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real-life-pine-tree · 8 years ago

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Arc-V Aftermath: Lunalight Serenade (15/26)

When all is said and done, things have quickly recovered in the four dimensions. But when weird things start happening, the Yu-Salad Boys and the Bracelet Girls quickly realize they have some loose ends to fix. Co-written with @violetganache42.

WARNING: Dub names will be featured in the story.

"Why, Miss Celina, is that you?" Yuri asked, holding an invisible hand. "Or am I speaking to a disguised angel who became a prettier version of the woman I love?"

Dennis chuckled. "That's your best line?" he asked. "That sounds like something Yuto would say."

Yuri let out a frustrated sound. "You are quite right," he said, flopping onto his bed. "Not even I could make that line sound perfect!"

You know how, on the day Yuri got his hair cut and new clothes, he'll put his plan into motion the next day? Yeah, about that. It never happened…yet.

For a while now, he has been practicing his butt off in his and Dennis' shared dorm, trying to be charming while retaining his usual traits. Why else would his new shirt say "I WISH YOU WERE AS INTERESTING AS MY PLANTS" on it? The key factor to this issue is the complimenting one-liners. It has been frustrating him because he can't seem to find the perfect lines to say to Celina. He's got the looks and the personality, but why can't he come up with what to say? If he was trying to be like Yuto, then he was definitely succeeding at doing that.

"What's wrong with being more like Yuto?" Dennis asked. "He is rather good with the ladies."

"Except I refuse to stoop to his level!" Yuri explained. "I want to be more like my true self, not some old-fashioned knight!" He groaned. "If only Leo Akaba taught me how to treat ladies with high respect!"

"Why don't you ask him?" Dennis realized. "He did get married."

Why didn't he think about that earlier in the first place? He was so caught up in his frustration that he never bothered asking the one person who taught him how to use etiquette. He bolted up from his bed and turned to face Dennis, telling him that he is a genius; of course, the Shaddoll user replied it is a smart move he came up. With this in mind, the two left their dorm and headed out the male Obelisk Blue dorm building before running towards Leo's office.

Meanwhile, Leo was staring at ARC-V, thinking about something. He was most likely considering about destroying it after almost fusing the four dimensions back into one just to get Ray back. At the same time, however, he also wanted to reprogram it to use it for a different yet helpful purpose; after all, he did prevent the Yu-Salad and Energy Girls from being erased from existence, with some help from Yugi and Téa. He knows how the machine works by heart and still has the blueprints to make any adjustments if he did want to keep it. This may be his toughest decision yet.

What isn't a tough decision is helping Yuri out as he heard a knock on the door and a voice saying he and Dennis wanted to talk to him. He walked towards the double doors and opened them, letting the Fusion duo into his office.

"Hello Yuri and Dennis," Leo said. "What brings you here?"

"I wish to learn how to charm a girl," Yuri answered. "Since my trusted friend here informed me that you were once married, perhaps you can teach me your ways."

"You fell for a girl?" Leo asked. "I'm rather surprised. I didn't know you were interested in dating."

"I thought so too," Yuri agreed. "But I recently discovered I have feelings for Miss Celina. I know she is part of your daughter, but-"

"It's okay," Leo interrupted. "I have come to accept that Celina and the other three girls are not Ray, so you do not need my blessing."

"But sir, Yuri only wishes to learn how to make girls fall for him," Dennis clarified.

It was true. When the two and Sora left the barber shop, a lot of girls were attracted to him. Yuri wished to be a charming and gorgeous individual—obviously not being just like his XYZ counterpart—and maintain those qualities to develop the ability to woo girls based on his personality and looks, especially Celina.

"Very well, Yuri," Leo said. "I did teach you all about etiquette when you were younger. I suppose it's time you learn how to properly talk to girls."

"Thank you, Professor," Yuri said.

Later that evening, Team Lancer had just finished their training session for the day. Sylvio, Celina, and Aura have all gotten along pretty well throughout the past few days. Their developing bond with each other proved to be useful in establishing teamwork, which will be essential for the tournament.

"I must say, Celina, you're an amazing team leader," Sylvio said.

"Yeah," Aura agreed. "With your help, we might be able to win the whole tournament!"

On the first day of training, Celina agreed to be the team's leader as part of a decision. She has shown to be useful with her leadership skills ever since, helping out her teammates with determining strategies by utilizing their respective special summoning techniques and using their monsters' effects to aid one another for battle. She was also a headstrong individual, showing that Team Lancer will never give up and not back down from a challenge. Aura was right; with Celina's determined and loyal leadership, they may have a chance in claiming victory.

"Thanks, you guys," Celina happily said, happy to be her real self around true friends.

Just then, a notification alarm went off from Celina's Duel Disk. She checked it and on the screen showed a text from Yuri, much to her annoyance.

Meet me at Heartland Park tonight for a duel you certainly won't forget. -💜

"Seriously?" Celina asked. "He's signing his messages through hearts now?"

"But Celina, I think he's asking you out on a date," Sylvio guessed.

"Yeah right," Celina said. "He probably just wants to annoy me again."

"But if it is a date, you can't go looking like that," Aura said.

When Aura stated that, it was clear she had an outfit for Celina. She invited the Lunalight user to her house to show her what she can wear for the date with Yuri. She browsed through her closet in search for the clothes she had in mind while her friend looked around the bedroom, noticing how nice it was. About a minute later, the Ritual user found the clothes still nicely hung up; she placed it on her bed to see that it is a modified version of Celina's Duel Academy uniform.

"Where did you get this?" Celina asked, picking up her now-plain uniform jacket.

"Yugo gave it to me," Aura explained. "He figured you might need it again, so I changed it so it doesn't look like a uniform anymore."

This was actually nice of Yugo and Aura to do this for Celina. She hasn't worn her old uniform since she first met Zuzu. Seeing that her jacket no longer has the designs on it, it will fit her idea of starting a new life rather well. She took her uniform off the bed and headed to the bathroom to get changed. Once it was on, she looked in the mirror to see her reflection; it corresponded with her shoulder-length, bob-shaped hair, basically helping emphasize her new life. She grabbed her usual clothes and headed back to Aura's bedroom to see what her companion thinks.

"You look absolutely amazing," Aura said. "But that's not saying much because you always look amazing."

Celina smiled at that compliment. "Thanks Aura," she said. Aura felt like a younger sister to her, especially during moments like this.

Celina was wished good luck on the date as she headed out the door and started walking to Heartland Park. While heading there, she couldn't stop thinking about what Yuri was scheming this time. How he is going to annoy her this evening? She knows he'll try to tick her off again, like he always does: setting her up to "lose", bragging about his Predaplants, engaging in yet another heated argument, and teleporting with his Violet Flash Spell card. It never ends; she wants this cycle of madness to stop because she has found a better dueling rival and wants to inform him about it, but knowing Yuri, anything troublesome was bound to happen.

Eventually, Celina entered through the front gate of Heartland Park, trying to find him. With his cabbage-shaped hairstyle and tacky attire, it should be easy for her to find him from a mile away. She strolled down the pathway to look for him, but surprisingly, he wasn't there. That's strange; she knows what he looks like and must know where he is. Then again, he didn't specify a specific location in the park in the sent text. An annoyed groan escaped her mouth as she continued walking. She soon spotted a figure from afar; it must be Yuri. She picked up the pace a little to ask him what this ordeal is really about.

"There you are!" Celina exclaimed. "You better have a reason for bringing me out...here..."

She noticed Yuri's haircut looks different from his cabbage style; it was more pushed back with a few stray streaks and even had bangs. His clothes were also more causal than his regular uniform. There was no way this was the same Yuri… Was it?

"Hello Miss Celina," Yuri said. "I'm glad you could make it this lovely evening."

Celina snapped out of her trance. "Don't try to sway me with sweet talk!" she said, taking out her Duel Disk. "I came here to duel you!"

"Well what a pity," Yuri said. "It seems I forgot my deck and Duel Disk."

Sylvio and Aura guessed correctly; this was going to be a date and Yuri practically tricked her. If he specified this in the text, she wouldn't have brought her deck and Duel Disk with her. However, for a tomboy who grew up in Duel Academy, she was confused on what was he pulling.

"You brought me all the way over here to trick me into dating you?!" Celina asked. "Give me one reason why I shouldn't strangle you right now!"

"Of course," Yuri said. With the wave of his hand, he materialized a single rose. "But for now, you should enjoy this peaceful night." As he said that, he placed the rose in Celina's hair.

Celina blushed a tiny bit as the rose was placed through her indigo hair strands while still upset at the fact she was tricked by Yuri. She should have known something this would happen, but she reluctantly agreed to go on this date despite the appearance and apparent personality change.

"Fine," Celina said. "But if you pull any funny business, I'm bringing out Cat Dancer!"

"Don't worry, Miss Celina," Yuri said. "You won't have to resort to such plans."

Speaking of plans, Yuri mentioned that he made reservations at a restaurant. Their table was outside, so they were going to have a moonlit dinner. Although it was temptingly interesting, Celina knew what moonlit dinners always meant. Correction: everyone knows this cliché. My god, if spaghetti's involved, there better not be a kiss while we're eating it, she complained in her head.

As the two walked over to the restaurant, Yuri tried to reach for Celina's hand. "What are you doing?" she asked, pulling her hand back.

Yuri was surprised by the reaction. "Goodness, Miss Celina," he said. "I only want to hold your hand."

"What for?" Celina asked. "Are you trying to copy my fingerprints?"

Yuri chuckled a bit. "Of course not," he answered. "Are you not aware of basic dating knowledge?"

Of course she doesn't. Most of Celina's life was spent at Duel Academy, proving her strength to Leo. She developed no social skills at that time aside from being more open to Sylvio, Aura, her counterparts, and the other Lancers. And for that matter, she hardly has the proper skills to go out on a date. This is a girl who doesn't know how to act like one, and Yuri decided to trick her into a date.

Celina's silence pretty much answered Yuri's question. "You must learn how to relax," he said. He held Celina's hand, intertwining his fingers with hers. "I would say you should let your hair down, but it seems you already have."

She asked to herself, It took him this long to realize I cut my hair? It was clear she still wasn't buying what Yuri was doing. He was attempting to be funny while mixing in some flirting, but it wasn't working.

"So you finally noticed my new hairstyle," Celina said.

"That is incorrect," Yuri said. "I noticed it during the festival a few days ago. It certainly is a better fit for you. Much better than that ponytail you initially had."

Celina sighed, half tempted to roll her eyes, when she notices two people driving. Upon closer inspection, she realized it was Yugo and Rin who were driving on their now-completed Duel Runners. From the looks of things, they were driving by the restaurant when they spotted their Fusion counterparts.

"Hi Celina!" Yugo called out as he and Rin zoomed by. "Just going on a date with my amazing and beautiful girlfriend!"

The customers sitting outside of the restaurant stared at Yugo as he and Rin drove by. His voice was loud enough to attract a few indoor customers too. Celina was happy to spot him yet she was wondering if he does this all the time. Yuri explained that the first time he shouted to the world about his girlfriend was a few days ago during the festival and tournament sign-ups. It was actually a good thing he explained this because she, Sylvio, and Aura arrived a bit later than the others to register their team. Suddenly, he almost forgot about their dinner plans, so it was good timing of the Synchro duo to zoom by on their Duel Runners.

"So what are your dinner plans?" Celina asked.

"Nothing special," Yuri answered. "Only the finest salads the restaurant has to offer."

Salads?… Just…… Salads?…… Celina knew there has to be other meals Yuri got, but as long as spaghetti isn't part of the plan, she was relieved to hear that. Don't get her wrong, she does enjoy having spaghetti, but on a night like this, the last thing she needed was a Lady and the Tramp cliché being pulled, especially with him of all people. The two entered the restaurant and approached its host and hostess, with Yuri telling them about the reservations he made.

"Of course, sir," the host said. "Right this way."

