What's up, everyone! This is GKC here bringing you the next chapter in my Yugioh/Fire Emblem crossover story.
Reminder: Light, Divine, Fire, Lightning, and Water have been claimed. The other elements are still up for grabs.
And to any who got the anime meme last chapter: Congrats.
Now for the disclaimer: I do not own, except my OC, Yugioh and Fire Emblem. All rights belong to their original owner.
Now let's get this party started… BEGIN!
Fates' Wandering Duelist
Chapter 3: A Journey Begins
[Castle Krakenburg - Corrin's Room]
Yusuke groaned as he sat up from a soft bed. "My aching head…" He whined, irritated by the sunlight streaming from the balcony window…
"I'm glad you're awake." A feminine voice graced his ears.
"Eh?" He looked to his right and found himself face-to-face with the same girl he fought and injured during his execution.
"Oh, where are my manners." The princess grinned. "My name is Corrin. I'm a princess of Nohr."
Yusuke blushed lightly. "Uh, I'm Yusuke Shiranui…" He said a bit timidly.
"A pleasure to meet you, Yusuke." Corrin greeted with a kind smile.
'Wow, she's so pretty…' The boy thought, mystified by this girl's beauty. "Um, nice to meet you as well, Princess Corrin."
The silver-haired woman pouts, "No need to be formal. Just call me Corrin."
"R-right, sorry," Yusuke's cheeks burned an even brighter shade of red as he looked down at the sheets covering him.
"Hey, can you tell me what this is?" Corrin asked, bringing up… his Duel Disk?!
"Oh, that's what I use to play Duel Monsters with." He answered, calming his blush.
"Duel… Monsters…?" The Nohr princess blinked a few times in confusion, letting the name taste her tongue. "Are you talking about Summons?"
"If that's your word for Duel Monsters then yeah…" The Shiranui heir nodded. He held out his hand. "May I?"
Corrin looked at him apprehensively then slowly handed him the gauntlet.
Yusuke slipped the metal gauntlet on his left arm, activating the Duel Disk and was about to reach for a card when he noticed something missing. "O-oi, where's my Deck!?" He looked at the empty deck slot in surprise.
"Oh, you mean this?" The princess brought out Yusuke's Deck. "I just thought these were merely catalysts."
The boy took his Deck back from Corrin as he rummaged through each card with a critical eye, making sure that none of them tampered with his precious cards. With a sigh, he slots it back into his Duel Disk. "These cards are more to me than that." He smiled fondly at the memories of gathering these cards. "To a Duelist, this Deck is the same as my heart."
"Your heart?" Corrin looked at Yusuke in confusion.
"Yes," He nods, drawing a card. It was Kuriboh. "Duelists battle each other not just with their cards, but with their pride and souls on the line. It's why we think of Duel Monsters as such a fun game."
"Game?" The princess was honestly confused now.
"I think it's best to show you." Yusuke placed the monster card on his Duel Disk, calling forth the little fuzzball with paws. It released a soft coo as it floated in front of Corrin.
"Oh, it's so adorable." The young woman cooed, placing a hand on Kuriboh's head, much to its enjoyment.
Yusuke chuckled. "You and every other girl that's ever met him."
The door to Corrin's room opened. Popping their heads in were the other Nohrian princesses: Elise and Camilla.
"Hey, big sis Corrin, is he awake ye-" Elise stopped when her eyes landed on Kuriboh, who looked back with innocent confusion.
…
…
…
Kuriboh cooed and that was all enough reason for Elise to burst through the door and grab hold of the small Duel Monster in a tight grip. "SO CUTE!" However, her strength squeezed poor Kuriboh enough to make him sound like a squeaky toy. His big eyes only got bigger with every squeeze.
"Hey, don't do that! You're hurting him!" Yusuke scolded the twin-tailed girl.
"Elise, please let go of the little creature." Camilla told her sister firmly.
"But Camilla-" Elise whined.
The elder daughter of the Nohrian royal family gave the younger girl a stern glare. "Do I need to tell Xander about this?"
With one last whine, Elise released Kuriboh, who returned to his card to escape being cuddled to death by even more humans.
Yusuke sweatdropped after removing Kuriboh from his Duel Disk and placing him back into his Deck. "And… you are?"
"Oh, I'm Elise! Corrin's little sister!" The bundle of joy that is the Nohrian princess waved excitedly at the boy.
"You may call me Camilla," The voluptuous princess introduced herself with a charming smile, much to Yusuke's embarrassment. "I am the elder sister."
"My name's Yusuke." He replied.
"I'll call you Yuyu, for short." Elise giggled.
"Please don't…" The boy sulked.
Camilla looked at the board of light on Yusuke's arm. "What is this fascinating device?"
"It's a Duel Disk." The Shiranui heir replied.
"Duel… Disk?" The Nohrian princesses repeated.
"It's what lets me summon monsters or use spell and trap cards." Yusuke explained. "Duelists like me use this to play Duel Monsters."
