Was it a success? From the looks of things, it was.
The mind merge happened much faster than anyone initially thought. One night, Yugo and Rin were having a sleepover at the Boyle house and then Yuya and Zuzu were desperately heading to Duel Academy to find Leo the next day. They got some help along the way: Yugi Muto, the current owner of Kame Game Shop who helped out with the separation procedure, and a Slifer Red girl named Tea Gardner, Yugi's childhood friend whose dreams of being a dancer were dashed and kept an eye out for Declan's arrival. Thanks to the two's assistance, the merging minds of Zarc and Ray were split back into their reincarnations, but the results were somewhat different than anyone anticipated.
The four dimensions reunited back into the Original Dimension because Zarc wanted to make up for the destruction he caused years ago, causing a massive commotion among all the residents of Paradise, Heartland, Domino, and New Domino Cities. He and Ray also gave the eight counterparts some parting gifts, in which everyone witnessed: different eye colors to match the Four Dimension Dragons for the Yu-Salad and markings of the Natural Energy Cards to replace the Four Dimension Bracelets for the newly-revived Bracelet Girls.
Everyone celebrated that they were all okay… Well, mostly everyone…
Kameron and Astra Obsidian, Shay and Lulu's parents and CEOs of the successful ObsidianCorp, were worried about their daughter, who was still unconscious. They haven't seen her since the night of the Heartland Duel School dance when the Invasion struck. They were aware of this separation on the day of Yuto's job offer, so they knew about the side effects that might happen to her. Their own daughter was abducted and trapped in an unknown dimension for months; the last thing they needed was for her to suffer from severe mental damage or permanent amnesia.
The three Obsidians approached the girl's unconscious body. "Lulu?" Astra asked, sounding concerned.
A few seconds later, Lulu stirred a bit before opening her pink eyes. "Mother?" she asked. "Father?"
Her parents started tearing up in joy because Lulu recognized them. It was relieving that she didn't become amnesiac, but what about her mental state? Is it still intact? However, she started crying.
"I can't believe it," Lulu said, sobbing as she looked at her hands. "After all this time… I'm finally back in my own body."
She lunged her recovered body forward to give her parents and brother a big group hug, with tears pouring out from her eyes. It felt amazing to be back in her own body after everything she went through. She can finally be with her family again and try to go back to living a normal high class life again. But the family quickly realized those weren't tears of joy. She was genuinely upset.
"Lulu?" Astra asked.
"I never thought…I would have my body back," Lulu sobbed. "Suddenly ceasing to exist and waking up trapped in a body with three other minds…" She started trembling, her sobs preventing her from speaking properly.
It was probably one of the worst—if not, the worst—experiences of her life. Four souls sharing one body was truly depressing for her. She did enjoy her counterparts' company, but this was not the kind of thing she expected. Her soul forced to fuse with three look-alikes out of their free will was quite traumatizing for her, especially considering the fact that the Fusion Parasite made her incorporate Fusion Summoning into her perfect pure XYZ strategy worsening her resentment towards this special summoning technique. Kameron and Astra tried their hardest to comfort their only daughter; they have never seen her so upset before, but it was understandable.
"Shhh…" Astra said soothingly, rubbing Lulu's back. "It's alright, dear. You're safe now."
Lulu hugged her mother as tightly as she could while being unable to control her sobbing. This was the first time she gets to see her family in a while yet the remaining thoughts of her physical body perishing still lingered in her head.
"Don't worry, dearest daughter," Kameron said. "If our home is still standing after this whole dimension merge thing, we'll have the robot maids treat you to a princess spa treatment."
Lulu sniffled a bit as she looked at her father. "R-Really?" she asked.
"Of course," Kameron answered.
"Come to think of it, I could use a massage," Shay realized, rubbing his left shoulder with his right hand. "My back has been feeling a bit sore ever since the Invasion."
Lulu wiped the tears from her eyes from what her father said. Does that mean Zarc restored their hometown to its former glory? She was really hoping so because a spa treatment sounded good right about now. "Thank you, father," she said.
Shay looked over at Yuto, who was happy to see his old dueling club friends again. "Hey Yuto, are you coming back with us?" the Raidraptor user called out. "Mother and father think Heartland was rebuilt!"
Yuto's eyebrows raised up in surprised satisfaction of the possibility of the city being rebuilt before having his mind process on what may also happen. After a few moments, his eyes widened in realization. It was subtle, but his lips moved as if he was mentioning someone. Does that mean she's back? Is she revived after all this time? These questions built up in his head in hope of seeing her again.
