Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Princess Serena Akaba sighed after coming back to her castle.

"You did well today, Serena"

Serena smiled as her dad:King Leo Akaba, greeted her, she ran up to him and hugged him.

"Are you hurt?"

"Nah, just tired from mowing through so many enemies, only thing those losers are good for…"

Especially with her new powers…

"Well I'm glad you're ok, they'll think twice before messing with us now…"

"They should have thought about it in the first place"

"Also, your sisters are home…"

"Tell them I said hi then"

"...Are you sure that's all?"

"Yes Father, I'm sure"

"Well then, I have some business to attend to, he's still in your tower if you're asking"

Serena smiled. "Thanks Father"

And with that, Serena made a beeline for her tower, people vowed in respect as she passed by but she paid them no mind, she had more interesting things to get into.

Finally she arrived, she grabbed her keys, opened and then locked it.

She spotted a purple haired guy tending to some flowers, she smiled and sneaked onto him.

She covered his eyes. "Guess who-" She got cut off when he used a reverse headbutt.

"Ugh! Asshole, can you take a joke?" Asked Serena annoyed.

"Can you let me free?" He asked, equally annoyed.

"No"

"Then there you go, besides I sensed you coming from a mile away, given that we're linked…also you smell horrendous, take a damn shower"

"What if I don't want to?"

"I won't do that thing you like"

"...I'm doing this for me, not for you"

She didn't see him but she could tell as she turned around that he rolled his eyes, the prick.

…But he was a prick with magic hands (both figuratively and literally) so she definitely was going to wash herself.

It was relaxing though, she definitely needed one after spending all day fighting, she just didn't want to do what Yuri told her to do because she was stubborn like that.

…But she still liked him, she was glad she got him.

Serena finally finished her shower, she thought of going out naked to surprise Yuri but she thought of it further (which was rare) and decided against it, he was very meticulous about when he got in the mood for it, he didn't like stuff like that.

And she and her sisters may be kidnappers (well Ray is a kidnapper and they were accomplices) but they won't do…that…to their beloved's.

Serena came back to her room to see Yuri sitting on the bed with the plant now emanating a dark aura and magically stretched itself so Yuri could pet it, his hands emanating a dark aura.

She smiled and her hands emanated a dark aura like his does and then pointed at the plant, it returned to its original position and the aura disappeared.

Yuri grunted annoyed. "Having fun with the power you forced me to share?"

"Yes" She said and sat with him on the bed.

Yuri rolled his eyes and started scratching the back of the neck.

That was the gooooood shit.

"I don't know why you're so good at this, but I'm glad you are," Serena said and…purred.

"I swear sometimes you're a cat rather than a human…" Yuri muttered.

"I been told that"

"And now I have to take care of one…I swear I was the only one of my brothers who never asked for a pet…"

"And now you got one for life"

"Or until we escape"

"Yeah, that's not happening…ever…"

"We'll see about that, any entertainer and magician worth their salt knows a good escape trick…and we're among the best," Yuri said as his eyes glowed bright for a second.

"And any princess worth their salt knows how to keep prisoners from escaping…so don't think any of you are escaping any time soon" She glared back at him.

The two glared at each other intensively with eyes glowing and a dark aura emanating from them, growing and growing…

Until Yuri scratched her in just the right spot and she made a happy noise, everything returned to normal then.

"Why aren't you more ashamed of this?" He asked her.

"I was at first, but then I realized you're not getting out to tell anyone and they won't believe you even if you did, so I'm safe"

"Hn…you can be clever when you want to be"

"What's that supposed to mean!?"

"That you're an idiot 99% of the time"

Serena growled and used her power to make the plant slap Yuri in the face, Yuri then used his power to make the plant do the same to Serena.

The two glared at each until Yuri's expression softened and he closed his eyes.

"What's gotten into you now?"

"...Your idiocy reminded me of Yugo…"

Serena growled but calmed herself down upon noticing how melancholic he seemed.

"...Last time I checked he's fine with Rin"

Yuri glared at her far more intensively than before which actually did get her nervous.

"Don't worry, she's trying not to be as mean as before, he's happy…well aside from the whole being trapped thing, but that's the same with your whole family"

"Good, that better be the case cause if they hurt my brothers again, I don't know how but I will poison and wreck this whole kingdom until it becomes an inhospitable hole" He said venomously.

"Jeez, you need to relax sometimes" Serena said, he really was protective over his brothers…his whole family was, Zarc was even worse.

Especially of Yuya, she remembered how one time they went into a reunion to talk about certain matters and they dragged their beloveds with them, who at least we're glad to see each other again…

Until Yuya let slip that Yuzu hit him with a fan, suddenly even though they were suppressed by the device their father created alongside Rin and Ray, all the other boys looked like they would have murdered Yuzu on the spot if they didn't hold them back.

So Yuzu never hit Yuya ever again, partly because she didn't want to and also because she was probably traumatized from the event.

"It's called being protective of my family, shouldn't you get it too? Since yours is almost like a cheap imitation of mine…same face siblings and all"

"For your information I am protective of my family too, if something happened to my sisters I would flip out as well"

"...You say that, but you barely talk to them…or about them…" Yuri pointed out.

…Serena shrugged. "I don't know…we never really truly clicked I guess, as time went on we drifted apart and focused on our own things, just because we're family doesn't mean we have to get along, that's up to the individuals, you don't have to be very personally close to someone to want to protect them and care for them"

"If you say so…"

"Really, having you guys around was the most interesting thing that happened in a while for us, I mean we still think Ray was batshit crazy for doing it, but we're grateful for it"

"Because you can use our powers for yourself"

"Nah, that's a bonus, a good one…but we just want you guys for yourselves"

"Then you're batshit crazy too for agreeing with your sisters and keeping us trapped"

"Yeah…but we never claimed we're sane too…you people aren't sane either"

"...What are you trying to get at?" He narrowed his eyes.