"You battle for fun?!" Corrin looked at the boy in horror.
Yusuke nervously laughed. "We don't really kill each other, if that's what you mean." He showed them the LP Counter. "You see this? This showcases how many life points a player has in the game. If my life points reach zero, I lose the game. The same thing happens with my opponent." He grimaced. "Unfortunately, I don't know what'll happen if I lose against someone that isn't Dueling."
"That won't happen!" Elise stated with puffed cheeks.
"Eh?" The boy looked at the young princess in confusion. "What do you mean?"
"There's no way that you're ever gonna get hurt because you're now Corrin's precious friend!" The twin-tailed girl stated.
"E-Elise!?" Corrin exclaimed with a bright tinge of red on her cheeks.
Camilla giggled. "My, my, is our little Corrin blushing?" She teased.
"Not you too, Camilla!" The silver-haired princess whined.
The girls and even Yusuke chuckled at Corrin's embarrassment. Once their laughter subsided, the boy from another world sniffed himself then cringed. "Ugh, I smell like a gym sock."
"What?" Elise looked at him with a cute tilt of her head.
"Um, it means that I need to have a bath." He admits with a tinge of red on his cheeks.
"That could be a problem." Camilla said, rubbing her chin.
Corrin suddenly had a thought, "Actually, he can use my bath."
"Wait, really?" Yusuke said in surprise.
"You're under my care until you feel ready to leave. So it's the least I can do." The silver-haired princess replied with a smile.
"Oh," Touched by her compassion, Yusuke smiled. "Thank you, Corrin."
Seeing his smile, the young woman's cheeks flushed even more. "Y-you're welcome."
Both Elise and Camilla glanced at each other, smirking slyly as they now had perfect material to tease their sister with.
[Later…]
Meanwhile, Xander was busy releasing the 'dead' Hoshidans back to their homeland in secret. While he would never do this in his life, his sister would never forgive him if he murdered unarmed prisoners.
However, he idly wondered why Corrin wanted to take care of the summoner boy…
While it isn't lost on him that summoners are excellent soldiers, they also have the potential to be incredibly dangerous. Evident by the fact that the child nearly killed Corrin by summoning three strong familiars.
Thank the gods that she managed to awaken her own Summon. Otherwise, nothing on this world would stop him from wringing the boy's neck with his bare hands.
But why couldn't he shake the feeling that there was something… more to the boy?
The elder Nohrian prince shook his head. 'No, there's nothing special about the boy. Nothing at all.'
At least, that's what he tells himself…
[Inner Gate]
Outside of the castle's inner gate, Elise and Corrin were talking. Mostly about how the silver-haired princess was gonna have to face King Garon.
"All right, Corrin." The twin-tailed girl started. "Let's go in there together. I'll help as much as possible. This is our father we're talking about. He has to forgive you, right?"
Corrin smiled appreciatively at her little sister. "Thanks, Elise. I hope you're right."
"All right. Deep breath, and…" The troubadour inhaled then exhaled, mainly to calm her nerves. Once she built up enough courage, she and her big sister prepared to speak to their father. "...here we go. Father! We have something we need to talk to you about!"
From behind the door, the two princesses could hear… laughter? Yes, King Garon was actually laughing. But at what?
"Father?" Corrin spoke, seemingly surprised.
"It sounds like he's with someone…" Elise frowned. "Maybe we should come back later."
"Hmph! Who's there?" Garon demanded after hearing their voices.
"Oh!" The twin-tailed troubadour squeaked in fright. "Sorry to bother you, Father…"
"Yes, we apologize if this isn't a good time." Corrin added.
The king grumbled. "What do you two want?"
"Father, we're here to apologize." Elise looked to her sister. "Right, Corrin?"
"Yes, that's right." The young woman nodded. "I'm sorry for questioning you."
A small silence was all they received before their father's voice was heard once more, "You may enter."
Swiftly, the two princesses entered, standing before their father's throne as said man gave his daughters a scrutinizing glare. However, his dark eyes landed on silver-haired girl, more than the troubadour.
"Corrin…" He spoke, not with anger or sadness, just with an uncomfortable coldness. "You disobeyed a direct order from me. Ordinarily you would not still be alive."
Corrin looked down, a bit ashamed. "I understand…"
"No! Father, I can explain-" Elise tried to come to her big sister's defence, but the king would have none of it.
"Silence!" He commanded, forcing the younger princess to keep silent. "As you are my child, Corrin, I will grant you some leeway. I have something in mind for you. A mission. If you complete this task successfully, I will pardon your crime in full."
This bit of news surprised the Nohrian princesses. Corrin spoke, "Really?! What sort of mission?"
"There is an abandoned fortress perched on the Hoshidan border. I wish to know if the building there remains serviceable. You are to travel to the site and inspect the premises. No battle will be required." The king informed his daughter. His hard stare was enough to get his point across, but he continued, "Do you understand? I won't tolerate being disappointed twice…"
"Yes, Father. It shall be done." The young woman agreed.
