Sorry I took so long. _; Disgaea has kept me busy. _;

*Chapter 31: Old Friends*

"The ground's shaking!" Hope exclaimed.

"No duh," Rue replied. "Is the stampede coming back?"

"No, it's coming from the opposite direction," Will pointed out.

It was then that the creature came into view. The most noticeable thing about it was that it was huge. Hope roughly estimated it was around two stories high, maybe a little bit taller. It was blue, and had three heads. Or were they heads? They looked more like masks.

Gaston, Ruecian, Olympion, Neo, and Perseus all got into a defensive position immediately. Everyone else was simply stunned by how big the monster was, except for Max, whose hand flew to his katana.

Mana's skin had lost all of its color at the sight of the beast. She managed to stammer out a sentence though.

"I… uh… er… have… to… leave now!"

No sooner had she said that then she ran away, towards the forest, as fast as her legs could carry her.

"It looks like we are dealing with a demon," Will stated wryly.

"How would you know?" Hope asked.

"Didn't you see how fast she ran out of there? Brandi did say she was very frightened of demons."

Hope couldn't deny that. "Well, it doesn't look like an angel, that's for sure."

"Should I attack?" Gaston looked extremely nervous, but wasn't about to back down.

"No way! All he has to do is step, and you will be flattened!" Hope pointed out. "Maybe he won't attack."

"That would be luck. We have never had luck," Rue joked.

"Yeah, yeah, very funny," Hope muttered.

The monster's three heads just looked at them during the whole time.

"It doesn't look like it is going to strike..." Will stated. "Hey Max… what are you looking at?"

Max was staring just behind the beast. "Identify yourself!"

A teen walked out from behind the monster's huge leg. He wore a grayish-blue sweatshirt with a black jacket over it. He also had on blue jeans, and casual tennis shoes. He had brown hair, brown eyes, and wore glasses.

"Yo. I'm sorry if my Soul Monster, Masque, caused you alarm," the guy said.

"Who are you?" Rue inquired. "And what are you doing here?"

"I could ask the same of you… I am here to find a certain duelist."

"Who would that be?" was Will's question.

"A master with demons, or so the rumors claim."

Max stepped forward. "You found the right person. My whole deck is consisted of demons."

Olympion snarled in agreement.

"I see. In that case, let's have a duel." The boy activated his Duel Disk.

"And why would I duel you?"

"I run a deck of demons too. Let us duel to see who the real master of demons is."

Max activated his Duel Disk. "Fine, but let's be quick."

As he shuffled his deck, the teen took some time to examine the boy's companions. A girl with an Elven Swordsman, a boy with a Black Paladin, another boy with a Magic Swordsman: Neo, a girl with a Heavenly Knight: Perseus, and a girl who's Soul Monster had fled. For some reason, he felt like he had seen the girl who lacked her Soul Monster and the one he was dueling before. He shook off the feeling though, as he inserted his cards into his Duel Disk.

Max: 8000

???: 8000

"So, who should go first?" the teen asked.

"I will." Max drew his card, and frowned. "Hm… I didn't draw a demon. Therefore, Olympion won't be able to use his effect."

"Huh? What do you mean?" Hope asked.

"Olympion's effect has one bad side effect; if the first card I draw is not a demon, then Olympion's ability is negated for the rest of the duel."

"Ouch… there goes your advantage," Will said.

"N-GAGED!" Rue yelled.

"Mental note; kick Rue's ass later," Max muttered before turning back to the duel. "I lay one monster in defense, and a card down."

"It's my turn then." The boy drew his card. "Hm… not a bad hand. First, I play Cyclone on your face down card."

"You hit my Bandit's Swiss Army Knife."

"Good. I will summon Cursed Gyura. (1500/800) Then I will play the magic card Devil's Sanctuary. This generates one Metal Devil Token. (0/0) Now, I sacrifice Cursed Gyura and my Metal Devil Token to special summon Death Guardius! (3300/2500)"

"It looks exactly like his Soul Monster... just not as big…" Will noted.

"Masque is indeed a Death Guardius. Now, my Death Guardius attacks your monster!"

"You destroyed my Newt. (1900/400) You lose 500 attack due to his effect. (2800/2500)"

"It doesn't effect me that much. I lay one card down, and end my turn."

Max drew his card. How familiar I am with that move… I've only had it used on me too much… "I lay another monster in defense, and two more cards down."

"Hm… to attack or not… I suppose I will attack."

"I activate Torture Wheel!"

"Alright, I can't counter that. It's your move."

"On my standby phase, you lose 500 Life Points to Torture Wheel."

Max: 8000

???: 7500

"Now I flip over my Dark Jelloid. (1200/1500) When he is reverse summoned, I can choose one monster of yours and lower its attack by 800. (2000/2500) Now I sacrifice my Dark Jelloid and summon Great Demon Gaazetto! His attack is double the monsters that I used to sacrifice. (2400/0) Now, attack Death Guardius!"

