Chapter 15
Last time on "The Shadow of Yuma":
Yuma: Anna and I infiltrated Heartland Tower, only to find our friends as animals! Dark Mist and Kurai had turned them into animals, but luckily, Takashi [He had changed into a parrot] could speak to us. Shark, Tokunosuke, and Tetsuo were unfortunate victims of Kurai's tyranny.
Anna: Oy, Yuma, aren't you going to show Kurai who's the REAL Yuma?
Yuma: Heck yeah! That guy needs to learn not to mimic me
Spatial-Eyes Photon Fenix: This chapter, we're going back to a certain blue ghost. Why don't we check on how is he doing. Poor guy, he is still upset over what had happened to Yuma a few chapters back. One more thing: Keep your eyes peeled for a surprise character! ;)
Astral never felt so broken in his entire life. He was emotionally wrecked and tears stained his face. The blue spirit was in a fetal position inside the Key's ship. Yet, you could feel pity for Astral, after what Kurai had done to Yuma.*
"Yuma…. It's my fault…. I couldn't do anything…. I wish I could've stopped Kurai….. I feel so useless.." he cried.
"Astral," said a deep voice.
The spirit looked to find a man standing next to him. He looked at the man in shock. He was tall and lean, with jet black spiky hair. He wore adventurer-like clothes and a fedora. A smile was on his face.
"Kazuma?…" said Astral in awe.
Kazuma, the said man, sat next to Astral. He looked into Astral's eyes. "I can tell that something is bothering you. We all have troubles. If you are alright with telling me about your issues, I will listen."
Astral uncurled himself from his position. He sat on a edge of the ship. "You don't know how terrible I am… Not after what Kurai did to Yuma…" he said nervously.
"Hold on, who is this Kurai character? I wish to know what he did to Yuma!" said Kazuma, concern filled his eyes. "He better not have hurt him… Did he?"
Astral shook his head. "Y-yes… Kurai hurt Yuma with his knife, right in front of me. I wanted to do something, but I can't psychically touch anyone or anything. I feel so helpless…"
Kazuma stated at Astral in shook. Images of his own son being hurt flashed through his mind. From teasing at school to this? What kind of person would want to stab a thirteen-year-old?
"What does this Kurai character look like?" he asked.
"Kurai…. Looks EXACTLY like Yuma. He walks like Yuma, and his voice sounds the same as Yuma. He has two huge scars on his chest that looks like the Roman language for the number two," said Astral, "every time I think of Yuma, all I see is Kurai! Why did he have to come here and ruin everything? He is just a freak!" he screamed.
Astral dropped his head and continued to sob even more.
Kazuma placed a hand on Astral's shoulder, taking a deep breath.
"We all have our own troubles, even the bad people in this world have issues like us. If you took a moment to see what life was like for Kurai before he came here, you would understand why he is who he is," said the human.
"What do you mean?" muffled Astral. "I don't think he even cares that he hurt Yuma! I hate that little freak! I want him to die!" he screeched, tears falling from his eyes.
"Astral, I think you should see what life for Kurai was like before he arrived here," said Kazuma.
In an instant, the two were transported to a odd place. It looked like a cave, and bubbles containing various images of people floated around the cave. Astral stared at the place in awe. Slowly, he felt his depression wilted away.
"What is this? I've never seen anything like this inside the Key!" said Astral in amazement and slight gloominess.
"This, my friend, is what is known as Cave of Memories. No one ever knew this even existed inside the Key. I came across this place while trying to find my way out of the Astral World," revealed Kazuma.
The man guided Astral towards a certain bubble in the center of the cave. He pointed at it. "This is what life was like for Kurai. It is all inside there. If you want to see something, all you need to do is tap the bubble."
Astral was unsure about this. What if Kurai was hiding inside the cave, ready to ambush him? Could it be a trap? He looked at Kazuma. Deep down, he knew that he could trust Kazuma, but after what he and Yuma had learned from V**, he found out that Kazuma was trapped inside the Astral World. Then again, Kazuma's spirit could possibly be helping him out someway.
"Very well… I would like to see." he said quietly.