[Corrin's Room]
While taking a much needed hot bath, Yusuke leaned back in the porcelain tub to look up at the ceiling. 'Hard to believe that I've been in this world for almost a week…' He glanced over at his Duel Disk and deck holster. The rest of his clothes had been taken by servants to get them cleaned. However, a bundle of clothes was supposed to be set out for him on Corrin's bed along with a pair of boots.
With a sigh, he stepped out of the bathtub, grabbing hold of a towel to dry off his legs and waist then wrapped it around his hips. He took another to dry off his hair.
His eyes landed back on his Deck and Duel Disk. "I'll come back for them when I'm dressed." He marched out to the bathroom door, grabbing the knob, and giving it a turn. Once he pulled the door open, he stepped into Corrin's room… then crashed into a foreign body.
"Ouch…" A feminine voice groaned.
"Ite!" Yusuke winced, holding his aching head after knocking it into something hard.
"Hey, what's the big id-" The feminine voice, which sounded so familiar, stopped.
The young Duelist opened his eyes… and found himself staring back into a pair of crimson orbs with platinum blonde locks dangling messily over smooth skin.
His wet body met cold steel as he suddenly realized what, or rather, who he crashed and landed on…
"Corrin?!" The boy exclaimed in shock, his cheeks burning scarlet.
"Y-Yusuke!? Y-you're-" The princess gulped, her pale cheeks colored pink in embarrassment.
"Corrin? Is everything alright in-" Camilla, Leo, Elise, and Xander chose that opportune time to enter the bedroom and find the two in their precarious position.
Corrin on her back with her hair splayed behind all over the floor with her legs spread in a seemingly lewd manner. Cheeks pink as her lips and her breathing erratic. Yusuke on top of her, wet and nude, save for the towel covering his modesty. His damp hair clinging to his forehead like a second skin with his own cheeks burning bright crimson.
"-here?" Xander's left eye twitched as he saw this scene.
Yusuke quickly waved his left arm. "T-this isn't what it looks like!?" He tried to explain… only for his towel to fall off from his waist.
Corrin and Elise's faces resembled freshly picked tomatoes while Camilla gasped in surprise with her own cheeks pink, not from embarrassment but from lust. "Oh my. Yuyu is such a bad boy~" She cooed.
"Excuse me, I need to burn my eyes out…" Leo swiftly left the scene all together.
"Everyone! Please don't get the wrong idea!?" Corrin cried out, despite how strangely right this position seemed.
"Corrin…" Xander covered his eyes. "Just be sure to get cleaned up before you go on your mission."
Elise placed both of her hands on her cheeks in horror. "Does this mean… big sister Corrin is gonna lose her innocence?!"
"I believe we should plan for the wedding." Camilla giggled.
"YOU GUYS AREN'T LISTENING!?" The princess and the duelist yelled.
[Later…]
After that… humiliating debacle, Yusuke was properly dressed in a white Victorian-styled high-collared shirt with black trousers and brown boots. Corrin was even kind enough to give him a dark grey trench coat with golden accents running along the fabric. His gauntlet rested comfortably on his left arm while his deck holster was placed on a leather belt that kept his trousers up.
"So what's this mission that your brother was talking about?" He asked his de facto caregiver.
Corrin situated her sword onto her hip. "I'm actually investigating an abandoned fort. My father wants to know if it can still be of service."
"Wait, you're going alone?" The Japanese American looked at the princess in shock.
"Oh no, I'm actually going with two of my retainers: Gunter and Jakob. My father will be sending along a veteran warrior named Hans." Corrin grimaced. "Although, my brother Xander says that he's a criminal."
"Do you believe him?"
The princess giggled. "My older brother hasn't given me reason to distrust him before. I'll give Hans the benefit of a doubt, but I'm keeping my guard up just in case."
Yusuke looked down, disappointed that his new friend would be leaving him. Then a thought came to him… "What if I came along with you?"
"W-what?" She looked at the boy in surprise. "Why would you do that? Not long ago, we fought each other like enemies."
"Meh," He shrugged. "Water under the bridge."
"Huh?"
Seeing how confused she looked from the quote, the young Duelist quickly clarified. "What I mean is, that I forgive the actions in the past." He smiled. "Besides, you're my only friend in this world."
Corrin had no idea what he meant by that comment, but she appreciated his help all the same. "Then I welcome you to my task, Yusuke."
The boy gave a gentlemanly bow to her. "You have my thanks, princess."
The silver-haired girl giggled then decided to ask the more important question. "Then again, how are we going to sneak you out of here? The entirety of the royal family and the guards have seen your face."
"True, that could pose a problem." Yusuke thought long and hard about this predicament then snapped his fingers. "I've got it. I'll follow you from the skies."
"The skies?" She repeated.
