The next day had arrived too soon. Daitokuji, Tsukasa, and Kyoshiro both made a point to call the faculty of Duel Academia first thing in the morning. When they brought this to Principal Samejima's attention, the latter immediately called the rest of the faculty for an emergency meeting via an encrypted video chat. The ones on video were of course Principal Samejima, Ayakawa, Kabayama, and Instructor Chronos. Even the head of the D.E.C. was in on this call. Daitokuji, Tsukasa, and Kyoshiro were both in the same room in one of the empty lecture halls of the school where they held this meeting.
["I'm sorry for bringing you all in so abruptly, but Datokuji-san, Kadoya-san, and Kyoshiro-san have brought it to my attention that Kuromu was once again targeted by Oogumo,"] Samejima explained. ["Not only that, but three Obelisk Blues and one Osiris Red were involved in an unrelated incident."]
["Two separate incidents targeting our students?"] Kabeyama said incredulously.
["And all of this while on Winter Break."] Ayakawa frowned with worry. ["Principal Samejima, if it's possible, allow me to return to Duel Academia after this meeting, so I can check on those students."]
["Permission granted."] Samejima nodded.
["Dios mio, how could this happen?"] Chronos growled in frustration. ["We can't allow any more brazen attacks against our students! This goes against everything we ever stand for! If this keeps up, Kaiba will be breathing down our necks!"]
["Calm down, Chronos."] Samejima sighed, before looking at Kyoshiro. ["Kyoshiro-san, what is your son's current condition?"]
"Resting at the moment, but hasn't woken up yet…" Kyoshiro clenched his fists tight. "Oogumo has done a number on him, turning their Duel into a Game of Darkness. We're only lucky that my son somehow survived. I… I can't bear the thought of having to bury my own child, let alone my wife hearing about it, should the worst happen…"
["It's alright, Kururugi-san. Your son will make it through."] Ayakawa reassured him.
["That being said, this is the second time that an incident like this happened."] The Head of the D.E.C. said. ["The night patrols are not going to be enough."]
"But we can't put Duel Academia under martial law either-nya." Daitokuji pointed out. "It will make our students even more uncomfortable and they will be demanding answers-nya."
["That leaves us at an impasse, and it's so close to the Inter-School Duel too…"] Samejima sighed.
"I know some folks that could lend me some security tech we could use." Tsukasa suggested.
["You do,"] Samejima looked a bit surprised.
"I can get in touch with their CEO and have them bring the tech here. I'll make it a point to have them installed before Winter Break ends."
["Please do so. The safety of our students is in your hands, Kadoya-san."] Samejima said.
"Alright, I'm off." Tsukasa said, before looking at Kyoshiro, "I'll be back soon."
"We got this." Kyoshiro said, before Tsukasa nodded and left the meeting.
["In the meantime, I'm leaving for the island right now."] Ayakawa said. ["After all, I am the school nurse."]
["I shall depart too."] Kabeyama added. ["Kuromu was a former Ra Yellow, and as his former Headmaster, I'll do whatever I can to help."]
["I'll go as well."] Chronos got in. ["He's one of my Obelisks, and I'm certainly not taking this lying down."]
["Good,"] Sheppard nodded. ["Dismissed."]
Meanwhile, Koji and Rika were waiting for word from Asuka. They were just as worried about Kuromu's health. So to pass the time, Rika cooked up several dishes to satiate their hunger and were at the Boys Dorm dining hall. Due to Winter Break, the dorms of Obelisk Blue were empty, so Koji could move in and out of the dorm whenever he wanted to. At least until break was over.
"Nothing from Asuka-chan?" Rika frowned sadly as the two were eating.
"Not a peep, sistah." Koji shook his head before downing a glass of water, and slamming it down on the table. "This is just bogus. Daddy-O is out cold like a block of ice because of that jive-turkey Oogumo."
Rika couldn't help but agree. A sense of hopelessness washed over her, thinking about the recent events, "What does he even want with him? What did his parents do to cause all of this to happen?"
"I don't know either. But we can't exactly put the blame on Mr. Kyo and Mrs. Yuki." Koji said. "They're just as much of a victim as Kuro is." He snarled before looking towards the flash drive, "If only we knew what's in this flash drive that he could even resort to threatening his mom's death when the hound dog wanted to smash it."
"Yeah, but…" Rika trailed off, looking downward while staring at her half-finished plate of food. "I don't know, it just wouldn't feel right if we look before Kuro does. Would he even be ready to handle whatever we saw in that? Let alone us."
"You got a point…" Koji sighed. "Guess that means we'll be playing the waiting game for now, huh?" He then let out a tired sigh, "I wish we could just go back to the good ol' days of just worrying about school and whether or not we'll be alive to get detention."
"Yeah… those were happier times." Rika sighed, too. "Wonder how our old school mates back home are doing."
"I wonder that too." Koji mused in agreement.
"Ha! Got my win back, Judai!" Rex cheered as Judai let out a sigh.
"Aw man… I thought I had ya." Judai said, sitting on the ground Indian style and arms crossed. So much for his winning streak here at Duel Academia. "Still, that was a pretty fun Duel."
"Yeah, it was fun comparing Fusion techniques." The mutt agreed.
"Wanna go again?" Judai grinned widely.
"Nah, I'm done for the day." Rex politely declined with a wave of his hand. "Don't want it to get too boring. Besides, I'm still recovering from that Game of Darkness." He noted before doing some stretches.
"Right…" Judai trailed off, before stretching out himself, looking towards Duel Academia. "Still… I wonder how Kuro's doing. We haven't heard from Asuka for a while now."
"Yeah, that's worrying." Sho agreed.
"Relax, she'll let us know the moment he even opens his eyes or twitches a finger." Rex reassured the two, though even that reassurance was an uneasy one, "I hope…"
Asuka still watched over the unconscious Kuromu at his bedside. The Rider Duelist still hadn't woken up. Given what he has been through, it comes as no surprise that his body was greatly strained. Even if he were to be conscious now, it would take days for him to recover. Physical therapy would also be a must if he is to be back at full strength.
She couldn't help but clasp his hand with her own and hoped that he could wake up.
'Please, Kuro… wake up.' Asuka prayed in her thoughts. 'I know you can get through this…'
She soon went down memory lane, remembering what life was like before all this, when she, Kuromu, Koji, and Rika were just regular school kids.
Flashback - 2 Years Ago, Domino City
"Where is he?" Asuka asked as she waited at the school gate for someone. She was currently wearing your usual junior high school uniform, consisting of a white dress shirt and a dark blue blazer while wearing a black sailor skirt that covered her knees, black thigh high socks and black shoes. The only thing that stood out was the fact that she was equipped with a Battle City Duel Disk. "Don't tell me he slept in again." She sighed.
The future Obelisk Queen then noticed a dust cloud forming in the distance.
"I can't believe I slept in again!"
Asuka could only wonder in bewilderment if she was psychic upon hearing who she realized she just heard.
Running towards the school gate was a slightly younger Kururugi Kuromu. The future Ra Yellow's appearance hadn't really changed, but the clothes he wore were certainly different compared to what he would eventually wear. His clothes also consisted of a boy's school uniform that was white dress shirt with a black tie, and dark blue blazer. His pants were also the same dark blue, complete with black dress socks and black shoes. Equipped to him was also a Duel Disk.
