Hey everyone! I'm finally back with the first chapter of the Demon Arc! I needed that long break to recharge and get back in the game. I'll start this out with a chapter or two to prep the characters for the main plot of the arc. Also, I am aware about Dr. Faker being dead in the ZEXAL manga. That will be explained here. Sorry if this is a slow start, but I don't want to get into any action right away. I want to try to build up to it. With all that said, let's dive right in!
Yu-Gi-Oh!: The Hope of Six
Chapter 63: Demon Arc – Part 1
"So, be honest… did you guys have a good time?" Akari asked her new friends.
"Yes. That camping trip was the best experience I've had in a long time." Yuto told her.
"Absolutely. I haven't enjoyed myself that much since before the Invasion." Ruri added.
"I must admit, after all the pain and hardship, these past few days have been… quite relaxing." Shun admitted.
Luna hesitated before she gave her reply with a sigh. "I have lost all my friends, my whole reality. Everything. After all that, I honestly didn't think I would ever find joy in my life ever again. But the time I spent with you all at that camp site… it was truly a treasured experience. I am grateful to have been a part of it."
"Glad to hear it." Akari said with a warm smile.
"Those camping trips are always a blast!" Yuma exclaimed.
The others agreed wholeheartedly. Despite the recent intense and life threatening events, everyone got to enjoy their time on the camp site the past weekend. Even Luna, who had it worst of all, managed to find some enjoyment. Between swimming in the lake, playing volleyball, nature hikes, and making s'mores around a campfire, it was definitely a fun time.
But all too soon, it was time to head back to Heartland. Within a few hours, Yuma, Akari, Yuto, Ruri, Shun, and the whole gang arrived back at the Tsukumo household. Upon returning home, Yuma and Akari got a surprise waiting for them.
"Hey youngsters! Welcome home! Look who's here!" Haru called out happily while gesturing at her companions. Out on the front porch with their grandmother stood two other adults they both knew very well. One was a dark skinned man with brown eyes and black spiky hair. The other was a lighter skinned woman with long light orange hair with violet eyes. Both of them wore clothes made for long journeys in the wilderness.
"Mom?! Dad?!" The Tsukumo siblings shouted in unison when they saw their parents.
"Hey kids! Miss us?" Said their father, Kazuma, with a welcoming grin on his face.
"We have certainly missed you both." Mirai replied before she and her husband giving their children a warm hug.
"I can't believe you two are home already!" Yuma replied, excited to see his mom and dad after so long.
"Me neither! I thought you guys would be hiking along the Himalayas by now?" Akari inquired.
"We were, but there was a slight change in plans so we had to cut our trip short." Mirai said.
"We'll discuss that in a bit. First, how was the camping trip? Had a good time with your friends?" Kazuma asked, eyeing the group behind his children. That was when he noticed four certain people he didn't recall meeting before. "Unless I'm mistaken, I see some unfamiliar faces here. Care for some introductions?"
"Sure thing!" Yuma exclaimed as he stood next to the Xyz trio. "Mom, Dad, this is Luna, Yuto, his girlfriend Ruri, and…"
"And this guy is Ruri's older brother, Shun!" Akari interjected as she wrapped an arm around Shun with a big grin on her face (annoying her little brother in the process by butting in like that). Shun seemed a little flustered by Akari's act, but didn't say anything. Akari went on. "Yuto, Ruri, Shun, Luna, this is me and Yuma's dad, Kazuma and our mom, Mirai. They spend a lot of time exploring and adventuring across the world, though they do drop back home when they can."
"It's an honor to meet you two." Yuto said as he and his group bowed to the elder Tsukumo couple. Kazuma and Mirai chuckled.
"Please kids, no need to be so formal with us." Mirai said kindly.
"We are always happy to meet friends of Yuma and Akari." Kazuma added. It was then that he narrowed his eyes on Luna. "Luna is your name, is that right?" He asked.
"Um, yes sir. I am." Luna replied respectfully.
