Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

The coffee shop was more or less empty at this time of day. The tables bare and devoid of life, waiting for someone to be seated and served. A sea of polished oak and faded leather. Behind the counter was a bored looking girl, chewing a stick of gum and reading the open magazine with half lidded eyes.

Yuya moved his gaze over to look out of the window, it was a hot day and everyone was spending their time indoors and out of the heat. The streets were empty, save for the odd car lazily dragging itself down the sun baked asphalt. He sat back with a sigh, glancing half heartedly down at the untouched glass of ice chocolate. Everyone else it seemed had the right idea.

But this occasion was special. And he didn't want to let the person he’d come to meet down.

It had been a year. A year since the inter-dimensional war, since Zarc, since Yuya had become something of an enigma to those around him after adopting the three other souls into his body. That didn't stop him having friends or a social life in general, but Yuya felt more distant from them now. Unconnected, something none of them, least of all Yuzu, could understand.

For a while Yuzu had understood how Yuya felt. She had been where he was now, had more than one person sharing her body. But Leo Akaba had given her an out, given her a chance to become an individual soul again. To step back into the Arc-V machine. She had taken it. They had split. Leo  hadn’t offered to Yuya.

He didn’t mind, the reversal of the machine only worked once. If Yuya had been given the choice he would have chosen to give it to Yuzu without hesitation. It seemed he was spared the effort.

Yuya kept his act up, kept his smile plastered to his face, faked his laugh. But he could see it in their eyes. Even his own friends were still wary as to what he had done, still worried that he would never truly feel like himself anymore. There was times when he looked at himself in the mirror and despised what he saw. The uncanny resemblance to his counterparts, to, most of all, Zarc.

Absorbing them had had an effect on his physical appearance as well. Over time it had faded the green of his hair to a snow white and the red, curiously to a green, the soft crimson of his eyes to a dull golden. The day he had woken up and began to notice the changes was one of the most terrifying in his life. It was too similar, too Zarc rather than Yuya Sakaki. With the fragments complete, he was becoming more like his former self by the day, and it scared him to think that maybe Yuya Sakaki eventually wouldn’t even exist anymore.

But today wasn’t for him. He was sitting in that booth, back of the shop, closest to the window, the well worn and faded green of his cargo pants plastered to the sticky leather chair because of him. Because of Yuto. Another boy just like him, a fragment of the devil stuck sharing a body with three other lookalikes from three other dimensions.

Yuya slid his gaze across the street watching as she came into view, bouncing lightly down the deserted footpath with unprecedented grace, checking twice before crossing to the shop. He straightened a little, for Yuto’s sake, he couldn’t look nervous.

The doorbell chimed as she walked in, raven black hair pulled elegantly off her face and tied in a bow down her back. She was wearing a dress today, the sunflowers splashing bright colours into the dull of the outhouse. He shivered, she looked so much like her, like Yuzu.

Yuya gave a wave and her smile broke out, although it was slightly strained. After all, he wasn't the one meeting her, she was seeing someone else, behind him.

“Hey Yuya,” Ruri Kurosaki slid into the chair opposite and Yuya looked away. She was sitting awkwardly, not wanting to meet his gaze, hands poised in her lap.

Yuya looked up, she startled a bit at the brilliant gold of his eyes. It was a small movement, but Yuya got the hint. Ruri mentally slapped herself, Yuya wasn’t Zarc, he wasn’ that demon that had destroyed the united world. He was Yuya, he was Yuto, he was…

“I suppose I’ll leave you guys to it.” This was too hard for him. It wouldn’t take much for him to be isolated. He could already feel it. Feel himself slipping, it wouldn’t be long now, it was inevitable, Zarc would return. He smiled sadly and closed his eyes, he’ll let Yuto up now, let go and let him have this precious moment. Who knows how many they had left. Ruri opened her mouth.

“No, wait, Yuya—” But Yuya was gone.

Yuto felt Yuya’s control slip from their mind and hastily he grabbed hold. Gasping slightly as he felt solid again, felt the warmth of a body, the slight whispers of fabric against his skin. Being more or less an entity for the majority of his life now, switching back into a physical body was something he still took some getting used to. Yuya’s hair fell against his face and he inhaled sharply, stumbling against the table before a pair of arms caught him.

He blinked, the brightness of the room catching his unadjusted eyes by surprise. Slowly he raised his head and smiled at the girl holding him.

“Hey Ruri.”

Ruri sucked in a breath, the golden eyes were now silver, the sad voice of the entertainer now deeper and more relaxed. The voice now one she had grown used to back when they had been separate. They had switched.

Even after a year it was still hard seeing Yuto like this. To look into a face she knew so well, but to see three others behind it, it was only by the change in voice and eye colour that they had been able to tell the three boys apart in this form.

The boy in front of her now, while Yuto was the one in control, was the one talking, he was different… It wasn’t her Yuto. She may never get to see her Yuto again. She would never get to see that ridiculous, but oddly attractive swept up hairstyle of black and purple, see his gentle, genuine smile look at her with his face. Holding her hand with his, his skin brushing hers. Not Yuya’s.

She had nothing against the Pendulum duelist, he was a good friend. But even with Yuto’s soul being channelled through his body, it wasn’t the same Yuto she had always loved. He was damaged now, they all were. The inter-dimensional war had affected them all, some more than others. The four fragments of Zarc being left the most broken of the lot.

Yuto frowned as he pushed a strand of Yuya’s hair out of his eyes, before reaching over to gently hold Ruri’s hand, smiling at the feeling of touch, of her touch. She smiled sweetly and squeezed his hand back. This was nice, even if it couldn’t last forever.

They talked for the better part of an hour before Ruri needed to go. Shun was waiting for her. Yuto watched her go, a glint of regret in his eyes. When she was out of sight Yuya materialised beside him. His transparent body invisible to the girl at the counter who was packing up for the day. Moments later he was joined by Yuri and Yugo, their expressions longingly looking in the direction of the girl’s quickly disappearing back. Yuto got up, dragging the floating forms of the other three behind him as he pushed the door open and headed out into the sunset washed street.

Yuto breathed in a heavy sigh as he felt the warmth of the sun against his skin. It was a small feeling, but was among those that he took for granted when he was, for want of a better word, alive. Stuffing his hands in his pockets, he looked up to the LDS tower of the Pendulum Dimension, Yuto could see the heart-tipped tower of his home just beyond it. The dimension integration had been a success after all. Sighing heavily, Yuto made his way down the street in the direction of Yuya’s house.

Halfway down he felt his control slip, he gasped and almost fell. His time was up. Yuya rematerialised and attempted to grab him in worry, but he put a hand up, his solid fingers passing through Yuya’s transparent arm.

“I’m ok—” he started but his control slipped again and he fell, damn, his soul wasn’t used to controlling a solid body anymore. Gritting his teeth he looked back up at Yuya, into the crimson eyes of his soul form. Yuya understood immediately, Yuto let go. And Yuya took hold.

Yuya felt his pendulum against his chest, felt his arms, felt the slight sting in his knee from where they had fallen against the pathway. Brushing himself off Yuya stood and looked back as the other three rematerialised, he smiled sadly, and Yuto looked away.

Those eyes, the eyes Yuya was now forced to look with, such an unnatural, brilliant gold. It wasn’t fair, they should be sharing this burden, Yuri put a hand on his shoulder. The Fusion duelist understood, and Yugo held his hand on the other side. They shared a mind, it was impossible for them to keep their thoughts secret anymore. While he couldn’t feel the warmth of the other boy’s hands, feel the touch of their skin, it was comforting all the same.

“Its okay Yuto,” Yuya said, “I’ll be alright.”

“But—” he started, but Yuri shook his head, reluctantly he shut up.

“Yuya understands, we all do, we don’t have a lot of time left, Zarc’s soul is getting stronger, its only a matter of time before he breaks us.” Yuto grit his teeth, and the other boys grimaced as a soft whisper came from their heart.

“You know, I can hear you…”

“Shut up!” Yuya bit back, striding away from where they had stopped, if he ran away maybe he could leave Zarc behind him. The voice followed.

“Poor sweet Yuya, you know Yuri’s right. You four don’t have to worry any longer, I’m coming, I’ll be there shortly and then you will finally have fulfilled your purpose to me.”

“I said shut up,” Yuya growled, “I don’t care if I was you, if Yuto was you, if Yuri was you, if Yugo was you, we are us now, and your not taking that away.”

“Hmm? We’ll see if you get that choice, after all your just a quarter, I’m the whole, who do you think is stronger?”

Yuya ignored the voice at the back of his mind, the voice in the depths of his heart, the voice they had sealed away when Reira had failed. When Ray had failed, it had been left to Yuya and his three counterparts. Zarc was sealed, deep in their heart, and so long as they remained calm, it would stay that way.

Yuya turned the corner and pulled up in front of his flat. He’d moved out of home only a few months ago, even if he was still young, barely a teenager, he needed to stay away from his family. He couldn’t look them in the eye when all they saw, especially his father, was the face of Zarc, not their son anymore.

Isolating himself was the best option. If he stayed away from the people he loved, there would be less room for Zarc to provoke him, to turn him on them, to succumb to his pull.

Yuya ascended the stairs and produced the key, reaching for the handle but frowning when he noticed it was open.

“Oh? Do you have company Yuya?”

“What did I say about shutting it?!” Yuya hissed, he cautiously opened the door. The light flooding into the living room. He turned on the light and the figure in the chair bounced to their feet, swinging round, hands on her hips.

“Well, you look like death.” Yuzu Hiragi stated blatantly.

“Hello to you too,” Yuya gave in monotone greeting, throwing his keys in the bowl by the door. “What do yo—- How are you?” He asked, rephrasing the question at the sight of Yuzu’s paper fan.

“YOU need food. Have you even been eating?” She asked, and Yuya looked away, he hadn’t felt like eating for days. She stalked up to him and he blinked at the fire in her lavender eyes. He’d gotten taller, he was taller than her now. He hadn’t noticed.

“N—no not really,” he stuttered, looking away again and Yuzu threw her hands up.

“Honestly Yuya!” She stalked back over to the coffee table and picked up the plastic bag. “Here,” she practically threw it at him and Yuya caught it in surprise.

“Your mum told me to bring them for you.” Curiously he peaked inside and gave a small smile at the packages of pancake-sandwiches.

“Thanks,” he said.

“Yuya, are you sure your alright?” Yuzu asked, her tone was softer now. Worried.

He walked away, setting the food down on the kitchen bench. “I’ll be fine,” his voice was clipped, it wasn’t safe for her to be around him. “Maybe you should go…”

“No, Yuya, you need help, I’m not going anywhere.”

