A/N: So... new chapter for you lovely guys. Nico and Yuma face off in a fun duel with no souls on the line. Haruto tries to comfort Akina and Ryoga's mother and Shark is being all reminiscent and terrified in his dreams. And as I told you last chapter, we're bumping up to M this chapter in preparation for coming chapters. You have been warned.
Next, some pics of the OCs are over on Tumblr. myrandomocs. There's Nico, Miki, Ken and Akina up so far but more will come. My scanner ate the but you get the idea. So, moving on, thanks for the reviews, enjoy and keep them coming, ok?
"Let's duel!"
Nico 4000 – 4000 Yuma
"I'll take the first turn, Yuma!" Nico called. "Draw!" She frowned and glanced at her cards before nodding. "I summon Serene Psychic Witch." A woman in pink and white armour appeared, swinging a pair of strange blade like machines. 3/1400/1200. "Next I activate Emergency Teleport. This allows me to summon me to summon a level 3 or lower psychic monster from my hand or deck, although during my end phase it'll be banished. So I summon my Esper Girl from my hand." A cute little girl in beige colours appear, swinging a large heavy staff. 2/500/300. "Next I set two face downs and end my turn."
"So your Esper Girl is gone then," Yuma said.
"Right," she replied as Esper Girl vanished into a dark vortex. "Don't you worry about that though. It's your turn."
"Right!" he called. "Draw!"
He glanced down at his hand and grinned. Perfect. At his side, Astral frowned. "Be careful, Yuma."
"You always say that," Yuma argued.
"And you're always ignoring me and getting into trouble."
"Not always."
"Come on, Yuma," Nico called.
"Right," Yuma called. "I summon Gogogo Golem!" The large towering creature appeared out of the weeds Nico smiled. 4/1800/1500. "Next I activate Gagagawind. This allows me to summon a Gagaga monster from my hand as a level 4. And I summon Gagaga Girl!" The girl appeared in a flurry of chains and pink, cutting down some of the weeds with the chains before winking at them. 4/1000/800. "And now, I use my level 4 Gogogo Golem and Gagaga Girl to build and overlay network."
"Already?" Nico laughed.
"I'm going all out for you, Nico. XYZ summon! Number 39: Aspiring Emperor, Hope!"
The gold and white armoured warrior flew up onto the field, chopping down a few more weeds with his sword and Nico smiled, clapping her hands 4/2500/2000.
"Ready, Nico?"
"Come on then."
"Yuma, remember her face downs," Astral warned.
"Yeah, yeah, I'm on it," Yuma replied. "Let's go! Hope! Hope Sword Slash!"
Hope shot forwards and his sword glowed and slashed through the Serene Psychic Witch. Nico staggered back a step as the golden energy tore through across her. The first damage was inflicted. Now he had the upper hand.
Nico 2900 – 4000 Yuma
"When Serene Psychic Witch is destroyed and sent to the graveyard, I can select a monster with 2000 or less ATK in my deck. I banish that monster and then in the next standby phases, I can special summon it to my field." A card in her deck glowed and she pulled it out. "And I choose Mental Seeker."
The card vanished into the dark vortex and Astral hummed thoughtful. Yuma never liked that sound. He glanced up at him and he frowned, waiting for Astral to tell him what he was doing wrong.
"That seemed too easy."
"I want to see what she can do though," Yuma replied. "It's not fun if I cut her off before she's even got started. I set two face downs and end my turn."
"My turn then," Nico called. "Draw." She smirked and Yuma frowned. Had she drawn a good card then? "During my standby phase, Mental Seeker returns to me." A young, childlike boy with a visor over his face appeared in a flash. 3/800/600. "And when he's special summoned, I can reveal the top three cards of your deck and banish one of them."
Yuma frowned as the top three cards of his deck appeared above him. Nico frowned and glanced them over before pressing a button on her D-Pad. His Gagaga Magician disappeared into the dark vortex and he shuffled the rest into his deck.
"He's not staying around for long though," she laughed. "I tribute my Mental Seeker to summon Space-Time Police!"
A man in blue and black appeared, his cape billowing in the wind and orange orbs glowing on his outfit. 5/2300/1500. Nico smiled as the police man landed next to her, swinging a baton. He wasn't strong enough to take on Hope though. And Nico must have known that.
"Next, I activate Psychic Trigger!" Nico called. "This allows me to take my Serene Psychic Witch and Mental Seeker and banish them." The two cards disappeared into the black vortex and she smirked. "In return I can draw two cards." She drew the cards and glanced down before activating another trap. "Next I activate Bright Future. Now, I can target two banished Psychic monsters and return them to my graveyard so I can draw another card."
