It would take someone looking between dimensions at precisely the right spots to see the paper-thin rips between realities opening. Seventeen small cuts that were just enough for a small object the size and thickness of a card to slip through... And that was what traversed the gaps. But these were no normal cards, and even as they landed across different times and spaces to lie in wait for their targets, previous victims of such traps squirmed helplessly in their new prisons...

***

The first to fall prey to the batch, in relative terms, was a black male humanoid kangaroo, with blue hair. His name was Kay, and he hadn't been doing much in particular, simply walking down the street, when his eye caught the innocuous little piece of card lying on the road.

"Huh? A trading card?"

He picked it up, noting it was... strangely blank. It simply held an empty pink square, bordered by a burnished gold. The only markings were a copyright claiming it was made by "Anubis Corp", and empty stat boxes.

"Why's it blank though?" Kay wondered, flipping it over, to find a gold background with a symbol he didn't recognise but nothing else.

It seemed to shimmer slightly pink, like a holographic or colour-change effect... except the pink rectangle seemed to be shimmering too, now. Almost like it was glowing.... And text seemed to be appearing on it suddenly? Starting with... his own name?

"...Captured Kangaroo Slave?"

And then grey strips like bandages or tape suddenly shot out.

"Whoa!" Kay exclaimed, dropping the card and backing up, but the tape/bandages shot out at speed towards him.

They began wrapping around his wrists and ankles, the kangaroo shocked for a second, but struggling as they span around and around his limbs. But it was to no avail, the strange strings flowing out endlessly, mummifying his limbs... and then pulling against his struggling, to try and bring his limbs together.

"What is this?!" He asked, and was about to cry for help, when a bandage/tape ribbon wrapped around his snout.

"Mmph!" he protested as his cry was muffled, the sticky stuff sealing his lips and binding his jaw closed for the full treatment.

His legs were now getting bound together, and his arms were stuck to his side. His tail was still partially free, but was wrapped at the base making it hard to move. He could only squirm and wobble as more and more of him was wrapped beneath layers of the bandage/tape, until if any were watching him, he would look like a mummy apart from his exposed tail and mostly unwrapped face...

...And then, the ribbons began drawing back, taking the squirming and muffled kangaroo with them. Helpless to do anything but give muffled cries and futile efforts to free himself, he was dragged closer to the card. And then, into it with one last muffled yelp.

The card glowed, and Kay stared out from within it at the sky that was now fading, as the tiny magical prison he was trapped in returned to where it had originated....

***

Though the person the next card landed by looked like a human male, he was in fact a homunculus, named for and personifying Envy. Though highly powerful and meant to spread discord amongst normal humans, the unfortunate wispy-haired creation was to be no match for what fate would soon befall him.

"What's this little thing? Some card? Meh..." He said dismissively as he picked it up... and crushed it in his hand.

He moved to drop it... only for the unharmed card to fall.

"Oh? Now that's interesting..." Envy said, and wondered if grinding it under his foot would work.

It did not - instead, the grey tape/bandages emerged and wrapped around that foot.

"Oho, some little trap! Well..."

With a smirk he tried to shapeshift... but frowned as somehow, his power failed him. He remained in the form of a young human-looking male with a lean yet muscular build... as more of the pale skin of his leg became encased in the grey tape.

"What... how?!" He wondered as he fought, but the tape did not give, wrapping and coating more and more of him. Other tendrils shot out to grasp his other limbs, and begin wrapping around his waist.

"This is impossible!" He protested.

But impossible it was not, as his black clothing became buried under grey, and his limbs became bound to each other and then wrapped tightly and thickly in the ribbony bandage/tape. He cursed and ranted until a small sticky patch slapped over his mouth and silenced him, and then more began wrapping around his neck and lower chin, the tape determined to keep him very silent as it began dragging him into the card. As he was pulled in, he saw the card now held text, but only made out 'ENVY- WRAPPED SIN' at the top before his vision shifted from looking at the card, to looking out from it...