“No, you don’t understand Yuzu!” He snapped back, “I’m not safe! You shouldn’t be around me! Even now I can hear him Yuzu, he wants to hurt you, do you know how that feels? Please,” he looked away from her shocked face, “just go. Thanks for the food.”

“Fine then,” she spun on her heel, “maybe I will.” She slammed the door as she left, the shockwave reverberating around the flat and Yuya was left alone. Well, not entirely alone, he could never be alone again.

His counterparts materialised in worry but Yuya put his head in his hands. This was too hard. This wasn’t fair. The voice came again, it was getting more frequent.

“Oh Yuya, poor, sweet, innocent Yuya that tries to make everyone happy. Your more like me than you know.”

“I said SHUT UP!!” Yuya shut his eyes and threw the nearest item across the room. The nearest item being his mother’s newly-delivered pancake sandwiches. The tray clattering to the floor, the wall cracking slightly under the impact.

Yuya looked up with a sigh, and cleaned up the mess, tipping the ruined food into the bin. He wasn't in the mood for eating anyway.

Faintly, somewhere at the back of his mind, the voice of a demon, was laughing.

Chapter Text

“Mr President, the newest archetype of Pendulum Cards are ready to be shipped out sir.”

Reiji steepled his fingers, gazing down at the collection of neatly packaged booster packs in front of him. “Excellent Nakajima. Be sure to send them off immediately.” Nakajima bowed and swept the packs and tablet into his arms before turning to leave.

“Before you go,” Nakajima stopped at the word from his boss, “What is the current report concerning Yuya Sakaki?”

“No change sir, he met with Ruri Kurosaki late yesterday afternoon, but he has yet to show any signs of slippage.”

Reiji nodded, getting up from the desk and looking out across Miami. “Very well, that will be all.”

Reiji stayed turned to the door as he heard it close and he was once again left alone in his office. He grit his teeth. Yuya.

It was only a matter of time, the entertainer was strong, that was proven time and time again. But even then, even with the added strength of three others, it was only a matter of time.

Reiji crossed his arms and pushed the red frames of his glasses further up the bridge of his nose. Looking up to the Synchro Dimension’s stadium that was hanging upside down above them.

His father really had made a mess of things. He should have realised that it was more beneficial to the world as a whole to separate the fragments of Zarc rather than Ray. Reiji understood that it was out of guilt, that it needed to be done. But the fact remained that his step-sister was of little importance in the face of the demon within Yuya Sakaki.

If his father had any kind of common sense, the entire dimensional war, Zarc, everything could have been avoided. If he had split the Zarc fragments they may not be facing the threat of complete annihilation. If the demon duelist was to revive again, Reiji wasn’t even sure if they would be able to fight him off.

Yuya Sakaki was strong, the founder and pioneer of the Pendulum Summon, was in no way weak. But even he couldn’t fight himself forever. Zarc was already beginning to take control, Reiji could see it. Even if Yuya’s new appearance didn’t scream it loud and clear, the knowledge and existence of Zarc in his soul was slowly eating away at him and the three others.

Reiji adjusted his glasses again sighing deeply, he really needed to talk to him.

There was a soft knock and Reiji turned as Yuzu Hiragi strolled in.

“Yuzu.” Reiji nodded in cursory greeting.

“Reiji,” She replied, face deadpan, “I want to know what is happening to Yuya.”

Reiji sighed again, turning back to the large window. “There’s not much to say really.”

“I don’t care, spill it.” No choice then.

“Very well, since your technically my sister. I’ll comply, but I warn you its a long story.”

“I don’t have anywhere to be, use small words.”

Yuya didn’t know it, but Yuto could take control when he was asleep.

Out of all of the fragments, Yuya’s presence within their body was the strongest, it was Yuya’s body, but at the same time Yuto wasn’t so sure. They had all had bodies at one point, all been, alive. And yet their bodies had never been found when one of them absorbed another.

They were little less than smoke, their physical bodies may have been solid and functioned like anyone around them. But after Yuya had first absorbed Yuto into his soul, Yuto became convinced that it had all been just a cruel illusion. Just an elaborate ruse that saved them from being outlawed as freaks.

Just a trick Zarc’s soul caused to mask the fact that at their core, they were a demon.

Nevertheless Yuto had lingered in Yuya’s heart longer than the other two, while he was still weak, his presence was the next strongest.

This fact threw another question. And a confirmation.

The fact remained that Zarc was the strongest in their body. He was, as much as they didn’t want to admit it, the original. Their original, complete form.

He was sealed, but the longer he was, the longer he remained in their heart. The stronger he would become, the greater control he would have over them.

Yuto took his chances when Yuya was asleep. His unconscious mind caused him to retreat into their heart. Leaving the better part of a corpse behind. Their body might have the better part of five souls within it, but when all five were in the subconscious, with no one to pilot it, it was lifeless.

Wearing their collective, shared face, Yuya’s hair and Zarc’s colour. Unmoving, dead, save for the racked breaths and slightest movement of the ribcage. The only indication that they were alive, the only anchor for their torn soul to the world.

Yuto laid Yuya’s soul down in their mind smiling sadly down at the sleeping boy. Even in here, Yuya’s own soul-form’s colour had been tarnished by Zarc’s. At least in here he could keep his crimson eyes.

Yuto frowned, he would be next. He knew it already, Yuya’s appearance had been changed by his soul being the main force Zarc channeled. They were all Zarc however, Zarc had to channel all of them to revive.

Yuto bowed his head, looking with hatred at the strip of green already spreading on the underside of his flopping lavender hair. He didn’t feel the need to tell the others yet, especially Yuya. But eventually it would grow obvious.

Yuto took a breath, and grasped control of their body.

He inhaled sharply as he sat up in Yuya’s room, placing a hand to his head, Yuya was still asleep. Yugo too.

Pulling back the blankets, Yuto swung their feet to the edge of the bed. Sighing as their toes sank into the soft carpet. His grey eyes slid over as Yuri materialised, arms crossed and an eyebrow raised. “This again Yuto?”

Yuto grunted in response and walked over to the closet, rifling through the folded piles of clothes. Where he was going, he wanted to be dressed in better clothing than Yuya’s pyjamas.

Peeling the grey garments from Yuya’s body, Yuto hissed as the warmth left. Replaced by the cold fabric of the jeans, black t-shirt and grey button up as he pulled them over Yuya’s well-toned arms from years of acrobatics.

Yuri shrugged in exasperation, “Do you want me to keep this from Yuya again?”

Yuto smiled slightly, “Yeah, thanks Yuri, try not to wake him. Or Yugo.”

With a curt nod Yuri dissipated and Yuto walked out of the room.

Heartland City, Yuto’s home. Now a only a few blocks from the LDS tower. It was annoying for any perfectionist to have the two daunting towers so close together, but the dimensional integration hadn’t spared much time for order. It was haphazard at best, like the world had folded in on itself.

If you walk forward down the main street of Miami, beneath the upside down stadium of the former Synchro Dimension you would eventually find the buildings changing from small suburban houses and city blocks to bright and colourful half-restored towers of the former Xyz Dimension. Keep walking forward some more and you’ll find yourself within a maze of low-lying, squat, grey buildings and the two towers above your head. Pointing down from the sky and the streets you’d been walking on earlier spread above like a quilt.

It made no sense, to find yourself in another area so suddenly, the laws of physics and known science had completely been wreaked, it was safe to say that Newton’s gravity and Einstein’s general relativity were now no more than the added casualties to the war between dimensions.

Now, where four cities had been separate, four had to be labelled by name to distinguish and establish a new map of the world. The newest sole city of ARC V, named after the machine that had caused the problem in the first place.

Yuto stood at the border between the ‘Pendulum Section A’ and ‘Xyz Section H’, sighing at the road that bled from dark grey asphalt of Pendulum, to the sun bleached, cracked, limestone pathways of his home. Despite the night behind him, this border marked where the sky split in two. A clean cut from a break in the ever present dark clouds from the glittering nighttime of Pendulum, to the sunset-washed, afternoon time zone of Xyz.

With a shudder at the cool nighttime breeze that whipped through him, Yuto stepped into the sun.

Yuto could have navigated these streets with his eyes closed, walking a few blocks with ease before he came to the park. The brilliant green of the grass had long since turned brown after the invasion, deep burn marks and furrows made into the rock of pathways, but it was more or less rebuilt and free of rubble by now. Yuto shuddered at the memory, sudden tears springing into his eyes as he had watched a girl get carded by that very same tree. He hadn’t been able to save her.

Walking over he traced their hands along the rough side of the cafe, smiling at the touch before turning back to the half empty park. His gaze lingering just a little longer on the table by railing. Remembering the times he, Shun and Ruri would eat ice-cream in this park, buy milkshakes and laugh, before the war.

Yuri rematerialised at their right elbow and Yuto sighed, looking up into the Fusion duelist’s magenta eyes slowly scanning the park. Yuri hadn’t been in Xyz at the time of the invasion, hadn’t seen the trauma Yuto had, but Yuto’s memories were enough.

A year ago Yuto wanted nothing to do with him, but after seeing the shared experiences he and the other two had lived with Yuto had decided to leave the past in the past. They were all the same person now, arguing would only give Zarc an excuse.

Despite this however, he couldn’t forget that the boy had been the one to kidnap Ruri and aid Leo in his sick, twisted plan. But that didn’t mean they couldn’t get along.

“You really like it here don’t you.” Yuri whispered wistfully. His eyes scanning the park with a look of longing, gritting his teeth at the signs of battle that would never truly fade.

Despite being a former elite soldier of Academia, after Zarc was sealed he developed a disgust for both Leo and his own actions. The scars Leo inflicted on the violet-haired boy ran deep, locking a good portion of his memory away, out of reach from all four of them. The earliest memory Yuri had was of his first day on Academia Island. He had no recollection of his parents, home, friends. Knowing only the cruel rules of Academia, card or be carded.

It made them all incredibly sad. Yuri had never had a true chance to live, and now, he never will.

“It…” Yuto stopped, looking around the park in the fading light, before a smile broke out across his face, “It’s special.”

Yuri hummed and floated next to Yuto as they walked back towards Pendulum, halfway back to the border however, Yuto took a turn down a side street. Stopping in front of the house.

In the dark that had fallen over Heartland, even with the brilliant glow of the restored neon lights, Yuto could see the lights on in the front room. With the blinds up the view was clear into the house.