Max: 8000

???: 7100

"That was pretty impressive. It's too bad that you did all of that work for nothing. For now my Death Guardius' effect is activated!"

"That's right… you get to equip a Bequeathed Mask from your deck onto one of my monsters. You take control of the monster you equip it to. I won't let you get away with that though. I activate Harpy's Feather Sweep, destroying all of your magics and traps."

"Drat, you also destroyed my Cry of the Living Dead… so much for bringing Death Guardius back…"

"I'm done with my turn."

The boy drew, and smirked. "Hm… this looks promising. I lay two cards down, and summon Lamp Spirit-Ra Djinn. (1800/1000) It's your turn."

Max looked at him doubtfully. "You must have some trap down, or you would never put Ra Djinn in attack mode…"

"Why don't you attack, and find out?"

"Alright then, I will!"

"I activate my trap card, Howl of the Underworld! I pay as many Life Points as I want, in hundreds, and your monster loses that amount of attack points! So I pay 700 Life Points, lowering your Gaazetto to 1700 attack!"

Max: 7900

???: 6400

Max looked at his hand. "Just great…"

"I will also activate my other trap card, Ouija Board! At the end of each of your turns, the board will get a letter from my deck, spelling out the word of your demise!"

"What?!" Max looked shocked. "Tell me your name! Now!"

The teen gave him a strange look. "I'm called Matt."

"Matt?! What?! How?!" Max exclaimed.

Matt suddenly realized why his opponent looked familiar. "Wait… Max, is that you?"

"Of course it's me!"

"I could have sworn… that you looked… familiar…" He looked over at the spectators. "So you are Brandi?"

"Yeah, it's me." She examined his face. "I should have recognized you! But the glasses threw me off…"

"Same with Max's cloak and sombrero," Matt replied. "It looks like you picked up some new cloths since the last time we were together. I can see you kept your deck the same though."

Max looked at the cards in his hand. "Why would I change it? You were the one who built me and Brandi our decks…"

Everyone else was staring from the sidelines, trying to figure out what was going on.

"Wait a second… Max knows this guy? What is going on?" Rue asked.

"Matt, Max, and I have been friends ever since kindergarten," Brandi explained. "He was the one who got us into Duel Monsters. He even composed a deck for both of us, based off our interests. We often dueled each other. Sometimes, Max and I would both be against Matt, yet we could never win. He always beat us. He is even called Daemon sometimes, due to winning so many tournaments with his Demon deck. However, we lost contact with each other after Max and I fled."

"You are saying this guy is a great duelist… yet he uses Ouija Board in a Demon deck? That seems a little… odd, to put it lightly," Rue pointed out.

"You wouldn't believe how many times Ouija Board has bailed me out of a jam," Matt assured. "We can catch up on old times after this duel Max. Are you going to do anything else?"

"Oh, right… no, I end my turn."

"Then my Ouija Board lets me play Death Message E from my deck. Now, on my turn, I attack with Ra Djinn."

"I will activate Attack Nullification, halting your attack."

"Hm… in that case, I end my turn."

"I summon Demon Soldier! (1900/1500) Attack Ra Djinn! I lay a card down before ending."

Max: 7900

Matt: 6300

"When you end, I play Death Message E from my deck. Now I draw, and lay one card down. Your turn."

It might be a trap… but with his Ouija Board on the field, I can't hesitate any longer! "I summon Gil Gars! (1800/1200)"

"I activate my trap, Tidal Wave! All of your monsters are destroyed."

"…End turn…"

"I get Death Message T from my deck. Now I summon Headless Knight. (1450/1700)"

"I activate my trap card, Pit Trap! Since your monster is over 1000 attack points, it is destroyed."

"Very well. I end my turn without doing anything else. It is pretty much over now anyway. I know you don't have any other magic or trap destroying cards, and you can't wipe out all of my Life Points in one blow."

Max took a quick look at the card he drew. "Actually… there is a way."

"Oh?"

"First, I summon Giant Orc. (2200/0) Then, I remove my Gil Gars, Demon Soldier, and Gaazetto to special summon Dark Necrophia. (2200/2800) And then, I play Raise Dead! Your Death Guardius is now mine! They all attack!"

Max: 7900

Matt: 6300

"What the…?!"

"Looks like I finally beat you," Max stated. "I was lucky to draw Raise Dead."

"CoughSTACKEDDECKCough," Rue said.

"Are you trying to get beheaded?" Max drew his katana.

"Um… what gave you that idea Max? I didn't say anything!"

"…Right. I'll deal with you later." Max sheathed his katana, much to Rue's relief.

*****

"There he is!" one of the officials in the group of ten shouted.

The man in the black cloak sighed. "My patience is running low… these fools have been chasing me for at least an hour." He shrugged. "I guess I might as well kill them all."