His mom…
Yuto could already imagine it. He arrives home and Lono Osaku is already waiting for him, ready to hug him tightly as the two shed tears of joy. Maybe they could check out the latest movie, or maybe even go shopping at the local mall. But regardless of what happens, he knew they have a lot of catching up to do.
"Maybe tomorrow!" Yuto called out to Shay. "I want to stop by my place!"
While Yuto ran off to return to his home, the Obsidians (with Lulu having gathered her things from the Boyle residence) made their way back to their own home. They noticed so many people on the streets and sidewalks rejoicing with joy-filled tears at the sight of the fully-restored buildings: schools, businesses, markets, houses, you name it. These must be a clear indicator that what Kameron said must be true, and if it is, then their house's destruction must have also been reversed. Sure enough, once they finally made it back to where they lived, they saw through the front gate that the damage has indeed been undone. The structure of their home was reconstructed to the way it was, the hedges reformed to its normal shapes, and the grass was still freshly-cut instead of incinerated by fire. The family was ecstatic to see their home was no longer ruined by Duel Academy's onslaught, but just to make sure, they wanted to see if their robot maids were fully functional too.
Kameron pressed the button on the gate's intercom. "Orbital, open the gates," he happily ordered. "We have returned home."
A few quick seconds passed before the intercom beeped, indicating Orbital's response. "MASTER K-KAMERON? IS… IS THAT YOU?"
"Yes it is," Kameron replied. "Along with Astra, Shay, and especially Lulu."
After the Interdimensional War had ended, everyone had been working hard to rebuild their town while also coping with living with what they had gotten and the Obsidians were no different. For the time being, Kameron, Astra, and Shay had been staying at their family company until the citywide reconstruction was complete, but since it occurred way earlier than everyone anticipated thanks to Zarc, that idea was ultimately scrapped. It was for the best though; they all missed their familial lifestyle.
"EVERYONE, THE OBSIDIANS HAVE RETURNED!" Orbital called out to the other robot maids. "I REPEAT: THE OBSIDIANS HAVE RETURNED!"
The front gates then opened up, allowing the Obsidians to head up the small hill. As they walked, the family marveled at the sight of seeing their repaired home, especially Lulu. During her time with the Resistance, she didn't even want to think about what it looked like after the Invasion struck. They arrived at their front door and were all greeted by the robot maids. In front of them were two robots: Orbital 7, the house's butler as seen by his black bowtie, and Lillybot, Lulu's former nursemaid.
"WELCOME HOME MASTER K-KAMERON, MISTRESS A-ASTRA, MASTER S-SHAY, AND MISTRESS L-LULU," Orbital said with a bow.
Lillybot held out a familiar teacup. "I HAVE PREPARED YOUR USUAL CUP OF TEA, MISTRESS LULU," she said. "IT IS WONDERFUL TO SEE YOU AGAIN."
Lulu immediately recognized the brewed cup of tea being presented to her. She hasn't had it in a while, but it felt like forever to her. She took it from Lillybot before taking a sip of it; it was exactly as she remembers it.
"Filtered water boiled in exactly two minutes, a small-sized sugar cube stirred in three times, and a single drop of unsweetened honey for an extra kick," Lulu recited. She smiled softly. "My morning tea."
"CORRECT," Lillybot confirmed. "I COULD NEVER FORGET YOUR PREFERRED TEA PREFERENCES."
Lulu smiled at her robotic assistant, knowing that the city's revival also recircuited the robots' installed programs. She was glad to be back home after all this time. And sure enough, the other robots remembered the Obsidians' schedules.
"MASTER SHAY, YOU ARE OVERDUE FOR A HAIRCUT."
"MY GOODNESS, MISTRESS ASTRA. WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU BATHED?"
"YOUR SUIT MUST BE CLEANED PROPERLY, MASTER KAMERON. IT REEKS OF NATURAL ODOR."
The three robot maids escorted Kameron, Astra, and Shay to different rooms, but can you blame them? Survival was more important at the time, even after all the carded victims were freed, so that had to come first. As for Lulu, the rest took note on how unusually clean she was.
"MY GOODNESS, MISTRESS LULU. YOU ARE AS BEAUTIFUL AS EVER."