Ruri sat with her back to him, Shun on the other side, obviously laughing at something she’d said. They were happy, normal, just a family having a normal family dinner. Their father walked in next, Ruri jumping to her feet to wrap an arm around their father’s neck as he took his seat at the head of the table, laughing all the way.

Yuto watched with forlorn. All he wanted was his life back, where his mother and father would greet him with open arms after a long day a school. Where his mother would hold him close in utter adoration, his father patting his back in pride. He tried to remember their soft smiles, laughing faces. But it had been too long, the memory was distant, hidden under a the lifetimes of his three other counterparts. Under the fractured, cracked memories of Zarc.

His own parents had been killed in the invasion, not simply carded like Mr. Kurosaki, but viciously shredded by an Antique Gear Hunting Hound. Tears filled his vision and he looked away, in some ways it was perhaps for the best. He’d rather they didn’t have to see what their son had become.

Yuri said nothing as Yuto spun on his heel and stalked in the direction of their apartment. He didn’t want Yuya waking up and finding him in control. His hour and a half was almost up and he really didn’t want to strain his soul too much with controlling their body.

“Yuto…” Yuri said, and Yuto stopped, looking up at the translucent boy.

“What?” He asked, curious to the hushed tone in the Fusion duelist’s voice.

“We’re being followed.” Yuto swore softly, gritting their teeth he began to walk again. Slowly and cautiously in the direction of the apartment.

“How far?” He hissed at Yuri.

“About ten metres.”

“Yuya and Yugo?”

“Still asleep as far as I can tell, you’ve kept pretty quiet.”

Yuto nodded, at least there was that.

Yuto ducked into an alley, if they really were tailing him, they were also going to have to face him. Yuto tapped his foot, waiting patiently for the stalker to walk past. No movement.

Yuto nodded to Yuri and the boy floated over to the alley opening.

“He’s here Yuto, just round the corner.” Yuri shouted back and Yuto nodded, the stalker wouldn’t have heard him.

“I know you’re there.” He spoke clearly, waiting as the man walked out to face him. He was tall, a trench coat covering most of his body despite the warmth of the night. He looked like he hadn’t slept or shaved in weeks, hands shaking from overstimulation of alcohol. Even from where he was standing, Yuto could smell it on his breath.

“Y—You’re Zarc…” The man whispered, tone harsh. Yuto felt his heart clench up. Oh no.

“Y—You killed my wife…” Yuto just stood there, Yuri too. Another one. They couldn’t really do much, they were Zarc, that was something they had been forced to accept. This meant they also were forced to accept the consequences for their original’s actions.

Yuto didn’t react as the man produced the knife, didn’t react as the man grabbed his collar, didn’t react as the man threw him into the wall. The man stood panting, a malicious glare in his eyes, Yuto said nothing, simply kept their head bowed, eyes covered by Yuya’s silver bangs.

“You’re a demon!” The man screeched and Yuto felt his voice stop in his throat. He said nothing however, even as the pain wracked their body as the man kicked him. The impact of the hard stone had caused Yuya and Yugo to be jolted awake, materialising in panic next to Yuri.

“What’s going on?!” Yuya spoke in surprise, slight drowsiness hidden in his voice, “W—Why is Yuto in control?”

“What the hell are we doing out here?!” Yugo yelled next, their voices echoing off their mind. Yuri said nothing as Yuya crouched instantly by Yuto, who was still wordlessly staring down at the ground. The pain was intensifying, but he couldn’t let the others see it, Yuya would shove him free of the driver’s seat. He couldn’t let the Pendulum duelist feel any more of their collective pain.

“Yuto?” Yuya asked, laying a tentative hand on their knee, trying to look under his own hair into Yuto’s eyes, “are you okay?”

Yuto said nothing, but got to their feet, looking away from the man’s eyes as they widened. “I’m sorry,” Yuto said curtly, not meeting the man’s gaze, back pressed against the wall, “I know that won’t mean much to you, but we’re sorry.”

The man curled his lip in disgust, sorry? Was that all the demon was going to offer him? An apology?

The man brought back his fist and punched Yuto in the gut, Yuto gagged and fell to his knees, but as the man continued to kick them in the side.

Yuto felt his control slip.

In panic Yuya reached for it.

But someone else got to it first.

Forcefully shoving the shocked forms of the hovering boys away as he stood, calmly brushing himself free of dust. Turning to face the man with his back to them. The man had visibly paled, taking a cautious step back.

Yuya whirled around wildly, who was in control right now? Yuri and Yugo were here, does that mean it was still Yuto?

“Urgh.” Yuya’s blood ran cold at the sound as Yuto materialised next to him, clutching his head, he didn’t need someone else to tell him that he was back to being a spirit. “That hurt.”

“Y—Yuto?” Yuya squeaked, Yuto blinked, silver eyes widening as he looked from one boy to the next.

Yuri, Yugo, Yuya. They were all here, all translucent, floating. Then that means…

Yuto and the others could only watch in horror as their body gripped the man by the throat, holding him aloft. The man scrabbling uselessly at their arms, but their hand tightened and Yuri cursed.

“Well now boys,” Zarc said, eyes glowing an almost feline yellow in the darkness of the alley, looking back at them with a sly smile, “I think it’s about high time we show this human what real entertainment is all about.”

Chapter Text

Yuri cursed again as Zarc threw the man against the wall.

The man cried out, crumpling to the ground, one hand clutching his side. His ribs fractured.

“Stop it!” Yuya cried in desperation, trying to keep the anger out of his voice. If he let it control him then there really would be no way to stop the demon currently in control of their body.

“Aww…” Zarc pouted, eyes flashing as he gripped their assailant’s neck again, nails biting into the flesh. “But I haven’t even started yet~”

Yuya cried out, as Zarc threw the man to the ground again, stomping on his chest. The man screamed.

Zarc’s grin widened and he pressed a little harder, leaning down to drape an arm over his bent knee.

The man gasped, tears springing into his eyes as he looked up in horror into the face of the boy he’d been beating into submission only moments earlier.

“Well, well, well…” Zarc smiled as the man twisted and writhed under his grip, “Filthy human, you hurt one of my fragments. You do realise that hurt me too. Deeply. Both physically and emotionally.” Zarc threw his head back to the floating boys with a sick grin spread across his face, “After all… This is my body now.”

Yuto cursed, and Yugo’s hand balled into a fist at his side. “We won’t let you,” he hissed, venom dripping from every word, “we won’t let you Zarc…”

“Oh Yugo, I don’t think you have a choice.” Zarc’s grin widened, “Besides, I think you have far more pressing matter’s to deal with.”

“Pressing matters? What the hell are you—” Yugo was cut off as Yuya gagged, falling to his knees.

“Yuya!” Yuto yelled, crouching beside Yuya’s transparent form, “What’s wrong?!”

Yuya choked and coughed, clutching his chest. “What the hell did you do Zarc?!” Yuri yelled, standing defiantly in front of Yuya to face their body with a glare.

“Me? I didn’t do anything. I simply… gave his soul a little nudge in the opposite direction.” Zarc smiled as Yuya screamed, hands flinging from his chest to his head.

“Yuya fight it!” Yugo screeched, Yuya’s hands twisting into his hair as he threw his head back with a cry.  Causing the Synchro duelist to take a step back in horror. “Yuya!”

Yuto swore, Yuya’s eyes had an all too familiar red glow. Pupils dilated into slits.

“Yuya don’t let your anger control you!” Yuto cried frantically, “You said that to me once didn’t you? That we had to keep fighting Zarc?! You can’t give up now!”

Yuya doubled over, “Y—Yu…to…” Yuto inched forward, trying to place a hand on Yuya’s arm.

“I’m here Yuya, I’m here…”

Shakily Yuya raised his head, looking at Yuto, “He—lp…” Yuya cried out again and Yuto swore, he readjusted his position, planting his arms firmly on Yuya’s shoulders. He couldn’t feel them, but at least he didn’t pass through.

He closed his eyes, grimacing as his friend writhed in agony beneath his hands. They had been together the longest, they shared a connection the other two wouldn’t understand. “What’s wrong Yuya? Talk to me buddy…”

Yuto cried out as he saw what Yuya was having to go through in his mind’s eye. Yuya was dangerously close to the edge of Zarc’s shadow.

“Yugo, Yuri!” Yuto shouted, “We need to wrench him back. Zarc’s trying to drag him in.”

Yuri swore again, but joined Yugo as they gripped Yuya’s shoulders. If they concentrated they could pull his subconscious back.

The inside of their mind wasn’t much. It was a white, smoky plane where the four of them circled each other. Keeping Zarc trapped in the middle. This area was more of mid-point. Where each of their souls met then branched off into their respected soul-rooms. But for now, Yuya’s soul-form, that normally had a warm orange aura, was now slipping into the circle with a fiery red.

Yuto cursed, to reach him he would need to break off the circle. That would let Zarc channel him next, even gain a little more leeway in the way of control.

But if they let Yuya slip into Zarc… They may never get him or their body back. Yuto grit his teeth.

“Yuri! Yugo! I’m going to temporarily break the circle okay? Not for long, just enough to pull Yuya back!”

Yugo swore, “Yoot if you do that…”

“Do it.” Yuri nodded, and Yuto nodded back.

“You’re insane! Both of you! You know what that will do right?!” Yugo yelled, glaring at Yuto across the shadowy mass of Zarc’s soul between them. “That guy out there is going to get killed!”

“And if we let Yuya slip then everyone is going to get killed Yugo!” Yuri snapped, causing the Synchro duelist to flinch. “Yuya’s presence is the strongest in this body, if we lose him to Zarc there is no way we’ll ever regain control!”

Yugo began to protest but Yuya slipped again, his right hand inches from Zarc. “Yugo, this might seem cold, but I really don’t care at this point. The guy’s already good as dead.” Yuto hissed, “We can’t allow Zarc any more control than he already has. I screwed up taking control and letting that guy hit me, it’s my fault that we’re in this mess cause I wasn’t strong enough to push Zarc back when I was weakened. At least let me make up for it by saving Yuya’s goddamn ass!”

Yugo glared but reluctantly held his tongue, “Fine, but make it quick we don’t have a lot of time.”

Yuto nodded, and broke the circle.

They grimaced, their chests suddenly burning with the same pain they felt whenever Zarc was taking over. Yuto swore as Yuya slipped even further towards the centre, his right hand engulfed in shadow. Yuto cried out in unison with Yugo and Yuri as their own right hands began to burn.

Through blurry eyes Yuto managed to float over to Yuya’s place, yanking at his arm. In here he was solid, in here, he could grip his friend’s arm. In here… Yuto stumbled back as he pulled Yuya free of the dark shadowy soul of Zarc’s control.

