The Mighty Sunfighter!

Future Card Buddyfight RP Blog Gao Mikado | 未門牙王 Affiliated with Città Alveare. Room: Sector:

[gaowao-blog]

This blog is no longer affiliated with CC!

[savagesteel]

"Wh—?!"

What was he…—was he trying to guess at his feelings through watching his eyebrows? What kind of fool would think such a ridiculous method valid?! Mikado had a tendency to surpass expectation, but to think that proclivity would cover levels of stupidity as well as skill was just…!

"I’m not enthralled or ecstatic! Don’t kid yourself! Rouga snapped, teeth gritted a moment before he abruptly turned away.

"I don’t have time for this."

[gaowao-blog]

 "Heeyy! C'mon, what's the rush..?!" Truly, the little Sun Fighter meant no harm. Rouga was a rather cool and interesting individual, not to mention strong. But with that rigid refute, the elder should have known that Gao would not take no for an answer... "It's not like we have school or the tournament to worry about right now.. How about we hang out or somethin? Tasuku-Senpai is here, too! We should all Buddyfight or play in the rec room!"

[radiantevolution-old]

a little buddy

[radiantevolution-old]

"…"

Well… Tasuku had been alone when he fought the both of them. Having reduced Jack to nothing more than a mindless weapon… But Drum didn’t need to know that, and neither did Gao. Not yet.

"Heh… You’re both stronger than I am. You don’t have to worry about that. But… It’s best not to make any moves yet if you don’t know what you’re up against. Kyouya and Azi-Dahaka… They’re dangerous."

He paused, staring hard at his feet in thought.

"…I dunno. There’s not really any place we can go that Azi-Dahaka won’t be able to see."

"Maybe I should bring you back to Gao-kun. You’ll probably be safer with him than with me. Kyouya and Azi-Dahaka probably won’t do anything if I’m not, so it might be for the best if I’m alone. They’ll have no reason to suspect anything."

"Maybe you should stay in your card too? Just to be safe…"

[gaowao-blog]

"Hm..." Again, that feeling that the entire truth wasn't there.. And though Drum could have went on and on with a million other questions, he decided to concede to Tasuku's wishes. Just like how he couldn't necessarily tell Drum what to do, it went the other way around, too. The only difference was, Drum had Gao to relay some of these leads to and cook up a plan to get their friend out of evil's clutches..

 "Okay. I don't want you to get any heat, so I'll do that." Without another word, Drum condensed into a ball of bright yellow light that illuminated the musty library environment around them, a fitted Buddyfight card taking shape and settling easily into Tasuku's hand.  Looks like I'm in his care now, but if anything does happen, I'll get my drill ready..

[radiantevolution-old]

a little buddy

[radiantevolution-old]

"…Something like that."

He normally wouldn’t have cared that he was walking on eggshells, but now that Kyouya had threatened to rope Aichi or Gao into the mix, Tasuku was much more reluctant to make any reckless moves.

"…Would he? I dunno about that. Even if you were able to defeat Azi-Dahaka, I’m sure Kyouya would have some sort of insurance. And that’s only if you’re able to land a even scratch on Azi-Dahaka in the first place."

He closed his eyes. “…I tried fighting them, but…well, you can see how that turned out. He’s not a foe you can take down with determination alone.”

Sighing, Tasuku leaned against one of the shelves, giving Drum another small squeeze. “I can’t stop you if you want to do something like that, but please…please don’t challenge him recklessly. I don’t want you or Gao-kun to get hurt.”

[gaowao-blog]

Kyoya was just that good...? But he was a child no older than Tasuku or Gao, which baffled Drum. To think that one tiny individual would have so much influence and power because of his mighty Buddy Monster and incredible wealth... Earth was kinda a scary place in that respect. Just about anyone could do what they wanted with the right resources, couldn't they...?  "Hunh... If he was a challenge to you and Jackknife Dragon then I guess it would be best to think things through.." And that was just Drum putting it lightly. "Dang it... I went to so many different worlds to get stronger for Gao and to protect him, like Jack does for you, but even as I am now, it still might not be enough against the likes of Kyoya..?" That was incredibly disheartening. The struggle and search for power wasn't something for the faint willed, it seemed. But this was just making it seem like more of a chore than a decision based on confidence and resolve alone... "Gao's my Buddy, so of course I'd do anything to make sure he's safe but.." Oh, boy, now Drum was the one doubting his own strength.. "Nah, nevermind. Best not to get so negative. Anyway, where are we gonna go with that Dahaka thing floating around looking for you?"