"I mean, you guys have gotten pretty used to life in here, your brothers get along with my sisters pretty well, even if some like to pretend they don't…hell even now you aren't fighting me as much as before, you give me scratches and…other stuff" She blushed at that last one.

Yuri blushed at that too and rubbed his nose.

"...Fighting you constantly is tiring, I like to save my energy for what actually matters, even back when we were in our troupe I only trained and joined the plays when absolutely necessary…or when it was the most fun"

"And what are you saving your energy for now?"

"Getting out of here"

"Good luck with that"

"Hmpf"

The two remained there in silence for some time, Yuri kept scratching Serena just the way she liked it…even purred again…

"...Have you ever thought of fighting together with me?" She asked him.

"Hn?"

"I meant fighting together alongside me and our army, seems like a way more valuable use of your powers than some performance act…"

"Those performance acts are things we practiced constantly as family and everyone enjoyed until your group of tramps came along" Yuri growled.

"Yeah, but would you do it by yourself without your family? Do you actually care about it outside of that?"

"...What are you getting at?"

"I can see it in your eyes, someone like you is better suited to proving his superiority over his enemies than mere circus acts" Serena looked at him with half-lidded eyes.

"Only a barbarian like you would find that fun…"

"You're a bad liar"

Yuri just rolled his eyes but Serena dragged him so he could watch by the window.

"Can you imagine it? Us out there? Crushing our enemies until there's nothing left? Feeding them to the plants? Don't you find that exciting?" She gestured to the whole field outside the kingdom.

"Don't you already do that by yourself? Why do you want me there?"

"Well, I want my beloved to be with me when we do that, I want the people we're fighting to feel our power, individually and together, I want everyone to recognize how strong we are…there's something, I feel, about wanting to share that position with someone else…someone like me"

"Someone like you?" Yuri asked in curiosity.

"Yeah…I knew that there was something about you the day Ray brought you all here and let us choose who between you four we could keep, I see it in your eyes that we're more alike than you think…"

"...Crushing weaklings doesn't seem fun though…not constantly at least"

"It is true…but we can fight each other for fun…all I need is to make sure you won't leave by your own volition and choose to stay at my side…Then the fun can really begin"

"...Stealing Yuya and Zarc's catchphrase to try to win me over is either a really stupid move…or a devious one, both fit you I suppose…"

"But you're considering it"

"We'll see, maybe you can win me over before I disappear from your sight, never to be seen again…whichever happens first will decide who wins"

"When I play, I play to the win, remember that "

"I do, cause I always do the same…"

Serena just smirked, satisfied with herself…

Until Yuri got close enough to whisper to her ear.

"I'm gonna go to the bathroom, then we can do some 'Fun' stuff, if you're feeling up to it"

Serena's face got dyed in a scarlet color that reminded Yuri of Yuya's hair, satisfied with this he went to the bathroom.

"Why are you agreeing to this if you hate this situation?" Serea asked him.

"Might as well take as much advantage out of it as possible" He said and closed the door.

Serena rolled her eyes but smirked all the same.

"And my sisters say I can't be seductive to save my life…" She said as she went to get ready…

And so the games began.

Chapter Text

"Are you sure we need to recruit him?"

"Yes Serena, he's vital for our Utopia"

Serena just crossed her arms while unsure, but if the professor said it then it must be true.

Right now, they were observing a kid of her age who had just beaten another person in a duel and now everyone was scared of him.
He looked disappointed but used to it so he went to sit on a bench and dangle his feet.

Really? This was what people were afraid of? Yeah he was strong but he looked like he wouldn't hurt a fly if not provoked.

And yet that was how things were, he was even looking at the new student Asuka Tenjoin, she was really strong but it seemed that didn't stop her from making friends.

She wondered if he felt jealous, it already felt unfair to her.

It was then the professor motioned her to follow him.

The kid was surprised when she and the professor appeared in front of him.

"You must be Yuri, correct?" Leo Akaba asked with a smile.

"Um…Yes, my name is Yuri" The kid known as Yuri nodded with his head. He was utterly confused as to why this person was approaching him without being scared, same as the little girl.

"Greetings Yuri, my name is Leo Akaba and this is Serena, I want to speak to you about something important, would you care to follow us to a better place to talk about it?"

"Oh? Sure!" He said and hopped off the bench to follow them.

"Good, follow us"

And so, the three started walking to where the professor was leading them.

Yuri seemed curious the whole way through, after all normally people are afraid of him just because he existed, and if they were not they sure changed their mind once he dueled…yet so far they were not.

He heard the name Leo Akaba before, known as the Professor, a brilliant mind that lead Duel Academia…Did he truly want something with him?

…He didn't know the girl though.

"...What are you looking at me like that?"

"I didn't see you anywhere before"

"It's none of your business why I didn't show up before" She said defensively.

"Have you heard of me?"

"Yes"

"...You don't look afraid"

"Why would I be afraid of you? You think just because you are strong I should be afraid of you?"

But then he smiled Brightly.

"Nope, I don't think so"

Serena got a bit flustered by that…

He had a nice smile.

"One day we will duel, and I'm gonna kick your butt, you'll see" She said pointing at him.

"We'll see, I want to see what you and the professor need me for!" He said excited.

Serena was a bit surprised by his enthusiasm…but she didn't mind.

She was a bit excited to see what they would do together with the professor.

 Serena sighed as she was Yuri Walking away from their tag duel, yep, he probably despised her now.

"That went as well as I expected," She muttered to herself.

But at least she knew she could get through Yuri, even a little bit…

"I don't need to see you ever again" She repeated her own words.

Indeed, she could spend the rest of her life without talking to him again, she knows by now he doesn't want to return to carding people or hurting them, now he just wants to duel strong opponents for his fun, and with the help of his fragments, he's unlikely to ever become a threat to others…

She never needed to see him ever again…
"Doesn't mean I don't wanna see you ever again" She said knowing nobody was hearing her.

Because as she learned, you don't have to need things to want them, the world wasn't all cold hard logic and sometimes you wanted things that seemed illogical.

