#yugo is my son he is such a good boy and tragically is a case of head full too many thoughts

[sqlmn]

Misc white haired OCs! (all different plots except Nene/Koko who are brothers)

Eclipse > an ancient being who is in charge of seven other beings who are constantly reincarnated. he exists to rope in some person to gather the seven others and then that person is meant to imprison them/end the cycle but everyone keeps getting attached to the seven and can't bring themselves to "kill" them so they opt to restart their lives and reincarnate them.

Yugo > the unluckiest guy who tries to go to a fortune teller to see if his life will get any better. While walking in her shop, he gets spooked by something and knocks over a crystal ball which releases five souls that then possess him. Now those five can all possess him and control him and he's just like "honestly idk what I expected".

Bryant > only partially white haired but I've never drawn him digitally before and it's so funny to me that his ref is pencil scribbles and notes. He's a god of murder. Named Bryant. And I think that's very lame of him.

Nene and Koko > brother cat spirits who can appear human or as a split-tailed cat. When Koko is a cat, he's soooo fluffy that the human they hang out with dubs him "Snowball" and when Nene gets all hissy over it, the guy is like "awww it's ok you can be Snowflake as a cat" which. Naturally makes Nene more angry. Oh well.

Amira > very side character in a plot and is a blind prophet. Has a brother named Ravi who watches out for her and protects her from social interactions most of the time. Because of this, she's shy and rather inept at social situations. She can pinpoint the topic of her predictions pretty well but sometimes the clarity is harder to see for her if she tries to pinpoint it too much.

[real-life-pine-tree]

Arc-V Aftermath: Mind Merge (5/26)

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.

The next day, Yuya and Zuzu arrived at the Fusion Dimension. They plan on visiting Duel Academy to talk to Leo about the mind merge starting earlier than expected and if the separation procedure is ready. Excluding themselves and their counterparts, they haven't told anyone else because they don't want to worry them. Once they are informed of what will happen, then they will break the news to everyone, starting with Declan.

The Pendulum duo noticed they were not at Duel Academy, but the Fusion Dimension's city. They needed to get there as fast as possible, so they ran through the city, trying to find a boat and directions to get there. However, they didn't get anywhere. As they stopped to catch some breath, Zuzu noticed a card shop not far from where they were. She suggested that they can visit there to see if anyone knows how to get to Duel Academy. She and Yuya arrived in front of the shop and opened the door, causing a small bell to ring.

"Hello?" Yuya asked. "Is there someone who can help us?"

A soft-spoken voice was heard, responding to Yuya's question. "Welcome to Kame Game Shop. How may I help you?"

The person who responded had spiky, tri-colored hair, consisting of long, blonde, crooked, pointy locks and seven black spikes with a magenta sheen along the edges. He had fair skin and purple eyes with glazed eyelids. He wore a long-sleeved, light purple shirt with an open collar and folded up sleeves, revealing his black choker and studded wristbands, a purple vest, a pair of denim jeans, and dark gray shoes.

Yuya was taken back by the young man's outlook, but he quickly got back on track. "We need to reach Duel Academy. Where's the nearest boat from here?"

"Make a right and the docks should be straight ahead," the young man replied.

"Thanks!" Yuya said, but Zuzu stopped him.

"Yuya, there's something off with this guy," the pink-haired girl pointed out. "Shouldn't we help him?"

"Zuzu, we're kind of on a time limit!" Yuya replied, sounding a bit frantic. "If we waste time, we might not even exist anymore!"

He does have a point; with the mind merge beginning to take place, who knows how long it'll last before it's too late…or how fast it'll be. Fortunately, Zuzu just came up with an idea. She whispered in Yuya's ear, urging him to have the young man come with them; that way, they will head to Duel Academy and help out with what's bugging him at the same time. Even though this sounds like a good idea, he thought, that would mean solving two problems at once. Hmm, then again, he does look a little sad… and a bit lonely…

After some quick internal debating, Yuya gave in and agreed to Zuzu's idea. Besides, it never hurts to bring smiles into someone's life. He turned around and walked back to the counter, asking the man if he would like to come with them. Unfortunately, he seemed a bit hesitant.

