Collection Title: Under Comet's Tale||Title: General Summons
Characters: Juudai, Hane Kuriboh, OCs||Ship: N/A
Collection: 6-6||Story: 1-1||Words: 4,556
Genre: Drama||Rated: G
Challenges: Diversity Writing, GX canon, I24, 1-shot collection centering around 1 person: Juudai
Notes: Again, during Juudai's rule over Dark World. Sorry it took so long.
Summary: Haou, without his armor, without his deck, without his army, only with a feather and two cards, one without a soul. The question isn't who wins but who Haou summons to deal with this.

Golden Pegasus arched through the air, Haou on his back, aiming for a particular rocky outcropping jutting out of the earth not that far ahead of them: their destination.

The farther along that they traveled, the harder it was to keep his anger under control. All around the shadows slipped and danced, tiny flickers that revealed far more than any shouting and fury would have.

He wasn't going to shout. He had no need to. He would express his rage in other ways, when the one who'd incurred his wrath stood in front of him.

Haou anticipated that with a cold joy that he didn't think he'd felt about anything else in far, far too long. He examined it for a few seconds, for lack of anything else to do as they coursed through the air.

When he had truly stopped feeling things? He'd worked on doing that ever since – ever since he'd dueled Brron, really. And what happened after that, though he didn't want to remember those words thrown at him in such heat. The very tiniest part of him, a part that he did not want to acknowledge at all, considered that perhaps when Shou calmed down he might regret them, might seek to apologize, and understand Juudai did his best…

But if he did, Haou knew that he wouldn't care about it. Why should he? Shou shouldn't have been so angry in the first place. Juudai always did his best and why he wasn't sure why it hadn't worked this time, why those he'd lost stayed gone…

Shou still shouldn't have said what he said. If he ever came back, if he were ever found – and Haou wasn't going to rule out that he might be found, as would Jim and O'Brien – then Haou would explain – not in words – why he did what he did now. No one else would ever lose what he had, not while he ruled this world.

They probably wouldn't believe him. They hadn't believed anything else. Good reasons or not, he wasn't going to waste time if they didn't. They wouldn't be harmed unless they foolishly attempted to attack him. Otherwise, they would be kept safe, where no one would harm them.

No one would ever get away with attempting to harm those that he chose to protect.

Someone tried, though. Someone tried now and he would let them pay. Oh, how they would pay. He bared his teeth into something that wasn't a smile, that thrill of anticipation attempting to course through him.

He'd looked forward to duels once, hoping for them and wondering how his opponent would test his skills. He hadn't had a proper duel since he'd come to this world, if not before that. Ever since – ever since Satou, every duel he'd had meant life and death for someone, whether he'd known it at the time or not.

But this wasn't going to be a duel at all. No, this would be something else. He didn't yet know what to call it, other than taking back what was his, and that was more than enough.

"We're almost there, Haou-sama," Golden Pegasus reported. "What do you want of me when we arrive?"

"Retreat to a safe distance." He would need Pegasus to return to his castle, but other than that, he could deal with the rest of his mess on his own. It wouldn't take all that long.

His gaze flickered down to the white feather he held between his fingers. One of Hane Kuriboh's feathers – taken by force no doubt.

That infuriated him more than anything else could have. Memories he didn't want to look at more closely stirred in the back of his head, seeing the way monsters herded his friends together, then seeing them in chains in Brron's arena, the moment he'd failed and lost them…

Never again. Never again. Whatever he had to do in order to make that not happen, he would do it. This world would learn that those he chose to protect were inviolate.

Before too long – and Haou wasn't at all certain if this were due to Pegasus's speed or how he was too distracted by his own thoughts – Pegasus dropped down onto the chosen outcropping. As he'd been told, it rose about as tall as he was off the ground, as wide as twice the span of his arms, and as far as he could tell, common rock gray coloring except for a single streak of crystal in the center of it. In shape it was wider on the part connected to the earth, narrowing the closer to the tip that it grew, but the tip itself broken off, leaving a blunted spear. That streak and the point led to the name he'd been told – Blunt Crystal.

Perhaps not the most creative name but he'd grown not to expect much from some of the monsters around here.

The comet's light fell through the streak of crystal, forming a small area somewhat brighter than anything else around. Not like the places he knew of, but just brighter. It spread wide enough to offer a place to stand for one person.

