Disclaimer: I do not own any of this and any of this belongs to the original creators.

WORLD OF HEARTS

LINKED AS ONE

Act 2

Chapter 2

Explosive Duel! Kizuna vs Yujo

"Alright, Kizuna will be up first," Gintoki said. "Now who—"

"I'll be his opponent," Yujo's voice caught everyone's ears.

Kizuna looked to see Yujo walking up to him. Yujo looked like he was waiting for this very moment. It was like a boxing champion waiting for the next challenger to step into the ring. No... it felt like it was more than that.

It was as if a tiger was waiting for its next meal to show up.

Kizuna felt that intimidating presence that Yujo seemed to radiate around him. The air had a tinge of danger with the faint smell of blood choking his nose.

"You can take this guy," Sora said. "You got that little trump card that he doesn't know that you have."

'You mean that power I used just a month before I left home?' Kizuna thought. 'But that was a one-time thing... even if I can draw it out—'

"Just believe in yourself," Sora said. "It's what I would do."

Kizuna could only take in Sora's advice.

Yujo looked at Kizuna, staring him down with that intimidating stare of his. He waited for this moment to come, the moment he could truly show off his power before Kizuna. What he did to the Behemoth was just the tip of the iceberg.

'This time, you will see my power,' Yujo thought. 'I will show you just how powerful I am, and I will show it by beating it into you. Prepare yourself, Kizuna Daichi.'

Riku was watching from within the shadows. He looked at the two boys who were looking at each other in the eyes.

'Yujo... Kizuna...' Riku thought. 'It's time to see the fruits of your training.'

"You think Kizuna can take on Yujo?" Ruby asked.

"I don't know," Yoh said. "I can feel the difference between the two. Yujo has a bigger power level than Kizuna does."

"You can tell?" Izuku asked.

"It's in the soul," Yoh said. "Each soul has its own heft. The heftier the soul, the stronger the person is."

"I've never seen Yujo this serious since we fought that special grade curse," Yuji said. "I don't think that Kizuna kid knows what he's got himself into."

"Not like he can back out of it now," Megumi said.

"Yujo's not the type to hold himself back when he gets serious," Nobara said. "That kid is going to die."

Maka Albarn, Death the Kid, and Black Star were looking at the two. Behind them were Soul Eater Evans, Patricia "Patty" Thompson, Elizabeth "Liz" Thompson, and Tsubaki. Maka closed her eyes for a moment.

"I should be the one fighting," Black Star said. "Why did the Sora and Riku wannabes go first?"

"Last time I checked, the supposed reincarnation of Sora decided to take the plunge and found himself fighting the Riku clone," Soul said. "My money's on the Riku clone by the way. He just looks cool."

"Either way, one of them is going to be fighting an uphill battle," Kid said. "Kizuna was it? The kid with the black hair and green eyes?"

"Yes," Tsubaki said.

"He's going up against a Jujutsu sorcerer," Kid said.

"Juju what now?" Patty asked.

"I'm pretty sure he said Jujutsu sorcerer, Patty," Liz said. "So what the heck is that, Kid?"

"Simply put, they are sorcerers that have practiced the art of using cursed energy in the form of cursed techniques," Kid said. "My father told me that cursed energy is a facet of darkness that only a number of humans can control and it derives from negative emotions."

"I see..." Tsubaki said. "But how does that have anything to do with Kizuna?"

"Because Kizuna's just an ordinary human," Maka said. "His body lacks any aura to defend himself with, his ki level is average at best, and he has only the keyblade to defend himself with. He's being pitted against someone with way more abilities than he has on hand."

Crona was standing behind them with Ragnarok on his head, his form coming out from Crona's back.

"That black-haired kid is going to be road kill by the time this is over, I can see it already," Ragnarok said. "The idiot will probably cry a lot when he loses."

"But it hasn't even started yet..." Crona said.

Madoka had her hands together.

"Kizuna..." Madoka said, worried about Kizuna.

"That Yujo guy is rubbing me the wrong way," Kyoko said. "I don't know what it is, but I don't like this."

"I'm not even sure if Kizuna can take the guy on," Sayaka said.

Homura remained silent. Mami was silent as well. It made Madoka more worried about Kizuna.

The two boys were standing in the center. Shinpachi was standing in as the referee.

"Alright, you two know the rules," Shinpachi said. "You will stop when you are no longer able to battle."

Kizuna looked nervous. His eyes were darting about. He was trying not to look at Yujo's intimidating eyes. Kizuna could feel how thick the tension was in the air. Anyone here could cut it with a knife and it would not fade. He hasn't seen the full extent of Yujo's abilities, but he could tell that Yujo has him outmatched in terms of raw power. Kizuna was starting to doubt whether or not one year of training would be enough to get him anywhere.