Astral tapped the bubble. In an instant, a projection of a woman being assaulted appeared. A man was be seen in the background, but it was hard to see who it was. Then, it cut to the same woman leaving a baby in front of a building.
Astral got a good look at the baby's face. What he had seen was shocking. "No way…. Is that Kurai?"
Kazuma nodded his head solemnly. "Yes, that baby is indeed Kurai. From what I had seen, it appears his mother was violated before he was born."
Astral stared at Kazuma in shock. He had learned what "violation" meant from Yuma after seeing a drama on TV. Does this mean that Kurai grew up without a mother or a father? he wondered.
The movie continued as it showed a younger Kurai being surrounded by older children in an alley. They all pointed at him and yelled:
"Freak! Taking our cards like that!"
"What a stain!"
"You're a little monster! Give us our cards back!"
"You're a wuss! What kind of little freak would take cards from us?"
Kurai got very angry. He clenched his fists and his eyes grew wide.
"SHUT YOUR ******* MOUTHS! I AM NOT A FREAK! YOU'RE THE FREAKS, AND DESERVE TO DIE!" he screamed.
To the bullies' surprise, Kurai pulled out a gun. He aimed it towards the leader of the bullies. "Say goodnight, you jerk-face. You're the one who deserves to die."
BAM!
A red circle covered the leader bully's forehead. The bully gasped for air aas he felt the bullet's pressure increase inside his head. He grasped his neck, breathing for air.
"Argh….. Ugh…" he moaned, falling facedown onto the ground.
He never woke up.
The leader's backups and members shook at the sight of Kurai. They now knew that their target was now menacing and more threatening than they had thought.
"Dude… The little freak just killed Dakota!" whimpered one bully.
"G-guys? Let's go! I don't want to be near that freak!" said another bully, a little shaken from his leader's death.
"Same here," replied the other bullies.
The bullies dispersed and left Kurai alone in the alley as rain began to pour into Darkland City. The boy fell onto his knees as he looked at the corpse laying in front of him. A small pool of blood formed on Dakota's forehead, covering the bullet hole. Slowly, Kurai looked at himself, then Dakota.
"I just killed Dakota.. Am I really a freak…?"
Kurai felt all of his anger, teases and taunts by bullies, and rage build inside. His irises grew wide and some of his teeth became slightly sharp. He could feel the darkness filling his mind, but he didn't care. "Those jerks…. Anyone who calls me a freak will pay….."
Astral started at the bubble in shock and awe. He never knew how horrible life was for Kurai, especially since he was a bad boy. Now he understood why Kurai was so violent and mean around people. "Could it be that whenever someone calls Kurai a freak, it is his weakness?" he asked curiously.
"Not exactly. It makes Kurai go insane, he'll hurt anyone who gets in the way. You need to be careful when you call him a freak," replied Kazuma.
He continued, "About my son, Yuma wouldn't want you to be always upset like this. He would want you to be able to stand up for yourself and your friends. You would want to help Yuma if you were in his place, would you?"
Astral looked at Kazuma in awe. The man's words slipped into his mind. Little by little, he could see memories of him and Yuma together. From the day Yuma dueled Shark*** to them winning the World Duel Carnival, instead of Kurai, all he saw was Yuma's smiling face.
"Yuma…. I feel so ashamed for hiding from you for so long.. It was like as if I ran away from the fight," said Astral, slowly trembling.
He could feel tears attempting to form, but he brushed them away. For some reason, the ghost began to have a strange feeling. Strange, this is like as if something is coming back to me. What is it? Could this have been something that I lost for so long? pondered Astral. Is this what Yuma called, courage? Yes, yes, yes! It is indeed courage! That was I was missing for so long! I feel my confidence flowing inside again!
Kazuma smiled at his spiritual friend, crossing his arms. He closed in eyes as he slowly disappeared inside the Key. Take care, Astral. Please, stop Kurai from ruining the world. You and Yuma are the world's only hope! Don't give up, and bring it to 'em! he said telepathically.
Astral's ears perked up at the sound of Kazuma's voice. "Oh, Kazuma? Thank-" He turned around, only to find the man gone. He crossed his arms in approval, giving a slight smile. "Thank you, Kazuma," he said telepathically, "you made me feel a lot braver than before."