As soon as Yuya was back in place in the circle his eyes snapped open gasping as Yuto returned to his own place. Revealing their regular soft crimson instead of a bloody red.

Yuya gasped, clutching his right hand.

“Yuya!” Yugo yelled, “Are you okay?!”

Yuya gave a weak smile, looking up to see the others mimicking his actions with the pain in his hand. “I—I think so… thank you Yut—”

Yuya was cut off as he looked at his friend’s soul-form. Yuri and Yugo following his gaze to stare.

Yuto grimaced, “What?”

“Yoot…” Yugo started, ignoring the angry glare Yuto sent his way, “What happened to your hair?”

Yuto sighed, he’d known this was coming. Dipping his head forward he cursed under his breath. The lavender spike were green now. Reaching up he pulled a strand of the silver that had replaced his black down to his eye level.

Zarc had channeled him.

“We don’t have time to worry about this now,” he snapped, “Zarc’s still in control, we need to get Yuya back up there now.”

Yugo grit his teeth, Yuri and Yuya nodding in agreement. They shut their eyes. Even if they were all each just a quarter of him, if they focused they could at least make his control slip long enough for Yuya to take the reins right? Zarc couldn’t have grown that strong.

Yuya grit his teeth, he couldn’t let Zarc take over again, he couldn’t…

“Yuya!”

Yuya looked up in surprise, following his counterpart’s lead as they spun. That voice…

“Who said that? Who’s calling me?” Yuya asked.

“None of us mate, I think someone’s outside…” Yugo whispered, Yuya felt his heart clench. Oh no.

“Yuya what are you doing?!” The voice reverberated around their mind and Yuya swore, this time he recognised it.

Yuzu.

“Yuzu!” He yelled, “No get away!” But his voice wouldn’t carry from inside their mind.

He pulled out in panic, materialising back in the dark alley with the man and Zarc. Yuto, Yugo and Yuri following his lead.

Zarc was grinning, standing over the man’s body. Yuya’s scream died on his lips.

The man’s throat had been slit, blood spilling onto the darkened grey of the asphalt in a bubbling torrent. Oh god…

“Yuya?” Yuzu’s voice floated over and Yuya felt his eyes widen, she was standing at the mouth of the alley, Zarc standing with his back to her, crouching over the corpse.

Yuya looked frantic, yelling her name but Zarc simply straightened, giving Yuya a wicked grin.

“I’m fine Yuzu.” Zarc said, still grinning at Yuya, “Don’t worry about it.”

“Worry about it!? Worry about it?! What the hell Yuya! You are standing over a…” Yuzu’s voice caught as her eye fell to Zarc’s feet.

“Yes Yuzu?” Zarc’s voice lilted, sending shivers down Yuya’s spine. It was a perfect match for his own.

“Oh god…Oh— Oh fuck… Yuy—” She stopped, Yuya’s heart tightened a bit more, the hurt, shock and most of all fear written on her face… And it was all directed at him.

“Run Yuzu!” He screamed, but she couldn’t hear him. She couldn’t even see him in this form, he could only watch in horror as Zarc turned to her.

“You’re not… You’re not Yuya…” Yuzu took a step back, fear alight in her lavender eyes, “You’re…”

“Aww Yuzu. I had wanted to play a little more~ It would have been fun to watch you die at the hands of the one you love. But suffice to say the jig is up. Remember me fragment of Ray? Poor, defenceless, En Flowers. Look how the mighty have indeed fallen.”

“You’re…” Yuzu took another step back, her hands flinging to her mouth as she began to cry, “Oh god… you’re…”

“Go on.” Zarc’s voice lilted, his face twisting into a grin. “I’m waiting En Flowers. Say my name.”

Yuzu took another step, this time Zarc followed, stepping out into the moonlight, Yuzu’s eyes flicked wildly down to his hand with a muffled scream and Yuya heard Yugo curse.

Their right hand was grey, the skin cracking like dry earth, tipped with long talons stained with blood.

Yuya screamed Yuzu’s name again but Zarc’s grin widened as he darted forward, grabbing her around the waist. His brilliant yellow eyes glinting with amusement as he brought the talons to rest against her chin.

“Don’t be shy Yuzu.” Zarc smiled, mocking Yuya’s voice, “What’s my name?”

Yuzu was trembling like a leaf, “Zarc.” She whispered and Zarc’s grin morphed into something animalistic.

“There you go. That wasn’t so hard now was it?” His fingers played along her cheek, talons brushing against the edge of her mouth, tracing their outline. Yuzu shut her eyes against his touch, silent tears streaming down her cheeks, “Oh don’t worry, I’m not going to kill you. Well at least not here, and certainly not quickly. I want to make your death slow and satisfying, something painful and public so my fragment can finally give me what I want.”

Yuzu’s eyes snapped back open and her gaze flicked over Zarc’s shoulder, right into Yuya’s eyes although Yuya knew she couldn’t see him. “Help me Yuya! Please!”

“Oh Yuya can’t save you anymore my dear. He’s a little lost at the moment. In fact I don’t think he’s the only one.”

The boy’s fear turned to shock. What did he mean? The way he was speaking couldn’t have meant anything good. “My fragments are complete after all. Thanks to that imbecile Akaba and you, Yuzu. You were of great help to my resurrection. Now—” Zarc smiled, grinning back to the transparent boys. “I think you four need to take a little trip and let me deal with this.”

“What the hell does that mean!” Yugo yelled.

“It means Yugo, that you four fell for it. Quite easily as well to my disappointment. But then again, I am happy to see that my alter egos don’t hate each other. By saving Yuya you allowed me a little more influence than I think you wanted.”

Yuya gulped, glancing sideways at Yuto’s new appearance. “Oh god…”

Zarc laughed, dropping a trembling Yuzu to the road he skipped back a bit. “Oh yes Yuya! Now I have channeled two of you, it’s only a matter of time till all four of you are as easy to bury as this.” Zarc smiled and reached down for Yuzu. Yuya felt his throat go dry.

“Don’t hurt her!” He cried desperately, but as a bodiless spirit he could only watch as Zarc spun her, wrapping an arm under her chin and beginning to squeeze.

Yuzu struggled, bashing her fists wildly against Zarc’s forearms but his grip tightened, cutting off her airway. Yuya screamed, rushing over and trying to pull his body off her, yelling her name. But she couldn’t hear him as she dove into unconsciousness, and he couldn’t save her when all his hands did was pass through her solid form.

Zarc dropped Yuzu’s limp form on the ground, the girl crumpling in a heavy mass. Yuya instantly crouching down next to her, fearing the worst.

She was still breathing, barely, but alive. Yuya placed a hand on her shoulder, hating that he couldn’t feel her, that his transparent hand merely passed through. He whirled on Zarc, eyes flashing with a rage that actually made Yuto flinch, “What the hell did you do?!”

“Relax, she’s just unconscious, I told her I wasn’t going to kill her here. I have a goal you see, isn’t she also only one of four as well? I need the others before my fun can begin.”

Yuto’s blood ran cold. “Don’t you dare—”

“DON’T YOU DARE TOUCH RIN!” Yugo screamed finishing Yuto’s sentence.

Zarc grinned, spreading his arms, “I like that fire in your eyes boys. That’s right, get angry, allow your rage in. That will make my job so much easier.”

Yuto took a deep breath, seething he placed a hand on Yugo’s shoulder, as much as he hated to admit it, Zarc was right, if they let their anger control them there’s no telling what else he would do.

Yuya leant over Yuzu’s form again, cupping her cheek, “Yuzu…” he choked, his body wracking with tears. he had done this too her, it was his fault Zarc was in control, his fault he hadn’t been strong enough to stop him channeling him after he had absorbed Yuri what felt like an eternity ago.

He felt himself begin to cry and shut his eyes, now wasn’t the time.

He hadn’t noticed, hadn’t realised, by channeling him Zarc was able to get his body. What was he able to regain by channeling Yuto?

Zarc’s grin widened, as he looked at the transparent ghost of the broken boy crouching beside the girl. This fragment of the so called ‘hero’ of the united world. Zarc’s eyes darkened, he’d get his revenge. Get his way with her. Her and all her fragments, what remained of her precious family, what remained of the detestable , merged, mistake of a world that had been created in her name. Her and all her precious humans that loved nothing but violence and war. To hurt and kill. His grin widened, it will be a show for the history books.

He pointed at Yuto and Yuya, “Now. You two were always the problematic children of this little family. Always the rebels aren’t you, just can’t listen and sit still.”

“What are you planning you bastard?!” Yugo yelled, although his voice quivered, this didn’t sound good.

“Now now, is that anyway to talk Yugo? You relished in my power almost as much as Yuri. That’s why you two will remain with me. To be honest Yugo, I was surprised at how easy it was for me to… slip my fingers in.”

Yuya screamed and Yuto cried out, clutching their chests the two boys dropped to the ground. Yugo’s eyes widened as Yuri crouched by Yuto. “What’s wrong?!” He asked, desperation flooding his normally relaxed voice as Yuto let out another cry.

Yugo was by Yuya in an instant, pulling him away from Yuzu as Yuya twisted. Hands flying to his chest.

“What’s wrong with them!?” Yugo shouted back at Yuri,

“How the bloody hell should I know Fusion?” He snapped back, gripping Yuto by the shoulder.

Yugo could only watch as Yuya went limp. Lying unconscious in Yugo’s lap, he didn’t need to turn to know that Yuto was in a similar state. “Yuri! Yuri what’s going on!”

“Shut up you moron! They’re fading!”

Yugo and Yuri could only watch as their friends vanished, dissipating into air.

“Are they back in their soul rooms? What happened?!” Yugo asked again and Yuri snapped,

“For the love of god. I don’t know! I can’t seem to sense them anywhere!”

“What?!” Yugo was frantic, digging into their subconscious in a desperate search for the two.

Nothing.

“What. The hell. Did, you, do?” Yuri hissed, his voice low and menacing, magenta eyes narrowed in unspoken anger at Zarc.

He simply grinned, “Oh don’t worry. They’ll be back. I just sent them on a little trip down memory lane. Hopefully that will jog their memories.”

“Why? What bloody good will that do?!” Yugo asked, his hand curling into a fist at his side.

“I told you Yugo. I have a plan, and I’m afraid that Yuya and Yuto need a little bit of time to… reinvent themselves, before I can properly begin. They just need to accept me the way you two did, hence why I think a little bit of… fixing needs to be done.”

With that Yuri and Yugo stood helpless, staring at each other as Zarc slung an unconscious Yuzu Hiragi over his shoulder, and strode back the way they had come.