The officials finally saw where he was, and began to run toward him. That was when at least a hundred black shapes jumped from the bushes and trees. In seconds, all of the officials were lying in a pool of their own blood.

*****

The sun was setting as they decided to settle down for the night in the town. Matt decided to stay with them for the night, as he wanted to talk to Max and Brandi. Will immediately realized what they would probably talk about would be personal, so he managed to convince the others to stay a short distance away from them, far enough to not overhear.

"So Max, where have you been all this time?"

"In Columbia. I'm sorry I didn't contact you, but I couldn't give my step father any hints."

"Don't worry, I understand."

Max seemed disturbed about something. "Tell me… how is my mother doing?"

Matt's expression was nothing short of depressed. "She's weakening. None of us know how much longer she has. One time I talked to her, she said that before she dies, she wants to see you one last time."

Max was silent, and then nodded. He got up and began to walk away.

"This is bad…" Brandi said. "He will blame himself for his mother's death as well."

Hope had been walking by them when she heard this. "I don't know much about Max's past, but I get the feeling he can't take another blow before completely losing the remaining spirit he has."

"You're right there," Brandi agreed. "I'm the only reason he has lived this long anyway."

Hope was quiet for a few minutes. All of a sudden, she said, "I have an idea that might help. Brandi, can you keep everyone besides Max and Olympion away from this area?"

"Uh… sure," Brandi said. "If that's what you want." She got up to go over to the area the others were in. She seemed to be talking to Rue. Rue pulled out his deck and began shuffling it, while Brandi did the same.

"I guess that will work," Matt shrugged. "So, what's your idea?"

"You'll see soon enough. Now, which direction did he go?"

*****

"Where are they going?" Rue asked, seeing that Hope and Matt were leaving.

Masque, who was about a yard away due to his enormous size, gave a low hiss.

"Oh, Hope lost something of hers, Matt volunteered to help."

"Why can't we help?"

"Because I'm destroying you in this duel. You going to make a move yet?"

Neo was preoccupied by something. "Why hasn't Mana come back?"

"I summon Gemini Elf, and attack your set monster! Well, Masque is still here. You think she'll come back when he's gone Brandi?"

"Most likely. You hit my Sphere Bomb."

"…I hate you."

"Glad to hear it."

*****

Max was on top of one of the buildings. Although it was blackened by the fire, it had somehow managed to stay upright. About two stories high, with many stones loosened from the main structure that served as holds, Max had found no problem in climbing to the top, where he was free to think, with just Olympion beside him. He gazed at the sunset, a cool wind blowing his cloak lightly.

So my suspicions were correct… she is dying. Our leave just made it harder for her. He sighed. What should I do now?

"There you are! Can we join you?"

Max was pulled from his thoughts as he looked down and saw Hope, who had called out, and Matt. "Oh… um, sure."

In a few minutes, they had arrived at the top. Hope swung her legs over the side of the building, and Matt sat on Max's left. They stared at the sunset for a few minutes in silence before Hope broke it.

"Max, I have heard that your life has been a continuing horror story."

Max didn't reply.

"I think I can help though. You see, I can mentally heal people. While I cannot completely heal old wounds, perhaps I can cause them to not hurt as much. So, what do you say?"

Matt was confused, but stayed quiet. She knows what she is doing.

Max just kept looking at the sun. "If you think you can help… I guess you can try."

Hope grinned. "Excellent! Ok, I only need you to do one thing, and then I can help."

"And what would that be?"

"I need you to tell me everything. Explain what your life has been like. Don't leave out any details. You can trust me... I won't tell anyone else, I promise."

"…"

"I know that it is a hard thing to do, bringing up the past. But if you keep running from it, it will eventually catch up to you, and you will be worse off than before."

"…You have a point. Fine… I will tell you, if you are sure."

"I am."

"Alright… then let me think… where to begin? Well, you know what I experienced at age ten, thanks to Echecs. How my step father had told me I had killed that man, how he despised me. Back then, I had lived in Myrtle Beach. I had taken Brandi and fled to Columbia. When we arrived there, we managed to find a husband and wife who took us in as their foster children. They were being paid by my mother, although I did not know it for some time. They were often gone on business trips and such though, and could not afford to bring us, so Brandi and I were usually alone."

"Depressed is an understatement. My soul was torn to pieces, and I could not mend it. Twice a day, I would attempt suicide, only to be stopped by Brandi. Medications would not have helped, even if we had the means to acquire them."

"At school, I was often picked on, being the weak person I was back then. Brandi helped me then too. She took kick-boxing lessons to protect me. This continued for quite some time… about three years."

