AN: So I decided to write this while cursing the winter-like weather around me... enough said.

Warning/s: possibly AU/OOC, bullying etc., basically the counterparts meeting Yuya a couple of years earlier and under different circumstances.

Headcanon: Yuya as the victim of bullying after his father's disappearence brought shame to the family name.

Timeline: Yuya is 7, his counterparts are 14 (don't ask me how, they just are :))

Update schedule: sometime in-between Monday and Friday until it's done.

Smile

The Arrival

"Is that the boy whose father didn't show up for the duel against Ichijama Strong?" some random boy asked his companion, pointing at a small boy sitting on a nearby swing, looking at something in his hand.

"Yes, better not talk with such a clown. Wouldn't want his cowardness to be contagious." replied a third one and, laughing, they left for their homes.

The small boy, Sakaki Yuya, felt tears slowly roll down his cheeks as he stared at his father's - now his - pendant for a moment longer before getting up and adjusting his new goggles.

"Better hurry!" he whispered, his little hands cold from being outside for too long without any protection. His mother was way too busy crying over his father's disappearence and taking care of strays, to worry about him too. "Otherwise ... maybe... mom will worry now..." he mumbled, his feet feeling huge as he stepped out of the park and began walking home.

He completely missed three pairs of eyes following his every move until he vanished from their view.

"Why did he look so sad... ?" Yuto wondered, his hair fitting him into the dark grass they were hiding in just perfectly.

"Shouldn't the question be why those boys were bullying him and why he looks like us?" Yuri asked instead as Yugo sighed.

"Let's just follow him. His mum will probably take us in, considering that we heard of her..."

Yuto and Yuri nod as they get out of the bush and began following Yuya, or trying to anyways.

* . *

"Finally!" Yugo muttered as they, battered and bruised but still alive, found the Sakaki home. "Who is going to ask his mum?"

"I will, since I'm more polite than either of you." Yuri snorted and walked up to the gate, ringing the intercom and ignoring the fuming noises his two counterparts made behind him.

"Yes?" Sakaki Yuko's voice sounded through the machine.

"Hello, Sakaki-san? We are friends of your son, could we come in please?" Yuri asked in a charming voice. Yuto and Yugo stared at him, unused to him acting like that.

"S-sure..." Yoko let them in and, as they walked in, they saw Yuya at the table, surronded by lots of cats and dogs and eating what seemed like pancakes. Yuto couldn't help but think that they might be his comfort food. "Yuya, some of yours friends came over!" Yuko told him before going upstairs to do the laundry, air-headed as she was.

"W-what?" Yuya stopped eating and turned to look at the three boys, all clearly older than him. "I do-don't know any of y-you! What do you w-want?"

"To protect you, of course." Yugo stated bluntly, causing their smallest counterpart to let out a squak and faint.

* . *

"Maybe you shouldn't be so blunt next time..." Yuri muttered under his breath as Yuto tucked in Yuya, sending a small glare towards Yugo as he did.

"Well I didn't think that he would faint!" Yugo whispered-yelled back at Yuri.

"Would you two drop it?" Yuto hissed. "Let him sleep, we will talk about this tomorrow."

The other two nodded and made themselves comfy. Tomorrow was a new day after all and than they would have a chat with little Yuya.