"I see." Kazuma said. He and Mirai shared a quick glance, understanding passing between them. This was the girl Dr. Faker and Chris told them about, the one that came through their transporter machine. But this was not the time to discuss that matter. He turned back to his kids. "Anyways, Mirai and I just got home yesterday and your grandmother told us what's been happening here recently. And apparently," Kazuma gave a mischievous smile at his son. "Things have gotten a little more "romantic" for you, haven't they Yuma?"
At this, Yuma blushed and chuckled nervously while scratching the back of his head. "I-I guess you could say that, Dad." He confessed while glancing at Rio, who blushed as well.
"How adorable!" Mirai gushed. "Our son has his first girlfriend!"
"Mom! Knock it off!" Yuma said in exasperation.
"Well, it is true." Rio said, eyeing Yuma. The boy sighed.
"I just don't like being embarrassed, that's all." Yuma said. Rio chuckled.
"Parents are supposed to embarrass their kids. Even you can't get around that."
"Maybe not." He muttered in defeat.
"Perhaps Yuma isn't the only one." Kazuma said, now eyeing the young man next to Akari. "You seem pretty attached to Shun here, Akari." Quickly, Akari and Shun separated a good several feet from each other.
"Woah! Dad! Wait! It's not like that!" Akari said quite defensively.
"Akari and I only just recently met! We hardly know each other!" Shun added.
"Sure." Kazuma said with a knowing grin. "That's exactly how Mirai and I reacted when I introduced her to my mother. We had just started being friends too." He turned to his wife as he said this, who gave a warm smile of her own.
"Yes. It wasn't long before Kazuma and I became more than just good friends. The fact is… we were just meant to be." Mirai added.
Akari stubbornly kept her eyes away from Shun, though a hint of a blush could be see on her face. Shun merely crossed his arms and faced the ground, refusing to respond in any shape or form.
"By the way, Shun." Kazuma chimed in, getting Shun's attention. "My mother, Haru, explained that your sister and her boyfriend stayed here a couple of nights before everyone left for the camping trip. But you weren't here at the time. Also, neither of them had any idea where you were or if you were okay. How did you find them at the camp site?"
"And how come you weren't in contact with Ruri or Yuto before?" Mirai asked her question.
Shun grimaced from their inquiries. "That's, um… complicated to explain."
Kaito decided it was time to take off. "Haruto, let's head home." He said to his little brother, who nodded. The older sibling turned to Luna. "Luna, I think you should come with us."
The girl seemed surprised by the invite. "Kaito? You want me to come with you?" Kaito nodded.
"You said yourself that you knew my father. I think our residence may be the best place for you, at least for now."
Luna thought about it, and realized Kaito was right. She needed a temporary place to stay until a solution could be found to restore her reality. The Tenjo home was looking like her her most viable option. "Alright. Thank you Kaito."
Kaito nodded and glanced at his little brother. "Come on. Father will be waiting."
"Right behind you Kaito!" Haruto turned to his friends and waved goodbye. "Bye guys!" He called out to them cheerfully. After that, the Tenjo siblings began their way back home with Luna right behind them.
"I'm gonna head back too. See you all later." Kotori said before waving Yuma and the others goodbye before returning to her home as well.
"I guess you two will also be off then?" Haru asked Shark and Rio. Both Kamishiro siblings shook their heads.
"Not just yet." Rio said.
"Yeah. We know Yuma's gonna fill his parents in on what's been going on, and everyone still here should be included." Shark added.
"What do you mean by "everyone"?" Mirai asked curiously.
Instead of answering, Shark lifted up his D-Pad. Right as he did, the small brown form of Earth rose up.
"I believe Ryoga Kamishiro was referring to me." The Earth Ignis replied, surprising Haru, Kazuma, and Mirai.
"My goodness!" Haru exclaimed.
"Who or what is this?" Kazuma asked, clearly intrigued by the sight. "I've never seen anything like it."
"I am Earth. I am currently in the care of Ryoga Kamishiro by my choice (Shark rolled his eyes and groaned softly in response). It is pleasant to meet the parents of Yuma Tsukumo." Earth informed him.
"The pleasure is ours Earth." Mirai said. "But please forgive us. We still don't really know just what you are."
