-Volcaniclord: Do I have to?
-Kokusho: yes
-Alright. I don't own Yu-gi-oh 5D's. Here. Happy?
The Emperor of Nightmares
Things quickly came back the way they were. Since Rua's physical condition was perfect, beside the fact that he had spend the last five days in a coma, he was able to leave the hospital on the same day. The whole group went back to Godwin's mansion, were they had been staying for the last few days. Rua seemed happy to be there. He was glad to be with his sister and his heroes again. Although the huge amount of food that the mansion provided could also have been a good factor.
If Rua was happy, Godwin was certainly not. It appeared that he didn't want somebody who wasn't a signer to be aware of their situation. In fact, if Ruka hadn't threatened him to leave if her twin brother wasn't here, he probably would have kicked him out already. Who knew that little girl could be so evil sometime. But there was another person whose presence bothered Godwin.
True to his words, Kokusho went with the group to the mansion and became what the twins would call the newest member of their big family. Let just say Godwin wasn't pleased when he saw a guy wearing black pants, a black shirt with a huge green snake on the back and some strange necklace with a green stone shape like a lizard. In fact, Godwin had forbidden him to come the first day. However, he was welcomed the day after. No one knew what happened but Godwin seemed to have some very big rings under his eyes and Kokusho had a strange smile for quite a while.
Rua's training began the same day.
-MEDITATION?
-That's right.
When Ruka heard Rua's scream, she couldn't but feel sorry for Kokusho. Her brother wasn't the most patient person in the world.
-How's that going to help? I want to learn how to enter the world of dreams, not some yoga moves.
-Because it's necessary.
-I don't see how. All I need to do is think about that weird place and I would be there, right?
-Perhaps. You can try.
Frowning, Rua sat on the floor and closed his eyes. At first, nothing happened. But after a moment, Rua started to frown more and more until he couldn't control himself and let out a loud scream.
-WHY DOESN'T IT WORK?
-Because you're not approaching this the right way. You think the crossroad of dreams, as I like to call it, is a different world, don't you?
That mere sentence shut down Rua in an instant. For once, he was really listening.
-The world that a Dreamwalker see when he enters his trance is a projection of the mind, not a different universe. You're trying too hard. All you need to do is connect the conscious part of your brain to the part that controls your powers. Think of it as changing a TV channel. They are there, but you have to do something to see it.
-But why do I have to meditate?
-Because the part I'm talking about is hard to feel. If your attention is distracted by everything around you, you will never find it. That's why you need to relax and clear your mind. But don't worry, after a while, you will be able to feel it instantly.
When Yusei came into the room where they were training, he was surprised to see Rua actually doing some yoga movements. In the end, it turned out that Kokusho was quite a good teacher. He would explain in a very simple manner and even if Rua had a hard time with the meditation and the Tai Chi exercises, he would never get angry. It was as if that emotion was unknown to him. And the methods he used to train Rua seemed to be effective, even if three hours in the lotus position on the roof, shirtless, was a bit extreme for Ruka and the others. But even then, they got used to this quite easily.
But there is one thing that Yusei and his friends never got used to: Kokusho's attitude with them. It wasn't that he was mean or anything like that. In fact, he didn't care about almost anything at all. When he wasn't teaching Rua, he could be found in his room in some unknown dreams or reading a book about psychology. He had a lot of books about psychology, especially those about the theory of the subconscious. He also barely talks, even during the meals. He would only stare at everyone without blinking, like he was reading them. Even if it was a bit disturbing, Yusei, Jack, Aki and Ruka, being quiet persons themselves, learned to live with this kind of behavior. But for the incarnation of energy, also known as Rua, it wasn't acceptable. Three days after Kokusho's arrival, he decided to confront him about it. He found him at his usual spot, reading a book about a certain Sigmund Freud.
-Hey, Kokusho
-Yes?
-Why are you antisocial?
-Come again?
-You barely talk to anyone beside me, you never go out and you never watch television. The only thing you do is teach me and read. Why?
Kokusho looked at him and after a moment, decided to close his book.
