A/N: Quickie update. Work was busier so no writing during the day. Duel for Kaito and Ryoga and Miki being idiots. Anyway, yes, thank you for the two new reviews, you lovely people, and my one regular, you're lovely too. More would be lovely, but thank you for reading and enjoy.
"Something's wrong," Miki murmured.
Ryoga frowned, watching her at the window. The moon had risen not even half an hour ago. They'd chatted and Miki had shown off her deck to him. As she'd said, it was a WATER deck, a rather good one. Ryoga was keen to duel her later but there were other things to be done for now.
"Something like what?" Ryoga said.
She frowned and pushed her deck into its holder. "We need to head back."
"Why?" he demanded. "What's going on?"
"Destiny is duelling," she replied.
"Destiny?"
"A hunter. A strong one." Ryoga frowned. "We can sense when each another hunter duels."
"You'll stop hunting, right? When we've helped you?"
"Maybe-"
"You have to stop hunting."
"Then we have to head down into town."
She glared at him for a moment before he nodded and Miki grinned. If they could save a soul, he supposed it was worth it. But tomorrow morning, Miki's soul would be gone again and she'd be out of reach again. Miki caught his hand as they left and stuck close as they went back through the woods. Obviously she didn't want to get stuck in the mud again, not that he blamed her. What they were going to do was another matter. Miki didn't have a duel disk but then again, he was certain he could take on any soul hunter they came across.
"Tell me about Fate and Destiny then."
"They're the top two hunters," Miki muttered, lowering her head. "No matter how I tried to catch up, I never could. Hibiki kept telling me it'd take time and I'm great for my age but… It didn't feel like it, you know?"
"I suppose," Ryoga replied. "And does everyone have weird name?"
"Weird?"
"Fate and Destiny aren't normal names?"
She laughed and nodded. "Glory."
"Glory?" She smirked and his eyes widened. "You were called Glory?" She nodded and Ryoga frowned, glaring at the ground. Why the hell did Miki had to be a soul hunter? Why did she have to be so likeable? "What about… Fate's really your brother?"
She frowned and fell silent. That was a yes then. Fate really was her older brother. And he'd stolen their souls? Things got more and more complicated by the second. Why would someone steal the souls of their younger siblings? It just didn't seem right.
"Why do you hunt souls?"
"Because…" She frowned and tilted her head. "I don't remember."
"You don't remember?"
"I know, it sounds stupid, but I don't. I've just always done it."
"A lady always takes the first turn," Destiny said quietly, drawing her first card. Kaito frowned, glancing at his own hand. Destiny had a lacy duel disk on her arm and Kaito assumed a D-Gazer hidden under the veil. "I begin by inviting Madolche Mewfeuille to the field."
A sleepy looking pink kitten appeared on the field wearing a pastry hat. 3/500/300. Kaito frowned, partly at how weak it seemed and also by Rio saying something about it being cute. He didn't think Rio was that type, but he supposed she was of that age when cuddly toys were interesting.
"When Mewfeuille is normal summoned," Destiny continued. "He thinks it's only polite to invite a dear friend to the field. So, we'll invite Madolche Chouxvalier."
A horse and rider galloped onto the field. 4/1700/1300. Kaito frowned, regarding the two monsters for a moment. What was she aiming for? Neither was particularly strong, unless she expected him to summon a weak monster in the first turn. Obviously Destiny hadn't done her homework.
"I think that's all for this turn," she said softly. "So I'll set a pair of cards to surprise you later, and pass over to you. Good luck, dear Kaito."
Kaito paused, his hand hovering over his cards. It was an interesting field. They were monsters of different levels, so she wasn't looking to XYZ summon and they weren't very powerful, or in defence position. Perhaps she was like Yuma; played in a surprisingly chaotic style but still managed to pull of incredible victories from nowhere and sometimes sheer dumb luck. And there was the matter of those two face downs. Cards to surprise him later? Kaito would have to get rid of those as soon as possible. Although, a quick glance at his hand reveal nothing capable of dealing with them at that moment. Unless his draw gave him something to get rid of them, he'd have to take a gamble and make a sacrifice.