"I am an Ignis, one of six highly advanced Artificial Intelligence units that possess free will." Earth simply replied.
"Artificial Intelligence?" Kazuma asked in wonder as he and his wife looked over Earth. "Fascinating. Simply fascinating."
"Indeed. You said there are six of you? Are the other five here as well?" Mirai questioned.
"I am the only one present. The others are…" Earth started but was cut off by Shark.
"There is a lot to tell. Don't you think you should start explaining, Yuma?" He asked, clearly wanting to get the matter over with. Yuma nodded before turning back to his parents.
"Shark's right. Let's go in and I'll catch you guys up." Once everyone was inside and settled in the living room, Yuma told his parents and grandmother everything that went down in the past several days. The more they heard, the more shocked and astounded they became. They were particularly horrified to learn of Leo Akaba's Invasion of the Xyz Dimension and Zarc's attempt to kill everyone, including their own son.
"What a terrible ordeal." Haru said in a troubled voice.
"My gosh, Yuma. You and your friends have been through so much. Your father and I are so grateful all of you managed to return safe and sound." Mirai said while holding a hand over her heart.
"I agree. I cannot imagine Heartland being in such a decimated state. That Leo Akaba is the real definition of a bad father." Kazuma said with obvious disdain toward Leo. Even the actions of Dr. Faker and Byron Arclight (aka Tron) paled in comparison to what that man did and tried to do. He was glad Yuma and his friends were able to put a stop to Leo's plans.
On the other hand, the three older adults felt great sorrow for Yuto, Ruri, Shun, and Luna. The destruction of the former trio's Heartland was devastating to hear, but Luna's tragedy was downright heartbreaking. Kazuma and Mirai barely learned anything about Luna from Dr. Faker before her sudden disappearance from his lab. The additional details provided by Yuma nearly made Mirai burst into tears.
"Oh, you poor dears. And poor Luna. To have lost everything important to all of you… I simply can't imagine it." She commented emotionally.
"Neither can I." Kazuma said. He then brought up the other pressing issue. "What about what is going on in the Astral World? What is being done about it?" Yuma frowned and looked down.
"Astral is still seriously freaked out by what he saw with Ray's help. He told Earth first, and then eventually told me and the others. Ever since, he's been hiding inside the Emperor's Key, not wanting come out or anything unless he needs too. As much as we want to go and save Astral's home, we can't without knowing exactly what we're up against. That brief glimpse he had wasn't enough. Not only that, but we don't have a way to get to the Astral World."
"Kaito Tenjo said he would explain the situation to his father, so maybe they can work out a solution." Earth confirmed. "Also, we are still waiting for Ai to complete his own mission. His intel would increase our chances of success in saving the Astral World."
"I see." Mirai said, she and her husband feeling incredibly sorry for Astral and the state his home world was in at the moment.
"If there is anything we can do for you while you're here, don't hesitate to ask." Kazuma told the Xyz trio.
"Anything we can do will surely be helpful." Haru added.
"Actually, we talked about that during the camping trip." Yuto said while glancing at Ruri and her brother. Ruri picked it up from there.
"Yes. Mr. and Mrs. Tsukumo, Haru, we were hoping Yuto can stay with your family while Shun and I are with Ryoga and Rio at their place."
"That won't be a problem, will it?" Shun asked. The elder trio shook their heads.
"Not at all." Mirai said.
"Sounds fine to me. Yuto seems like a good guy. We wouldn't mind him hanging out with us." Kazuma added.
"Would be delighted." Haru said.
"Thank you. I promise I won't become a burden to you and your family." Yuto declared gratefully.
"It is no trouble. I also recommend that you should all attend Heartland Academy while you're staying in our world. Mirai and I can handle all the details." Kazuma said while glancing at his wife, who nodded in agreement.
"That can certainly be arranged." Mirai said.
Shun cleared his throat to get their attention. "There is one other thing. I'll be turning 18 in a couple of weeks, making me a legal adult. I feel I should have at least a part time job to help support Ruri while we're here." Shun had another reason for seeking employment. If he was to fulfill his part of the deal he made to Akari, he needed to be able to have the money for their planned date. Of course, Akari's parents were not to know about that… not at the moment at least.