-It's kind of complicated.
-Then talk.
Kokusho realized quickly that Rua would never let go.
-Alright. I'm going to tell you. It's not that I don't like your friends or anything like that. It's just that I'm not interested in them.
-What? They are very interesting.
-Not in a psychological way.
That took Rua by surprise. He expected a lot of things, but not this. Kokusho saw that he was lost and pushed his explanation further.
-Ever since I was a child, I knew that I was two things: I was quiet and I had a good sense of observation. I could spend an hour looking at some kind of drawing and find all sorts of things. However, ever since I awakened my powers, I started to become interested in how the human mind works. You see, at first, I would go inside the dreams of my family and my friends. I could see how the dreams would evolve and what they were about. Then, during the day, I would look at them and see how they behave themselves. I quickly realized there was a link between their dreams and their mind. Their dreams reflected their fear, their hopes and their desires. In other words, the things people usually want to hide. By combining this with their behavior during the day, you can pretty much see how that person thinks. A man said the same thing many years ago. His name was Sigmund Freud. I started to read more of his theories and before I knew it, I was studying all sort of studies about the human mind. But the more knowledge I would gain, the less I would become interest in humans in general, only in their mind. Make no mistake, I love my parents very much, but beside them, anybody else I see is nothing more than a subject to analyze.
Rua took a moment to process all this.
-You mean that we are only experiences to you.
-Not you, Rua. You are much more to me. But to be honest, yes. Your sister and your friends were only potential case to study.
-Were?
-I already finished my analyzes. It was quite easy. Yusei is a case of contradiction. His strength comes from his friends and yet, deep down, he doesn't want them to associate too much with him because he's afraid for their safety. Jack is a walking puzzle. He had spend so much time trying to build himself a dream, only to realize that it wasn't what he was looking for. He now tries to pick up the pieces of himself in order to find what he truly wants. Aki is a young chick. She had lived for quite a while in her nest, but it is destroyed now. She wants to become free, but she is afraid of being hurt by falling from the nest. In time, she will be able to fly and be who she wants to be. And finally, Ruka is a young wolf. She was protected all her life and she almost didn't have anything to fear. But it's time for her to hunt. She is scared, but she is starting to realize that wolfs hunt in group and that she has always someone to count on. You.
Rua didn't know what to say. This guy had been with them for three days and he could almost describe their lives on the spot. It was impressive, even frightening.
-See my problem?
-And you never tried to correct it?
-It did try, but I failed. I just don't have the will.
-Well I do.
Kokusho looked at Rua in a funny way.
-What?
-You heard me. In exchange for the training, I'm gonna teach you on how to have fun again.
And so, a new routine came to the house. When Rua wasn't practicing his abilities, he would try to improve Kokusho's social skills. Although Kokusho was willing to try, he wasn't ready for what Rua had in store for him, for the two boys didn't have the same definition of being social and having fun. For the little kid, it meant to play a game wherever one could during many hours. He would also force Kokusho to be present at every meal and talk about a subject that had nothing to do with psychology. The rest of the group found it both amusing and embarrassing. Ruka was especially ashamed of her brother, particularly when he asked Kokusho to describe the girl of his dream right during supper. But against all odds, Kokusho found it actually funny. Sure the games were a little too childish, but he was touched by Rua's efforts. And for once, even if he knew that it would take a lot of time, he felt like Rua could help him.
It was this situation that brought them in the center of Neo-Domino City. They had left the house rather quickly that day to be able to train for a long time. It could also have been because they didn't want to face the wrath of Izayori Aki. Rua had thought it would have been a good idea to match Yusei and Aki together so they could be happier. Kokusho did say that it wasn't a good idea to write false love letter, but he had to agree that it was fun writing those poems. They weren't laughing so much after Aki found out, but the picture of Yusei and her blushing furiously was worth it. And so, after a few death threats, courtesy of the former witch, the two buffoons managed to escape the house. Kokusho took the opportunity to help Rua with his capacity of scanning the brain waves of random people by asking him to choose someone, analyzing the waves and describing what the impression they would leave was. After a few hours of practice, Kokusho decided that they should take a break, since Rua proved himself to be surprisingly good at it. Taking the opportunity, the young boy decided to take his teacher to the palace of childhood and fun, also known as the Arcade.
