Author's Note: Yo, more from me, Seeker of the Soul.

Chapter Six: Hunters and Hunted

The cab door swung open, and the occupant exited, paying the driver who quickly drove off. Once the cab was gone the man who had exited tilted his head up to look at the bustling city around him. "Kyoto, it's been quite some time."

Juushin stretched his arms out over his head, stretching and taking in a deep breath. "Ah yes, the smell of human civilization, virtually untainted by demons. Of course, it's been tainted now. I'll have to cut to the heart of the matter before the taint spreads. I'd hate to have to turn Kyoto into rubble."

Shoving his hands into the pockets of his jeans, Juushin began walking down the sidewalk, casually strolling through the human traffic, people naturally moving to avoid him. He simply exuded an aura of authority that made people move, even though he was dressed casually in jeans and a long sleeved black shirt. The sun glinted off of the dark sun glasses that hid his eyes. "Twelve years, and still this place seems the same."

He paused as he passed a noodle cart, and then without a word he slid into an empty seat, the other customers ignoring him. "I think I'll have the Oden, beef please. Is tempura an option?"

"Of course, I also have a spicy beef version if you'd like th…at. Kyouki? It is you! Why you old dog, it's been twelve years and you haven't changed a bit!" The gray haired Japanese man who was running the noodle shop grinned like a maniac at Juushin. The other customers looked at them oddly.

Juushin's lips quirked up into an odd smile as the old man gushed at him. "You never had any tact Ken, none at all. Although I must admit, it's been a while since I've heard the name Kyouki."

Ken grinned broadly, and made shooing gestures to the rest of the people sitting there. "Sorry folks, I'm closing up shop to catch up with an old friend. This old boy here owes me a story or two."

Grumbling the others got up and left, clutching their food in their hands as they searched for somewhere else to eat. Ken leaned forward over the temporary counter, still grinning. "You'll always be Kyouki to me, even though you've come up in the world since that was your given title. What do they call you now, Juushin was it?"

"That's right, I've moved up in the world since those old days. You on the other hand, you've got even more gray hair than I remember. Have these past twelve years really been that stressful? Retiring to run a noodle shop a difficult life?" The two old friends grinned at each other, sharing a laugh.

When their laughter quieted, Ken leaned in very closely so that he was practically right in Juushin's face. Carefully he whispered to his old friend. "Yes, but I'm old after my time. You on the other hand, twelve years since last I saw you and still you look twenty-five."

Juushin shrugged, brushing some of his medium length black locks of hair out of the way of his sunglasses. His handsome features seemed to grow grimmer as he contemplated the situation. "Yes, there are benefits and curses to being me."

Ken pointed at the sunglasses that covered his old friend's eyes, looking almost frightened of them. "Are those to hide what I think is beneath? Do you really have…that?"

When Juushin nodded, Ken pulled back and brushed his hands against his apron. "Yeah, I was going to make you beef Oden with tempura, wasn't I? Kyouki, I'm retired, I'm done, and you know it. I'm not involved anymore."

"We are never done, the fight is never over, and you know that. Of course, you know perfectly well what's expected, even after you've gone. You knew someone was coming, just not that it was me. Now, let's get this unpleasant part out of the way." Juushin calmly placed a hand on the counter, his lips drawn in a flat and serious line.

The old noodle shop owner clenched his fists together, looking frustrated. "Fine, but…I don't want anything to do with this after this is done. Are we agreed? This is it for me, the very last thing I do for you or the rest of them. We're completely finished once I hand this over."

Ken slid a manila folder across the counter, which Juushin placed his hands over, his mouth still set in that same grim line. "Yes, we're done here. It's really a pity, you were a good friend Ken, but those days are truly gone I suppose."

Slowly the dark haired man stood the folder in his left hand. He turned away, not wanting to look at his old friend any longer. "If we ever see each other again, I just want you to know that it's nothing personal. It's just business."

Then Juushin walked away, leaving Ken standing in the same place. When his old friend faded into the crowd, Ken looked down at his hands, which were balled so tight that his knuckles were free of blood. "It's always personal Kyouki. That's what separates me from you…that is why I couldn't stay. Goodbye for the last time old friend."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Ryoushi Myou, professional Demon Bounty Hunter, was running. He had done a lot of running during his career, chasing after his bounties, which were usually exceptionally fast. He had chased so many different humans and demons down that his stride had been drilled into a well oiled motion.