And if she wanted to be with Yuri? Well it's her choice to make and nobody tells her what to do, nor will she care about what they think.

Chapter Text

…

“So…how are you feeling?”

Yuri just looked at Yuya with the same blank expression on his face, which only made Yuya want to die inside a little more.

“I know you haven't been on dates before, least of all a double date, I mean this is new for me too and…”

“...”

“...You could talk more, you know?”

“I wanted to hang around you and Yuzu,” Yuri said, flatly.

“Well it is that…and Serena”

“Why?”

“Cause Yuzu had that idea and she agreed?”

“Why?”

“Cause she thought it was a good idea?”

“...Why?”

Yuya sighed. “Are you going to keep asking that? I mean you and Serena seemed to be hanging out lately, maybe she thought this was gonna bring you two closer together?”

“I don't know why that girl keeps doing that, but I don't like it” He frowned at that.

“Look, you need to find more friends aside from me and Yuzu, I know we are the ones that are more willing to give you a chance but you can't just be around us 24/7”

“But you two are the most fun out of everyone”

“And we appreciate you think about us this way, but you still-”

“I don't need more friends, I just need to not hurt other people again and I'm golden, am I?”

“That’s…a good start, but you can do better”

“Not, I actually think this is the better outcome”

Yuya sighed, Yuri was still as antisocial as ever, arguably worse since he, Yugo and Yuto had their falling out to the point Yuri didn't want to even duel them anymore, he still did not know what they did but it looked like Yugo and Yuto felt bad about it, so he hoped they could become friends again soon.

It's not like he and Yuzu didn't mind Yuri's company, he can actually be pretty fun to hang around once you understand what he's thinking and you're not constantly worrying about if he's gonna switch back to how he used to be, hell he even went on talks with Yuzu about flowers (even if he was more a carnivorous plants kinda guy) or other topics with the three of them…

But he needed to find other friends too, not because he's worried he will relapse but because it’s better for him, they all already knew through their memories from Zarc (and Yuri himself) what a lack of human connections can lead you to…Well that and all the other crap Yuri went through.

And perhaps more selfishly…he and Yuzu wanted some alone time, after their whole adventure being apart and finally realizing their feelings, they wanted their own private time with each other…

Still, sometimes he wondered why Yuri wanted to hang out with them so much aside from being willing to give him a chance…which is weird because he really doesn't care about how others see him, they're basically the same person so he knew why he wanted to hang out with him and Yuzu is because she had gotten so strong and challenging to fight in Yuri’s eyes, ending the only other person that actually beat him aside from himself…

He remembered that day and how everyone was so shocked, especially because this time Yuri wasn't underestimating her like he did others…and he was actually ok to finally lose to someone else that wasn't one of his counterparts for the first time, even praised Yuzu for it…

But still, there had to be something else, right?

Yuya sighed, even with their deep connection they still couldn't understand each other completely, he didn't know whether to be happy or upset over it.

It was then that they both spotted Yuzu and Serena coming over, Yuya waved at Yuzu and Yuri did the same…and then deflated when he saw Serena.

“We didn't make you two wait much, didn't we?” Yuzu asked them.

“No, it's all fine, though I didn't expect I would arrive before you for once,” Yuya joked.

“That's because of Yuri, not you” Yuzu cut through his words.

“Back when we still were in the same body I was the one always getting his lazy butt in time” Yuri said.

“You get too uppity over that, you know?” Yuya said, exasperated.

“I’m not gonna let my attendance record falter because of you and Fusion boy being slowpokes, even if I wasn't in control of the body”

“Thank you Yuri, you did good,” Yuzu said.

“It is my pleasure” Yuri bowed.

“Guess some things haven't changed since your academia days” Serena commented.

Yuri just frowned at her.

“As I told you, don't speak as if you know me…why are you even here?”

She shrugged “I wanted to come, I can't hang out with you guys?”

Yuri looked like he wanted to say something, but Yuya knew he had enough self-awareness to know anything he said could be thrown back at him.

“I suppose…” He muttered.

“...So how do these go usually?” Serena asked.

“Well we just hang out and find something fun to do,” Yuzu said.

“...Shouldn’t these be planned?” Serena wondered.

“I used to think so too, but it's actually fun to just wing it sometimes…” Yuri said absentmindedly, Yuya and Yuzu supposed that's a start at least.

“Well, I did learn that too, so might as well give it a shot, come on” She went ahead.

Yuri sighed and followed her with Yuya and Yuzu doing the same, curious about where this was headed…

“What?” Yuri asked as he was chowing down a hamburger.

“Nothing, I’m just surprised you like meat so much,” Serena said while eating on a hot dog.

“You expected me to be a vegetarian or something?”

“I don’t know, maybe?”

“Well you thought wrong, why would I eat an innocent plant? I rather eat an animal”

“Besides we’re still growing, we need all the meat we can get, we’re like the meat teens” Yuya said after chomping on a burrito

“...”
“At least I know Yuri gets me,” Yuya joked at the silence of the two girls.

“Sadly I do” Yuri said and drank a bit of his coke.

“The Advantages of being one person in the past” Commented Serena.

“You should know how it feels, it applies to you two too” Spoke Yuri.

“Coulda fooled us, do you feel any advantages Yuzu?” Serena asked her counterpart sarcastically.

“Yeah, I totally feel the advantages, I don’t think I ever remember my time as Reira anymore…” Yuzu murmured.

“I heard you got new cards, Yuri,” Serena said.

“...Yeah, I did” He then showed her Starve Venom Predator Fusion Dragon.

“I wonder how it happened, did Reiji or the Professor make them for you?”

“No, we can still call forth Zarc’s powers to make them for us, same way Yuya created his cards after the Pendulum Dimension was born”

“He still helps you?” Yuzu wondered.

“Yeah, I mean I guess now he doesn’t want to destroy everything he doesn’t mind helping us…though his soul is still trapped inside of Reira” Yuya said.

“I wonder how he’s hanging out there…although I can’t imagine being trapped there is much fun…” Said Yuri.