"YOUR HAIR IS NOT AS SOFT AS IT WAS BEFOREHAND, BUT IT LOOKS INCREDIBLY CLEAN."
However, Lillybot looked at Lulu's back. "MY SCANNER DETECTS A SLIGHT IMPERFECTION ON YOUR BACK," she realized. Her eyes started glowing red. "WHO DID THIS TO YOU?"
Seeing Lillybot's glowing red eyes always caught Lulu off guard, but she managed to explain to her and the other two robots about what had happened. Basically, a friend of Zuzu's named Julia Krystal treated her to a full body pampering at Paradise City's spa because Yuya had an idea of Leo Corporation hosting a dance to give all the students at Heartland Duel School another chance to spend an enjoyable night. At the same time, she and everyone else that attended were provided fresh clothes, in which she was currently wearing; it was a white sundress with silver sandals. She also mentioned about how her back was scarred due to Ancient Gear Hunting Hound's attack, so she had to get metal spinal plates installed to prevent her from getting paralyzed. She admitted that it slightly made her back hunched, but she would rather have that than become paralyzed from the waist down.
One robot maid grew concerned. "WHAT HAPPENED TO THE LOVELY SILK DRESS I MADE FOR YOUR FIRST SCHOOL DANCE?"
Lulu sounded a bit sad when she sighed and explained that the dress got torn up at the bottom and was divided into three sections when one of the first attacks destroyed the school. She ended up using it as part of her Resistance attire.
"YOU MUST BE JOKING," the robot maid insisted.
Lulu used her free hand to take the leftover dress from one of her bags. "I'm sorry," she said, showing the ragged outfit to the robot maid. "And I know you worked so hard on it."
The dress she held showed the three ripped sections, with the ones on the front and right side looking shorter than the left. On the back were marks of where the Hunting Hound tore through the fabric and scarred her back. After the plates were placed on her spine, she wore a cream vest to hide the scar that was left behind.
The robot maid carefully took the dress from Lulu. "THIS DRESS CAN STILL BE SALVAGED," she noted. "I SHALL RESTORE IT INTO ITS ORIGINAL BEAUTY."
"Thank you," Lulu said. "I would also like to request a princess spa treatment. I need one after everything I went through."
The robot maids accepted the request and brought Lulu to the spa room while one of them took the dress to the tailor room for repairs. With the town refurbished and everyone returning to their homes, today marked the start of her going back to her normal, high class life.
Meanwhile, Yuto ran through the streets of Heartland to find where his house was. It was obvious that it got decimated when the Obelisk Force came, so he wanted to be sure if his mom was waiting for him there; maybe it was for the best that they may have to find a new house to live in…or was it? All around him, he heard happy, relieved, and tearful voices as he dashed by them. He didn't paid any attention to them until just now, stopping in a spot that felt…oddly recognizable to him. In between the trees of Heartland Tower that was not too far away from him. He wondered if that was the reason why everyone was gleeful: the town's revived state.
It definitely wasn't like this the last time he was here; everything was wrecked and on fire as the color became desaturated and gray within the smoky night sky. He turned his head to his right to see some bushes next to a street light. It was becoming clear to him now… It was the last time he ever saw her…
He started having a flashback on the night of the Invasion when he was running for cover while trying to come up with a diversion to face off against the soldiers. His sprinting was suddenly cut short by an explosion nearby the street light, causing it to partially kill its power. Just then, he heard the sound of sinister laughter and shifted his body to where it came from, only for him to stand in shock at what he was up against. A Chaos Ancient Gear Giant stood before him along with an Obelisk Force soldier. Yuto didn't know his name, but he never forgot him. The pale skin shown from underneath a silver helmet… The ruthless sadism in his voice…
"There he is," the Obelisk Force soldier said. "Chaos Ancient Gear Giant, attack that XYZ user!"
It extended its left arm where the blaster was, preparing to shoot another blast directly at Yuto. He would try to fight back with his Phantom Knights, but he might not unleash a counterattack in time, let alone try and dodge the attack. He stood there defenseless as he was about to brace himself; he was about to cross his arms in front of him to try and shield himself, but someone ran in front of him in the nick of time.
ZAP!
The force of the blast's explosion sent the two flying into the bushes, much to the soldier's annoyance. He could tell that Yuto wouldn't have survived if it weren't for the woman who saved him.
Yuto had lost his glasses when Duel Academy bombed Heartland Duel School, so he couldn't tell who saved him. However, he recognized the person's blonde hair. "Mom?" he asked.
