Shark [Kamishiro, Ryoga] (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
deepseahunter_shark) wrote2020-04-18 08:40 pm
deepseahunter_shark) wrote2020-04-18 08:40 pm
[An Older Story - Silent Honor ARK]
((Note: This was an older story that I found on my google docs that I didn't finish up for some reason or another. This is sorta important at least in terms of why Shark and Rio have 101/103, so I felt I should at least put it up after finishing it since I apparently never had it anywhere else.))
Number 101: Silent Honor ARK
Reading the name felt foreign to Ryoga (or as he commonly preferred to refer to himself as: Shark) as he held the Xyz card in his hand.
He had no memory of ever getting a Numbers card. In fact, he could scarcely recall if he had seen a monster like it before— a vague memory popped into his head of one of the SJL duelists using it before. Some guy with white hair and dark skin, but no one really important.
And yet, it didn’t feel right. As in, touching it didn’t feel “right”, like the hairs on the back of his neck would stand on end. Was he afraid of it? Was it his psychic abilities going off? Or was there something more to this card, other than the fact that it’s source was escaping his memory?
Of course, usually, he wouldn’t bother with dwelling on it. But after that conversation with Mizuki, and how Tsukumo had cards he couldn’t remember either… Well, something didn’t feel right about it.
But what was it? He didn’t even recognize some of his other cards… they seemed to be upgrades to his Black Ray Lancer, but those didn’t give him an uneasy feeling like the Number did. Nowhere close.
He rubbed his head. He could feel the beginnings of a headache forming as he got frustrated over it. So what if he had some cards he didn’t remember? He probably did just… toss them in at some point. Even if it felt like it stung to think that, for some reason.
He finally gave up on thinking about it, and went to bed. He’d just go about things as usual tomorrow, just as always. He couldn’t afford to get wound up like this, anyway.
--
“Hey, are you sure about this?”
Shark addressed a boy who looked about his age-- a red scarf, silver hair, glasses, grey eyes that betrayed a certain weariness… He was offering Shark a card in one hand, and another card to Rio, who was standing next to him, holding them out expectantly.
“There’s not a lot I’m sure about at this point, but I can’t deny the idea that these cards are meant to be with the two of you.” The boy responded simply.
“You don’t even know us. What if we decide to just toss the cards away or something? Or tear them apart?” Shark could just hear Rio about to reprimand him for that, but he had to know why this guy was trusting him or Rio at all.
The boy, however, seemed undaunted, like he expected that level of obstinate behavior from Shark. “If that’s what you chose to do to them, then that’ll be on my own head for trusting you. But once I give you them, they’re your responsibilities. Not mine. Whatever you do won’t have bearing on me.”
That annoyed Shark slightly. Responsibilities? And he really would just accept it if he did that? There was no way… Shark turned around, hand in his pocket. There’s no way he could trust such a weird guy like this, offering him and his sister cards like those without being entirely honest... “You can find someone else to take them. I’m not playing along with whatever scheme you’ve got going here. Come on Rio, let’s go--”
He was cut off by the boy grabbing onto his arm. While Shark’s first reaction was to yank it away, something stopped him-- though he wouldn’t be able to say if it was because of the surprising, almost supernatural strength on his part that kept his arm in place, or because of something else. “... Do you want to fight me or something?”
The boy’s grip tightened a bit. And then he whispered a name that caught Shark’s ears for but a moment-- “Nash”-- before he let go. The boy shook his head, and them seemed to recollect himself. “Fine, I get it. You can tell I’m not really being as truthful as I could be about this, right?”
“So you admit you’re lying?” Shark spat that out slightly.
“Not lying.” The boy corrected. “But… not telling you the entire story.” He held up the two cards-- Number cards. Shark couldn’t even understand the writing on them, and Rio’s own expression said the same.
“These two cards are more than just that. They were meant to be… partners. The other halves of the souls of my comrades, who were killed before they could even really live.” The boy shook his head. “The ones who killed them… Were also their creators. My creators. Same as [kkshshh], the one who’s been wreaking havoc around here.”
Subconsciously, Shark felt like he heard whatever name was there, but it seemed like… static. But his focus stayed on the words-- no, it was more like there was nothing else he could do about it. He couldn’t react at all to it.
“The thing is, though. They looked like you. Both of you.” Okay, that took Shark a little off-guard, along with Rio.
“What do you mean “looked like you”? Just what kind of game are you playing at?”
The boy shook his head. “It isn’t a game. My comrades… they were going to look like the both of you. And whether it’s coincidence or not, it’s the closest I can get to trusting anyone.” He looked away slightly, gritting his teeth. “I just… I don’t want my creators to get these cards.They were going to destroy them. They sent [kkshshh] and myself to die. I can’t take any risk of them finding me and finding even just the partial souls of my family--”
“Fine, I get it.” Shark cut off the boy’s growing rant. “Well, actually, I don’t really get all of these details, about aliens or whatever you might be.” He grabbed the card that was being offered to him in a quick gesture. “But the point is that you want these things kept separate from you, right? Then fine. I’m sure I’ll put it to really good use.”
The boy’s shoulders dropped slightly, as though tension was leaving him. Just a little bit. Especially as Rio took her own card, following suit. “... thank you. Both of you.”
“Don’t thank us just yet. I still don’t buy that whole “meant to be with you” crap, but if this gets the conversation moving faster before your buddy ends up finding us, then I’ll live with carrying around some weird alien card.”
--
Shark woke up, feeling the fringes of the memory of a dream on the edge of his consciousness. Whatever in the world that was, he could feel it leaving him, fast.