This time however, his stride was panicked and faltering as he found himself in a position he had never expected himself to be in. Instead of being the hunter, he had suddenly become the hunted. 'What the hell is that guy?'

His last two days had not gone well. After spotting his target, the exiled dragon demon Amarai Reiki, he had stalked his prey and initiated a Darkness Game. Unfortunately he had lost, and in a humiliating Punishment Game was inflicted, forcing him to never hunt again.

As if that weren't enough he had been dragged and chucked into a dumpster by old competition, another bounty hunter named Ichiro Zuki. The man's own words were: "You'd be best off thought as vanished trash than a live failure that interacted with the demon. Word of mouth has it that someone big is coming to Kyoto, and he's bloodthirsty."

Ryoushi hadn't gotten to learn anything more, as Ichiro had closed the dumpster lid. All he knew is that he had waited the night, then pulled himself free and headed to the train station to hitch a ride out of town. He had no clue who was coming, but he didn't want to find out.

However, these freaks had been waiting for him. Each of them wore casual clothes, the only oddities being that they all wore broad brimmed hats and surgeon's masks, and their hands were covered by black gloves. 'That and their freaky limbs. Are they demons?'

Each of the four people who were chasing him had limbs that were longer than normal and out of proportion to their bodies. Worse yet, when they had come after him he had stabbed one in the chest with a long dagger with no result. 'Bastard didn't even bleed! Hell, even demons bleed!'

He whirled around the corner, coming to a stop and breathing heavily. Inch by inch he peered around the corner, but to his relief found no sign of his pursuers. "Good, I've lost them."

Heaving a sigh of pure relief he turned, only to have his breath catch in his throat. Standing directly in front of him, face covered by a surgeon's mask, was one of the freaks that had been chasing him. "Gah!"

The disguised man's extended arm grasped Ryoushi by the throat, lifting him up and dragging his back against the brick wall. He struggled, swinging his feet into the man's body, but to no effect. "D…damn you…"

"Struggling extends your life, it does not save it." The sinister voice that issued out from behind that surgeon's mask sounded like a man who had gotten his own throat mangled. It was a raspy grating noise, and Ryoushi found himself afraid.

The other three dropped down from above them, and Ryoushi understood why he had lost sight of them. They had taken to the rooftop, following him that way. 'And I fell for it like an amateur…I'm going to die.'

"You look to be in a bad way there. Being suffocated hurts, feeling your brain functions slowing, your vision fogging, everything growing fuzzy. However, you pass out before you die, so it's an easy way to go." Ryoushi spotted the speaker, a casually dressed man wearing sunglasses who looked to be in his mid-twenties, his black hair blowing in the wind. He was just leaning back against the wall across from Ryoushi.

The newcomer snapped his fingers, and immediately Ryoushi felt the pressure on his throat released, and he dropped to his butt on the ground, gasping for air. When he looked back up, that same man was standing above him, the four men who had hunted him down a handful of feet away. "You were once a demon bounty hunter, but now you've ceased being useful. When a demon bounty hunter is beaten by his quarry, he in turn becomes the hunted. You are…weak."

With a bit of effort Ryoushi craned his neck up and spat at his confronter. Before the spittle even landed a fist slammed into his face, cracking his head back up against the wall. His vision swam again, and when it cleared he saw the strange man wiping blood off his knuckles with a piece of cloth. "That was unkind. I said you were weak, not useless."

Ryoushi's didn't need to reach up his hand to confirm what he could feel. His nose was broken, and blood was dripping down over his lips. That punch had been strong, and faster than he could follow. 'This guy is the one Ichiro was talking about, I know it.'

"What…what can I do Mr…errr…should I even ask your name?" The other man grinned, and with one hand pulled Ryoushi to his feet. He tossed an arm around Ryoushi's shoulder, grinning at him.

"You're a failure because you targeted Amarai Reiki, the exiled dragon demon, and failed. Now, I don't like bounty hunters because you work for money and not because it's the right thing to do. However, I'll admit you've proven yourself useful because you faced the dragon demon in a duel." Ryoushi gulped, frightened by the friendly tone in this man's voice. It was unnerving.