Zarc was having the best relaxation of his damn life, he had never felt peace like this ever.

He frowned as he felt another one of his fragments ask for help.

“Ok Yugo I get it” He waved his hand “Here, have some Pendulums, a spell, a Synchro and the Ultimate Evolution of Clear Wing, now let me get back to my heaven” He went to rest again.

“Well, at least we don’t have to worry about him anymore,” Said Yuzu.

“Though Yuzu got new cards and I heard you got more cards too, did Ray help you with that?” asked Yuri absentmindedly.

The two girls responded by laughing out loud and clutching their stomachs from the laughter.

“Aren’t you supposed to be the one who makes people laugh?” Yuri asked Yuya who just shrugged.

“Ray helping us…hilarious…” Serena said once her laughter died down.

“She helped Yuzu”

“The teleportation hindered me as much as it helped me, so it balances out…”

“I think it's better if we don't bring her up again in front of them,” Yuya whispered to Yuri.

“Fine,” Yuri said.

“...Changing the subject, I noticed you aren't talking to Yugo and Yuto anymore,” Serena said.

“I don't,” Yuri said.

“Is everything alright?” She asked.

“No”

“They got into a fight recently, I don't know all the details but Yugo and Yuto feel bad about it,” Yuya said.

“What happened?” Serena asked.

“Nothing I feel like telling you, let's just say right now my only friends are Yuya and Hush, because they're amazing” Yuri said and the honesty in his tone was apparent.

Yuya just laughed while Hush blushed a bit, Serena seemed…jealous? The pair from Pendulum couldn't tell but they swore it felt that way.

“Why are you so friendly with Yuzu? Is it because she beat you?” Serena asked.

“Partly that, but not the main reason…are you jealous of Yuzu?” He asked.

“Not really” She lied. “Though Ruri and Rin are…especially Rin, cause she hasn't got her get back against you yet”

“Well she can stay mad then, I have zero intention of facing her or Ruri ever again, with Yuzu around I got my worthy opponent that isn't me”

Yuzu scratched her cheek as she blushed a little bit, she was flattered, really.

Yuya awkwardly coughed.

“Don’t worry Yuya, I have zero intention of stealing your girlfriend, my feelings are strictly platonic” Yuri said.

“It's ok, I know you aren't like that, we're the same you and I”

“...What about me?” Serena asked.

“What about you?”

“You said you have zero intention of fighting Ruri and Rin, but what about me?”

“Why do you care? You said it yourself that you don't need to talk to me ever again” Yuri said, annoyed.

“Wait? You said that? But you're the one that wanted to join” Yuzu asked, confused.

“Yeah, I said that,” Serena said matter of factly.

“Then why do you insist on talking to me?” Yuri asked, perplexed.

“Yeah, I’m confused too” Yuya said.

“I don't need to do it…doesn’t mean I don't want to”

“...Why?” Yuri asked.

“Cause I want to, doesn't need to be deeper than that”

“...I really don't get it”

And he didn't get Yuya and Yuzu's shit eating grins that sprouted on their faces after a while.

‘I swear people are just annoying to try to get a read on’ Thought Yuri.

Yuri was annoyed.

Yuya and Yuzu said they had to take care of some important business and told them they would rejoin them as soon as they can.

Which means he was stuck there with Serena.

…Ok, he wasn't that annoyed with her now, but she was making him feel weird and confused, he didn't like it.

It was always like that with her, always acting like she knew him and getting too close to home, that's why he didn't want to be around her.

Right now they were in front of a fountain while waiting on them.

And now she was looking at him, trying to get a read on him.

“What do you want now?” He asked exasperated.

“...Why are you so chummy with Yuya and Yuzu?” She asked.

“I already told you”

“You said it wasn't the main reason, I want to know the real one…and I want to know why you only hang with Yuya now instead of your other you's”

“Why the sudden interest?”

“I want to”

Yuri just groaned and looked away, Serena just took it as he wasn't gonna tell him.

They both watched the fountain, it was very tranquil aside from the voices of people walking around them.

It was nice, Serena had to admit, before she thought the dating thing as being silly…but seeing Yuto and Ruri, Yugo and Rin, as well as Yuya and Yuzu doing it…she has to admit, it seemed…fun.

“...It’s because they understand me better,” Yuri spoke after a while.

“Hn?” Serena was surprised.

“Yuya and Yuzu don't force me to apologize or insist on me cleaning up my act or anything else most other people want for me…all they want from me is to not hurt people anymore, they don't force me to change beyond that” Yuri explained himself.

“...”

“The reason for my falling out with Yugo and Yuto is that they kept demanding me to apologize over and over again to Ruri and Rin, over and over…until one day they broke some of my plants, by accident I know…but it was the final straw for me”

“Is it bad that they want you to apologize? After what we-”

“You see, what makes me different from all of the other Fusion Folk is that I don't care about what I did…I can't bring myself to care, I actually tried that but I just couldn't…I guess maybe I'm just the putrid uncaring part of Zarc or maybe it's just a me thing…I want to ask you a question?”

“Yeah?”

“If you got a half-assed apology from someone who doesn't really mean it, would you feel at peace? Satisfied? Would it undo all of the pain you suffered?”

“...”

“It would not, that's why I refuse to apologize, aside from the fact I don't want to, it helps nothing and probably feels like an insult to the people I “Hurt”...I know Ruri and Rin would feel that way”

“You do?”

“Aside from the fact I have Yugo and Yuto’s memories…they were there when we have our fight, I asked them directly and they said what I thought they would”

“They never said anything to anyone”

“I don't think that drama is anyone's business…anyways, Yuya and Yuzu never once asked me to apologize cause they understood that's just not the way I am, they don't ask anything else that isn't hurting people…you might say it's taking advantage of them and their kindness…but I don't care what you think, they're my friends and I have no intention of getting away from them”

“...Yeah, exactly what I was expecting”

Yuri rolled his eyes. “What? You thought these are my thoughts this entire time?”