"Brace yourself, Yuma," Astral said. "She's drawing quickly. She's looking for something and I'll bet she's going to put it all on this turn."
"But her monster isn't strong enough," Yuma replied.
"I doubt that'll stop her for long," he said, folding his arms. "She's aiming to put you at such a disadvantage you can't come back from it."
Yuma grinned and set his feet. "Let her try."
"I activate Pryokinesis," Nico called. "This lets me destroy Hope at the price of 1000 life points."
"1000 life points?" Yuma cried as a ball of energy slammed into Hope.
The monster exploded and his sword flew up, hitting Nico and knocking her down. She hissed and struggled to sit up.
Nico 1900 – 4000 Yuma
"See," Astral said. "She's putting it all on this turn. She's betting that without Hope we're cornered and won't be able to rally the strength for a counter strike."
"Don't worry about it, we'll win," Yuma replied. "She won't win this turn."
"Next, I activate Megamorph!" Nico called. "When my life points are lower than yours, my Space-Time Police's ATK is doubled!"
"No way!" Yuma cried. "That's 4600!"
"That's right!" Nico said. "Let's go, Space-Time Police! Direct attack. Quantum Blast!"
The police officer's orange orbs glowed and he flashed out of existence. Astral frowned. "Yuma!"
"Right," Yuma said, nodding quickly. "I activate Half Unbreak! So by targeting your Space-Time Police, all battle damage from that monster is halved."
The police officer reappeared behind him and smacked him on the head with his baton, knocking Yuma forwards and nearly sending him toppling over the edge of the podium.
Nico 1900 – 1700 Yuma
He groaned and got up to his feet slowly, holding his head as the officer's orbs dimmed. Nico sighed. "Since your life points are now lower than mine, Space-Time Police's ATK is halved to 1150."
"Great," Yuma groaned. He got up slowly and dusted himself off. "That was some damage."
"I set a face down and end my turn."
"Too bad, Nico," Yuma laughed. "I've got this all wrapped up."
"You have?" Astral said.
"Yep. Draw!" He grinned down at the cards. "It's been a great duel, but I've got this. I activate Monster Reborn, letting me bring Hope back from the graveyard!" The golden and white warrior returned, swinging his sword and Nico laughed. 4/2500/2000. "Then I summon Gagaga Caesar!" The warrior in a white suit appeared, swinging his staff as he cape blew around him. 3/1800/600. "And when I control another Gagaga monster, I can special summon Gagaga Clerk!" A young redhead appeared, her white cloak billowing around her and a book settling in her hands. 2/400/800. "Now, by activating Gagaga Caesar's effect I can remove Gogogo Golem from my graveyard and all Gagaga monsters become the same level."
"Another pointless XYZ summon, Yuma!" Nico teased.
"Don't think so!" Yuma replied. "I use my level 4 Gagaga Caesar and Gagaga Clerk to build an overlay network! XYZ summon! Let's go, Gagaga Cowboy!"
The cowboy appeared, his cloak flare around him and his hat fell on his head as he spun his guns. 4/1500/2400. Yuma grinned.
"I've got this in the bag now," Yuma called. "Now, Gagaga Cowboy! Attack her Space-Time Police. Gagaga Shot!" Gagaga Cowboy jumped into the air and took aim. "And I activate his effect. By removing one overlay unit I can reduce your monster's attack by 500 and Gagaga Cowboy gains 1000!"
"What?!"
The shots fired into her Space-Time Police and through into Nico, sending her flying back and teetering on the edge of the steps, arms wind-milling in an attempt to keep her balance.
Nico 50 – 1700 Yuma
"Now, Hope!" Yuma called. "Direct attack! Hope Sword Slash!"
"Yuma, her face down!" Astral said as Nico caught her balance and pressed her D-Pad.
"I activate Call of the Haunted to bring back my Space-Time Police in defence position!" Nico cried.
The police officer appeared and Nico gave a sigh until Hope slashed through and she was nearly knocked down by the winds. She sighed and leant on her knees. Yuma frowned then smiled.
"You're not safe yet, Nico," he called over. She frowned and lifted her head. "I activate my own Call of the Haunted to bring back my Gagaga Girl!" There was another flash of pink and chains and Gagaga Girl appeared, playing on her phone. 3/1000/800. "Ready?"
"No!"
"Too bad! Gagaga Girl, direct attack!" The girl blinked in surprise before straightening up. "Gagaga Flash!"