"My turn then," he said. "Draw." No luck. He frowned and glanced over his hand. Never mind. There were other options. "When I have no monsters on the field, I can special summon Photon Thrasher from my hand."
The photon warrior appeared on the field, brandishing a large sword. 4/2100/0. There was still the matter of the two face downs. Still, at least he knew it was trouble, at least he was willing to make a sacrifice. It wasn't like when Yuma charged in and was surprised when a face down was activated.
"Photon Thrasher, attack her Mewfeuille," Kaito ordered.
"My Madolche Chouxvalier is a shining knight," Destiny said, running a hand through her hair. "He won't allow you to attack any other Madolche monsters."
"That's fine by me," he replied. "Your Chouxvalier isn't strong enough to defeat my Photon Thrasher."
Photon Thrasher swung its sword and Destiny ran a hand through her hair once more. "I activate my face downs, Madolche Waltz and Forbidden Lance. So, Forbidden Lance means I can select your Photon Thrasher and until the end phase it loses 800 ATK points and is unaffected by Spells and Traps."
A lance appeared in Photon Thrashers hands and Madolche Chouxvalier slashed its candy cane sword into Photon Thrasher, shattering it and hitting Kaito with a rough wind. He hissed as the wind whipped around him.
Destiny – 4000
Kaito – 3600
"And, dear Kaito," Destiny continued. "Madolche Waltz's effect activates. When a Madolche attacks or is attacked, after damage calculation, you take 300 points of damage as a parting gift."
A bright light flashed from the card and slammed into Kaito, knocking him back at step.
Destiny – 4000
Kaito – 3300
So that was it. She was luring him into battle with relatively weak monsters and then to inflict damage using her back row. Interesting. Much as Fate's cards revolved around his Spellbook spell cards, Destiny's did too. From what he remembered of the Prophecy and Madolche archtypes, they were both capable of setting up combos and loops that were tricky to break once set up. It was moments like this he wished for Ryoga at his side, or that Rio had her brother's knowledge of cards. One of Ryoga's few redeeming qualities was that he was practically a walking archive of card effects. It seemed to be a natural talent of his, if he saw a card even once he'd remember it. It was part of what made him a great duellist. It made Kaito wonder why Ryoga didn't do better in school.
Still, whether Ryoga did well in school or not, the fact remained that Kaito could have used his knowledge of cards to decide on a weak point and strategy. Not that he couldn't do it on his own, but Ryoga would have sped up the process. In that case he needed something to tide things over.
"Is something wrong, dear?"
"I summon Photon Crusher." The armoured warrior appeared and Destiny cocked her head. That'd at least protect him from a direct attack 4/2000/0. "And I set one card and end my turn."
"I'll be taking my turn then," Destiny said. "I draw." She tilted her head slightly and she laid a hand on her hat as a soft wind blew, ruffling the dress and veil and hat, her hair blowing around her face. "My my, what a terrible wind. Tell me, Kaito dear, do you know the difference between destiny and fate?"
"I'm here to duel, no discuss semantics," Kaito snapped.
Yuma made a noise behind him and Kaito tilted his head to see him looking lost and obviously about to ask a stupid question. "Hey, Kaito, what are semem-"
"Semantics," he said, glaring over his shoulder. "The pointless differences between words that mean almost exactly the same thing."
Destiny laughed softly. "No. They don't mean the same. Fate is inevitiable. You can't escape your fate. It is the thing that will come after you, that will end you, no matter what. Destiny can be changed. It's carved out by your own hands. It is where you're heading, where you need to go. In short, you can change destiny but not fate."
"As I said," he muttered. "Semantics. Now take your turn or surrender."
"Please don't be so rude," she said softly. "However, I suppose I will indulge you, this once. As so rudely again and you will be punished."
"Indulge me? Punish me? You should focus more on the duel."
She laughed softly and shook her head. "Shh, don't be silly, I'm completely focused. I start by asking my Mewfeuille to step aside so I can summon my Madolche Puddingcess." The little kitten vanished and in its place, in a cake life dress and a tiara adorning her blonde curls, was a little princess. 5/1000/1000. Kaito frowned. A low level combined with a cost to summon means a powerful effect. "Then I activate Madolche Chateau."
