Disclaimer: Koros45 doesn't own Yu-Gi-Oh! Or Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's (Or Devilman)
Chapter 10: Elegant Egotist
Yusei woke to find himself on the ground.
"Yusei.. . Yusei. . . " A distant voice called.
He stood up midst dusty ruins. No D-Wheel in sight. Just him and his duel-disk.
But that voice was familiar. And it shouldn't be wherever he was.
Yusei heard the voice again and recognized it. Aki.
He felt himself begin to panic. He thought of her. She must've been worried about him. He'd sent a hasty e-mail and called her house to speak with her and her mother picked up. It had been a fast plan to see Atem and Yusei didn't really have time to talk to her. At least, that's what he told himself.
He raced though the ruins, somehow having energy that let him run faster than he'd thought he could. He heard her voice get louder and louder. His thoughts of concern for her outweighed whatever he might say to her.
The ruins were some maze of some sort. Yellow sandstone swept by timeless winds. They'd eroded quite a bit, but they still functioned as a maze, or a wall of sorts.
Yet despite the maze's never ending pathways, the voice of Aki lit a path for Yusei to follow. He found the exit of the ruins which led him to the base of a mountain and a pathway leading directly through it.
Yusei shouted back as the maze ended. "AKI! Where are you?!"
"Yusei!"
There the voice was again. Yusei thought he heard fear in Aki's voice and, with a breath, redoubled his efforts. The mountain path was a tunnel, yet rather than go underground, the tunnel went upwards. Yusei ran through it and paid no mind to the winding stairs and finely crafted railings. He was single minded in his goal to reach Aki.
After several winding flights of stairs, Yusei found himself in a large room. It was some kind of great hall. He could see several large mirrors along the walls, Gothic in design. There were a few empty suits of armor lining the walls. Yusei got the feeling the place wasn't safe.
"Aki!? Are you here?" Yusei shouted.
"Yusei. You came."
She appeared like she was in a dream. Her duel disk was on her left arm and her attire was the familiar black corset, red and white jacket, and black gloves and leggings. The details of Aki were shrouded in the shadows of the dark hall and Yusei found himself compelled to get closer.
"Aki. I'm here now." He said, breathlessly. There was a sweet scent in the air that Yusei couldn't get enough of he was just noticing.
"Yusei, hold me." Aki said.
Yusei paused for a moment, eyes downcast for a moment as he was startled by the request.
"Aki, are you alright?" He asked as he approached.
He looked up. Into her eyes.
"Hold me, Yusei."
He saw her eyes and never before felt so determined to follow her request. It was natural, right? She must've missed him. And he was at fault for leaving her. He owed her it. And he desired it as well.
Yusei walked through the shadows to see them fall off of her face. She was smiling – beaming at him even, yet she had a joking smirk as though she was about to tease him.
Yusei walked up to her and paused. She'd grown a bit, but still was about to fill out her old costume – he noticed – and felt as she pressed herself to him. He knew her father and mother would want him dead to give into both their desires but he was intoxicated. She cupped his face in her hands and he wrapped his own around her back, holding her tightly.
"Aki. It's been too long." He said as she stroked his marker with a finger and bit her lip.
"It has been too long, Yusei." She said, as she stepped back slightly. Yusei found himself stepping forward to maintain the embrace.
"Kiss me."
Yusei was startled. He blinked, but found that Aki's gaze was . . . overpowering. He found he couldn't look away from her, even if he tried. She wasn't blinking, but still kept up her teasing smirk.
He licked his lips, tongue coating his dry lips and moved his head forwards. Their lips met and her hands went from cupping his face to grabbing it as she deepened the kiss. Yusei closed his eyes and let himself savor the moment.
It was far different from their farewell back in Domino city. That was a solemn promise they'd see each other again. And a melancholy kiss that they both had to live their lives away from each other for a while. This was raw passion. Aki kissed him relentlessly now, seeming to urge him to keep up. Yusei complied, hands finding their way up and down her back.
Then he stopped. She was taller than him. Yusei pulled away to find her looking at him with a hint of annoyance.
Out of the corner of his eye, Yusei saw one of the mirrors and froze. It showed everything about the room they were in. Dark, fancy, abandoned other than the two of them. And the very edge of the mirror showed one of her feet. Rather than a high heel, it was a giant golden claw. Yusei tried to push away, but whatever was holding him had quite the grip. And on top of that, he now felt the smallest of pin pricks where the creatures' fingers were holding him.
"Harpy Lady." Yusei said, surprised.
