A/N: Update! Nice quick update for you all. Ryoga has a choice to make, Kaito's playing hero and Thomas is back and teasing Rio. Because I love Thomas and he'd coming back soon and so are his brothers and I get very very excited over it. Anyone, thanks for reading and reviewing and enjoy.
"You're being dragged into the abyss," Mother Grace said quietly. Ryoga gazed over at her, his heart pounding. What was going on with this place? What was with all the boxes? He was suddenly starting to regret coming here. "If you can't escape the currents soon you'll drown."
"What's she talking about?" Ryoga snapped, glaring at Miki.
"What would you do to protect those you love?" Mother Grace asked
"Anything," he said instantly.
There was no questioning it. He would do anything for them. He wanted to protect Rio and maybe Yuma, the idiot got into trouble enough, and Ken. He didn't understand what they meant about Ken being out of reach. They were close to a couple, weren't they? And Ken seemed to care about him as much as he cared for Ken he supposed.
Miki smirked. "Then you only have one choice. Pick a box, Kamishiro."
"Why?" Ryoga hissed, glaring at the box in Miki's hands. "What are they? What's going on? Just give me some answers!"
Miki sighed and handed the box to Mother Grace. "As we speak, Yuma is duelling against Charity in a situation he can't win."
"Yuma's a good duellist." He couldn't believe he'd just said that. "He'll win and Astral is with him. He won't lose."
"He was lured into a trap," she snapped. "The duel is pointless it's just a throw away duel. When the duel finishes, he and his friends are done for no matter who wins."
Ryoga stepped back slightly before turning and running to the door, struggling with the handle again. Yuma's life was in danger. He had to get to Yuma before he and his friends were lost forever. He clenched his jaw, pulling desperately and the door.
"Why the hell are you doing this?!" he yelled, spinning to glare at them. "What did they do to deserve this?!"
"You have a debt to pay and until you do Pride will use the people you love to pay it," Miki replied.
"Debt? What debt? I didn't know about any of this before you guys arrived in town!" Whatever you think I've done, I haven't."
"I remember you," Mother Grace said.
Miki frowned and knelt in front of her. "Mother, you need rest. Don't strain yourself."
"Hush, child," she snapped before turning to him. "I remember the pain you caused, little Shark. You cause my children such pain."
"I- I didn't mean to hurt anyone."
Was this about Hibiki again? Why did everyone think it was his fault? He hadn't done anything. He hadn't known what would happen. He was a kid. It was close to two years ago he'd been in the tournament. None of this was his fault. Why was he being blamed?!
"It's not my fault!"
"But it is perceived to be," she replied. "And Pride will not stop until the debt is repaid."
"Then he can come and face me!" Ryoga snapped.
Miki stood straight, putting herself between Ryoga and Mother Grace, glaring back at him. "Don't you dare speak to her like that."
"I'm being hunted and blamed for something that wasn't my fault. I have every right to be angry."
"You have no right to take it out on Mother."
"Your right, it should be your father!" Ryoga snapped. "You and Hibiki, you're his blood. It's no wonder Fate's the way he is. And now Hibiki's back at it. I'm not at fault, you lot are."
"Don't talk about my family like that!" Miki snarled.
"Why? Your father and brother are going after the people I care about." He caught her wrist and slammed her against the wall, making her hiss and wince slightly. He meant it when he said he would do anything for people he cared about. Even if it meant going through her. "Perhaps I should return the favour."
"Get off me," she snapped.
"Duel me."
"In your dreams."
"I'm being serious, Miki," he said, glaring into her eyes.
There was a dark warmth flowing through him, surrounding him. It was like Shark Drake, when Shark Drake wanted to possess him back in the day. Was this Shark Drake? Did Shark Drake want to help him and protect him and his friends? It certainly felt like Shark Drake was mixed in there but it wasn't the same. But it blurred his mind and pushed him further.
"Duel me. We'll put her souls on the line. If he thinks he can take my friends and family to clear this debt he thinks I have, maybe I'll take his princess' soul and see if he'll come and face me then."
Ryoga heard the crack moments before he felt it and stumbled away slightly, his mind completely clear once more and his cheek stinging. He groaned and shook his head. Had he really just been willing to take Miki's souls just to hurt someone else? That really wasn't like him. No matter what Miki's father had done it wasn't her fault.
"Who the hell put that curse on you?" Miki hissed, stepping away. "That's ridiculously strong."
"Curse?" Ryoga said, straightening up again.
She nodded slightly. "One of the hunters has been messing with you."
"Who?!"
"I don't know," she snapped back. "There are only so many capable of weaving a curse that strong, and from the feel of it, it's still growing. I can narrow it down but there's no way I can be sure who it is."
"Then tell me."