"Shh…" Lono said. She placed a hand on his cheek. "Don't you dare let that beautiful smile leave your face," she breathed.
Those were the last words she said to him as her eyes closed and her hand slipped down her only child's cheek, with her arm falling limp. Disbelieved by what he was seeing, Yuto repeated what he said as he shook her body, hoping for her to regain consciousness. It gradually grew more frequent, but in the end, it was inevitable. Her head tilted away from his body, signaling that it wasn't a dream or a hellish nightmare. It was all too true. Lono Osaku—the first person he has known his entire life, spent so much time with him, and made cherishable memories together—sacrificed herself to save him. His head hung low as tears poured down from his eyes like two waterfalls while holding her lifeless body in his arms underneath the flickering street light, behind the ruined shrubbery, and in front of the exploded pavement.
All of a sudden, as the soldier was about to continue on with his attack, something triggered within Yuto. An emotion locked up from inside him had burst free from its cage. It awakened its power as this new feeling coursed through his veins and flooded his body, making him go…berserk. His head tilted upwards to face his mother's murderer with his eyes whitened out and covered in a periwinkle glow, furious by what he was forced to witness.
"You'll pay for what you have done!" Yuto cried out, discarding his ripped suit jacket and loosening his tie.
The soldier let out a sigh. "Whatever," he said. "Chaos Ancient Gear Giant, don't miss this time!"
The last thing Yuto remembered was trying to punch Giant out of pure, utter, and consumed rage, but since Ancient Gears appear to be made out of metal and he was as skinny as his counterparts when the Invasion began, he injured his hand in the process and it was super painful.
"You call yourself a Duelist?" the soldier mockingly asked. "Fight with your deck, not your fist!"
Yuto never forgot that night. That incident was scarred right into his mind. A memory that he can never forget. Just as he recalled what happened next, the flashback ended, cutting him back to present day. He stared at the very same spot where his mother's death took place, analyzing every little detail. The street light was crooked from the explosion as it guttered its last emission of light. It also took off a chunk of the pavement since debris was scattered everywhere on the ground and the grass. The bushes cushioned their fall, but the strength of that attack resulted in them getting wrecked. But now that Heartland was restored and every bit of damage was reversed, this area now looked like his encounter with the Obelisk Force soldier never took place at all. He had a feeling that could spell good news for her unfortunate fate.
Yuto also remembered how that night changed him, looking down at his current attire. What was once a nice suit had become battle-scarred. Some time after that night, the sleeves of his formal shirt were ripped and he added studded wristbands, a dog collar, and a makeshift cape to resemble more of a knightly appearance. He let out a sad sigh, hoping the local suit rental business wouldn't overcharge him for the damage.
He was at least hoping he'll be let off the hook; the Invasion was a serious conflict for the XYZ people and the employees who worked at the business where he got his rental suit were also affected by it. Their building was demolished and they were most likely carded by Duel Academy. That was the last thing he needed to focus on because he has to return home to see if his mom was brought back to life. So without waiting another second, he resumed heading back home.
Several minutes later, Yuto ran down the street where he lived until he spotted his home about eight houses away. He made a sharp right turn towards his walkway before making his way in front of his door and opening it. "Mom, I'm home!" he happily called out.
There was no response but his sentence echoing through the house and the chatter of people returning to their houses. This was oddly strange. Maybe she is somewhere in one of the rooms and didn't hear me loud enough, he reassured himself.
"Mom?" Yuto called out as he walked upstairs. "You're probably wondering how you came back from the dead, but don't freak out. I can explain everything."
As he reached the top of the stairs, he began searching everywhere on the second floor: their bedrooms, the bathroom, and the hallways. It felt unusually weird to see their rooms again after dealing with the Interdimensional War. They maintained their clean, organized appearance and has been that way until the night of the Heartland Duel School dance. He remembered being read fairytales every night when he was younger and even heading into her room to sleep there whenever he had nightmares or woke up in the midst of a thunderstorm. This was getting seriously unusual because the second floor treasured some fond memories and he wanted to create more with her. He quickly realized that he didn't check all of the first floor when he entered, so maybe she is in one of the downstairs room working on what they should have for dinner or something.
"Do you need help with your famous lasagna recipe?" Yuto asked as he approached the kitchen. "I remember all the spices it needs."