Aki's face frowned for a moment before grinning, showing visible fangs. Whites of her eyes turning yellow and irises shrinking just slightly enough to be beastliness. Her skin turned a shade of blue, yet her hair remained the same dark shade of red.
"You men always fall for it!" She cackled before her clawed fingers let go of the back of his head and her arms wrapped around his upper back, pulling him in closer.
"Now that you know you've fallen for a Harpy's allure, how long will you be able to entertain me?" The harpy asked, tightening her grip on him. Her voice was husky and playful. The way she was holding him, Yusei couldn't see her face. His chin was now between her neck and right shoulder. He felt her body shudder as he suddenly rose, her body reverting to her Harpy form now that he'd seen her.
"Usually men only figure it out after they've squandered all their passion." She gave a chuckle and tightened her grip on him as she jumped into the air. Yusei felt the rush of air and then a great shudder as she landed on a perch – and let him fall. He fell onto one of the tables and yelled as the impact took the toll on his body.
"You foolishly gave me more than you thought with that kiss. The Shadow Of Eyes made you think I was saying your name. Or rather, Aki was. But your kiss was sincere, if driven by your carnal hunger, and it told me your name. Tell me, Yusei-" she spat out him name "- now that you've wasted all that energy running to me, what will you do?"
The harpy leapt from the perch and landed as a bird would, talons spread out and with her arms spread behind her in a V. Yusei noticed a trail of feathers going down each arm. He noticed she wore a dark blue leotard that wasn't shy on showing lots of skin. One of her talons found it's way to his chest and Yusei grunted as her knew she had all the metaphorical cards.
Wait. All the cards. A flash of light hit Yusei and he saw it was from his duel disk. Without thinking, Yusei drew a card and instantly played it.
Suddenly a grey blur shot through the air, slamming into the Harpy and knocking her off the table. Yusei grunted and rose to his feet. Before him, the grey blur spun around and Yusei saw the familiar grey frame and skates of Speed Warrior.
The Harpy sighed and raised her claws, before cracking her neck. "Sloppy. I shouldn't have taken you so lightly. Especially if you are a summoner." She closed her eyes and when she opened them again, Yusei could make out a faint mirror between them.
"There's a Harpy duelist in my timeline." He spoke up. "You ensnared me with that Shadow of Eyes, but I know about your Mirror Wall."
The Harpy laughed. "Well that's just cheating then. But still, that monster can't fight me, even without Mirror Wall!" She threw her head back and laughed.
"But even if Shadow of Eyes – my Harpy's allure – didn't completely snare you, it will do the same to your monster!"
The harpy widened her eyes and Speed Warrior gave a roar as it began to skate towards her.
"Losing a monster here means you'll lose more than just a friend, Yusei!" The harpy yelled.
Yusei growled and drew his next card. "I don't want to sit around and wait for that to happen! Fighting Spirit! Speed Warrior won't be destroyed by this battle!" He declared as he played another card.
Speed Warrior skated towards the mirror and struck it, stopped by his own reflection. He shattered the mirror was a flourish of his leg and kept skating towards the harpy, who cackled and slammed into Speed Warrior, knocking it back and causing it to slam into the ground, right in front of Yusei's feet.
The warrior's yellow aura shattered as the protection from Fighting Spirit waned. It's ski mask had a crack in it and more cracks and tears were found through the warrior's grey armor.
"Speed Warrior." Yusei breathed, frustrated at the situation he'd put his monster in. Then he looked up to the harpy who raised her chin, looking down at him with a grin.
"Now what? Another summon? Nothing will work." She stated like it was fact. "Any male monster will be forced to attack me." She said with a wink.
Yusei drew another card and smirked. "Well this warrior is a robot! No gender here!" He yelled back as Speed Warrior's broken frame vanished.
"I release Speed Warrior to Advance Summon Turret Warrior!" Yusei roared.
Where Speed Warrior had been, a massive body of steel and granite appeared. This warrior was less a human and more a mobile fortress. It was three heads taller than Yusei. Arms more like castle towers hung down as a flat head consisted of just a rectangular mono eye. A set of turrets were on each of this new monsters' shoulders.
The harpy sighed and flashed her fangs. "Alright then, I'll attack!" She yelled.
Her body glowed as black and gold armor formed on her. Less of the practical kind and more of the could be intimate wear kind if it wasn't for the prominent nipple spikes. In her left hand she brandished what looked like a stream of living lighting.
"With Cyber Shield and Electro-Whip I'll tear that rock apart!" The harpy yelled and flew over the mirror to strike.
Turret Warrior crossed it's arms and took two lashes of the whip. Granite flaked off of the spots the whip struck, but Yusei's fighter stood firm.
