Author's Note: Just to let everyone know in advance, there are going to be some pretty steamy scenes in this chapter. One of those scenes is going to reveal the identity of Cathy's mystery boyfriend.
Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! ZEXAL.
Chapter 7: Vampire's Call
After several minutes of driving through the city dodging vampires, Hikari and the others finally made it to a hill on the outskirts of Heartland. Atop the hill was a two-story ultra modern-looking house. The structure wasn't exactly a mansion, but it was fairly upscale. Hikari guided the others into a large garage in the base of the house. Once everyone was parked, Hikari led the others up to the house's well-furnished living room to discuss their current situation.
"Wow! This house looks awesome!" Yuma praised as he looked around. "This is really your place, Hikari?"
"In a way. This house actually belongs to my family." Hikari explained. "It's the same house we stayed in that summer I first met Ryoga and his sister. And since I came back to this city a few days ago, I've been staying here."
"You mentioned something about this place also having something we could use to stop Droite." Kotori recalled.
"Stop her plan, anyway. Or at least just slow it down." Hikari replied. "This house also has a lab in the basement that my dad would use while we were here to tinker around with stuff. Inside that lab is a pretty powerful computer that right now is linked up with the computers at Heartland Tower. It might be a long-shot, but I think I can use the computer here to shut down the portal Droite's using to bring her people here."
"What I want to know is how Droite was able to turn that portal on in the first place." Cathy interjected.
"I think I know." Kaito responded. "If the vampires really have taken over the tower, then it's probably a safe bet that Christopher is now one of them. Droite probably used him to activate the portal."
"I think that's a pretty safe assumption." Durbe agreed. "In fact it's probably safe to say that at least half the people in this city have become vampires by now."
"And it looks like I'm the only one who can stop them." Hikari assumed. "If it comes down to a duel, I'm the only one with a deck that can beat those Dead Star monsters of Droite's."
"Don't be so sure." Shark told her. "Me and the rest of the ex-Barians can probably take Droite down in a duel too."
"Nasch is right, Ms. Fudo." Durbe confirmed. "The 10X Numbers we possess have effects that can neutralize the powers of Droite's Dead Star monsters and allow us to destroy them in battle."
"Maybe that's true, but it still looks like I'm our best hope for beating these vampires." Hikari replied. "As we were fleeing the tower, one of the vampires managed to grab me. But then my Signer Mark reacted and the thing pulled away like his hand had been burned."
"So you're saying that because you're one of these 'Signers', these vampires can't touch you?" Mizael asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Pretty much." Hikari confirmed. "During that duel, Droite mentioned that I was a blood enemy of her people. This could mean that a band of Signers from long ago fought the vampires at some point."
"But Droite also said that it was Astral who sealed her people away." Yuma recalled.
"I don't know what to tell ya." Hikari replied with a shrug. "But any way you look at it, stopping these things is probably going to be all up to me."
"Maybe so, but you're not alone in this fight." Shark assured her. "We're all in this together."
"I still want to know how we're gonna turn Droite and everyone else back to normal." Yuma reminded them. "This is just as bad as when Shark and Rio became Nasch and Merag."
"There may not be a way, Yuma." Kaito told him. "In the end… we may have no choice but to kill Droite and every vampire she's created."
"But Kaito!" Yuma began to argue.
"Look, I don't like the idea anymore than you do, but we may not have a choice!" Kaito pointed out. "The fate of every life on the planet is riding on this!"
"Hold on! Let's all just slow down for a minute!" Kotori interrupted. "We don't know everything about these vampires yet. There may still be a way for us to turn them back to normal. Right now, let's just focus on closing that portal so more vampires don't come through and make things right."
"Kotori's right. Closing that portal should be our top priority right now." Shark decided. "We can worry about finding a way to change everyone back afterward."
"I'll get right on trying to shut off the portal from here." Hikari told them. "The rest of you relax and make yourselves at home. I get the feeling that this is going to be a long night."
Only half an hour had gone by since the group had arrived at Hikari's house, and Kotori was roaming the halls on the second floor looking for Kaito. Ever since the group's little talk earlier, Kotori had noticed that the photo duelist seemed quite troubled. She had seen the painful expression on Kaito's face when he suggested that their only option of stopping Droite might be to kill her. For quite some time, Kotori had suspected that Kaito had strong feelings for the butterfly duelist who was now threatening the world. And now it seemed that her suspicions had finally been confirmed.
As Kotori walked down the hall, she heard odd noises coming from inside one of the bedrooms. She saw that the door to the bedroom in question was open a crack. Against her better judgment, Kotori peeked in through the door and saw a nude Cathy on the bed inside on all fours. Plowing into her from behind was an equally nude Mizael. The blonde dragon tamer pulled one of Cathy's legs straight back so that he could plunge into her even harder.