"You want me to give you input on his dueling strategy? Perhaps tell you his weaknesses?" To Ryoushi's surprise the man laughed in a very friendly manner. Once again it sent a chill down his spine. This didn't seem right at all.

"Oh nothing like that really. You'll tell us his dueling strategy, but your input on how to beat his deck is unneeded. What we do need however is to duel you, to get a measure of Amarai's dueling ability." The man released him, and walked off to the side. Gulping Ryoushi triggered his duel disk and faced the strange man. (RLP: 4000)

A raspy voice caught his ears, and to his surprise the same masked man who had choked him stepped in front. "I am Dolgrune, and I will face you. You are not worthy of facing my Lord." (DLP: 4000)

The masked Dolgrune raised his right arm, and a pure white duel disk appeared on it, already in on position. The masked duelist drew five times, and then a sixth. "I begin this duel to test your strength. Killer Needle(1200/1000) in attack mode!"

A large bee buzzed out from the card, hovering a handful of feet above the ground. Dolgrune lowered his hand of cards, his dark green eyes looking intensely at Ryoushi. "Turn End."

After seeing such a pitiful start to the duel, Ryoushi couldn't help but laugh. "That's it? That's the opening move you had for me? This will be a cake walk! Survivor of the Different Dimension(1800/200), attack!"

A blonde haired figure wrapped in a tattered brown cloak leapt straight out of the card and across the field, slashing Killer Needle in half. Its pieces hung in the air for a second, then burst into pixels. "How pathetic. One card face down, and that's all." (DLP: 3400)

Immediately Dolgrune drew. "Pheromone Wasp(800/800) in attack mode. One card face down. Let this set card be your next test. Turn end."

As Ryoushi drew, he eyed the hovering green wasp with interest. Once again his opponent had deliberately left a weak monster in attack. This time the trap seemed too obvious. "You want me to spring your trap? I'll oblige, but first I summon D.D. Warrior Lady(1500/1600)!"

The armored blonde woman appeared next to her male companion, her glowing blade already drawn. "D.D. Warrior Lady, slay Pheromone Wasp! Dimensional Saber Slash!"

She jumped straight up into the air, then came back down with sword pointed towards the wasp. Ryoushi's eyes went wide as a rasping chuckle issued from behind Dlgrune's mask. "Trap card activates, The Carrier! Pheromone Wasp returns to my hand!"

The wasp vanished, but D.D. Warrior Lady was plunging down. "That's fine with me, she'll go straight for your life points! Easiest duel ever!"

"The Carrier's second effect, I special summon a level four or lower monster from my hand to the field. That monster becomes the target of battle. Iron Beetle(600/2000) in defense mode!" D.D. Warrior Lady crashed into the new monster, blade digging in. (RLP: 3500)

"Fine, both monsters are removed from the game!" The two monsters faded from view, leaving an empty field. "Survivor of the Different Dimension attacks directly!"

The blonde warrior's sword plunged into Dolgrune's body, and then he jumped back to Ryoushi's field. Ryoushi smirked, confident in his battle strategy. This other duelist was really a weakling. "If that's the best you've got then this duel is already over." (DLP: 1600)

Next Ryoushi held up one of his other cards. "Dimensional Distortion special summons a monster from out of play when I have no monsters in the grave. Return to me D.D. Warrior Lady(1500/1600)!"

The female warrior shimmered back into view. "Hehehe…now I activate the continuous magic card Construction of the Gate! In seven turns I'll have this duel won no matter what you do. End!"

Off to the side Juushin smirked, amused by the bounty hunter's confident attitude. 'He's facing Dolgrune without any knowledge of his opponent's true power. Dolgrune, stop playing with him next turn, this is your last turn to toy with him.'

Dolgrune acknowledged his order with a slight nod of the head before drawing. "Pheromone Wasp(800/800) in defense mode. Next Cell Split creates a copy of it, also in defense."

The green wasp returned, and then it split in half, forming into two identical insects. Ryoushi shrugged, unconcerned since neither was worth anything against him. "End."

Ryoushi drew confidently, but sighed when he saw that it wasn't a monster. Still, he had what he needed to unleash his ultimate monster this turn. "D.D. Warrior Lady and Survivor will exterminate your bugs!"