"Now! Turret Warrior! Attack that mirror! Turret Shoot!" Yusei yelled.
The harpy widened her eyes as Turret Warrior's twin cannons fired a barrage of bullets into the mirror, causing it to shatter outright.
"This isn't a proper game of duel monsters." Yusei stated aloud. "That mirror may have been a trap, but here a bullet can cause even the most stubborn of mirrors to break!"
The harpy sighed and swung the whip at him. "Then I'll just attack you myself!"
Yusei rolled behind Turret Warrior and pressed his back to his monster's. Turret Warrior covered Yusei's position with a barrage of fire to make the harpy back off.
"Curses. Outwitted by a human." The harpy hissed.
"Wouldn't be the first time, Airo." Another voice countered.
Yusei stopped breathing and tried to stay calm.
"Quiet, Ocupete! He's right there!" The harpy said.
"And what? You're going to take him to Silene?" the voice asked again.
"No! She'll use him to try and bargain with the Amazons. I wanted to keep him here for some fun. He's a good kisser."
"A human, Airo. That's the second one here. If the Amazons knew a man came, they'd - "
"Which is why he should be secret."
A green flash appeared in front of Yusei and he saw another harpy. This one looked about the same, but she had a shorter crop of hair and it was orange blonde. She was floating in front of him and seemed to be gauging him with her eyes.
"Well I can see he's not bad looking. Still, we should consult our other sister before we do anything too crazy." She said to her sister before looking at Yusei.
"And I'll want to ask your name. I'm Ocupete, by the way."
Yusei sighed and got up from his crouch behind Turret Warrior to meet her gaze as well as he could.
"Yusei Fudo." He said, just glad it wasn't taken from him this time.
"See, Airo. You don't always need to lure people in." She said, matter-of factually.
Airo sighed and her body shimmered as the Cyber Shield and Electro Whip vanished.
"But it's been so long since we've had proper fun." The redhead sighed. "But yes, my true name is Airo. Sister, you should know telling those kinds of things to humans is no joking matter."
Yusei blinked and patted Turret Warrior on the shoulder. "It's OK, Turret Warrior." He said. The warrior grunted and faded away. As it did, Yusei found himself collapsing.
Ocupete blinked before commenting. "Oh right. He's connected to that monster. So he'd need to dismiss it if he wanted any kind of rest." Yusei took in a deep breath and entertained the thought he'd have to get used to yet another change of scenery. And potential captors.
Airo crossed her arms. "I caught his scent from the ruins. I wanted to lure him out of there before anything in that maze found him. You know that maze can only be solved if you don't know the way out?" She said to her sister.
Ocupete shrugged. "Well at least he's not dead. You could've done worse."
Yusei scoffed. "Are you kidding? My back is killing me now. Humans aren't all built like you, you know."
Airo sighed. "Sorry Yusei. I'm used to fighting Amazons who are built like brick walls. And you look pretty strong. I got carried away. If sister hadn't shown up I'm sure we would have had a great fight. I had you on the ropes." She grinned, flashing her fangs at him.
"Sister, he broke your Mirror Wall. And he figured out you weren't his long lost lover. How many men have even done that." Ocupete said.
Yusei sighed. What had he gotten himself into now?
Airo grinned. "Just one other has done that – break my kiss, I mean. And he's the second human I have seen that can summon others to fight for him. It was a good fight." She repeated.
"Well, are you going to take me to you sister?" Yusei asked. He felt impatient.
"Yes, we will. And we'll even get you some food. Though it may not be what you humans like to eat." Airo said. Yusei noted that she was speaking before her sister got the chance to do so.
"Airo, we need to tell Silene about him before she finds out herself." Ocupete said, with a sense of urgency. "The last time that happened-" She trailed off and shut her eyes.
"Yes, yes, Silene took the fun right out of that. Especially when we'd found a truly kindred spirit." Airo sighed.
"So we'll take you to our roost. Keraino will be amused. But you must be quiet like an eggling on the way there." Ocupete said.
Yusei tried to rise and staggered back up. "How far?" He asked.
"Oh! This one's tenacious!" Ocupete said. "You were right, Airo, he is strong!"
"Yes, yes, a true man indeed." Airo said, rolling her eyes. "Now shut up and let's fly!"
Yusei bit his lip as Airo's lower talons gripped his shoulders. He expected them to stab him, but it was just a firm grip. His shoulder pads helped a bit in this respect.
Airo took him over the ruins and trees. The Gothic building at the mountain base seemed a strange enigma.