"Of course." Mirai said before giving a knowing look at her daughter, who didn't quite meet her mother's eye.
Akari felt her mother suspecting there was more to Shun's request, but didn't say anything to confirm it.
"So you two are fine with this arrangement?" Kazuma asked the Kamishiro siblings. They both nodded.
"Ruri and I get along great, and so do our brothers." Rio confirmed.
"It won't be an issue with the four of us living under the same roof." Shark said. "I'll share my room with Shun while Ruri bunks with Rio in her room. We have a couple of spare cots and our sleeping bags we used for camping, so they could be used as makeshift beds. They said it would be alright."
"Then it's all settled." Haru said, bringing the discussion to a close.
After some more goodbyes, the Kamishiro and Kurosaki siblings left with Earth, leaving just the Tsukumo family in their household and their newest guest. As they started to get settled in their homes away from home later that evening, Yuto, Ruri, and Shun hoped the wait to help the Astral World wouldn't be too long, for Astral's sake.
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
"This building, this lab… it's exactly how I remember it in my reality." Luna commented after being given a tour by Dr. Faker and Kaito. Haruto had gone to his room to unpack and rest.
"I'll bet it was identical." Kaito said.
"Being here again must bring some… unpleasant memories for you." Dr. Faker said, studying the younger girl's reaction.
Luna looked over at the now unplugged, powered down dimensional transporter… the very machine that brought her here. Was it really just a few days ago that she found herself in this place after barely escaping the destruction of her world with her life? As if in a trance, Luna slowly walked over to the large device, laid a hand on it, and studied the framework of the structure. "Kaito, I have… a confession to make."
"What confession?" Kaito asked.
Luna didn't turn to look at him, but continued to stare at the transporter. "You know the story of how I escaped my world to come to yours?"
"Yes." Kaito said. Luna sighed sadly.
"The thing is… I lied about how it happened." This surprised the father and son pair.
"What did you lie about?" Dr. Faker asked. Luna turned around then, a look of regret in her eyes.
"I'm sorry Dr. Faker, but part of that lie was your involvement… or lack thereof. You had nothing to do with saving my life that day. You didn't activate the transporter that brought me here. In fact, you weren't even there."
"What do you mean? Why didn't my father help you?" Kaito demanded. Luna closed her eyes.
"In my world Kaito, your father died 1 year and 15 days before E'Rah first revealed herself. It was due to his health failing and being manipulated by my reality's version of Mr. Heartland." This revelation shocked Kaito and his father, especially the latter.
"That bastard!" Dr. Faker exclaimed in anger. "How dare he?!"
"But… Why Luna? Why would you lie?" Kaito questioned, not understanding.
Luna opened her eyes, which began to fill with tears. "To cover up how I really escaped." As she began to reveal the truth, the memory of that horrific day came flooding back like a massive tidal wave…
Flashback
It was the darkest day in not just Heartland City, but all of Earth itself. The dreaded Goddess of Despair, E'Rah, disintegrated everything she touched. She reveled in all of the chaos and destruction all around her. Her return came without any warning, so everyone was completely unprepared. This was her purpose, the reason for her existence. She was denied of it when Astral, Yuma Tsukumo, Kaito Tenjo, Ryoga "Shark" Kamishiro, and Kyoji Yagumo defeated and imprisoned her. With her newfound freedom, she intended to complete her mission to end everything. Within minutes of her escape from within Astral himself, E'Rah wiped out nearly all of humanity. The only ones remaining were fleeing toward the building of Kaito Tenjo's deceased father, Dr. Faker. They were the very humans that stopped her last time, plus Dr. Faker's former assistant, Luna.
Inside her former employer's lab, Luna leaned on the dimensional control console and breathed hard. She and her friends had been running nonstop ever since E'Rah had returned. The others were hardly any in better shape than her. "Guys… What are we… going to do?" Luna asked between breathes.
