Chapter 2: Stop

Disclaimer: I do not own Cardfight! Vanguard.

VANGUARD

(Kai's P.O.V.)

I flopped down on the bed in my room, my stomach full and my eyelids heavy. I had overexerted myself in my weakened state. Reaching up, I let the back of my hand fall against my forehead, feeling the reducing temperature. At least something good was happening.

I sighed and rolled onto my side, turning my back to the uncovered window to block out the light, too tired to care about closing the curtains, my mind clouded by thoughts of the past that I struggled to supress. Thoughts of all that I had lost and the precious little that I had gained. I let out a sigh and allowed my eyes to slide shut, drifting off into a restless sleep.

(Aichi's P.O.V.)

The sound of hooves and wingbeats echoed through the air, frequently obscured by the sounds of war and explosions deeper in the valley as we made our way through it. I gripped the reins of the Lion Mane Stallion that I was riding, its fiery orange mane flying up from its blue, partially-armoured body as it breathed in heavy pants beneath me. We had already covered quite a distance and our mounts were beginning to feel the effects of the difficult trek into the valley below the cliff that our base stood on.

I patted the side of the unit's long, muscular neck. "Good job, Lion. You're doing well. Just a little farther and you can rest," I assured him.

Lion seemed to heave a sigh of relief, continuing to power forward, a sheen of sweat coating his damp coat and mane as he galloped along. Another explosion, much louder than the others, rocked the ground, causing Lion to stumble slightly, but he quickly righted himself and charged onwards.

I sank my teeth into my lower lip, ignoring the metallic taste that spread through my mouth as a result. That didn't sound good… Glancing downwards, I noticed the apprehension writing across Lion's face as his head and ears drooped, almost as if he was afraid to go forwards.

Suddenly, a loud, mechanical-sounding bark rang out over the din of battle and the sound of rapidly approaching footsteps heralded a new arrival as a blue, mechanical dog with large shoulder spikes lined with yellow and a line of red along part of its back began to run alongside me, its rider turning to face me, his red hair and black cloak flying out behind him as his crimson eyes locked with mine.

"That didn't sound good!" he called, struggling to be heard over the noise as he gripped Gururubau's shoulder spikes.

I nodded. "That was the biggest one so far, Ren-san!" I responded, referring to the explosion that had rocked the ground only moments prior.

"That couldn't have been one of ours! Our troops wouldn't be so callous as to let their own get caught in the crossfire!" Ren remarked.

My eyes narrowed and I turned to focus on the rocky path ahead, completely devoid of all plant life, the sky hidden by the steep inclines that rose up on either side of us. We rounded a corner passing by a dead tree, rotting and crumbling away where it stood as we came upon the battle itself.

Lion and Gururubau slid to a halt as we came upon the scene, the scent of dirt, smoke, gunpowder and blood intermingling in the air to create a horrific concoction that we knew all too well. It was the scent of war. I gritted my teeth as the smell assaulted me, my stomach doing flips as I slid down from my mount, Ren doing the same as the troops behind us slowed to a stop.

Ren and I stared down the hill at the battle below us. I glanced at Ren to see his eyes darting about, searching for something amongst the warring units. "Isn't Alfred supposed to be down there?!"

I nodded. "That's what Nehalem said!"

"I can't see him!" Ren responded, craning his neck to see further over the warring units, his vision frequently becoming blocked by the larger Grade 3 units.

I shook my head and sighed. "There's no point in looking for him! We won't be able to see him from here! He'll show up eventually! Either way, we need to join in the fight! We can't wait for Leon to get here!"

Ren turned to me, his crimson eyes locking with my own, a slight smirk crossing his features. "Lead the way, Lead Vanguard!"

With a nod, I turned towards the battle once more, removing the large blade from its scabbard on my back, marvelling at how light the white and blue sword with a red jewel embedded in the hilt—an exact copy of Blaster Blade's—was when I raised it, the incredibly strong, lightweight metal glinting in the sunlight that managed to slowly creep over the ridges high above us and into the valley.

At this signal, I could hear the troops begin to ready themselves as Blaster Blade joined me at my side, Blaster Dark doing the same for Ren, all of whom readied themselves for the sprint down the hill. I took a sharp intake of breath and let my sword fall, the tip pointing down at the battle below.

"CHARGE!" I ordered, immediately taking off down the hill.