A sly grin graced the outrealmer's lips. "You think you're the only one capable of summoning a dragon?"
Now Corrin thought about what the boy meant. 'What can't he summon?'
[Bottomless Canyon]
Soaring overhead in the clouds is a magnificent black dragon with burning red eyes that glitter with untapped potential. However, riding atop of the dragon's neck is the young duelist, Yusuke Shiranui.
When Corrin and her troupe left for their mission, the boy had summoned the ace monster of Joey Wheeler to take to the skies. From his brief time in the Nohrian castle, he took the time to read up on what manner of creatures they had in this mystical world. Apparently, dragons are quite common amongst these lands. So what's one more sighting?
So here he sat, following the silver-haired princess that had shown him nothing but kindness since he arrived in this world.
"I tell ya, Red Eyes. There's something about that girl that intrigues me." Yusuke said aloud, despite the wind blowing against his face.
The black dragon growled, obviously understanding its master, but unable to form words.
"Now let's get a closer look at the ground below." The young man ordered his Red Eyes Black Dragon to descend from the clouds.
From overhead, he could see the princess and her entourage on an old, narrow bridge that was hanging above a dark pit in the middle of the mountains. However, it would seem she wasn't alone…
On the other side of the bridge was the fort. Unfortunately, there were already people occupying it. From what he could hardly see down below, it would seem that the occupying forces were Hoshidans.
Corrin took a step back and turned to her party. Probably telling them that they've completed their mission. However, Hans had other ideas…
He pushed past the princess and charged at the fort. He brought his axe to bear… and slayed an unsuspecting Samurai.
Then… all Hell broke loose…
"Damn. Red Eyes, let's help Corrin and the others!" Yusuke commanded his dragon, which growled in response as they descend from the clouds and landed behind Corrin's group, surprising them and the Hoshidans. "Am I late to the party?" He joked.
"Yusuke!" Corrin said with a relieved grin. "I'm glad you're here. We need all the help we can get."
Gunter took this time to look at the boy. "Young man, can you handle the Pegasus Riders?"
"Pegasus Riders?" He looked at the sky and found a pair of Hoshidan soldiers riding upon the fabled winged equines. "Oh… Yeah, I can handle them. My Red Eyes Black Dragon is no slouch when it comes to fighting."
"Then take flight. Lady Corrin must find a Dragon Vein without these Hoshidans hampering her." Jakob added.
"Right." Yusuke nodded. However, just before he could order his dragon to attack, he felt a hand on his left leg. He looked down to see Corrin looking up at him, concern clearly evident in her crimson eyes.
"Please be careful." She whispered low enough for only his ears to reach.
The duelist smiled. "Don't worry. I've got things under control." He gave her a wink then patted his Red Eyes' neck. "Alright, pal, let's kick some butt!"
Red Eyes Black Dragon released a mighty roar as it took flight, sending gusts of wind that almost threatened to knock the Nohrians on their rears.
The Pegasus Riders noticed the black dragon flying right at them and quickly attacked the monster along with its rider.
"Attack, Red Eyes! Inferno Fire Blast!" Yusuke shouted as his dragon opened its maw and fired a ball of molten energy.
Both Pegasus Riders quickly dodged the attack, but the heat was enough to dissuade them from getting closer.
"A Summoner?!" One of the riders exclaimed.
"We can't fight that thing!?" The other cried.
Yusuke looked upon the Hoshidans with a cold stare. "Then allow me to give you proper opponents!" He pulled two cards and placed them on his Duel Disk. "Rise now! Summoned Skull and Curse of Dragon!" Rising beside the Red Eyes Black Dragon were two new monsters. One looking like an avian-like dragon while the other was a demon that seemed more like a skeletal abomination.
"He can summon more?" Omozu, the Hoshidan ninja commander in charge of the fort, exclaimed.
"Summoned Skull, Lightning Strike Attack! Curse of Dragon, Dragon Flame Attack!" Yusuke ordered.
Both monsters evoked their signature attacks, striking the Pegasus Riders as they fell to the ground in smoking heaps, alive but unconscious.
Thankfully, his monsters held back their power. Yusuke wasn't ready to take someone's life just yet…
"Thanks, you two." He said to his two monsters, which flew back into their respective cards. "Alright, Red Eyes, let's finish this battle!"
Yusuke's dragon roared as it flew towards the fort to attack.
With Corrin's group, the princess was overjoyed that the Dragon Vein she discovered by the cliffs actually worked. Jakob and Gunter had charged ahead to clear the way for their Lady. Corrin, having noticed her retainers leave, shook off her celebratory joy to follow after them.
Just as the small group neared the fort, two shapes shot out, both coming from the cliffside. These two were both Samurai, attacking Gunter and Jakob.
"Milady, go on ahead!" Gunter ordered his princess.
"What? But-" Corrin tried to argue, but Jakob cut her off.