The two followed the host to a reserved table outside of the restaurant. They were handed their menus and told their waitress will be on her way. As they looked over the different drinks, appetizers, entrées, sides, and desserts, Celina gazed upon the layout of how the restaurant looked. It was well decorated with plants and paintings to help give an Italian feel to it. Even the food and drinks were Italian-based: pizza, pasta, endless soup, salad, and breadsticks, chicken meatballs, Italian soda, etc. She wasn't sure why this place felt familiar to her; did Yuya and Zuzu went there with their families for dinner one night while the Fusion duo was still fused with their counterparts? She's been so caught up in her new life that she honestly doesn't remember.

"Yuri, does this restaurant seem familiar?" Celina asked.

"Of course it is," Yuri answered. "The Sakakis and Boyles came here to celebrate the return of Yuya's father."

Now it was becoming clearer and easier for her to remember. She recognized the details she just saw and knew she had seen them before when she was in Zuzu's shared mind. A minute later, their waitress showed up.

"What can I get you tonight?" the waitress asked.

"One of your legendary salads," Yuri answered. "What would you like to have, Miss Celina?"

"Uh..." Celina said. "Just a slice of pizza." She quickly glanced at Yuri. "And a small salad."

"Very well," the waitress said. "Your meal will be available in a few minutes."

As the waitress went to the kitchen to place their orders, Celina couldn't help but wonder why Yuri looked and acted different. He still called her "Miss Celina", so at least there was something that was still the same. Based on the shirt he was wearing, she can tell he still has his Predaplants back at Duel Academy. Another unchanged trait. However, his tone sounded more polite than what she was used to. As a matter of fact, a huge portion of Yuri transformed, from his fashion sense to his…questionable gentlemanly charm. She can't stop thinking about why he was doing this or what his intention was.

"Hmm?" Yuri mused, noticing Celina was staring at him. "What is it, Miss Celina?"

"Why are you doing this?" Celina asked.

"Doing what?" Yuri asked.

"This," Celina repeated, gesturing to Yuri. "With your even-layered haircut, plant shirt, and weird behavior. This isn't like you."

"Perhaps this is the me I wish to be," Yuri said. "I feel terrible with what had occurred and I wish to redeem myself. In fact, I don't even think Yuya's father completely trusts me."

Yuri wasn't wrong about what he was saying. Although Zarc's darkness that once clouded his judgement was gone and had a change of heart when Yuya was revived, he hasn't been fully redeemed. Heck, he hasn't gotten an opportunity to make amends for his past actions until today. He wants to be a better person and he figured this evening was a good time to start.

"But then I saw you, Miss Celina," Yuri continued. "You have been changing your image as a way to figure out who you really are. You even got rid of that rather unnecessary ponytail. So I realized that if you're changing yourself for the better, I should do the same thing."

What Celina doesn't know is the true reason why Yuri was doing this, so it was very smart of him to not mention it to her. Deep down, he had a feeling his new persona will leave an effect on her and win her heart from Sylvio in no time. No doubt this plan will start working its charm shortly.

Several minutes later, the waitress brought out their dinner: two salads and a slice of pizza. Yuri thanked her before he and his date began eating their meals.

As the two ate, Celina glanced at Yuri. "You think I look better like this?" she asked.

"Certainly," Yuri answered once he swallowed a forkful of salad. "Why else would I untie your hair?"

"To annoy me," Celina guessed.

"True, but I always did find that ponytail distracting," Yuri said. "So when I found out you cut it off, it was such a relief. Your new hair frames your face beautifully."

Celina blushed at his comment. She never expected Yuri to compliment her new hairstyle, so this was saying something. Her main goal was to restart her life anew after she was separated back into her own body, not to flatter boys. With this still in her head, she quickly regained her composure and snapped out of her brief trance, keeping her claim about focusing on her fresh beginning. Unfortunately, Yuri noticed her reaction; this was a sign that his plan may be starting to work.

"What's wrong, Miss Celina?" Yuri asked. "Are you not used to people saying how beautiful you are?"

At this point, this may be the first time Celina agreed with him, but she was obviously trying not to show it. Certain people usually compliment her on her dueling skills, so hearing this coming out from Yuri was something that doesn't happen everyday.

"No..." Celina admitted, glancing down.

"But you are beautiful," Yuri said, reaching over to cup Celina's chin and make her look at him. "And a beautiful creature such as yourself should never be so tense."

Why should she not be tense? Celina wasn't like most girls her age because of her old lifestyle. She was still getting adjusted to living a simple teenage life and she needed some time to adapt herself into this. A realization soon surfaced in her head; she didn't want to admit this to Yuri, but she may be thinking that he looked rather handsome. She actually liked how his hair came out. Wait... If Zuzu, Rin, and Lulu loved Yuya, Yugo, and Yuto's hair, that means she is too. That could only mean one thing: Ray also must have secretly liked Zarc's hair as well. Does that mean Celina is starting to fall for Yuri?

Yuri noticed Celina's dazed expression. "Are you alright?" he asked.

"You really think I'm beautiful?" Celina asked, noting that she didn't feel like this when Sylvio called her by that word. She tried her hardest to maintain herself, but a tiny amount of daze kept slipping out onto her face.

"Of course," Yuri answered. He retreated his hand. "But we must not let this lovely meal go to waste."

Celina obliged and the two continued eating their dinner. Hopefully, the salad and pizza can help her try to keep her mind off this discussion; nevertheless, she can't stop feeling this unusual emotion. She found Sylvio to be a better dueling rival than Yuri, but the Predaplant user was proving himself to be a charming individual… Much like Yuto, but with his own quirks? She can't even think straight anymore; she notified him that she'll be using the bathroom, with him responding with an "Okay". She hussled her way through the crowded restaurant to the female restrooms, where she splashed some water on her face to try and wake herself up from her delusional state.

"What is wrong with me?!" Celina asked aloud. "How can I let myself fall for that guy?! He's still that same cabbage-haired psycho who carded a lot of people!"

She instantly remembered that his hair no longer resembled a cabbage, the same hair that temporarily attracted her. Fortunately, there was no one in the bathroom, so she cupped her hands over her mouth to let out the biggest scream she can conjure up without having the employees and customers hear it through the wall. Once that was out of her system, she and her reflection stared at each other, baffled at the situation she was in. She wasn't sure how to get out of it; this may be a rare moment where she may need help.

Back outside at the table, Yuri let out a bit of glee, obviously not going overboard with it like Yugo. He talked to himself about how his plan was truly coming along. "Goodness, Miss Celina," he said. "You must learn how to control that temper."

With a slightly cunning tone as he spoke, he schemed about how her temper will soon be her own undoing once she falls for him, officially proving that he will be the one for her and not Sylvio. Never in his life has he had to deal with someone who shared the same romantic interests as him; it was practically criminal! Surely, Celina's reaction to this before using the bathroom would be strong evidence to use once his plan succeeds.

Meanwhile, in the ladies room, Celina had contacted Aura through her Duel Disk. "And then he started calling me beautiful!" the indigo-haired girl said. "Now he's making me feel weird!"

"Oh, relax," Aura reassured. "You're in love. You should embrace it, especially since your past lives were destined to meet again."

"But I don't love Yuri!" Celina insisted. "He might have changed his hair into a more attractive style, but he's still the same flamboyant psycho!"

"Sounds like you really are falling for him," Aura said. "Don't fight fate. If you two were meant to be together, go for it."

But how can Celina fight fate if she knows it's greatly contradicting what Aura said? This was overwhelmingly stressful and frustrating for Celina to cope with. Just then, an idea popped into her head, one that suggested her try something out.

"Thanks Aura," Celina said. "I'll keep that in mind."

The two ended the webcam chat on their Duel Disks before Celina sighed. She couldn't believe she was actually considering to do this. There was only one way for her to truly know if she is in love with Yuri…and that is to kiss him. She did whatever she could to not throw up from the sheer thought of it. Her plan was to take him back to Heartland Park and find a spot where they can be alone and kiss him; if she feels sparks, she let Aura know she was right. It was basically a battle of fate vs. choice as of now. There was no way to know for sure if this was real love or not until she finds out for herself.

She exited the bathroom and made her way back to the outside table where she and Yuri were sitting at. At the same time, the Predaplant user had already put back on his façade, one that Celina was oblivious about. "Shall we continue our dinner?" he asked.

"Of course," Celina answered.

The two progressed with their dinner now that Celina was slightly calmer. As she took a bite of her pizza, she seemed more rational with her thoughts and could think clear than she did earlier. All she has to do is endure this date so that she can initiate her plan. All she has to do is trust her instincts and make sure she doesn't fall for any of his flattery. Then again, what will Sylvio say about what happened tonight? He didn't seem to mind her being asked out by Yuri, so who knows.

Some time later, the two finished their meal. "So how much was my dinner?" Celina asked, about to take out her wallet.

"It's okay," Yuri said, taking out his Duel Academy student card. "Dinner is on me."

Celina completely forgot that Duel Academy students have cards and can earn points throughout their curricular, which can be used instead of regular money. Her arms went back to their original position after Yuri said he'll pay for dinner.

"Right..." Celina said. "I forgot about that."

"It's alright," Yuri said. "After all, a true gentleman always pays for the full meal."

A true gentleman? Sounds more like an exaggeration, she thought to herself as the waitress came by with the bill. After she placed it on the table, Yuri handed her his student card to pay for their meals. She then headed to the restaurant's debit/credit/student card scanner to print out his receipt.

"So, Miss Celina, are you looking forward to the upcoming tournament?" Yuri asked.

That was a question Celina could answer. "Of course I am," she answered. "Team Lancer is gonna kick some butt."

Yuri chuckled in response. "Oh, I wouldn't be sure about that," he said. "Team Obelisk is training hard for our debut, especially with our new idea of entertainment."

"Are you going to scare the crowd with your creepy plants?" Celina jokingly asked.

Yuri knows a sarcastic tone when he hears one and simply replied that it was going to be a surprise, so that means she was going to wait until the day of the tournament to find out what the surprise is.

"Alright," Celina said. "But you better not pull any funny business."

The waitress returned with Yuri's card, his receipt, and a pen to sign it and tip her. After putting his card away and looking at the total amount for the Fusion duo's dinner, Yuri gave her an 18% tip before exiting the restaurant with Celina to carry on with their date.

Celina let out a sigh. "Are you feeling alright?" Yuri asked.

"We should head back to Heartland Park," Celina suggested.

"What for...?" Yuri asked.

"It's a rare peaceful night," Celina explained. "I want to enjoy it."

"Very well," Yuri said. "We can spend some time there."

The two made their back to Heartland Park to spend the rest of their date there. Celina wasn't kidding when she said this night was rarely peaceful; there wasn't a single cloud in the sky as the sun nearly done setting, with the full moon beginning to rise, casting its luminescence all over the city. While walking down the park's pathway, Celina spotted a hill with a tree on top of it, saying that they should hang out underneath the tree for a while. Yuri agreed and the two traveled up the hill, making themselves comfortable in the tree's shade.

"You certainly know a lot about the sky," Yuri commented.

"I did some astronomy classes back in Duel Academy," Celina recalled. "As a Duelist who uses Lunalights, I wanted to learn about the night sky so I can bring out the best in my duels."

"How interesting," Yuri said. "And this evening does seem lovely."

"That's nothing," Celina said. "Check this out." She lightly touched her forehead. "I activate my Skill: Natural Energy Burst."

Celina's En Moons marking began to glow cyan beneath her bangs, causing the moon to look brighter. During the past few days, she and her counterparts recently discovered that they can utilize their Skills outside of a duel by harnessing the energy of their respective symbols; in Celina's case, she can channel lunar energy.

"So you learned to master your new power," Yuri said. "How impressive."

"Zuzu and Rin can do the same thing with their markings," Celina explained. "Zuzu can make flowers bloom in her presence, while Rin conquers windstorms."