"This is… really bad." Kyoji, a boy with short light blue hair with a green bang on the front, said while while trying to regain his breath.
"No… kidding." Ryoga huffed.
"We have to… do something." Kaito added, angry and tired.
"But… How? Without Astral…" Yuma panted, sadness clearly in his exhausted voice.
When E'Rah had reappeared, Astral was completely obliterated along with the Astral World itself. She made sure not a trace of him remained so that she could be locked away again. All that was left was to destroy the ones that sealed her. As of that moment, Yuma and his friends were the only survivors.
"The dimensional transporter!" Kaito shouted while pointing at his late father's machine. "We can use it save everyone!"
"How?" Luna asked.
"When I heard of E'Rah's return, I was able to reconfigure my father's transporter to into a time machine! I had planned to use it as a last resort incase we couldn't stop her again! If we can go back in time, we can figure out how E'Rah escaped…"
"And prevent her from getting out again!" Yuma finished for his former rival.
"That sounds like a plan." Shark agreed.
"How far back are we talking?" Kyoji asked.
"Far enough to make a difference!" Kaito confirmed as he made his way to the controls to get the machine online. "I need only a minute or two get it up and running!"
"What about E'Rah?" Luna gasped. At that moment, a loud evil laugh could be heard from the outside.
"PATHETIC HUMANS! YOU CANNOT HIDE FROM ME! WHATEVER YOU'RE DOING, IT IS POINTLESS! IT WON'T BE LONG BEFORE I ARRIVE TO FINISH ALL OF YOU OFF FOR GOOD!" E'Rah declared from afar.
Yuma and the others looked at one another, knowing time was short. If their plan was going to work, they had to move asap. "Kaito!" Shark shouted.
"Almost there!" Kaito yelled back. Just a few seconds later, the machine buzzed and glowed to life. "It's ready!"
"Then what are we waiting for?! Let's go!" Yuma said. No one argued as began to move to the portal. They did not get far.
At that instant, E'Rah herself crashed through the ceiling, blocking everyone from their only means of escape. Her impact on the ground scattered the fleeing group. "Hahaha! Did you really think I'd risk any of you get away from me? How stupid!"
Things were looking at their worst for the survivors. The portal was blocked off from them… all but one. Ryoga saw that when everyone fell, Luna had actually landed in a spot where she could slip past E'Rah and reach the portal. All she needed was some sort of distraction.
That was when Shark decided that in order for Luna to get away, he and the other guys need to make the ultimate big play. He just hope the others would catch on. With that resolve, Shark stood back up and looked the despair goddess in the face. "You think we ran because we were cowards?! Yeah right! Me, Yuma, Kaito, and Kyoji can take you on anywhere, anytime! Right guys?" He asked as he glanced at the others while also subtly pointing at where Luna was near the portal.
Kaito and Kyoji caught on as they stood up. Yuma was a little slower on the uptake but he understood when he saw how near Luna was to the machine. "Shark's right! We kicked your butt before! And we can do it again!" Yuma exclaimed as a glowing symbol appeared on his chest. Similar symbols also appeared on the chests of the others. E'Rah recognized them a tad too late before the symbols blinded the evil deity and held her in blue energy chains.
"ARGH! DAMN NUISANCES!" She cursed in outrage.
At the same time, those symbols floated away from the four boys and floated toward Luna. As they caught up to her, they merged into a glowing orb of blue light and absorbed itself into Luna's green pendent. "The powers of the Four Elements!" She exclaimed, staring at her pendent, which now contained a faint blue glow within it.
"Luna! Get to the portal! Hurry!" Shark ordered his girlfriend. Luna hesitated.
"But Ryoga! I can't leave without you!" She protested. Shark wouldn't hear of it.
"No time for arguments! Go now!" He argued back.
"He's right! This is your chance!" Kyoji said.
"You're the only one now that can make it! If you don't leave, this will be for nothing!" Kaito added.
"Luna! Please! We're counting on you!" Yuma added hurriedly.
