Last Time

"I'll go first Sho. I summon Elemental Hero Avian!" A man with green skin and huge white wings appeared on Judai's field. (1000/1000) "And then I'll throw a facedown and end my turn."

"Pathetic my draw! I'll set a monster and end my turn." Sho replied.

Judai drew and waved signaling the end of his turn.

Sho smirked. "I play Mystical Space Typhoon on your facedown card. Now I play Vehicroid Connection Zone and I'll fuse my Drillroid, Steamroid and Submarineroid to Fusion Summon Super Vehicroid Jumbo Drill! That ends my turn." Sho replied with a smirk.

Judai smiled and drew. "I play the spell card Trap Booster so I discard one card in order to play Ring of Destruction from my hand." A ring that had bomb-like detonators on it wrapped around Shou's monster making it explode into pixels. Shou grimaced in pain as his life point meter went to 1000. "I end my turn." Judai replied his meter also at 1000.

"My turn! I play my own Trap Booster so I discard my Expressroid to play Call of The Haunted!" A card that had the image of a graveyard and an errie mist appeared on the field. "I ressurct my Jumbo Drill! And next I play the Hinotama spell card!" Several dozen fireballs rained down on Judai taking away 500 points. "I end my turn." Shou said.

Shou was managing to have a lead but only by a few points. Judai was a worthy oppoinent, Shou knew that going into this. And no amount of anger could really stop the honest challenge it was to duel Judai. But currently Shou had his Super Vehicroid Jumbo Drill on the field and with it having 3000 attack points, Shou was becoming confident to win.

Judai looked at his hand then the field before he moved his hand to his deck and placed his hand on it. "...I surrender Shou..you win."

End flashback

Shou had to admit that he was a bit shocked that Judai surrendered. "J-Judai..." He whispered, but then he quickly shrugged it off and smirked. "It was too much for you, huh?" He narrowed his eyes angrily at Judai, "I told you I would win...I wasn't going to give up. Not to you."

"Shou..what's up with you? You've changed man."

"You finally get it?" Shou said, his voice cold. "That's what I've been telling you all along. I'm not the wimpy Shou that everyone could push around anymore. I found the darkness in my heart..."

Asuka chuckled. "How amusing.."

Shou smiled darkly up at Asuka when he heard her voice, and took her hand as he looked back at Judai with another cold stare. "And my change...was all thanks to her."

Judai glared at her furious. "Why did you do this?!" He screamed at her.

Asuka just smirked.

Shou laughed slightly, obviously amused at Judai's reaction. "Taking your anger out on her, Judai?"

Judai nodded charging at Asuka he punched her hard in the face causing her to fall backwards knocked out.

Shou's eyes widened as he was only able to watch Judai hurt Shou's dark girlfriend. "ASUKA-CHAN!" He cried out, caring about the female duelist. He knelt down next to her only to see that she was unresponsive. Slowly getting up, he looked back to Judai glaring at him furiously. "WHAT'S WRONG WITH YOU!?" He yelled.

"She did this to you!" He said in a cold voice almost happy Asuka was hurt.

She began to bleed some from her cheek where she had been hit.

Shou was beyond angry as he glared at Judai. "That gives you no right to hit her! I WANTED her to do this to me! I'm stronger now...and I have more common sense, I know I shouldn't have anything to do with people like you!"

Asuka moaned softly as she opened her eyes.

Glaring at Judai one last time, he knelt next to Asuka placing a hand on Asuka's cheek softly, showing her kindness. "Are you okay? Asuka-chan..."

"Yeah im fine.. what happened?" "Wait a sec." "You wanted this Shou-kun?" Johan asked as Judai's bio-band absorbed a good amount of his energy.

Shou whispered to Asuka softly, "Judai punched you..." He looked back up at Johan, glaring at him as well. "That's exactly what I said." He responded, "I was fed up with you and Judai treating me the way you did. You both ignored me and...you're both too stupid to even notice that you were hurting me. Asuka-chan helped me find the darkness in my heart. Thanks to her I was able to stand up against Judai."

Johan's light green eyes softened. "Shou-kun..i'm sorry..we didn't know.."

Shou refused to listen, "You DID know!" He insisted, "You had to have known!!! You can't be that dumb, you were hurtijng me on purpose and neither of you cared!"

Asuka smiled evilly. "Yes Shou..they never cared..your just a tool to them..i'm the only one who loves you..well besides your brother that is."

Shou nodded as Asuka spoke, believing everything she said. "She's right, you both were just using me! Neither of you care about me at all!"

Asuka cackled kissing Shou on the lips her kiss dripping with venom it seemed.

Judai and Johan could only watch in horror.

Shou wrapped his arms around Asuka, kissing her back and melting into the kiss as he did so. He didn't care about what Judai and Johan thought at this point, he only believed and cared about Asuka.

"Shou..." A voice called weakly.

Hearing a familar voice caused Shou to break his kiss with Asuka only to see his brother, Ryo. His eyes widened in shock when he saw the taller Marufuji brother standing before him. "O-Oniisan...!?"

Ryo nodded clutching his chest.

Shou saw his dear big brother clutching his chest and it worried him. Quickly, he rushed over to his big brother's side. "O-Oniisan...what's wrong? Are you okay?"

"It's my heart..remember those shock devices i dueled you with last year?"

Shou nodded grimly as he remembered that horrible duel that had taken so much out of him. "Is...is this a side effect from those?"

"Yes..since ive used them and the underworld deck so much.." He lowered his voice so it was only a whisper. "I am dying."

Shou was horrified, and right at that moment, tears started to form in his large silver and red eyes. "N-no...y-you can't be...please...big bro...tell me you're lying...!"

Ryo hung his head. "I wish i was little brother..but sadly it is true..i will soon die from my heart conditions."

Shou bit his lower lip to try and stop any more tears from falling. "But I...there has to be a way to stop it, there has to be...!"

"There is one way.."

"W-what is it?" Shou said, already determined to help his big brother. "Tell me the way, please!!"

"You must defeat me in a duel..using the underworld deck."

Shou seemed to look scared with Ryo's words. "But...but how could I do that? I could never beat you...I..."

Ryo smiled kissing his brother's cheek. "You almost did. I have faith in you. If you defeat me i'll live..but if i win i will still die."

Shou blushed at his brother's compliment and looked down at the floor, "I...I'll try, big bro!" He said, looking up at him in a determined matter. "I'll defeat you...and I'll save your life!"

"I look forward to it. This may be my final duel if i win."

"No..." Shou said, continuing to look up at his brother. "Don't say that, Oniisan!! I'm going to beat you, you're going to live!"

Ryo smiled. "If i do die..i love you.."

Shou felt his heart skip a beat at Ryo's words. It was rare to hear his big brother act completely sweetly so when he did..."Oniisan..." He whispered, a tear rolling down his cheek. "I love you too...I won't let you die..."

"Lets duel.."

Shou didn't have as much confidence as he did when he was dueling Judai. He was nervous about dueling his brother especially because of the stakes that were at hand. But he was more determined than ever, and he forced himself to stay focused. He wanted to win...no, he HAD to win in order to save Ryo who meant so much to him. Shakily, he readied his duel disk. "G-game on."

Will Shou win and save Ryo's life? Find out next time in Life And Death Duel!