-It was AWESOME.
-Don't you think you're exaggerating a little bit, Rua?
-Come on. I bet you had a lot of fun with those zombies.
- I was dead before I could finish the first level.
-What about the racing game? You were good.
-I don't think that getting off the track five times could be classified as good.
-And the dancing game?
Kokusho smiled a bit at the memory
-Alright. I admit it. That DDR game was fun.
-AH. I knew it. You can have fun.
Kokusho couldn't help but laugh at the little boy who decided to jump on his feet while singing a happy song.
-Hey. If it isn't Koku boy?
Kokusho's smile vanished in an instant. He couldn't help but hit his forehead.
-I really didn't need that. What do you want, Daniel?
Rua turned around to where the voice came from. He saw a tall guy that had big muscles and a mocking smile. He was with a group of people that seemed to gravitate around him.
-I'm just wondering why you are in an arcade. Since you didn't show up at school, we thought that you finally decided to spend the rest of your life in that tomb you call a room.
The group laughed at the comment.
-I'm more surprised that you realize that someone that doesn't kiss your shoes isn't around you. You shouldn't push your brain too hard, you might faint.
That comment shut the mouth of everyone. Now, they were glaring at him. It was obvious that the two guys hated each other.
-Kokusho, who's that guy, asked Rua.
-Daniel Spinar. A guy at my school. The missing link between Man and Gorilla. He lost the hair, but hasn't gained the brain yet.
-You think you're funny, don't you? Well I've got news for you. Nobody here thinks you are.
-I couldn't care less if people don't laugh at my jokes. I'm not the one who needs a pack of mindless zombies just to feel more important.
-And that kid?
-He's my friend. And unlike you, I don't ask him to worship me as a god.
-You want a piece of me?
-Leave the pornographic propositions for another day. They are children here.
That comment brought a echo of whistle from the crowd that was watching the fight. It was quite a sight. One guy against an army.
-Now, if you can excuse me, we need to go home.
-That's right. Run away like the princess you are.
All of a sudden, Kokusho stopped.
-What did you call me?
For the first time, Rua felt that he was angry.
-Princess, of course. I think it's a nickname that fits a girl like you.
And that's where all hell broke loose. Kokusho went right to him and grabbed him by the collar. It was quite something to see him angry for the first time.
-GIRL? That's it. You want a fight? I'll take you on. You and me. Outside. Duel Monster.
-You're on.
Two minutes later, the stage was ready. The two duelists were at the center of the crowd. While Daniel was preparing is duel disk, Rua was talking to Kokusho.
-Are you sure you'll be alright?
-Don't worry. Duel Monster is one of the few things that I'm interested in.
-You want to use my disk?
-No need to. I brought mine.
Kokusho took out his duel disk and Rua's mouth fell on the floor. It was all black and dark green and had a dragon head with red eyes were the deck was supposed to be.
-Custom made. I burned two months of summer jobs on it, but it was worth it.
He then faced Daniel.
-Alright, Dan. Show me what you got.
-I'm going to kick your butt.
-We'll see.
Both: duel
D: 4000 K: 4000
-I draw, said Daniel
He looked at his cards and started to smile.
-I summon Gene-Warped Warwolf in attack mode. (Atk:2000)
A huge beast with four arms appeared on the field. Everyone was impressed by the creature.
-Since I know you can't beat that beast, I end my turn.
-If I were you, I would be more careful. No matter how powerful a monster is, there is always something that can beat it. I draw.
Kokusho looked at his cards for a second before making his move.
-I summon Nightmare Knight, in attack mode. (Atk:1800)
A strange black knight rose from the ground. He had a black shield and a glowing sword.
-I activate the special effect of my knight. When he is normal summoned, I can reveal a nightmare monster from my hand and add a nightmare counter on him.
Kokusho took a card from his hand and showed it to Daniel. It was a black mask without a mouth named Nightmare Mask.