"Watch yourself, Haou-sama," Golden Pegasus said as he slid down from his seat. "There are those watching you."

Haou tucked the feather into a fold of his cloak. "I know." He'd known since he first began to see this place on the horizon. He'd expected nothing less. If he bothered to use cheap tricks like this, then he would have done the same.

Pegasus cast a glance around, ears swiveling before returning to their relaxed position. "I'll return for you soon, Haou-sama."

With that, he spread his wings and leaped back into the skies, vanishing from sight in mere moments. Haou turned towards Blunt Crystal and waited, knowing what would happen.

"Remove your armor. Remove your duel disk. Remove everything that you have with you save for the card and the feather."

The voice held no gender indications, nor did it seem to come from anywhere in particular. Haou made a point to remember what it sounded like. He would remember all of this.

Removing his armor didn't take all that long. It existed as a function of his will more than anything else. He set down his deck, a hint of a touch to it to inform the Evil Heroes that he'd not need their assistance with this. Before he moved, however, he removed a card from the deck – Hane Kuriboh.

He started to put the deck back down when another card caught his attention. He hesitated only for a heartbeat before he picked it as well. It would do no good; there wasn't any spirit at all attached to it. But a swimming sensation in the depths of his gut told him this was something that he needed to do.

If those who watched knew, they didn't care enough to say anything about it as he finished. He didn't care to look at himself for the moment. Without his armor he once again wore the Osiris Red uniform, though he didn't feel like a student anymore. But it was what was there when he didn't think about his armor and he didn't care enough to try and change it.

"Step into the light, Yuuki Juudai." The same voice as before, but with a hint of mocking to it, as if being without his armor prevented him from being Haou.

Oh, they would learn such a stern lesson.

He entered the light, which strengthened almost at once, to the point that he couldn't see anything at all around himself. Energies swirled around him and when he could see again, he wasn't where he'd been. Instead of standing beside the spear, now he stood in the center of a ring of stones, each twice his height, and from the top of each one there beamed down a blazing blast of light.

He had only the span of three breaths to grasp that before the light grew so intense that he couldn't see anything at all. He'd lived without sunlight for so long that this bright blaze all but blinded him and he stumbled, drawing in a harsh startled breath.

Apparently that was all that his opponents waited for, as hands seized onto him, five or six of them, gripping his arms and legs, binding him first with thick ropes, then a pair of shackles around his wrists and another around his ankles, then fastening something tight around his neck.

"And here we have the mighty Haou!" An unfamiliar mocking voice declared. "The one who has brought so much death and destruction to our world, revealed as the simple human that he truly is, unable to do anything anymore. On his own, defenseless, and soon to spend his life being useful for once, instead of endlessly harming others."

Haou dragged in a ragged breath. He'd suspected something like this from the moment he'd received the message that brought him here, the same one that delivered Hane Kuriboh's feather. He'd come all this way knowing they had a plan.

So did he.

A hard muscled hand gripped his chin and wrenched it upwards. His eyes were still too dazzled by the light to see anything but he knew who his had to be – Axe Raider. The one who organized all of this.

Another voice sounded, this one much more familiar, and worried about him. The tiniest threads of tension worked themselves out of his shoulders at the sound of Hane Kuriboh.

"Yes. Haou's defeat, all brought about because he claimed that he cared about no one and nothing and yet he surrenders himself for this little ball of fluff and feathers." A tiny breath of movement and Haou's fingers tightened at the sound of Hane Kuriboh's pain. "Oh, you need not worry, Haou-sama. Your precious pet will still survive. Whether you do, or not, is yet to be determined."

Again Haou remained silent. He could feel the effects of the chains on him – they were meant to bind power away from those who had it. Exactly how much it would work on him he didn't know. But truth to tell, that hadn't been worked much into his own plans. He'd expected to be tackled and restrained. Even the near-blinding wasn't that unexpected.

This would require more consideration to dispose of.

He found himself dragged to his feet and fought to keep himself steady when he knew his captors wanted him stumbled and humbled. He refused to give them that satisfaction.

"We'll organize the rest of the army and prepare to launch an attack on the former Haou's castle within three days. Let them worry about where their so-called invincible king is – and then see him in chains." Axe Raider let out a loud, bellowing laugh. "Let that be the last sight that they ever see!"