“Yeah, I just wanted to hear you say them”

“...You’re really annoying”

“You aren't an angel yourself”

Yuri didn't say anything to that, she got him there, which made her satisfied.

“...You aren't worried that I will ever relapse?”

“Nah, I know you aren't about that anymore, you got other forms to have your fun now don't you?”

“What are you? A mind reader?”

“Nope, just good intuition…when it comes to you at least” She smiled

“Cocky Girl” Despite that, Yuri couldn't help but smile as well.

Serena just chuckled.

“...Though I wonder what's your insistence in watching over me, are you trying to follow Ray’s pal-”

“I’m not doing this for her, I am never doing anything for her, not me nor my other selves, I want to hang around you is because of my own choices”

“Jeez, what did she even do to you?”

“Make me an orphan when she damn well could have put me with a family, for starters”

“Hey, at least she didn't try to possess you and take over you in one of your worst moments”

“Maybe…our original selves suck”

“They do”

“...Do you think if we date it will piss them off?”

“Maybe, but are you willing to date me just for that?”

“No, just another one in my many reasons”

“Many? You have to have your head checked, your taste in partners is absolutely dreadful”

“Do you want to change yourself more than you already did?”

“Hell no”

“Then neither do I”

Yuri didn't say anything, just trying to hold off his laughter…but he couldn't stop it before breaking into a peal of laughter.

“I didn't know I had material as a comedian”

“Well, you’re funny when you want it to be…I think my taste in partners is starting to turn into garbage too, or I'm delusional”

“Feel free to let it get worse”

“Maybe I will”

“...Hey, do you think one day you and I can go out like this…alone, without Yuya and Yuzu?”

“...I’ll think about it”

The two then sat at the fountain, much more comfortable than when they arrived, waiting for the other two.

As for them?

“Ok Yuzu, I think it worked, they're getting along now” Yuya said while watching from afar with binoculars.

“Awesome” Yuzu said observing too.

“I think we can come back now”

“Or we can make out for a little bit longer”

“...Or that…”

Chapter Text

Serena watched him from afar.

Once again, alone, everyone stayed far away from him just because he won…

It would be odd to say he had a people repelling aura…but he actually did, she could see it, an aura of darkness surrounding him…

And yet, he seemed not to care, he wasn't happy about it…but he still moved on with his day, was it because it didn't bother him or because he had nothing else?

Serena couldn't tell you for the life of her why she was watching him constantly, he was strong and she wanted to test her might against him…but there was something else that compelled to watch over him.

Worry that he might do something bad because of his situation? Curiosity? Was she interested because like her he was also alone?

She couldn't tell you exactly why, maybe it was all above…all she knew is that she felt like she should get close.

Serena sighed, took a deep breath and jumped out of the bushes.

"You!"

The boy nearly had a heart attack from the surprise, nearly fell over his butt but only took a deep breath.

"Why did you do that?" He asked, confused and a bit annoyed.

"It doesn't matter, you're strong, aren't you?"

"...Yeah, I am" He seemed confused as to why she was approaching him if he knew that.

"Great, then duel me!" She pointed at him.

"Are you sure? I-"

"I don't care what happened before, I'm gonna fight you and win!"

"If you say so…what do you think Starv-" The boy took out a card but suddenly was shocked.

"What? Why are you? We just met her, what did she do that's so-Hey calm down" He argued with the card.

Serena was confused upon what she was seeing…and was it her or was she able to feel something? She couldn't pinpoint what.

"...Does it not like me?" She didn't know why she asked that.

"You're able to hear him?" He asked her.

"No, but I'm able to sense it…somehow…"

"Well I don't know what's gotten into him, he doesn't like humans aside of me but for some reason he hates with a passion and wants you to stay far away from me"

"What? Is he scared?" Serena taunted.

"...Um, I think you made him even more mad, he really wants to tear you apart now" He said a bit nervously.

"Well bring it, I'm not scared of him!" She activated her duel disk.

"...Please don't hurt her too badly" He whispered to the card.

Serena growled, she didn't appreciate being talked down like that but she'll prove them wrong, very wrong…

Serena groaned in anger after getting beaten.

This guy demolished her, badly…and that Dragon clearly took pleasure in hitting her and her monsters.

What did she even do to him? this the first time they interacted, and he was mad at her before she taunted him.

"Are you ok?" He approached her a bit nervously.

"I'm fine!" She said defensively.

"Look, I'm sorry, I told him that he should hold back and-"

"Save your stupid pity, again!" She activated her duel disk.

"...What?" He asked, perplexed.

"Do you have crap in your ears? I told you we're dueling again"

"...Why?"

"Because you beat me! And I'm not gonna rest until I win"

"...You're not scared?"

"Scared? If anything I want to kick your butt harder"

"...Huh?"

"What are you waiting for? Duel me!"

"Oh! Yeah…Sure…" He activated his Duel Disk again.

And so they dueled…again and again and again…

No matter what she did, Serena couldn't beat him or his dragon, not only that but he kept showing off more and more monsters the more she dueled him.

It was like she was only scratching the surface of what he could do.

But she will not quit, she will beat him, she will beat him, she will-

"Ok, I think that's enough for today" He suddenly said.

"What?" She was snapped out of the zone.

"It's getting dark" He pointed out the sky.

She looked above her and indeed, it was getting dark, they had to return to their home.

"Damn it, I got too caught up and now…whatever" Serena groaned, annoyed.

"Thanks by the way" He said.

"Why? Did getting my butt kicked amused you?" She asked sarcastically.

"Yeah" He said matter of factly.

"Screw you!"

"You're really strong"

"You don't have to keep mocking me-"

"I'm serious, you're really strong, you're much better and gutsier than everyone I've fought so far" He said sincerely.

Serena stared wide-eyed at that, her cheeks went red for a bit.

"...Everyone else must have sucked really bad, huh?"

"True, but that doesn't take away from what I said, you're really strong…you're the most fun I ever had, so thanks again"

"Don't thank me, we're not done"

"But-"

"Tomorrow we'll be going at it again, I won't rest until I beat you!"