-What's the point, princess?
-The point is that when my monster has a nightmare counter, he gains 300 atk points.
-Say what?
A blue stone at the middle of the shield suddenly started to glow. (Atk: 2100)
-Attack. Nightmare blade.
The knight ran to the warwolf and sliced it in half.
-You're gonna pay for that
D:3900 K:4000
-My draw. I summon my Spear Dragon, in attack mode.(Atk:1900)
A blue and white dragon with a nose as a spear rose from the ground.
-Then, I play the spell card reckless charge, which gives my dragon 700 more attack points until the end of this turn.(Atk: 1900-2600) Like you said, there's always something stronger. And my deck is full of them. Destroy his knight. Spear typhoon.
The dragon let out a roar before spitting a small twister.
-Don't compare me to you. At least I know how to trick someone.
-How? You have no trap card.
-Oh Really? I use the power of my Nightmare Mask. By sending it to the graveyard, I can reduce the battle damage you monster dealt to zero.
The mask that was shown before suddenly appeared in front of the knight and took the attack, shielding his comrade.
-And since your monster attacked, it's now switched to defense mode (def:0).
The dragon fell on his knees and put his wings in front of him. That didn't please Daniel.
-I end my turn.(Atk: 2600-1900)
D:3900 K:4000
-You need to stop thinking with your muscles and more with your brain. I draw. I play the spell card Nightmare Regeneration. This allows you to draw a card and me, to return a nightmare monster from my graveyard to my hand.
Frowning, Daniel drew is card while Kokusho took his Nightmare Mask back.
-Nightmare Knight, attack.
Once again, the knight raised his sword and took down the other monster.
-Before ending my turn, I summon my Nightmare Mask in defense mode(def: 0) and I place a card face-down.
The now familiar mask took his place beside the knight. Behind them, a set card appeared.
-Now, let see what you can do against these guys.
-Shut up.
D:3900 K:4000
-I draw.
After looking at his card, Daniel began to laugh.
-Finally. You said I couldn't use my brain? Well think again. I special summon my Grinder Golem, in defense mode.(def:300)
A huge metallic creature with a saw on his head rose from the ground and put his arms in guarding position. On Kokusho's side.
-I can special summon this monster on my opponent's side of the field. If I do, I gain two Grinder tokens on my side of the field, in attack mode.(atk:0)
As soon as he said that, two smaller version of the golem suddenly appeared.
-And even if I can't normal summon this turn; it doesn't matter since I play Owner's Seal, which returns every monster on the field to their original owners.
Taking a huge step, the golem went back to Daniel's side.
-And now for the grand finale, I now remember the abilities of your knight. I know that the nightmare counter makes him more powerful, but also weaker, since he's destroyed if he is switched to defense mode. So I play the magic card Curse of Fiend. This changes the battle position of every monster on the field. So say goodbye to that piece of metal.
-Not yet. I activate the trap card, Nightmare link. Once per turn, this continuous trap card lets me transfer a nightmare counter from one monster to another, even during your turn.
The stone on the shield of the knight stopped glowing while strange runes appeared on the mask.
-Now the effect of your card takes place.
The knight fell on it knees and put his shield in front of him (def:1000) while the mask did nothing (Atk:0). On Daniel's side, the two tokens formed a ball (def:0) while the golem opened wide his arms, ready to attack (atk:3000).
-Saving your knight was useless. You're gonna lose. I equip my golem with the equip spell card Strength of the Guardians. This gives my golem 500 atk points for every monster in defense mode when he attacks or is attacked. And I count three(Atk:3000-4500). It's over. Grinder Golem, attack his mask. Torture claw.
The metal golem lifted his right hand and attacked the black mask.
-NO, screamed Rua, panicked.
-I activate the special effect of my Nightmare Mask. If there is a nightmare counter on it, once per turn I can reduce the battle damage dealt by an opposing creature to zero.
The mask started to glow and formed a barrier that intercepted the attack.
-I play a card face down and end my turn.