Putting her hand to her mouth to avoid making a sound, Kotori shut the door as quickly and silently as possible. It seemed that Cathy had not been lying earlier about having a boyfriend, but she certainly hadn't wanted to find out in the way she just did. And she certainly didn't expect Cathy's boyfriend to be Mizael, of all people. Kotori walked away from the door, trying very hard to put the image of what she had just witnessed out of her mind. As she walked away though, she heard a loud cry that sounded like a meow, causing her to cringe.
Moments later, Kotori finally found Kaito at the end of the hallway looking out through a large window overlooking the city. His gaze was fixed on the beam of light shooting up from Heartland Tower.
"There you are." Kotori spoke, getting Kaito's attention. "I've been looking all over for you."
"You okay? You look a little sick." Kaito observed.
"Oh… well, let's just say I found out Mizael's a cat person." Kotori explained. Kaito raised an eyebrow. "Never mind. Anyway, I've been a little worried about you ever since that meeting we just had."
"I'm fine." Kaito told her in a very unconvincing manner.
"…Haruto's at the tower, isn't he?" Kotori realized after a moment.
"Yeah." Kaito confirmed. "He's probably one of those things by now."
"But it's not just Haruto you're worried about though, right?" Kotori deduced. "You're worried about Droite too."
"Yeah… yeah I am." Kaito admitted. "I actually care about Droite very much. But if comes down to her and the rest of the world, I may have no choice but to destroy her."
"You shouldn't give up hope." Kotori told him. "There might be a way to change her, Haruto, and everyone else back."
"But it's very likely that there isn't." Kaito pointed out. "And if that's the case… I'm willing to destroy Droite with my own hands if it means saving the rest of the world."
"Do you really think you'll actually be able to do that?" Kotori asked.
"I've done it for years." Kaito pointed out. "I sacrificed many people to gather the Numbers in order to save Haruto and the rest of the world. This is no different."
"Of course it's different!" Kotori told him. "Those Number holders were people who you didn't even know. But Droite's someone you really care about. It wouldn't be easy at all to just take a knife and stab her through the heart. Look, just give us a little time, Kaito. I'm sure we'll be able to figure out."
"…You know, I can actually feel Droite calling out to me from the tower." Kaito revealed. "She's wants me to go to her. And I'm finding it really hard not to."
"You're not thinking of doing something crazy, are you?" Kotori asked.
"…No, of course not." Kaito told her. "Now do you mind leaving me alone?"
Kotori backed down and went off down the hall. As she did, she couldn't help but fear that Kaito really was going to do something rash.
Hikari sat at the computer of the house's basement lab wearing only her shirt, pants, and necklace. She had been trying for almost three hours to shut down the portal and was having no luck. It seemed that she had been locked out of the Heartland Tower system. After what was perhaps her fiftieth time trying to break through the system's firewalls, the all too familiar words, Access Denied popped up on the computer screen in big red letters. Hikari cursed, and at the same time an old engine component on one of the tables in the lab was crushed flat by an invisible lab. The stardust heiress sighed heavily and began rubbing her temples.
"Hikari?" a familiar voice spoke.
Hikari turned her chair around and saw Shark standing in the room without a shirt on. A small towel hung down from around his neck.
"Oh, hey there." Hikari responded. "Um, why aren't you wearing a shirt?"
"Oh, I was just giving my face a quick wash when I heard a loud noise from upstairs." Shark explained with a slight blush. "Everything okay?"
"No, it's not." A frustrated Hikari answered. "I've been banging my head against a wall trying to shut down that damn portal, but I can't do it from here. I've been locked out of the system."
"Maybe you should take a break for a few minutes." Shark suggested.
"I can't afford to take a break. Everyone's depending on me to get this done." Hikari argued. "If I can't shut down the portal, every living thing on the planet is doomed."
"You can't take on everything by yourself." Shark told her. "Just step back for awhile and we'll figure something else out."
"Yeah… you're probably right." Hikari admitted. "It just seems like I'm the only one who can stop these vampires and save the world, and I can't even access a simple computer. I just feel so useless right now."
"Is there anything I can do to help?" Shark asked.
Hikari turned back to Shark and looked him over. She couldn't help but look at his shirtless upper body. He certainly did seem to be in good shape for someone his age, and she was feeling like a bundle of raw nerves.
"You know… there actually is something you could do that might help." Hikari told him.
"What?" Shark asked.
Hikari got up from her chair and led Shark over to a large bed that happened to be inside the lab. It was apparently left over from the times her father would pull all-nighters to work on some of his projects. With both of them in front of the bed, Hikari took off her shirt and tossed it to the floor, revealing that she wasn't wearing a bra. Shark's jaw dropped at the sight of Hikari's nude breasts. He could feel his pants becoming extremely tight. Smiling, Hikari sauntered over to Shark and moved in for a kiss.