Yuto loved his mom's lasagna so much and even helps out with cooking it, which was why he knew the different spices it needed and how much to add. As he entered it, it too was also empty, making his search oddly confusing by the minute. He had a feeling she would be there making dinner because he enjoyed helping her cook and bake food over the years, everything from lasagna, spaghetti, steak, and pizza to cookies, cake, brownies, muffins, pies, and cupcakes. When it comes to making food, she was quite the expert at it and more memories filled his thoughts on the years of cooking they have done together.
Yuto let out a sad chuckle. "I'm serious," he said, his voice choking up. "I was hoping we can make new memories together. Remember all the movies we watched? All the stores we visited at the local mall? All the-"
His questions were cut off by a framed picture sitting on one of the shelves. He walked closer to it to see that it was no ordinary picture; it was a selfie his mother took with him before they left the house to the school for the dance. She must have framed it and set it on the shelf a couple hours before Duel Academy invaded. That explained her protecting him; she was looking for him and saw him in the Obelisk Force soldier's range, running up just in time to save him. Of all the places it should have been, he didn't expect to find it in the living room, one of their favorite rooms in the house. They always gathered here to watch TV, play games, watch squirrels, bunnies, chipmunks, and birds outside, and even open up presents during Christmas and his birthday. It was most likely placed here because of how much they loved bonding in the living room.
He then took a deep look at himself in the selfie. The rental suit was still new-looking at the time, but he noticed something about his eye color and figure that bugged him. Did he really change that much in a small amount of time? Taking the framed selfie off the shelf, he ran back upstairs and headed into the bathroom to answer that question. Looking at his reflection in the mirror, the first thing he caught on in an instant was his changed eye color; he remembered hearing about the slight renditions he, his counterparts, and the Bracelet Girls received when they were separated, but he couldn't believe what he saw. His eyes were no longer his usual gray tone, but Dark Rebellion XYZ Dragon's golden-yellow hue. Still in disbelief, he took off his cape, tie, and formal shirt to see if his figure had changed as well. Sure enough, it did. Thanks to the Invasion, a six-pack was slightly forming, his pecs were more toned, and his arms have subtlety gained muscle compared to Yuya, Yugo, and Yuri's matching body shapes.
Gray vs. marigold. Lanky vs. signs of fit shape. Dear god, time has passed, and it felt longer than he hoped for… After everything he went through… He shoves Yuya to save him from Clear Wing's attack and believes he's heading to the afterlife to finally meet her again, his soul ends up merged with his Pendulum counterpart's. Ray and Riley put a stop to Zarc's returning reign of terror, the fusing dimensions split back into four and all the carded victims are freed. The Original Dimension is brought back and Heartland is reconstructed, the eight counterparts get alterations. No matter what he goes through or what he does, they were all proven to be in vain for him because…she's gone. Lono Osaku was never coming back and nothing can be done to undo her untimely death.
"Mom…" Yuto said, his voice cracking with sorrow. He closed his eyes as he fell to the bathroom floor with tears pouring out, hugging the framed selfie. "I'm sorry."
As he sat with his knees on the floor and began to break down into sobs, a notification alarm went off on his Duel Disk. He was too upset and heartbroken to check it, but the notification was for the Webcam app.
Meanwhile, at the Sakaki residence, Yuya was baffled. "That's strange…" he mused, turning off the webcam app on his Duel Disk.
At that moment, Sora entered the tomato-haired teen's room. "Who are you calling?" he asked.
"Yuto," Yuya answered. "I was hoping he could tell me where he lives. I think I overheard him saying something about stopping by his house."
"Were you hoping he could tell you about your aunt?" Sora asked.
"Of course," Yuya answered. "I want to learn more about Aunt Lono."
He had an understanding of what her past life was like with Yoko prior to the dimensional split, but hearing that Yuto wanted to stop by at his house made him think about her again. He knew how much they loved each other, so learning more about her might be something he wanted to do first now that he was split back into his own body.
"Hang on," Sora said. He typed into his Duel Disk. "All Duel Academy student Duel Disks were programmed with the knowledge of where every XYZ Dimension person lives. I'll send you Yuto's home address."
Yuya was surprised. "How…"
"Invasion protocols," Sora explained.
Yuya had a feeling it would involve something with the Invasion. His adopted brother used to be an Obelisk Force soldier himself before allying with the Lancers. After less than a minute, a notification alarm went off as he received the text containing Yuto's address.
