A/N: I felt like writing angst and what do you know. Serena and Yuya have a certain appeal to them and I just am a sucker. Really. Arc V has ruined me. Also I haven't caught up completely yet so I have no idea what happened the past two episodes besides I saw sad crying Yuya and Serena and I descended into hell until I finished this. So yeah.
Warnings: Arc V spoilers if you are not up to date.
At the moment everything is quiet in the large building; the halls are suspiciously empty and most are fast asleep in their beds as they try to cope with the events they've been through.
Serena can't sleep though. She can't even begin to close her eyes. This room is foreign to her, just like this dimension is. She is supposed to pretend everything is all right as she lies in her bed and all that does is bother her, leaving her unable to do so. She came here to fight and prove her worth and now she found herself on the side of what were once considered enemies.
It makes her feel twitchy; her need to fight still burns under her skin but her cause has changed completely in such little time.
She feels anxious, the knowledge of what Academia-what Akaba Leo- had done is weighing heavily down on her, the idea that she had been so eager to join the battle… It leaves a twisted feeling in her gut, almost makes her nauseous just to think about it. It's a harsh wakeup call she hadn't known she needed. And now she had no time to deal with such a drastic change.
They were to leave sometime tomorrow though Reiji would give them little answers beyond that. There are so many things she doesn't know, even after the many things she had learned that day. It was just as bad as getting no answers or lies as it was in Academia. It was frustrating not being able to know what exactly Reiji's plan was, and for that matter the lancers he had gathered made her less than confident.
Even though she knew Shun would be a good ally, she isn't sure about the others. She had been trained by Academia and she trusts the ninja- Tsukikage- to do well enough. That is if he didn't sacrifice himself so easily like he had done in their duel. The rest had no idea to just how powerful their enemy was.
How were they expected to win this war?
All these thoughts kept her awake, anxious, and far too confused to possibly feel comfortable in the bed she had been given.
With an annoyed sigh she pushed the blankets away from her body and slowly made her way off the bed and over to her new clothes, hastily pulling on her red jacket over her pajama top. The sweat pants she was wearing were a little big on her but she stuffed the fabric into her boots and quietly exited her room, leaving the door slightly open after confirming no one was there to stop her wandering.
She found the roof with little effort, the black door making little noise as she opened it and stepped foot outside and into fresh air.
The stars were bright and the moon shined down on her as a light breeze blew past her. It was calming, and Serena felt herself relax- just for a moment- as she focused on the things around her instead of the worries that had plagued her most of the night.
She enjoyed the feeling of not being consumed with her thoughts and lightly taps her fingers against the cold railing in front of her. It's almost peaceful, right until the door opens and a red haired duelist walks out, his shoes thudding loudly against the floor beneath them.
He takes three steps before the boy- Yuya Sakaki she reminds herself mentally- notices her and stops mid step. He waves awkwardly at her after a moment, complete with a smile she can tell isn't his true one.
"You," He pauses like he can't decide what exactly he was going to say, "can't sleep either?"
"Not at all." She huffs irritably as she rubs her forehead. "This day has been nightmare."
He laughs- it's a bitter laugh and there's nothing enjoyable about it- and makes his way to her until they are a foot apart. "You're telling me." A frown rests on his face and his eyes settle on something in the distance.
She can tell he's upset about something, something she knows having to do with a certain pink haired girl.
"We'll fix this." Her voice is full of conviction and she does mean it. It's her fault Yuzu was taken and she plans to make up for her error.
"Yeah." He shuffles his feet awkwardly but doesn't say anything else.
Serena sighs as she stares down at her feet, feeling guilt swell up inside her.
"I'm sorry." The words sound forced, but she means them. She regrets not listening to Yuzu sooner. She regrets being so stubborn and hard headed. Honestly she regretted so much; much more than she ever thought possible.
"If I hadn't of-" If she had just listened.
A hand rests on her shoulder and startles Serena out of her thoughts. She glances up to see Yuya's bright, red eyes, and something reassuring written on his face despite the obvious pain he felt.
"It's-" He looks troubled as he tries to speak. "It's okay." His eyes are full of sadness but his lips slowly tilt upwards into a small smile. One she knows isn't real but him faking. If it's for her sake or his, she doesn't know. "We'll make it okay." He pats her shoulder in a comforting manner, one that comes out awkward but still meaningful.
He's interesting. Yuya Sakaki is full of grief and anger and many other things that should damper him, and they do. But still he promised to bring smiles? He seemed just as angry being thrown into being a lancer for Reiji but at the mention of Yuzu…
"She means a lot to you." She doesn't mean to say it out loud, at least she thinks so after she sees his shoulders tense and his hand that had been at her shoulder lets go rapidly like she had burned him, and clutches onto the railing in front of them.
He nods his head and she watches him pull his goggles down over his eyes with his free hand. "She's my best friend."
She wants to say more. She wants to comfort him, this boy who she hardly knows, hasn't even had a full conversation with besides this one, and it's ridiculous. Serena can't understand why this boy- Yuya- why Yuya seems to feel like a friend, seems familiar even though they've never met.
It's strange but she can't ignore the way she feels connected to him. It's like a small tug at the back of her head. Something about him picks at her and maybe he looks cute, she most definitely does not blush at the idea, in his own pair of pajamas, with his hair flattened on one side and the memory of his red eyes- Pink eyes suddenly flash through her memory and a, "Maybe you should practice." that sounded too much like Yuya's voice rings in her ears.
Serena snaps out of her daze like water had been thrown on her. What was that?
She refocuses on Yuya trying to gain control of her thoughts again. He's still looking away from her, still tense and upset. She wants to say something but no words come to her mind, none that will help him with his loss. So she stays silent and turns her attention back to the night sky above them.
They stand in silence as they listen to the noise of the city. The wind picks up slightly and Serena pulls her jacket closer to herself. She's not sure how long they've been there when a yawn finally escapes her and exhaustion ways down on her.
Normally she would just leave but after their conversation she feels the need to say something.
"I'm heading off to bed." She pushes away from the railing and waits for his response.
Yuya turns to her and lets out a long sigh. "I guess that's my cue to leave too."
They turn to leave, hands brushing against each other as they make their way through the narrow door.
They barely make it into the building before there's a small sniffle, something almost silent. She looks over to Yuya, goggles still in place to protect him from her sight.
"I should have been with her." It's barely audible but Serena hears it, and she hears the guilt laced with sorrow also. Her heart feels heavy in her chest.
She grasps his hand in her own.
What did I just do? Help me. This is probably so ooc too omg. Forgive me. Slight Yuuri mention seemed reasonable at the time. Also the flashback Serena had of him will make more sense once I'm finished with the story I've been working on. Help me I'm shipping trash. Thanks for reading! ~