"Do not worry about us. We will be with you shortly." The butler stated, parrying blow after blow from the Samurai's katana with his daggers.
The princess grimaced until she looked up, noticing Yusuke upon his dragon as he blasted fireball after fireball at the Hoshidan army, keeping them on their toes. "Alright, just stay alive. Both of you!" She said, running past them and their foes at full speed.
With her retainers occupying the enemy Samurai, Corrin was free to advance on the fort. However, she stopped when her path was barred by none other than the commander, Omozu. "Please, just listen to what I say. I didn't mean for this to happen!" She tried reasoning with the Hoshidan Ninja.
The older man only growled in response, drawing out his shurikens. "Do you have any idea what you've done here today?" Omozu shouted, ignoring the princess's apologies. "You've violated our treaties, killed my men… Hoshido will not stand for these unprovoked attacks, Nohrian!" He enters a fighting stance, prompting Corrin to do the same.
"Just listen to reason! I have no-" She began, only to be cut off, once again, when Omozu suddenly charged with a battle cry. Instinctively, Corrin's sword arm moved, blocking the first slash from the Ninja easily. In response, the Hoshidan spun around, this time striking with his foot in a roundhouse kick that impacted against her cheek. Corrin used her momentum to spin on her heel and slash at Omozu's chest, barely missing as the ninja stepped back.
For a second the two warriors stood, watching each other. Then Corrin suddenly realized that she felt… weaker. She felt a trickle on her cheek, bringing a hand up to wipe it away when she figured it out that it was her blood. It would seem that during their scuffle, Omozu managed to land a thin cut on her cheek.
Although, this still didn't explain how she felt considerably weaker…
Seeing as his earlier strike did damage, the Hoshidan Ninja rushed forward, slashing at Corrin as the princess ducked underneath, then rolled to the side, spinning when she got to her feet, and slashing at Omozu again, the ninja doing the same thing he's done before and stepping out of the sword's range. The Nohrian princess took the offensive, charging at Omozu as the ninja threw his shurikens at her, the first which she deflected away with her sword, and the other barely grazing the armor at her shoulder. Then, as the Hoshidan reached for another throwing star, Corrin got close and slashed downwards diagonally. Her aim struck true, cutting through the shinobi's clothing and armor underneath. The ninja could feel his strength leaving him, forcing him to drop to one knee.
For a second, Corrin didn't move, watching as Omozu struggled to stay upright on one knee without falling over. She straightened up, looking down at the ninja. "You're beaten. I don't want to kill you, so please, just surrender and no one else has to get hurt." She said, causing the man to frown.
Omozu kept silent for a few seconds then noticed something behind the girl which caused him to internally grin. "You're a strong warrior, I will admit that." This time his smirk fully appeared, confusing Corrin. "But your soft heart will cost you!"
Before she could inquire what he meant, her back suddenly burned with pain, eliciting a pained yell from her lips. She fell to her knees and looked back at her assailant, revealing themselves to be a green humanoid lizard with blue hair in a messy ponytail, yellow eyes, and razor sharp teeth while wearing a set of steel plate armor with deadly blades on the creature's arms.
"Rude Kaiser, kill her!" Omozu ordered.
Corrin looked at her executioner in sheer terror. She didn't have the strength to fight back against such a monster.
'Xander, Camilla, Leo, Elise…' Tears started to burn through her eyelids. 'Forgive me…'
"CORRIN!" A voice broke through the princess's grim fate.
'That voice… Yusuke?!' Corrin looked up, focusing her weakening eyesight on the approaching dark shape that descended from the sky.
[Moments Ago…]
Yusuke commanded his Red Eyes to unleash its Inferno Fire Blast upon the Hoshidan army, but made sure to avoid hurting the actual soldiers. Instead, he wanted to scare them off, diminish their will to fight.
A few of the archers tried to attack using bows and arrows, but none of them were able to pierce through his dragon's shadowy scales.
"Geez, can't these guys take a hint? They can't beat a dragon with arrows." He said to himself.
He glanced over to see Gunter defeating the Samurai that he faced with Jakob doing the same.
"Well, seems those guys don't need my help right now." Yusuke noticed the lack of a princess. "Now where's-"
A loud cry of pain reached his ears even with all the wind blowing through his ears. He looked to the source, and to his horror, Corrin was on her knees with her back sliced open at the hands of the Rude Kaiser. He called out her name, motioning his Red Eyes Black Dragon to descend to help the girl he called a friend.
Ba-Bump!
He felt… a presence?
Ba-Bump!
It was coming all around him. Filling him with a raw emotion he could not discern…
Ba-Bump! Ba-Bump! Ba-Bump!
Suddenly, a voice entered his mind. One that spoke in a language that was neither Japanese or English. Instead, it sounded… mystical.
"The Shadows…"
The shadows? What was it talking about? What is this emotion flaring across his body?
"Call upon the power of the Shadows. Call upon the power of the Dark Dragon…!"