She giggled and jumped over to the other podium, lifting her phone and snapping a picture, the flash so bright that Nico staggered back and tumbled off the platform.
"Nico!"
Nico 0 – 1700 Yuma
He ran down the steps, pulling off his D-Gazer as he went and tugging off his duel disk as he went. He ran through the weeds, trying to find Nico and finally got a clue when Astral flew above and directed him.
He found Nico at the bottom of the steps, laughing to herself and staring up at the morning sky. Yuma sighed. At least she hadn't been hurt in the tumble. He let out a relieved sigh and walked over slowly, sitting on the steps just above her and leaning back. The sky was the only thing visible above the top of the weeds.
"That was an awesome duel, Nico," he said quietly. "I thought you had me a few times there."
Nico nodded. "I think I got a little reckless."
"Maybe but that's the passion, right?" he said. She nodded again. "I think I get it now."
"Huh?"
"Everything that's gone, you banish it." Nico frowned and glanced at him. "You banish the past and use it to your advantage. You push it aside but you don't forget it. And- and you keep pushing what you've got to make it stronger when you get weaker." Nico smiled slightly and tilted her head back to the sky. "And you keep drawing cards, like you're drawing you bright future."
Nico laughed and shook her head, absently reaching up to the blue sky. "You have to keep reaching for the future. The past can't be allowed to hold you back. So use it. Let it make push you forwards and help you bring the future you long for closer."
"We can reach for that future together," Yuma said, taking her hand cautiously. Nico nodded and laced her fingers between his. "All of us together…"
"And we'll help Miki find her true future," Nico agreed. "And make sure all those people who had their futures snatched away have them returned."
"Their souls and bright futures."
"Especially the other hunters."
"Yeah. And Shark."
"Akina?" Haruto whispered, stretching up and shaking her side. "Akina?"
He frowned slightly. She'd been curled up at Shark's side since they'd been allowed into his room. Apparently she'd fallen asleep. Haruto still didn't understand why Kaito had left so suddenly, or why he looked so sad but he was sure it had something to do with what him and Shark's dad had been talking about.
"Mrs Shark," he said quietly, tugging on the hem of her shirt. She smiled and glanced down, patting his head gently. "What did Mr Shark say to Kaito?"
"I don't know, sweetie," she said gently. She smiled and lifted him gently into her arms, walking back over to Shark's bed. He sighed and leant against her shoulder, watching Akina lying with Shark. "She really loves him, huh?"
"Yeah," Haruto said, nodding slightly. "But she went all blushy and stammer when she spoke to Thomas."
"Thomas? That IV boy?" He nodded slightly, wondering how Mrs Shark knew Thomas. Then he remembered it; Thomas and Ryoga had hated each other in the WDC. They're been rivals. "Why did she speak to him?"
"He was hanging around when his brother called us," he replied. "Chris used to be like another big brother to me, and he mentored Kaito. They were a couple for ages. But then he found out what our father did to his dad and he got mad and left. And Kaito was really sad. I didn't like that."
"No, I can't imagine you did."
"That's why Akina's really confused." Mrs Shark nodded and he climbed out of her arms onto the bed, sitting next to Akina. "Ken's like her big brother but she really loves Shark!"
"I see." She sighed and stroked Shark's hair gently. "I hope your brother is ok. It doesn't seem like him to just walk away. And I've not known him long."
Haruto nodded. It wasn't like him at all. Something must have upset him. Or he must have something super important to do. There was no way he would ever just abandon them. Not him and Shark.
"He said I should talk to your father, you know," Mrs Shark said. Haruto frowned. "He told me all this stuff about aliens and cards possessing people and magic and he said if I didn't believe him, I should speak to your father and then I'd have to believe him."
"It's all true!" Haruto said before realising it was a little too loud and lowering his head. "Our father will tell you everything is true and because he's an adult and a doctor you'll have to believe it." She nodded and patted his head again. "It'll be ok though. As long as Shark has Shark Drake by his side, he'll always be ok. Shark Drake won't let anything happen to his Shark."
"Shark Drake…? That card again?"
