"Alit…" Yuma whispered, zoning off in class. "Yuma? Did you just say someone's name?" Astral asked, looking down at him.

"Oh, well, it's just… I wonder how he is. Gilag said something like Shingetsu ambushed him… do you think that's true?" Clutching the key, Yuma didn't want to think Rei did it. After all, Rei and Alit were both his friends… he couldn't take sides. "If it bothers you… you should ask him."

Looking over at Rei, he shook his head. He wasn't sure why he didn't want to ask so much… but he did have a little reason as to why.

I'm scared to know the truth…

"Yuma." Astral worriedly called, causing Yuma to twist his around. "It's not like you to hesitate."

Chuckling, he agreed. "I know, I just… my mind has been a little jumbled."

Hearing Yuma's voice, Kotori went over to his seat. "Yuma, what are you doing talking to Astral now? People will think you're nuts!"

"Eh? What do I care? I'll just be leaving now, anyways." Getting up from his seat, he picked up his bag and put the key around his neck. "Yuma…" Kotori nervously said, noticing how Yuma seemed to be down.

Walking outside the school building, Yuma saw that Astral seemed to be deep in thought. That didn't stop him from asking what he was thinking about, however. "Astral? You seem to be thinking pretty hard."

"I could tell that Kotori seemed worried about you."

"She was?" The black haired student responded, with a puzzled look on his face. He was pretty dense in that area, and he couldn't tell unless someone specifically told him. "I guess I must be dragging everyone down, huh…"

As he was glaring at the ground, he could faintly hear a noise in the distance. Was it coming from the gym? Deciding he was too curious to not look, he softly walked over towards the gym, looking around to make sure no one else was around. "Hey, Astral… do you hear that? It sounds like someone is in here."

"Perhaps someone is working overtime in here."

"… Maybe…" Secretly, Yuma was hoping it was a Barian like Gilag or Alit… but that would be almost too much to hope for. Especially Alit, he was still hurt after all.

Opening the door subtly, he looked around a little and saw a body on the ground, lying down. "Whoa, are you okay!?" Thinking someone was hurt over there; Yuma ran over and picked up the body… to become surprised.

The person on the ground was Alit.

"A…. Alit?!" Yuma said, looking happy and confused at the same time. He thought that the last time he would ever see him was their duel, where Alit looked almost melancholy.

"Mmm…" Waking up, Alit opened his eyes to see Yuma looking down at him. "Yuma…?" He quietly said, still in a state of confusion from just waking up. "Yuma…!"

Getting up from laying slightly, he abruptly wrapped his arms around Yuma and hugged him tightly. "Yuma! I can't believe I get to see you again, so soon!"

Yuma didn't even expect to see Alit, and the fact that he was here hugging him was a joyful thing. Alit was a truly good person, even if he was a Barian… and to see him seemingly doing well was great.

Stopping the hug, Alit clutched his arm a little. "Urgh… Damn, I wish I could get better sooner."

"Eh!? Are you still hurt!?" He asked the Barian, with an anxious look on his face. "Yeah, a little. But I'm pretty much fine now."

Gazing at the brown haired boy, Yuma wondered why he was down in the Human World and not resting in the Barian World. "So, why are you here..? Shouldn't you be resting?"

"Oh, well, I was actually told to stay in the Barian World… but I decided to just see this place one last time. It kinda holds memories."

Hearing Alit say 'one last time' made Yuma's heart sink and his expression instantly turned to grief. How could he just leave… and never return again? They were supposed to duel again….

"Alit, but… what do you want?"

Rotating his head slightly, Alit didn't know how to respond. He looked troubled, like he didn't want to answer in a way that would cause Yuma distress. "I just want to duel."

In that instant, something strange swept over Yuma. He wanted to hold him, to comfort him. To just… be there for him. He'd never felt this way about anyone else before, not even Astral. Could it have been that rumored wonderful feeling… Love?

"Yuma?" Alit tapped his shoulder, looking confused. "You got silent all of a sudden."

Yuma had been feeling down all day, and this didn't help. He just wanted everyone to stay here… all the people he considered friends, to be with him always. It was a bit of a selfish wish, but he still desired it. Of course, Yuma wasn't sure, but Alit didn't feel like just a friend… he was more than that.

Grabbing Alit's face swiftly, he brought it closer to his own. "Yuma..?" Alit was dense and didn't realize that getting this close meant something… a bit more intimate than friendship. "Alit, how do you feel about me?"

"Huh? Isn't that obvious? You're the only person I consider my rival! That means I admire you." He smiled, thinking about their duel. "… Is there anything else?" Yuma gulped, wondering if he maybe felt the same way.

"Um…" Noticing how Alit looked confused, Yuma decided Alit was way too naïve to realize what he was getting at and that he wouldn't recognize his feelings as love anyway. It was all or nothing…

In a fast motion, he pulled Alit's face closer and landed his lips on the other's. It wasn't exactly a 'sexy' kiss though, it was more of a sweet, long one. Yuma wanted a romantic one with him, but he was new to kissing and wasn't sure if he did it right at all.

Alit didn't know what exactly Yuma was doing, but strangely enough it didn't bother him. He grasped Yuma's hips and held him closer, as they continued to kiss.

Astral stared all the while, wondering what exactly this act meant for humans. "Yuma? What is this? What are you two doing?"

Yuma opened his eyes a little and looked annoyed at Astral's questions, but he didn't halt the kiss. After a couple more seconds, Yuma unlocked their lips and began to breathe heavily. "Haah… ah… sorry, I didn't mean to keep that going so long…"

Alit took his hands off of Yuma's hips and also started to breathe deeply. "I don't know what that meant, but… I liked it." Alit smiled, looking a tad embarrassed.

"Eh… Umm… well, a kiss is when you really like someone and wanna be with them and…" Yuma started to scratch his head, not sure on how to explain it.

"Oh! Well that makes sense then, since I really like you and I wanna be with you." The brunette gleamed, starting to wipe his mouth a little.

Seeing how Alit didn't understand what he meant, he decided that was okay. He loved him how he was, and even if they were apart… they would surely meet again someday.

They shared a moment that would last in his memories for a lifetime…

"Er, Astral, you can't tell anyone about what just happened, okay?"

"Hm? Why, Yuma?"

"Because! Um… that's a very private thing we humans do." Yuma coughed, looking flustered. He wasn't ashamed of his feelings, but it would still cause a scene if someone else was to find out.

"This is our secret, okay?" Yuma said, winking to Alit. "Right!"