"What about Lulu?" Yuri asked.

"I'm not really sure," Celina admitted. "But songbirds seem to fly near her whenever she sings."

Celina never got the chance to fully see Lulu's power because she heard she had to get her spinal plates surgically and has to be in a wheelchair once she recovers. However, she did remember seeing the songbirds fly around in this vicinity earlier this week. It also reminded her of the sleepover at her XYZ counterpart's house where she, Zuzu, and Rin heard her sing a melody back when they were just learning of what their markings can do. She also admitted that she has a nice singing voice.

"Lulu really is a beautiful singer," Celina recalled. "Almost like a siren."

"A siren?" Yuri asked. "That must sound annoying."

"Not that siren!" Celina corrected, turning her head to face Yuri. "A siren from Greek myth..."

As Celina's looked at Yuri's face, her eyes were glued onto the him, stuck in a really strong stare. The two soon realize that they are starting to fall for each other, with the brighter moon helping to bring out their best features. Celina developed thoughts in her head that maybe she was wrong about Yuri; sure, he may have carded so many people, but that was because he was given orders by Leo to do so. With the Interdimensional War over and the incarnations officially separated, it was actually nice to know he was seeking redemption. He obviously wasn't the best dueling rival, but he might as well be suitable enough to be a romantic interest.

In Celina's point-of-view, not only was she drawn by his new hairstyle, but also his eyes. Originally fuchsia, they were now neon green to match Starving Venom's eyes. She also noticed his slitted pupils; they usually don't resemble a dragon or a snake's pupils, but Yuri seemed to be genuinely in love with her. It was nice to see her in her old Duel Academy uniform, albeit the plain red jacket, and admired her new hairstyle too, but he can't keep his mind off of the glowing marking on her forehead. The cyan luminosity went rather well with her indigo hair and the moon's brightness strengthened her beauty.

"My god..." Yuri said, placing his hand on Celina's cheek. "I never noticed how lovely and elegant you can be."

"And... I guess you're not as bad as I thought," Celina replied as she leaned in.

Were they going to kiss? It definitely looks like it, but since it was their first one, they felt nervous about it. They weren't sure who was going to make the first move until—out of desperation—Celina ultimately locked lips with Yuri, catching him off guard. He was in the middle of preparing himself to kiss her, so it was quite startling to see her pull something like that. Wait, startling is longer becoming the right word to describe this scenario. It became more astounding, more satisfying, more pleasing. He then caved in and the duo ended up exchanging kisses.

Celina moaned slightly as Yuri started stroking her spine. She responded by reaching up to caress his hair with one hand, tugging lightly on the carefully-layered purple and pink locks. He must have enjoyed this feeling because he nipped on her lower lip. The kiss was slow and gentle, the two savoring every minute of it.

They separated the kiss to get some breath, knowing their plans have backfired. Celina wanted to prove she doesn't harbor feelings for Yuri when learning she does. Looks like fate wins this round, but what about him? Wasn't his intention to win her heart? Yes, but it was because he was jealous of Sylvio, believing he was in a relationship with her, but during their kiss, he came to see that the two developed a great friendship with each other, meaning his jealousy got the best of him over nothing. It was kind of embarrassing when you consider the crazy stuff people do for love, but it doesn't matter to him right now.

Yuri was about to say something, but he couldn't speak, only blushing heavily. "What's wrong?" Celina asked.

Yuri cleared his throat. "N-Nothing," he stammered. "You're just..." He cleared his throat again. "...an amazing kisser."

Something about him was peculiar, but in a good way. His nervousness was growing by the second, giving him a seemingly dorky personality. In truth, he was always this way ever since he was a kid. He embraced his strong talent and skills, but his façade of not minding the loneliness was just a mask to hide the fact he never had real friends. Everyone used to fear him as they watched him walk down the halls, unaware that he was incredibly lonesome and wanted some company. This was the first time he not only got to truly connect with someone, but also reveal his real self. Celina noted on how cute his sudden personality change was.

"So this is the real you," Celina said.

Yuri simply turned his head away, too shy to even speak. "Oh, come on," Celina said. "What happened to that guy who always praised Leo Akaba?"

Yuri remembered that time back at Duel Academy when he talked to Celina about Leo, rambling on how he idolizes him, only for him to almost get sliced by her Duel Disk, leaving him with a stoic expression as he ducked. He smiled softly at the fond memory.

"I...only made friends with people through Leo," Yuri admitted. "Thanks to him, I met Dennis and Sora. I always felt comfortable around them, but..."

"Not like this?" Celina asked.

He shook his head "No" and explained how growing up friendless forced him to make it look like he was okay and didn't mind the loneliness when, in reality, it didn't.

"So you're an insecure young teen who hides his tears through smiles," Celina commented. "Kind of like a certain tomato-haired performer."

Is she referring to Yuya? Well, aside from him being a lot goofier, friendlier, and more of a performer than Yuri, it appears that she was right about this comparison. Perhaps the two boys aren't so different after all and he never knew all this time until this very moment

"You're right," Yuri realized. "I really am a lot like Yuya Sakaki."

"And you saw how he was able to overcome his issues," Celina said. "Maybe you can do the same."

"I'll try," Yuri said, his gaze focused on the ground. "But I'm not sure if people would actually like me."

Celina placed her hand on Yuri's cheek, making him look at her. "You'll do great," she said. "People might actually like this new, undiscovered side of you."

This was the first time Yuri was flattered by her compliment. All his life, he grew up from a disguised insecure boy to a former Obelisk Force soldier with high nobility, but now that everything is peaceful, he should also engage in a new lifestyle, one that makes him comfortable. He'll still have his etiquette, although it did sound relieving to break free from his shell and begin a fresh start. Yuri rarely had a naturally calm smile, so seeing him form a small grin on his face made Celina happy. For the rest of their date, the two stayed snuggled up next to each other, watching the brighter-than-usual moon ascend into the clear and cloudless night sky with stars appearing in scattered places. It was a rarely peaceful night indeed. A night that the Fusion duo will never forget.

#Arc V Aftermath #yugioh arc v #Yuya Sakaki #Zuzu Boyle #Yuzu Hiragi #FruitShipping #Yuto (arc v)#Lulu Obsidian #Ruri Kurosaki #FallenAngelShipping #Yugo (arc v)#Rin (arc v)#AppleShipping #Yuri (arc v)#Celina (arc v)#Serena (arc v)#PredatorShipping

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chromsai · 8 years ago

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Pre-History of Arc V (and what went wrong)

All of the events that lead up to the very beginning of Arc V under the cut + a bit of analysis at the end (regarding Zarc and his dragons).

Zarc & Ray are born in the United World.

Zarc (just as Leo Akaba said he was) was just another duelist with the rare gift of being able to hear the voices of Duel Monsters spirits.

Leo Akaba creates the Real Solid Vision (RSV) system which gives Duel Monsters spirits vessels (aka real bodies) which exposes them (and duelists) to real harm.

RSV becomes popular within the Pro Duel world and Leo Akaba is praised for his work.

Zarc, now an entertainment duelist, wins his way up slowly thru the Pro Duel world since he’s able to communicate with his monsters, making it easy for him to both entertain and win duels.

As he makes his way up the ranks in the Pro Duelist leagues, he accidentally harms another duelist... but the crowd praises him for it. Being an entertainment duelist, Zarc is relieved to find the crowd is happy with this development even though he was worried at first.

Crowds push for this style of violent dueling from Zarc and he obliges since pleasing the crowd is his profession.

As this continues, Zarc is able to win duels and become the world champion. These kinds of duels, however, take a toll on Zarc’s dragons (and presumably Zarc himself too) since they put them in harm’s way.

Being the only one that can hear their voice, the Four Heavenly Dragons ask Zarc to help them end their own abuse which was being caused by social pressure for more violent duels.

Wanting to help his dragons, as well as meet the expectations of society for more violent duels from him, Zarc becomes one with them. They(he) nearly annihilates the United World.

To combat Zarc, now known as the Supreme Dragon King Zarc, Leo Akaba creates four En cards with the powers of nature (flowers, the moon, winds, and birds) and plans to use them to defeat Zarc.

Ray Akaba, his daughter, steals the cards from him before he can use them against Zarc.

Ray defeats Zarc in a duel and uses the four En cards to split Zarc and his dragons apart again and stop Supreme Dragon King Zarc. SDKZ is split into not only his four dragons, but also four human versions of himself. The En cards create Bracelets on Ray’s arm and their light splits up Ray as well as the United World into four humans and four new dimensions, respectively.

As Zarc is divided into four, the power swaying back and forth within him gives birth to Pendulum.

The world is reborn as four separate dimensions (based on the summoning methods of the Four Heavenly Dragons): Standard, Xyz, Synchro, and Fusion.

Leo Akaba wakes up in the Standard Dimension with no memories of his life in the United World.

Reiji Akaba is born.

Zarc’s reincarnations (Yuya, Yuto, Yugo, and Yuri) as well as Ray’s reincarnations (Yuzu, Ruri, Rin, and Serena) are born in Standard, Xyz, Synchro, and Fusion dimensions, respectively. Each of Zarc’s counterparts have one of the Four Heavenly Dragons with them. Each of Ray’s counterparts have one of the four Bracelets that the En cards created. Zarc’s Standard counterpart, Yuya Sakaki, is also given the Pendulum that Zarc created.

Leo Akaba works with Yusho Sakaki, Yuya’s (adoptive) father, and recreates Real Solid Vision.

Leo Akaba founds and establishes the Leo Corporation.

Yusho Sakaki establishes You Show Duel School with Shuzou Hiiragi.

Leo Akaba begins to regain his memories of the United World. He investigates his own memories to find out why he knew how to make Real Solid Vision and remembers his daughter, Ray, as well as the events that occurred in the United World that lead to its destruction.

Leo Akaba abandons his family and Leo Corporation in search of signs of Ray. He travels between dimensions to do this. He finds Serena, who looks just like Ray and has one of the four En bracelets, in Fusion Dimension’s Academia.

Leo Akaba realizes that Ray, and by the same logic Zarc, were both split into four people living four separate lives in each of the four dimensions.

Leo Akaba brings Real Solid Vision with him and establishes himself as the new leader of Academia and works on a new machine, Arc-V, which will eventually recombine the four worlds as well as the four girls who were once one person, Ray.

Leo Akaba also finds one of Zarc’s counterparts in Fusion Dimension’s Academia, Yuri, who is still a young boy. He takes him under his wing and encourages his antisocial and violent behavior as he wants to use him to find the fragments of his daughter, Ray.

Jean Michel Roget is sent as a spy to the Synchro Dimension. He offers the technology of Real Solid Vision to the High Counsel of The City in exchange for a position as the Director of Security. He cuts ties with Academia and decides to stay instead in order to gain more power.

Reiji Akaba searches for his father and finds him in the Fusion Dimension. He meets Serena. Leo Akaba sends Reiji back to the Standard Dimension, who takes charge of Leo Corporation as the new CEO and establishes Leo Duel School (LDS).

Dennis McField is sent to the Xyz dimension to search for Ray’s Xyz dimension counterpart.

Reiji Akaba reaches out to Yusho Sakaki to help stop his father’s ambitious plans.

Three years prior to episode 1, Yusho Sakaki leaves the Standard Dimension in order to meet with Leo. However, Yusho is sent to the Xyz Dimension instead of Fusion. He teaches the people of Xyz Dimension his philosophy of Smiles Through Dueling. Notable students of his include Dennis McField, Kaito Tenjo, and Sayaka Sasayama (Ruri Kurosaki’s best friend). Sayaka passes along this philosophy to Ruri, who in turn passes it on to Zarc’s Xyz Dimension counterpart, Yuto.

Due to Yusho’s absence, Strong Ishijima becomes the new Duel Champion in Standard by default.