"I don't know..." the young man admitted. "I have manage the shop."

"If you have a deck, you can duel my friend over here during the boat ride," Zuzu suggested.

"What?!" Yuya asked, alarmed. "But I don't want any more of my Performapals vanishing during the duel!"

The man grew kindled at what Zuzu said. He replied that he does have a deck, but he doesn't duel very often. He was kind of glad to talk to visitors who also enjoy playing Duel Monsters, but at the same time, he also caught what Yuya said about his Performapals disappearing. He asked if it was true, prompting both Pendulum Duelists to take out their decks and sure enough, the Performapals and Melodious cards were gradually vanishing. This was bad—no, this was seriously bad.

Yuya and Zuzu were dismayed at their cards disappearing. They said they have to go see Leo immediately, so the trio left Kame Game Shop for Duel Academy…before closing it up for a few hours. With the young man leading the way, they headed straight for the docks to find any available boats. Upon arrival, they spotted one that was still parked and boarded on it. Yuya removed the rope tied around the dock's pole and the young man took the wheel; seeing the tomato-haired teen putting the rope aside, he started the engine and the three officially began their voyage to see Leo.

Zuzu thanked the young man for their help. After receiving a "You're welcome," she asked him what his name was and if there was anything bothering him back at the game shop.

"Yugi," the young man answered. "My name is Yugi Muto. You're Zarc Nightstone and Ray Akaba, correct?"

"Uh... No..." Yuya corrected. "I'm Yuya Sakaki and this is Zuzu Boyle."

"You don't have to use those names," Yugi said. "I know who you really are."

Well, this escalated rather quickly. How on earth does Yugi know about Zarc and Ray? The two assumed that he either must be another person that referred to them by their incarnations' names or he used to live in the Original Dimension. Whatever's the case, they asked him how he knows who they were.

"I was there when the initial attack happened," Yugi explained, suddenly looking a bit sad. "I lost my grandpa and parents that day. I'm not sure why, but when the dimensions separated, all of my memories were left intact. Luckily not a lot of people talk to me, so no one suspected a thing."

Yuya and Zuzu felt terrible about something like this happening to the Muto family, but Yuya was having a harder time. He knew how devastating Zarc's attack was, but he is in the same boat with one of the survivors. The initiating mind merge wasn't making the situation any better because he, Zuzu, and their counterparts' minds were slowly fusing back respectively into the former champion who craved victory and killed Yugi's relatives in the process and Leo's daughter who put a stop to the destruction twice.

The tomato-haired teen covered his face with his hand, feeling guilty that he, Yuto, Yugo, and Yuri were responsible for something so tragic when they used to be one. Just as he was about to get down on his knees, Zuzu wrapped her arms around her friend, reassuring him that they'll make sure something like that doesn't happen again. Plus, as an added bonus, at least they're on the right track of helping their new companion. After hearing her words, Yuya nodded and stood back up, wiping away any tears that might have formed.

"It's that's why you're like this?" Yuya asked.

"No, I was always naturally quiet," Yugi answered. "I had a few friends in high school, but after graduation, we went our separate ways. But it's alright. I don't mind the loneliness."

The two were surprised at what Yugi said. This is the first time they meet someone who is introverted and a loner. After spending his whole life in a lively city filled with Action Duels, Yuya just learned that not everyone is outgoing and some prefer to be more quiet individuals.

"I understand," Yuya said. "I'm so used to outgoing people that I- GAH!" He suddenly clutched his forehead.

"Yuya!" Zuzu exclaimed. But then she also clutched her forehead in pain.

Yugi stopped driving the boat and turned off the engine to see the Pendulum duo in pain. He's confused as to what is happening to them; they looked like they got sudden migraines. "Are you okay?" he asked.

"No!" Yuya shouted. "I can't separate! Not yet!"

"I must stay together!" Zuzu cried out. "I have to!"

Separate? Stay together? Whatever's going on with them, Yugi had to bring them to this Leo person immediately. Luckily, the boat was close enough to Duel Academy. He headed back to the driver's seat and turned the engine back on, telling Yuya and Zuzu to hang on. He then stepped on the gas pedal, sending the boat containing the trio to the island's school.