"It's his partner," he explained. "He tried to possess Shark during the WDC, using all the darkness in his heart after what Thomas did but Yuma kept helping him resist it and then when he was facing Thomas he was so angry he gave in and let Shark Drake use him and he unlocked the power of Chaos Numbers, and he's the only human who's ever done that without help from other worlds, and then he got to the semi-finals to face Yum and Tron took advantage of him and made him hate Yuma using Shark Drake's darkness but Yuma took control of Shark Drake and Shark Drake's power physically hurt him but he wanted to save Shark and it looked like the only way to save Yuma from Shark Drake was to take Shark Drake back and win or to let Yuma suffer for him and lose next turn but he figured out a way to get rid of Shark Drake and save Yuma but had to lose-" He paused and took a breath before continuing. "-and that's when Shark Drake decided Shark Was his perfect partner because he wanted his power but he had the strength to reject it if he crossed him and then when they were duelling together with Kaito, Shark Drake wanted to come back to him and Astral and Yuma let him keep it as long as he gives it back when its needed and now they're totally partners and-"
"Haruto…" Akina grumbled. He turned and found her nuzzling up closer to Shark. "We're sleeping."
"Oh right," he said, nodding slightly. "Sorry."
"I hope he's ok," she whispered. "I wonder what he dreams about."
Ryoga was panting heavily, running through the corridors, the lights flickering above him. He wasn't even sure how he'd got there he just knew he had to run. He ducked around a corner and into a room, slamming the door behind him and turning only to find himself on the edge of a jetty, teetering on the edge over a raging stormy sea.
"Shark Drake," he whispered. "Please. Please be down there. I need you right now. Where are you?"
The wood beneath his feet trembled and he turned. The door wasn't there anymore, just a large red humanoid shark covered in armour. Ryoga swallowed heavily. Abyssmegalo. Ken's monster. It was stomping forwards, blade in hand. He took a small step back but he foot slipped off the edge of the jetty, waves lapping at his toes. And that's when the monster jumped forwards, slashing at him.
And Ryoga plummeted.
The icy water hit like knives and he gasped, taking in a mouthful of the water by accident as he sunk. There were shadows all around him, moving in the churned up water as he sunk lower. No matter what he did, he couldn't swim upwards, he just kept sinking. Shark Drake… where was Shark Drake?
"It's because we're not here for him enough," came his mother's voice. He closed his eyes tightly. He knew that. He didn't want to hear it. He didn't want to relive that memory. "We can't blame him."
"He cheated!" he father snapped. Ryoga opened his eyes and found himself sitting on the settee, hands in his lap as his parents argued in front of him. "He's a disgrace."
"Don't say things you can't take back!" his mother cried. "He's just a child! He's under a lot of pressure. It's a ridiculously harsh punishment anyway. It's not like he took the cards or went through them, he just caught a glance because they fell, right sweetheart?"
Ryoga nodded weakly. "I'm sorry."
"Shh, no," she said gently, leaning down and stroking his cheeks. "You did nothing wrong."
"He cheated! And now he's banned that's a huge chunk of our income gone. You know how much those prizes helped us."
"Don't talk about those kind of things in front of him."
"It should have been him…"
Ryoga's eyes widened and he squeezed his mother's hands as she glared up at her husband. "Don't say that."
"It should have been him!" his father yelled. He pushed her away and pulled Ryoga up by his shoulders, shaking him slightly. "It should have been you! Why isn't it you in that hospital?! Why did it have to be her?!"
"I'm sorry!" Ryoga cried, turning away as best he could and closing his eyes tightly. "I wish it had been me too!"
"Ryoga-"
"You should have protected her," his father hissed. "You're pathetic. She's in hospital because of you and then you go and ruin everything by cheating?!" He shoved Ryoga away and he stumbled slightly, trembling as he fell into his mother's arms, tears slipping dow his cheeks. "Go to your room, Ryoga."
He nodded and ran off quickly. He didn't want to be there any longer. He didn't want his father to see how weak her really was. As he entered his room, he heard his mother cursing at his father, who seemed to think he was totally in the right. And he probably was…
He definitely was.
"This is why this happened!" his mother raged. "Not because of him or Rio but because of us! Because of you saying these stupid things! If anything happens to him I will never forgive you!"
He locked his door and climbed into bed, burying his head under the pillow only to go cold once more. He opened his eyes and found himself sinking again. His chest hurt. He closed his eyes and let himself sink further as another long buried memory surfaced. It was all his fault. He was never strong enough to protect the people he loved.
And now he was sick and Rio was missing.
All he had left to hang onto was Kaito right now. Kaito… Just thinking about him made a small smile come to his lips. They were calling an ambulance right. He was going to hospital… maybe Kaito would be there when he woke up. Maybe he'd be able to let Kaito fuss over him this time. And he could finally tell Kaito with certainty, with no manipulation or influence from outside, that he wanted to be with him and needed him desperately.
Now, if only Shark Drake wold turn up to protect him from his own mind.