"Why's that building there?" Yusei asked.
"Oh, those silly knights thought they could build a castle in that mountainside a long long time ago. This was back when the Amazons controlled most of the island. But the knights died in their sleep from the Amazoness' poison. They collapsed the castle and left that building there. Mostly because it became Harpy territory. We like the shadows it casts. And it is a good place for a seduction." Yusei shivered at her words.
"You are a good kisser though. That woman will bear witness to a lot of love if the proper time presents itself." Airo said with a chuckle.
Ocupete laughed. "There's Airo for you, Yusei. My sister is more daring than myself or Keraino. But she's the best at testing men. Best be careful around her. Of us harpy sisters, she's the boldest."
Yusei looked down at the ground. He should choose his words very carefully lest they drop him.
"Well you harpies have a reputation in my world. There we don't see you as bold. That's a mistake I wont ever make." He said, mentally adding the word 'again' in his head.
"It is good for a foe to underestimate us." Airo said bluntly. "Many men have fallen to these claws due to their own ignorance."
There was a brief silence. It was midday on the island. Yusei could see they were flying around the mountainside. To the very edge of the island.
"We travel far for our security. The Amazons dare not leave the jungle outside of morning and we stay near the mountain. It gives us privacy. And protection." Ocupete said.
"Why?" Yusei asked.
"This island is home to many dangers that mortals only dream of. We need to stay on the tips of our talons or we get eaten." Ocupete responded.
"We will arrive soon." Airo said.
It was rocky where they landed. It was like a big crack in the mountain revealed a giant crater. Inside of it there was a small stream and some scant plant life.
"Drink up. We'll need our strength if Silene is there." Airo commanded as she and her sister knelt by the waterside to drink. Yusei joined them in silence.
Then they exited the crack and flew to the base of the mountain. This time they were facing the sea. Yusei could make out several giant trees, though he wasn't sure what kind they were. They were in a jungle, but it was at the point where the shore was visible. Yusei panted and pulled off his duel disk for the briefest of moments to shrug off his jacket. It was hot. There were insects buzzing and chirping all around and he already wished he'd brought bug spray.
"We have a hidden roost here. The Amazons know of ours closer to the center of the island but this one is far further than they'd wish to travel." Airo explained. Then she shrieked.
A blue blur landed in front of the three with another shriek and rose. It was a third harpy. Like Airo and Ocupete, Keraino was comely, and had the same golden talons. The only difference being her fierce dark blue hair that was spiked straight up.
"Sisters. You brought a friend." The last harpy said before bowing to Yusei. "My name's Keraino. I'm the youngest of the three." She said with a smirk. "Who's this tasty looking man?" She asked, raising an eyebrow.
"I'm Yusei." The duelist spoke, giving her a curt bow.
"Yusei, hmm. I've never heard that name before." Keraino said, feigning interest.
Ocupete looked to Airo, who frowned.
"Any sign of Silene?" She asked Keraino.
"No." her youngest sister said with a shrug. "Queen's not around right now. I guess she's on official business."
Ocupete let out a sigh. "Well that's good for our man friend." Then she looked at Yusei.
"You look hungry, human."
Yusei was taken aback at her comment but she was right.
"Keraino. You got to play here all day. Go get supper." Airo said.
Keraino frowned. "Really sister. We should have the human do it."
"My name is Yusei. And I don't have natural wings and claws. My cooking will take some time." The duelist retorted.
"Fine then." Keraino sighed before taking to the skies. "Be back by sundown!" The youngest harpy called.
"I wager three Amazon darts that she'll try and sleep with the human." Airo said, smirking to Ocupete.
Ocupete frowned but then broke down in a fit of chuckles. "Funny. I was going to bet her ten Ojama teeth that you'd do that, big sister."
Yusei sighed and turned away from the bickering sisters. He had to get his wits about him and fast. He didn't trust the Harpy Sisters at all but as it was he'd have to comply with them for the time being. There were Amazons on this island and who knew what else. While Amazons didn't seem so bad, they could vary from heroic defenders of the planet to lizard people who befriended children and ripped people's arms off and rode motorcycles. Depending on one's personal mythology, of course.
The sun was setting and Yusei gathered some dry wood together, carefully placing it in a pile that would be away from anything else flammable. He started digging a hole with his hands but stopped and summoned Rockstone Warrior to help him with the task. For insurance he summoned Speed and Dash Warrior and had the two gather wet leaves and rocks to create a fire pit and a rim around the would be fire. Airo made a face at Speed Warrior when she saw him. The harpies watched with dull interest as Yusei summoned Nitro Synchron and got a fire going with the smallest spark from the Tuner's mouth.