All at once, hundreds of deafening battle cries and roars rose up from behind me, drowning out the sound of battle below us as hundreds of thundering footsteps and wingbeats followed, the troops no doubt kicking up a cloud of dust as we forced our way down the hill, being careful not to trip on any of the rocks that jutted out of the uneven ground or slip on the dust that slid out from beneath our feet as we charged onwards.

I felt a rush of adrenaline run through me as we powered into mass of units, pushing the enemy back and absorbing our own injured units into the throng of units who were joining the battle. Within seconds, I found my own blade connecting with the blade of another unit, the vibrations from the clash travelling up my arm as I began to push the opponent backwards slightly, struggling to maintain dominance.

I took in my opponent's appearance. Black hair fell down over pale skin, his fringe falling into his crimson eyes slightly. A long, blood red kimono from which his right arm and part of his chest was free, tied together with a black obi with red trimming held his outfit together, covering his torn, black, formfitting undershirt. He wore black boots that covered most of his legs, disappearing into his kimono and a spare katana and an empty sheath were tucked safely into his obi, the unsheathed blade held in his hands. Two black rings with red outlines interlocked with each other around both of his wrists. With a hiss, he bore his sharp fangs at me.

My eyes widened as I immediately recognised the unit in front of me. At one point, he had been one of our units. A comrade. Now, he was nothing more than a pawn being used for his nefarious deeds. The rings around his wrists were proof of that. Proof of the force that was taking him over.

… Link Joker…

I knew the unit well. He was a good friend. Stil Vampir, despite his frightening appearance, was a good man. Now, he didn't remember me at all. I narrowed by eyes slightly, the thought stinging me more than I thought it would have. Nevertheless, I had a more pressing matter at hand.

Stil jumped back, seeing that we had been in a stalemate. He lunged again, his sword colliding with mine at a high speed, clanging as our blades made contact over and over again, forcing me backwards as I fought to keep up with the rapid attacks.

As another strike came my way, I saw an opening and, using the flat of my sword, I deflected his sword before charging forwards with a lunge, seeing no other alternative in the heat of battle than to fight with the intent to kill, as much as it pained me. I had no access to the method of releasing him from the power of Link Joker at that moment and my only options were to wait for an opening that may not come and put myself and others at risk as a result or dispatch Stil—something that he no doubt would have wanted if it spared his comrades grief and suffering, no matter how much it pained his executor to do it.

However, just as the tip of my sword neared Stil, he jumped backwards, doing a backflip in mid-air and landing just out of range of my sword. Before I could react, he had charged forwards and his sword had become embedded in my left shoulder, the tip scraping against the bones beneath my skin. With a gasp of shock and pain, I reeled away, focusing on Stil instead of the blood that flowed from my shoulder.

My eyes fixed on Stil and I noted that his eyes were trained on my shoulder as he hungrily stared as the blood that oozed from my new wound. I raised my sword, wincing in pain as I did so. I watched as my sudden movement snapped Stil out of the trance that he had been in and he lunged at me. I brought my sword up defensively, wincing again as a shock ran up my arm from the collision.

Our blades were locked once more, but with the deep wound in my shoulder, Stil was gaining the upper hand this time as I struggled to push his sword back, pain flaring in my shoulder as beads of sweat raced down my face, coating my hair and clothes, making them cling to my body.

However, it was at this point that I saw my chance. Bracing myself for the pain that I would feel upon performing my next task, I removed my left hand from my sword and, with a pained grunt, lunged, aiming for the interlocking rings around his right wrist. My hand caught them at the point where they crossed over and, with a rough tug, the rings disintegrated and my hand grasped at thin air.

I immediately placed my hand back on the hilt of my blade as Stil Vampir, using his strength as a Vampire to push me backwards. It was too late, however, as my feet slid on the dusty ground as I was forced backwards. I slipped and landed on my back, my hands tightening around my swords as I fell to ensure that it didn't slip from my hand.

I grunted as my back met the hard ground, the pain in my shoulder moving down my arm and across my back as I struggled to maintain the grip that I had on my sword. Attempting to ignore the many rocks that jabbed and scraped at my back, I focused on Stil Vampire, immediately seeing that the Reversed unit was preparing to attack once more. Unsheathing his second blade, he brought both blades down on me. As disadvantaged as I was, I managed to keep my sword held up against the crushing power of the undead being above me.