That was it. Everyone was going to die.

Chapter Text

Yuya blinked, frowning his head throbbing in pain before shielding his eyes against the harsh light filling his vision.

Where was he?

“Ladies and Gentlemen! After a long and strenuous duel, we have our winner!” A voice announced, piercingly loud in Yuya’s ears. He whimpered and spun, blinking in confusion.

He was in some kind of duel arena.

A hand gripped his arm and held it up, a microphone shoved under his nose, “Congratulations! How do you feel?”

Yuya blinked, “Uh—”

“—What?” Yuya snapped his mouth closed, that word had come out of his mouth.

But he hadn’t been the one to speak.

The announcer frowned, then broke into a smile, “Oh don’t worry folks! I can tell when our victor is just playing around!” A laughter erupted around him. “Now now, this is your big moment, tell us Zarc, how do you feel after successfully defeating your opponent and making it to the semi-finals?”

Yuya blinked, Zarc?

“Um… I think you must have me mistaken with someone else I—”

Yuya stopped as his head looked down on its own, his eyes widening slightly at his attire. He was wearing a cream jack, brown leather pants and gloves…

Zarc’s clothing.

Yuya’s head snapped up again against his will, “Um… It feels good… I guess…” His mouth moved and voice spoke, but Yuya never commanded himself to do so.

What was going on? It was like his body wasn’t responding to him.

The announcer patted him on the back, “You seem shocked my friend! Maybe you should try and have a little more faith in your abilities! Those dragons of yours truly are a force to be reckoned with!”

“You… you mind if I sit down?” Yuya forced his mouth to say, the announcer frowned but shrugged.

“Overwhelmed are we? No matter folks! We’ll be seeing our young star again in the semi-finals! Give Zarc another warm round of applause everyone!”

Yuya’s feet moved on their own, walking towards the opening on the other side of the stands as the audience screamed their appreciation.

Normally it would have been thrilling, but right then, it was strange. Too confusing, and yet, too nostalgic, for him to fully enjoy the moment for something he had no memory of doing.

As soon as he was out of the arena, his feet stopped walking, body pressing his back against the wall without him asking it to do so.

“Okay, spill, who are you?” His voice spoke out of his mouth, low and threatening, a tone he wasn’t used to hearing himself say.

Then again, Yuya opened his mouth as a test, his body allowing him to speak, “You first, why are you taking control of my body?”

“Your body? This body is mine.”

“What are you talking about? Who are you?”

A hesitation, then, “Yuto.” Yuya’s heart leapt as his own words hung in the air, his mouth asked again, “Who are you?”

“Oh thank god…” He smiled, but stopped as his face formed a frown on its own, his mouth moving and voice speaking again.

“What do you mean? Answer me!”

“Yuto… It’s… It’s me, Yuya….” Stunned silence from both of them.

“Yuya?! Yuya is it really you?”

“It’s me Yuto. But what is this? It’s like both of us have control at the same time.”

“I don’t know… but we’re going to have to figure it out before people get suspicious and think we’re a lunatic… Where do you think we are?”

Yuya moved his head, Yuto letting him have the reins as they looked down the backstage corridor, “Yuya, I can’t sense you… or your thoughts… it’s like…”

“It’s like we are the same person…” Yuya whispered. He moved his legs, Yuto letting him take them down to stop before a door. Yuto frowned, there was a large tacky blue star painted in the middle of the orange wood, Yuto felt himself inhale sharply, but it wasn’t his doing, it must have been Yuya’s.

“That… looks similar to my goggles…” Yuya whispered, and Yuto’s frown deepened, it was an odd connection to make, silently he reached out their gloved hand, twisting the knob. It was open.

Yuya walked though, blinking at the light of the small room. “What is this place?” Yuto asked and Yuya felt himself flinch.

“Seriously?” He asked in surprise, “You don’t know?”

Yuto blinked their eyes again, “No, why are there so many lights and clothes everywhere?”

“It’s a dressing room, for stage performers, you know, like…” He stopped.

“Yuya?” Yuto asked through their voice, “What’s wrong?”

“That’s… that’s my jacket…” Yuya whispered. Before Yuto had time to react Yuya had spun to the costume rack. Pulling out a white jacket with gold trim and red cuffs, he felt his eyes widen as he pulled out the next garment; a long black cloak with a red lining. “It’s our clothes…” Yuya said, sounding as confused as Yuto felt. Something else caught their eye.

“No, not only ours,” Yuto whispered, slipping the two hangers on to their left arm before tugging free the next costume; a white jumpsuit with red stripes and a multi-coloured chevron pattern down the front, “Yugo’s too…”

“And Yuri’s…” Yuya finished, pulling the short violet jacket free, gazing at the amber gems on the shoulders and the button-up clasp at the front. “They’re all here…”

As if to prove a point, Yuya guided their hand to the rack, pulling free the rest of the clothes. Yuya’s own orange t-shirt and green cargo pants. Yuto’s turquoise shirt, deck boxes and tie. Yugo’s short white jacket with shoulder pads and his grey boots. Yuri’s violet undershirt, red cape and pink neckties.

They blinked, glancing over in surprise at the reflection in the light-studded mirror. Yuto grit their teeth and Yuya let out a low curse. Yuto moved without Yuya being able to stop him, leaning down so they could take a look at themselves.

No mistaking it now. They were Zarc.

The silver hair with green highlights, the cream jacket with orange trim and blue padding. Yuto moved a hand to their face, frowning at the all too familiar reflection of the curvature of features he knew too well, the angle of eyes…

Yuya blinked peering closer. Two different colours blinked back. One crimson, one silver. The only confirmation of both his and Yuto’s souls were within this body.

The door opened and Yuya leapt away from the mirror, turning in surprise before Yuto had a chance to react.

A girl walked in, closing the door softly behind her before turning with a smile.

“I thought I’d find you here!” She grinned, a sing-song in her voice. Her maroon hair falling limply from their twin pigtails.

They stared, mouth open in surprise. She frowned.

“Yuzu?” Yuya asked.

“Ruri?” Yuto finished.

Akaba Ray blinked in confusion at the reaction, a quizzical expression crossing her face. “Never heard you call me either of those names before. You feeling alright?”

Yuto took the chance to nod, hoping Yuya wouldn’t say anything.

The girl shrugged, smiling again as she wrapped her arms around them. “You did great today Zarc! I can’t wait to finally face you in the finals!”

Yuto had never wished he could mentally talk to Yuya as much as right at that moment. What on earth was this?

Yuya really hoped that Yuto’s thoughts were reeling as much as his. He tentatively raised their hands to hug the girl back.

Where had Zarc taken them?

***

Yuzu groaned, blinking groggily as her vision returned slowly. Peppered with black spots of darkness as she tried to adjust to her surroundings.

It was cold here. And dark.

She tried to stand and failed, her legs were tied to a chair, a rope binding her wrists, yanking her arms behind her. She winced.

Squinting through the gloom Yuzu could make out the faint outline of a staircase, a wall and three chairs stacked in the corner.

She gulped. This wasn’t good.

A door opened, spilling a harsh yellow light into Yuzu’s eyes.

Blinking she squinted, trying to make out the silhouette that was standing at the top of the stairs. Her heart skipped a beat as Yuya descended the flight. His silver hair bouncing lightly with each step. He was wearing a black t-shirt and jeans today, his goggles and pendulum nowhere to be seen. The scales and talons that adorned his right hand glimmering in the light, the spread finishing at his elbow. He flashed her a glance, standing in front of her.

No not Yuya…

Yuzu’s eyes watered with tears as her childhood friend crossed his arms, stepping back with a sneer on his lips. Eyes glinting that unnatural feline yellow as he placed a hand to his chin, leaning back to fully appreciate the situation had Yuzu found herself in.

“Glad to see you’re awake En Flowers. I’ve been waiting.”

Yuzu glared up at him. “You’re still not Yuya are you?”

Zarc gave a low growl, stepping forward to grip her chin, yanking her head upwards to look into his eyes. He grinned, face twisting into something predatory, “How many times do I have to tell you that he’s gone. In fact, he was never here in the first place.”

He let her go and Yuzu fell back panting, she scowled, looking up from under her hair at the monster that was inhabiting Yuya’s body. She choked, the tears beginning to trickle down her cheeks, she didn’t want to believe that. Yuya was still in there somewhere, so was Yuto, so was Yugo…

She choked again as she sobbed, the memories of the time she had spent with the boys circulating through her head. Yuto’s soft smile in that darkened alley, how he had defended her, fought Sawatari for her… Yugo and how he had protected her in Synchro. Gave her a bed, clothes, food and made sure she was safe until she could see Yuya again.

Yuya…

Yuzu let out a breathy cry, screaming to no one but herself. Yuya… the boy she had grown up with. The boy who cried, the boy who laughed. Who strived for his goals and lived for his ideals. Who’s smile could light up the day of anyone who knew him. Who’s entertainment could change the lives of anyone who watched. That fun-loving energetic boy she had fallen in love with. Who had crossed and fought across dimensions just to be with her again, if only for the last time. The boy she couldn’t save once…

She would be damned if she let him be dragged down by the darkness of his own soul a second time.

Zarc seemed to enjoy the show, grin rivalling a cheshire cat as he twisted the face of someone Yuzu loved into someone Yuzu hated.

“You finished?” He asked, asked in Yuya’s voice, speaking out of Yuya’s body. Yuzu grit her teeth, the tears still streaming.

“Yuya Sakaki!” She yelled suddenly, screaming at Zarc with all of her effort, “Wake the fuck up you dick! What the hell are you doing?!”

Zarc flinched at the noise but cocked his head, grin widening further. “That’s all you can do? Come on Yuzu, I’ve seen you do better than that.”

“You don’t know him.” She hissed, anger bubbling in her voice. “How far he’s willing to go for me. All of them.”

Zarc cackled, laughter bubbling up from within him and Yuzu felt her heart clench. It… it was Yuya’s laugh… only it was cruel, grating and promised anything but happiness.

“Oh that’s so cute. The look on your face, the hope in your eyes.” Zarc reached down to place his claw under her chin, the long fingernails digging into skin. “You think you know him. You think you have me all figured out cause you happened to know one of my fragments. Do you really know Yuya as well as you think you do?”

Yuzu bit her lip in defiance, “I know my best friend Zarc. I know how much he cares about me, how much he will pick you apart until there’s nothing left if you lay even a finger on me.”

Zarc grinned, “Oh? Then you should know what Yuya has been dealing with for the last year. No even before that. The ridicule he received as a child, the pain he suffered in the place of that ungrateful moron Yusho Sakaki.”

