Stardust Finex: *pops out of a magical box of mystery* Ah, hello, my fellow readers! We're on a roll so far! Last time, Yuma had finally met up with the mysterious "Number Holder", but is he really a Number Hunter?
Shark: Maybe if you stopped keeping us in suspense, I would know!
Stardust Finex: Chill out, Shark. I promise you WILL appear in the story sometime.
Akari: How do you keep updating so quickly?
Stardust Finex: Simple. I work fast. However, updates may take a few days because I need to think of how to make the story sound great. Now, I'm done. Tron, care to say anything to the world?
Tron: Of course! *laughs* Stardust Finex does NOT own Yugioh Zexal! Could someone bring me cake? I REALLY like cake!
*UPDATE: There is an active poll going on! Visit my page to vote! POLL CLOSES MAY 11!*
Chapter 4
"What? You're me?" cried Yuma. He did not expect to find HIMSELF (or so he thought) as the Number Holder. He was very surprised that he was face-to-face with 'himself.' Never before in his life did Yuma think he would meet someone that looks EXACTLY the same as him.
Astral was quite shocked that were TWO Yumas. He had heard of the concept of twins, as they looked alike, but the blue spirit could tell that the boy had no relation to Yuma whatsoever. He noticed that the boy's eyes had a sharp look, and there were two scars on his chest resembling two lines.* However, what caught Astral's attention was that there was a small tattoo of the Number,96, above the boy's navel.**
'Number 96? Why does this boy have a Number on his body? Is he possessed, or an illusion?' thought Astral.
The other 'Yuma' lifted his sunglasses from his eyes to his head. He grinned evilly, revealing some of his sharp teeth.
"Nope, not even close, Yuma Tsukumo. I AM you, but you could say that I'm your bad side. I'm Kurai Tsukumo. You don't need to tell me about that blue Jell-O friend of yours. A friend of mine told me all about Astral here."
Astral had a confused look on his face. "Yuma, what is a Jell-O? Is that a Spell card? If so, what's its effect?"
"Not now, Astral!" snapped Yuma. "We've got other things to worry about besides Jell-O!" He put his focus back on his double. "Why are you here? Where's the Number Holder?"
Kurai laughed, "Yuma, you're so easy to fool. There is NO Number Holder, just me! I can take you down easily because you and your blue friend here are morons!"
"Take that back!" growled Yuma. He clenched his fists. "I mean it, Kurai! Get out of our way!"
"I don't think so. You have something I want, and I'm not leaving until I get it!" said Kurai. He held out his hand, "Give me Number 39, Hope, now! Don't make me fight you for it!"
Yuma gripped his deck box tightly, while readying himself. "Never! My monsters are my comrades, not beings that you can just use for your own amusement! If you think I'm jut gonna hand over Hope, think again!"
Kurai sighed in response. He placed his sunglasses over his eyes and proceeded to stroll away. However, when it seemed like he was leaving, he said, "Fine then, guess I'll just… you know.."
"What are you talking about ?" snapped Yuma.
Kurai turned around quickly pulled out a blade and held it in his hand in a stabbing position. Yuma froze at the size of the blade. The pink-spiky haired boy was too frozen in fear to move. Kurai assumed that Yuma was scared of him, now that he showed how dangerous he really was.
Kurai charged into Yuma and knocked him down. Yuma fell against the wall and his arms were forcibly pinned above his head. Kurai removed Yuma's jacket and his shirt, and he tossed both items to the side. Yuma's eyes grew wide at the knife's sharp blade. Kurai took this as a sign of fear.
"There's just one thing missing, Yuma. You'll see what I mean after I do this to you!" he hissed.
The dastardly boy took his knife and cut a line across Yuma's chest. Yuma felt the blade cutting through his skin. He cried out in pain, "AUUGHHH!" Yuma never felt so much pain in his life, let alone what was happening to him now. Kurai only ignored his cries and kept scarring the boy below him. Only a nasty trail of blood accompanied Yuma's wounds.
Astral began to become very worried as he tried to process what was happening. He watched in horror as Kurai drew his blade across Yuma's body. He cried out, "YUMA!"
Yuma couldn't hear Astral due to Kurai scarring him with his blade. The blue ghost reached for his companion in desperation. "Stop this! Yuma doesn't-"
Astral's hand only went through Kurai.
"No….. Yuma…." cried the blue ghost. "No…. no…"
Astral disappeared inside the Key.
After Kurai finished cutting the first scar on Yuma's chest, he put his knife on the ground for a moment. The wound on Yuma's chest bled. Kurai picked up the blade again and proceeded to carve the second scar onto Yuma's stomach. Yuma only groaned in response. There was no way he could fight back. He had already lost some blood due to the blade wound.
Kurai stopped for a moment to look at his own chest scars, then Yuma's. He finished to proceed his scarification on Yuma. After a few more cuts, Kurai finally finished the second scar. He looked at his work.