"Wait, Hikari." Shark told her as he pushed her away. "We probably shouldn't do this. I mean we just started going out, and…"
"Please, Ryoga." Hikari interrupted, putting her finger on his lips. "I really need you right now. And you said that we could go as fast as I wanted. So please…"
Shark was finding it very hard to resist the pleading look in Hikari's eyes. Hikari pulled Shark into an embrace and planted a firm kiss on his lips. Before Shark knew it, the blunette's tongue had entered his mouth and began to mingle with his own. The little that remained of Shark's inhibitions vanished and he moved his left hand and started massaging Hikari's right breast, causing Hikari to moan into his mouth. After a few minutes, the two broke apart for air. Hikari undid the buckle of Shark's belt and pulled down his pants and boxers in one motion.
Hikari pushed Shark back onto the bed behind him and removed her jeans and panties, leaving her only in her necklace. She bent down and gave Shark another passionate openmouthed kiss. Shark rolled them both over and got Hikari onto her back. When they broke for air again, Shark pushed his hardened rod into Hikari's womanhood. Hikari winced a bit as the rod entered her, indicating to Shark that it was her first time. Shark began to rock his hips very slowly to give Hikari time to get used to it. It was taking all of his will not to plow into her with his full strength.
After only a few moments though, Hikari wrapped her legs around Shark's waist. She was ready for him to go at full force. As Shark began to pick up his pace, Hikari sat up and wrapped her right arm around the back of Shark's neck for support. Their lips met in another very deep kiss. Hikari moaned into Shark's mouth as he continued to thrust into her at full force. They broke apart for air yet again as Shark felt Hikari's inner walls tightening around him. He could feel himself coming close to the edge as well. Then with one last hard thrust from Shark, the two of them came to a hard climax.
Hikari collapsed back onto the bed and Shark withdrew himself from Hikari and rolled onto his back next to her. Hikari took Shark's hand as they caught their breath.
"Damn!" Shark declared. "That was… that was incredible."
"No argument here." Hikari agreed as she rolled onto her side to look at him.
Shark rolled onto his side to face her. "Hikari… are you sure you're okay with what we just did?"
"Ryoga, I'm going to let you in on something." Hikari told him. "At the end of that summer years ago when we met, I was really sad that I had to leave because it meant that I probably wouldn't see you again. The truth is I had a little bit of a crush on you back then. When I came back here to this city and saw you after my duel with Gauche, those old feelings started to come back, and now they're stronger than ever. I really am in love with you, Ryoga Kamishiro."
At this, Shark smiled. "I'm really in love with you too. I've never had these feelings for any other girl then you. You really are very special to me."
The two of them gazed lovingly at one another for a few moments before they became locked in yet another kiss. As they explored one another's mouths for the fourth or fifth time of the night, Hikari's hand moved and began toying with Shark's manhood, causing him to groan into her mouth. The rod hardened in Hikari's hand, signaling that he was ready for another round. Hikari broke the kiss and got on top of Shark, positioning herself so that her back was to the water duelist. Hikari moaned a bit as the rod entered her again.
As Hikari began to move her hips, Shark managed to sit up and grab Hikari's breasts, causing Hikari to throw her head back as he began to knead them, gasping a little as he pinched her nipples. Their bodies became covered in sweat as they continued. Over time Hikari picked up her pace, bringing them both closer to the edge. After a few more glorious moments of pleasure, the two of them came to a hard climax with Hikari calling out Shark's real name at the top of her lungs. The two of them collapsed onto a heap on the bed. With the last of their strength, they managed to reposition themselves to cuddle together. Shark kissed Hikari on the forehead, and with that they drifted off to sleep.
Kaito continued to silently gaze out the window towards Heartland Tower. He could still feel Droite calling out to him, and it was getting harder and harder for him to ignore that call. His heart was practically screaming at him to go to her. The house was quite, and it seemed like everyone else had gone to sleep. Not surprising, considering how late it had become. Kaito decided that he couldn't take it anymore and went off to find Orbital.
Being as quiet as he could, Kaito found Orbital down in the kitchen in sleep mode. He also found an icepick, which he believed would make a suitable substitute for a wooden stake. While the photon duelist did intend to go to the tower, he wasn't going there to join with Droite. He was going to put an end to her himself. After waking up Orbital, the two of them left the house and began to fly towards the tower.
As Kaito flew over the city, he could see the destruction that the vampires had caused. Cars were on fire. Buildings had been broken into. Heartland was quickly falling into ruins. Every now and then, Kaito could see a mob of vampires chasing down a human who had yet to be transformed. Kaito imagined for a moment what might happen to the rest of the world if the vampires were able to spread themselves beyond the limits of the city. He hoped that keeping that thought in mind would make it easier for him to do what he needed to do.