She nodded and led him back to the shelves. Ryoga frowned and looked back at the space marked Glory. What was that box Mother Grace had? And why was he expected to pick a box? Miki frowned and pointed to her own tag.
"I can do it," she said quietly. "I was never very good though. And without my powers, I can't do it."
"Are there people who can do it without their powers?"
She nodded, pointing to another empty space. "Hibiki. She's strong enough."
"Why would she do this to me?"
"Unlikely, unless Pride got to her." She frowned and shook her head. "Mother, but she hasn't had enough contact with you."
"She's a hunter?"
"The first."
"Oh." Ryoga frowned and glanced over the Mother Grace. "Anything else?"
She nodded, pointing out a few others, but they all had reasons why they weren't a viable option, then there was several others who weren't there. Then she paused, her hand hovering above an empty spot, pain flashing through her eyes.
"Miki?"
"Honour…" she whispered. "He…"
"Honour had a gift," Mother Grace said.
"Is there any reason this would be him?" Ryoga said quietly.
Miki bit her lip. "He was always loyal to Pride and Fate." Her fists clenched and she turned away. "I thought… I thought he'd retired."
"Who is he to you?" he asked, resting a hand on his shoulder.
"I thought he was my friend. That was a long time ago." She sighed and pushed his hand away. "He picked Pride over me. If this was him, I'll help you."
Ryoga nodded and smiled slightly. "Thank you."
"Mother? Do you know where Fate is? Can you sense him?"
"He's meeting a boy," Mother Grace replied.
"Ken," Ryoga said, biting his lip. Miki frowned and glanced at him. "I read his messages while we were working after school. He went to meet Hiro then Fate."
Miki took a deep breath. "You care about Ken?"
"I-" The words caught in his throat as the realisation hit him. "But Ken and Fate were-"
"Fate will do whatever Pride tells him to, no matter who he has to hurt for it," she snapped. "He stole my soul and Hibiki's, do you think he cares about Ken?"
"Then he… he's in danger right now?"
"Very possibly."
"Then we need to get out of here and save him and Yuma!"
"Not everyone can be saved," Mother Grace said. Ryoga bit his lip. "You don't have many choices left. Your debt will be paid one way or another."
"You can't do this! Let me out!"
"I told you not to talk to her like that," Miki snapped.
"I have to save them!" he argued.
"You only have one choice," she said. "You pick a box and you clear your debt or they will take it out on your heart. And you can bet that if they're after Yuma and Ken there's someone just waiting to take out Rio too."
"Don't ever threaten Rio!"
"You're not behaving very well," Mother Grace said. "You're a guest in my home, do not speak to my daughter like that."
"I won't let anyone hurt them," he snapped. "Now let me out."
Ryoga turned away and a sudden pressure knocked from behind knocked him forwards into the door. He groaned and winced, his knees buckling slightly as he gripped the door for support. In the back of his mind, Shark Drake roared, as if in pain too. Another wave of pressure hit him and his legs gave out completely. He fell to the ground, holding his head and struggling to keep his eyes open.
"Kamishiro?" Miki called through the haze. "Are you ok? Kamishiro?"
"Miki," he groaned, clenching his fists. "I-"
He voice caught and cracked and his eyes closed as Mother Grace's voice broke through the haze. "Leave him, child. Come here. I know your soft heart."
"If I had a heart," Miki murmured.
"It still exists," she said. "And it's still soft as your father's."
"Miki," Ryoga groaned, reaching out and clasping her hand blindly. He squeezed her hand and she squeezed back gently. "Don't- don't go." His vision was blurred and darkening as another wave of pressure hit him. "What's happening?"
He gripped her hand tightly and leant against the door, struggling to even breathe. Miki growled and dropped his hand as her footsteps moved away. He groaned, he wanted Miki there while he was in pain. Something familiar and comforting.
There was silence for a few moments as more pain hit him. What was wrong with him? What was going on?
"Please," he breathed. "You have to let me save them."
"I assume your decision is final," Mother Grace said softly. "And nothing I can say will change your mind?"
"I don't have any other options," Miki replied.
"You really are just like your father."
"A monster?"
"No, you managed to avoid that gene. Just incredibly kind."
Miki laughed. "That's the polite way of calling me an idiot."
"Yes."
There was a dull thud and something unlocked as Ryoga felt himself letting go. He couldn't hold on any longer. Another wave of pressure hit him, this one stronger than the others, dark and evil, and it made his stomach heave.
And then Miki's scream of agony before he passed out completely.
Fate gasped and doubled over, clenching at his chest and Kaito's eyes widened slightly. What was going on now? Ken gasped, gripping the bench and closing his eyes.
"Miki…" Ken groaned. "What the hell have you done?"
"This wasn't anything to do with me," Fate snapped. "But it works in my favour. Now the three of us are at full strength again. You should really stop fighting it."