Airo turned to Ocupete. They spoke in their ancient speak briefly. "He's summoning quite a lot. After all that running he did to get to me, his stamina must be high."
Ocupete nodded. "He's champion material no doubt. Silene will want him as another bargaining chip. I've no doubt in my mind."
Airo slapped her on the shoulder and laughed. "That's all she'll want him for? Do you want to make another bet, Sister?"
Ocupete laughed back and turned to Airo. "He's a strong ally. And we don't know his full strength. He used that contraption to call his soldiers. Like the other human. The pretty one."
Then Yusei dismissed his three cards and tried to squat, but again found that he fell on his behind.
The harpies laughed. Ocupete stopped her thought train and said. "I'm going to help him up. He needs to trust us."
Ocupete fluttered down from the tree and sat next to Yusei, in a similar squat, and helped him up.
"We harpies haven't seen man's fire in a long time. The Amazons use it for their raids and magic. And fire arrows. But this fire is not one to wage war." Ocupete said, staring into the flames. "You did this for what purpose?"
Yusei closed his eyes and smiled faintly. "To cook whatever Keraino brings back."
As if on cue there was a huge splat as Keraino landed and slammed a giant insect into the earth. Then she yelped as the creature's guts had splashed on her arms. "Ick. I guess I should've been more elegant with that, but Lhegouls take a long time to bleed out." She said, voice dropping in disappointment as the guts seems sticky. Then she hissed as the creature was still writhing. Her face contorted and the plunged her already bloody arm deeper into the creature's body, slicing it open with one gesture. Then it stopped twitching.
Yusei turned to the blue haired harpy. "Thanks for bringing dinner. Go wash off and we'll prepare it to eat." He said, in some kind of disbelief that he was saying all this.
The harpy blinked in confusion as she pulled her wrist out of the mess but still nodded. "Just save some for me!" She yelled and flew off towards the nearby shore.
Airo chuckled and landed on the opposite side of the fire. "Have you ever cooked insect before, Yusei?"
Yusei frowned. "No. But I'm not eating some raw bug guts." He said bluntly."
Ocupete smiled and looked to Airo. "You want to see if his cooking lights the whole forest aflame?"
Airo smirked back. "I'd rather that than eat a Lhegoul raw myself." She said, with a face. "Keraino, could've killed something more palatable." She said.
"We'll start by ripping the legs out. Those make for good starters." Ocupete said, approaching the massive insect corpse and making incisions with one talon while the other steadied herself.
"Here." Yusei said. "My hands are smaller than yours. I can pull out the legs if you hold it down." He pulled off his gloves and with some regret, his duel disk to assist in the task.
Yusei had to use a stick to skewer his portions, but the harpies used their fangs and talons to tear into the meat. Somehow there was still an air of etiquette about them, as they were careful not to get the Lhegoul's blood on them.
Yusei made a slow roast with two larger sticks and began cooking and turning the meat while the harpies looked on. They divided the legs and pulled the meat out systemically as they snacked on it.
Yusei tried it. It was dark in color, and chewy, but pretty bland. He'd hope the fire brought out some flavor.
Keraino returned and they ate their meal in relative silence. Nothing but the far away cries of beasts and the snap of the fire to accompany the distant ocean waves.
Yusei breathed in and knew he'd fall asleep soon. He looked to Airo.
"Do you sleep in trees?" He asked.
The harpy finished chewing and gulped before she nodded. "Yes we do. No large predators will dare attack up there. We will fly you up there unless you want to climb that high?" She asked more out of curiosity. Yusei shook his head.
"Before we do that, we should put out the fire. No need for the smoke to attract anything. Or it could start a bigger fire." Yusei pointed out.
"Obviously."
Yusei looked back to Airo, who was smirking. "Do not forget that we were once allies with the Amazons. We know of their methods. Like using fire. We simply do not need it." She said, proudly.
"Well you have to admit, the fire made dinner better." Ocupete chimed in and Keraino nodded.
Yusei frowned and called on Speed and Dash Warrior again. "Get as much water as you can from the shoreline. We need to put out this fire."
The two warriors looked to each other and nodded. After a few minutes they came back carrying a hollowed out log that had enough water to put out the fire. Yusei patted them both on the shoulder and dismissed Dash Warrior. He was about to do the same for Speed Warrior when Airo looked at him.
"Let me thank this one." She said. Yusei frowned but gave her the benefit of the doubt.
She traced Speed Warrior's visor with a talon, talking out loud. "He'd healed now? That was fast."