Twin slashes of swords later and both wasps were gone, leaving Dolgrune's field completely empty. "Now, it's time to unleash my ultimate monster on you! Ritual magic card, Dimensional Rift! I offer both monsters on my field along with D.D. Kuriboh(300/200) from my hand…"

He slipped the card from his ritual deck and slapped it down. A tall imposing warrior who looked much like a holy ruler descended onto the field in their place. "Introducing Lord of the Different Dimension(4000/4000) who when summoned removes all monsters in our graves from the game!"

Each duelist took their fallen monsters and placed them into their pockets, except for one which Ryoushi kept. Then he slapped it down. "When removed from play Survivor returns!"

The male warrior was resummoned, looking weak next to the Lord. "Together they'll crush you. End turn!"

Dolgrune glanced over to Juushin, who once again smirked. Dolgrune nodded back and drew, sneering at his opponent as he looked at the fourth card. "You are weak, weak and insignificant. If this is your power then the demon Amarai will be no challenge for me."

The man slid the drawn card into his hand, then selected another card. Ryoushi looked up at his Lord of the Different Dimension for reassurance. There was no monster that could break through its attack points. "You can't defeat me, my monsters are too powerful!"

"This is why you fail, but if it's strong monsters that you wish to see, than allow us to show you. Field magic card activates! The Hive!" The area around them warped, bands of silken fluids reaching between the brick walls until everything was different.

Ryoushi looked around, feeling slightly nauseas at the sight. Even the ground beneath their feet was formed of the slimy hardened fluids, and eggs pulsated all around them. He could also see insects crawling through holes in walls and then into others, disappearing as fast they had appeared. "I hate insects."

"Yes, most people do, while they fail to realize the good involved. Without insects there would be nothing in that particular niche of nature, and nature would collapse. Insects are as necessary as humans are in this world. And in their natural home of The Hive all insects gain two hundred attack and defense points." Ryoushi shrugged, not worried since it would still take an insect of thirty-nine hundred natural attack points to beat his Lord.

"Now, I activate another effect of The Hive. By discarding a card from my hand I can search for an insect monster and add it to my hand, or special summon an insect from my hand. I discard Immortal Cockroach(1000/1000) for the cost!" A card slid out of his deck, and he held it up.

"When Immortal Cockroach goes to the cemetery it instantly returns to my hand. So next I discard it to special summon the monster I searched for. Emerge mighty Insect Queen(2200/2400)!" A hideous six-limbed monstrosity emerged from a hole in the Hive, its massive beady eyes looking down on Ryoushi as its mouth clicked hungrily.

"Since Immortal Cockroach returned to my hand I'll discard it again to search for an insect, then pick it up, and then discard to special summon my monster. Cyclone Mantis(1500/1400)!" A green mantis of about seven feet in height now stood below the massive Insect Queen, a steady wind swirling around it.

Ryoushi's eyes went wide as he realized the true power of this combo. It was an unstoppable infinite loop that allowed for infinite summons of any insect that Dolgrune wanted. 'I underestimated him!'

"When Cyclone Mantis is summoned I can destroy a magic or trap card on your field, one per each insect in play. So I'll destroy your continuous card and your set!" The mantis swung its scythe-like claws, blades of wind shrieking out to blow apart the chosen cards, leaving Ryoushi only with his monsters as defense.

Another card shot out of Dolgrune's deck and he slapped it down onto his field. "Using my Immortal Cockroach combo I'll bring to the field my second level of royalty, Insect Princess(1900/1400)!"

A female insect appeared on the right side of the queen. This one was nowhere near as hideous as the Insect Queen was, and held a very dainty look to it, actually appearing attractive for an insect in a strange and warped way. "Immortal Cockroach combo summons Insect Knight(1900/1500)!"

Yet another monster formed, giving Dolgrune four insects total. This one was an upright insect holding a sword in one hand and a shield in the other. "The last necessary monster for this combo. Immmortal Cockroach combo lets me summon Deathscythe Mantis(2300/1600)!"

Ryoushi felt his body shaking as another massive insect emerged from within The Hive. This one was also a mantis like Cyclone Mantis, but its carapace was jet black, and its claws truly did look like massive razor sharp scythes. "Now, each of my monsters gains two hundred points from The Hive's effect."