Leo Akaba orders the invasion of the Xyz Dimension for two reasons: to gather large amounts of life energy (in the form of people turned into cards by Academia soldiers) to power Arc-V, and to kidnap Ruri Kurosaki who is found to be Ray’s Xyz dimension counterpart. This marks the very beginning of the Interdimensional War.

The Xyz dimension’s Heartland City is torn apart and destroyed by Academia soldiers armed with RSV capable duel disks. The majority of its citizens are turned into cards to serve as fuel for Arc-V. The remaining duelists in Heartland City form a Resistance to fight back against Academia soldiers.

Rin, Ray’s Synchro dimension counterpart, is kidnapped successfully by Yuri and taken to Academia soon after. She is kidnapped in front of her childhood friend Yugo, who is Zarc’s Synchro dimension counterpart. Yugo’s Clear Wing Synchro Dragon teleports him to the Xyz dimension where he fights Yuto, thinking that he is Yuri, the one who kidnapped Rin. Their duel is interrupted by Resistance reinforcements.

Ruri Kurosaki is kidnapped successfully by Yuri and taken to Academia thanks to intel from Dennis.

Shun Kurosaki, Ruri’s older brother, and Yuto interrogate a defeated Academia soldier who reveals to them that the world is divided into four dimensions and that Leo Akaba is the one who ordered the invasion on the Xyz dimension with the goal of uniting the four dimensions into one.

Yusho Sakaki has a duel with Edo Phoenix, the commander-in-chief of the Academia’s army in the Xyz dimension. Yusho is injured during the duel but defeats Edo and gifts him a copy of Smile World. Edo Phoenix rejects it and tears it in half. Yusho keeps half of the torn Smile World and is sent to the Fusion dimension where he eventually establishes another You Show Duel School which serves as a refugee school for Academia deserters. Meanwhile, Edo keeps the other half of the torn Smile World card and searches for Yusho for a rematch.

Shun interrogates another Academia soldier who tells him about the existence of Reiji Akaba, Leo’s son, in the Standard dimension.

Shun sets out for the Standard dimension with the plan of kidnapping Reiji and using him as a hostage to bargain for his sister, Ruri.

Yuto follows after Shun to the Standard dimension.

(Episode 1):

A Strong Ishijima fan appreciation duel event is organized by LDS. His opponent is Yuya Sakaki.

During the duel, Yuya’s desire to win awakens Zarc’s soul within the Pendulum. Pendulum cards and Pendulum summoning are created.

Woo... I believe that’s about everything in terms of what happened before episode 1.

As for what went wrong? The root of the problem is arguably Leo Akaba’s creation of Real Solid Vision. Without it, Zarc would have most likely just lived life as just another duelist since there would be 1) nothing to threaten or abuse the Four Heavenly Dragons and other monsters and 2) no social desire or pressue for Zarc to conduct extremely violent duels since real harm would be very unlikely.

I just want to make a call back to GX real quick since it gave us 3+ duelists who, like Zarc, could hear and communicate with duel monsters. In GX’s world, Solid Vision wasn’t advanced enough for Duel Monsters spirits to be practically real and to harm one another and feel harm. Thus, there was no reason for Duel Monsters to seek help from humans who could communicate with them to end their abuse or suffering the way Zarc’s Dragon’s did. The only instance we did see this true in GX was Yubel who was launched into space... and who felt real pain due to the power of the cosmos (one of the En cards, En Moon, is powered by the cosmos). Because of this, Yubel was also corrupted by a mix of hatred and anger towards all humans except for Juudai who had promised them that he would love them and protect them forever.

Much like (I’m sure) Zarc communicated with his Dragons and promised them he would satisfy their lust for revenge against the humans who harmed them (especially since he was convinced this would also satisfy human’s lust for violence).

Interestingly enough, both Yubel’s feelings and Zarc’s desires were terribly misguided... and led them to violence and destruction.

#ygo #arc v #arc v spoilers #sai watches arc v #if you read all this wow thank u #arc v analysis #long post

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nammyfanficsblog · 8 years ago

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Card war avengers : Characters info

Main Characters info --> see the fanart here and here

Akira Akatsuki - Cheerful, Hot-blood, strong sense of justice boy. Ammeter at dueling and later decides to take summer course for improving it. His ace partners are Iron man (Xyz) and AG.(Asgardian) Trickster Lord - Loki (Synchro)

Iron man/Tony Stark - Genius billionaire playboy philanthropist as always + talkative, ego , can't stand when someone (especially Loki ) don't agree with him. One of Akira's ace partner. always come up with arguing with Loki.

Loki Odinson - Calm, Smart,Prideful but these change when he's with Tony...,can't stand when someone (especially Tony) saying bad about his magic and tricks ,hates when Thor (and his family) thinking that he's still a child. One of Akira's ace partner together with Tony.

Note =

- Akira's deck is mixing between Machine and Spellcaster monsters. also, Akira isn't kind of "think before he leaps"

- He seems to be a little more diligent than his original such as during his free time, Akira will do his homework and even read a book (but always interrupted by Tony and Loki's argument)

- Tony and Loki always having argument (more violence than with Cap) and like to challenge each other. Their relationship is rival.

- Loki isn't a bad guy here (sorry Loki's fanboy/girl) since he always get what he want (and enough tsudere-love from his (foster) father making him doesn't want anything)

- Tony and Loki don't know that they used to have a childhood memories together.

*Spoiler* When Tony and Loki combine their power, they can form something really powerful...

Hikaru Akatsuki - Older brother of Akira, Calm, caring, mature than every member of the team. He is the synchro duelist (not the riding one yet) He takes summer course with Akira to watch over him. His ace partner is AG. Thunder mighty - Thor (Synchro)

Thor Odinson- Despite his god-like appearance, he is the Kind-heart, strong, fluffy, gentle (adoptive)brother of Loki. He really loves his brother and his teammates and always be seen with smile and gentle personalities.

Note =

- Hikaru uses Beast-Warrior and Beast monsters deck which focus on blocking monster's effect.

- Thor is much more being "caring brother" to Loki (and more fluffy warrior than prideful one). and always count Tony as his brother as well (he says Tony and Loki like two peas in pod) and end up get beat by them...

- Thor doesn't like when someone talking about his brothers in the bad ways. (he just stares at them violently...)

Christ Taylor - Riding duelist (since he is the oldest) who often being a cynical type, doesn't seem to care about anything. In fact, he's kind at heart and willing to help others when they need. Although he always be seen eating vegetables, He has a soft spot for sweets. He has to take the summer course because of his problem. His partner is Captain America (Synchro)

Captain America/Steve rogers - Strong sense of justice, serious at almost of everything. Although Cap always seems to have argument with his partner (Cap is being too much parental-like to everyone, especially Christ.) he really trusts and believes in his partner. He seems to hide his past memories about his old friend...

Note =

- Christ's deck contains Warrior monsters which focus on defensing and blocking monster from attack or card effects (well, he's captain america's partner)

- Captain america taking a main role of breaking argument between Tony and Loki but seems they don't care about his warning...

- When Christ eats sweets or something that taste sweet, He will turn into another personality ( "Sweets hunger" as his family says) who seeks to eat/lust over the sweets. (and don't remember anything about it lol). * spoiler : this personality also effect to his dueling, making him become more insanity, aggression and sadist, his monsters also affected by this personality too...*

Edward Grant - Despite his timid and very shy personalities, He is a youth duelist champion who master at magic and trap cards. He takes summer course to study more dueling skill since he is interested in action dueling and other “special reason” His partner is Hulk (Fusion)

Hulk/Bruce Banner - Calm and Quiet personality, doesn't talk as much. Obey to all of his master command. (Hulk seems to be OOC in here, lol)

Note =

- Most of Edward's deck contains magic and trap cards (mostly continue one) which focus on countering other monster's attack, card effect and preventing them from using monster to attack. also using them as his monsters as well.

- Edward afraid of using his monster to attack or being attacked by opponent's monster.

- Edward takes serious personality when dueling.

- Instead of knowing about every heroes/villains, Edward knows almost everything about cards.

- All of 5 children, Edward is the one whose deck has the least monsters.

Jessica "Jessy" Shannon - Naive and Cheerful Young action duelist from french rich family, She takes summer course to kill her free time. Her partner is Wasp (Pendulum)

Wasp/ Janet van Dyne - Only Heroine of avengers. She always support her partner to be herself and quit hiding her alter ego. Always be seen enjoy doing action duel with Jessy.

Note =

- Jessy's deck focus on Pendulum summon and summon a lot of monsters in a few turn. Most of her monsters are mix type of monsters.

- Jessy is very hot-blood and eager to duel when there is action duel occur. Though, she hates to lose with action duel.

- Actually, Jessy, the action duelist, is her alter ego. She has to keep this secret since her parents don't want her to be an action duelist (When being with her parents, she behave really good.)

- Jessy doesn't have only Wasp as her ace partner. She also has other 2 monsters which are S.A. (Shield's agent) Black widow and S.A (Shield's agent) Hawkeye too, which are used for pendulum summoning Wasp.

Manino Giordani - a part time chef who has to take the full time role of summer course teacher. He always act like a gentleman but he is really sensitive and his emotion is easily broke. His deck is focus on easily summoned cooking-related monster so that, he could teach his students how to do every methods of summoning.

Note =

- Manino is the villain,one of celebrity five, in the original story but in this, he's good guy and just a "normal" part time chef.

- He always dreams to be a chef in luxury restaurant.

- His emotion easily broke when someone complain about his cooking skill. (though he has really good cooking skill, he just don't have confidence in his skill.)

#card war avengers #disk war avengers au #disk war avengers

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higuchimon · 4 years ago

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[fanfic] Rewards of Losing: Chapter 6

I wish I had a spare D-Gazer. Kei could have used it to keep in touch with him. As it was, Mizael had to wait for any sort of word that could be passed through the plants. That could take a while. Plants listened and communicated among themselves and Healers and Healer Cats, but getting them to pass a coherent message from one to the other, very quickly, wasn’t the easiest to accomplish.

So Mizael waited in the Night Garden, nervous. He didn’t think that Marufuji would hurt the Healer Cat. But tracking him down, if he were truly as dangerous as Kei thought he was, put the Cat at a deeper risk.

I should have gone. Mizael couldn’t be as well-hidden as the Healer Cat was but he still wished he had. The more he thought about Marufuji, the more he genuinely wanted to talk to him.

But it would probably be best if he didn’t. A few hours still remained until their dinner, and that would be the best time to say anything. Perhaps see if he felt more inclined to add XYZ to his deck or to stop doing whatever it was that Kei knew he was doing and Mizael was starting to get an idea of what he was doing.

He’d learned a few things from the magazines. The problem there was that the magazines didn’t know everything. They’d only told him that a handful of talented duelists, none of them Healers or Firestarters, vanished over the last few weeks. According to Kei, it started when Marufuji came to town from somewhere.

Did it start because of him? Or is he trying to find out who did it? Mizael couldn’t be sure and he wanted to bring it up to Marufuji. Kei suspected him, saying only that it was a cat’s intuition. Cats were clever creatures by any metric. Mizael wasn’t going to dismiss it out of hand.

Something is indeed strange about him and his deck. Not a single XYZ creature in it. You’d think he’d never even heard of it before coming here. Jinlong observed, settling down on one of the benches near Mizael.

“Is that possible?” Mizael murmured. It didn’t feel like it should be. He couldn’t quite get his head wrapped around the thought of not knowing what XYZ was.

Anything is possible. The question is, is it likely? Jinlong shrugged, long white braid flicking as he did. Perhaps. Fusion isn’t an unknown summoning method. But I haven’t seen anyone use it in a very long time.

Mizael nodded slowly. Jinlong didn’t often speak of what he’d seen in his life and he knew very well that the old dragon counted his years in eons. That brought up another thought – why would such an old style be used? Where could they have come from that knew only that and nothing else?