***

A brown-haired boy wearing a green hoodie under a black jacket, over black jeans, picked up another card. Makoto Naegi frowned in confusion at the sight, not sure what it was, or why it was here. The so-called Ultimate Lucky Student was very much puzzled by this odd little rectangle.

And then the grey tape emerged. He dropped the card and stumbled back with a gasp, his red shoe falling off as he landed on his backside... only for his socked foot and one remaining shoe to become wrapped by the tape. More shot up to grab his wrists and he cried out in alarm.

"N-no! Stop!" He begged the tape pointlessly, as it wrapped him more and more

He squirmed, struggled, fought back as best he could, but it was pointless. The tape bound his legs, tied his arms to his torso, and then as he grunted in efforts to break out, was gagged by a square of the grey bandage/tape slapping over his mouth. Struggling and writhing, the tape pulled him back into the card... Ultimately a very unlucky student, it seemed.

Only his red shoe remained as any sign he had been there when the card returned home, taking him as a prize.

***

A collector of a different sort would be fourth captured and himself collected. Hilbert, a pokemon trainer, would encounter the card set for him as he travelled through a forest, seeing the glinting pink-gold stuck in the grass at the edges of the dirt path. He had been looking through his satchel to get water when he spotted it, and placed the bag on the ground to reach down to the odd card.

Curious, the brown-haired trainer picked it up, confused by the blankness much as many before him were... until the text filled in, saying 'TRAINED TRAINER' and he gasped.

However, before he could make another sound, the gag emerged first in his case. Startled, he tugged at it fruitlessly, before the ribbons emerged and began binding him up. No one was around to hear his blocked cries as the dark grey on his pants and blue of his jacket became bound up and encased below layers of grey, wrapping and wrapping around him.

Squirming in vain, the trainer became fully encased, and was tugged into the card with muffled protest, before it vanished away, leaving only his discarded satchel behind. His hat had somehow stayed on his head even as he was tugged into the card, and he stared out from where he was now trapped, eyes filled with confusion and shock....

***

The fifth victim was not especially interested in cards, having other preferences for entertainment. But Naruto Uzumaki, shinobi of Konohagakure, was annoyed to find one stuck into the target he had hoped to use for kunai practice. The blue eyed blond sighed.

"If people are gonna leave their own little targets behind they should clean them up," He said.

Some shinobi seemed to want to hit small things like cards, but usually they tried to hit them side-on. Whoever left this wanted to hit a card face-on, which... made no sense as it was bigger than the bullseye.

He reached up to pull it off, when the tape emerged and wrapped around his wrist.

"What the- a trap!" He said aloud, then mentally cursed himself for such a cliche.

He grabbed a kunai with his other hand and tried cutting at the ribbons, but they were unharmed - and now grabbed the other wrist. More shot to his ankles, and the ninja was now fighting against the unending stream that began mummifying him. The kunai fell from his now bandaged up hand, clattering off the stone below the target.

"The hell is this?!" He shouted, and then was rendered as mute as all who met this fate, his mouth sealed with a portion of the grey material.

Muffled curses and protests were all that could be heard as the blond was rapidly and firmly wrapped up, and soon enough he was a writhing worm in bandages, being tugged into the card, and then, transported to his new future, that unfortunately for him, was not to meet his dream of being Hokage. At least, not for this version of him...

***

In a version of Akihabara, Japan, a pair of cards landed. The first to capture its victim was found by a brown-haired man wearing a green plaid shirt, a white t-shirt with a pink image of a schoolgirl, and blue jeans. His name was Kaito Tachibana, and he was to be the sixth card collected by this batch, and ironically, a collector of cards himself.

The card that would be his downfall had slipped into a booster pack he had bought, and was opening in his room as an instant ramen cup sat, fresh hot water added a few seconds before. The young man sighed as common card after common card emerged, but raised a brow at the strange card with the blank features.

"Huh, this isn't... Some kind of mispack?"

Kaito checked the packaging in case he'd missed word of some promotion, and was reaching to check online when the card glowed.

"Wha- how's it doing tha-AAAH!" He cried out as the grey bandages erupted.