Daniel wasn't worried. He still had the strongest monster on the field. Plus, he had two defensive monsters, a Negate Attack trap card face down and a monster in his hand. He was sure he would win.
D:3900 K:4000
-I draw. That was quite a combo. You used the power of your cards with a lot of skills and you used the weaknesses of my monsters. I take back what I said. You can be smart when you want it.
Daniel smiled at the compliment. Around him, his friends smiled at each other. They were sure that Kokusho was admitting his defeat.
-And since you used a powerful combo, I'm going to fight with everything I've got this turn. First, I switch my Nightmare Knight back into attack mode and activate the effect of Nightmare Link to transfer the nightmare counter back to my knight (atk:1800-2100). Next, I summon Nightmare Ninja, in attack mode (atk:1600).
A ninja wearing a black suit jumped from the ground and did a front flip before landing.
-I activate his special effect. When I normal summon him, I can reveal a magic or trap card with nightmare in its name to put a nightmare counter on this card.
Kokusgo revealed a spell card called Nightmare Journal. The ninja's eyes turned blue.
-Now that he has a nightmare counter, I can trigger his effect. One per turn, I can negate the activation of a face down card until the end of this turn.
-What?
The ninja made some hand signs and threw a ball of black energy to the face down card, turning it black.
-Next, I activate the spell card Nightmare Journal. By discarding a nightmare monster to the graveyard, I can draw one card for every Nightmare monster on the field.
Kokusho sent another nightmare ninja to the graveyard and drew three cards.
-Perfect. I tribute my Nightmare Mask to special summon my own artificial creature. My Nightmare Golem, in attack mode.
The mask turned into a multicolored ball, from which emerged a huge golem made of black rock with red eyes (atk:2000).
-This monster can be special summoned by tributing a nightmare monster. If it's summoned this way, I can place a nightmare counter on this card. By the way, it gains 300 atk points for every nightmare counter on the field.
The eyes of the golems became as red as blood (atk:2000-2900).
-And now, like you said, here comes the grand finale. I play the continuous spell, Cursed Nightmare. As long as this card is on the field, once per turn, if a nightmare monster is sent to the graveyard, I can decrease the attack points of all your monsters by 300 points until the end of this turn. Now I play my final spell card, Nightmare Scythe. By sending a nightmare monster from my deck to the card graveyard, like this Nightmare Mask, all my Nightmare monsters inflict piercing damage this turn.
-Piercing damages?
-Exactly. And I hope you haven't forgotten my Cursed Nightmare card.
The three nightmare monsters were engulfed by a black light. At the same time, a black mist came out from Cursed Nightmare and went inside the golem (atk: 3000-2700) and the tokens.
-Nightmare Knight, attack his first token. Nightmare blade.
The knight ran to the token on the right and cut it in haft.
D: 1800 K: 4000
-Your turn, Nightmare Ninja. Take down the second one. Nightmare shuriken.
The ninja lifted his right hand and a huge shuriken appeared out of thin air. After making spin for a while, he threw it at the token, destroying it.
D: 200 K: 4000
-Now that there is no defensive monster, your equipment is useless. Let's have a little fist fight, shall we? Nightmare Golem, show him who's boss. Nightmare rockslide.
The black golem ran at his metal counterpart. Unwilling to go down, the metal golem charged as well. The two colossus fought for a while until the black golem hit his opponent in his chest, tearing it apart and sending the pieces towards Daniel.
D: 0 K: 4000
Daniel fell on his butt while his friends went to him. Kokusho was smiling a little.
-I guess I'm going to see you at school, Dan. Have fun.
On that note, Kokusho left the place, followed by Rua.
-THAT WAS SO COOL. You beat him without losing a single life point.
-It wasn't hard. He was very easy to predict. That combo at the best was the most complex move I ever saw him used.
-But how come you're so good? I thought that you weren't interested in anything.
-Three reason. First, I'm good because sometimes, I go inside the dreams of some of the best champions of Duel Monster to duel with them. So I've got quite a bit of experience. Second, this game interests me because I can study someone while he duels to improve my knowledge of that person and I can practice my capacities to predict a move by knowing that person's personality.