Yuzu blinked, Zarc shot her a saccharine smile. “I am Yuya, Yuzu. Just as much as I am Yuto, as I am Yugo and Yuri. I know what they’re thinking, their memories, their pains, their successes, their failures. Shortcomings and triumphs. I know them. Because I am them. They are me and have always been me. Their thoughts have always been mine. Their will has always been mine. Their fates were decided by me, because I won’t allow someone else to pave my road.”

“Do you know how much sweet Yuya has suffered? Of course you don’t. ‘Cause you don’t know him like I do. You don’t know me, like you think you do. Yuya’s gone. Yuzu. He was never here to begin with, his will is my will, he never had the choice to love you. He never felt anything for you, simply because I never felt anything for Ray. I hated her. Just as Yuya hates you.”

Zarc watched the hope fade from her eyes, his last statement slowly beginning to settle, the fact sinking in, eating at her, ripping furrows in her heart, wrapping tendrils, slowly beginning to squeeze…

She widened her eyes as Zarc backed off, smirking at her face, the mouth curling into a small ‘o’ her defiance wilting like flowers in the sun. Then she snapped.

“YOU’RE LYING!” She screeched, the tears streaming in great torrents down her cheeks, anger boiling over her causing her to shake. Zarc grinned, pushing her further. She was on the edge of the breaking point. She just needed a push, then a major piece of Ray’s fragments would be his. “You’re lying. Yuya… Yuya wouldn’t…” She hissed, Zarc grinned.

“Yuya never loved you Yuzu. He envied you. Why do you think he followed you everywhere like a lost puppy? You were the only person who treated him like another human being. Didn’t you ever notice? The way he was isolated? He crossed dimensions, but it wasn’t for you. It wasn’t out of love or friendship, in fact, the real reason he crossed dimensions was in search of my other fragments. So is my will Yuzu. That I would revive again. Now look where we are.”

Yuzu was bent over as far as the chair would let her, shoulders shaking as her body wracked with silent sobs.

Zarc’s grin widened and he turned. His work was done for the moment. One down, three to go.

He ascended the stairs and closed the door, locking it and leaving the broken pink haired girl in the basement as she began to scream.

Chapter Text

The inside of their mind was quiet without Yuya to brighten it or Yuto to calm them… It was sullen, dull, grey, hopeless. Yuri and Yugo floated there, in the dark, in the quiet, unsure and feeling as lost as ever.

It was weird, Yugo reflected, it being quiet in their head. He could still hear Yuri’s thoughts ripple across the space between them every now and then, but he tried to block them out as best he could. They were angry thoughts, thoughts of self-hatred and thoughts of frustration that he, like Yugo couldn’t do anything. Thoughts of hatred for Zarc, hatred for himself it was hard to listen to. Occasional memories of a dark cell. Of silent labs, sharp instruments, pain and anguish. A lone cold slab where Yuri was forced to stay if he ever set a toe out of line. A small compartment to teach him obedience, a ghost pain of a needle in the upper forearm. The rippling echo of fiery heat snuffing out a small child’s spark.

Yugo hugged his knees, that feeling of loneliness, that lack of warmth, the cold. It wasn’t just in Yuri’s memories anymore, but his too. All the times he had been left out on the street, abandoned in some dark alleyway like a discarded piece of worthless trash. A single, lone figure curled behind a damp, mouldy crate, covered in filthy rags, only praying that Security wouldn’t hear his sobs and take him to somewhere far worse.

The stench of dead rats, the look of disgust in the eyes of owners of doorsteps he chose to make a bed of. The rough, gum-ridden concrete that dug into his shoulder, curling his only t-shirt into a tight ball just to make sure his cheeks wouldn’t feel the ice that wrapped around his bare midsection.

When Yugo met Rin, he thought his nights in doorways, being shooed away like some kind of feral animal were over. She had smiled, shared her rations of food she managed to pocket from passing bakery stands. She had curled up with him to stop him shivering, given him her shawl and taken him under her wing, helped him survive, gave him a reason to keep going instead of ending it all under the tread of a Security D-Wheel in the middle of the street. What he wouldn’t give for Rin’s comfort and warmth now.

He felt so alone, even if Yuri was there, the helplessness they both felt at Zarc’s control left them as cold as those nights on the streets.

He realised with a small shudder that the other two, especially Yuya, were the ones who kept things in their head from ever dulling. Yugo needed his friends back, needed them to be here. It was too alien to be floating, powerless in a quiet mind. What he wouldn’t give for Yuya’s smile, a joke or the occasional backflip. Yuto’s quiet chuckling, his calming words that could make reason of even the most stressful of situations. Yuto’s stories of Heartland before the Invasion. Yuya’s animated re-enactments of his father’s performances or the adventures they’d all shared when they had their own bodies. They had both shared so many happy memories, such bright childhoods Yugo couldn’t help but listen in awe.

The mass of shadows that had once been in between the four of them had dispersed now, with half the circle gone, the shadows had seeped into the world around them. Dulling its colour and draining its warmth.

Yugo rested his chin on his knees, looking to his right where Yuri was, arms folded across his chest, eyebrows furrowed, and eyes closed. If Yugo didn’t know him as well as he did, one might have thought he was asleep, instead of just thinking. An upside of sharing a head with someone, you could read them like a map after only a few minutes. Like you’d been together every day of your life.

Every day of their lives. Yugo looked down at his hands, what was their lives? Were they worth anything? He had gone his whole life believing he was the only Yugo there was. Was he just lying to some small part of his heart that secretly knew the whole time that he was nothing more than a quarter. That he was only a small fragment of someone else entirely.

The dimensions had split because of Ray and Zarc, they were the cause of the genesis that rebirthed the world. But then did that mean that the dimensions were individually built around the eight counterparts?  If that was the case, what did anyone else’s lives mean either. Yuya’s father and mother, Reiji, Reira, Shun, Allen and Sayaka; Dennis, Sora, Crow, Shinji and everyone else. Were they even real? Did they even exist technically? Were they a part of the united world before Yugo and the others were reincarnated? Did they just forget, or have they always just been realistic holograms of people? Artificial Intelligence tasked with making Yugo, Yuri, Yuto and Yuya’s lives as realistic and normal as possible just in order to stop them asking questions about who… or what they were?

What… That was the right word. Yugo wasn’t a person. He was a quarter of one, he was a fragment of a person, a fragment of a demon, something that was created as a mistake. His whole life was just a lie, some backstabbing joke that all of his achievements would eventually be nonchalant and worthless to the larger picture. Zarc never wanted to create them, he never wanted them to live. His whole life was one big waiting, suffering game just so Zarc within him could remerge with the others and erase him permanently.

A loud frustrated noise escaped his lips and he lay back, running fingers through his hair in annoyance. Was this giving up? Was this finally the end of his determination that had kept him moving for so long. He draped an arm across his eyes, blocking out what little light remained in the gloom. Was this what the rest of his known life would be like? This bodiless spirit in the complete dark, no will to stand, no will to try and fight. What had happened to him to make him feel so powerless?

Yuri stirred across the space and opened his eyes to scowl. Yugo forced himself into a sitting position to look at his counterpart. Yuri was glaring at some spot in the darkness, completely lost in thought.

“Yuri?” Yugo asked, watching as the noise startled the other boy out of his musings. Yuri looked at him and sighed, his eyebrows furrowed in frustration. Yugo gulped, sometimes it was hard to remember that they all shared the same face, even if their personalities were different. Yuri looked almost exactly like Yuto for a second.

“I don’t know…” He said finally, muttering a curse, “I really don’t know what we can do now…” Yugo didn’t say anything as Yuri continued, “I came here last you know. That makes me the weakest of all of us, Yugo… you know you’ll be next on Zarc’s list don’t you?”

Yugo felt a small smile tug at the corners of his mouth, “Yeah… I know. But to be honest I’m not too worried about what will happen to me in the end…”

Yuri blinked, his counterpart’s answer startling him, “Why?”

Yugo smiled at him, his eyes hinting sadness, “Look… it’s already started Yuri. It can’t be too long now, but I’m more worried as to where Yuto and Yuya are…”

Yuri broke the circle, automatically making it to Yugo’s side, “Wait… What do you mean? Why are you not worried?”

Yugo laughed shakily, “Hey, have I ever shared this with any of you?” He asked, tugging off one of his gloves and placing it in his jacket pocket. Yuri watched him in confusion, Yugo never took his precious riding gloves off. The Synchro user placed his hand on Yuri’s smiling at the feeling of touch, the warmth of the boy next to him, the feeling of skin under his. Yuri gulped.

Yugo laughed again, “I know right? They’re kinda fucked up, aren’t they?”

Yugo’s hand was red-raw, lacerated with small white scars. The skin peeling in areas and burnt beyond recognition. Yuri gently picked up his counterpart’s hand, feeling Yugo’s scars under his barely worked ones. So this was why he never took off his gloves…

“When I was about nine or ten, Rin and I were first thinking about building our D-Wheel. These are all from me sticking my hand in the engine when I didn’t know what was hot or not. Rin always scolded me until my hands basically got as bad as they did.”

“Yugo…” Yuri whispered, “I…”

Yugo chuckled, “Aw man, have I finally shut you up?”

“No… but… why would you do this to yourself?”

Yugo smiled, “Because I’m hot headed and don’t think before I act. Rin always said my determination to succeed no matter the situation was the only reason she kept me around… I didn’t do it on purpose, but every one of these I did with Rin while we worked to achieve a dream. They’re reminders…”

Yuri looked at him, “But why are you telling me this? How have you kept this so secret to the others as well?”

“It’s pretty significant to me, I can’t use my hands as well as I should be able to, also well… this isn’t the worst of it.”

Yuri said nothing as Yugo shrugged off his jacket, revealing the short sleeves of his jumpsuit before placing it in his lap, gently pulling off his other glove. Yuri stared for a bit but then cursed at the mechanical arm underneath.

Yugo moved his left hand sadly, watching the plates of thin metal slide over wires and cogs. The mechanism seemed well made, although probably thrown together with pieces of scrap metal. It was well oiled and made no sound, but Yuri couldn’t help but wonder as to how none of them had noticed Yugo’s suffering earlier. Yugo had an artificial left arm he probably had to make himself, and he’d managed to keep it secret from all of them. Now with the jacket off Yuri could see the small white lines reaching up to his elbow and more that criss-crossed his shoulder. “Not what you were expect huh…”

Yuri could only nod.