"Not as long as you're messing with the people I love," he hissed.
"Ryoga is going to suffer whether it needs Miki's sacrifice to do it."
"I won't let you do any more damage!"
"Oh…" Fate paused ande frowned. "No more need to have you around then. Don't worry, I'll carry out your plans for you."
Ken straightened up, glaring at him and about to step forwards when Fate whipped out his hand, sending a wave of dark energy towards Ken and throwing him back into a tree. Kaito moved out of the shadows. He wasn't going to stay hidden any longer, not when someone, a potential ally, was in danger.
Fate looked stunned when Kaito put himself between them, glaring up at him. Ken staggered up to his feet, using the tree for support. There was silence for a few moments where they glared at each other before Fate smiled and turned away.
"Hey!" Kaito called. "What the hell is going on?!"
Fate paused and glanced back at them. "Ask him. He sees everything even if he tries to ignore it."
He turned and swept away, leaving Kaito to help Ken back onto the bench. He sat, trembling slightly and panting softly. There was silence for a while, and Kaito waited for him to recover enough to talk. He needed to get answers out of him. And finally Ken lifted his head and sighed.
"It's not what you think," he said.
Kaito frowned. "Then explain."
"I, uh, it's complicated?" He smiled and Kaito scowled. "Fine, fine. Ryoga is blamed for Hibiki quitting hunting. According to Pride, that means he owes him."
"What does he owe?"
"Souls."
"Then you're going to take his soul in return? That's why you've got involved with him?"
"No!" Ken cried. "No! Never! I'm not interested in his soul. I want him, I care about him and I'll protect him from Fate if I have to."
"Why?" he snapped, glaring at him. "Why would you turn your back on everyone you've cared about?"
"Because, if you were listening, he crossed a line when he involved Miki." He shook his head. "I thought, since her soul returned, she'd be safe and kept out of this."
"But?"
"But that feeling…" He closed his eyes and Kaito frowned. "Glory's returned."
Despite not knowing all about the hunter, he had certainly heard of Glory. Miki's name as a hunter. Apparently one of the strongest hunters. If she'd returned to hunting they were in trouble. Especially if she had duelled as well as the others.
Rio was trying not a panic. Ryoga and Ken had vanished and there was no sign of either of them. It wasn't unusual; for them to vanish together without any notice and stay out until late but they usually at least sent a message. They weren't answering any of her calls or messages. And neither was Kaito. Or Thomas. Or Kotori. It was like everyone was ignoring her.
Suddenly her D-Pas lit up.
Puppet Master: You've called me six times in two hours.
Rio huffed as she slumped on the settee.
Ice Queen Rio: Then how about you call me back?
Moments later, her D-Pad lit up again, this time with an incoming call. Finally. She took a moment before accepting the call and when she did, she found Thomas slumped in bed, his shirt open as far as she could see, his face flushed, his hair dishevelled and something fluffy just at the edge of the screen. She scowled and Thomas gave her a lazy smirk as her cheeks began to heat up. What had he been doing while ignoring her calls? The ideas that flashed through her mind were almost horrifying.
After all, Thomas was still what Tron had made him. He competed in international tournaments that he always ranked highly in; he retained his title as Asian Champion and would compete as regaining champion every year; even if he stopped duelling he could be famous just for being famous. Thomas was a personality, an idol. A celebrity with fans hanging off his every word, waiting for hours just to get a glimpse of him and swooning at every smile.
And fanservice was definitely still his motto.
"Like what you see, Rio?" Thomas purred.
Rio huffed and folded her arms. "I've seen better."
"Aw, that's mean," he laughed. "I assume this is important."
"No one's answering me."
"And?"
"And something's not right."
Thomas frowned and tilted his head back slightly, the fluffiness next to him shifting and giving a contented sigh. Rio lowered her gaze and tried not to blush even further. Thomas was stunning. She'd always know that. And she adored him. Even if it was obvious there was never going to be anything more, given the many things between them. Ryoga was only of many reasons why it could never really work. But seeing him like this, with someone else in his bed, was more than she could handle.
"Am I interrupting something?"
The words were ground out through her teeth. Everyone who'd once paid attention to her seemed to be moving on. And she was sure she had every right to be a little angry about being tossed aside.
"Oh?" Thomas laughed, moving slightly. "Is something wrong?"
"Well, it doesn't seem like you're in a position to be taking calls."
Thomas laughed and Rio's eyes widened, her blush deepening. "Are you jealous of my new best girl?"
"So there is a girl there?"
"Sure." He reached over and nudged the fluff. She shifted and next thing Rio know a fluffy white dog had turned around and was lying with her front paws and head resting across Thomas' chest. "It's Tr- our father's way of making up for what happened. For having to get rid of my dog when we were younger."