The boys turned away and walked a few steps away from one another. Shinpachi raised his hand.

Jiminy poked his head out.

"Listen, Yujo is gonna be gunning for ya," Jiminy said. "You're only shot at him is to hit him before he hits you."

"You make it sound so easy," Kizuna muttered. 'Jiminy's right. One way or the other, a slugfest is all but impossible to avoid. He's taller than me by a few centimeters, so he'll have better reach than I do when it comes to close-quarters combat. If I remember right, he's using a combination of swordsmanship and martial arts in his fighting style. Then, there's the Shadow Bat thing. I gotta keep an eye out for it at all times.'

'I could easily flatten him right now if I attack at full power, assuming I go for the first strike,' Yujo said to himself. 'But as much as I want to, I can't go gung-ho and expect to win outright. He might have some tricks up his sleeves. In any case, as long as I focus on the task at hand, I'm sure to win.'

"Begin!" Shinpachi throws his hand down and backs away.

Yujo turned around with his keyblade in hand.

But as he was doing that, Kizuna had his keyblade out and was running right at him, going full throttle. Yujo's eyes shrank down in surprise and confusion as he held his keyblade up to his body and made a defensive stance. Kizuna's keyblade caught fire as he spun. The attack breaks Yujo's guard.

'Too fast!' Yujo thought.

Kizuna swung his keyblade to the right, hitting Yujo's right side. The shield absorbed the damage, but not all of it. The shock of the blow traversed through his rib cage and went straight towards the liver. Yujo felt the pain and began to buckle at the knee. He hunches over, much to his dismay.

'Now!' Kizuna thought. He pulls his arm back, his palm now glowing with sparks of electricity. "Thunder Palm!"

He strikes Yujo in the chest with a palm strike. Yujo's body was thrown back by the burst of electricity. Yujo was gritting his teeth, even as his feet kept him on the ground. Yujo pushed the keyblade to the back, causing his body to eventually stop. The students were surprised by Kizuna's sudden attack.

"He attacked right out of the gate!" Izuku said.

"Not bad, for an amateur," Bakugo said. "But it's too early to say that he won."

"Are you kidding?! That had to have hurt, shield or no shield!" Kyoko said.

"Still, how did that happen?" Yoh asked.

"Ah, crap! I forgot to give him that Senzu bean to heal off from the Behemoth encounter!" Yuji said.

"Damnit, Itadori!" Megumi cursed.

"He can still come back from that, right?" Nobara asked.

Satsuki said nothing while Ryuko looked at her.

"Lemme guess, it's too soon to call it a win, right?" Ryuko asked.

"That's precisely the point," Satsuki said. "The battle has already begun."

Ai was holding a white feather in her hand.

'I can't believe it...' Ai thought. 'A wing came out his back...'

'Even if it was for a split second...' Diana thought. '... he made use of that wing as a means to lift his body up, allowing him to turn fast.'

'Then, when he turned around, his other wing came out,' Ami thought.

'Finally, he launched himself using both wings before retracting them into his back,' Rei thought.

'That was a good contact! I could feel it in my palm!' Kizuna thought.

"Now, get him while he's staggered!" Sora thought.

Kizuna charged at Yujo. He swung his keyblade down, only for Yujo to raise the keyblade to block the attack. Kizuna backed away as Yujo stood back on his feet. He jumped into the air and tried to attack Yujo from the air. The Shadow Bat appeared and knocked Kizuna back. Kizuna began to float in the air. He came back down on the ground and looked at Yujo. Yujo dashed towards Kizuna at full speed. Kizuna held his keyblade up, expecting Yujo to strike him with his keyblade. Yujo swings the keyblade to the right. Kizuna blocks the attack and pushes Yujo back. Yujo and Kizuna clash swords.

That was when Kizuna realized that Yujo was fighting one-handed.

His other hand wasn't on the keyblade.

'Where did his other hand go?' Kizuna thought.

Just then, he felt a punch on his chin. His head was knocked upward with great force, pushing him back. At that moment, Kizuna saw a fist.

A fist that was facing sideways and going up.

Kizuna looked at Yujo's eyes...

Only to see a black spark in his eyes.

'What the—?'

He was then hit with a slash from Yujo's keyblade. Kizuna was staggered by the attack and took a few steps back. Kizuna looked into Yujo's eyes and felt a killer intent behind those eyes. He froze just as he was looking at Yujo's face.

Yujo's face was cold, but his eyes had a silent rage that was burning intensely.

Kizuna backed away, just as Yujo was charging at him. He prepared for a head-on attack, bringing his guard up.

Only to then feel a wrenching pain in his gut. Kizuna looked down and saw an uppercut coming at him. The blow hits his chin hard, causing his brain to jump up and down from the impact as his head is knocked backward.