"Crap, crap, crap, crap, crap, I got two minutes to get to the gates!" Kuromu cried out, as he kept running. The dust cloud trailing behind him in his wake. He ran with so much force, a wind picked up. Fortunately, he didn't notice the skirts that kept flying upward, because he was so focused on getting to school. He soon performed a baseball slide towards the school gate and barely reached the area right as the gate closed. Kuromu sighed in relief, "Whew, I made it…"
"You're cutting it closer every time, Kuro." Asuka said, with her hands to her hips.
"Come on, Asuka. Cut me some slack. I made it, didn't I?" Kuromu groaned, looking up at her, hands still on his knees as he was catching his breath before standing up straight.
"Aw, looks like the missus is taking care of her hubby." One student joked.
"He's probably late, again." Another added, making the pair blush.
"Who are you calling a couple?!" The two shouted. This caused the other students in the area to laugh before leaving them alone… for now.
"Seriously, why do they always do that?" Kuromu sighed heavily, pinching the bridge of his nose. "We're just, I mean." He then let out a tired groan.
"It's the law of school, Daddy-O." A familiar voice said, as Kuromu and Asuka turned to see Koji and Rika approach them. He was wearing his school uniform like the others. The only difference is that he wasn't wearing his tie, and his dress shirt was unbuttoned to reveal a bit of his chest, while wearing his gold male symbol medallion. As for Rika, she wore her uniform properly like Asuka.
"Not you too, Koji." Kuromu deadpanned with a dry look on his face.
"Come on, Kuro. Everyone thinks you two are into each other." Koji said. "Ain't my fault you two keep acting like lovebirds and all that jazz."
"And for the umpteenth time, it's not… like that…" Kuromu growled, while gritting his teeth.
"Can't they bug some other pair?" Asuka lamented.
"Given how you're the only pair that sticks out of the entire school? Nope." Rika said, much to the blonde's dismay. She and Kuromu lowered their heads in shame, with Koji and Rika chuckling or giggling a bit.
Afterwards, the four of them walked into the school and through the hallways to get to their homeroom.
"So, any girl that caught your fancy Koji?" Kuromu asked the disco fan.
"Daddy-O, this is me you're talking about. Of course the ladies fawn over me." Koji looked at him with a 'What kind of question is that?' look, on his face.
"So then why haven't they made a move on you yet? Or vice-versa?" Kuromu asked, with a miffed look, "I'm sure there's a girl for you out there. Especially one that keeps up with you in you-know-where."
Koji chuckled at that, "Dude, we're in junior high. It's okay to just say sex."
*BONG!*
"Ow! What the heck, Rika?!" Koji cried out, after she hit him with her cast iron pan.
"You see why I try to censor myself?" Kuromu pointed out.
"We don't need to hear anything potty out of you first thing in the morning. Especially so." Rika huffed before putting her cast iron away.
"Alright, alright, geez sorry. I'll change back to my other lingo." Koji winced in pain, rubbing the back of his head.
"Some things just never change, do they?" Asuka shook her head.
"For sure…" Kuromu agreed with a sweat drop.
Asuka smiled fondly remembering those days. Days that were simple. Days that were… happier.
But then all of this started happening. It began the day that Oogumo abducted Kuromu's mother prior to Duel Academia.
He then showed up on the island, and twice he demanded what he claimed to be rightfully his: the flash drive Kuromu held onto. On the other side of that coin, Kuromu demanded that he return his mother, Yukina, to him. After all, it was he that started everything. Oogumo was the one that attacked his family. Oogumo was the one who abducted his mother in the first place and left him and his father half-dead. All that Kuromu did was respond to the wrongs Oogumo conducted, yet it got him nowhere and his mother was not returned to him.
The Obelisk Queen could not help but wonder what exactly Yukina did to earn Oogumo's ire. She soon heard the door open as Rika and Koji entered.
"Anything?" The disco fan asked, to which Asuka sadly shook her head.
"Nothing…" Asuka trailed off. "He's still sleeping."
"Given what he's been through, I believe it." Rika said, before fishing out of her pocket, the flash drive and handing it to Asuka. "Here, I think this should be given back to its rightful owner."
Asuka looked at the flash drive before placing it on Kuromu's bedside on the nightstand. Koji shook his head.
"Dang, how long do we have to deal with this?" The disco fan lamented.
"Until he wakes up… when that is… I don't know…" Asuka trailed off. "I just hope he wakes up soon."
"He will, Asuka-chan." Rika tried to reassure her. "He's not gonna let something like this take him out. He's a tough cookie."
"Yeah, he's always held out for our sake." Asuka agreed with a weary laugh.
"Especially when he finally had the balls to actually meet with you and pour his whole heart out two years ago." Koji chuckled. "Man, you should've seen it. Before you showed up in homeroom, he was sweatin' bullets."
"And hyperventilating." Rika added.
Flashback - 2 Years Ago, Domino City
"Okay, you can do this. It's just a confession. You can do this, it's just a confession." Kuromu repeated as he paced around while Koji and Rika watched on.
It was lunchtime and here he was, pacing around like a tiger pacing in its cage and couldn't sit still. He told Koji and Rika that today was finally the day that he was going to fess up and pour out everything he had into his confession. Who he was confessing to was a mystery, but they were curious.
"Yo, Daddy-O, chillax." Koji chuckled.
"How can I not chillax? You only get to do this once!" Kuromu cried out in dismay. "I just… I just want this to be perfect, that's all! I can't botch this." He then took a deep breath, "Okay, remember what you have to say." He told himself as he began trying to recite what he wanted to tell.
*BONG!*
"ITEEEEE!" Kuromu cried out, after Rika bonked him on the head with her cast iron. "Seriously?!"
"Kuro, you need to chill! You're starting to look like an asylum patient!" Rika shouted.
"What do you mean?" Kuromu groaned as he took a swig.
"Come on, fess up…" Koji said as an uneasy silence came over the trio before…
"Are you going to confess to Asuka?"
*PFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFT!*
The moment he heard the future Obelisk Queen's name, Kuromu spat his drink out.
"Koji, buddy… don't be stupid!" He panicked, staggering away from him.
"Ohohohohoho, I knew it! You can't fool me, man!" Koji laughed, following him, "We've seen how you act around her. If that's not love then what was it?"
Kuromu, hearing this, soon went to his drink as he hastily began drinking it.
"L-L-Love?! I-I d-d-don't know what you're talking about!" Kuromu stammered as he tried to drink yet his shaking hands were spilling the drink everywhere. "T-There's no way I could be in love with Asuka! Like I said, w-w-we aren't like that!" He then sat down and said in denial, "We are not dating. No! No way… not in the slightest."
"You are so in denial." Rika giggled.
"Besides, there's plenty of guys who-"
"What's up, Kuromu?" Someone asked, entering the classroom.
"KITTAAAA!" Kuromu freaked out, jumping out of his seat, turning around to see Asuka standing there, looking confused.
"Kuro?" Asuka tilted her head. "Are you okay?"