A grand house made of desserts rose up behind them. Destiny's Madolche monsters glowed and Kaito frowned. Now what? Field spells were always a pain. He really needed something to get rid of her spell and trap cards in his next draw.
"When I activate Madolche Chateau, all Madolche monsters in my graveyard are welcomed back into my deck," she continued. Kaito's frown deepened. Recycling her graveyard too? "And since my graveyard is empty of monsters, Madolche Puddingcess gains 800 ATK. Not to mention, Madolche Chateau boosts gives all Madolche monsters and extra 500."
"But that's like…"
Kaito glanced back to see Yuma totting up the numbers and Astral sighed. "An extra 1300, Yuma, meaning her Puddingcess has 2300 ATK points."
"And her Chauxvailer her 2200 ATK points," Kaito said.
Destiny curtseyed and Kaito hissed through his teeth. This wasn't how he wanted the duel to go in the first few turns. He'd have to step up his game. He'd have to be stronger. The sooner he turned this around the better. He had his face down as protection but it seemed this was going to be a tougher duel than he'd expected.
"Chauxvailer, clear the path, attack Photon Crusher," Destiny called.
Madolche Chauxvailer galloped forwards and slashed through Photon Chrusher, and once again the winds whipped around Kaito. He clenched his jaw and planted his feet against the wind as Madolche Waltz lit up.
"Madolche Waltz activates and you take another 300 points of damage."
The light tore from the card and slammed into him and Kaito found himself pushed back a few feet. When the light passed, he was panting heavily, ignoring Yuma calling to him worriedly. He was losing. He wasn't going to lose but he was certainly going to have to be more careful.
Destiny – 4000
Kaito – 2800
And Kaito knew what was coming next. Destiny ran her hair through her hair once more and Madolche Puddingcess did the same. "Madolche Puddingcess, dear Kaito needs to be cheered up after that. Direct attack. Bittersweet Kiss!"
"I activate my face down," Kaito called. "Destiny Break! With this card, when you attack directly I can draw a card. If it's a monster, you attack is negated, otherwise the card is sent to the graveyard and your attack goes through."
"Then I suppose we really are giving ourselves to destiny here," she said. "So… what will happen to us, Kaito dear?"
"He's putting it all on one draw?" Astral said.
"He'll make it!" Yuma called. "Kaito has to make it! He can't lose to someone who steals souls!"
Kaito closed his eyes for a moment before he drew, praying he would get what he needed. Any monster would do but there were some he'd certainly prefer. He opened his eyes slowly and turned the card. His heart skipped a beat and he smirked.
"Photon Cerberus."
Destiny sighed and flicked her hair, Puddingcess doing the same, but the attack was negated, so Kaito was content for now. "I set my last card and end my turn."
"During the end phase when Destiny Break's effect was used, I can summon the monster I drew to the field." The three headed dog appeared with a howl. 3/1300/600. "And I suppose that makes it my turn. Draw." He glanced down and smirked. "I activate Monster Reborn. And summon back my Photon Crusher." The armoured knight appeared again, swinging its weapon. 4/2000/0. "Then I activate Upshift. So I target the monster on the field with the highest level and all my other monsters become the same level."
"You're going to XYZ summon?"
"Exactly. I use my two level 4 monsters to create an overlay network. XYZ summon! Starlord Galaxion!"
The armoured warrior burst onto the field, brandishing its twin swords. 4/200/2100. Now everything was in place. He wasn't going to lose.
"Which way?" Ryoga snapped.
"I don't know," Miki replied, stopping dead in the middle of a cross roads. "It's somewhere near here but… I don't know."
Ryoga glared at her, turning a circle and searching for any sign of the duel. He hadn't got much information out of Miki on her siblings, or Destiny and the other soul hunters, but they had been chatting. She was nice enough, different to Hibiki. From what he remembered of Hibiki she was sweet and smiley and soft spoken. Miki was brasher, slightly rude and a little bitter.