Once they reached land, he helped the two teens out of the boat, who were still in pain. Having both of their arms over him, he assisted them in escorting them inside, but he needed to find a way to get to the entrance first.

"Hang on," Yugi said. "I'll get you to Leo Akaba as soon as possible."

He brought them to the nearest staircase he could find; climbing steep stairs was one thing, but climbing them up while carrying people on your back was another. Yugi went as fast as he could to head to the top of the stairs before finally making it about five minutes later. Trying to catch his breath, he aided the ailing Yuya and Zuzu in getting into Duel Academy. Upon entering, he was them faced with another dilemma: figuring out where Leo's office is. For the next few minutes, he asked as many students he could find to give them directions. One of them was fortunate enough to have Yugi follow her to where the office was after seeing that it was an emergency. Upon arriving at the office doors and the tri-colored-haired young man thanking the student for her help, she knocked on the door.

The door opened, revealing Leo Akaba. He quickly noticed Yuya and Zuzu. "If you're here for the separation procedure, it's still-"

But Zuzu unexpectedly hugged Leo. "Dad!" she exclaimed. "It's so good to see you again!"

Leo was surprised at Zuzu hugging him and calling her "dad" until he quickly discovered that Ray and Zarc were regaining control at a much faster rate than he thought. He had to let his son know about this and have him come over as fast as possible, let alone start this procedure much earlier than he hoped for. The female student asked if there's anything she and Yugi can do to help; at this point, any amount of help is necessary. Leo instructed her to head to the laboratory and let him know when Declan arrives from the stationary Interdimensional Travel Device. She responded that she will and proceeded to obey his orders. As for Yugi, he helped with trying to get Yuya and Zuzu situated. He was still confused by what's going on and asked Duel Academy's professor about the situation.

"Yugi, I'm so sorry about what happened to your family," Zarc said. "I had become blind to my true feelings and I gave in to what the public wanted. It's all my fault this happened."

"No, Zarc," Yugi said. "It's not. This was because of Seto Kaiba. When he formed a partnership with Leo Corporation to produce Solid Vision, he announced the technology by demonstrating it with his dueling skills. But because his dueling methods were overkill, his fans immediately followed suit. So if you want to blame anyone for this, blame Kaiba."

"He's right," Leo agreed. "If I had known Mr. Kaiba was so ruthless, I wouldn't have let him be my business partner. If only there was someone to set him straight beforehand."

After Zarc's apology, Leo explained to Yugi what was going on at the moment. He described everything from Ray, Zarc, and the Original Dimensional each being split into four, his partnership with Yusho leading him to recovering from amnesia after the success of Action Duels, the Aquaria Project and Revival Zero, and his failed plans' aftermath. Now, he's struggling with perfecting the separation procedure and the Yu-Salad and Bracelet Girls will be erased from existence if their minds merged back into Zarc and Ray accordingly.

"You can't separate me!" Ray begged. "The world is at peace now! There's no need for my reincarnations!"

"You can't separate me either!" Zarc also begged. "I want to make amends for the misdeeds I have done!"

"I'm sorry, but this has to be done," Leo said, mentally cringing upon hearing Ray's plea. "Look through the memories of your halves. Do you not see what they have done?"

"But I missed you!" Ray begged on the brink of tears. "I want us to be a family again!"

The two incarnations' stubbornness were quite evident for different reasons. Ray hasn't seen her father in over a decade and her chance of starting over as a family are being dashed. She doesn't want to lose him again. Zarc, on the other hand, still feels ashamed of himself for causing all the destruction—despite the main reason being Leo and Kaiba's partnership—and will do whatever it takes to redeem himself. Try as they might, Leo already made up his mind and wanted to focus on having his daughter and the former champion be at peace.