Haou knew that once upon a time he would've replied with some comment about how they couldn't win – he wouldn't let them. But the words died on his lips. It didn't matter how true those words were. He couldn't bring himself to waste the energy to speak them.

Moment by moment he thought his vision cleared. He could see faint shapes moving around, one far too close to him. That would be Axe Raider, of course. The collar tight around his neck had a thin lead of some sort going off from it, one held firm in Axe Raider's hand.

The warrior tugged him along and Haou followed. He could still feel the shadows in the area; they were thicker in some ways. Light cast shadows, he reminded himself, and all of these lights would only serve to make him stronger. Whatever they did now would also only serve to make him stronger.

He wasn't taken far, only to a small bump of a hill, thin grass underneath his feet, along with a few rocks. A circle of people stood there and he found himself tossed into the center of them. Axe Raider grabbed him before he could get onto his feet again, then whirled him around over and over. Haou quickly guessed that it was meant to disorient him as opposed to showing him off. When Axe Raider jerked him to a stop, he almost fell, breathing a bit harder as he fought to balance. It wasn't as easy as it had been before, his heart racing and his breath stuttering in his lungs.

"What is that human saying? Cat got your tongue, Yuuki Juudai?" Axe Raider mocked, taking a better grip on the leash and yanking Haou closer to him. "Speak to those you'd kill!"

Haou raised his head up high and still said nothing. He had nothing at all to say to them. Not yet.

Other hands closed on his, soft and none too gentle, and the cards and feather he'd held onto throughout were jerked out of his grasp. A shape moved; he could see something that reminded him of wings there. What kind of wings he wasn't sure. The lights remained on him, even as his eyes fought to adjust, making it far more difficult than it should have been to see.

"He didn't entirely obey you, Axe Raider-sama," a soft feminine voice spoke. "He brought also this card."

"What?" Axe Raider moved to see what had been taken, tightening the leash to Haou as he did, then laughed at the sight of the card. "An empty card. No soul at all. What sort of foolishness is this?"

None. None at all. Haou couldn't have even answered why he brought along Dark General Freed's card. Just that sense above all others, the sense that guided him through every duel, that this was what he needed to do.

He'd read the effect. The Dark General's effect could be very useful in his own deck, but for right now, it wouldn't do anything. He could not shake the memory of Freed the Brave Wanderer sacrificing himself for Juudai's own sake.

What would he think of what Juudai did now? Of Juudai being the ruthless Haou over this entire world?

Axe Raider snorted at Haou's continued silence. "If that's what you want. We have no need for empty cards." He tossed the feather and Hane Kuriboh's card to one of his servants and took Dark General Freed's card between his fingers. "This is nothing more than useless trash!"

He began to tear.

In between one heartbeat and the next, time slammed to a halt. Haou's heart, dead though he'd thought it to the world, thudded and lurched. He'd never approved of cards being destroyed – with certain exceptions. He would gladly have shredded every copy of Reign-Beaux that he encountered, now and forever. If he'd seen one of Brron, he would have considered throwing a party for that destruction.

But this was not one of those cards. This was something far different, far more special than he'd encountered before. He'd only known Freed for a short time, but Freed meant something to him, and he wouldn't let this happen.

Another thought, flickering through his mind like lightning – if Axe Raider would do this to Freed, then what would stop him from doing it to anyone else's card? To Hane Kuriboh's card? To finding the Gem Beast cards and doing it to them?

What would stop him from finding the graves where his friends' duel disks had been buried and doing it to their cards?

Nothing. Nothing and no one would stop him and Haou didn't doubt for a second that Axe Raider would do it, and laugh at him like Brron had, mock his pain and his sorrow, just like he was doing now.

Axe Raider wouldn't stop at Hane Kuriboh, either. If he had a hint that Shou, Jim, and O'Brien existed, then he would find them, take them, destroy them in every way that he could.

Haou wouldn't allow that. He hadn't done all this just to let those whose lives were nominally sacrosanct be harmed.

The bonds holding him had been intended to keep his power under wraps. He could feel the shadows to some extent but so long as these chains held him, Axe Raider and all of those who supported him presumed that Haou would be held helpless.

Like Brron and like many others before him, Axe Raider was about to learn never to underestimate someone. And like Brron, he would never have the chance to put that lesson into practice.