[radiantevolution-old]

a little buddy

[radiantevolution-old]

"Sorry about that…"

At least in the quiet of the empty library, hidden in between the shelves, he felt a little safer, even with Drum’s loud complaints.

"I guess you wouldn’t have been able to sense him…"

"…It was Azi-Dahaka… Kyouya’s Buddy. He can see and hear anything he chooses, even in this facility. And as you’d expect, he can relay everything he finds out back to Kyouya."

"That’s why I can’t say anything. I spotted him that time, so I was lucky, but I’ll never know when he’s watching. Or…when Kyouya’s watching."

[gaowao-blog]

 "This Gaen kid and his dumb Buddy are really beginning to boil my blood!" Steam blowing from his nostrils, Drum knew he couldn't do much else but, literally, blow hot air around, especially when Tasuku's well-being was at stake. "Pretty soon this is gonna get personal!" Actually.. this was new news to him. An all-seeing Buddy Monster? Kyoya Gaen's Buddy.... "...Waitasec, so... the only reason you're so tight lipped is because that Azi-Dahaka or whatever is watching everything you do? And tattle-tailing it back to Kyoya?! "So if we took down his Buddy, he'd suffer a fatal blow in his evil plans, right..?!"

[radiantevolution-old]

a little buddy

[radiantevolution-old]

"It’s not a matter of pride! I just don’t want to get you all involved…"

…But he was beginning to understand what Drum was getting at. The fact that he couldn’t handle things on his own was a tough lesson that he’d had to learn the hard way back in their world.

"…Maybe…you have a point?" He sighed. This was all so convoluted… "But…I dunno. Talking about isn’t going to change anything."

And there was the fact that he felt like he couldn’t say anything about it, lest, as Kyouya put it, his nightmares came to fruition.

He froze in place, feeling a familiar gaze on them, though Drum was apparently oblivious to it as he jabbered on.

"Shh!" Clamping a hand over Drum’s snout, it came with as much dismay as he’d expect, but anything was better than Azi-Dahaka overhearing their conversation and relaying it back to Kyouya.

"Listen," he spoke in a hushed whisper over Drum’s muffled complaints. "We’re going somewhere else, okay?"

Holding Drum a little closer to him, he set off in a jog, ducking around corners and taking twists and turns. They would be ultimately futile, he knew, since Azi-Dahaka could see all, but it would still take time for the demon dragon to find them.

They eventually came upon the library, Tasuku ducking in quickly. It was dim, and there were tall shelves everywhere, so they’d be harder to find, at least…

"…Alright." He released Drum’s jaw finally. "Sorry about that. We were being watched."

[gaowao-blog]

"--Mmmphh!! Mnnmh!?" Squirming on cue, writhing like something similar to a lizard on its back, Drum eventually began to stifle himself as Tasuku got running (but also in part due to a lack of oxygen, too.) Once those handfuls of minutes passed, which felt like an eternity, mind you, there came some relief once his jaws were released, Drum uttering a load groan.  "Ugggghhhh.... I couldn't breathe..!!" Huffing and gasping for air, Drum immediately snapped back at Tasuku, glaring up at him with large furious eyes. "The heck! Who was watchin?! That's gotta be impossible with my nose! I didn't even sense anyone but you and me!"

[radiantevolution-old]

a little buddy

[radiantevolution-old]

"…Am I that transparent?"

Probably, if Drum was practically picking his thoughts apart and voicing them. He had to work on the poker face…

"I guess there’s no point hiding stuff from you, huh? But I don’t know… Even if I opened up about it, I’m afraid Gao-kun would go rushing headlong into things. I don’t want that."

He knew Gao was capable, more capable than Tasuku as he was now, but even he might not have been able to hold his own against Kyouya… And Tasuku wanted to at least protect Gao in his own way. The only way he could…

"But anything is better than Gao-kun getting hurt himself, isn’t it? As long as it’s not him, or Aichi-san, or Jack…I can take it."

And he was determined to bear it. He had been the one to give in in the first place.

"I have to be the one to take responsibility for my mistakes. Not Gao-kun, not anyone else."