As Kuromu looked towards the future Obelisk Queen, he began to notice things that he didn't see before, moments that suddenly mean more than he initially realized.
"I-I'm fine. Just, gonna head somewhere." Kuromu stammered as he tried to leave, but then a realization came to him as his memories with her began playing back in rapid order.
When he was a young lad, he first met Asuka when attending the same prep school as her. It was a school he was able to attend after passing the exam after several sleepless nights studying to get in. Being the son of a card designer and scientist also helped gain him entry into this school, financially wise.
Yet it wasn't until he was able to win a game of chance against a gambler that their friendship truly began. It all started when this boy named Mitsuo, would play games of chance with other students, always having them bet their prized possessions. After losing a game of Duel Monsters to Asuka, he steals her red handkerchief, which had been bet on the Duel. But this particular handkerchief belonged to Asuka's mother.
So Kuromu made a point to get back the handkerchief no matter what it took. So he quickly dueled Mitsuo for the handkerchief back, winning thanks to his superior dueling skills.
The gambling boy challenged Kruomu to another Duel for the handkerchief, but this time Kuromu added a stipulation that he had to wager all of the prize possessions he took from the other students in order for the Duel to happen.
It was a hard-fought Duel, but Kuromu was able to pull off a gambit that eventually won him the Duel.
Since Kuromu won that Duel, Mitsuo had to honor his end of the deal, returning every prized possession he won from his gambles to the students he gambled with. After that, Kuromu gave Asuka back her handkerchief, which she gratefully accepted back. And thus a friendship was formed that would eventually lead to her transferring to the middle school Kuromu was going to. Which also led her to end up meeting Koji and Rika in the process.
'Ahhhhhhh… I can't believe it… I'm actually head over heels for Asuka.' Kuromu thought to himself, shyly looking away from her while scratching the back of his head, 'No, I've been in love with her all my life.'
"Kuro?"
"H-Huh?!" Kuromu snapped out of his thoughts to see Asuka, "Y-Yeah, what's up?"
He soon blushed as he ended up staring at her for a lot longer than he wanted to.
"You're spacing out."
"Huh?! W-Was I? S-Sorry! I was uh…" Kuromu trailed off, "C-Could you meet me at the roof later after school? I-I got somewhere to be right now! Bye!"
And with that, he took off, not leaving Asuka any chance to speak, flabbergasted by his recent attitude as of late.
"Is… something wrong with Kuro?" Asuka asked Rika and Koji worriedly.
"Oh, you have no idea." Koji chuckled.
Asuka couldn't help but laugh, "I guess it should have been obvious now that I think about it now." she admitted.
"Yeah, he was a total nervous wreck about the whole thing," Rika giggled, before looking at Kuromu's sleeping form. Smiling softly, she added, "But… he was honest about his feelings for you."
"Yeah, you two really stuck it out together, have ya?" Koji chuckled.
"Well, when you put it that way," Asuka trailed off.
Before she could say anything else, the doors to the infirmary slid open and Osiris Red Trio came walking in.
"What's up?" Judai asked as Rex and Sho staggered back to their feet, likely having been dragged to the area by the Elemental HERO Duelist.
"Yeesh man, take it easy on me. I'm still battered." Rex groaned before fixing his back
"Aniki, why do you have to do that~?" Sho complained.
"Sorry, sorry." Judai grinned sheepishly.
"What brings you three here?" Koji asked, surprised to see the trio here at all.
"Judai got bored real quick, enough said." Rex deadpanned. "There's only so much you could do with Dueling before it gets old." He then sighed, "I'm guessing he hasn't woken up yet?"
"Not yet…" Asuka shook her head, "We're here talking to pass the time."
"I figured as much." the mutt shrugged off. "So what's the topic?"
"Kuromu's love life." Rika rolled her eyes playfully with a wry smile.
"Heh, of course. Let me guess, it's because of how he fumbles around Her Highness?" Rex rolled his eyes, much to Asuka's slight embarrassment.
"Something like that." Koji shrugged. "You three actually came just in time to hear the best part, actually. We were just about to talk about how his confession went. And lemme tell you, it's actually… pretty good."
"Wait, you mean… Kuromu and Asuka are actually a thing?" Judai asked with wide eyes full of bewilderment.
"How did you not notice that, Aniki?" Sho looked at him incredulously.
"When has he noticed anything except Dueling?" Rex pointed out sarcastically.
"Hey! I take offense to that!" Judai exclaimed.
"Shhh!" Rika hissed, jabbing a thumb at the sleeping Kuromu, "We got a patient here."
"Right, sorry about that." Judai apologized, before sitting down on the floor. "We might as well get comfortable and hear this story out."
Rex looked at him with a raised eyebrow, "Everyday you seem to amaze me when it comes to you being interested in things besides Dueling. Well Dueling and food come to think of it."
"Oh there was a Duel involved." Rika said. "Koji and I saw the whole thing go down."
"Wow, really? Then this story is worth hearing!" Judai grinned widely.
"Again, you surprise me every day man." Rex grumbled as a bead of sweat dropped off his face, but the smile betrayed that he wouldn't have it any other way. "So, how'd you two get to see it?"
"Well…" Rika chirped while sheepishly looking away.
Flashback - 2 Years Ago, Domino City
"Are you sure about this?" Koji asked Rika as they were walking up the stairs that led towards the roof, "I'm pretty sure a confession on the roof is sacred. No peepers."
"Did you even see, Koji? I saw Kuro walking towards the roof… with his Duel Disk on him!" she pointed out, "There's no way this isn't going to be a Duel instead."
"What? You think that Mitsuo kid is coming back for a runback?" the disco fan theorized.
"He doesn't even go to this school, baka." Rika scolded.
"Alright, alright, geez." Koji sighed. The two of them continued their trek upwards, but as they were nearing the top, Rika forced Koji to duck down. "Hey Rika, what are you-"
"Shh!" Rika hushed. Moments later, they peeked upward and saw Asuka heading towards the rooftop exit. The strange thing is… she also had her Duel Disk equipped on her. "What are they doing with those disks?" She wondered in confusion.
"Beats me, but if we're gonna get the 411, we gotta get sneaky." Koji said. "Look, she's about to go out to the rooftop."
As soon as Asuka exited the hall, Koji and Rika followed. They arrived at the door as soon as it closed. Thankfully, there was a clear window they could look into. Outside, the sun was setting. Red and orange filled the sky as the clouds became shadows. Koji and Rika watched and waited with bated breath as Asuka looked towards Kuromu who's back was turned. She was surprised that he's wearing his Duel Disk too.
"You came, Asuka." Kuromu said, after hearing the door close. He took in a deep breath, before turning around to face her, for once having a serious look on his face.
"So, this is why you called me here?" Asuka slightly joked, "Well, if you wanted a Duel, you could have just said so. I'm ready to go anytime."
"No, it's more than just that." Kuromu shook his head, much to Asuka's confusion.
"Huh?"
"Asuka… There's something I've wanted to tell you for a long time. No… it's something I've needed to tell you my whole life." Kuromu began. "I… I've been thinking about this for a long time. At first, I thought I was fine with you and I just being friends. The time I've spent with you is something I always treasure and is irreplaceable. But… as the years went by, the more time I spent with you, the more I realized my feelings… they've changed into something more."