"Well you technically never destroyed him by battle." Yusei said.
"What's his name?" Airo asked.
"Speed Warrior." Yusei said. Speed Warrior nodded.
"Well you fight well, Speed Warrior." Airo said, clapping him on the shoulder.
Speed Warrior nodded again, giving her a thumbs up. Then Yusei dismissed him and put his cards away.
"How many of those warriors do you have?" Keraino asked.
Yusei chuckled. "Over than twenty. I'll have to show you all later. It's dark now. I need sleep." He said, ruining his hands through the fire soil and mixing it with the colder surrounding soil to make sure there would be no accidental fire. He used some left over water from the log to douse the area.
Then he felt talons grab his shoulders and he was off the ground. Grateful he had his duel disk and tied his jacket around his waist.
They perched in the highest of the trees. There was a thick enough canopy and enough large branches to sleep with some comfort. Airo set him down and sat further up on the same branch.
It was pretty cold but it didn't seem to faze him in the slightest. Yusei set his head against the thick branch and though his nagging thoughts and worries would keep him up but he was out like a light.
Yusei woke up and felt hot. And sweaty. Daylight was visible even through the glowing green canopy. There was something warm beneath him. He didn't have to guess what it was. He felt soft, warm flesh against his own bare skin. And there were cold scales against his back. Talons. One of the harpies was embracing him. His face was resting on her collarbone and he felt her pulse. She was calm. He wondered which harpy it was.
Yusei opened his eye that wasn't pressed against her and saw a blue shoulder. He looked up a bit more and saw a lock of darker blue hair. The youngest sister Keraino then.
He heard a yawn and realized it came from another source, but it was very close by. There was more warmth at his side. Both sides, he realized now. Ocupete's head was parallel to his. She opened an eye and smirked at him. He felt a talon caress his shoulder.
"Sister. Your yawn woke me up."
Yusei heard Airo's voice behind him and a talon on his side stirred. It tickled him but he ignored it as best he could.
Ocupete chucked.
Yusei realized suddenly that his duel disk was gone. And his undershirt, jacket, and pants. The harpies had taken all but his underwear.
"Where's my clothes?" Yusei managed. Ocupete laughed softly. "Don't worry. They are in this tree. Nights here get hot but then get cold. Keraino here wanted something to keep her warm and Airo and I decided to surprise you both when you woke up. You should have seen the look in his eye, Airo. It was priceless." Ocupete said before giving Yusei a wink.
Yusei felt her shift as she got closer to him. Her left thigh slid across his lower back as she put a free hand on his face. "Can I see your mark?" She asked him.
Yusei sighed and shifted just slightly enough to turn his head. She blinked at the sight of the mark.
"I didn't think of it earlier. Were you a slave?" She asked him.
"In some ways I was, yes. This mark was given to those who were seen as outsiders to the upper class. I trespassed on their territory to get some things back and they caught me. This mark is punishment for that.
Yusei heard Ocupete and Airo exchange caws before Airo laughed and spoke.
"Why does man slave another man? It does not make sense."
Yusei closed his eyes and realized he must've slept like a rock – there was a lot of dust in his eyes.
"When do you start your day?" Yusei asked.
Ocupete snorted. "When our cute dear younger sister wakes up."
Both older sisters chuckled and Yusei felt the laughs through the vibrations at his sides.
"Well, are you hot now? Did we warm you up with our body heat?" Airo laughed, running a talon along his right arm.
"Well Airo, looks like our bet is null." Ocupete laughed. "We all ended up sleeping together."
The two kept laughing and Yusei felt the body directly beneath him begin to stir.
"Hey. Good morning Yusei. These two always ruin my fun." Keraino said, giving them some stink eye. "I wanted to play a prank on him myself." Keraino pouted, tightening her grip on Yusei.
"Well I'm always open to those." Yusei heard Airo speak. Then he smelled a sweet scent. Like when she mimicked Aki.
"Don't you dare-" Yusei started, but he soon found himself hearing Aki's voice.
"Oh Yusei. Even though we haven't talked to each other in months, I secretly need you with me now."
Yusei frowned and turned to see Aki – well Airo as Aki – smirking at him. Then he heard another voice.
"That's right, Yusei. We both missed you. We need you to complete us." This time it was from Ocupete. Yusei started as the voice – and face were now Sherry's.
"This is torture." Yusei said aloud as he looked away from them. He felt Keraino free her arms and cup his face, looking down at him. Then he blinked and it was Antimony's face. "Yusei. I miss you." Keraino said in Antinomy's baritone voice.