Yoh began to look worried about the situation. Amidamaru looked just as worried as Yoh. Izuku was shocked by what was going on and was still trying to process it all. Another black flash of energy came out from the punch.

"No way..." Yoh said. "Yujo's on the offensive already?"

"That flash of energy... where is it all coming from?" Izuku asked.

"Kizu-kun!" Madoka said.

"What the heck is going on?!" Kyoko asked. "He's getting his ass handed to him and the fight just started!"

Megumi was looking worried.

'Three consecutive Black Flashes...' Megumi thought. 'He's not playing around!'

Kizuna regained his footing before falling down on one knee. Kizuna was panting as he got back up on his feet. Yujo began to resume his onslaught. Standing behind Izuku was a man with curly dark brown hair wearing a black shirt and black pants. He had a mole near his upper lip. The boy's name was Baki Hanma, son of Yuujiro Hanma, the Ogre.

'Well, this is becoming one-sided already...' Baki thought. 'This Yujo guy is really laying it on his opponent here. A smash, followed by a liver blow and a mean uppercut? It's like he's trying to murder the poor guy. Then again, if I got hit in the liver, I'd be pissed off. Still...'

Baki focused on Kizuna. 'That Kizuna guy is holding on. He must be trying to ride this out.'

"So, who do you think is going to win?"

Baki turns his attention to Tao Ren, who is watching the fight. He barely noticed the guy right away.

"I'm putting my money on Kizuna," Baki said.

"Hmph, the amateur who made it through sheer luck?" Ren asked. "He's already on the ropes."

"I dunno, he might turn this around," Baki said.

Maka could only watch as the fight went on with frustration. Soul looked like he wasn't having any of it. Black Star just looked on while Kid looked disgruntled by seeing this. Patty was still her goofy self, even as Liz was covering her sister's eyes. Tsubaki watched on in outrage that Gintoki isn't doing anything.

'I'll show you...' Yujo thought. '... I'll show you the power of a sorcerer and a keyblade wielder!'

He steps back from Kizuna.

"Shadow Bull!"

A shadowy fighting bull appears over his arm. He goes in for another smash, sliding his whole body across the floor. He goes in for the attack, going for the dreaded uppercut.

He throws his arm up, expecting a hit...

... only to feel nothing.

Nothing but the air around his fist.

'Where did he go?' Yujo asked himself.

The next thing he knew, he was swept off his feet and nearly hit the floor. He flipped a few times before stopping. He turned around to see Kizuna before him, battered from the beatdown he was giving him.

'Now's the time to use it!' Kizuna thought.

He brings his arms over his forehead and crosses them. A red glow came from his hands. His clothes glow red as well. He pulls his arms down and his clothes changed in color and pattern. His clothes had a red-dark orange-black color scheme with flame patterns. He felt passion and heat running through his veins. His blood was boiling with heat.

"Overflowing passion! Courageous flame!" Kizuna said, posing with karate. "Hot-Blooded Explosion! Courage Form!"

His keyblade suddenly changed. Instead of it being it sword, the keyblade took the form of three exhaust pipes stuck together, connected by an engine. The engine was located on the back of the blade, near the base. The keychain looked like three exhaust pipes letting out a flame. The handle guard looked like the handle of a bike. Kizuna looked at his blade.

'So this is what a keychain does...' Kizuna thought. 'Accel Booster...'

Kizuna looked at Yujo.

"The real fight starts now!" Kizuna said, charging at Yujo.

Yujo swung his keyblade at Kizuna. Kizuna parries the attack. He swung his keyblade at Yujo and struck him. Yujo was knocked back from the hit. Kizuna stuck his keyblade in the ground and flicked his wrist several times, causing the engine to rev up. Steam came out of the exhaust pipes.

'Gear One,' Kizuna thought. 'Steam Engine!'

He pulled the keyblade out of the ground and charged at Yujo. Steam came out of the exhaust pipes, propelling him toward. He swings the keyblade at Yujo. A black tortoise tattoo appeared on his left arm, with the shell coming out of the arm. A shockwave came out from the impact. Kizuna saw a crack in the tortoise shell. Yujo counters with a thrust. Kizuna is pushed back by the thrust and charges at Yujo again, his blood boiling from the power he had bathed himself in. A red aura appears over his fist as he throws a wild haymaker at Yujo's face. The strike hits and Yujo is knocked backwards. Yujo falls to the ground, rolling around before landing on his back.

Izuku was amazed by what he was seeing. This wasn't the same Kizuna he was looking at. This was something different. It was as if Kizuna had changed into something else, something that represented raw power. Judging from what he was seeing, it was as if Kizuna's physical strength had gone up a notch. Madoka and Yoh weren't sure what to make of it while Ruby was jumping excitedly. Baki merely looked interested in Kizuna.

Gohan, however, had an apprehensive look on his face. He had seen something like this before. In fact, he's seen this several times. There's only one thing that could come close to what he is seeing.