They began by pinning his arms and legs together as well as wrapping his mouth to stop him moving and shouting quickly - as isolated in this room as they were, the card's abilities knew to ensure attention was not drawn, and a screaming man and sounds of a scuffle ran the risk of someone investigating too soon.

Kaito screeched in muffled fury and shock as he became bound and wrapped, his squirms as futile as any other victims of these cards. It did not take long for him to be fully mummified, and then dragged, with gagged cries of fear, into the card.

And when it returned, all that remained was an empty room, scattered cards that had meant to be in the pack, a ramen cup cooling, and no sign whatsoever as to where Kaito had been taken or how....

***

In the same world but not the same time as Makoto Naegi, another so-called Ultimate Lucky Student was soon to become another card in the collection. The boy had pinkish almost off-white hair, grey-green eyes, pale skin, and a skinny overall build and wore a green jacket over a white shirt and black jeans. He was Nagito Komaeda, and the card caught him by slipping into his pocket just as he reached into it.

"How'd this get in here?" He wondered, removing the stowaway.

And like many before and many to come, the ribbons shot out, letting him cry out. No one was near, even as he screamed and yelled, as he was wrapped up from head to toe. Like a squirming worm he tried to move away from the card as it began to pull him in, still shouting... until it finally decided to gag him just as he was yanked into the card properly, and on his way to join the collection.

***

In a version of Italy, a gangly dark-haired boy with what some would call a childish face was looking at one of the cards, having encountered it when it dropped out of a vending machine along with a snack he had bought.

"What's this meant to be?" Narancia Ghirga wondered as he looked at the card.

The answer came with tape over his mouth, provoking anger, and then the other ribbons of tape/bandage that caught his wrists. He fought them to try and pull one of his switchblades, managing to reach the pocket one was in, but as sharp as he had kept it, it did nothing to the tape. Cursing and raging behind the gag, he fought every step of the way, to no avail.

He was soon enough wrapped up totally, more bandages adding further layers and quieting his already muffled protests more and more before the card drew him in

***

Kota Fujiki came next, a young member of the 1st Unit of the Fenrir Far East Branch of God Eaters. But he was not currently engaged in combat, but simply trying to dodge a lecture by sneaking off to an isolated spot. Where of course, the card lay in wait.

The orange-haired youth looked over the card for a second, before trying to pocket it in his baggy orange-green shorts.

"Dunno what it is but I guess someone might want it," he shrugged... as the grey tape erupted from his pocket, the card freeing itself in the process.

"Oh crap!" He managed to say, and as was common, the card sensed his intent to be louder - so acted.

A slip of grey tape silenced him, the unlucky victim tugging at the blockage before the ribbons tugged his wrists away. His ankles too were trapped, and the lower parts of his shorts were now being wrapped up tight against his legs as they too became mummified in the grey bandage/tape.

Unable to reach any weapon or fight against the tape now, Kota could only really waste energy, before he was trussed up and encased, the card he had put in his pocket now about to pocket him....

***

Another target in the same world as Makoto and Nagito, but again a different time, was about to be caught. This person was small, doll-like, with brown hair and hazel eyes. They wore a girl's uniform of a green jacket, white shirt, and brown pleated skirt over knee-high black socks. But he was in fact male, and named Chihiro Fujisaki.

This shy young man found the card when wandering corridors, spotting the glinting gold and pink on the floor.

"Did someone drop this? Maybe I should take it to them," He said, feeling a little anxious just at the thought of asking others if it was theirs.

His fear was unfounded, of course, as the only thing being taken anywhere was him. The grey tape shot out and with a yelp he dropped the card, only for his ankles to start being bound. He stumbled, trying to pull away, but the tape was wrapping his legs swiftly, and binding them together. His skirt was crushed as it was wrapped tightly, and as it happened, he was so terrified he couldn't even cry out, his voice just a silent exhalation.