Yusei's scream caused any nesting birds to leave the canopy in a panic.
Yusei sat up and glared at the three, who simply blinked at him as though they'd done nothing wrong. Airo in particular had a very prominent grin that was pissing him off.
Keraino sighed and exclaimed. "Come on! You don't love any women with dark blue hair?! How can I seduce you if this man you love doesn't have breasts like mine?" She sighed and the other two started snorting and laughing even more.
"S-sister Keraino I know that you wanted to t-tease the human-" Ocupete said through several chuckles.
"But teasing you is even more fun!" Airo finished with a laugh.
Keraino growled at them and sat up, grabbing Yusei close and turning to face her reclining sisters.
"You ruined the fun. I'm going to wash up now. Yusei, you want to come?" She said, looking at him.
Yusei grimaced and wondered A. about the politics between the three and this 'Silene' he'd heard about and B. about where the hell his clothes were. But then thought C. won him over, which was that he smelled like people and Harpy sweat and he didn't know when he could wash again.
"I'll go but I need my things." He said. Keraino nodded and stuck her tongue out at her older sisters before she grabbed Yusei and flew off.
He snagged his things at a branch about ten feet up. He saw the other two harpies reclining. No doubt laughing about the latest prank. Keraino flew fast and silently. She said nothing and Yusei could do nothing abut look around as she carried him around.
The sun was still peeking above the horizon and Yusei found himself happy to see a beach. Keraino was yelling something to him.
"What?" Yusei asked.
"I said I'm going to drop you in the water. So drop your stuff on the beach, OK?" She said.
Yusei frowned but complied. He saw his duel disk fall onto the beach, glad his deck was firmly in place. Then with some sheepishness he saw his underwear and clothes follow suit. Then he saw the crystal blue water and felt it encompass him.
Yusei sputtered to the surface and was awakened by the cold water. It was very refreshing to the heat of the jungle. There was a splash behind him and Keraino chuckled as she sat up at the shore.
"We harpies can't swim well, but it's nice to cool off here." She said, watching Yusei. "I hope my sisters' teasing isn't too much for you." She said.
Yusei scoffed. "Well your impression of Antinomy was the worst offender, I'm afraid. He's dead." Yusei explained.
Keraino put her hands to her face. "Oh! I'm so sorry! I didn't know."
"You had no way of knowing." Yusei said as he submerged and made sure his hair was thoroughly soaked. "Just please never do that again." He said, making sure to make eye contact with Keraino, who nodded.
"In any case I'm glad Airo didn't kill me when she met. I guess I can add 'survived being seduced by a Harpy' to my bucketlist." Yusei said, rubbing his shoulders where the harpy talons made impressions.
"Bucket list? I don't understand." Keraino said.
Yusei turned and arched his back, stretching his arms to the sky and hearing pops as he did so. "We humans have a saying. To die is to 'kick the bucket'. So a bucketlist is what you do before you 'kick the bucket'." He explained.
"Different life experiences. I see." Keraino said. "We harpies have long, long lives. We do not measure life as valuable as you humans do. But we have a similar saying. The scars of life."
Keraino turned her back to Yusei and unfastened the leotard to show her bare back. Yusei gasped as he saw white gashes on the back of her skin.
"These were from a hunt that went wrong. I tried to kill an Insect Queen to prove myself. What a fool I was." She said, rubbing the exposed skin with some water before pulling her clothes back up. "I do have some interesting stories but they'll have to wait. Finish up your wash and we'll get some food. Then I think we should talk with my sisters. We should take you to Silene before she finds us."
"Who's Silene?" Yusei asked. "I've heard that name more times than I can count."
"She's the Harpy Queen." Keraino said. "See the harpies used to have a bigger flock, but we were coveted as pets by the elves and the other magical creatures who thought they were more civilized than us. The humans we could trick and barter with. But the elves and their ilk were a different story. They divided us and we escaped to this island. The queen is from the old world. She thinks it's her birthright to rule us, but on this island we've lived most of our lives, only speaking to her for mutuality."
"Why do you quarrel with the Amazons?" Yusei asked.
"Well, the Queen has a daughter. She tells us that the Amazons took her in the night. We don't know if she's alive, but Silene will never forgive them. It has been over twenty days since we've seen the Queen but since then, the Amazons have been hunting us." Keraino explained.
Yusei sighed. "And where do I fit in all of this?" He said as he slipped on his underwear and jeans.
"Well, we see you can summon those creatures." If you could save the Harpy Girl, then we could make peace with our Queen. And maybe even the Amazons. They hate men but they will at least acknowledge your combat strength. Like it or not, they are human, as are you."