It was about… some boy. An alien? He didn’t look alien, but--
And he gave Rio and himself two cards, that were… souls? He scrambled to find something to write this down before he forgot the details. Grey hair, grey eyes, glasses, partners, comrades, aliens…
No, he couldn’t remember too much else. But he could remember that. Now that he’s written it down, he can at least figure out something from here.
It was going to absolutely bug him until he did.
Number 101: Silent Honor ARK
Reading the name felt foreign to Ryoga (or as he commonly preferred to refer to himself as: Shark) as he held the Xyz card in his hand.
He had no memory of ever getting a Numbers card. In fact, he could scarcely recall if he had seen a monster like it before— a vague memory popped into his head of one of the SJL duelists using it before. Some guy with white hair and dark skin, but no one really important.
And yet, it didn’t feel right. As in, touching it didn’t feel “right”, like the hairs on the back of his neck would stand on end. Was he afraid of it? Was it his psychic abilities going off? Or was there something more to this card, other than the fact that it’s source was escaping his memory?
Of course, usually, he wouldn’t bother with dwelling on it. But after that conversation with Mizuki, and how Tsukumo had cards he couldn’t remember either… Well, something didn’t feel right about it.
But what was it? He didn’t even recognize some of his other cards… they seemed to be upgrades to his Black Ray Lancer, but those didn’t give him an uneasy feeling like the Number did. Nowhere close.
He rubbed his head. He could feel the beginnings of a headache forming as he got frustrated over it. So what if he had some cards he didn’t remember? He probably did just… toss them in at some point. Even if it felt like it stung to think that, for some reason.
He finally gave up on thinking about it, and went to bed. He’d just go about things as usual tomorrow, just as always. He couldn’t afford to get wound up like this, anyway.
--
“Hey, are you sure about this?”
Shark addressed a boy who looked about his age-- a red scarf, silver hair, glasses, grey eyes that betrayed a certain weariness… He was offering Shark a card in one hand, and another card to Rio, who was standing next to him, holding them out expectantly.
“There’s not a lot I’m sure about at this point, but I can’t deny the idea that these cards are meant to be with the two of you.” The boy responded simply.
“You don’t even know us. What if we decide to just toss the cards away or something? Or tear them apart?” Shark could just hear Rio about to reprimand him for that, but he had to know why this guy was trusting him or Rio at all.
The boy, however, seemed undaunted, like he expected that level of obstinate behavior from Shark. “If that’s what you chose to do to them, then that’ll be on my own head for trusting you. But once I give you them, they’re your responsibilities. Not mine. Whatever you do won’t have bearing on me.”
That annoyed Shark slightly. Responsibilities? And he really would just accept it if he did that? There was no way… Shark turned around, hand in his pocket. There’s no way he could trust such a weird guy like this, offering him and his sister cards like those without being entirely honest... “You can find someone else to take them. I’m not playing along with whatever scheme you’ve got going here. Come on Rio, let’s go--”
He was cut off by the boy grabbing onto his arm. While Shark’s first reaction was to yank it away, something stopped him-- though he wouldn’t be able to say if it was because of the surprising, almost supernatural strength on his part that kept his arm in place, or because of something else. “... Do you want to fight me or something?”
The boy’s grip tightened a bit. And then he whispered a name that caught Shark’s ears for but a moment-- “Nash”-- before he let go. The boy shook his head, and them seemed to recollect himself. “Fine, I get it. You can tell I’m not really being as truthful as I could be about this, right?”
“So you admit you’re lying?” Shark spat that out slightly.
“Not lying.” The boy corrected. “But… not telling you the entire story.” He held up the two cards-- Number cards. Shark couldn’t even understand the writing on them, and Rio’s own expression said the same.
“These two cards are more than just that. They were meant to be… partners. The other halves of the souls of my comrades, who were killed before they could even really live.” The boy shook his head. “The ones who killed them… Were also their creators. My creators. Same as [kkshshh], the one who’s been wreaking havoc around here.”
Subconsciously, Shark felt like he heard whatever name was there, but it seemed like… static. But his focus stayed on the words-- no, it was more like there was nothing else he could do about it. He couldn’t react at all to it.
“The thing is, though. They looked like you. Both of you.” Okay, that took Shark a little off-guard, along with Rio.
“What do you mean “looked like you”? Just what kind of game are you playing at?”
The boy shook his head. “It isn’t a game. My comrades… they were going to look like the both of you. And whether it’s coincidence or not, it’s the closest I can get to trusting anyone.” He looked away slightly, gritting his teeth. “I just… I don’t want my creators to get these cards.They were going to destroy them. They sent [kkshshh] and myself to die. I can’t take any risk of them finding me and finding even just the partial souls of my family--”
“Fine, I get it.” Shark cut off the boy’s growing rant. “Well, actually, I don’t really get all of these details, about aliens or whatever you might be.” He grabbed the card that was being offered to him in a quick gesture. “But the point is that you want these things kept separate from you, right? Then fine. I’m sure I’ll put it to really good use.”
The boy’s shoulders dropped slightly, as though tension was leaving him. Just a little bit. Especially as Rio took her own card, following suit. “... thank you. Both of you.”
“Don’t thank us just yet. I still don’t buy that whole “meant to be with you” crap, but if this gets the conversation moving faster before your buddy ends up finding us, then I’ll live with carrying around some weird alien card.”
--
Shark woke up, feeling the fringes of the memory of a dream on the edge of his consciousness. Whatever in the world that was, he could feel it leaving him, fast.
It was about… some boy. An alien? He didn’t look alien, but--
And he gave Rio and himself two cards, that were… souls? He scrambled to find something to write this down before he forgot the details. Grey hair, grey eyes, glasses, partners, comrades, aliens…
No, he couldn’t remember too much else. But he could remember that. Now that he’s written it down, he can at least figure out something from here.
It was going to absolutely bug him until he did.