Could the voice be talking about… His monster card?
Yusuke reached for his Deck, his heart began to beat at a breakneck pace. He pulled out a card and stared at the image of the dark armored knight with black wings.
Yes, now he recognized this emotion…
Rage.
And he welcomed it…
"I summon: Sorom, the Dark Dragon!" He declared loudly, slapping the new monster card on his Duel Disk.
Immediately, a torrent of darkness erupted from the card, forcing the boy to grab onto his gauntlet to keep the flow of shadows from blowing him away.
"Ugh! T-this power…!" He grits his teeth, feeling the cold, terrifying presence of a monster that commanded the very essence of darkness itself. His blood boiled with power. Filling his core with unsupervised bloodlust.
The card… it was calling for him to hand over control…
"Fine, I don't care if you have to take my heart or my soul! I won't forgive anyone who hurts my friend!" Yusuke shouted, his sky blue eyes… bled over to scarlet red. "NOBODY!"
The shadows took form in front of him. Red Eyes whimpered as if it recognized a superior being. Rude Kaiser backed up in actual terror. Both Hoshidan soldiers and Corrin's party froze as they bore witness to the dark knight that descended from the skies like some fallen angel.
"I-it can't be…" Omozu muttered in shock.
The knight landed on his armored boots. His sword clad firmly in his right hand. His eyes were closed, but the pale eyelids slowly opened to reveal blood red eyes. His black draconic wings flapped behind him then merged together to form a dark cape that blew against the wind.
"That boy…" Gunter looked upon the child with the strange gauntlet. "He actually possesses one of the Legendary Elemental Dragon Knights?"
"Sorom, destroy the monster that dared to hurt Corrin!" Yusuke ordered.
The black-armored knight snarled, bringing his blade up to his face, a torrent of darkness surrounding the sword as he prepared to attack.
"Now strike! Dark Rising Edge!" The Duelist exclaimed as his new monster charged at Rude Kaiser with a battle cry then swung his blade down, bisecting the beast in twine. The lizard creature uttered a pained death cry then exploded into light particles.
"Impossible! The Elemental Dragon Knights are supposed to be dead! There's no way that one could still be alive!?" Omozu said, completely terrified of the black knight shrouded in darkness while the pain of losing his monster overwhelmed his body's need to move.
"I see, so one of the eight Dragon Knights has been summoned." A voice suddenly spoke loud enough to draw attention from Yusuke, Corrin, and every other fighter present. Standing beside the defeated Omozu was another ninja… yet with a long blue scarf covering his mouth, a faint scar going across his right eye, and bright red hair.
"S-Saizo-sama!" Omozu exclaimed in both joy and shock.
The ninja, Saizo, looked upon the wounded girl with a cold gaze. "So this is the Nohrian Commander?" He spat. "She's nothing but a child."
"Who are you?" Yusuke demanded, his eyes still gleaming red. Sorom stood beside the boy, seemingly present to engage in combat if his master were attacked.
"My name is Saizo." The ninja introduced himself. He brought out a set of shuriken as a sudden force of Hoshidans, larger in comparison to the last force, came out seemingly from nowhere, backing Saizo with their own weapons drawn. "I've come to claim your life."
"No…" Corrin groaned, still feeling weak from both her wound and the sudden drain of her strength.
"Destroy them!" The ninja commanded.
"I won't allow it!"
Suddenly, a large explosion of dark energy erupted from in front of Yusuke and Corrin, stopping the Hoshidan soldiers in their place. Right after that, a flurry of hooves came up from behind the group, causing Corrin to turn around and see… Xander, and her siblings, charging.
"X-Xander?! What are you-" The princess began, only to see Xander's horse slow down and trot up at the head of the group.
Reaching up, Leo smiled good-naturedly at his sister, "Looks like we caught up just in time. Lucky as always, aren't you, Sister?" He asked, holding up his tome.
Saizo narrowed his eyes at the Nohrian royal family. "So this is their true commander…" He muttered.
Camilla rode up on her Wyvern, smiling despite the situation. "Are you alright? I was so worried about you-" She froze when she noticed the long slash mark on the girl's back. Suddenly, the voluptuous woman's face turned into one of pure rage as she urged her steed forward. "Who dares hurt my beloved Corrin?! I'll have your head on a platter!" Camilla roared, charging past Xander and into the Hoshidan front lines. Despite having number advantage, the force was caught off guard by the sheer anger and destruction that Camilla brought upon them as she tore through soldier after soldier.
"I never knew Camilla could be so… ruthless…" Corrin muttered, honestly terrified of her sister right now.
Elise giggled. "That's right, you've never seen her on the battlefield before."
Xander glanced at Yusuke, who stared back at him with impassive glowing red eyes. "Boy, take my sister and leave this battlefield. We shall handle this."