The cry of rage that erupted from Haou's lips shook the darkness, small as it was, and the light, bright as it might be. Those who heard fell backwards, casting glances of fear among each other, followed by swift reassurances that all he could do would be to yell, they were in no danger.

Axe Raider's fingers stopped tearing at Dark General Freed's card. He turned back to Haou, that mocking laugh still bubbling upwards, but Haou paid no mind to him, not now. Not when something else demanded his attention.

All around Dark General Freed's card there bloomed a rich blossom of night. Axe Raider stared down at it, jaw falling open, and a breath later it dropped from his hand. He shook his head, turning to one of his servants, and Haou cared nothing for what he said.

He had a new servant of his own to deal with.

Only his eyes saw what was before him – Freed the Brave Wanderer, as he'd been in those last moments before he'd been nothing but a sparkle of light. Then all of that light entered him and Haou knew – Freed's soul rested inside of him. Not enough to call to his original card and in time, it would have faded away regardless.

But now he could do something. Now he reached inside of himself and touched every tiny sparkle, every little bit of Freed that remained, and pulled it out. There it hung, a thousand miniature stars that cast no light, and there his will and the darkness – one and the same thing – overwhelmed them all.

What was left of Freed's soul meshed with the darkness of Haou's heart. Haou still did not smile. He had no real need to. But satisfaction swelled regardless as the recrafted and reforged soul made its way to the card and settled inside of it.

Now he spoke. Perhaps not quite as he'd planned, but he spoke all the same. In a normal duel, the monster would've required a tribute to be summoned. At this moment, he needed no such thing.

"I summon Dark General Freed."

He could not see much more than Freed, and he knew that he only saw that because Freed belonged to the darkness as much as he did. He could see the card as a bit of a vague shape where the other vague shape that was Axe Raider dropped it, then the General arose, great sword in hand, turning his scarlet eyes around to gaze at all of those gathered there before he looked back at Haou.

"Your orders, Haou-sama?" The voice sounded much as Freed's had, but deeper, fuller, darker, and definitely with a dangerous edge to it that the original lacked.

Haou had but one order. It was the same one that he'd given so many others so many other times. They'd earned it all so many times. These were no different.

"Kill them all. Except him." He indicated Axe Raider with a nod of his head. "He's mine."

Dark General Freed raised his sword in acknowledgment before he launched himself at the closest figure. Haou could see well enough now to watch what was going on, and he quite enjoyed seeing what Dark General Freed was capable of.

Dark General Freed threw himself among the onlookers, warriors and civilians alike, blade rising and falling, blasts of energy coming from one hand at the same time, person after person falling whether or not they could fight back. He gave no quarter and took none, his focus on slaying as many as he could before they fled away from him.

The light faded away from Haou and his eyes adjusted once more to the darkness. Perhaps more swiftly than it should have been for mortal human eyes, but Haou paid no attention. His attention centered now on how to deal with his own situation. He did so want to see his new general at work.

The power-binding chains made a feeble attempt to keep his power under control. There was some form of vague sentience there, but Haou cared not a whit for that. Instead, he grasped for the darkness as it deepened around him and dragged it deep inside, to where it should have been for now and forever.

Then he stretched himself as far as he could and the bonds screamed and shattered, searing his flesh for a few breaths before it all faded away, leaving bleeding gouges in his skin. That didn't matter. What were more scars, after all? They'd not be the first or the last.

Haou pushed himself to his feet and looked around. Dark General Freed still remained in the center of what had been an army and was now little more than screaming people who could not stand against him for more than a few breaths. Haou's lip curled. As if these thought they could stand against any of his warriors, let alone one powered by his own darkness.

A soft trill tugged at him and he turned a different way to see a young woman, wrapped in a white robe, with white wings that had once gleamed and were now covered in filth and mud. She wrapped herself around the small cage that contained Hane Kuriboh, terrified eyes raised to stare at the warlord of the world.

One reason Haou so seldom needed to speak was because his eyes said all that he would ever need to say. With hardly more than a quirk of his eyes, her hands clawed at the lock on the cage. A flash of light burned, then Hane Kuriboh fluttered his way out and darted straight to Haou.

Haou raised one hand to reassure himself that his partner remained in good health. From the moment that he'd received Axe Raider's demand for his surrender in return for Hane Kuriboh's safety, he'd had a tiniest thread of worry for the little spirit.