Asuka's eyes widened at how he was talking, and the implications were running through her head.
"Sure, everyone else noticed and maybe they're right. The more I tried to deny those feelings time and time again, those feelings grew stronger. But at the same time, what if everyone's wrong? What if it all goes to the dumps? What then?" he hesitated.
"Kuro… you…" Asuka trailed off with a light blush, her hand placed over her heart.
"Our whole lives you and I have been best friends, but… my heart desires to be more than just that. I want our friendship to evolve into something beautiful." Kuromu said, as his facial expression was one of determination. "Tenjoin Asuka… I'm in love with you…"
Asuka couldn't help but feel floored by this revelation, while Rika was shaking poor Koji whilst squealing with joy.
"Kuro… you… felt that way about me? All this time?"
"Always." Kuromu said without hesitation. "You're confident, sweet, caring, brave, and strong-willed. And you don't follow the crowd nor regard yourself as better than other people. That's what I love about you…"
"Kuro…"
"However, in order to show that I truly do care for you, I must prove my worth to you." Kuromu said, before taking out his Deck and inserting it into the disk, going from standby to active. All of this, while the sun was behind him. "Tenjoin Asuka, I, Kururugi Kuromu, challenge you to a Duel for your love!"
Rika and Koji were absolutely gobsmacked. Words couldn't describe what was going on, let alone what they were seeing! Now it all made sense! He was preparing himself for this moment! Kuromu was Dueling for Asuka's love!
'SINCE WHEN WAS KURO A BADASS?!' Koji and Rika thought to themselves.
"Are you sure about this?" Asuka asked, "I don't want to Duel you if it means beating you."
"I know, but if I don't do this, then I know I'm holding you back. I have to do this, to show that I can stand beside you." Kuromu declared. "I'm putting everything I have on the line in this Duel. And if I lose, then it means I'm not worthy. No matter how painful it is, I'll accept the heartbreak that follows." he admitted, "So, do you accept?"
Asuka was at a crossroads, unsure of what to do. If she accepts it, then there's a chance she'll break her best friend's heart. If she doesn't, then what does that say about their friendship in the first place?
"C'mon, Asuka-chan, what are you doing?" Rika hissed to herself. "He's pouring his heart out, and you're not answering him."
"Hold on sistah, let them cook." Koji placated, "Kuro wouldn't do this if he didn't think it was a good move."
Asuka remained silent, for what seemed like an eternity. "Kuro… I…"
"This won't destroy our friendship no matter the outcome. Regardless of what it is, I won't stop loving you." Kuromu said. "I'll accept everything."
…
…
…
"…Alright. I'll do it." She finally said.
"Eh?" Kuromu uttered out in surprise.
Asuka looked at him with a determined smile, "You heard me. I'll do it. I'll Duel you and see whether or not you've earned it." She then shuffled her deck and inserted it in, going from standby to active. "If you're really serious about this, then you better not hold back!"
Kuromu smiled at this, "I wouldn't have it any other way! The usual?"
"The usual."
With this, both players drew their starting hands.
"DUEL!"
Asuka: 8000
Kuromu: 8000
"Since you asked me out first, I'll take the first turn. Draw!" She declared before drawing from her deck, "I'll start by summoning Etoile Cyber in ATK mode!" With a flash of light on the water, a ginger haired woman appeared with light blue skin mixed with a red outfit, lavender ribbons being around her arms. (4/ATK: 1200/DEF: 1600), "Then I set one reverse card. Ta-n endo."
"O-re no ta-n! Draw!" Kuromu declared, drawing his sixth card. He carefully looked at his hand to consider his options. In all honesty, his starting hand could be better, but he wasn't going to complain. He's going to be given what he's got and make the most of it. "From my hand, I summon Mechafalcon in ATK mode!"
In a burst of wind, a metallic falcon which is actually a machine descended down onto the field with a piercing metallic screech. (4/ATK: 1400/DEF: 1200) "Next I play the Spell Card, Cyclone to destroy your face-down!" Playing the card, true to its name, a cyclone shot out of the card, destroying said face-down, revealed to be Doble Passé. "Good. Now I won't have to worry about it." He smirked, "Battle! Mechafalcon attacks Etoile Cyber! Mach Talon!"
The falcon quickly obliged and dashed straight for the woman, talons stretched out before landing a clean blow on Etoile Cyber, destroying her into pixels.
Asuka: 7800
Kuromu: 8000
"I place one card face-down. Ta-n endo." Kuromu said, a reverse card appearing on the field.
"Whew… someone's been studying up." Koji whistled impressed.
"He's definitely been practicing for this." Rika agreed.
"Watashi no ta-n! Draw!" Asuka declared, drawing her next card, increasing her hand from four to five, "First I'll play The Warrior Returning Alive! This lets me bring back my Etoile Cyber back to my hand from the graveyard!" The card stuck out and Asuka took it back. "Next, I play Pillage so now, your Mechafalcon is mine!"
Suddenly, the mechanical falcon glitched for a moment before flying to Asuka's side of the field.
"Next, I summon Tactical Warrior to the stage!" She called out before a woman with red armor adorned with white feathers, a purple cape, and a red helmet that had yellow wings on it appeared and drew her blade (4/ATK: 1200/DEF: 1900).
"Ah, so that was why she used Pillage." Rika observed, "She needed a second monster to activate Tactical Warrior's effect."
"Tactical Warrior's effect activates! First she gains 400 ATK for every Warrior-Type monster I control. That includes Tactical Warrior herself!" The future Obelisk Queen declared.
Tactical Warrior - (ATK: 1200-1600)
"And thanks to using Pillage! Now that I have another monster of the field, you can't target Tactical Warrior either!"
"Not bad at all, Asuka." Kuromu chuckled, "What else you got?"
"I'll boost Tactical Warrior with this Equip Spell, Demon's Kiss!" Asuka declared, "This will boost her ATK points by 700!"
Tactical Warrior - (ATK: 1600-2300)
"Battle! Mechafalcon attacks you directly! Mach Talon!"
Soon, the falcon dove in and slashed at its own master with its sharp metallic talons.
Asuka: 7800
Kuromu: 6600
"Next! Tactical Warrior attacks your Life Points! Command Surge!"
Quickly, the warrior took a stance, allowing the power the necklace she was wearing boosted her strength before bringing her sword down in a downwards angle.
"Not so fast, Asuka! You fell right into my trap! Activating it now!" Kuromu said, pressing a button on it, to flip it face-up. "Dimension Wall!"
"What?" Asuka gasped as a vortex appeared and Tactical Warrior went straight through it, temporarily disappearing.
"I can activate this card when you declare an attack, and now you take Damage equal to what I would've taken! In this case, you now take 2300 points of damage!" Kuromu said, as the same portal appeared behind Asuka. The blonde gasped, and turned around seeing Tactical Warrior coming out of the portal. Said monster was surprised and tried to stop her attack, only to fail as she accidentally slashed Asuka.
Asuka: 5500
Kuromu: 6600
"Wowzers, Kuro's not playin' around," Koji said wide-eyed.