At last, Kaito and Orbital landed before the entrance to the tower. As he walked up with Orbital rolling at his side, the doors opened up on their own. Kaito walked inside, but as Orbital tried to follow a barrier of purple energy repelled him. The doors slammed shut as soon as the robot was thrown back. Kaito realized that he was going to have to do this task on his own.
Kaito walked the halls of the tower, finding the interior to be covered in some kind of strange crystal. He could feel Droite calling to him, guiding him to the place she was waiting. As he turned a corner, he could hear strange sounds coming from one of the rooms up ahead. Looking in though the transparent crystal door of the chamber, Kaito saw Chirstpher and Akari inside. Both of them were naked, and Akari was on all fours as Christopher rammed into her from behind. The couple noticed Kaito and looked at him for a brief moment. Kaito turned away from the chamber door and moved on.
After a few moments, Kaito found himself in a large cathedral-like chamber that had somehow formed beneath the tower. In the center of the chamber he saw a raised crystal coffin with a small figure inside. He ran up to the coffin only to have his worst fears confirmed. It was Haruto inside, unconscious as if he was only asleep. But Kaito knew that he had become one of the wretched things that were now laying waste to the city.
Suddenly a door in the wall to Kaito's right opened up, shining a blinding light inside. Walking in through the door was a completely nude Droite. Kaito couldn't notice how stunning she looked. She was perhaps the most beautiful creature he has ever seen. Yet he knew what he had to do. He had to remember his mission.
"I knew you would come, Kaito." Droite told him as he walked up. "I just knew that you couldn't stay away."
"I didn't come here for the reason you think, Droite." Kaito told her as he pulled out the icepick he brought.
"Of course you did." Droite told him. "I can see into your heart, Kaito. I know how you truly feel about me. I love you, Kaito. I have for a long time. And one of the best thing about this awakening is that I can see with my own eyes that you love me too."
"But… I can't love you." Kaito told her. "Not now that you've become this thing! Not after what you've done to Haruto and every other person in this city!"
"Haruto and the people of Heartland are fine." Droite assured him. "They've been given eternal life, elevated to a higher state of being. I can do the same for you, Kaito. You and I can be together for all eternity. I can make it so that you can be as my equal."
"I could never become like you!" Kaito told her. "I have to destroy you so that the rest of the world can be saved!"
"…Then do it." Droite told him with a sad expression. "I'm right here. All you have to do is stab me in the heart."
Kaito raised his icepick and prepared to swing down, but suddenly he froze. He found that he couldn't stab Droite in the heart. Despite what she had become, he was still in love with her. So much so that he almost didn't care what happened to the rest of the world. The earth could burn for all he cared, but saving it wasn't worth Droite's life. Crying out in frustration, Kaito threw the icepick across the room.
"I… I can't kill you." Kaito admitted. "You mean too much to me, Droite. Killing you would be as impossible as it would be to kill Haruto."
A smile appeared on Droite's face. "I knew you wouldn't go through with it."
"So now what?" Kaito asked. "What am I supposed to do now?"
"You know what you want to do." Droite answered. "I offer you my whole being and an eternity of bliss. All you have to do is say yes."
"But… how can I turn my back on the rest of the world?" Kaito asked.
"That's one of the things I love about you, Kaito. In the end, you've always thought of others before yourself." Droite answered. "But this time, why not put your own heart first?"
Kaito found that Droite made a good point. He usually had always put others before himself. He had sacrificed a lot for Haruto and to save the world. But maybe he had done that long enough. Maybe this was a time where he needed to follow his own heart. Besides, everything he cared about most had already been taken in by this darkness that was swarming over the world. The only thing he could do was to join with it.
As soon as Kaito dropped his guard Droite moved in and bit Kaito on the neck with her fangs. Kaito felt his entire body go cold as Droite began to suck out his blood. His heartbeat stopped and he could feel a sort of numbness spread all over him. He was changing. After a few moments, Droite finished drinking from his neck and pulled away.
"Now… drink my blood." Droite told him. "Do it, and the bond between us shall start to be formed."
Kaito felt around inside his mouth with his tongue and found that he had gained his own pair of fangs. He also found that he had some kind of powerful thirst that needed to be quenched. Instinct took over and he moved in to bit Droite near her collarbone. Droite moaned and her eyes rolled back as Kaito bit down. Kaito found that Droite's blood tasted sweeter than anything than he had tasted before. There was nothing he could think of that could even come close. After a few moments, Kaito felt that his thirst had been satisfied and pulled back.
"Very good." Droite told him. "But we've only just begun."
Author's Note: Kudos to my one guest reviewer for correctly guessing that Mizael was Cathy's boyfriend. That pairing just kind of came to me a few days ago. I don't know if it's a pairing that's been attempted by anyone else before or not. Anyway, Kaito's now made his choice. Now the others will have to deal with the consequences.
Please review and let me know what you think.