"Well now I feel silly," Rio muttered.
"Were you jealous of Marie?" Thomas cooed, scratching the dog's ear.
"N-no," she said, shaking her head quickly. "No, just surprised. And you are kind of… undressed?"
He laughed slightly and nodded. "Yeah, ok, I suppose."
"And why are you undressed?"
"Because Marie's been giving me the run around all morning," he laughed. "She's got so much energy. But, if you are at all interested, maybe we should meet up next time I'm in town."
"I would expect to meet up with you whether I was at all jealous or not," she snapped. "You have to apologise in person. And to Ryoga too. I'll make sure he doesn't hurt you."
"Like he could if he tried."
There was a bang on the door and Rio sighed. Had Ryoga forgotten his key again? "Hang on, Thomas. Ryoga's home."
"Doesn't he have a key to his own home?"
"Not that he remembers to take with him."
Thomas laughed and she got up slowly, setting down the D-Pad on the table and heading to the door, ready to tell Ryoga what a moron he was. The banging came again, more demanding this time. She hoped Ken was with him too. Their silence was starting to get to her.
She unlocked the door and put on her best stern face only to fall into stunned silence and staggered back.
"Rio?" Thomas called over the line. "What's up? Rio?"
Ryoga groaned as he came to. What the hell was going on? He'd opened his eyes slowly and found he was still in Mother Grace's room, lying on the bed, his entire body heavy and aching. The floor board creaked and there were soft footsteps. He glanced up at through his blurry vision saw Mother Grace watching him.
"What…" He groaned and shook his head, trying to clear his mind. "What happened? What's going on?"
"You're slowly destroying me family, little Shark," Mother Grace replied.
"I'm not…"
She sighed and brushed his hair from his face. "Save your strength. The energy released would have severely drained you."
"What did you do to me?"
"I did nothing," she said. "Your body reacted badly to the energy released. It's not unusual. Glory's power was always unusually strong, it's surprising you stayed on your feet for so long in its presence." He frowned and glared up at her. "Don't afraid. It's only painful for a few moments."
"What… what are you…?"
"It's a strange thing," she murmured, sitting on the bed. "It was supposed to be for the best." Ryoga had heard that phrases all too often recently and it didn't bode well. For the best always lead to things being for the worst. "But power corrupts so much and now my children are suffering. You seem to have that effect on my family."
"You keep your family on too much of a tight leash," Ryoga muttered, still struggling to think clearly. "That's why they fight you."
"I keep them safe," Mother Grace replied.
"Safe? They put their souls on the line every time they duel."
"And Miki is now doing it for you." Ryoga's eyes widened slightly. For him? What the hell had Miki done? "She's now collecting souls to clear your debt and protect your friends."
"Why?"
"Because since meeting you, she's stopped hating you. I suppose she'd grateful for all you did for her."
Ryoga frowned and closed his eyes slowly, still struggling to breathe. Miki had hated him? What the hell had he done to deserve that? Hibiki. It always came back to Hibiki. Had she blamed him too? That probably explained why Ken had been cold towards him the first they met. But if they'd grown fond of him, wasn't that a good thing? Still… Miki returning to hunting just for him didn't sit right.
"Is she loses her life because of this, you won't have to worry about you debt."
Ryoga's eyes opened once more. "All I have to do is hunt souls and it'll save them all?"
"It's that simple."
"If you protect them, why are you pushing this?"
"Because I won't lose another child," Mother Grace said. "I watched her die. I held her in my arms. I won't lose another of my children and certainly not when you can fix the problem."
The pain in her voice tugged at Ryoga's heart. He could fix this. He could protect them all. "What do I have to do?"
Mother Grace nodded and helped him up. Ryoga stumbled slightly, his body struggling to respond but Mother Grace guided him gently over to the wall. He gazed up at the boxes. Pick a box. That's what they kept saying. He had to pick a box. He frowned, forcing his vision to focus. One of the boxes called to him and Ryoga frowned, reaching for it.
While he couldn't reach it, Mother Grace pulled it down for him. She sat back in the chair by the window and Ryoga found himself on his knees. He was trembling, actually trembling. He was about to risk his soul, again. A key appeared in front of him and he took it slowly.
"Don't be afraid," Mother Grace said softly. "You're doing a good thing really. It won't take long."
Ryoga reached over instinctually, unlocking the box slowly. After a long moment hesitating, he nodded and Mother Grace opened the lid. Dark energy poured from the box and hit him like a wall of needles and his own scream echoed around his ears. None of the comfort Mother Grace had given him helped. This was unlike anything he'd felt before. But it was Yuma and Rio and Ken and Miki. He had to bare the pain and everything that came with it.
And he would make sure Pride paid for all of this.
In the Next Chapter:
Dark Oceanic Wrath