[gaowao-blog]

 "That's true, I guess.." Both on Gao's recklessness and Tasuku's sense of duty. Gao was one sort of anomaly all on his own, because while it was safe to assume the tiny Sun Fighter would hop on the nearest danger train and collide head first with trouble, he also tended to surprise many and come up with some well-thought-out plans. It just really depended on the situation, so surely if Tasuku sat down and planned something out with him, they could both work out of whatever jam he was stuck in... Whereas that resoluteness to conquer one's self debt, well... "--You humans are too stubborn. I mean, what're you gonna do when you're in trouble and no one knows to come and help because you kept it to yourself? What if it's not something you can handle alone, boy wonder? You'd rather die because of your pride?" Because that was just... foolish. (Though there was clearly some hypocrisy happening here, but that was fine. Drum was a Dragon, after all. He simply did as he pleased in this realm of soft-bodied humans. Normal customs didn't exactly apply to him.) "You're not my Buddy but you're Gao's best friend.. and you're... kinda cool. I wouldn't want anything to happen to you either. Plus even if you get hurt in Gao's place, you really think he's gonna sit and take that well either? You gotta work out a middle ground.. "That Gaen kid is a common enemy, and even though you've been forced to do his bidding or whatever, I know you're looking for a way out of it, you just--" Though perhaps, it would do Drum well to shut his chomper, given that a certain three-headed deity was beginning to stir..

[radiantevolution-old]

a little buddy

[radiantevolution-old]

"Yeah, but… It’s not that simple. We don’t even know if the Groundskeeper is human or not… And there are plenty of non-human people here too. I mean, to be able to bring so many people from so many different worlds into this one place… No normal human would be able to do that. We don’t even know what the Groundskeeper looks like… Maybe he doesn’t even have a physical form?”

So many mysteries left unanswered… Would they even find an answer while they were here? 

"Tired-looking blueberry…? …Oh, you mean Aichi-san? I didn’t think you and Gao-kun would’ve met him…"

He slowed to a halt, still holding Drum close to him. It was amazing how on point his assumptions were, but…

"…"

"…I can’t say. I’m sorry."

Oh, how he wished he had the power to do something, but…he

didn’t, and Kyouya had handily demonstrated that just a few days ago. Kyouya had eyes everywhere thanks to Azi-Dahaka’s power, and Tasuku didn’t want to risk the safety of Gao and his Buddy any more by spilling the beans.

This is my own problem… I have to deal with it myself. It was my fault to begin with…

"Mm… Maybe…? I wonder if Jack and the Future Force were the only things I had going for me… Without them, I’d just be another normal kid."

"Maybe I was just…lucky. Heh…" He smiled sardonically. "I was lucky to have Jack as my Buddy…”

When he thought about “family”, Jack was the first that came to mind. The faces of his biological parents were somewhat faded and dull in his memory by now…

"—Ah, but listen to me go on. Sorry… I didn’t mean to get carried away like that."

[gaowao-blog]

"What?! C'mon are you sayin he's some sort of God or somethin?!I doubt it! Since he's hiding he's gotta be some weakling! Someone that powerful wouldn't hide away! I wouldn't!" Plus, even if the idea of the Groundskeeper was fake, someone else had to go through a lot of trouble to uphold the beliefs around here... Or it could have been a team of people, working right under their noses while pretending to be captives themselves... All of it speculation, but one had to consider the possibility especially since they weren't supposed to be "trusting" anyone here.. Drum kept quiet though, until the boy spoke out of turn.  "Tasuku...." ...And just where was Jack? Drum certainly couldn't sense him nearby? Something Kyoya must have cooked up on top of everything else. What a nasty human. "Hit the nail on the head, didn't I? Figures.... "Hey, I'll respect your decision even if I don't like it, buuut... you know, keepin Gao in the dark might put him in danger too... he won't know what to expect. And if you keep shouldering everything thinking it's only your problem, you're going to end up getting hurt; that's going to upset Gao, too... "You've got no idea how much he cares about you, boy wonder. You'd be surprised."

[radiantevolution-old]

a little buddy

[radiantevolution-old]

"…"

Of course it was Taisou. It was always Taisou. 

"…He does that a lot. We’re all used to it by now." No, not really. "Anyway, it’s probably something that’s going to happen periodically, but here’s hoping that no one actually gets hurt."

He hummed softly at Drum’s remark. “I guess it is, yeah… But it’s also a bit worrying, don’t you think? The fact that the food here never runs out, and all the necessities are provided… The Groundskeeper is dead set on keeping us here.”