They eventually ended up searching through their reincarnations' memories. For Zarc, he couldn't believe what he was seeing. Prior to becoming the Original Dimension's champion, he used to be a Ray fanboy; even the way his initial dueling skills were screaming, "Look at me! Let me be your tag team partner!" At one point, he even developed a small crush on her. The more he scanned their memories, the more he realized his initial dream had came true. He noticed his abandoned feelings for Ray were passed down to Yuya, Yugo, and Yuto. The three each developed correspondingly different feelings for Zuzu, Rin, and Lulu, but Yuto and Lulu's relationship was the strongest; he even got to see their first kiss. Seeing the lives of the Yu-Salad helped bring him at peace.

Zarc lightly touched his lips. "I did it..." he said. He soon smiled wide. "YES! I got to kiss the girl of my dreams!"

As Ray scanned through the Bracelet Girls' memories, she too stumbled upon a pattern. If there was one thing Zuzu, Celina, and Rin had in common, it is they are all headstrong but short-tempered, as seen when Zuzu easily gets annoyed, Rin acts motherly, and Celina's desires to prove her strength. They are all traced back to how Ray used to act, especially during Zarc's attack. She was willing to put a stop to his madness, but since she believed in her own strength and no one else's, she most likely had an arrogant ego. Seeing the similarities between her and three of her reincarnations brought her at peace as well.

Ray let out a soft chuckle. "How about that?" she asked. "They got my best features."

"So do you see it?" Leo asked. "If you return, you're unintentionally killing off eight innocent people."

Zarc looked a bit sad. "Alright," he decided. "Guess the great Zarc Nightstone is ready for his finale."

"I'll go through the procedure," Ray said. "But can you stay with me before I'm absorbed into the machine? I want my last conscious moments to be with you."

"Certainly," Leo answered, giving his daughter one last hug.

After Zarc and Ray made their decisions, Yugi stepped in. Interestingly, he was sympathizing with the two. He discussed with Ray about how hard it is to lose family members, using his own past as a reference. Even though she's the one that will be disappearing soon, he knows how much Leo will miss her and vice versa, but he said the best thing she can do is to cherish what his father has done when she was alive. Speaking of which, he conversed with Zarc about forgiveness. He knows that the former champion wanted to please the audience and make them smile, but their enjoyment of such violent duels led him down a horrific path. He even reminds that no matter what action someone does, there will always be someone else who will forgive them. The two were left speechless at what Yugi said; although their meeting was going to be brief, this was their first—and only—time they encounter someone who relates and understands how they were feeling. The two hugged him as a way to say thank you. He returned the hugs, with a tear forming in one of his eyes.

Simultaneously, Leo contacted Declan to update him about what was happening with Yuya and Zuzu. The gray-haired teen was concerned about the alarmingly rapid mind merge and the counterparts' fates, but he was informed that someone name Yugi Muto helped bring them to his father. Although he was glad to hear that Zarc and Ray agreed to do the separation procedure, it doesn't change the fact that the Yu-Salad and Bracelet Girls' lives are at risk since it was being done prematurely. He said he will be at Duel Academy as fast as he can to try and help out if anything goes wrong. Leo thanked his son and reminded him that one of his students will tell him when you arrived. Declan nodded his head before they ended their conversation. The Duel Academy Professor let out an exhale; he is really hoping the results of the separation will be worth it.

"So how does this work?" Zarc asked.

"You must each give me a sample of your counterparts' blood," Leo explained. "This will be done through simple pinpricks. Once I receive the eight separate blood samples, I will load them into the machine, allowing you to enter the tubes and let the machine do its work."

"Seems easy enough," Zarc figured.

"Except this was scheduled for a few years later," Leo continued. "If there is a slight problem, who knows what might occur. There is a high possibility that your reincarnations could receive amnesia or permanent brain damage."

"Brain damage?" Ray repeated, alarmed. "That doesn't sound good."

"But if I was to wait a few years for testing, it would have already been too late," Leo informed. "That is why doing the procedure too early is very risky."

Zarc and Ray looked at each other with troubled looks on their faces. They never expressed concerned, but knowing that their only chance of separating again is in jeopardy, they wondered if it was going to be worth it. They also don't want to end up accidentally killing their reincarnations. It was basically a life-or-death situation at this point; they ultimately decided to continue with the procedure no matter what consequences they may face. Even in the riskiest situations, they are still as strong-willed, determined, and prideful as ever, much like how they were back then.