“This was a little different. Sure, it used to have scars but… I got caught three years ago, trying to steal a specific chip I needed for the D-Wheel interface to read the cards I play from a Tops businessman, they did this…” He reached up to the right side of his face, slowly tucking the longer length of blue hair behind his ear, showing the small yellow triangle tattoo just under his eyebrow. “To make sure they always knew where I was, but this…” he gestured to his robotic arm, “This was a punishment for resisting…”

“They took your whole arm because you resisted?!” Yuri asked, speechless.

“Well no… I was sent to the Underground Facility, the garbage heap more like. I honestly thought I would never have made it out of there. I thought that was where I was going to die. But the point is they make you shovel trash, sort it and whatnot. My hand got trapped in one of the compactors… you can imagine what happened next…”

Yuri winced, the ghost sound of bones splintering and shattering, and Yugo’s screams rippling through their mind space as Yugo’s memory surfaced. Yuri rubbed his forearm, trying to shake the pained echoes.

“In the Underground there isn’t any medical assistance for people who don’t have any rare cards to trade. I refused to give up my deck, let alone Clear Wing to people like them, so I bandaged it as best I could to stop the bleeding and take the strain off. There was no one to help me, they were all older men so I kept to myself as I could. I don’t know how I got out of there, it’s all a blur, all I remember is being so angry that I couldn’t do anything, so, so angry that I was being punished like this… I blacked out, the next thing I knew I was free, I was out on the street again, free. But… well… when I got back to the orphanage, there was nothing that could be done for my arm but amputation… again, it’s a reminder Yuri. It’s a reminder…”

Yugo looked at his arm for a bit, opening and closing the palm, watching the wires, the cogs, the screws. “I made it myself you know… a bit of studying sure, but… with Rin’s mechanical expertise and my engineering, we got there…” He smiled a bit at the memory before slipping his jacket back on, making sure not to catch the fabric in the metallic joints.

“Do you think we’re even human Yuri?” Yugo whispered, cradling his mechanical hand in his scarred one, “Are we?”

“I don’t…” Yuri was shaken at how Yugo could be such a fighter. They had all suffered in some way, Yuto with the invasion and destruction of his home, Yuya with the humiliation he dealt with and the loneliness they shared, himself with the cold realities of Academia. But Yugo… Yugo had seen the darkest parts of humanity, known the cold, numbing pain of not having a place to call home, the feeling of going days on end without any food or a bed to call your own. Yuya may have been in their body the longest, but it was only now that Yuri realised that it was Yugo who had the strongest will of all of them.

“Yes.” He finally whispered, causing Yugo to look at him. Yuri moved so that he was kneeling in front of the Synchro user, gently placing a hand on the cold metal of Yugo’s mechanical one, he sighed, “We are human Yugo. You and me, Yuto and Yuya. We’re all just as real as the next person. All just as human.”

“But what if you’re wrong Yuri?” Yugo sighed, “We shouldn’t have lived the lives we did, that wasn’t Zarc’s will for us to be allowed that privilege.”

“Screw what Zarc thinks, he may be part of all of us, but we are also a part of him. He is us. We are him. There are always two sides to the same coin. Just because he is the darkness within our hearts and controlling our body, just because he is our original. It doesn’t give him any less power over our choices as people.”

Yugo looked at him, blinking at Yuri’s words as the Fusion user continued, “When Zarc split and we were for lack of a better word ‘born’. His personality became our personalities, have you never noticed the times where you act just the same as Yuya or how every now and then Yuto will be just as hot headed as you? Whether we know or not how evenly Zarc was split into us the fact that we are the foundations of who he is, is more than enough to know there is good in him. You’re not a bad person Yugo, you are human and real and deserved to live the life you did just as much as any of us, but the question as to if we are alive is another one. Did we technically end our paths when we lost our duels? Is Yuya technically the only one of us not to have died? Yugo… I was thinking about this a lot and I wanted to apologise. Throughout my life I’ve done some really awful things, but knowing that for all intensive purposes I killed you, that is something I will never begin to make up for.”

Yugo looked down at his feet, “When you put it that way I suppose it was me who killed Yuto, Yuri. And Yuya to kill you. Yuto is the only one without blood on his hands… You have nothing to apologise for anyway Yuri, it wasn’t you who I fought and it wasn’t me who you fought. At that time we were both Zarc, plain and simple.”

“No…” Yuri shook his head, “No Yugo, you are right, it wasn’t you I fought in that corridor, but it was me you were fighting. The Professor has always taken great care to break the wills of students that come to Academia, only to strengthen and mould it them into the shapes he desired. I have never had anyone to talk to my whole life Yugo, no one to call a friend because I believed everyone else was beneath me. Not worth my time or effort. You and the other two are the first people I have been able to talk to my whole life. I was a puppet. A mindless, wandering thing, carrying out Akaba Leo’s orders just as I was supposed to. I always thought it was trivial that he thought he could control me, but it took me fourteen years and a desperate desire to seize the darkness in my heart to break that chain.”

Yugo met his eyes, aqua looking into magenta. At one point they wouldn’t have been caught dead in the same room as one another without Yugo punching Yuri’s lights out, squarely in the middle of his smug face.  But now, Yugo couldn’t even begin to imagine what that would feel like. Yugo had shared his most personal secret and Yuri had opened up about his childhood. Those types of facts are never readily given and require a great deal of trust and respect for the other person.

An argument is the absence of information from both sides of the story, without context all hell breaks loose in the process. Perhaps, if Yuri and Yugo had met years ago, Yuri would have seen how much Rin meant to him and never have come after her, in turn, Yugo might have noticed how much Yuri was suffering under Academia’s control and could have done something to help. If only. If only they had known each other earlier…

Yugo’s hands moved without him knowing, inadvertently placing them on Yuri’s shoulders, causing dark pink eyes to look up in surprise, his face of genuine guilt softening into one of shock as Yugo pulled him into his chest.

Yuri blinked, feeling the warmth of Yugo through his skin, what was this? What was he doing?

Yugo chuckled, “What? Have you never had a hug before you creepy bastard?”

Yuri shuddered into the embrace, awkwardly moving his hands to wrap himself into this alien experience. A distant memory of this warmth, a woman’s smile, another hand in his. A young girl with azure hair plaited neatly down her back.

“Don’t you—" Yuri mumbled, his words lost.

“What?”

“Don’t you dare tell Yuya or Yuto about this…”

Yugo laughed, “Still too proud to admit you needed this huh?”

Yuri said nothing.

“You know what?” Yugo let go, pulling a reluctant Yuri from his chest and grinning, “I think that was the first conversation we’ve ever had where you called me by my name.”

Yuri looked at him, “Don’t push your luck Fusion.”

“Ah, there’s the Yuri I know.”

Yuri smiled, this alien warmth had made it to his chest, making him feel lighter. Is this what friendship felt like?

Yuri got to his feet, brushing his coat free of imaginary dust, straightening his necktie with a cough. “Well… this is all very nice and… uh… things, but we need to start thinking about what we’re going to do now…”

Yugo nodded enthusiastically, “We must yeet on after all.”

Yuri looked at him, “I will never, ever, attempt to understand you Fusion.”

Yugo laughed, feeling happy for the first time in almost a year.

Chapter Text

Yuto and Yuya finally had a system. Mutually they decided that Yuya would be in control of walking and movement while Yuto, who was a lot better at sounding reasonable, would deal with talking.

Ray lead them out of the arena and into the city, practically dragging them through the high-rise buildings and parks. “Woah…” Yuya inadvertently whispered, looking around.

Yuto seemed to be in just as much awe, “This place is… so bright?”

Yuya snorted, “What this coming from the guy who lived in Heartland? From what I could tell you were facing eye-damaging neon at every corner.”

“Yeah but... well I haven’t seen that place in a while…”

“What on earth are you babbling to yourself about back there?” Ray asked, looking back at them with a concerned frown, “Are you sick or something? You’re acting really weird.”

“Oh, no we… I mean, I’m fine.” Yuto said, waving a hand and smiling. Ray eyed them curiously but seemed to nod in understanding.

“Well okay then, but if you need a break, we can head back to your place instead?”

Yuya almost laughed, need a break? A break? God what he wouldn’t give for such a mystical hope. He hadn’t caught a break since his duel with Strong Ishijima nearly two years ago. He was so wrapped around the brief fantasy of a day off that he hadn’t noticed where Ray was taking them.

They crossed a bridge that seemed to span a chasm and Yuya instinctively backed away from the yawning mouth.

Dubiously, Yuto spared a glance over the side, jolting backwards slightly at the sudden drop into what appeared to be the sky. White fluffy clouds obscuring what would have been the canyon’s floor.

He frowned, trying to look closer, but Ray’s grip on their wrist was tight and purposeful as she dragged them through the laughing couples along the boardwalk.

“Uh… Ru—Ray…” Yuto asked, trying to ignore Yuya’s movement to look up at the floating islands suspended above them, dripping with what seemed like towns. Yuya blinked, it reminded him of the Synchro Dimension…

“Yeah?” She asked, looking over her shoulder at them again, “What?”

“Uh… just… where are we going?”

She stopped causing them to collide with her back but at least she had released their wrist from her vice grip.

Yuya and Yuto stumbled back, rubbing their head awkwardly, “S-Sorry…” Yuya mumbled.

“You’ve got to be kidding me.” She spun to them fully now, causing Yuya to flinch, “You forgot our date, again?’

“D-date?!” Yuto mumbled in shock and Ray rolled her eyes.

“Yes dimwit, date, you’d promised to finally meet my dad after the semi-finals were over. He's been going on about that proposition for you?”

Yuto felt himself gulp in sudden terror. Leo Akaba was here? And he wanted to meet Zarc? Meet them?

Yuto seized up in sudden panic. Dad? Meet? Socialising with… Leo Akaba? What proposition? What was Leo scheming now? Who was he going to hurt?! Yuto’s stomach twisted in sudden rage but all Yuya felt was numbness.

There were just too many questions and not enough answers to any of this. What was happening, how they were going to get out!? None of it seemed simple and now this?

Ray punched their shoulder and Yuya looked at her in surprise. “For fucksake Zarc, please tell me you’re not backing out on me now! You promised me you’d meet with him like three weeks ago!”

Yuya blinked but tried a smile, nodding, “Yeah, yeah I know…” no he didn’t, “I’m sorry Ray, let’s… uh keep going alright?”

She looked at him, “Man you’re acting weird today you know? It’s like I’m a stranger or something, at least don’t embarrass me in front of dad alright?”

Yuya beamed and winked, “You got it!”

As soon as she turned away Yuya whispered under their breath, “Yuto, you alright?”

“No.” Came the short reply and Yuya sighed.