'Kaioken...' Gohan thought.

Yes, the Kaioken, a technique his father, Son Goku, had used time and time again when the situation called for it. Kaioken multiplies a person's ki for a heartbeat, amplifying a person's speed and power at the cost of extreme bodily recoil. He could remember all the times his father would end up exhausted from using the Kaioken under multiple stacks. The higher the multiplications, the more stress and damage pile up.

Gohan could tell that Kizuna's ki had indeed gone up. From his observation of Kizuna's new form, there really wasn't a speed boost, but he could tell that Kizuna's power had increased. There doesn't seem to be any physical stress at the moment, but Gohan knows that it's only a matter of time before Kizuna begins to feel the pain.

Yujo got back up on his feet. His vision was getting blurry, but he shook it off. He could feel the damage he had taken. He kept telling himself that nothing hurts. He saw one of his legs wobbling and hit hits it with the hilt of his keyblade, making it stop. His frustration began to grow.

'What the hell is going on here?!' Yujo thought. 'I've been training at Jujutsu Tech, fighting countless Curses, some of them being Special Grade Curses, and I am being bested by some damned rook! What the hell is this?!'

Yujo shook his head and focused on the fight. He charged at Kizuna, not giving him the chance to make the first move. Kizuna swings his keyblade to meet Yujo's attack head-on. Yujo swings at Kizuna and the two clashed blades once more.

'Calm down, Yujo... it's not over yet,' Yujo told himself. 'He hasn't seen the rest of your power!'

Steam came out of Kizuna's keyblade, forcing Yujo to back away.

"Formchange!" Yujo said. "Deathscythe!"

The keyblade began to morph itself. The blade turned into the form of a scythe blade. The shaft grew out and an eye grew out of it. The blade had a blood-red coloration on the edge. Cursed energy is focused on the blade. Yujo spins the scythe around.

"Kizuna Daichi, prepare yourself!" Yujo thought.

'A Formchange already?! In that case...' Kizuna thought.

Kizuna stuck his keyblade into the ground and revved the engine up. He continued to rev it as the engine began to vibrate, causing the pipes to vibrate.

'Gear Two... Electric!' Kizuna thought. 'Gear Three...!'

He could hear the sound of a jet engine coming from the keyblade. Flames came out the pipes.

'... Jet Engine!' Kizuna thought. "Formchange!"

The keyblade dissembles itself. The engine grows big enough to cover Kizuna's hand while the exhausts attach to his forearm. A glove appeared over Kizuna's hand.

"Accel Fist!" Kizuna said.

He winds up for a punch. The engine ignites, causing the exhaust pipes to let off flames, generating thrust. Kizuna launches himself straight towards Yujo.

"Accel Burst!" Kizuna said. "Full Throttle...!"

Yujo swings the scythe, from below, creating a wave of cursed energy.

"Darkness Hunter!" Yujo said.

The two attacks came into contact with each other, with Kizuna throwing the punch. Kizuna's punch pushes through the wave.

"Shadow Tortoise!" Yujo said.

"... PUNCH!" Kizuna said.

The punch lands on Yujo's chest. The attack sends Yujo flying backward. Yujo lands on the ground. Yujo gets back up again, holding his keyblade. The Formchange comes undone, leaving Kizuna with the Accel Booster. Kizuna got up, his clothes changed back to their usual black color. The Accel Booster changes back into the Neo Kingdom Key. The two boys were panting. They put away their keyblades.

"Say... I didn't catch your whole name..." Kizuna said.

"Huh?" Yujo looked dumbfounded.

"I know your name is Yujo, but I didn't get a last name," Kizuna said. "I know, it sounds a bit weird, but—"

"Yukikaze," Yujo said. "Yujo Yukikaze."

Kizuna sighed.

"Right..." Kizuna said.

"Come!" Yujo said. "Kizuna Daichi!"

The two began to run at each other.

"Yujo Yukikaze!"

The two boys roared at each other and threw a punch at each other.

And then Shinpachi came right in between the two, hitting Shinpachi in the face. The two boys were surprised when Shinpachi showed up in front of them.

"That's enough, I'm calling this one,"

They looked to see Gintoki holding a scroll. It showed that both their aura shield gauges had dropped to zero. The aura shield disintegrated. Gintoki threw two Senzu beans at them. The two boys catch them.

"A tie..." Yujo said.

"..." Kizuna said nothing.

Shinpachi turned to face Gintoki, bearing two bruises on his face.

"WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT FOR, GIN-SAN?!" Shinpachi said.

"They were going to kill each other at this rate, had they not noticed that their gauges had dropped to zero," Gintoki said. "Besides, you look a bit better..."

"BULLSHIT!" Shinpachi cursed.

The two boys walked off, looking at each other intensely.