One could say that they were lucky that their accommodations were so comfortable, but Tasuku wasn’t so idealistic. 

Ah… And unlike Gao, Drum was a little less tactful. A little more pressing with his questions.

"Well…"

He sighed, feeling heavy-hearted all of a sudden, squeezing Drum a little closer to him subconsciously.

"…Yeah. I am. I don’t have any excuses for it either."

There was absolutely nothing he could say to explain himself at all. Keeping his answer brief, he only hoped that Drum would leave it at that…

[gaowao-blog]

"--It's better than having this place turn into a war zone where it's every man for themselves! Having to fight for food or shelter would be pretty awful wouldn't it? Then we'd really be enemies all around!" Concordium was certainly filled with secrets and hidden agendas, but it was that innocent sort of optimism that Drum held that made it livable. Things definitely could have been worse.. And they could always convert to such a state. But until then, they had to make due and be somewhat grateful of their luck. At least for now.  "They can try to keep us here, but we'll bust out! I mean, there's gotta some way out. Humans always have some sort of flaw in their self-proclaimed perfect plans so... we just gotta find Concordium's Achilles's heel! Yeah!" But just when he thought they could move on to a brighter topic, Tasuku's tone considerably diluted; feeling the tightness around his middle, Drum sighed a bit, remaining still just as a means to try and comfort the kid. He nailed it on the head with that proclamation and yet Tasuku had nothing more to say?! Waaayy too anticlimactic. Not cool!

 "..... Why're you letting that punk outright bully you like that then? Do you like being treated like a tool? You're tough! I've seen it! You're THE Buddy of Jackknife Dragon! You can make cards real with that Future Force of yours! .... Or is there more to it than that? Is... "... Is he using Gao and your other friend against you?! That tired lookin blueberry kid..?" Now if only Drum could be as good with names as he was intuitive about current events..

[demonboywonder-blog]

 ” shouldn’t it be obvious?— no, I’m not okay. mind explaining to me exactly what’s going on?”

[gaowao-blog]

"What? Oh... oh, you mean Taisou-san burning things? It happens... But don't worry, he hasn't killed anyone yet, so it's okay! It's normal." Yet being the key word here.. Focus, Gao! "The name's Gao, by the way! Mikado Gao! Are you new around here, stranger?"

[savagesteel]

What was with that hesitation…? And—oi, what was with his final answer…?! This punk kid…!

"Hah…you wish. ‘Happy’ isn’t too close to the word I’d choose to describe seeing you with.”

[gaowao-blog]

Whoa... WHOA? Just then, Rouga's brows had risen just a bit before intensifying, emphasizing the dramatic creases in between his eyes--This HAD to be something! Gao was really beginning to understand Rouga somehow through his purely intuitive observations!  "Ehhh! No, wait, I got it! It's enthralled, isn't it?! Ecstatic?! Rouga-Senpai, I didn't think you'd feel so strongly! Ohmygosh, your eye brows did the thing again! I'm right, aren't I? Aren't I?!"

[demonboywonder-blog]

 his eyebrows furrowed while a sour expression appeared on his face due to his current predicament.

 ” this is the last thing I need.”

[gaowao-blog]

 "Whoa, um...You okay?" What an intense face... it was actually pretty cool?!

[savagesteel]

Again with that ‘friend' nonsense… This kid's persistence would be impressive if it wasn't directed at him.

"I’m fine. Don’t I look it?”

[gaowao-blog]

 "--... well.. I mean... I can't tell if you're just angry or you have an upset stomach, so.." Maybe it's in the eye brows... "Or.. or is that actually your happy face, Rouga-Senpai?! Are you happy to see me?!"

[radiantevolution-old]

a little buddy

[radiantevolution-old]

"You don’t have to worry so much about me, Gao-kun…"

Although, given the state that the other had found Tasuku in when they first met in the facility, and the fact that Tasuku had previously been kidnapped right in front of Gao’s eyes, maybe, just maybe, those worries were not entirely unfounded…

He couldn’t help but laugh at the pair’s antics, raising a hand to his mouth to stifle the chuckles. But in between all of that, Gao had offered something rather outrageous…

"Wha—wait, hold on! Is that really okay with you two? I mean… You’re Buddies… I can’t just…?"

But there was no changing their minds once they were set on something. Both Gao and Drum were equally hard-headed… And it was Gao’s way of staying true to the promise he made to Tasuku. He couldn’t just reject that.