"A pretty ballsy move too. If he didn't have that card, Kuro would have been toast." Rika noted.
"Wow, you're pretty good." Asuka complimented him.
Kuromu chuckled, "Hey, I practiced with the best. Like I said, Asuka. I'm putting everything I have on the line into this Duel." He declared.
"Alright then, I'll set one card down. Ta-n endo." She said.
"O-re no ta-n! Draw!" Kuromu declared, drawing his next card increasing his Hand from three to four. "First, I gain 1000 Life Points during my Standby Phase, thanks to Pillage!"
Asuka: 5500
Kuromu: 7600
"Then I activate Angel's Charity! This lets me draw three cards and discard two." He did as the card instructed, leaving his hand still at four. "I'll place one monster face-down in DEF mode. Ta-n endo." He declared, as a reverse card appeared sideways.
"He has to be setting a trap." Koji guessed.
"Could be. Whatever it is, Asuka-chan's in for a long one." Rika added.
"Watashi no ta-n! Draw!" Asuka declared, drawing her next card, increasing her Hand from two to three. "I summon forth, Queen's Body Double!" she called out, summoning a long red-haired woman wearing a blue headdress with diamond and a purple robe appeared (1/ATK: 350/DEF: 300). This also empowered the Tactical Warrior.
Tactical Warrior - (ATK: 2300-2700)
"Now I attack your life points directly with Queen's Body Double! Diamond Toss!"
The fake queen stood up from her throne and drew several sharp shards of diamonds at Kuromu, protecting himself from the incoming objects with crossed arms.
Asuka: 5500
Kuromu: 7250
"Didn't expect you to catch on so quickly." Kuromu chuckled.
"I knew you had to place down that facedown monster for a reason." Asuka pointed out, "So I took no chances." she said, "But for now, I'll just set one card face down."
"O-re no ta-n! Draw!" Kuromu declared, drawing his next card, increasing his hand from three to four again. "I Flip Summon my face-down monster!" he said, switching it from DEF to ATK, revealing a dark blue-feathered, pink belly-feathered penguin with red shoulder armor and a short sword (2/ATK: 750/DEF: 500). "Penguin Soldier!"
"Oh snap!" Koji gawked.
"She would've been screwed either way!" Rika added.
"Now that he's been Flip Summoned, I can activate his effect! I can target up to two monsters on the field and return them to your hand. So I'll be sending Queen's Body Double and Tactical Warrior back to your hand!" he declared.
The Penguin Soldier lifted up his sword and swung hard, sending a wave of energy that sent Asuka's monsters flying and disappearing, prompting Asuka to take the cards off the tray, her hand increasing back to three.
"Dang, so he just left her wide open, especially if he decides to try and bring out a stronger monster than Mechafalcon." Koji observed.
"I'm not done yet! Next I play Hand Obliteration! Now we discard our entire hand and draw the same number of cards we have!" he said before they did as they asked, essentially taking out two strong monsters from Asuka's side of the field in one combo. Each of them still had three cards in their hand. "Now I'll play Cost Down! By discarding a card from my hand, I reduce all my monster's Levels from my Hand by two for the turn!"
"He's planning something big." Rika mused.
"Now I'll Tribute my Penguin Soldier in order to Advance Summon Guardian Angel Jeanne!"
With that, the Penguin Soldier was bathed in light and in the bird's place was a beautiful woman with short orange-blonde hair wearing a white and gold dress that had silken tassels on the back. On her back, were a pair of large angelic wings (7-5/ATK: 2800/DEF: 2000).
"Not bad, not bad at all." Koji observed, "He got a big monster on the field without needing to sacrifice two monsters to do it."
"Battle! Guardian Angel Jeanne attacks Mechafalcon! Divine Light of Faith!" Kuromu declared.
The angel soon placed her palms together and fired out a beam of light that vaporized the mechanical bird before hitting Asuka.
Asuka: 4100
Kuromu: 7250
"Guardian Angel Jeanne's effect activates! Since she destroyed a monster on your field, I gain Life Points equal to that Monster's ATK! Since Mechafalcon's ATK is 1400, I gain 1400 Life Points!"
Asuka: 4100
Kuromu: 8650
"Heh, what do you think?" Kuromu asked her.
"I'll admit, that was pretty good. However, I'm sure you didn't expect this! I reveal my Trap Card, Hand-to-Hand Combat!" she declared, "I can only activate this if I take damage to my Life Points, so I'll be inflicting 700 points onto you."
"But that means you take 300 Damage for every Hand-to-Hand Combat in your Graveyard." Kuromu pointed out.
"Good thing I only had one." she chuckled.
Asuka: 3800
Kuromu: 7950
"Ta-n endo." Kuromu declared, as he had no cards in his hand.
"Dang, it looks like he might win this." Koji observed.
"Don't be so sure just yet, Koji. Asuka-chan can still turn this around." Rika pointed out.
"Watashi no ta-n! Draw!" Asuka declared, drawing her next card, increasing her hand to four. "I'll start by activating the Field Spell, Fusion Gate!" As the field suddenly transformed into a wireframe realm with a purple vortex sky, the future Obelisk Queen quickly took advantage of this. "Now I banish Etoile Cyber and Cyber Blader to perform a Fusion Summon with Fusion Gate's effect!"
The two Cyber Monsters skated/flew at each other, causing a tornado to form around them, and from the tornado came a woman with dark blue hair, a red visor over her eyes, red shoulder spikes along with Blade Skater's skates, purple gloves on her dark blue skin and red body, the skirt flowing as she descended down.
"Fusion Summon! Cyber Blader!" Asuka declared. (7/ATK: 2100/DEF: 800)
"Not bad, Asuka. But she's nowhere stronger than Guardian Angel Jeanne." Kuromu pointed out.
"Who said I was done?" she chuckled before drawing out a card, "I activate the Equip Spell, Premature Burial! By paying 800 Life Points, I can Special Summon a monster from my Graveyard, and I choose Tactical Warrior!" she called out as the aforementioned monster arose from a red magic circle. (4/ATK: 1200-1600/DEF: 1900)
Asuka: 3000
Kuromu: 7950
"And thanks to Tactical Warrior's effect, my Cyber Blader also gains 400 ATK." Asuka pointed out, as the ballet warrior was powered up.
Cyber Blader (ATK: 2100-2500)
"Next, I summon the Different Dimension Warrior Lady Lady to the stage!" she called out before a blonde woman clad in futuristic knight armor appeared, wielding an energy blade in hand. (4/ATK: 1500-1900/DEF: 1600)
"Hate to break it to you, but Cyber Blader's ATK is 400 points short." Kuromu pointed out, "What's your gameplan?"
"This." she stated, "I activate Demon's Kiss's effect! By paying 500 Life Points, I can send it to the top of my Deck."
Asuka: 2500
Kuromu: 7950
"Next, I play Pot of Greed to draw it and a second card to my hand!" she called out before drawing Demon's Kiss alongside a second card. "Hehe…"
"What's so funny?" Kuromu asked, not liking where this was going.
"My my, it seems I drew my second copy of Demon's Kiss alongside my first." she coyly stated before revealing both cards to the future Rider Duelist.
"What?!" Kuromu gawked.