"I was thirteen then. I had heard of Teknisk Wereld. Brandi and I weren't really interested in Duel Monsters anymore, seeing as Matt was not there to duel us, but I saw this as an opportunity to finally end it all. I got out my old deck, and signed up. Then I went in Teknisk Wereld, and stayed in it for two weeks straight. My plan was to never leave it, and I didn't leave it."

"In the real world, Brandi was getting more worried each day for me. Each day, my body grew more dry. I was on the brink of dehydration and starvation. After two weeks had passed, Brandi couldn't take it any more. She deactivated the Envoyant Machine, and called the hospital. I eventually recovered, but that is the closest I have ever gotten to actually managing to kill myself."

"Brandi could not stand the thought of me doing that again. She signed up for Teknisk Wereld to make sure I did not attempt to stay in it too long. When we were sixteen, we dropped out of school, as we found it unimportant."

"In the past three years, I have changed a lot. Olympion has kept my emotions in check, and I have grown stronger. I learned to survive. If you looked at the past me, and how I am now, you would think them two different people. And in truth, we are. I am not a soulless person though. I still feel anger, hatred, sadness, fear, and most of all, depression. But I don't show it as often. I have tried to separate myself from everyone but Brandi. You see this cloak and sombrero I wear? It is to hide myself from the world. To avoid all of those who wish me harm. Maybe inside, I am still the scared boy I was back then. Maybe I just hide it with my emotionless expression. I am not sure. I am not sure on many things… hardly any, in fact."

"Now, I have heard my mother lies close to death. She was always a weak person physically… now it is just all the worse for her. She wants to see me again, but I can't bring myself to face her, after all of the pain I caused her. I do not know what I should do. All I know for sure is that I can never forgive my step father."

Throughout the narrative, Hope and Matt had not said a word. Hope did notice that a slight black aura was being pulled to Olympion though.

"That is all there really is to tell. If you think you can heal me, then go ahead and try."

Hope smiled softly. "I already did."

"What?"

"Max, you just told me all of your painful past, and Matt too. Brandi knows as well. Now you have three people who can help you bear it. Don't you feel better, knowing that we can help you pull through? You aren't alone anymore."

Matt agreed. "Yeah. If you ever need to talk, just say so. We will listen."

Max looked up, and Hope thought she saw gratitude in Max's eyes. Still, it was hard to tell.

"I see… thanks for helping… both of you."

They stayed to watch the sunset. No words passed between them. They didn't need to talk to know what the others were feeling.

*****

"I attack you directly with Mad Dog of Darkness. That's game."

"ARGH!" Rue slammed his fist into the ground. "That's got to be at least ten losses, and not one win!"

"You lost twenty four times. I counted."

Rue glared at Will. "Who asked you?"

"I was simply pointing out your error."

"It's an error to be provoking someone that wields an axe that is longer than you!"

Claire was giggling quietly at the scene, when she heard someone approaching. She turned to look. "Max, Matt, Hope! Hi! We were getting worried!"

Hope threw herself down by her backpack. "No need to. Nobody else is in this town."

"I know, but still, after what we have been through, you can't blame me for feeling a little cautious."

"True." Will had pulled out Loamhedge again. "I think it's high time we call it a night."

"Not before I beat Brandi!" Rue declared.

"You are not wasting ten years of my life trying to beat her," Will said, calmly dodging a piece of firewood thrown at his head. "You can try again later."

After a few more complaints, everyone was soon settled down for the night.

*****

In the morning, they began to plan on what they would do.

"Well, I think I'm going to be going now," Matt said. "I'd really like to help you guys, but I need to do something important back in the real world. So, I'll see you all later."

"…Hold on," Max requested. "Before you leave… I want to do something. Just stay here, I will be right back."

He pulled up the menu in his Duel Disk, and had soon vanished.

"That was odd," Rue commented.

In a few minutes, a teenager suddenly appeared. He wore an orange t-shirt, blue jeans, and tennis shoes. He had a katana strapped to him. He had dark brown hair, while his brown eyes were slightly softer.

"Who the heck are you?" Rue asked.

"You moron. I leave you for five minutes, and you already forget who I am?"

"Max!" Hope gasped. "Your cape… and sombrero… what happened to them?"

"I don't need them anymore," he said simply.

Hope immediately realized what he meant, but did not say anything about it.

"They made you look a lot cooler," Rue joked.

"I'm not asking for your fashion sense." He paused. "Matt… tell her not to give up yet. Tell her to just wait."

Matt looked surprised, and then nodded. He pulled up the menu on his Duel Disk.

"I'll see you guys later. Oh, one other thing." He walked up to Brandi, and lightly kissed her. "I've been wanting to do that for a while. Later!" He teleported out, Masque following.

Rue laughed at Brandi's extremely red face. "Looks like Brandi has a boyfriend!"

"If you don't want to get killed, then shut up!" Brandi snarled.

Rue tried to stifle his snickers.

Luckily for her, the moment was soon interrupted with a piercing scream.

To be continued…