He blinked a few times after that, he was shocked that she was insisting on that.

"Well…I don't mind…I actually really like the idea" He smiled at her.

"We'll see if you're smiling after I wipe the floor with you, see you tomorrow" She started walking away

"Ok" He went his opposite way.

"...Hey" She stopped and turned around.

"Hn?" He stopped and turned around.

"...Despite not winning, I had fun today too…so thanks"

"You're welcome…"

"...Also, I heard it before, but just to make sure…is your name Yuri?"

"Yup, my name is Yuri"

"We'll Yuri, get ready for me to mop the floor with you tomorrow!"

"I'll look forward to see you trying"

And so the two went home…

"Where is he? Where is he?" Serena tapped her foot in annoyance.

"He never missed our daily confrontations, so what is it that keeps him so busy? It's not homework cause he always gets it done fast…so what…"

Serena stomped in annoyance and decided to go fetch her rival/friend.

People waved at her until they saw she was in a bad mood and made sure to get the hell out of the way, you don't want to be in the middle of an angry Serena's path, as a lot of people learned the hard way.

Unfortunately for the terrified souls, Serena stopped mid-March and looked at the people around her.

"Have any of you seen Yuri?"

"Um…well…he's been talking with Dennis outside the building" One of them said.

"...What?" Serena said as if she was utterly confused by the concept.

"I'm telling the truth!"

Serena blinked a few times, trying to process the information that was given to her.

Yuri talking to other people that wasn't her? She assumed he just challenged him to a duel but he hardly bothered dueling other people that weren't her anymore, and people were too afraid of him to approach him.

Something that she found utterly ridiculous now, Yuri at worst was just a troll and a bit of a sadist while dueling, but he doesn't actually want to hurt people, he was inoffensive.

Sure, the guy just had a creepy aura around him that repelled most people, but once you look past that like she does, you will see that there isn't anything to be afraid of…

Although maybe the fact that no one did was something she liked, she had Yuri to herself and she never had as much fun as the entire year she knew him…

Narrowing her eyes, Serena turned around and went quickly to where supposedly Yuri and Dennis were, maybe they were wrong or misinterpreting the situation, maybe…

They were describing exactly what they saw, cause Yuri was speaking with Dennis and pretty amicably too…

"So then-" Dennis was speaking but suddenly cut himself when he felt a chilling presence near him.

"Oh! Hi Serena, nice to join us"

"And how nice of you to not join me in our usual duels"

"Oh, sorry about that, I just got caught up talking to Dennis,I'll join you in a bit, sorry Dennis"

"It's fine, I didn't want to take away our time with your girlfriend"

"She's not my-"

"We're leaving" Serena dragged him by the hand.

Yuri didn't have much choice so he waved Dennis goodbye as Serena dragged him around the academy until they were at the place they were supposed to duel.

"What was that?" Serena asked him.

"What was what?" Yuri asked back.

"That, why were you talking to Dennis?"

"I was not allowed to?"

"No it's just…you never talked to other people before"

"Yeah, I must say it did surprise me, he just wanted to talk to me" He shrugged.

"What for?"

"Just wanted to get to know me and meaningless small talk"

Serena frowned, it wasn't a bad thing…but something bothered her about it.

"...I'm sorry for missing my usual duel with you," He said.

"Oh!...It's fine if you arrive late, just warn me beforehand" She said.

"Ok, I will do so…still wanna go?"

Serena smirked. "I thought you would never ask!"

And so they dueled every free time they got until it got dark and to prepare for class tomorrow.

Serena felt something in her heart, she didn't know what but it was a nice fuzzy feeling when Yuri was around…

Another year had passed, Serena was wandering around while searching for Yuri.

He had said he was gonna arrive late cause he stopped to talk to someone else, so out of boredom she went to search him.

She wasn't surprised by this point that someone wanted to talk to Yuri, slowly people stopped being afraid of him, the aura of fear he emanated feels like it dissipated and now people see the cool (if a little weird and jerky) guy Yuri is…at least that's her view of things.

Now he has friends outside of her:Dennis, Sora, Kaiser, Edo, The Tyler sisters and so on…

She didn't know how to feel about it, she should be happy and those people are also her friends…but it's almost like she missed those days Yuri hanged with her and her alone…

Though it's not like she isn't hanging with him as much anymore, in fact they have been hanging even more, now not only for dueling but for other things, at times they just stayed by each other with nothing to do because…because they just wanted to, they liked that.

The weird feelings she's been having keep swarming around her head, she just wished she could pinpoint what they are…

"So do you imagine yourself going on a date with him?"

"With Kaiser? Or course I do, he's so hot"

Serena heard a group of girls talking with each other, just some Academics Girls talking about boys.

It's a waste of time to her, but people can spend their time however they like, not like they are hurting others by it…

"Well, I personally would want to go on a date with Edo"

"Yeah, he's a hottie too!"

"Well I personally want to date Yuri"

…

'...Roll that back' Serena thought.

"Oh? Yuri? Yeah he's pretty hot too"

"I imagine him playing a little mean joke just to surprise me with a beautiful flower"

"Oooohhhh…yeah that sounds like something he'll do!"

"Maybe he would kiss my hand too, he seems the type"

"Yeah being honest I also imagined going into a date with him"

Serena didn't know why, but it's rare the times she's as angry and upset as she is now, it took everything she had not to…

"Though I know that's impossible, it's so clear he and Serena are thing"

"Yeah, it's always the good ones that are taken"

"That's right," Serena muttered out loud…to her own confusion.

For the sake of her sanity, she decided to walk away.

"Why did I care so much? And why did I say that?" She wondered to herself as she quickened her phase to reach Yuri.

And she spotted him…talking to Asuka…one of the strongest and prettiest female students of the academy…

"I'm glad you seem to be doing well for yourself"

"Yeah I suppose, it's nice to…"

Yuri was interrupted when he felt someone grab his hand a little tight…

"Serena?" He asked in surprise upon seeing him right beside him.