"Ooooooooh, nice." Koji complimented.
"I equip both Demon's Kiss cards to Tactical Warrior and Cyber Blader!" she called out as both monsters gained the demonic necklace.
Cyber Blader (ATK: 2500-3200)
Tactical Warrior (ATK: 1600-2300)
"Tell me, is that enough ATK points for you?" she teased rhetorically.
"Oh man, Kuro's in for a world of hurt." Rika cringed, waiting for it to come.
"Do it, everyone! Cyber Blader attacks Guardian Angel Jeanne with Glissade Slash while Tactical Warrior and Different Dimension Warrior Lady attack your Life Points directly with Command Surge and Future Strike!" she declared as all three female warriors dashed towards the future Rider Duelist.
First, Cyber Blader began spinning forward, picking up speed before kicking the angel monster away to be blasted into pixels, opening Kuromu up for a forward slash from Tactical Warrior, and for the Different Dimension Warrior Lady to deliver a powerful stab.
Asuka: 2500
Kuromu: 3350
"Ta-n endo." Asuka finished, seeing as there were also no more cards in her hand for her to play.
"Now both of them are gonna be topdecking." Rika mused.
"With a play like that, Kuromu's lead just got a heck of a lot smaller." Koji shuttered.
"O-re no ta-n! Draw!" Kuromu shouted, drawing his lone card. "I play Thunder Bolt! This destroys all your monsters on the Field!"
A holographic storm cloud overshadowed the two duelists before three powerful bolts of lightning struck down all of Asuka's monsters, shattering them into pixels.
"Ta-n endo." Kuromu concluded.
"Watashi no ta-n!" Asuka declared, also drawing her lone card. "I play Reinforcement, letting me add 1 Level 4 Monster to my hand from my deck!"
The future Obelisk Queen then searched her deck before finding the card she needed, "And I'm choosing Warrior Lady of the Wasteland, to summon!"
Soon, a blonde woman clad in green with a brown cloak, bandages around her right arm, and a hat appeared as she unsheathed her sword (4/ATK: 1100/DEF: 1200).
"Battle! Warrior Lady of the Wasteland attacks you directly! Solemn Strike!" Asuka declared.
The blonde warrior then dashed forward and delivered a spinning slash to the future Rider Duelist.
Asuka: 2500
Kuromu: 2250
"Dang, and now that lead is long gone." Koji winced.
"Oh man, I can't take it. It's anyone's game at this point!" Rika squealed, "Who do you think is gonna win?"
"You said it yourself. It's anyone's game at this point." Koji shrugged. "Though if I have to choose, I'm hoping Daddy-O can win it."
'Crap, I need to draw a card that can end this duel fast!' Kuromu thought to himself. "O-re no ta-n! Draw!" Kuromu said, drawing his lone card once more. He frowned at what he drew, but at the same time, it could've been worse. At the very least, it'll stall Asuka for a bit. "I summon Alexandridragon in ATK mode!"
Soon, a large dragon with sparkling scales appeared on his side (4/ATK: 2000/DEF: 100).
"Daaaaaaaaang, check out the bling on that dragon." Koji said impressed.
"And he's got 2000 ATK points for a simple Level 4 Monster. That is impressive." Rika added.
"Battle! Alexandridragon attacks Warrior Lady of the Wasteland! Gem Shard Blizzard!" Kuromu declared as the dragon let out a powerful blast of gem shards by flapping its wings, shooting it towards the blonde warrior, being pelted and cut by these priceless gems before shattering into pixels.
Asuka: 1600
Kuromu: 2250
"Warrior Lady of the Wasteland's effect activates! Since she's sent to the graveyard, I can now special summon an EARTH-Attribute Warrior monster with 1500 ATK or less from my deck, and I choose another Blade Skater!"
Coming onto the field, was a blue-skinned and green-eyed hairless woman with golden hoop earrings, a suit and partial mask of dark purple took to the field, brandishing her arm blades as her partial pale blue skirt flowed in the wind and skated on ice skates to her position on the field (4/ATK: 1400/DEF: 1500)
"Ta-n endo." Kuromu finished.
"Watashi no ta-n! Draw!" Asuka declared, drawing her card again. "I play Treasure Cards from the Heavens! Now both of us get to draw until we have six cards in our hand!"
They soon did so and as such, they soon received a full hand of six cards each. Asuka smiled as she saw her cards, "Looks like it's my lucky day! I play Fusion!"
"So, she got another chance to summon Cyber Blader to the field." Rika observed, "And Cyber Blader has enough ATK points to barely beat Alexandridragon."
"I fuse my Blade Skater on the field with my Etoile Cyber in my hand to Fusion Summon another Cyber Blader!" Asuka declared as her signature monster returned to the field once more. (7/ATK: 2100/DEF: 800)
"You're really giving me a run for my money, aren't you." Kuromu smirked. "But that's just the way I like it! No hesitation to go all-out!"
"Then I'll add some security to this by summoning my other Tactical Warrior, boosting Cyber Blader's ATK Points!" Asuka declared as the second Tactical Warrior emerged onto the battlefield while also powering up Cyber Blader. (4/ATK: 1200-1600/DEF: 1900), (ATK: 2100-2500)
"Battle! Go, my monsters, attack!" The future Obelisk Queen declared.
First, the Cyber Blader performed another spin that hit the gem dragon square in the chest, destroying it.
Asuka: 1600
Kuromu: 1750
Then, the second Tactical Warrior leaped up and delivered a downward slash on Kuromu.
Asuka: 1600
Kuromu: 150
"Oh man! This is getting close!" Koji cringed in excitement.
"The suspense is killing me already!" Rika agreed.
'Crap. I gotta find a way to get my momentum back.' Kuromu thought.
"I set one card facedown." She stated, as a reverse card appeared on the field, "Ta-n endo."
Kuromu couldn't help but chuckle, "This is really coming down to the wire isn't it. You're really something, Asuka. Truly."
"Don't cut yourself some slack, Kuro. You're really fighting hard for this." Asuka agreed.
"I'm fighting hard for the both of us," Kuromu said. "I… I can't imagine my life without you. Everything about you, who you are, how you live your life… what's not to love about that?" He complimented her.
"Kuro…"
"I just hope… no matter the outcome of this Duel. You would still have me around."
"Of course I will. We're still friends whether this Duel ends with one of us winning." She admitted.
"Yeah, you're right." Kuromu smiled softly with closed eyes. "Thank you… Asuka. For being a part of my life." He then opened his eyes back up, filled with determination. "And to show my thanks, I'm winning this Duel! O-re no ta-n! Draw!" He drew his next card, "I activate Pot of Greed, which allows me to draw two extra cards!" He then drew them and looked at it.
His eyes widened considerably, seeing the strategy he could make. But there was one card in his hand that was crucial yet detrimental to the move he was going to make. He was going to bet it all on that card.
"This is it, Asuka. This is where I clinch it!" Kuromu declared, prompting Asuka to brace herself. "Starting things off, I summon Neo the Magic Swordsman in ATK mode!"
Appearing onto the field was a male with long blonde hair and glowing baby blue eyes, wearing knight armor and a cape while wielding a sword. But in his hand was a ball of magic (4/ATK: 1700/DEF: 1000).