He wanted to ask, but as he did, a soft whisper came from the blossoms. He turned towards them, focusing his awareness. They didn’t say something that could be construed as a word, but a sensation – Kei had entered Marufuji’s apartment.

Kei wasn’t supposed to get Marufuji’s attention, only to watch him and see what he did when he was alone. Granted, right now was probably the safest time to do so, since he would more than likely spend it opening his new packs. A Cat could keep itself concealed very easily so going in there wasn’t wrong. But it made Mizael nervous regardless.

He tried his best to keep himself calm, taking another turn around the Garden. The Night Garden looked at the best at the night, but it was lovely during the day as well. There were a few places that Firestarters liked to frequent and he wandered that way now. Jinlong paced him, shifting easily back between his dragon and human forms.

You must trust the Cat, Mizael. His instincts are very good.

Mizael nodded. He seldom spoke aloud when it was just him and Jinlong, unless they were in his own apartment. He didn’t want anyone thinking he wasn’t entirely there. He could protect himself, and Healers were allowed a certain amount of oddity regardless. But he did have a business to run, and other people staring at him irritated him.

Jinlong glanced ahead and Mizael’s gaze followed his, sensing the presence of a powerful Healer – and one that was bonded. The faint flicker of tension in his shoulders eased when he became aware of that. He relaxed even more when he saw who it was.

“Christopher,” he acknowledged. The older duelist strolled forward, returning Mizael’s nod, silver hair flashing in the afternoon sunlight.

“Mizael. How have you been?” Christopher Arclight, one of the most powerful and highest ranking Healers in Heartland, had every flower in the Garden leaning towards him, murmuring whispers of welcome in the soft language of leaf and light.

Mizael shrugged. He wasn’t sure if he wanted to let anyone else know about what was going on with Marufuji just yet. He didn’t even know everything that was going on.

“Nothing much. What about you?”

“The same.” Christopher settled down on one of the benches, a vine from a nearby tree winding around his shoulders. “Have you had any interesting duels lately?”

Sometimes Mizael wondered exactly what Chris knew or didn’t know. He had a habit of not telling everything that was on his mind. That annoyed Mizael far more than he would have ever allowed Chris to know.

“One,” he admitted. He considered before continuing. “And I should have one this weekend as well.”

Chris raised one silver eyebrow. “Oh?” That single word invited Mizael to tell everything else that might have been on his mind. Mizael shrugged.

“A couple of strange duelists. They use that old summoning method, Fusion. Not XYZ.” His lips twitched. “Though I’m trying to get one of them to change that.”

“Teaching someone XYZ? I thought that was my job,” Chris teased, eyes glistening in amusement. He was indeed a very fine dueling teacher; he’d taught Kaito and others. He even worked as a part time instructor at various duel schools, never committing to one of them, but moving through the ones in Heartland.

Mizael shrugged. “I found him first? Besides, he’s a little older than most of your students.” He settled down onto one of the other benches. The flowers and trees didn’t respond as strongly to him as they did to Christopher but they did wind towards him. Day or night, plants knew a Healer. “I’m having dinner with him tonight – and he’s a Firestarter.”

Again Chris’s eyebrow twitched upward. “Oh?” Amusement rippled all through his voice. “Are you finally courting someone?”

Mizael’s eyes widened and he shook his head. “He’s already courting a Healer. I met him here yesterday.” Mizael tapped the sunflower blossom nearest him. “You can ask what they think of him.”

Chris glanced towards the vine that wound over his shoulders, eyes taking on the distant expression of a Healer communicating with the foliage. When he refocused, he turned towards Mizael.

“The plants here don’t like him.”

That wasn’t usual. Plants normally liked every Healer, even if humans didn’t. Mizael focused his attention on the sunflower.

The Healer that was here with me yesterday. Do you remember him?

The one from distant lands? The one whose heart is cast in shadow?

That wasn’t something he’d heard before. The one who watched while I dueled his to-be Firestarter. He did not use those words; plants didn’t understand words as humans or Cats did. Instead, he recalled what Yuuri and Ryou looked like and the sunflower bobbed slowly.

Yes. Him. The other Healer is correct. We do not like him. We will not like him.

All of the plants that Mizael could see twitched and shivered in a wind that wasn’t there. He could hear the whispers rising up from all of them now.

Healer.

Tainted.

Wrong.

Different words from different plants. Mizael’s eyes met Chris’s in worry, even more so as another word rose up from the depths of the Garden, the oldest and wisest of the plants, that had grown there since the Garden had first been planted ages ago.

Dark.

Yuuri carefully nipped at one edge of the scarlet blossoms, taking a few moments to examine it. Exactly what he wanted – all he needed to do now was seal it into glass and hang it from a chain. Then it would be gifted to Marufuji. Then it would watch and he wouldn’t worry at all about his future Firestarter’s fidelity.

And if he had the chance, he would feed both that too pretty blond Healer and that pesky Cat to one of his flytraps. They needed good strong meat and he’d always rather enjoyed feeding Healers to his plants. The Healers always screamed so sweetly.

The plants tended to find them extra tasty as well. But his plants were special, just like he was.

Finished with the red salvia for the moment, he let it rest, and wandered along his garden paths deep in thought. He hadn’t yet received any information from the Professor about what to do, but he didn’t really need it. He had his own plans.

Deep in the center of his garden, he slipped a small square of paper out of his inner pocket and regarded it carefully. Pulsating veins crisscrossed it and he could sense all the power of the souls locked within.

I should go get a few more for this.

Tempting as it was, he wasn’t going to try to seal that blond Healer into it, and he didn’t dare take the risk of doing so with a Cat. He’d only taken the souls of duelists and Cats seemed to be too different, even if they could wield the power that he did.

But there were plenty of other places where he could locate duelists who he could defeat and set into this. He considered for a few moments before he tapped at the controls on his duel disk. Dimension jumping was only meant for serious business. It wasn't to be used for pleasure jaunts.

That was what the Professor and the scientists who’d created the technology to do so kept telling them. Yuuri didn’t care that what he considered serious business they wouldn’t. The fact he also took a deep and satisfying pleasure in what he did didn’t matter, not to him.

He appeared in the Synchro dimension, in a small town far from the central area of the City, out in the country. He’d never been here before, but he’d studied the co ordinates and the information that their spies brought back. This place was so out of the way that there were perhaps half a dozen actual duelists in a town that consisted of a scant thousand. “Town” wasn’t even the right word, in his opinion. Village would probably work better.

Or in terms of more accuracy, a playground. A playground for him.

He strolled through the streets casually, keeping an eye out for one of those duelists. They weren’t scheduled to invade here for a long time yet, not until after they’d squashed the entire XYZ dimension under their boots. That would take a long time; each world contained millions, if not billions, of people.

So many to defeat in duels. So many to card. Perhaps even a few to – pay with.

He’d not forgotten the news that Dennis brought him, not for a moment. For the longest time he’d yearned for someone he could – entertain himself with. He’d wavered on if it would be his future Firestarter or not. He needed, wanted, someone that he could break, but not someone who would break easily.

Someone whose torment would entertain him. Someone whose screams could echo for ages – and he could ensure that, at least. He might not be the best when it came to the physical aspects of Healing but he knew more than enough to ensure that any captive he chose stayed alive for a very long time.

The idea of taking someone who belonged to a counterpart of his remained quite a juicy tidbit as well. How close were they? So many questions that remained unanswered.

He would answer some of them soon enough. For now though, he had another goal.

There: a target. A young man some years older than he was, fiddling with a duel disk. Good; Yuuri wasn’t fond of the dueling on motorcycles that he’d seen them do here. That was why he’d chosen this particular town. No one here had a D-Wheel. It was all the old-fashioned style here.

His lips cracked into a beaming smile that dripped the need to cause someone else pain. He strolled over.

“Hello there. I’m new in town.” His smile glowed even brighter. “Would you care for a duel?”

Ryou tried not to think too hard about the cards that rested in his pocket. He had enough to think about right now, what with the dinner with Mizael looming. But the cards, and that one single one, Cyber Nova Dragon, seemed to burn inside of him as no fire ever had.

Firestarter. The fire that he’d lit in his fireplace hummed at him as he prepared his afternoon tea. Firestarter.

Ryou held back a sigh. That could only mean there was trouble of some kind. He’d heard a few faint noises but chalked them up to the wind – more because he didn’t want to think about what else they could be.

They probably weren’t the wind.

Healer Cat and Healer’s Plant arguing.

Fire didn’t always laugh. The fire laughed now. Ryou sighed again and finished making his tea before he turned around and entered his tiny living room. The moment that he turned he could see it. The cat, lean and sleek and as black as midnight, sat in front of the table and glared at the flytrap Yuuri had left on it.

“What are you doing here?” Ryou asked, coming over to his chair. “I didn’t invite you in.”

“I’m a Cat. I don’t need an invitation. You’re my Firestarter. I very much don’t need an invitation.” The Cat said calmly, not taking his eyes off of the flytrap. His tail twitched lazily. “My name is Kei. Do you accept that I’m real now?”

“I don’t have much of a choice, do I?” Ryou took a sip of his tea. “You

still didn’t tell me what you’re doing here.”

“There are many answers to that.” Slowly the Cat – Kei – turned to regard him with deep gray eyes. “But why don’t you tell me why you’re here?”

Ryou tensed. “Why do you ask?” Did this Cat know where he was from? Was he relaying this to someone else somehow? He watched his words.

“Because you’re my Firestarter.” Kei regarded him. “You need balance. You’re out of it very badly.”

At once Ryou shook his head. “I have Yuuri.” Bonding to Yuuri would balance out his flames. They were of equal strength. That was what Healers and Firestarters did for one another.

“No, you don’t. He’s not the right one for you.” Kei did not move. “I am. One of two, at least.”

Ryou did not need to ask who the other one was. But he shook his head. “I’m not going to cheat.”

“Why are you two courting one another?” Kei asked. “Because you do not like one another. You do not respect one another. You are both powerful but there is more to that for a true bond – and you know that.”

He wanted to deny that, but the words struck deep inside of his heart. He pressed his lips together and shook his head.

“Why does it matter to you?”

“As I said. You're my Firestarter. Kei slowly got up and walked over to Ryou, those intense eyes never blinking. “I want what is best for you – and who is best for you. That isn’t him. I don’t think he’s the best for anyone.”

Ryou’s shoulders tightened. “Yuuri’s my Healer, even if we’re not bonded yet. And we will be soon.” It all depended on how soon the war ended, and it hadn’t even begun yet.

The noise Kei made could best be described as not convinced. His tail twitched for a few seconds. “We’ll see about that.”

“You can’t stay here. I’m not yours.” Ryou wondered what Yuuri would do if he saw that there was not only a Healer Cat in there – one Ryou had been warned away from – but those XYZ cards. The cards could be excused – they were there for research purposes and minor interest only, not because Ryou was going to use them. But the Cat? The Cat whose power was so clearly visible to Ryou’s Firestarter eyes?

Oh, no. Yuuri was jealous and selfish. Ryou knew that very well. It would not be allowed.

“I disagree. But I won’t stay – you’ll see me again later, but I won’t stay tonight.” Kei chuckled. “You’re not properly set up for me here yet.”

Ryou's first instinct was just to say that there wasn’t any way that he was going to ever be ready for Kei. He sealed his lips though and shook his head harder. He wanted the Cat gone but the words refused to come to his lips.

Finally he closed his eyes for a few seconds, listening to the whisper of the flame, and found other words.

“Why do you want to be with me? I won’t be here much longer. And I can’t take you with me.”

Kei’s head brushed against Ryou’s hand. “Because you are mine. Every Cat knows their partner when we see them. You are a powerful Firestarter – more so than you know.” He said nothing for a few minutes. Ryou was about to ask something else, but the words faded as Kei continued. He paled with each extra word he heard. “And you will need me because you may become a Frostflame – and you are not ready for that.”