"Sorry, was I interrupting something?" Serena said in a tone that felt like she busted them.

"Well, I was talking to her, I'll go duel you in a bit, I told you this before didn't I?"

"Yeah, go talk, don't mind me…" Serena said in a tone that was clearly upset about something.

"...Did I do something wrong?" Yuri asked.

"No…no you didn't…"

"Yeah, that doesn't sound very convincing to me…"

Asuka from her part, was just utterly amused by what she was seeing.

"What's so funny?" Serena asked in an accusatory tone.

"Nothing, I'm sorry I interrupted your lovebird time together"

"She's not my-"

"Me and Yuri have stuff to talk about, bye" She dragged him away.

…

Yuri noticed that Serena had dragged him to the place they first met.

She didn't say anything, just held on to his hand and didn't let go.

"...Are you ok?" Yuri asked.

"I'm sorry," She said.

"It's fine, I can just talk to Asuka later, I don't think she will take it the wrong way, she's chill like that"

"It's not that, I just did it again, like with Dennis a year ago"

"Yeah, and you calmed down and didn't get upset since then, you relapsed once in a year, there's people that are much worse about it than you" Yuri shrugged.

"It's just…you don't like her, do you?"

"Well she seems nice-"

"Not that kind of like, the like…like type of thing" She was embarrassed about saying those words.

"Oh!...Well no, I already have someone I like that way"

…Oh.

So this must be how it feels to have your heart broken…

"That's nice"

"...Yeah, she has beautiful green eyes and blue hair"

"Cool…"

"She wears a yellow ribbon and a red jacket"

"Yeah yeah, good for her…"

"...She also plays a Lunalight deck and is really strong"

"Yeah I hope you two are happy and everything" She just wanted to sulk right now…

"...And she also is one of the biggest idiots I ever knew"

"Wow I didn't know she wasn't that per…fect…" Serena came to a realization.

"You know, there's a reason why I have this special purple uniform while you're still in Osiris Red and I have to help you study"

"You liked me back!?" She exclaimed in surprise.

"...Huh, I didn't expect the back thing to actually be true, I guess my gamble paid off" He muttered.

"Wait, you didn't know!?"

"I mean I had a suspicion by how you acted, but I just assumed it was a friendship thing, so I decided to gamble my chances by confessing"

"But…you…I…Gah! I hate how confusing romance is! Raahhhhh!" She screamed in frustration.

"You and me both" Yuri rolled his eyes.

"But…You do like me?" She asked.

"Kinda hard not to, you attached yourself like a lamprey and never let go since the day we met, at this point I'm sure I'm gonna spend the rest of my days with you"

"But you like it, don't you?"

"If I didn't I would have gotten rid of you ages ago…well Starve Venom still wants me to do that"

"He's gonna hate me forever, isn't he?"

"He said so himself"

"What did I even do to him?"

"I don't know, he doesn't wanna tell me"

"...Do you still want to?"

"Yeah, I love him a lot but I also love you, a lot" He said a bit embarrassed.

"Well…I also love you…a lot…" Serena finally admitted it.

"...So, do you have any idea of how the relationship thing works?"

"...I think we just do what we did as friends but…more" She gestured vaguely.

"More?"

"Yeah, more…" She had no idea what she referred to with more.

Then she felt lips pressing in her cheek for a second.

"Is that what you mean with more?" Yuri said with a light smirk.

Until Serena pulled him in for a full kiss on the lips which he got shocked but quickly returned.

She pulled them apart. "This is what I mean by more…I been waiting a long while to do that"

"I would be lying if I said I didn't either…"

"And you still owe me a duel"

"Of course, I want to duel you like never before now" He smirked.

The two slid apart and turned on their Duel Disks.

All they knew is that they were gonna be together and duel for the rest of their lives…or at least, that's what they wished it would happen.

Fate didn't like them after all…

Life had been going well for Yuri and Serena one year after becoming a couple.

Some part of them worried that they would have ruined their friendship by becoming a couple as they heard it happened from other people, but they…didn't feel like it, it was just their friendship but more…intimate, they guessed that was the word.

Yuri was really, in part because he really loved Serena and also because it annoyed people.

Serena didn't mind, she liked it even if she had a hard time admitting it…also, it annoyed people and she found out this was an intoxicating feeling.

But life went well for them. Aside from that a new teacher arrived at the academy, he said he wasn't actually part of the academy but it was part of a program with another school or something, they didn't really care.

Though the guy seemed to…know them? Or at least he mistook them for someone else, he called Yuri Yuya and Serena Yuzu before correcting himself upon looking at them further, he was also pleased when he saw them doing couple stuff.

They just thought he was weirdo, though not in the creepy adult way.

Dennis, Edo, Sora and Grace seemed to like the guy though, he taught something called "Entertainment dueling" and they were fascinated by it…

Yuri and Starve Venom didn't feel the same way though.

Serena observed Yuri while they were studying in her dorm, Yuri was smart and he offered help to Serena constantly.

"I swear the only reason I'm not at Obelisk Blue is because the stupid school and homework"

"Sucks to be you," Yuri said in a joking tone.

Serena just flipped the bird at him, then saw that Yuri seemed pensative about something.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing," Yuri said.

"...Is this about the new teacher Yushou Sakaki?"

Yuri rolled his eyes in annoyance.

"Sometimes I think you know me too much"

"Duh, you're my boyfriend for a reason"

"I don't know…something about entertainment dueling, it's like I heard it before, and Starve Venom reacted weirdly too…"

"Weirdly how?"

"He didn't like it"

"He doesn't seem like the type of person to like that"

"...He said that you're wrong, it depends on the type of entertainment dueling or how it's done"

"Well sorry for getting it wrong…but how do you feel about it?"

"...I'm not interested, I don't want to do it"

"That's fine, I have no interest on it either at the moment"

"You can do it if you wish, so long as you don't force me to do it"

"I would never do that…hey"

"What?"

"Want to duel to clear your mind?" She wiggled her eyebrows.