"Thanks Sora," Yuya said as he left his room.
He notified Yoko that he was off to visit Yuto to learn more about Lono; since it was late morning when the blood separation was initiated, there was a possibility that he might go out to lunch with him. Outside of house, he copied Sora's text and opened up the Maps app to paste it and get directions. Although they were loaded up on the screen, he wasn't sure if he should walk or take the bus because the four cities have been merged back into one and people have been scrambling to get back to their homes. In other words, it may take a while for everyone to get around since they have never officially been to any of the other neighborhoods. Ironically, his hometown looked exactly the same despite combining with Domino, New Domino, and Heartland. He felt like that's kind of a good thing because the last thing he needed was the buildings in Yuto's hometown to be rearranged differently since he sort of knew what it looked like during the two times he went there.
Upon further notice, Yuya noticed the street where Yuto lives is now a few blocks near the Duel Palace. If he took a bus to that place, he should be able to reach the Osaku residence quickly. He altered the directions so that they were within a bus driving distance instead of a walking distance and pressed "Start" to have the built-in GPS announce where he has to go to the bus stop in how many feet, yards, or miles. He ran down his street to begin his GPS-navigated journey to his cousin's house.
One bus ride later, Yuya was able to arrive at the Osaku residence. He dashed down the walkway before stopping at the open front door, knowing that Yuto has just went in to probably get his bearings at his restored home. After dealing with the war against the Fusion Dimension and coping with having his soul fused within Yuya's body, it would make sense for him to adapt to his usual, middle class life. As he stepped in, however, he could hear faint sobs coming from upstairs.
"Yuto?" Yuya asked, walking upstairs. He soon stopped at the bathroom, where he saw his cousin sitting on the floor with his cape, tie, and formal shirt discarded on the floor. Why was he crying?
Yuya knelt next to Yuto. "Are you alright?" he asked.
Yuto looked up at the tomato-haired teen. "No, Yuya," he answered between sobs. "I'm not alright at all."
"What happened?" Yuya asked.
"She's gone," Yuto replied. "My mom wasn't revived."
Yuya feared something like this would happen when his cousin came back home. He remained kneeling next to Yuto, comforting him after learning the devastating news about Aunt Lono.
"I'm so sorry," Yuya said, hugging Yuto and gently patting his back. "She must have been that important to you."
Yuto was too upset to respond to what Yuya said, let alone say anything for that matter. The tears kept raining down his face as he held the framed picture close to his slightly muscular body.
Yuya wasn't sure what to say. Since he got both of his parents back, he feared he might say the wrong thing. So instead, he held his cousin close to him, waiting for him to calm down. He hasn't seen him this depressed since the morning of the LID dance do-over, when he learned about what had happened years before the Invasion and the sudden switch between the two. Just then, an idea popped into Yuya's head on how he can help cheer Yuto up.
"Would you like to come back with me to my place?" Yuya asked.
Yuto looked up. "Hmm?" he questioned.
"I'll properly introduce you to my family," Yuya continued. "Technically they're your family too."
He was right; when Yoko regained her lost memories, she recalled all the times she spent with Lono when they grew up together. Now that the dimensional dilemmas are finally resolved, this can be the start of Yuto getting to know his recently-discovered extended family.
Yuto gave Yuya a tight hug. "Thank you," he said.
"Aw, don't mention it," Yuya cheerfully replied.
Because he was shirtless for a little while, Yuto needed to put his clothes back on or get dressed into different clothes. He let go of Yuya and got up off the floor, taking the formal shirt, cape, tie, and framed picture back to his room. He hasn't been there in a while, so he has to make sure what clothes he should change into; additionally, he realized that his tears stained the lenses of his glasses and he had to clean them with a small cloth.
Some time later, Yuto left his bedroom wearing a black t-shirt labeled 'KNIGHT CLUB', dark grey sweat pants, and black sneakers with his glasses clean of any tears. "Alright, I'm ready to go," he told his cousin.
"Whoa," Yuya said, noticing Yuto's choice of attire. "Cool shirt."
"Thanks," Yuto replied. "It's one of my favorite shirts."
He had gotten it one day at the mall because it reminds him of the similarities he has with the Phantom Knights: they have knightly personalities and are naturally attracted towards the darkness (except Zarc's darkness).
"It looks great on you," Yuya said, putting Yuto in a playful headlock.