My fault, again. If I hadn't sent him out to find the Gem Beasts, he wouldn't have been in any danger. Or if he were, it would be danger that Haou could protect him from.

He turned his gaze onto the winged woman, considering her fate. Hane Kuriboh trilled again and he listened for a few moments before tilting his head forward in a faint nod.

"Go," he grated. "Let me see you no more."

If she had any arguments, she kept them behind her lips, spreading her wings and taking off. She wasn't a fast flier, at least not now, but before long she flitted out of sight. Now Haou had someone else to take care of. He turned to where Axe Raider stood, eyes round with fear as he stared at Dark General Freed's work.

Haou reached up one hand and yanked the collar from around his neck. It and the leash vanished in a dark splash of energy. He took a step towards Axe Raider and shadows swirled all around him. He took another and they closed in, sinking into his skin. A third step and the shadows cleared, revealing Haou in all of his armored glory.

The Evil Heroes appeared behind him, staring at Axe Raider with bloodthirsty giggles bubbling out of them. Haou's eyes never left Axe Raider, who jerked his attention away from Dark General Freed as it dawned on him how much in danger his own life stood.

"Haou-sama," he babbled, shaking his head, "I meant – I did – I was "

Haou did not care what excuses that the fool made for himself. He bent his head. "Evil Hero Inferno Wing."

He needed say no more than that. Inferno Wing cackled in glee, launching herself forward to wrap hands around Axe Raider's neck and what came after no one would ever have wanted to watch. Haou didn't take his eyes off for a second.

This is what needs to happen to anyone who thinks they can hurt someone I choose to protect.

He could see a few survivors staring from wherever they thought either he or Dark General Freed might not see them. He raised one hand to Hane Kuriboh. He said nothing at all but every line of his body made his will plain.

Dark General Freed strode towards him. The great general dropped to one knee before him, bending his head. He picked up something off the ground, then offered it to Haou – his own card.

"May I be of further service, Haou-sama?"

"We'll return to the palace, General," Haou told him, taking the card and sliding it into his deck. His eyes narrowed for a moment before once more those dark energies flared up and he leaned forward into the circle that they made. "Golden Pegasus." He could see his steed on the other side, raising his head in surprise. "Return to the palace."

"Of course, Haou-sama," Golden Pegasus replied, bowing. "I trust all went well?"

Haou cast a glance to Dark General Freed, who stood as if this were no surprise at all to him. Then he glanced back. "Yes."

With a flick of his fingers he closed that circle of shadows. It required a bit more effort to summon another one, but he made that effort. He wouldn't be able to hold it for very long, but he'd learned that shortcuts between places like this could be very useful. He wasn't sure of why he could do this sort of thing, but it certainly made getting around that much easier. He didn't try to do it often; riding Golden Pegasus took a lot less energy and he usually preferred to husband his power for other purposes.

Dark General Freed would require introduction and explanation to his Death Duelists. They would submit to his will, as always, but he would have to decide on what the general could do for him. He would also need to find out exactly how Axe Raider captured Hane Kuriboh and if he had to deal with some sort of internal spy.

He would deal with all of that later. Even with his eyes cleared and these ragtag army disposed of, exhaustion tugged at his elbow. He wouldn't be able to stay upright much longer. Holy Elf Heather would definitely want to see him and she'd have a few sharp words for him as well. He didn't want to put up with that, but he would have to regardless. She never forgot her place, but she never forgot her call as a healer, either.

For a heartbeat, he wondered what Ayukawa-sensei would think of her.

He dismissed that a breath later. He had better ways to spend his time now. With the gateway opened, he gestured for Dark General Freed to follow him, and with Hane Kuriboh floating at his shoulder, he strode forward to return to the dark castle that he called home.

The End

Notes: This took so mcuh longer than I thought it would. Mostly due to health issues and moving. But I'm getting better and settling in at our new place, so fics will begin again.

Also, a special note: at some point in the future, I will cease posting on fanfiction dot net. Nothing bad has happened but I feel the time is coming. My intention is to first finish all of the rewrites for the fics I recently removed – the list is on my FF net profile and will be updated as they're finished. I say this now so people have plenty of time – accomplishing this will take years, honestly – to decide where or if they choose to follow me. The options are A03 or tumblr at the moment.

One more note: on December 1, I'll start posting two new fics, one for Digimon Adventure 02 & one for GX. Entertaining times are ahead!