A shadow loomed in the darkness and Ryoga knew it wasn't Shark Drake. A strange shark's snot came out the darkness and Ryoga watched warily as it circled him. Usually in his dreams he had no fear of sharks.
He knew sharks, he'd been involved with them since he was tiny. He heard stories of times he couldn't remember, of how his mother had first explained sharks too him and he'd been fascinated, and one of his earliest memories was of sitting in her arms on a boat as she filmed huge sharks feeding.
This one was different though. It filled him with a sense of dread.
And then it came out the darkness with its mouth gapping and teeth glinting in the light. Ryoga barely managed to dodge out the way and his eyes widened as he saw exactly what it was. It was a monster, with wings and a whip like tail and metal blades. And suddenly he hit dry ground.
The ground shook and water exploded from beneath the floor, a fin slowly coming out from the water. And Ryoga was stunned to see the number 47 on the fin.
"Shark Drake please."
There was no answer from him. No nothing. But the shark was coming after him.
So Ryoga was running through the halls again. The lights were still flickering about him. It was still a maze and there were still doors everywhere. Only now he knew what he was running from.
The ground behind him was being torn up. The blue dorsal fin rose above the water, cutting through the tiled floor as the shark hunted Ryoga. He ran desperately, almost blindly, every now and again throwing a glance over his shoulder to check how much ground the predator had gained. He was losing strength quickly. Spending time in his memories had allowed him to recover some energy but his body was so weak even in his dreams. His mind couldn't overcome his physical condition. He was drained, physically, emotionally and mental. And now he was running for his life.
Shark Drake was still nowhere to be found and Ryoga realised he'd fallen silent before Ryoga fell unconscious. Had the other Number destroyed Shark Drake's consciousness? Or was he too weak to make contact with Ryoga?
A door opened ahead of him and Ryoga made a dash for it. It shut behind him and he was plunged into darkness. Perhaps now he was safe. Chains clanked and cold metal pressed against his wrists, forcing them together and keeping them bound. What had he got himself into now?
"You're not scared, are you?" came Ken's voice in his ear. He shuddered and tried to move away but the chains kept him in place. "You know this is only a manifestation of your fears, right? I'm nothing more than a nightmare, aren't I?"
"Aren't you?" Ryoga said quietly.
Ken laughed softly and kissed his cheek. "Am I?"
"Stop it!" he yelled, tugging desperately at the chains. "Let me go!"
"Shh," Ken murmured, stroking his hair. "Hush now, little Ryoga. If you just give up and let this happen it'll be almost painless."
"Let what happen?!" he cried, twisting as much as he could. "What are you doing?! Let me go!"
"Do you know what'll happen to Shark Drake if we possess you?"
"No… stop it… stop…" This was all getting too much. Why couldn't he wake up? This was the point in nightmares where he should wake up. Why wouldn't he wake up?! "Shark Drake!"
"I guess you're not going to give up then…" He sighed, almost like he was disappointed, and Ryoga gasped as Ken pressed his fingers on his jaw, forcing his mouth open. Ryoga tried desperately to shake his head free or clench his jaw shut, since there was no way this could end well, but he just wasn't strong enough. Something firm and rubbery was forced into his mouth a fastened in place, all but silencing him. "No more screaming for your partner, my dear."
The floor shuddered and light filled the room, letting him see the snout of the shark sniffing around. He glanced around quickly. It was a plain room and the door had vanished and the chains locked around his wrists were attached to a pulley above them, although there was no sign of how the pulley was working. It was a dream, he supposed, it didn't have to make sense. But if it was a dream, why couldn't he wake up.
He trembled as the snout seemed to focus on them for a moment and he struggled to pull back but Ken laughed softly, forcing him to stay in place. He swore through the gag, struggling desperately but it was useless. He had to wake up. He just had to wake up!
The blue snout disappeared back into the water and Ryoga let out a small breath only for Ken to kick his legs out the from under him. The chains clanked and he fell to the floor, sitting there sprawled out as Ken knelt behind him, tightening the chains so his wrists were pulled above his head.
The floor moved and pulled away and the fin appeared once more, moving towards them. "Don't struggle too much, Ryoga. It'll be over quickly."
He struggled and kicked and twisted with all his limited strength and willed himself to wake up but he couldn't do anything but watch that blue fin moving closer and shudder at Ken's touch. Shark Drake had to help him. He didn't have the strength to do it alone. He needed Shark Drake!
In the Next Chapter: Kaito has been in bed for nearly 36 hours sulking and his family has had enough.
Nightmares