To Be Continued

Notes: Yuuri is off being a very bad boy. He had to make Super Fusion somehow, didn’t he? It’s not like you get that card in a booster pack.

#fanfic #higuchimon writes #ygobb2020 #ygo gx #ygo zexal #ygo arc-v #marufuji ryou #mizael #yuuri (Arc-V)#chapters: rewards of losing #au: healer firestarter

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higuchimon · 4 years ago

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[fanfic] Rewards of Losing: Chapter 4

Healer Cat. That’s a Healer Cat. They really can talk. I wasn’t imagining it.

Ryou tried to wrap his mind around the concept. It wasn’t really that difficult, as strange as it seemed. So there were large cats that held the intelligence of humans and the power of Healers and Firestarters. And could apparently bond with them the way that humans did.

Did this mean that Healer Cat wanted to bond to him? What did it know about him? He remembered what the Cat had said – about how what he was doing had to stop. His eyes narrowed; he wasn’t going to betray his people nor his Professor.

Yuuri’s hand rested on his arm. “Stay away from them. That Healer and the Cat,” he ordered, rage hissing underneath his voice. Few might have heard it; Ryou knew Yuuri all too well. He heard that rage as if it were his own.

“Mizael didn’t seem like such a problem,” Ryou murmured. “He’s a very good duelist. I want to try him again sometime.”

Yuuri’s grip tightened. “No. Keep away from both of them. He already knows you play Fusion. Once the invasion starts, he’ll know where your true allegiance lies. Then you can play him again – and this time, you will take him down.” His hand gentled a fraction. “I expect to watch you sweep him away.”

Ryou wasn’t going to argue that. He wanted to defeat Mizael – he really just wanted to duel him again. The thought of not seeing the Cat again wasn’t such a bad one. Or so he did his best to tell himself. Cats shouldn’t talk. Cats shouldn’t be Healers.

And yet, it was. Yet the wisdom and caring in those gray eyes hummed in the back of his head.

Again Yuuri’s hand tightened on him. “You do understand, don’t you? We are to be bonded as soon as the Professor’s goal is accomplished. I would prefer sooner.”

As much as Ryou knew that he needed to pay attention to Yuuri, he couldn’t bring himself to do so. Instead he kept looking around for that great form of black and those intelligent gray eyes, expecting to see them anywhere and not doing so.

That was probably wisest. If that Cat knew anything about Yuuri, then it – he – would know not to spark his wrath.

He should go away and never return, find a Firestarter that was not already chosen by another. It would be much, much safer for him.

“I understand,” Ryou said, only when Yuuri’s grip tightened that bit more. He didn’t think Yuuri would actually inflict real damage on him, but why take the chance? Even if he did, that wouldn’t be so bad…

Yuuri released him and crossed his arms over his chest, very annoyed. “I’ll have to inform the Professor about this. These Cats could be an issue.” He shook his head. “Don’t do anything so that the Healer human gets too suspicious of you. I don’t want him to try to track you down.”

“He won’t find me if I don’t want to be found,” Ryou assured the Healer. “You can return home.”

Yuuri nodded briefly. He didn’t leave Ryou’s side, however, not until they made their way back to his tiny apartment. He crossed over to where he’d left his duel disk, then turned back to Ryou.

“I’ll be back this weekend. I am going to duel that Healer, after all.” His eyes glimmered in anticipation. “And I’d rather not hear that you tried to cheat on me.”

Ryou crossed his own arms, raised his head, and stared down at Yuuri, flaring his flames. Yuuri’s eyes widened and he held himself back from shuddering in pleasure. “I don’t do that,” Ryou stated flatly. “The Professor assigned us to each other. You won the right to court me. That’s all that I need.”

Though if he were to be totally true to himself, he didn’t know for certain if Yuuri really was the Healer that he wanted. Yuuri’s cruel streak didn’t bother him in the slightest. Being cruel was a way of life at Duel Academia. But that didn’t make them perfect for one another.

He’d rather thought once upon a time that he and Edo might at least consider one another, perhaps even indulge in a bit of courting. But Edo ended up bonded to a childhood friend of his, Saiou Takuma. Ryou hadn’t ever met him but trusted Edo to make the right decision. Edo was the closest that he had to an actual friend. Or at least that he’d had in quite a long time.

He suspected he could still count Asuka as a friend. They hadn’t spoken in quite some time. He knew that she was doing well in her classes, and would probably be part of the invasion once it got started. She was in the same year as Shou, though unlike him, she would probably be part of the Firestarter branch of Obelisk Force. The Firestarters would seek out any of the talented ones and challenge them, with the goal of taking them back to Fusion to be re-educated.

The Healers, on the other hand, would be busy tending to their wounded – assuming any of those duelists who would left could wound them at all – and making certain the Firestarters remained steady.

Neither Shou or Asuka had bonded yet. Asuka refused everyone that was assigned to her, not so much as going on a single courting date. No one had been assigned to Shou as of yet. He was still in the profess of developing his talents, so no one knew what strength he would be at.

All of that passed through Ryou’s mind in the space of a heartbeat. He nodded his farewell to Yuuri, who regarded him for a few seconds, before he raised his duel disk and used it to teleport back home.

Ryou settled down on his couch and stared at the ceiling in thought. He’d learned so much today. Healer Cats existed. He hadn’t been seeing things. But what could that Healer Cat want with him.

If the Cat came back around, Ryou would encourage him to go somewhere else. As for Mizael – Ryou wanted to think that he would never see him again, and the thought of it caused a tiny twitch somewhere deep inside. That wasn’t what he wanted. He wanted to see him again, to duel him again, win or lose. Preferably win – Fusion was far, far better than XYZ in every way and he wanted to make that very clear.

The invasion will do that, he reminded himself. He knew it to be true. That didn’t take the feeling that he wanted to do this himself. He’d been in this world for over three months, dueled countless XYZ users who frequently belittled his dueling when they saw him using Fusion. Mizael hadn’t – he’d been more intrigued than anything else.

He would be just like the others. Ryou refused to let himself believe otherwise. That too had been a part of the Professor’s teachings – that the other summoning types had their uses, but Fusion remained the greatest of them all, and would lead to the eventual union of all the worlds.

Ryou didn’t know why that was so important to his Professor. A few people had, over the years, asked. The only answer Ryou knew that the Professor had given was that all would be understood once it happened.

Ryou tilted his head to see the flytrap resting on the table. Yuuri had made it just for him. One more step to their eventual bonding. He really had no one else that he could bond to. None of the Healers at Academia were strong enough for him.

But Mizael – and the Cat – he could feel their power. Either of them – both of them – would be a suitable match.

No. Ryou refused to let himself entertain the notion, even for a second. He was a warrior of Fusion. That would never change.

The moment Yuuri entered his Garden, every plant and scrap of grass there weaved and danced, picking up on the rage that bubbled underneath his calm surface. His favorite flytrap, the very largest one, couldn’t quite vocalize but it came close to it, swaying in a non-existent wind, leaves reaching towards Yuuri.

He rested one hand on the nearest leaf, feeling the prickle of hairs against his skin, and whispered a soft reassurance. His plants were a tiny part of him – many tiny parts of him – and they would always react to his rage. Every Healer had to deal with this. It was one of the reasons they needed a Firestarter, to keep their emotions from stretching out to everyone within range.

Now he settled himself down in his favorite and most restful part of the garden and struggled to put his thoughts together. They’d found a very powerful duelist. That would be good; the Professor would definitely want Mizael taken, especially since he was an equally powerful Healer. Perhaps even on Yuuri’s own level.

No. Not quite that strong. It wasn’t even possible. But close. Very close indeed.

What Yuuri worried about more was that Cat. He’d never even seen it and he didn’t want to. Just hearing that it existed was more than enough to infuriate him. It came close to what was his and he could tell already that Marufuji was far more intrigued by both of them than he had any right to be.

I should bring him back home and bond with him now. If it weren’t for needing the Professor’s permission, Yuuri knew he would do it. In point of fact, he was on the brink of doing so even without permission. He needed a Firestarter, one that would not only be the perfect partner, but who would also assist him in his plans.

The Professor wanted the worlds fused. Yuuri had far more interesting ideas. But all in good time.

He stroked his flytrap’s leaves as he considered what he needed to do. First and foremost, he did need to inform the Professor about the existence of these Healer Cats and Fire Cats. The report on Marufuji’s progress was almost as important, but could wait a bit.

He made his way to where the Professor worked, consulting with his scientists and on occasion teachers. He didn’t know what they were talking about; likely something in relation to the upcoming invasion. He’d heard a great deal more than what most of them might have expected from him. Though he’d gone through the accelerated course to graduation and would be an important member of the invasion to come, he could still tell that some of them merely considered him the Professor’s obedient little pet.

Pets learned to bite, if not treated properly. Yuuri bared his teeth in an expression that wasn’t close to being a smile. Oh, he would enjoy sinking his teeth into the Professor soon enough.

All in due time. First, to get this situation dealt with.

Professor Akaba Leo lounged backward on his throne, only half-listening to the reports. He’d figured out the gist of them from the first few minutes and the rest of it was meaningless. His thoughts turned endlessly to the two most important to him.

Selena – one-fourth of what had once been his daughter. He wanted to see Rei again so badly. He thought if he didn’t have Selena there, he would have forgotten what she looked like after all this time. Even so, he knew the differences between the two by heart. Not just physical but mental.

Even so, he could see the similarities as well. Selena had every scrap of Rei’s stubbornness and determination to do what was right.

What will the others be like? He didn’t as of yet know even their names, but he had agents working in all three of the other dimensions. Sooner or later, he would have his daughter back again.

A knock came at the door. He raised his head, dismissing the scientists with a wave of one hand. “Yes?”

The door swung open and Yuuri entered, pacing forward in his usual fashion, one hand resting on his hip. He smiled, or at least had the corners of his mouth turned up. Leo had seen people smile before, out of sheer bliss or happiness. Yuuri’s smiles always held secrets behind them, as if he’d caused unimaginable pain to spark the expression.

There were times he wondered if he did the right thing, ensuring that Yuuri and Marufuji Ryou would bond to one another. But Yuuri needed to be restrained, kept on the path that led to Leo’s goals, and someone like Marufuji would be the best person to do that.

“Yuuri?” Leo raised one eyebrow. “You have something to report?” This was mildly interesting, since Yuuri didn’t have an assignment right now. At most he flitted over to XYZ to have courting dates with Marufuji and perhaps find some duelists who could be of use to them.

He shouldn’t have really found anything that required him to come here. Unless - Leo fought back the urge to be both thrilled and terrified at the same time. He couldn’t decide which one until he heard what Yuuri had to say.

“I just came from the XYZ dimension,” Yuuri reported. “It seems that they have creatures there known as Fire Cats and Healer Cats – equal in sentience and intelligence to humans, and equally talented.”

Leo’s hands closed on the arms of his throne. “I see.” Oh, he had not forgotten that. He’d merely hoped that they would somehow have conveniently disappeared over the last twenty years or so. Of course, he couldn’t have been that lucky.

Yuuri stared at him, eyes sharp and intelligent and too muck like Zarc’s for Leo’s personal comfort. “One of them is sniffing around Marufuji. I’ve warned him away from it, of course, but I wanted to know what your orders were.”

Healer Cats and Fire Cats. He’d not seen one of those in so long that so far as he knew, they didn’t exist at all in Fusion anymore. If they did exist, they kept themselves very quiet and out of his way. He far preferred it that way.

“I have heard of those,” he said thoughtfully, choosing his words with care. He didn’t really want Yuuri to ask certain questions. He’d gone to a lot of trouble to ensure that this fragment of Zarc never would ask them. “They are quite dangerous and are not to be trusted. Should you cross paths with one, make certain you card it as soon as possible.”

Yuuri tilted his head forward into a brief nod. “Are they capable of dueling?”