“Look… I’ll try and take over for a bit is that okay? Let you… uh think of a way out of this maybe?”

“Sure.”

Yuya blinked, his counterpart sounded so strained, but he couldn’t blame the Xyz duelist...

Leo Akaba was the reason Heartland was destroyed in the first place. The reason Ruri was first taken from him that caused he, Yugo and Yuya to meet that fateful night when Yuto died… in fact, Leo Akaba was the direct reason to their current situation in almost every way.

And now Ray was expecting them to go on a date with him?

It was almost ironic and Yuya may have even laughed if he didn’t know their current situation.

As Ray pulled them through a crowded metropolis Yuya’s thoughts turned inwards again. It appeared definitely from a glance that he and Yuto had somehow wound up in Zarc’s memories. His memories before he bonded with their dragons, before Ray and he had fought, and the world was split.

Yuya blinked, looking around with fresh eyes at the people that laughed as they walked. All of these people… the people of the United World.

And they were all gone…

Yuya felt a sudden pang of guilt stab him in his chest, Zarc had hurt so many… not only back home between the dimensions but he and Ray had been the catalyst to destroy an entire world, everyone around him right now, all these people. Zarc had just… killed.

Without realising it tears had sprung into his eyes. Zarc really was no better than Leo Akaba in that way, he destroyed so many people’s hopes and dreams the same way Leo had destroyed Heartland and the Xyz Dimension.

Zarc really was just a monster… so why were they here?

Why show Yuya and Yuto such an incredibly… human side of him with Ray? Show them what happened before it all went wrong?

Was it to prove to them that he was human somehow? That they were wrong about him? Yuya shook his head, no, if there was one thing he was absolutely sure of, it was that Zarc couldn’t be redeemed for his crimes. The same way Leo Akaba couldn’t be for his.

So why drag them back to this specific moment in time?

Ray stopped again and Yuya almost ran into her again as she hurried him into a tall building. Yuya blinked as she pulled him into the nearest elevator and jammed her finger against the top floor button.

Yuya looked at her, properly this time, it was jarring how closely she resembled a slightly older version of Yuzu, with her twin pigtails and soft violet eyes.

His heart twisted. Yuzu.

A sudden panic washed over him and he felt his breathing stagger. Was she alright? What did Zarc do to her?! What was going on out there, out in the real world rather than in here within their mind?

No, inside his mind.

Yuya blinked in realisation. This body was still Yuya’s whether or not Zarc really was controlling them, surely, he could pull them out somehow? Get them back to their soul rooms or the centre of their mind? He just had to find a way to break the plan to Yuto or they’ll both be stuck at whatever layer of Zarc’s memories they were in.

The elevator door slid open and Yuya froze as Ray walked into the large spacious room of the penthouse.

There was a glass dias in the centre of the room with an assortment of control panels and buttons surrounding the glass cage. Chairs and couches were scattered here and there, but the room appeared to serve more as a laboratory than a home.

Yuto finally seemed to come to his senses, stepping forward under the gleam of the sun streaming through the panes that coated all four walls of the great space, each appearing to double as a screen displaying a dense forest.

“Wow…” Yuya breathed and Yuto had to agree, the place was pretty incredible.

“What the heck are you just standing there for?” Ray asked and Yuto blinked at her.

“Uh…”

“Uh? Zarc come on, you’ve been to my house before.”

“This? Is your house?” Yuto asked, very aware of how confused he sounded and Yuya felt. Yuya tried not to think too hard at how easily they had resulted to answering to Zarc’s name.

“Well yeah idiot, now come on, dad should be around here somewhere…” She stopped, staring at him, “Are you okay?”

Yuya swayed and Yuto nodded, this was getting a little much now they had to admit. They certainly hadn’t expected to be dragged to Leo Akaba’s house.

“Man, I don’t know…” Yuya laughed and Yuto only listened as the Pendulum duelist continued, “It’s been a hell of a week…”

“Well… I’ll get you something to drink okay? You just sit over there, I’m sorry.” Yuto looked at her, “I guess it may have been a little too much asking you to come immediately after that duel…”

Yuya blinked, “D-duel?”

“Yeah the last one of the semi-finals of course, you were acting… well weird…”

Yuto felt his eyes harden, “Ray… what do you mean?”

“Well you seemed I don’t know different? It was weird is all, but you’re right its been a long week. Why don’t we talk about it some other time?”

Yuto bit their lip, they needed answers, if they were being dragged through his memories the least they could do was get some answers as to how the hell everything had happened.

Yuto opened they’re mouth, “Ray… no I’d…—”

“Well well, I hadn’t been expecting you two for a while yet!” A voice rang around the room and Yuya and Yuto instinctively froze up as a man stepped out from behind the counter.

“Heya dad!” Ray cried, running over to wrap Leo Akaba in a hug.

Yuya stared at the man before him, his skin tanned and greying hair cut short against his head. His silver eyes seemed so gentle and Yuto only flinched when they finally turned on them. He looked so… kind.

“You must be Zarc I assume!” Leo said warmly, “Ray won’t stop jabbering on about your duelling skills! Quite the match that last one today.”

“Uh… yeah…” Yuya mumbled, scratching the back of their head, “I suppose it was…”

Yuto immediately took over for Yuya’s shyness, even if this was Leo Akaba, the only way they were going to get some answers was if they talked. “It’s… nice to meet you sir.” Yuto smiled as best he could stepping forward to offer his hand to the older man.

Leo smiled and took their gloved hand in his with a hearty shake. Yuto had to force all his efforts into not crushing that hand in one go out of pure rage, but Yuya seemed to understand enough to release the handshake before anything drastic happened.

“Hell of a grip you got there Zarc! Must be all the card tricks you do with your Entertainment duelling!”

Yuya tried not to flinch, Zarc… knew about Entertainment Duels?

“Stop it dad, you’re scaring him!” Ray said sternly and Yuya was suddenly so taken aback by her tone that he barely registered Leo Akaba laughing.

Yuto looked at him coldly, the man that had destroyed his home, carded his friends, killed his family, took everything from him, Shun and Ruri. The man that burnt dimensions into the ground and started a war between them… was laughing?

But Yuya only noticed how light it was. The Professor of Duel Academy that stood before them now didn’t seem to exist, in fact this Leo reminded Yuya painfully of his own father. He looked at their boots to hide the small tear starting to track down their cheek as Leo patted them on the shoulder.

“Come now Zarc, no need to be scared, you seem like a well-mannered man. Now, I’m sure Ray has told you all about my research into Solid Vision. There is a reason I wanted to meet with you after all… Well… I was hoping you might like to be the first to test it?”

Yuto blinked, Solid Vision? The same Solid Vision as the Action Duels of Standard? The Fusion Dimesion’s greatest weapon? And he wanted Zarc to test it? He looked up at the man in mild confusion, “M-me?”

“Yes, well… as you know the finals are coming up and seeing as how you made the cut I thought you’d do Ray and I the honour of duelling the first match implementing my revolutionary design… Although, I’m well aware if you’d rather not, Ray’s just said so many great things about your entertainment duels and those dragons of yours I thought you’d like to give the audience a real show! Y’know… to publicise the Solid Vision a bit, show it off to the crowd.”

“Well I…” Yuya started, but something changed.

Yuto and Yuya gasped slightly as their body’s control was wrenched from them, “Of course Mr Akaba… I’d… It’d be a honour sir! I can’t wait to show the audience something that’ll really make them smile!”

Yuya stumbled and fell backwards, blinking as full control of his limbs hit him like a freight train as he found himself back in his mind, standing in a sea of darkness as the situation played out in front of him like a rerun of a movie.

Leo and Zarc talking about Leo’s invention, Ray smiling and nodding when appropriate. They looked so normal, almost like a family…

Yuya could only watch as Zarc smiled and offered Leo jokes, as Zarc grinned and scratched his head sheepishly. How excited he got when he mentioned his dreams of becoming the world’s greatest Entertainment Duelist…

Ugh! Yuya shook his head, getting to his feet in front of the memory with a groan. It didn’t make any sense! The darkness inside he and his counterpart’s hearts, Zarc. There was no way he was just normal right? Just… just… no, his eyes widened. That wasn’t it.

Yuya looked again, at the way Zarc moved, the phrases in his speech the patterns in his voice. No…

They were the same. The excitement on his face, the passions he was talking about they were just like his.

Zarc was just like Yuya…

Yuya felt a cold numbness start to spread at the realisation of what Zarc was doing. He wasn’t offering Yuya and Yuto a glimpse at his memories… He wasn’t giving them answers to anything! He was trying to convert them, have them turn on Yuri and Yugo so that somehow Zarc could override them all.

This elaborate memory lane was providing Yuya and Yuto with a glimpse of themselves within the demon duelist, how their own personalities bounced so smoothly off Zarc when he was whole. He was trying to somehow convince them of how good it could be to be one again. Of what they could do…

Yuya shut his eyes, clamping his hands over his ears. No! He might have been a part of Zarc once, but he was Yuya Sakaki now! His dreams were his own and no reincarnation sideshow was going to derail him. If Zarc wanted to convert him and Yuto, he was going to have to try a hell of a lot harder than just filling in some blanks about their past.

So what if they were Zarc? So what if he once held all four of them as one? The man before him now in this memory was certainly not the same as the one currently within their heart. The man before him, the one laughing with Ray Akaba, the man that shared his dreams… Yuya looked away sadly.  

Wasn’t he dead?

“Yuya!”

Yuya blinked, was someone… calling to him?

“Yuya! I’m here!” The voice echoed numbly around him and Yuya felt his heart clench. He recognised it almost better than his own.

“Yuto! Where are you!?”

“I’m here, urgh… damn… Yuya I need help! Can you hear me?!” Yuto’s voice was tinged in panic and Yuya started running, feeling a blurred rush of fear flit across the space between them, they could not let each other get separated.

“Yuto I’m coming! I’m coming okay!”

This may have been Yuya’s body, but right now they were in Zarc’s mind, and that meant he had jurisdiction over everything that could and would happened to them.

Yuya grit his teeth, he couldn’t let Zarc win, not again. He couldn’t let him take his friends, his home, his life.  But to do that he’d need all the strength from his counterparts that he could get.

So Yuya ran, away from the smiling happy faces of Zarc’s memories. After all, whatever happened in the United World wasn’t of any importance anymore, all that mattered right now was finding Yuto and getting back to warn Yuri and Yugo of Zarc’s plan.

Yuya’s eyes hardened. If they wanted out of this horror show and back into the real world, Yuya and Yuto were going to have to play along with Zarc’s little game, otherwise they might just be lost among his twisted maze of memories forever.