The young Duelist nodded, dismissing Sorom and Red Eyes Black Dragon from his Duel Disk. With the monster gone, his eyes returned to their normal azure color. He quickly went to Corrin's side, aiding his friend as he marched the wounded girl off the battlefield, allowing the Nohrian royal family and their forces to freely engage the Hoshidans.
"Now," Xander readied Siegfried then evoked the mantra that would summon his faithful servant. "Come forth, Red Dragon Archfiend!" At his call, the mighty black/red demonic dragon appeared above him, roaring fiercely as if eager to spill blood.
As they trudged away from the skirmish, Corrin grunts as Yusuke had her arm wrapped around his neck to stabilize her while he kept hold of her opposite side. Gunter dutifully came with them. However, Jakob didn't seem to be anywhere in sight.
"Gunter, have you seen Jakob?" Corrin asked, breathing heavily. "He was here a second ago…"
The elder knight shook his head. "I'm sure he's right behind us." He assured his Lady. "Now hurry up. I can't stand being on this bridge a moment longer." He took the lead, urging his horse forward ahead of the princess and the young duelist.
Suddenly, a large shape came out from behind the two, launching themselves at the side of Gunter's horse. With a large shove, they sent Gunter's horse stumbling to the side… then slipping off the bridge.
Time came to an all-time pause as Corrin watched with horrified eyes as her grandfather figure fell into the dark abyss below…
She broke out of Yusuke's hold, racing to the side, desperately reaching out to Gunter, even though she would never be able to save him. Tears burned in her eyes as she watched her dear friend fall to his demise, all the while, the man who murdered him laughed loudly.
Slowly, Corrin leveled a dark glare at the traitorous man, revealing himself to be Hans, who continued to laugh. "Hans… WHY?!" She yelled, her voice teetering on the edges between crying like a child and screaming like an enraged animal. "Why Gunter?! Why did you just… just push him off! WHY?!" She yelled again, causing the criminal to stop laughing as he looked back down at Corrin with a grin.
"Just following orders." He stated, preparing his axe. "Don't worry though, you and your boyfriend will be joining your babysitter soon enough." He added, his grin growing wider as he prepared to attack.
"You bastard!" Yusuke yelled, his fury unyielding as he lunged at the man, forgetting about summoning a monster or activating a spell to aid him. Instead, he directed his clawed gauntlet to pierce Hans' heart.
"You've got a lot of balls, kid." Hans remarked, easily dodging the boy's sloppy attack. "But you're a thousand years too late to compare to me in a fight."
Before Yusuke realized it, the blade of the man's axe had buried itself into his stomach. The rush of searing pain and jolt in his internal organs forced him to cough out blood mixed with his saliva.
"Yusuke!" Corrin cried out in horror as her newest friend was dislodged from Hans' axe.
"Heh, all bark and no bite." The veteran warrior spat, kicking the injured boy away from him as Yusuke laid on the ground, bleeding out on the bridge.
At that, Corrin's rage broke, "You… YOU… FUCKING MURDERER!" She screamed, charging forward. Just as she did, her free hand was enveloped with what looked like water… before dissipating and revealing a long needle with a color scheme resembling Corrin's armor.
Witnessing this, Hans stepped back, lifting his blood-stained axe to defend himself from the angered princess's first slash then stepping to the side to dodge a jab from Corrin's other arm. "What kind of freak are you?!" He exclaimed, trying to avoid being skewered by the enraged girl.
Instead of replying, Corrin roared with ferocious wrath as she continued her assault, driving Hans back as the latter was forced to stay on the defensive.
Yusuke could feel himself drifting between consciousness and unconsciousness. His blood pooled beneath him, staining the clothes given to him by Corrin. Thankfully, none of it reached his Deck. Unfortunately, he could do nothing but lay there and waste away.
'I… couldn't do anything…' He said in his head, watching through blurred vision as Corrin attacked Hans.
His body ached. His wound burned. His breathing came to a near pause.
'Is this… how I die…?'
Black spots entered his vision. He could feel his fight to stay awake further slipping away.
His life began to flash before his eyes. His first Deck, his first Duel, his father's gentle hand upon his head, and… a woman's voice.
'Mother…?'
"Good Gods. You're utterly hopeless, boy. Very well, I shall use a portion of my power to keep you stable."
Before he passed out, the shadows suddenly came to life, coursing into him like water with a sponge.
Suddenly, his eyes shot open as energy filled his being like a shot of adrenaline. Yusuke stood up back on his feet, looking down at his wound… or rather, where his wound used to be.
"I… I'm healed?" He said in utter surprise. "But how? I should be dead."
A roar of unbridled rage shook the boy out of his thoughts. He noticed Corrin, still trying to attack Hans, with her arm completely different than before. However, he realized that every time the murderous criminal dodged the princess's strikes, he would move himself near the edge of the bridge.
Yusuke realized the man's plan too late.
"Corrin, stop!" He yelled, forcing himself to run towards the girl.