Keraino walked up to him and rubbed his hair. "I like your hair, human. It is spiked, like mine."
Yusei nodded. "I tell everyone that it's natural but they don't believe me."
"Excuse me." He said as he ducked down to slip his shirt over his head.
The two were approached by Ocupete, who rubbed her eyes.
"I regret not going with you to wash. But we will eat soon. Come." She said.
"Airo is gathering ripe fruit from the treetops. We'll eat that and then figure out our next move." Ocupete said.
Keraino put a finger talon on Yusei's shoulder. "I didn't think gripping you when we fly would leave a mark like that." Yusei flinched at the touch. "Well it's still better than walking." He said.
"Well next time ride on my back. No claw marks." She suggested.
"And if Airo saw you doing that, she'd tease you to no end." Ocupete said.
"If I saw what?" Airo's voice came from above.
Airo landed in front of them with armfuls of fruit. Yusei could make out bananas and coconuts but the rest looked unknown.
"Eat. And discuss. What are we to do?" She asked the group as she sat down and put the fruit between them. She sliced what looked like a kiwi in half with a talon.
"We should see Silene before she finds us." Keraino spoke up.
"I agree with Sister." Ocupete said. "She'll want to bargain though. We'll need to play this some way." She gestured as she tore open a coconut with her feet talons.
Yusei nodded. "What would you recommend?" He asked as Ocupete passed him the open coconut and tore open another for herself.
Keraino smiled. "She's not going to accept anything. Even if you declared yourself our secret lover." She nudged Yusei in the ribs. "Nothing will make her budge. Only her daughter, safe and sound is her desire. I told Yusei about her past." She explained.
Airo looked to Ocupete. "He is a summoner. She will be interested. She may acknowledge us." She said, turning to Keraino.
"What's this about?" Yusei asked.
"She does not see us as true harpies. Yet we never served her flock. We came to this island as children!" Airo exclaimed. "We played with the grandparents of the Amazons when we were little! The queen's recent bad history with the Amazons paints us with the same history! Yet she acts like she is a human noble." Airo frowned and sipped some coconut milk.
Yusei did the same. Ocupete spoke up. "The queen's history with the Amazons is regrettable. But we must remember that we also took our early sisterhood with the Amazons for granted."
Airo sighed and closed her eyes. "Yes, I suppose we did. But now we can at least try and do something about this. I for one don't want to avoid the issue ."
The other sisters nodded and looked to Yusei. "You can summon soldiers about your size. But what's your biggest weapon?" Ocupete asked.
Yusei sighed and put on the duel disk, letting it surge to life. "Well, the Harpy Lady Sisters fight best as a team, right?" He asked them. They nodded.
"Well I combine my monsters like that. I'll show you an example."
He drew a hand of five cards and nodded. "Right, so I'll summon my Quillbolt Hedgehog, my Tuningware, and my Junk Synchron." He said.
In three bursts of light, the assembled monsters were summoned. Quillbolt's small, yellow body, accompanied by the two large screws. Tuningware's pot for a head and yellow scarf. And Junk Synchron's orange frame and hat.
"And now I can 'tune' them together to play a bigger monster.
Yusei slid the three creatures into the graveyard as he pulled a Synchro monster out of his Extra Deck.
"Clustering bonds from beyond time and space gather here to create an indestructible shield! Let the light surge through the path those bonds create! Synchro Summon! Junk Gardna!"
With a surge of green light, Junk Gardna appeared, stoic and impressive in appearance even though it was standing still. Dark green armor over it's body contrasting with it's grey joints.
The harpies finished eating the various fruit and flew around the Synchro monster, admiring it.
"This feels new somehow." Airo said, poking it's mechanical face. "This type of 'tuned' monster is not one I've seen before." She said. "This will impress Silene." She said, curling her talon into a fist and knocking it on Junk Gardna's armor, hearing a satisfying clang. The other sisters nodded.
"In that case, let's go." Yusei said, dismissing his monster and pocketing his deck before finishing his milk.
Author's note: So this is gonna be a longer story than I thought which is fine. It's a bit of a detour from what I had planned but I always wanted to write in some classic cards and I hope I'm doing them justice here.
Also for some trivia, the Harpy Sisters' names come from Yu-Gi-Oh! The Falsebound Kingdom, and that took them from Mythology. Electro Whip is the equip for harpies in that game, but it's a rose whip in the anime. Silene is a harpy demon from Go Nagai's Devilman, which inspired Takahashi in some central themes throughout Yu-Gi-Oh. I also don't own that in any way.
