Cardfight!! Vanguard SC: Defenders of the Gate

Chapter 34: Rendevous

It was now one week from the Messiah Scramble. It was scary thought really, that depending on which side out-cardfought the other, the world would either still be the same or the new stomping ground of one most feared clans on Cray. Yudai was currently on a train with three other cardfighters. One was Shika Akia, the Spike Brothers Clan Guardian. He was about two years younger than Yudai, and he was little immature. But he was a decent cardfighter, so that was good. His avatar was named Breakbomber Maximum. Another was Tsukina Amane, and she was the Dark Irregular Clan Guardian. She has long and wavy purple hair and had this weird bitter-sweet smile. The thing was, she was...a bit of a seductress. It seemed she like the fact that she could manipulate men with her looks, and she didn't exclude Yudai from this either. She'd often try to flirt to with him, but with few results and to her annoyance. Her avatar's name was Regal Succubus. Like the avatar, like vanguard they do say. And last, but not least, there was Kiseki Izumi, a friend of Yudai that he had known for a little. She was shy and sweet, but she knew her way around a cardfight. Her ace was called Fateteller Masquerade, Aika. He texted Rei, Roka and Kiniro to see how their searches went and they were all a success. Roka and Rei were even already back in the Dragon Empire. He tried texting Izo, but he was still MIA, with no word on where he might be.

"Yudai, are we nearly there yet?" Shika asked. Yudai's train of thought broke and he looked up. "Hmm? Oh, yeah, we're almost there. Should be another ten minutes." He replied. Tsukina looked over at Yudai and smiled. "Yudai, dear, my seat's a little uncomfortable. Mind if I come sit on your lap?" Yudai frowned. "As if." Offended, Tsukina puffed out her cheeks and pouted. "Whatever, you're no fun anyway." But that was just it. Yudai wasn't having fun with his new companions. With Izo missing and the fate of two worlds (and possibly many others) resting on his shoulders, all the stress had put him in a bad mood. Which made Kiseki worry.

"Are you okay, Yudai? You don't seem like yourself." Yudai nodded and took a deep breath. "Yeah, I'm fine. I'm just a little tired, that's all." He answered. He looked at the three people with him. It was sad really. They all seemed so happy now, but in a week's time, it would be a bloodbath.

Ten minutes later, they arrived at the train station at the Empire. Literally just as he got off then train, Yudai received a text from Rei. As any other person would do, he opened it and read it.

Hey, Yu. Kin made it home b4 u and every1's meeting @ at Sandwich King. I'll see u there! Peace XD

Yudai sighed. "How many times have I asked him to stop calling me that?" He turned to the others. All right, guys, we're going to Sandwich King!"

Yudai, Shika, Kiseki and Tsukina all arrived at Sandwich King. The place was packed with fighter's they had never seen before, but there were some familiar faces. Kiniro ran to greet Yudai and the two bumped fists. He took him to join the party of 20+ fighters. Yudai's eyes landed on a particular girl with orange hair that dropped to her shoulders and eyes that glimmered like the ocean. "Aya?" He said out loud, paralysed. Hearing her name being spoken, she looked up and she couldn't believe who she saw. "Is that you, Yudai?" They ran over to each other and shared a hug. Roka walked over to them. "Oh, so you two know each other?" Aya smiled. "Yeah, Yudai and I have known each for years." Yudai nodded. "Mhmm hmm, she always used to hand out with Yui and I, but we fell out of contact after she moved to Magallencia," said Yudai. Aya put a hand to her chin. "That reminds me. Have you heard from Kaiko these past few years? It's like he fell off the face of the earth or something." Yudai's mind flashed back to the encounter with the masked man on the roof, and he suddenly got a sick feeling in his stomach. But Aya caught on and having known him longer than anyone else, knew what the look on his face meant. It also didn't help when Tsurugi Moriyama, the Neo Nectar Clan Guardian, uttered the words, "Hey, did you guys hear? Kagero disappeared."