public, a mere second had passed. As Kaito fell, he twisted his body into a full front flip, landing in a crouch in the center of the now frozen intersection, on the roof of a small car. The man was startled by his appearance.

"Who are you? What's going on!" He demanded of Kaito. Kaito stood up, dropping down gracefully from the car to face him.

"I'm here for your Numbers card – duel me for it." Kaito said simply in reply. The man looked around, cocking an eyebrow.

"This is interesting…and since you know about Numbers…does that mean you have them too? Alright then, I'll duel you!" He cackled, his eyes glowing purple. Kaito smiled, initating his photon change into duel mode as his opponent prepared his own duel disk and D-gazer.

"Let me hunt your Numbers….and your soul!" Kaito said, facing his opponent as the AR field initiated. This duel would hopefully be quick – he had a long night of hunting ahead of him, and could not afford to waste too much energy on such mediocre opponents.

As he prepared for the duel, he kept his mind focused on his goals. Once there had only been one – Haruto. He wanted to see his little brother healthy and normal again, and he would do anything to make it happen. But now, it seemed that a certain unexpected visitor was getting in his way…Kaito's other goal was to defeat Astral. He knew he'd never get all the Numbers as long as Astral was there to hunt them as well…and so Astral had to be eliminated from the competition for good.

'Haruto…wait for me. I will make you better. Just hold on…just for a little while longer…'

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

On the way home, Yuuma had stopped struggling as his adrenaline seemed to slowly disappear. The second his friends dropped him off, he had immediately gone upstairs, telling his Grandmother quickly that he'd be working on school stuff, and had ended up crashing onto his bed and having a nap in his proper bedroom, which was underneath the attic where he slept most nights. He'd been surprised when he woke up suddenly, to a night sky with the sun's last rays gleaming in the distance.

"Wow…did I really sleep that long?" Yuuma had muttered, sitting up and rubbing his eyes. He had to admit that he felt much better now. He got up, changed out of his school uniform and into his casual clothes – his white pants with orange lightning bolts near the cuffs, his purple and green t-shirt and red vest. He clipped his belt around his waist and attached his extra deck case to it; the Ou's Key around his neck was the finishing touch.

Yuuma climbed up the steps to the attic – he needed to look over his deck and didn't want his sister catching him doing so. He sat by the chest that was underneath his hammock next to the window, and stared at the picture of his parents' photograph. He missed them both dearly, but as long as he kept the Ou's Key and his father's deck, they'd always be with him.

Yuuma was sure his dad would've supported him dueling. After all, his dad had been the first to not laugh at his dreams, and had taught him how to strive by believing in kattobingu. Yuuma admired his dad more than anyone else, and wanted to be strong like he had been. Yuuma would be the Duel Champion, and he'd make his father proud.

But Yuuma knew that the world of dueling was suffering to a certain degree as the images of the comatose duelists flashed through his mind. He wasn't sure who had caused this strange event, but he couldn't help the feeling that the strange masked duelist he'd encountered the previous night had something to do with it.

Yuuma opened his deck case, laying out the cards before him, and sorting them almost at random on the chest. He eyed each card for a moment before laying it down carefully. Duel monsters really meant a lot to him – he'd met all of his friends through dueling. No matter how much Akari told him to stay away from it, Yuuma could not abandon the game. It was a part of him, and always would be.

Yuuma had been so absorbed in the cards that he failed to hear the approaching footsteps climbing the stairs to the attic. Akari poked her head up, seeing her little brother sitting at the small chest sorting duel monsters cards.

"Yuuma! How many times do I have to tell you not to duel!" Akari said angrily. Yuuma spun around, nearly dropping his cards in the process.

"Nee-chan! I'm…I'm not dueling! I'm just…looking at them, that's all!" Yuuma stammered. Akari narrowed her eyes.

"You'd better not duel with them Yuuma. I just wanted to let you know that you'll be alone for awhile this evening. Ba-chan is out, and I'll be going to a meeting with my boss. I should be back late – and you'd better be asleep when I get home!" Akari warned. Yuuma gulped.

"You got it, nee-chan!" He replied anxiously. Akari nodded.

"Good night Yuuma! See you in the morning!" She called, climbing back downstairs. Yuuma waited until he could no longer hear her footsteps in his room below before relaxing. That had been way too close…suddenly Yuuma perked up.

He'd be alone for a while tonight…so he could sneak out and duel once Akari was gone! And as long as he got home before she did, he wouldn't get caught! Yuuma grinned widely in anticipation. He could find the mystery duelist, and challenge him, and hopefully get some answers!

Excited, Yuuma returned to his deck, but this time, he was organizing it to prepare for a duel. This would be an important one for sure. He wanted to bring his best game for sure.

"I'll definitely do kattobingu!" Yuuma cried, punching the air before returning his attention to his deck.

TBC