Pushing back, I tried to keep his blades from reaching me, neglecting to notice that he was trying to bring his fangs closer to my neck, the scent of my blood slowly driving him mad with hunger. Eventually catching sight of the glinting fangs, I strained to push him back and get his target—my throat—out of his range.

A chilling, familiar voice reached my ears, the Romanian accent making it distinctive and the proximity to my face allowing me to hear the quiet words over the roars of the other soldiers and the sounds of weapons firing and clashing with each other.

"… You could be immortal…" I heard him say, his voice quiet and raspy. "… You could have the ultimate power on top of that… You just need to give in…" the Vampire smirked, his fangs protruding from his black lips.

I unconsciously shuddered, my mind focused on trying to push my friend backwards as he continued to push me back, his fangs now mere inches from my neck. I tried to stretch my neck, straining to get it out of the way as I felt his sharp fangs scrape against the right side of my throat. Then, I felt a sting as the Reversed unit's fangs penetrated my skin, coming dangerously close to my artery which I could feel throbbing against the foreign objects that brushed up against it as Stil began to take long drafts of my blood.

I instinctively struggled, but within the first 20 seconds or so, I began to lose the strength in my limbs and my head started to swim. My hands slid away from my sword and Stil dropped his own blades, leaning over me and sitting me up slightly, supporting my in his arms as he attempted to get better access to my throat, removing his fangs from my neck as he did so. Tilting my head back, he tucked in again. I winced as his fangs broke my skin again and my vision began to blur even further.

Then, I noticed it. His hand was gripping my shoulder tightly, heavily bruising my skin, no doubt, and causing my wound to bleed further, the pain reaching its climax as I struggled to maintain consciousness. However, what I was focused on were the two rings that interlocked around his wrist. I took a look at Stil's face. He wasn't paying attention to me, his eyes closed as he continued to drink.

I slowly raised my hand, trying to keep it steady as my hand neared the rings around his wrist. Before he could react, I grabbed the rings and yanked them, causing them to disintegrate at my touch. Stil quickly pulled back and I was dropped, hitting the ground with a thud. Summoning strength, I quickly sat up and shuffled backwards, out of the Vampire's way as a reaction began to occur.

Stil let out a pain-filled scream as a red and black haze rose from the unit's body, forcing him down onto his hands and knees. The rings that had bound the power of Link Joker to his body were gone and he was beginning to revert to normal.

Shifting my body, I pulled myself to my hands and knees, attempting to pull myself to my feet, cursing as my vision blurred again. Nevertheless, I shakily pulled myself to my feet, desperately trying to ignore the overwhelming feeling of nausea that washed over me. I struggled to watch through a cloudy fog as Stil's form changed, the red and black colours draining out of him, becoming replaced by different shades of pinks, purples and blues.

Stil remained silent and motionless as he no doubt attempted to regain his bearings, overcoming the memory loss. I swallowed heavily as I watched him, fighting against the nausea that claimed me as I took a shaky step forwards, my hand reaching up to clamp itself over the wounds on my neck which, if the damp feeling that covered my hand was telling me anything, were still dripping with blood.

"… Stil…?" I called hesitantly, almost afraid that Link Joker's influence had not worn off.

Stil's head darted upwards, his sensitive Vampire ears picking my quiet voice over the sounds of war that surrounded us. Recovering quickly, he was on his feet in seconds, his eyes trained on me. I took another step forwards, a relieved smile making its way onto my face, as I tried to get closer to Stil, my vision becoming blocked by a white fog that seemed to grow and grow.

I let my hand fall away from my throat as I lost the strength in it, vaguely seeing Stil tense as I stumbled, my vision obscured and my limbs weak. I wasn't quite sure what happened next as my vision became completely white, blocking out the world around me. However, the next thing I knew, I was in Stil's arms as he darted through the crowd around us, my sheath having been removed from my back and was now slung over his shoulder, my sword inside.

I vaguely noted that Stil was most likely looking for a Healing unit—a unit that possessed a Heal Trigger and a powerful healing magic who usually stayed outside the battle. He didn't appear to be having much luck.

I focused on his face through my clearing vision, looking for any hint of Reverse that may have been left before I tried to use my voice again. "… Stil…?"