Of course he would ask that. But Leo shook his head. “No. Not that I am aware of.” Cats were very talented and perhaps under the right conditions – but no. He’d never met one that could, at least. “Are you interested in dueling one?”

“I’m interested in dueling anyone,” Yuuri replied with a feral grin. “In fact, I did encounter an XYZ Healer that we may wish to recruit.” His eyes briefly darkened. “Though I suspect that one is also sniffing around Marufuji.”

A Healer and a Healer Cat of XYZ lurking in the vicinity of one of his greatest warriors. That didn’t bode well. But Leo trusted his training to keep Marufuji where he belonged. Especially with Yuuri there to keep him grounded.

“Bring him here as soon as you can,” Leo ordered. “We’ll see to him after that.”

They would need all the strong duelists that they could acquire. If some of those happened to originally come from one of the other dimensions, then so be it. They would be taught proper loyalty and obedience – one way or another.

A little memory alteration would work for those who wouldn’t accept the Fusion way of thinking. He didn’t quite look forward to doing that to the rest of Rei’s fragments but it would have to be done. Far better than what one of his scientists had suggested. The very idea that he would put bugs into those girls – as if it would even work.

They’d learned the hard way that it wouldn’t.

Rei would forgive him once she returned. And even if he didn’t, then she would be alive once again, and as far as he was concerned, that was all that mattered.

Mizael showed Kei where he lived; they would have to wait for the next day to learn anything more about Marufuji. Mizael really wanted to but he wanted time to rest. While Kei nosed his way around Mizael’s small apartment, Mizael searched for something they could eat, a dozen thoughts musing their way through his mind.

He uses Fusion Summoning. But he also uses Cyber Dragons. Something about that nudged at his memories. He wasn’t sure of why, but there was something there that he couldn’t quite click onto.

Kei made a noise and Mizael turned towards him. The Cat had his paw on top of Mizael’s back issues of Duelist Magazine.

“Have you read these?”

Mizael shook his head. “I get them because I work at a card store.” He usually thumbed through them to get an idea of what kind of cards would be released soon. But they usually also had reports about what was going on in the world of dueling. Those he mostly ignored.

Kei tapped them again with one great paw. “Read them. The more recent ones. You’ll find something in there.”

“What do you mean?” Mizael came over and settled on the couch. He did wish he could get Kei to be more forthcoming, but Cats were still cats. They said what they wanted, when they wanted, no more and no less.

“I told you that he was doing something that he needs to stop. You’ll find it in there.” Kei shook his head. “I don’t know any other way to describe it.”

Mizael picked up the most recent one – tossed there only the day before – and started to page through it curiously. He wondered what it was he was looking for, and how long it might take him to find it. Would he even recognize what Kei meant by it?

Only one way to find out, he decided, and kept on reading.

To Be Continued

Notes: And the plot marches onward! Of course Ryou and Mizael aren’t going to keep apart, even if Ryou (thinks) he wants to.

#fanfic #higuchimon writes #ygo gx #ygo zexal #ygo arc-v #ygobb2020 #marufuji ryou #mizael #yuuri (arc-v)#au: healer firestarter #chapters: rewards of losing

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real-life-pine-tree · 8 years ago

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Arc-V Aftermath: My Fair Yugo (4/26)

WARNING: Dub names will be featured in the story.

A few days have passed since Yuto's job offer and the mystery of Yoko and Lono's familial relation. At one point, Yuto realized that if he and Lulu were to get married, then that would mean Yuya would end up being her cousin-in-law. The Sakaki/Osaku family tree might be getting crazier with every possible thought. Aside from that, life has been going normally for the Yu-Salad and Bracelet Girls.

Today, Yuya and Zuzu were continuing with their training with Frederick, Allie, Tate, Gong, and Sora at the You Show Duel School. They were practicing different special summoning methods, including XYZ Summoning, something Zuzu suggested on the day she, Yuya, and Gong dueled against Julia, Dipper, and Kit respectively. Right now, she and her tomato-haired friend were demonstrating how to Fusion Summon to everyone else.

"Alright everyone!" Yuya exclaimed. "Time to swing this performance my way with Performapal Trump Witch and my newest addition to the show: Performapal Card Gardna! I'm taking control of this duel starting now!"

Card Gardna looked like a card with green eyes, a smiling face with oval blushes, white gloves, and white shoes. Its card had a magenta and black checkered pattern on the bottom half, two light yellow rings surrounding a pink circle and a yellow star on the upper half, and a light gold border with 12 light gold studs around it. Yuya used his Scale 4 Trump Witch and Scale 8 Card Gardna to set the Pendulum Scale, enabling him to summon any monsters between Levels 5 and 7.

"I'm allowed to summon monsters from Levels 5 and 7 all at the same time!" Yuya continued. "Swing far, Pendulum! Carve the arc of victory! My monsters are ready...to SWING INTO AC-"

"RinRin!"

Everyone was surprised to see that Yuya was no longer on the Duel Field, especially Zuzu. Taking his place was none other than his Synchro counterpart Yugo. Why is he unexpectedly taking over? Regardless, the Yu-Salad boys were experiencing another side effect Declan mentioned back at the dance.

"Yugo!" Rin exclaimed after Zuzu let her take over. "What was that for?!"

"Oh, come on, Rin!" Yugo said. "These people have seen Fusion Summoning so many times! How about mixing things up with a Synchro duel?"

Rin asked why he wants to Synchro duel and he stated that all he knows is that the High Council was immediately disbanding after Yuya won the last Friendship Cup. Besides, the last time the banana-banged Duelist dueled was against Yuri. In other words, he's just finding an excuse. At the same time, the spectators thought Yugo was goofing off.

"But Yuya-" Rin started to say.

"Enough with Yuya!" Yugo suddenly yelled. "Ever since the dimensional war, it's all about him! So what if the Duelist from the Synchro dimension won't be able to fulfill his lifelong dream of winning the Friendship Cup?! Look at how amazing the Pendulum Duelist is! Don't worry about losing your Duel Runner to your brainwashed-crazy childhood friend! We should all focus on all the smiles the tomato-haired Duelist brings! Sure, who cares about all the others as long as YUYA IS ****ING HAPPY!"

Tears started to form in his eyes. Despite Yuya having to deal with his father's disappearance and Zarc's growing darkness during the war, Yugo endured much worse events. He grew up in the Commons as an orphan, almost lost his childhood friend at the hands of Leo, had his only Duel Runner destroyed when a Fusion Parasite monster controlled Rin, and he is now fused with his three other counterparts, one of them in which he had a hatred for all because of a simple misunderstanding.

Skip escorted the students back into their classroom to give Yugo and Rin a few minutes to themselves. While the Synchro Duelist snapped about how it's all about Yuya, the Pendulum Duelist felt terribly guilty. He had no idea his counterpart felt this way until just now. He wants to make it up to him, but he doesn't know how.

"Yugo..." Yuya tried to say.

"SHUT UP!" Yugo yelled, slapping midair as if he was trying to hit Yuya.

"Maybe we should give them some space," Yuto advised.

"Agreed," Yuri said. "Perhaps the girls are doing the same thing."

Yuya, Yuto, and Yuri retreated back to their shared mind, with Zuzu, Lulu, and Celina doing the same thing, leaving their Synchro counterparts the only ones left on the Duel Field.

Yugo fell to his knees, sobbing hard. "Why?!" he shouted. "Why do I always get the short end of the stick?! Why does Yuya get everything?!" He angrily punched the ground.

Rin knelt next to Yugo. "Don't feel bad," she said. "I didn't really have an easy time either."

Yugo looked up at Rin, tears staining his cheeks. "R-Really?" he choked up.

"I wasn't really sure what was going on," Rin explained. "The other girls said they believed in someone I never heard of, but if he was going to save us, I figured I had no other choice but to voice my support. But then..." She sniffled a bit.

Yugo knew what Rin meant. Throughout the entire Interdimensional War, she has never met Yuya until after the ARC-V incident started. If she was going to be completely honest, she felt the most hesitant about Yuya trying to save the Bracelet Girls from Leo's clutches, especially when the darkness from Zarc was gradually consuming him.

"I don't really remember what happened," Rin continued. "The next thing I knew, I was fused to those other three girls. The rest is a huge blank."

Yugo mentioned he doesn't remember much either. The huge blank was when all four girls fainted and each disappeared to fuse back into Ray. At the same time, all Yugo remembered was he lost against Yuri and his soul merged with his Fusion counterpart, with the darkness taking hold of him. Then, when the dimensions split back into four, he, Yuri, and Yuto were fused into Yuya; Zarc's reemergence most likely caused his memory to draw a blank.

Back in the shared mind, Yuya still felt bad about his Synchro counterpart. More so, his sudden lash of anger further upset him, especially when he was "slapped" on the face. The Pendulum Duelist placed his hand on his cheek, feeling the nonexistent pain from that "slap". All he wanted to do was help, but he felt like he ended up making things worse. Yuto and Yuri stood not far from Yuya, talking about what they should do for the rest of the day after that heated incident.

"Don't listen to that moron," Yuri told Yuya. "It was your dueling style that erased the darkness from Zarc's heart."

"He's right," Yuto agreed. "My dueling style is more passive-aggressive, so I would have made things worse if I was in your spot."

Yuya looked up at the two counterparts. He thanked them for trying to make him feel better, but he also wondered what they were going to do about this. Yuto said to leave the situation to Rin and let her handle it. He could tell she's got it under control.

At that point, Rin was hugging Yugo as he sobbed. "It's okay," she said, stroking his blueberry-colored hair. "We both underwent a lot of stress during the war. We should embrace each other's comfort."

Yugo nodded as he continued sobbing. Despite everything they went through and their differing personalities, they still have each other and that is what's important for them. As they embraced each other, he was feeling her warmth on his body and it was soothing. This may be the first time he didn't mind her motherly personality; even from the way she was comforting him was like a mother comforting their child. The two spent the next few minutes embracing each other as the Speedroids user calmed down.

Eventually, Rin spoke up. "If you want, we can have a sleepover at Zuzu's place," she suggested, her fingers still caressing Yugo's hair.

"Hmm?" Yugo muttered, still in a slight trance from the comfort.

"We can discuss new dueling strategies and come up with ideas for our new Duel Runner," Rin continued. "It'll be just like old times, just the two of us on the streets of New Domino City."

Yugo looked up, seeing Rin's smiling face. "You mean it?"

"Of course," Rin answered.

Yugo shifted his position to hug Rin in response. "Thanks RinRin," he said, happy to have a friend like her.

Later that night, at the Sakaki house, Yugo was getting ready for the sleepover with Rin; he finished taking off his Turbo Duel suit and began putting on his short-sleeved, teal shirt, white shorts, and a pair of light teal sneakers. No matter what clothes he's wearing, he's always confident about his looks… Maybe a bit too overconfident… Just when he was about to pack a toothbrush, some toothpaste, shampoo, and his deck to bring with him, Yuya, Yuto, and Yuri appeared.

"What's with the bags?" Yuya asked.

"Rin invited me to a sleepover at Zuzu's place," Yugo answered. "Nothing special."

Yuto looked alarm. "A date?" he asked.

"I beg of you, moron. Don't screw this up!" Yuri said.

"And don't get her upset," Yuya said.

"As someone who has proper dating experiences, I would advise you to be yourself," Yuto chimed in. "But that won't work for you. Treat Rin like a beautiful princess."

"So I should act like a stuck-up, one-dimensional prince from one of those old animated fairytales?" Yugo humorously asked. "Got it."

Yuri groaned in frustration as he rubbed his forehead. "At least comb your unruly hair," he said.

Yugo wasted no time as he went in the bathroom and combed his dual-colored hair. Yuri rhetorically questioned why it was even a miracle that he was going out with someone like Rin. Shortly thereafter, he began to teach the Synchro Duelist about etiquette. Since he grew up in a high class environment, it was the perfect time for him teach everything Leo taught him. As the old saying goes, "The student has become the master."