Luna really did not want to leave anyone behind. It would mean they would die like everyone else on Earth. The girl couldn't imagine leaving her remaining friends behind, sacrificing themselves for her…
"LUNA!" All four boys screamed, snapping Luna out of her depressing thoughts. Despite her not wanting to, she knew she had to go. She finally nodded.
"Alright! I'm going!" She told them. With that declaration, Luna made a break for the portal.
E'Rah opened her eyes enough to see Luna running behind her to the energy door way. "NO! YOU SHALL NOT ESCAPE ME!" The goddess roared before she broke free and slammed a hand down, intending to crush Luna. She would've succeeded if Shark hadn't run in at the last second and pushed her away, taking the blow meant for the girl he loved.
"RYOGA!" Luna shouted before light surrounded her and pulled her away. Thanks to her boyfriend's final act of desperation, Luna had managed to get through the portal, missing death by a mere inch…
Flashback End
"That was the last time I saw my friends, the only ones left in my reality. It was just after that I found myself in this lab." Luna said, finishing the real story of her escape. "I'm sorry for my deception. It was just to painful to talk about, especially in front of the very people that sacrificed themselves for me."
Kaito and Dr. Faker didn't know what to say for a long moment. How Luna really escaped was just as awful as the version she told Yuma and the others, if not more. Either way, the poor girl still lost everything important to her. Kaito approached her and laid a hand on her shoulder. "He did what he could to save you." Kaito said quietly. Luna nodded.
"I know." She whispered while holding up her pendent, the faint blue glow still present. "Ryoga, Yuma, Kyoji, and you gave your Four Element powers to me before I left. I don't know why, but they must've had a reason."
"I'm sure they did. But what are these Four Element powers, and why did you keep that a secret too?" Dr. Faker inquired.
"These powers are most important and sacred on the Astral World, at the least the one from my reality. I felt I shouldn't say anything unless I needed to. These powers… are all that's left of my dearest friends. I don't want to risk anything happening to them."
"Yuma and the others should know the truth, Luna. You shouldn't hide it because of your pain." Kaito said. Luna sighed before nodding.
"I will, when I'm ready. I promise." Luna said solemnly.
"I'll accept that." Kaito told her.
"That is good to know. Now let's get you settled in." Dr. Faker said before leading Luna to a spare room in the building.
Kaito eyed her as she walked away. He could tell she missed her world's version of Shark. Her feelings for him went deep. He wondered if Droite's feelings for him also went that deep. He did see her cry before she left, but was that enough of an indication that she truly loved him? The kind of love that Luna had for Shark, or Rio had for Yuma? Kaito was so unfamiliar with matters like that. He didn't know what to do about it, at least not yet. Until he figured it out, he would have to focus more on his own life and the situation he and everyone else had to deal with. With that decision made, Kaito headed back to his own room to retire.
Things may seem quiet for everyone for the time being, but not after a month of these events. Particularly for a certain Ignis…
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
Ai's body ached like hell. He lay chained down on that hard floor in the dark with practically no hope of escape. To top off it all off, the "devil woman" as he came to call his captor, tortured him while taking sick joy in it. The one comfort the Dark Ignis took was knowing that he had successfully gotten Enna, what's left of her people, and most importantly the Numeron Code to safety before he ended up where he was now. Throughout all the unimaginable pain he endured, and would undoubtedly continue to endure, Ai vowed to never break and betray the ones he helped. He would keep his silence even if he ended up being deleted… again.
'That sicko lady can put me through the meat grinder all she wants. I'm not ever about to hand the Numeron Code or Enna over to her. Not a chance in…' His train of thought was interrupted when the door to his cell opened again. He knew who it was without even opening his eyes. "Uh, what now? "More "playtime"? Haven't you gotten the hint yet? Like I keep telling ya, I ain't talking. You might as well just finish me now, cause I'll NEVER tell you anything." He said in a weak yet defiant voice.
Instead of groaning with annoyance, Hiretsuna gave an evil chuckle. "Oh we are past that, little pest. I have something else in mind, and you're not going to like it one bit. I promise you that." The devil woman then gave a most cruel laugh… one that filled Ai with the utmost dread.
To be continued.