This was just what he wanted to see: Pain inflicted on Yuma.
Kurai looked at Yuma, who was now quietly sobbing from the pain of the knife wounds. Yuma's chest was now a bloody mess. Kurai leaned in close to the wounded boy. "Now you're just like me," he said mockingly.
Meanwhile, inside of the Key, Astral had retreated in shame. He was sobbing loudly. He curled into a ball and floated around the subspace inside of the Key. Astral was really miserable and mentally scarred after what he had seen what that boy did to Yuma. His eyes were full of tears, and he looked emotionally wrecked. Images of Yuma being wounded in the chest flashed through Astral's mind. "Yuma….. please forgive me…. I couldn't help you," he said hoarsely.
Rain began to pass throughout Heartland City after Kurai had inflicted pain upon his double. Yuma was now lying on the ground unconscious due to exhaustion and blood loss. The blood from his wounds began to dry, leaving behind scabs covering the wound. Kurai was satisfied by his work. 'I can't believe it!' he thought. 'I actually did it! I hurt that squirt a lot better than I had expected! But, now, what should I do with him?'
"I believe I can be of assistance."
Kurai turned around to see a black creature that resembled Astral. He grinned as he approached the spirit. "Ah, Dark Mist, you missed all the fun I had with Yuma!"
Dark Mist shrugged as he starred at the unconscious Yuma. "Eh, whatever. Did you get that Number Card?"
Kurai bent over the unconscious Yuma. He sneered at the boy, because to him, Yuma was a weakling.
"I wanted to inflict some pain on Yuma before I have 'fun' with him. I wanted him to suffer the same fate I had from Roku. Now, the Number Card's all yours, my Dark Lord," said Kurai.
"Excellent work, Kurai. You're a lot more efficient than I had expected," said Black Mist.
He held out his hand and suddenly, a Number Card floated away from Yuma and ended up in the dark spirit's hands. Black Mist examined the Number Card carefully. "'Number 39: Hope" he read. "At last, it's ours! If you'll excuse me, Kurai, I have things to do with this Number Card. Do what you want with Yuma, I don't want to be involved with that brat unless I feel like it," he commanded.
Black Mist vanished into thin air after receiving the Number Card.
Kurai looked away from Black Mist after he vanished. He stared at the Key, still attached to Yuma's neck. He snapped the Key off and placed it onto his own neck.
"I think I'll take this Key as a trophy," he said, while admiring the Key.
Suddenly, an idea came into his head. Kurai looked at Yuma. "I don't think Yuma will mind if I 'borrow' his clothes," he said mischievously. "If I pretend to be Yuma, then maybe I can find this Kotori and make her my queen! It all adds up perfectly!" he declared.
Kurai then took off his own clothes, and he did the same to Yuma. After Kurai put on Yuma's pants, he picked up Yuma's shirt and frowned at it. "Ugh! Really? I hate wearing shirts! It makes me look like a freaking softie!"
Kurai looked back at Yuma, who was slightly stirring. "Fine, guess I'll wear the stupid shirt so I won't blow my cover," he groaned.
Once Yuma's clothes were removed, Kurai put his own clothes on Yuma. The boy then looked into an old mirror standing in the alley. He smirked at his reflection. "Yes, this is perfect! Kotori Mizuki WILL be mine! Now, what should I do with Yuma?"
Kurai looked around the alley for a moment until he spotted something brown by a few crates. He made his way toward the boxes. On the ground laid nylon rope in a perfect spiral. Kurai snapped his fingers, "Ah hah! I got it!" He picked up the rope bundle and Yuma and quickly made his way out of the alley.
Meanwhile….
Inside the Key, Hope was bound to a very tight substance. The mighty Number was now helpless, because it could not break free. Black Mist approached the rope-bound monster with a smirk on his face.
"Yes… Number 39….. You're mine at last! Don't even count on that pathetic Astral to help you! He's nothing but a wuss now!" cackled the dark spirit.
The said monster struggled as it was binded together by black, gel-like tentacles. Hope grunted and grunted as it tried to break itself free. None the less, it couldn't break out. Hope only moaned in pain.
Black Mist held his hand out. A 3D projection of a tablet popped out of his palm. He read the text carefully, and he looked back at Hope. "There, there, Hope," the black ghost said mockingly, "by the time Yuma will even find you, you'll already be a pawn to the darkness!" Black Mist cackled so loud, his laugh echoed throughout the Key's subspace.
*Astral thinks Kurai's scars resemble regular lines; he doesn't know about Roman numerals.
**Kurai had received his Number tattoo shortly after the events of Chapter 1.
Tetsuo: Oh my god, you killed Yuma!
Kotori: YUMA WHAT?
Stardust Finex: You two, relax. I can assure you, that Yuma is NOT dead!
Akari: And how do we know that?
Stardust Finex: If Yuma was really dead, then the story would be over, okay?
*Any suggestions? Leave them in the reviews, please!