The spirit then looked at the white light leading to the exit of the Key. It shone luminously as always, indicating that the real world was open. Astral took a deep breath. He breathed in and out, and he felt all of his stress leave. He then shouted bravely, "Yuma, I am done hiding from Kurai! I will come and fight again along aside you!"
"Oh, how sweeettt…." taunted a malicious voice.
Astral shifted his body and his eyes grew wide in shock and surprise. "Dark Mist…." he said in a low voice. "What are you doing here? Hope creamed you last time!****"
The Number crossed his legs, sneering at Astral. "You believed that I was dead, well guess what? You were wrong! You really think that I am going to let you leave the Key? You're not getting through until I kill you first!" he spat.
"Is that so? I still have Hope!" retailed Astral. "Hope!" he called.
No answer, only silence filled the Key.
"Tsk, Tsk, Tsk, my dear Astral…. While you were playing Mr. Upset Emo Ghost, Kurai did the liberty of stealing Number 39 from you and Yuma! That boy and I make a good duo, compared to you and that wimpy human friend of yours!" sneered 96. "Don't even think of getting Hope back on your side! My magic is immune to your antics! Now then, why don't I try? Oh, Number 39, come to your master!" he shouted into the dark void.
GRROOHHHH!
A giant monster rose from the shadows like a shadow creature waiting for flesh. He flew towards his master, unveiling himself. Sadly, appearance was all too familiar to Astral. The creature's midnight black armor and purple eyes shone in the light, along with a blood-red "39" on his right shoulder armor. Instead of two spike-like pieces on both sides like Hope's head, they were replaced with horns. The Number looked more menacing than before.
"Grrrrrrrrr…" he growled.
"H-H-Hope? What-" stuttered in Astral. He scowled and angrily stared at Dark Mist. "You bastard! What the hell did you do to Hope?"
"Are you that idiotic? Number 39 is MINE, now! He is no longer Aspiring Emperor Hope, but now reigns as DEMON TYRANT KAOS!" cackled Dark Mist. "Are you scared? Going to run away, you little crybaby?" he jeered.
Astral scowled, clenching his hands. "No," he said in a low voice, "I am tired of running away, even from the likes of you! Yuma and I have fought together for months, and against you! For once, I will fight alone, for Yuma! You will pay for what you and Kurai did to everyone! Fight me, Dark Mist!"
96 chuckled, "Astral, Astral, Astral…. I'm not the one fighting you. Kaos will be fighting for me, since he is my loyal servant. Face it, you said that I'm too weak to fight you, so why not let Kaos fight? I'm sure it will be fun watching you be all emo all over again!"
Astral looked at Dark Mist, then Kaos. He looked at his face, and he could see a mental image of Hope's bright, pure face. It was like as if Hope was trying to say, "Do it, for me and Yuma, Astral."
The spirit closed his eyes. Yuma appeared on his mind, smiling at him. "Astral, let's duel! I'm gonna bring it to 'em today!" he said happily.
Astral opened his eyes and scowled his eyes. "Alright, Dark Mist, let's get this over with, once and for all!"
"Heh heh heh! Splendid! I am going to enjoy watching Kaos beat you to pulp!" said Dark Mist. "Chop that little Jello to pieces, Kaos!"
Kaos grunted in response. He pulled out two long swords, and they very sharp-looking blades. Astral didn't seem intimidated at all by the monster.
"Yuma, I am done hiding! Today, we will triumph and prevail! Why do I know this? Because I am feeling the flow! Get ready to get deck'd, Dark Mist!" shouted Astral confidently.
"Very well," said Dark Mist. "Bring it on!"
Next Chapter:
Yuma: "WHAT? Kotori? Why are you with Kurai? You aren't supposed to be with him! That isn't me! Why are you causing all of this trouble, Kurai? Answer me!"
Astral: "Dark Mist and Kaos have found me inside the Key! I has agreed to fight them, only to reclaim Hope on my side! Kaos, I know that you're under control, but you're still Hope deep down! Don't give in to the darkness!"
*See Chapter 4.
**Episode 56 of Zexal
*** Waaayyy back in Episode 1 of Zexal!
**** Episode 38 of Zexal