He struggled, he tried to fight, but the tape was now starting to pull his arms in and tie them to his torso. He managed to let out one soft cry of fear, enough for the card to tape his mouth shut, before it yanked him inside itself and vanished back to join the collection at home, taking hapless Chihiro with itself.

***

The next target claimed was a blue haired boy, wearing earphones and a black school uniform. He was Minato Arisato, and as he slouched against a wall with his hands in his pockets, the card simply dropped down in front of him.

Taking off his headphones, he picked it up... and moments later, was picked up by it as like many before, his wrists became bound, as did his ankles. He was about to yell out, but a strip of the grey tape silenced him. He struggled in vain as he too was soon enough just another cocooned victim with surprised eyes being pulled into a card and off to another dimension.

***

A card landed and lay in wait for a person with blond hair and a feminine figure, but this was not a woman. Though named the traditionally feminine name of Bridget, the slender green-eyed boy wore blue garb similar to a nun's clothing, and if called female would correct the assumption.

The card of course didn't care. It was simply here to add him to the collection.

But lost in thought as he walked along a deserted road, he simply stood on it and kept walking, until the ribbony grey bandages shot out and grabbed his ankles. His companion Roger was elsewhere right now, so Bridget was simply taking a walk.

Being pulled off his feet with a yelp, Bridget was yanked right out of the handcuff-like object that hung at his waist, turning his head in surprise to see the card's actions.

"What the..."

Reaching for his yo-yo, he tried to hit the card in vain, only for bandages to grab and yank it away, tossing it off into the distance.

"Hey, that's mine you weird card bondage thing, what's the big idea tossing it awa-mmph!"

The card was already bored of his protests, and gagged him. The unlucky blond was soon enough overwhelmed, bound, and being dragged into the card and away to join the collection, his removed waist-handcuff object all that was left... apart from his discarded yo-yo.

***

A boy in a black school uniform with unkempt fawn coloured hair, with orange glasses and headphones, was walking an empty corridor of Yasogami High School when he found a card. Yosuke Hanamura was about to become another part of the collection, and the card was well aware he was not as isolated as he could be. Others were nearby.

So it began with quickly gagging him, the tape followed by wrapping thicker around his jaw. He scrabbled and fought against the blockage, ever-quieter protests unheard as layer after layer blocked out the noises he made.

His efforts to free himself met their instant end when the tape-bandages began pulling his hands away and wrapping his legs together. Cocooned in two directions, neck down and ankles up, he was soon thickly and inescapably bound, and being pulled away into the card, dropping his glasses as the card vanished... just a second before a few more students came around the corner, confused to find the dropped glasses.

***

One card would land before a target very much familiar with a different set of cards. Not a collector of regular paper CCGs like some others caught recently, Jaden Yuki was in fact a Duelist using Duel Monsters. Brown Eyed and brown haired, wearing a red jacket over black shirt and white pants as the uniform of his dorm at Duel Academy, he found the strange thing in his room.

"This isn't a normal card. How'd it get here?" He wondered.

The card's response, was to silence his questions with an opening move: gagging him.

Jaden cried out in surprise, naturally muffled, as he found himself engaged in a different duel from any ever fought, one that he had no chance of winning. His wrists were targeted by more bandage-tape ribbons, and soon too his ankles were ensnared.

He tried to fight back but the bandages kept coming, encasing his limbs and binding them to each other, as he was coated inch by inch in the grey bandages. His cries became more muffled as layers of more grey piled up over his mouth and chin, and his arms became tightly fixed to his side by the ever growing wrapping that now mummified almost all of him.

And when the card's victory beckoned, it claimed its prize, tugging the hapless duelist into itself and taking him off to join the many others who had and would meet such a fate...

***

A pink-haired androgynous figure came across a card.  Some would be surprised to learn this femininely-dressed male was in fact one of the Twelve Paladins of Charlemagne, and a servant Rider of Black, Astolfo. He wore what seemed to be a black and gold dress, with some armoured portions, and a white cloak. His hair also held black ribbons and was tied into a long braid.

"Hmm, what's this thing?" He wondered, seeing the card.

He picked it up, flipping it around.