"Miki-"
"Glory," called a familiar voice. Ryoga whipped around to see Fate approaching. "My dear little Glory."
"Fate," Miki whispered.
Ryoga lowered his head and pulling Miki behind him protectively. Fate glared at him but stopped a little way off. He wasn't going to let Miki be snatched away now. She had all the answers, and she wasn't beyond help. Fate seemed irredeemable but not Miki.
"Glory…" Fate said, holding out his hand. "No, you like Miki now, don't you? Will you come home? With me and Hibiki? So we can be a family again?"
"You lied about her," Ryoga snapped, pulling Miki back as she took half a step forwards. Was she really falling for this so easily? "You said she was the one who took Hibiki's soul. After everything you said, how can you act like you're family again when it suits you?!"
"Stay out of this, boy," he said.
"I won't. You want to hunt souls in my town and mess with my friends, you have to deal with me!"
"Kamishiro?" Miki whispered, tugging on his sleeve. "Friends? Are we…"
"Shut up."
"Friends," Fate sneered. "Were you thinking about your friendship when you kissed her younger brother, Ryoga?"
"You what?!" Miki cried, rounding on him. Ryoga groaned. Why was everyone acting like it was mutual? "You- you- you weren't happy with Hibiki, you have to have Ken too? Seriously? You just want to take everyone I care about from me?"
"What?" Ryoga snapped, turning to glare at her. "Firstly, he kissed me, I didn't kiss him at all. I would have hit him for it if I hadn't been in shock. And what the hell is all this about taking people you care about from you?"
"It was your fault Hibiki lost her soul!"
"My fault?!"
"Because of you she wanted to stop hunting! Because of you Fate had to duel her and I ended up with him and being looked after by Mother!"
"So come home, Miki," Fate said, holding out his arms. "Come on. We can give Hibiki back her soul and we'll be a family again, I promise."
Miki stepped towards him and Ryoga clenched his fists. How could she be falling for this? Was she really so desperate to have her family back? Well… he supposed he'd been desperate to save his family too. If he'd been in her place and it was Rio begging him to come home, he wouldn't have hesitated. But it wasn't. He had to keep her safe. If nothing else, Ken had given him answers and risked punishment to help him and Hibiki had helped him through a tough time. He wasn't going to let them down and let Miki get into trouble.
Without thinking, he wrapped his arms around Miki and pulled her back away from Fate, grabbing her hand and turning to run. Miki resisted for a moment but he tugged her along and finally she gave in, clasping her hand around his and running at his side.
"Where are we going, Kamishiro?" Miki called.
"I don't know," Ryoga replied. "I knew we shouldn't have come down here. We were safe up in the woods."
"So this is my fault-"
"Shut up," he snapped.
He glanced back over his shoulder to see Fate following quietly as if he expected them to run and knew exactly where they were going. They rounded a corner sharply and Ryoga pulled Miki into the shadows of a dark alley, pushing her up against the wall out of sight and clapping his hand over her mouth. As he predicted, she glared up at him and pushed against his shoulders, and tried to curse loudly at him.
"Shh," he hissed. "I won't let him take you."
They fell silent, both panting heavily, and stayed as still as possible, listening silently to Fate's footsteps growing closer. Miki's hands closed around his shirt at his shoulders and he was sure he felt her tremble. If they stayed still and quiet, then Fate shouldn't see them in the shadows. Ryoga had spent long enough getting into trouble and hiding from pursuit to know how to stay out of sight. But these soul hunters were something different.
Ryoga closed his eyes, not wanting to look any longer as Fate's footsteps stopped at the end of the alley. This was the moment of truth. If he carried on they were safe. If not, they'd have to make a run for it and hope to find somewhere better to hide. Or perhaps duel his way out but any time in Fate's presence seemed to turn Miki into a kid longing for her family again.
Fate laughed. "You're going to be trouble, aren't you, Ryoga?"
In the Next Chapter: Kaito continues his duel against Destiny and her sweet deck while Ryoga is faced with keeping Miki safe from Fate and the new opponent Charity.
Hunting in Heartland