Stil glanced down at me and I offered him a small, hopeful smile which Stil returned, albeit not without a hint of guilt as his eyes fell on the wounds on my throat. Nevertheless, he spoke to me as he looked away and scanned the crowd. "Are you alright?" he asked, his voice having lost any of the malicious tones that it had contained mere moments prior.

"… I've been better…" I admitted weakly. "… I'll be fine, though…"

Stil emitted a grunt as his eyes fixed on the area where the troops and I had entered the battle. Beside a boulder to the left of the bottom of the hill, several Healers hid in safety, making sure that they were ready for whoever they needed to treat.

"You'll have to sit this one out," Stil told me, his hand tightening around my shoulder where he already had a firm grip. He loosened his grip as I groaned in pain, my already tortured shoulder oozing more blood. "Sorry…" he muttered sombrely, averting his gaze from me.

"… It's alright…" I assured him, my voice croaking as I forced the words past gritted teeth. "… I'll act as the Relay…" I finally decided, letting my body go limp in his arms as I proceeded to activate my PSY Qualia.

With a sigh, I allowed my PSY Qualia to take control as I felt myself lose all control of my limbs and my vision faded to black as I focused on the connection that my PSY Qualia was opening. As my consciousness faded, I heard myself begin to involuntarily mutter under my breath as my PSY Qualia overloaded my senses in order to gather all of the information that it needed, sending it to the individual at the other side of the link.

I couldn't see, hear or feel. All of my senses had melted away, as did my awareness of all that was going on, my mind becoming blank as coordinates and statistics continued to roll off my tongue. Everything was gone. I was in darkness. Nothing mattered anymore. There was no war. No pain. No suffering. Everything had completely…

… Stopped…

(Kai's P.O.V.)

"… Kai Toshiki…" a voice whispered, cutting through the darkness that surrounded me like a hot knife through butter.

Grunting in annoyance, I attempted to roll over and go back to sleep… Nothing happened… In fact… where was the bed? Prying my eyes open, I expected to be assaulted by light only to be met with sheer darkness. My eyes flew wide open and I quickly took a look around, still unable to see nothing in the darkness. For a moment, I seriously contemplated whether I had gone blind. However, upon raising my hand and finding that I could see it clearly despite the darkness, I dismissed that thought and focused on the real problem…

… Where was I…?

"… Kai Toshiki…" the voice whispered again, growing louder in volume as it did so.

That voice was familiar. Was that a child? A young boy? I had definitely heard that voice before… But, where…? Where had I heard it…? I swallowed, taking another look around myself, my eyes narrowing as I peered through the darkness, attempting to see the person who was speaking to me.

"… Kai Toshiki…!" the voice said again, sounding closer and louder than ever, slowly becoming something less than a whisper and more of a cry.

"Who's there?!" I demanded, spurred into responding to the voice.

"… Can you hear me…?!" the voice asked, gaining more power and volume.

"I can!" I replied. "Who are you?!"

"… It's me…!" the voice called back after a few seconds before growing in volume again. "It's me!" it called again, this time sounding as though the speaker was right behind me.

I spun around, coming face-to-face with the speaker who had just seemingly floated into existence—nothing more than a ghostly, blurry image that flickered in and out of existence like static. However, through the static, I could make out a young boy with white hair, yellow eyes and white clothing, the exact style of which was impossible for me to see. Nevertheless, I finally matched the voice to an individual and, in my shock, I tried to step backwards, only to find out that, in my current position as I floated in the dark abyss, I could do nothing of the sort. My eyes remained fixed on the image before me.

… Takuto… Tatsunagi Takuto…!

"… No… It's impossible… You're dead…!" I found myself crying out in alarm.

Takuto appeared to sigh, partially in sadness and partially in annoyance. "I didn't die. I was merely pulled through the portal when Void was defeated." He shook his head. "Never mind. I need you to listen to me."

Taken aback by the urgency in his voice, I looked straight into his flickering eyes and nodded. He let out another sigh as if what he was saying was paining him. Despite my own inability to move, Takuto had no issues with taking a few steps towards me. He reached up and placed an unstable hand on his chest, resting it over his heart.

"… I need your help…" Takuto whispered, closing his eyes. After a few seconds, he finally opened them again, his eyes focused on the ground. "... Me... The units… Cray, itself… Ultra-Rare... Ren… Leon… Chris… Aichi…" He suddenly focused straight on me. "We all need your help!"