"I bet this is some kind of trap..." he mused.

The card proved him right.

"Aha! I knew it! You lose, trap thingy! Wait, no you don't, I set you off. D'oh!" He realised as he started being wrapped up in grey bandage-tape.

He tried to draw his sword and cut himself free, but as usual, the bandages did not even show signs of damage.

"Okay this is unfai-MMph!" he said as the card belatedly gagged its victim, who still tried to swing his sword.

Bandages eventually grabbed it and tossed it away, before they resumed the task of wrapping and coating the now squirming and still trying to talk Servant. He was starting to get a little angry, but this vanished as he began being pulled in. His stance switched almost instantly to total surprise, and he was soon absorbed and transported by the card...

***

The second card in Akihabara was now about to claim its prize. This was to be Yuuki Kasugano, a young man also known sometimes simply as Nanashi or Nameless... the name the card was going to use. Outwardly the brown haired boy in the blue shirt and darker blue jeans seemed like a regular mundane otaku, but was in fact now a synthister, an artificial vampire and no longer strictly human.

That was just detail for the card to add, when he found it, and it bound him.

He cried out, and like his fellow victim across the city a few moments before, was silenced by a gag across his face. His wrists, ankles, and arms were swiftly bound and wrapped as he tried to use his strength against the trap to no avail. It did not take long until he was just another wrapped up package being yanked into a card, and off to his new existence in the collection...

***

A boy with dual-toned hair, blond in front and black in the back, was unaware he was to be the final capture of the batch. In his unkempt black school uniform, he was simply walking along when his red eyes landed on the card on the floor. Curious, the boy named Hyde Kido picked it up.

And of course, would meet the inevitable fate. His ability to summon his blade was blocked by the fact he simply couldn't move, or even speak, when the card unleashed its power upon him. Gagged, ankles and wrists bound, and being quickly tied up, he did much as the other sixteen did. He fought, he lost.

Layer upon layer of bandage/tape piled up on him, his movements getting fewer and fewer until he was mummified all but his upper head, jaw now firmly locked under layers of grey bandage. He tried to wiggle away, but the pull of the card was irresistible. And his fate, inevitable.

In he went, and the last card transported back, the batch complete.

***

The seventeen cards that had caught their prey slipped back through the small cuts between realms, popping back into their original universe in quick succession above a desk, where they floated down softly. Naruto's card had arrived first by a quirk of the cross-dimensional shift, the order of return not synced to the order of capture - but the first five landed much as they had been caught. Their eyes darted around, Naruto wincing as the back of another card bounced off his. The effect repeated as the cards arrived, and soon, the pile was complete, some hapless cards now staring at the blackness made by  those that landed on them and blocking out the light.

Those on top, though, saw a hand reaching down and one by one, picking them up. Those blinded soon saw again for a moment, only to see the hand reach down eventually and pick them up, sliding them into a folder, reading out their new titles as they were slid into place...

KAY -  CAPTURED SLAVE KANGAROO

ENVY  - WRAPPED SIN

MAKOTO - MUMMIFIED SLAVE

HILBERT - TRAINED TRAINER

NARUTO - ENSLAVED SHINOBI

KAITO - COLLECTED COLLECTOR

NAGITO - NOW COCOONED

NARANCIA - WRAPPED UP

KOTA - CAUGHT AND BOUND

CHIHIRO - SHY SLAVE

MINATO - MUFFLED MOANS

BRIDGET - BOUND AND TRAPPED

YOSUKE - SLAVED PERSONA

JADEN  - CARDED CARD GAMER

ASTOLFO - PALADIN IN PERIL

NANASHI - SLAVE SYNTHISTER

HYDE - WILD CARD TAMED

Across the way they saw another page, twenty five other cards. The seventeen of them were starting and almost finishing a new page... page seventeen, ironically. Seventeen of forty. And none of those trapped knew this was only the second volume of the binder, with dozens more lying empty, waiting for more cards.

The hand sliding them into place did, though, and looked forward to the many, many more cards he was yet to collect...