The powers of the monsters began rising, Deathscythe Mantis to 2500, Insect Queen to 2400, Insect Princess and Insect Knight to 2100, and last but not least Cyclone Mantis to 1700. Ryoushi shuddered at facing down the army of insects. "It's not enough! My Lord of the Different Dimension is still much stronger!"

He clapped his hands over his ears as the Insect Queen shrieked a shrill sound that drove into his very brain, a terrible sound. "Insect Queen gains two hundred attack for every insect in play, including herself. She gains one thousand attack points."

The Queen's power rose to thirty-four hundred, but Ryoushi still shrugged. "Not only is it not strong enough but that worthless monster requires a tribute to attack. So if you do attack it will lose two hundred points."

"I have no intention of attacking with Insect Queen. You don't see it, but my true monster is Deathscythe Mantis. Because I can sacrifice my monsters to it at any time for it to gain those monster's attack points. Now do you understand the awesome strength of my Deathscythe Roach combo?" Ryoushi's knees hit the pavement as he stared up at the giant black mantis, which was busy devouring its fellow insects.

'Using The Hive he can discard Immortal Cockroach to grab an insect, then return the cockroach and special summon his insect. Summoning his Deathscythe Mantis he can power up that monster's attack strength however much he wants to. I never stood a chance, did I?' Dolgrune's laughter was truly horrible as he pointed at Ryoushi's fallen form.

"Deathscythe Mantis(11800/1800), Reaping Scythe of the Mantis!" The heavy bladed arm slashed across Ryoushi's chest, hurling the bounty hunter a dozen feet backwards. He rolled to a stop at the back of the alley, his body bruised up. (RLP: 0)

The images faded, and Ryoushi slowly came to his feet, feeling weak and dizzy. All his years as a bounty hunter and he had never suffered such an embarrassing defeat. "You got your duel. Now what?"

The man in the sunglasses smiled and started to walk out of the alley. "Dolgrune will seek out the target you chose. At the same time the other three will scour the city for possible signs of another threat. From what I hear there were two sightings of Amarai and two duels at almost the same time. The question is, which one is him, and which is a decoy set by him? Guess we'll find out."

"And…what about me?" The man paused at the mouth of the alley, and then looked back over his shoulder. Ryoushi couldn't help but notice how sinister he looked with one half of his body in the sun and the other in the shadows of the alley.

"Good point, glad you reminded me. You four…tear his limbs off or something. I've got a bit of gardening I'd like to get done." Then he walked out into the sun, hidden from view by the glare, and then he was gone.

Ryoushi started scrambling away, until his back hit the wall at the end of the alley. His body shook with fear as the four strange masked men approached him slowly, their dark green eyes looking hard and cruel. "No…NOOOO!"

His screams were muffled quickly, and then the only sounds that came from the alley for the next few minutes were wet tearing noises. Then, with their work done, the four of them left, leaving the pieces of Dolgrune behind for who so ever happened up the alley next.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Author's Notes: Not for the squeamish, is it?

Keiji's life had been relatively normal for a guy who ran away from home, graduated early, and lives on his own. However, all that changed when he got mistaken for a royal dragon demon. Now Keiji has found that peace is lost in his life, and reasoning has been abandoned. Now he finds himself once again in a battle for his life, but this time he's against someone -Or more appropriately, something- that makes his entire earlier matches look like a training session. Can Keiji win when his opponent isn't a petty hunter, but rather a being created for the sole purpose of ending his life?
Next Time- Rise to Empyrean

Quick Note: Tis I, the great Wolf General-sama! I wish to remind all of you that that the chapter orders of being written go like so. This one was Seeker of the Soul, next is Time Mage, then myself, and then back to Seeker of the Soul. This is in response to Raine's reply to Time Mage's reply to his review. Chapter one was Time Mage's writing, not mine, so use the posted order to keep track of who is saying what to who. In other words Raine, that wasn't me being angry, since I don't understand anything about the Night Rangers either.

Wolf General-To Noble Paladin-Actually, If I based Rioge off of anyone it would be a guy from an anime I doubt many of you know of. The guy's name was Frowski and he was pretty cool in that odd way.