-And the third one?
-I love these nightmare monsters. They fit so well with my powers.
-And what about the girl thing?
-The one insult I can't stand. It's because of my hair. The color is a genetic thing. And since I spend so much time in the dreams of others, I never really thought of cutting them. So I decided to keep them long. Beside, you have some strange hair too.
-Hey. Don't insult the hair. Otherwise, I'll have to duel you and take you down.
-Oh really? I have my doubts.
-I'm sure I can beat you anytime, princess.
-Alright, you little weasel. This is war.
Kokusho caught Rua in a headlock and started to rob his hair vigorously, while doing an evil smile. Rua was both begging and laughing. Everyone that saw them thought that they were seeing two brothers teasing each other. They didn't know that soon, they will face one of the greatest challenges they have ever faced. That their life was going to be put in the balance. For now, they were just two friends having a lot of fun.
Author's note
(Bow down) This one is so sorry. He knows that he took a lot of time to update. So sorry.
This one hopes that you like this chapter and how Kokusho's personality came out. This one didn't to create a character with a deep or painful past. Just someone who had some problems.
This one also decided to put a list of the cards that are homemade so the readers won't get confused.
And finally, this one wanted to thanks everyone that put a review on his story. It warms this one's heart very much. And this one hopes that he will continue to be worthy of your comments.
Kokusho: Volcaniclord.
VL: Yes?
K: we know you are very sorry, but stop taking like that.
VL: this one has no ideas what you are talking about.
K :( a couple of wrestling techniques later) Well, I should finish this. Again, thank you very much for reading this chapter. We don't know when we will be able to update since my idiotic creator has a lot of exams. He also offer five points to anyone that had guessed my deck type and five more to the first one that can guess from which character he took that way of speaking. Have a good day, everyone.
VL: what happened to this one?
K: Shut it.
Card list
Nightmare Knight
Attr : dark type : warrior level:4 Atk: 1800 def:1000
When this monster is normal summoned, you can reveal a nightmare monster from your hand and put a nightmare counter on this card. If this card has a nightmare counter, it gains 300 attack points. If this card has a nightmare counter, if it switches to defence position, destroy this card.
Nightmare ninja
Attr: dark type: warrior level: 4 Atk: 1600 def: 900
When you normal summon this monster, you can reveal a spell or trap card that has nightmare in it names from your hand to add a nightmare counter on this card. If this card has a nightmare counter, once per turn, you can select a set magic or trap card. Your opponent can't activate it until the end of the turn.
Nightmare mask
Attr: dark type: fiend level: 3 Atk: 0 def:0
If this monster is normal summoned and you have no other monster, place a nightmare counter on this card. If this card has a nightmare counter, once per turn, if an opposing monster attack, you can reduce the battle damage this monster dealt to zero. When a nightmare monster is targeted by an attack, you can discard this card from your hand to reduce the battle damage to zero.
Nightmare golem
Attr: dark type : rock level: 6 atk: 2000 def: 1300
You can special summon this card from your hand by tributing a nightmare monster. If you special summon this card this way, place a nightmare counter on it. This card gains 300 atk points for each nightmare counter on the field.
Cursed Nightmare
Continuous spell
Once per turn, if a nightmare monster is send to the graveyard, reduce the attack points of your opponent's monsters by 300 points,
Nightmare scythe
Spell
Send a nightmare monster from your deck to the graveyard. Until the end of this turn, all nightmare monsters inflict piercing damage.
Nightmare journal
Spell
Discard a nightmare monster. Draw one card for each nightmare monster on the field with a nightmare counter on it.
Nightmare Regeneration
Spell
Your opponent draws a card. Return a nightmare monster from your graveyard to your hand.
Nightmare link
Continuous trap
Once per turn, you can move a nightmare counter from a monster you control to another nightmare monster. You can use this effect during your opponent's turn.
Strength of the Guardians
Equip spell
During battle, the equipped monster gains 500 atk points for every monster on defense position. When this card is destroyed, switch all monsters in attack mode to defense mode.