"You just want to stop studying don't you?"

"...A little, but I also want to duel you"

Yuri sighed, but couldn't help the smile making it's way to his face. "Fne then, we can continue later"

Serena celebrated and they both went outside…

"...What's that smoke coming from the mainland?" Yuri wondered as they could see some smoke from afar.

"Maybe it's a fire?" Serena suggested.

"I don't know, something feels off…very off"

The pair looked at each other and then to the smoke, they weren't the only ones, all the students were confused as well…

A wave of dread washed over them…

It was horrible.

The smoke, the fire, the ruins…

Yuri and Serena had arrived at the mainland with various students and teachers from Duel Academia and watched as the once beautiful city was being turned into ruin.

"W-what is this!?" Sora exclaimed horrorized.

"Someone did all this?" Asuka wondered in horror.

"Mamma Mia, students, be careful!" Professor Chronos said putting himself at front to protect his students.

"I-it think I see the people attacking" Edo said.

Indeed, they could see the people attacking, they were duelists, attacking other people and…

"I overlay my two monsters to Xyz summon!" One of them said and suddenly their two monsters became two masses of light the same color as their attribute before going to what seemed like a mini-galaxy and erupting in a pillar of light, showing a new monster.

"Did…did they just summon a monster from the Extra Deck without a fusion card?" Sora said, incredulous.

"It's like contact fusion," Kaiser commented.

The other duelist kept attacking and beating other duelists, not in a fun way but brutally beating them and making them feel fear, this both horrified and pissed off the people watching this, they were about to interfere…

Until they clicked something in their disks and a black energy with little light dots that made it resemble space shout out and suddenly they disappeared.

Yuri was silent, deadly silent during all this, the expression in his face being a neutral frown.

Serena was deeply enraged by what she was seeing

"What happened to them?!" Asuka asked.

A redhead boy with teal eyes and a bespectacled girl with light purple hair and blue eyes were looking at cards that came out of their duel disks until they spotted the academia students.

"Huh? Yuto? What are you doing here?" The Redheaded boy spoke to Yuri.

"...You're speaking to me?" Yuri's voice seemed blank, emotionless…but there was a certain edge to it.

"Yeah, what are you doing here? This is the Clover branch job, we're still not gonna send the Spade branch, c'mon, it was an order from the professor" The redhead spoke as if he thought Yuri was a different person.

Yuri tilted his head, not saying anything.

Then he looked at Serena. "Also, what are you doing here Ruri? The professor ordered you to stay in Heartland"

"I don't follow orders from any of you pieces of shit!" Serena shouted at them and was about to throw down until Yuri stopped her.

"H-hey! Take it easy!" He said, shocked by how she acted.

"Allen those two are not Yuto and Ruri!" The purple haired girl shouted to her friend.

"Huh?" The boy known as Allen looked at his friend and then back at those two, looking at them more closely.

"You're right Sayaka! They're not Yuto and Ruri!" He said and backed away.

Yuri closed his eyes and shrugged. "Guess I'm not gonna get anything more out of you, loose lip, but what I did is workable"

Then he looked at them with a frightening glare which got them to back off, his eyes glowed for a bit.

"I want to know something, before all else, I want to know what happened to those people that got consumed by that darkness I saw early, depending of the answer is how hard I'm gonna obliterate you"

The two were nervous, but nonetheless they steeled their resolve as much as they could and showed them the cards they were looking at earlier.

"...Are those the people you were attacking earlier?" Asuka said upon seeing the images of the people frozen in terror in what would be the card art.

"Yes, we turned them into cards…" Allen said.

"And why we do it is not something that will concern you soon" Sayaka followed while taking out her Due Disk alongside Allen.

Yuri just chuckled darkly and he too activated his Duel Disk, the others wanted to join in but he held a hand to tell them he would handle it.

"I don't know why you're doing this or why you're here or that weird summoning you're doing…but one thing for certain…I show you wannabe hunter what a real predator is like" He said as a dark aura surrounded him.

The other two didn't stand a chance…

Yuri did not stop at them either, he went and hunt as much of those invaders as he could, at one point his rage motivated the others who joined in and started dueling as well, dueled with rage at not only the injustice of them being attacked despite never doing anything to them as far as they were aware, but also at their wounded pride for being initially bested by those invaders.

But eventually tiredness started settling in and the teachers ordered them to regroup at the island while helping as many people as they could, they also took a few of those invaders as prisoners to interrogate them.

They never expected to suddenly act as a war base, but apparently this is their life now.

Because now they're gonna go to war against another dimension.

"I can't believe other dimensions exist," Serena said while she and Yuri were in his room, both laying on his bed.

"..."

"And I can't believe one of those is full of assholes hunters"

"..."

"And now we're gonna go to war with them because our dimension needs all the help it can get"

"..."

"What's gotten into you that you don't talk all of the sudden?"

"This whole thing is pissing me off," Yuri said.

"I know…It's awful"

"And not fun"

"I think that's obvious"

"It's more than that…"

"How so?"

"My life was going amazing right now, people aren't afraid of me, I have friends, I'm doing well at school, I have strong people to face…and most important of all, I have my amazing rival and girlfriend with me, it's the most fun and not boring time of my life so far…and these bastards came to ruin it for me and everyone…" He growled as he sat up in the bed and she could sense even Starve Venom was angry at it.

Serena got a bit distracted by what he said about her and blushed, but quickly recovered and sat on the bed.

"Well you're not the only one pissed off by this, I refuse to let some jerks ruin this dimension's future, our friend's future…and OUR Future" She said with determination.

"Serena?" Yuri was surprised as well as Starving Venom.

"We will defeat Heartland and the Number Hunter's together…let's show them what the power of real predators is like!" She said holding his hand.

Yuri was surprised by that…but a smile drew in his face.

"Yeah! Let's show them our power….Fusion powers together!"

And so the two prepared for a war against Heartland…and found out their destiny was bigger than they could have ever predicted…but that's a story for another time.