"But he's not staying around, because I'm Tributing Neo the Magic Swordsman to Special Summon someone stronger!" He declared as the ball of magic created a glow that overwhelmed the swordsman. Moments later, the light died down to reveal the new person taking his place.
It was a woman where beneath a large pointed white hat are tresses as pale as the moon. They seemingly glowed against the dark tones of her dress, and the deep blue material clung to her body save for the cutouts on her hips. At said hips, the skirt billows out into an icy blue, covering her white shoes. White gloves were trimmed in silver and stretched past her wrists with large, pointed cuffs. It mimicked that of the garnet atop her dress as the shoulder pauldrons jutted out far past her slender shoulders. The front was a slim strip of cloth donning emblems related to magic, and the back was much broader as long as it hit the ground and folded against it. Her violet eyes lifted from beneath the shadow of the hat, casting on a stare that had a particular strength and mystery behind them. Bangs settle between and to the sides of her countenance, framing her delicate face. (4/ATK: 1000/DEF: 1000)
"Magician of Silence - Silent Magician!"
All of a sudden… Koji swooned hard, but then Rika whacked him on the head with her cast iron, to shut him up from them being discovered.
"Kuro… is that?" Asuka trailed off.
"Yeah… still can't believe you gave me her." Kuromu chuckled sheepishly, but shook his head to refocus. "Moving on, Silent Magician gains 500 ATK for every card in my hand. Currently I have six, which means her ATK shoots up to 4000!"
Magician of Silence - Silent Magician (ATK: 1000-4000)
"But now comes the moment of truth! I'm betting it all on this card! I play the Spell Card, Angel's Dice!" He said, playing the card, reducing Silent Magician's ATK by 500. (ATK: 4000-3500)
Appearing out of the card was a tiny cartoon man wearing a pink top hat with angel wings, with a dress shirt, and black bow tie with suspenders on the pink pants. Finishing its look were a pair of light brown shoes and a large blue die it was holding.
"With this card, my Silent Magician will gain ATK points equal to the result x100! If I roll a six, it'll be enough for me to win this Duel!"
Soon, the dice fell.
The dice rolled. Everyone waited with bated breath, waiting to see what the result was. It kept rolling and rolling and rolling… until it started slowing down to a stop.
2…
4…
1…
5…
3….
4…
1…
5…
2…
6!
"No way!" Koji gawked.
"He got it!" Rika said.
Kuromu's eyes widened considerably as he started to hyperventilate. "I-I did it! Silent Magician's ATK is raised by 600! Giving her a grand total of 4100! And with Cyber Blader at 2500, and your Life Points are exactly the difference between them, this Duel is over!"
Magician of Silence - Silent Magician (ATK: 3500-4100)
"Don't celebrate just yet, Kuro. I still got one ace up my sleeve." Asuka reminded him.
"Battle! Silent Magician attacks Cyber Blader! Silent Burn!" Kuromu cheered, ignoring the reminder, which made Koji and Rika gawk He was jumping ahead of himself… again!
Asuka closed her eyes, realizing that he just sprung her trap.
"I'm so sorry about this…" she shook her head, scared of activating the facedown card and what it would mean for her and Kuromu's friendship. She opened her eyes and looked at him with a sad smile. "Kuro, I hate to break this to you…" She said, as Silent Magician readied her staff and gathered a ball of magical energy, ready to unleash it. "But I'm ending this in a draw. I'm activating my trap, Bell of Destruction."
"HUH?!"
"Ya done goofed…" Koji and Rika facepalmed.
Suddenly, a belt of grenades appeared around the waist of Silent Magician before detonating and taking both Duelists out of the game.
Asuka: 0
Kuromu: 0
The Solid Vision disappeared, the dust had settled, and the Duel was over. Kuromu stood there in shock and disbelief. He fought to the best of his abilities, and yet neither side ended up winning.
"N-No way…" Kuromu uttered. "A… draw…?"
"I wish that I had something to win the Duel, but…" Asuka apologized before rising to her feet. "That's the best I could come up with."
"Asuka… you…" Kuromu trailed off as the future Obelisk Queen approached the future Rider duelist.
"Still… that was one of the most challenging Duels I've ever fought, Kuro." Asuka smiled. "You took me to the absolute limit and I was almost a goner there." she chuckled, which made Kuromu have to agree.
"If anyone's almost a goner, it was me. You had me on the ropes too." Kuromu said.
"Come on, I had to pull off a whole turn combo to get your Life Points down!" Asuka sighed.
"Hey, don't think my strategy wasn't the one pulling the weight around!" Kuromu pointed out.
There was a brief silence before the two ended up laughing. But after the two had a good laugh, things were silent again. Kuromu then had a look of uncertainty on his face as he asked, "So… does this mean…"
"I don't know…" Asuka admitted with a similar sense of unease, "No one won, and yet at the same time no one lost."
"Right…" Kuromu trailed off.
"But…" Asuka began, as she looked at Kuromu, smiling softly. "The way you've given your all in that Duel, and how serious you want us to be… I'm willing to give you another chance."
"R-Really?" Kuromu stuttered in surprise.
"Yeah, honestly that Duel was really fun." She affirmed. "If you're able to beat me on the day we Duel again, whenever that may be, then that'll be the day I know you can stand by my side." Asuka said with a smile on her face.
"Asuka…" Kuromu muttered, before making the daring move of embracing her in his arms, much to her surprise. "Thank you… Asuka… for giving me this chance… I won't let it go to waste. I promise…"
"So will I…" Asuka said, before pulling back from their embrace. "Just make sure that you remember."
"UWHOOOOA! WHOOOOOOOOOOA!"
"Eh?!" the pair yelped as they turned to the source of the cheering, which was the school roof door. It was wide open and there laid Koji and Rika who fell prone on top of each other with groans of pain in their voice.
"Ow… so not groovy…" Koji groaned.
"Uhh… hi." Rika waved at the couple sheepishly.
…
"Get OOOOOOOOOOOOOOUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT!"
"Ahahahahaha! Oh, oh I can't breathe! I can't breathe!" Rex laughed as needless to say, he and Judai were laughing at the poor misfortune Koji and Rika had. All the while Asuka was left blushing hard by what her past self did.
"Hey now, don't laugh at Asuka-san…" Sho frowned disappointedly.
"I'm sorry, I'm not laughing at her. No worries." the mutt reassured him, "These two however?" Another image of the beating an embarrassed Asuka gave them, sent Rex into yet another laughing fit. Koji shook his head.
"I think we get it at this point. We were idiots and we paid the price." Koji said after both the E-Hero Duelist and the mutt finally stopped laughing.
"Still that was a great Duel you two had." Judai grinned widely.
"I did make a promise to him that when he beats me, he can finally date me." Asuka said, "Though again, I am sorry for that." she apologized to the pair.
"Come on, Asuka-chan. You already apologized to us enough." Rika reassured her.
"Besides, ain't nothing wrong with waiting." Koji noted. "And if anyone tries to hit on you or vice-versa, Rika and I will set 'em straight."
"Yeah, I'll hit 'em with my cast iron." Rika grinned manically, showing said pan she pulled from hammerspace.