Before the princess could acknowledge the boy's presence, she had already lunged at Hans, who smirked at Corrin… then sidestepped, allowing the Nohrian princess to teeter off the edge of the bridge. The girl yelped in both surprise and fear as she plummets to her inevitable end.
"CORRIN!" Yusuke yelled, jumping off the edge of the bridge and diving towards the falling girl. When he got close enough, he wrapped his arms protectively around her.
"Yusuke?! What are you doing!? Why would-" The princess shouted at the boy.
"I'm not losing you again! If it means I have to sacrifice my life to save yours then I'll gladly pay that price!" Yusuke declared, looking straight into Corrin's eyes, who felt touched by her friend's sincerity.
"Yusuke…" She spoke softly as they fell together in the abyss. She smiled softly, dropping Ganglari from her human hand and wrapping her arm around the boy's back. "Thank you…"
However, just before they fell to their apparent deaths, a tiny blue and white fish-like dragon grabbed hold of them both, much to their surprise.
"What in the-" Corrin spoke but was silenced when she felt the presence of her own Summon sprout beneath her and Yusuke. "Azure Eyes?!"
The silver dragon roared, unleashing a powerful light that enshrouded her, Yusuke, and the tiny dragon holding them until they vanished from the physical plane.
[Astral Plane]
"...finally awake, Lady Corrin!" A squeaky voice spoke loud enough to ring in his ears.
"Lilith?!" Another voice. Corrin?
"Yep! Your good friend, Lilith, is here!" The voice, Lilith, responded happily. "Welcome to the Dragon Fort!"
"Can you two be any louder?" Yusuke groaned, sitting up from a rather soft-looking bed as he rubbed his eyes. "And what the heck-" When he opened them, he was staring right into the eyes of the tiny fish-like dragon from before. "-happened?"
"Hello!" The dragon said.
"HOLY SHIT! DEMON DRAGON!" The Japanese American exclaimed in shock, comically holding out his Duel Disk to summon a monster.
"Wait, Yusuke! She won't hurt you!" Corrin quickly defended the dragon.
"Eh? You know this thing?!" Yusuke gestured to the tiny dragon, who huffed at being called 'thing'.
"How rude! I'll have you know that I have a name, young man!" The dragon stated before puffing out her chest with pride. "I'm Lilith, Lady Corrin's faithful attendant!"
"Uh, right…" The boy sweatdrops. "So where are we?"
"In the Astral Plane. A world parallel to the human world." Lilith explained. "This is a place in the veins of the world. Unfortunately, I don't have time to fully explain everything. Lady Corrin's dragon Summon used quite a lot of power to send all three of us into this dimension. You were both asleep for a good long while. It's time you both were sent back to the real world." Lifting one of her fins up, the little dragon evoked her magic.
"Wait, Lilith, I don't even-" Corrin began, but a flash of light cut her off, sending her and Yusuke out of the Astral Plane.
[Real World]
When the light dissipated, the princess and the duelist stumbled on their feet then looked around.
"We're-" Corrin started before Yusuke finished her sentence. "-back at the fort."
However, no one seemed to be in sight. No Hoshidan soldiers or Nohrian warriors.
"Just what the hell did we go through?" The duelist wondered aloud.
"I don't know…" The silver-haired girl muttered. "Well, since I'm back, I guess I should head home. My family is probably worried sick about me."
Yusuke looked down, a bit sad. "Oh… Then I guess this is goodbye, huh?"
Corrin smiled. "No, this isn't goodbye. In fact, I think this is merely a way of saying that we'll see each other again."
The boy thought about it then grinned. "Yeah, you're right. Thank you, Cor-"
"YOU'RE MINE!"
A sudden yell from behind Corrin stopped Yusuke. In a panic, the princess turned around with her sword already flying through the air. However, she was met with a club directly colliding with her face, sending the girl flying about a foot through the air and landing onto the floor, unconscious.
"Corrin!?" Yusuke cried out in shock before noticing his friend's assailant. "R-Rinkah-san?!"
"You again?" The Oni Savage exclaimed in surprise.
"Why would you do that!" He shouted. "She didn't deserve- GAH!" The boy was silenced when the Fire Tribe princess rammed the hilt of her club right into his stomach, knocking the wind out of him as he fell to the ground, unmoving.
"Sorry, kid." Rinkah grimaced, looking down at the unconscious boy and girl. "You'll understand when you wake up…"
A/N: That's it for the third chapter. I hope to upload the next one soon.
Quick update: As five elements have been chosen, the remaining two are: Wind and Earth.
Please follow the example on the first chapter for better details if you would like to petition an OC.
Big thanks to these petitioners:
PrinnyEX - Fire
Sugouxxx - Divine
ZilverX The Twin Writers - Lightning
SignalHunter - Water
LucieusXL - Light
Please review and comment on this chapter. However, refrain from using rude criticism or flames like other trolls. Trying to get a reaction out of me does not help your cause.
Peace out, everyone!