"Is this really important?" Yugo asked as he had to walk across the room while balancing a book on his head. "Me and Rin came from a poor environment."

"Yes, it is important if you want to win her heart," Yuri said. "And the correct phrasing is 'Rin and I'. Get it right!"

Yuto and Yuya watched Yuri's lesson as they waited for their turns to teach Yugo about etiquette. Yuya pointed out that this is one of the easiest lessons in history, but Yuto reminded him that they'll be teaching real lessons once Yuri was done. The Pendulum Duelist looked back at Yugo, who was still balancing the book on his head. He hoped all their advice will pay off for him tonight.

Not long after that, Yuya taught his Synchro counterpart everything he knows about acting and how it should be utilized in dates. He needs to find the right balance of when it's appropriate to act or take things seriously. As for Yuto, he demonstrated his skills on how to properly talk to girls. He used his years of growing up and his first date with Lulu as references to keep Yugo's quick-tempered, loud, and rude behavior in check. Pretty soon, they were finished with giving out their best advice.

"I hope you know what you're doing," Yugo said, combing his hair once more.

"You look great," Yuto said. "Just remember to speak in a calm tone and listen to her."

"But don't forget to keep a good posture!" Yuri emphasized.

"And you have to convince her that this is the real you," Yuya added.

Yugo took a deep breath as he placed his comb on Yuya's nightstand. "Alright," he said. "I got this."

He gathered his bags and headed downstairs to meet up with Rin. He is really looking forward to the sleepover, but at the same time, he will be darned if she finds out that the boys mistakenly prepared him for a date. For now, he gathered his courage to use the tips and tricks he learned for tonight. He was about to say "What's the worst that could happen," but decided not to because let's face it: literally anyone who says it ends up with some kind if worst-case scenario. It's a known fact.

Meanwhile, at Zuzu's house, Rin had already gotten changed into her pink top and yellow shorts, which were usually her pajamas. Zuzu asked what else she and Yugo were going to do aside from discussing deck strategies and ideas for their new Duel Runner. The green-haired girl replied that they can always watch a movie or two, play Duel Monsters, and plan for any more future tournaments besides the Friendship Cup since it was still dubious that it'll continue next year. The Synchro duo were determined about becoming professional Turbo Duelists. Celina and Lulu couldn't help but chime in at Rin and Zuzu's conversation.

"Don't you have other plans for the future?" Lulu asked, suggesting something else.

"Like what?" Rin asked.

"Maybe forming a connection?" Lulu continued, smiling wide.

"Like a dueling connection?" Rin guessed. "I'm not sure Yugo would feel alright with tag teams..."

Celina let out a groan. "I wish she was talking about a dueling connection," she said. "Lulu was talking about you and Yugo getting married."

"Oh, that?" Rin asked. "We already did that."

Celina, Lulu, and Zuzu were shocked by this revelation. When did this happen? Have they reached a decision yet or did they already decide? They asked Rin what their plans were at the moment.

"What plans?" Rin asked. "Me and Yugo got married when we were little kids. The Headmistress even helped with the ceremony. It wasn't really special."

Wait, what?! Marriage at a young age?! How is that even possible?! This further threw the three girls for a loop. …That is until they quickly realized most kids pretend to get married. Looks like they may have to explain to their Synchro companion what marriage actually is.

"Uh... Rin?" Zuzu began. "Do you know what marriage is?"

"Of course," Rin answered. "It's a friendship promise between two close friends, which perfectly describes how I feel about Yugo."

"My mother and father are making wedding plans for Yuto and me," Lulu clarified. "Do you think we're close friends?"

Rin initially was about to say "Yes," but she remembered that Lulu and Yuto were dating. She soon processed this and was staggered by this. Romance was involved in marriage? But she and Yugo aren't even dating; they are each other's best friends and practically have a mother-son relationship. She might need a minute or two to let this sink in.

"Ew!" Rin exclaimed as she heard the doorbell ring, prompting her to leave Zuzu's room and answer the front door. "I don't feel that way about Yugo! He's a great friend, but he's loud, rude, and easily angered! Why would I even fall for someone like-"

When she opened the front door, however, she saw Yugo at the front door, only slightly different. She noticed he looked a lot cleaner with neater hair and a better posture. Pink blush faintly appeared on her cheeks.

"Hello Lady Rin," Yugo said, speaking in a calmer tone. He paused to gently hold Rin's hand and kiss the back of it. "What a delight to see you this evening."

"Y-Yugo?!" Rin asked, unknown why he was making her feel like this.

"Don't worry," Yugo said as he entered the house. "This is the real me, the one I hide from the public."

Her blush grew a bit more visible as she let Yugo into the house. At the same time, there was something about him that seemed a bit off. All her life, she knew he was never a proper person until just now; she decided to keep an eye on him…without having this weird feeling interfering. What even is this? I hope this isn't love I'm experiencing, she thought.

The Synchro duo headed upstairs to Zuzu's bedroom, where Rin said they will be hanging out for most of the night. She told Yugo that he can put his bags not far from the bed and she'll set a mattress up with a blanket and a pillow for him in a few hours; if not, he can always sleep on the couch.

Yugo lightly chuckled. "I don't think a couch is necessary," he said, carefully placing his hand on Rin's hip. "If anything, we can go back to our usual sleeping methods."

Rin quickly stepped back and cleared her throat. "So...how about discussing design ideas for our new Duel Runner? I have a couple of plans to make it battle-proof."

Yugo said he would love to discuss their new Duel Runner's design, giving Rin a quick kiss on her cheek in the process. At this point, she is slowly becoming more convinced that this isn't the Yugo she knows. Lulu, however, had more of an opposite reaction, commenting on how much he improved on his behavior and is acting more gentlemanly. That's just it; Rin is completely unsure of whether or not she likes the new Yugo, despite the blush giving out a clear indication.

The two then began on what designs they should use. Although each one provides different statistics in terms of speed, traction, durability, and so on, they all have one thing in common: battle-proofing the Duel Runner.

"I was thinking about adding special shockproof shields near the handles," Rin said, her blueprints laid out on the floor. "I know they're expensive, but I was hoping Lulu could help provide them for us. And... Are you even listening to me?!"

Yugo, who had wrapped his arms around Rin's body from behind and pulled her in close, was clearly not paying attention. "I hear you, Lady Rin," he said. "Your idea is amazing."

Usually, someone would tell the other that they need personal space, but that's not the case for Rin and Yugo. Since they grew up together, they don't have personal space. Heck, they're even fine with a girl and a boy sleeping together in the same bed…platonically, of course. Yugo is not the affectionate kind of person. Correction: Yugo wasn't the affectionate kind of person. Rin doesn't mind hugs from him, but this is taking it on a whole new level. …And the blush isn't making the the situation better or worse, despite how pinker it keeps getting.

Ultimately Rin got fed up. "Enough already!" she exclaimed, pushing Yugo back. "What's with you?!"

"What do you mean?" Yugo asked, remaining calm. "This is the real me."

"No it's not!" Rin insisted. "I appreciate that you finally cleaned up, but your behavior isn't right! Where's the big-mouthed moron I made the friendship promise to?!"

Within Yuya's shared mind, Yuri heard that. "Is that why he doesn't react when I call him by that name?" he wondered aloud.

Yugo pondered at what Rin was talking about and—gradually returning to his old self while still keeping a bit of a calm demeanor—let out a sigh. Looks like it was time for him to come clean about his behavior.

Yugo let out a small laugh. "Sorry about that," he said, relaxing his body. "The guys thought this was a date, so they gave me this weird advice on how to act."

"That's more like it," Rin said. "But I like your cleaner look more."

"Really?" Yugo asked.

"You smelled worse than Yuto," Rin explained. "And you look a lot nicer with neater hair."

Yugo blushed heavily. "RinRin..." he breathed out.

"Don't get carried away," Rin said. "We still need to improve our initial Duel Runner designs."

The two continued working on improving their new Duel Runner and eventually settled on a design that is battle-proof and has some useful stats. They agreed to work on building once the separation is successful. Until then, they practiced their dueling skills, trying out different strategies to what works and what doesn't. As usual, Yugo is still persistent and claims he will never give up whenever he's backed into a corner.

Rin let out a heartfelt sigh. "You still don't give up," she remarked.

"'Course I won't," Yugo replied. "That's one move I'll never make."

"Then I guess I'll have to keep up," Rin said as she played a rather interesting-looking card.

It was Polymerization. She hadn't used a Fusion card since her previous duel with Yugo when she was brainwashed by the Doktor. How is it in her deck? Rin didn't mind it because she has no ill will towards Fusion, even when Yuri kidnapped her. The only question is how Yugo will react to this. There's only one way to find out.

"I'll combine Winter Bell with the Ice Bell in my hand to Fusion Summon Crystal Bell," Rin explained as she did so with her cards.

Yugo was shocked that Rin still had Crystal Bell. He started flashbacking back when she first used that monster and how it decimated him in that duel and destroyed their first Duel Runner. Rin noticed there was something wrong with him and asked him to see if he was okay.

"Why do you still have that card?!" Yugo asked, still hyperventilating. "You should have ripped it up by now!"

"Calm down, you moron," Rin said. "The card actually has nice stats, so I decided to incorporate it into my dueling as a secret weapon. Zuzu and Celina have even gave me some advice on how to properly Fusion Summon, with Zuzu giving me this vintage Polymerization card as a starting point."

Yugo had slightly calmed down at this point, but he was still concerned. "But what about-"

"Lulu ripped up Independent Nightingale as soon she could," Rin explained. "Even though the rest of us are using Fusion, she's still traumatized."

Yugo let out a sigh of relief. He is glad to know not all the Bracelet Girls are using Fusion in their decks. Can you blame Lulu? Ever since the Invasion, she developed resentment for this special summoning technique, and her getting abducted and brainwashed didn't help at all. Now having calmed down, Yugo and Rin continued with their practice duel.

Later that night, the two were watching a movie in the living room. They were left speechless at the amount of movies Zuzu and Skip owned, but they both settled on watching Beauty and the Beast; right now, they're at the scene where Belle and the Beast were dancing. Rin always loved reading that fairytale as a kid, so seeing its movie adaptation was enjoyable for her.

Without warning, Yugo held Rin's hand, intertwining his fingers with hers. "Yugo...?" Rin asked softly.

The green-haired girl stared experiencing the same weird feeling from earlier, only this time, it felt more comfortable. The blush returned and became a visible light pink on her cheeks as she looked at Yugo. His typical personality seemed to have coincide with his cleaner appearance, as if she was seeing him in a different light. For the first time, she thought that he looked cute.

Without thinking, Rin leaned in and gave Yugo a quick kiss on the cheek, causing Yugo to blush heavily. "RinRin..."

He realized that Rin had been cute all along and never batted an eye on it until now. Her short, apple green hair and orange eyes helped display her cuteness; he even liked the way her nose scrunches up whenever she gets angry. He softly smiled and laid his head on her shoulders, slightly surprising her. She looked at Yugo resting on her and couldn't help but smile back. She turned her head back at the TV screen as the movie played.

Yuya, Yuto, and Yuri were astounded at how everything turned out. Even though it may not have been a date, their advice have paid off in the end.

"We should have just let Yugo be himself," Yuto pointed out. "He seems to have things working out."

"Only because I told that moron to clean his appearance," Yuri informed. "There's no way he could have won over RinRin looking like a slob."

Yuya was taken back by what Yuri said. "Come again?"

"Yuri's right," Yuto said. "Now we're finally dating Rin."

Yuya and Yuri were nonplussed at what Yuto just said. He quickly corrected himself and said he meant to say "he's" instead of "we're". They both knew what he meant to say, but they were more concerned about what he said. Based on the worried looks on their faces, they soon caught on as to what may be happening to them. It looks like the mind merge may be occurring quicker than they initially thought.

"Guys..." Yuya said. "We need to speak to Leo as soon as possible."

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