"…Alright. Thank you."

He shook his head at the next offer. “No, no, I couldn’t do that. I’m already borrowing your Buddy… I’m not planning on going outside, anyway. And I’ve still got my own core deck case, so I’ll be okay even if I change my mind.”

He smiled warmly down at Drum.

"Well, I’m in your care now. Thank you for coming along with me."

—

Somewhere along the line, Tasuku didn’t remember when, he had picked Drum up off the ground, holding him close as he walked. The tiny armourdragon was like a little pudgy, warm plushie… Even Tasuku couldn’t resist.

"So… I take it nothing’s changed over the past few days?"

[gaowao-blog]

Venturing out on their rather tamed adventure, Drum's stout little legs had eventually grown tired of lagging behind, silently giving his consent as Tasuku lifted him up into his arms. Getting comfortable--little humans were always so squishy and soft!--he obediently kept his eyes peeled around them glancing up once he was addressed with an inquiry.

 "Nah, not really. That Taisou guy set a room on fire. I think.. and people have been talking about a lake monster or somethin. Hey, actually, I did find out that, no matter how much food I eat from Concordium's stash, it's always immediately replaced the next day! Like magic... That's useful, right?" The one thing about Drum was that, not only was he a brutally honest dragon, but he had no filters either; if he felt strongly about something, he was sure as heck going to say it and without regret, too. He didn't understand the fact that humans kept their loved ones and friends so concerned and at bay with personal secrets and "those white lies" they often told... why not just end one's own self-lamentations and spit it all out? "...But hey, you've got a lot of things you know that you're not willing to tell Gao yet, am I wrong? This nose knows, and that Gaen kid is snooping around.. You really under his influences?"

[savagesteel]

why this why this why this why this why thi

"… What do you want, Mikado.”

[gaowao-blog]

 "C'mon! That's no way to greet a friend! Are you doing all right?"

[radiantevolution-old]

a little buddy

[radiantevolution-old]

"Aah… You two are as lively as ever."

Chuckling lightly as he watched the fun-sized dragon puff smoke out of his nostrils (what he would give to see Jack doing something like that!), he turned back to Gao, a small smile on his face.

"Ah, well… I don’t think I can sleep anymore."

"Sorry. I didn’t want to ditch you or anything—I was going to leave you a note. But I’m feeling so restless that I probably won’t be able to get any more shut-eye, even if I tried. I don’t like spending my days in bed…"

"B-but don’t get me wrong! I really appreciate everything you’ve been doing for me… I think I just need to get out and keep myself busy for a while, though. And to see what everyone’s been up to… Is that okay with you? If it makes you feel better, I’ll come back here at the end of the day."

[gaowao-blog]

 "Hey! I trust you more than anything. As long as you're feeling all right then I can't complain. Come back if you feel like it, man, you do whatever's best for you! I'm glad you've got some of your energy back, though. I was gettin worried.."

And to be completely honest, Gao was still worried; his friends' well-beings were the usual concern on his mind and until Tasuku could stand tall and smile confidently like he used to, Gao would support him no problem. Of course, there was an alternative to keeping him cooped up in bed... "Hey, why don't you take Drum with you? If something happens, he'll protect you! 'sides, this chubby dragon could use the exercise.."

"EX-CUSE ME?! Who're you callin chubby?! You're all baby fat!"

Sharp-tongued as always, Gao pouted dramatically in embarrassment towards Drum's retort, making sure to avoid eye-contact with Tasuku at all costs as his cheeks flared up a bright shade of pink. Coughing awkwardly, Gao pinched Drum's squishy side and got him to back off some, folding his arms tightly across his chest. "Druuuum..! Hush..! Just cooperate for once! Tasuku-Senpai's still not at his best! We gotta help him out, got it?"

"Hmph, whatever! Buuut...

Bright lizard-like eyes glanced up at Tasuku with interest just then holding out his tiny clawed paw in truce.

 "I am interested in travelling with the boy wonder himself! Consider yourself the temporary Buddy of the one and only Drum Bunker Dragon, Ryuuenji Tasuku! Let's get along!"

"Tasuku-Senpai, if you're gonna be headed off outside, you can take my deck case, too... Especially if you run into some sort of wicked monster! Drum might not be too handy by himself.."

"Heyy!"

[gaowao-blog]

 "ROUGA-SENPAI!"