"Please don't resort to violence," Asuka sweat dropped.
"Unngh…"
Everyone looked towards Kuromu as he slowly regained consciousness.
"Hey, he's waking up!" Judai noticed as everyone gathered around his bedside. They all looked down at him as they waited to see him open his eyes. Slowly but surely, those eyelids lifted up, the light in his eyes returning as his vision cleared up.
"Guys…?"
"Kuro!" Asuka and Rika smiled widely in relief.
"Heh, you're finally awake eh?" the disco fan chuckled.
"Ugh… what happened?" he asked them.
"You fainted after you beat Oogumo." Rex answered. "Which by the way, he ran off."
"Figures…" Kuromu sighed, before slowly sitting up, but cringed in pain as he did. "Itetetetetete…"
"Hey, easy now, Daddy-O. You're pretty beaten up," Koji urged him.
"Understatement of the century…" Kuromu groaned.
"I'll go get Kyoshiro-san!" Judai said, before running off.
"Aniki, wait up!" Sho called out, running after him.
"Ugh, I don't want you guys getting in trouble for running in the halls again!" Rex grumbled before going after his fellow Osiris dorm mates.
"They do realize we're still on Winter Break, right?" Rika sweat dropped.
"Would it be them if they didn't?" Koji pointed out.
"Fair point…" Rika huffed with crossed arms. "Well anyways, you get some rest. I'll cook up some food for ya. Koji, you're helping me out." Rika ordered.
"Huh? Wha- oooooooh." Koji realized before grinning at the two. "Catch ya on the flip side, ya two. Play nice." He said, leaving no room for Kuromu and Asuka to talk as the two friends left, much to their annoyance.
"So… what happened while I was knocked out?" Kuromu asked.
"Quite a bit." Asuka said as she briefly explained what happened… but then blushed upon finding out that now the story of how their promise was made is known to the rest of their friends.
"You guys told them that?" Kuromu sighed wearily.
"For what it's worth? Judai and Rex got a good laugh at what happened to Rika and Koji." Asuka pointed out, which got a good chuckle out of the Rider Duelist.
"Heh, yeah. Black and blue was an understatement. There was some red thrown in there too."
"It's not like I wanted to!" Asuka sighed, blushing at that incident.
"Hahahahaha… ow, it hurts to laugh…" Kuromu got out, "Still, that was one intense Duel. How long was I even out?"
"Most of the day." Asuka said. "Oogumo… really did a number on you."
"No kidding…" Kuromu sighed, before looking at his nightstand, seeing the flash drive.
"Koji and Rika didn't peek at it if that's what you're worried about." Asuka reassured him. "It wouldn't feel right for us to look before you did."
"Really glad Rex didn't smash it." Kuromu sighed in relief, "Still, kinda embarrassing now that everyone knows…"
"It's not that bad. Better for them to know now then later." Asuka noted.
"Yeah, I guess so." Kuromu trailed off.
"What's wrong?" Asuka asked, concerned.
"Nothing, just… trying to process everything." Kuromu answered. "It's gonna be a long while before I can fulfill that promise though. There's so much going on, I-"
"Kuro…" Asuka said, holding his hand. "It's okay, I can wait."
"But…"
"But nothing. Oogumo is still out there, and Mrs. Yukina is still missing. I can afford waiting a bit longer." Asuka reassured him. "I don't want you to hurt any more than you already have."
"Asuka…" Kuromu trailed off, before looking down. "I'm sorry. I… guess I was rushing things, huh?"
The Obelisk Queen merely shook her head with a smile, "Like I said, I can wait. Right now, you should focus on getting better."
"Okay…"
"I'll go see if Rika and Koji need help." Asuka said, before leaving the infirmary and leaving Kuromu on his own.
The Rider Duelist sighed as he sat there on his bed. He then looked to the side, seeing his jacket on the chair that was at his bedside, which he then grabbed. He fished out of the inside pocket of his jacket a single card, Silent Magician. He smiled sadly, looking back at the memories he had with his old deck, before switching to using the Kamen Riders.
"Gomen ne…" He apologized. "It's not like I wanted to abandon you and the others, but…"
"You have nothing to apologize for."
This caught Kuromu off guard, prompting him to look around wildly, before the Duel Spirit of said card appeared before him.
"S-Silent Magician?" Kuromu gasped. "But… how…? You're-"
"Kid, did you forget what you got now?" Shotaro reminded him as he appeared before the Rider Duelist.
"Oh, right… Duel Spirits." Kuromu trailed off, "Still getting used to that."
"Kuromu, my dear apprentice, we understood what needed to be done." Silent Magician said. "You needed to grow and evolve."
"She's right, you know." The detective agreed, "Change is needed to grow as a Duelist. Not just in terms of a changing meta, but also as people we tend to branch out from our old ways."
"And yet…"
"Do not fear. I may be a part of your past, but as long as you keep those memories alive and in your heart, we will never truly go away."
"Really? You mean that?"
"I do, my apprentice." the magician stated with a warm smile. "No matter what the future holds, I will always be at your side… until the very end."
Kuromu smiled before putting the card back in his pocket. The Silent Magician and Shotaro were right, despite not being the same Duelist he used to be, that didn't mean that he should forget about the road he took to get to this point.
"Thank you… Silent Magician."
"Hmhmhm, come now, you are not going to refer to what you used to call me?" Silent Magician giggled.
Kuromu blushed at that, "Do I have to? Besides, that's the name Asuka gave you, not me. I don't feel right calling you by that name."
"You seem quite in agreement back then."
"O-Only because of a story I was writing back then. It was… was…"
"Quite endearing… and flattering at the same time." Silent Magician giggled again. "Come now, for old time's sake."
Kuromu sighed in defeat but smiled nonetheless. "Well if it's for old time's sake then… I'll oblige." He said, closing his eyes and bowing to her.
"Thank you… Shizuka-sensei…"
Meanwhile…
Tsukasa was on the phone talking with his contact, having just explained the situation to the person on the other line. The response was immediate as the person on the other line was more than happy to assist in this endeavor. It was a good thing that Tsukasa had friends in very high places, otherwise it'd be very difficult. It will also give the staff at Duel Academia peace of mind that their students can now be safe.
"I owe you one for this." Tsukasa said. "It will definitely help in the long run."
["I just hope you know what you're doing, senpai."] The person on the other side of the line hoped.
"It's all for the best." Tsukasa replied. "How are things over there?"
["So far, the tide is slowly going in our direction. Everyone's doing all they can. Although…"]
"Yeah, I know." Tsukasa remembered. "Sorry about that. I know our forces are virtually cut in half, but given the situation we're in now, we can't go back just yet. Though I'm sure you can hold just a little bit longer until things calm down on my end."
["I understand. Let's hope we can stop them from destroying everything."]
"You and I both." Tsukasa said. "Anyways, I gotta get going. Let me know when the tech's ready and I'll pick it up."
["Got it. And give my best to that kid."]
"I will. You hang in there too, alright?" Tsukasa said. With a voice of confirmation from the other person on the line, Tsukasa hung up, looking at the sky. "I'm counting on you… Hiden Aruto-shacho."