This caught Yuto off guard because he never been locked in this maneuver before; why was he being attacked all of a sudden? Regardless, he quickly regained his stance and flipped Yuya over, pinning him to the ground.
"Ack!" Yuya yelped. "What was that for?!"
"I was going to ask you the same thing," Yuto replied.
"It's just rough housing!" Yuya explained. "Brothers do that all the time! It's not harmless! I swear!"
Rough housing? He has never heard or done that before since he grew up as an only child. So has Yuya, yet he seems to have a better understanding of it.
"I see…" Yuto said. "My mom did something similar to that when I was younger."
"What was it?" Yuya answered.
"Something like…this," Yuto answered. He then started tickling Yuya just as he finished his sentence. If there was any method used to bring smiles to anyone's face, this was definitely it.
"Yuto!" Yuya cried out between fits of laughter.
"What?" Yuto innocently asked as his fingers went underneath Yuya's shirt and tickled his sides. "Since we're technically the same person, you probably have the same weak spots I have."
As he predicted, Yuya burst out in hysterical laughter when Yuto reached the weak spots. He was right about the two being part of the same person, so no doubt Zarc possessed the same ticklish areas as his reincarnations.
"Okay, I get it!" Yuya laughed, tears coming from his eyes. "Just stop already! I give!"
Yuto let out a soft chuckle. "Alright," he said, ending the tickle fight and helping his cousin get back on his feet.
That actually felt kind of…nice. It was the first time he engaged in familial bonding with another relative aside from his mom. He wondered how he'll spend some time with Yoko, Yusho, and Sora for the day since his family tree was interesting; his aunt reminds him of his mom, his uncle happens to be the founder and former teacher of Heartland Duel School, and his adopted cousin was from Duel Academy.
Yuto put his hand near his heart. "I haven't felt this happy since…" he started to say before trailing off.
"Well don't you worry!" Yuya happily said, understanding what he was about to say. "C'mon! Get ready to become part of the Sakaki family!"
The two walked downstairs before heading outside of the house, shutting the door, and heading to the bus stop while walking by the many citizens rejoicing in their refurnished homes.
"Wow," Yuya said. "The people over here seem a little too happy."
"Of course they are," Yuto replied. "This whole city was destroyed. Everyone lost all their homes, so seeing everything suddenly recover is causing mass rejoicing."
"I can tell…" Yuya remarked, noticing a random man kissing his front lawn.
Yuto has never met him in person, but he recognized that man as Tombo Tillbitty, Heartland's local gardener who was best known for growing vegetables, especially tomatoes. Now that he thought about it, he randomly started thinking about Yuya's hair and how it resembles a tomato. He let out a small chuckle at the sudden thought.
"What's so funny?" Yuya asked.
"Your hair really does look like a tomato," Yuto commented.
"You're one to talk!" Yuya retorted. He lifted the light purple bang dangling in front of Yuto's eye. "Your hair looks like eggplants!"
He wasn't wrong; the light purple bangs and black locks do bear similarities to purple and black eggplants. "Touché," Yuto said, swatting Yuya's hand away from his hair.
One walk to the bus stop and another bus trip back to the Paradise section later, the two made their way back to the Sakaki residence. Yuto never thought he would be back there again, and in his own body nonetheless. He was nervous, but that didn't stop Yuya from grabbing his wrist and dragging him through the front door.
"I'm back!" Yuya called out. "And I want you to meet someone!"
Yoko, Yusho, and Sora heard Yuya's voice because they didn't expect him to be back home that fast. Standing before them was a skittish Yuto with his wrist held firmly in his cousin's hand. He didn't want to make things awkward for them since they practically knew him, so he waved "Hello" with his free hand in a rather sheepish manner.
"Lady and gentlemen, allow me to be the first to introduce you all to the newest member of our family!" Yuya happily said. "My newfound cousin and mom's surprise nephew: Yuto Osaku!"
"You didn't have to make a big deal about it…" Yuto admitted.
"Nope!" Yuya replied. "You're a Sakaki now! This is a big deal for us!"
"Technically I'm still an Osaku," Yuto pointed out.
"Close enough!" Yuya insisted.
"Yuto might be right," Yoko said. "I know he's my nephew, but that doesn't mean he's officially a Sakaki."
"But mom, he was crying in the bathroom of his own house," Yuya recalled. "And he was shirtless for some reason."
Yuto looked a bit heartbroken. "I changed so much since that night," he said. "I can never go back to my old life." He wiped a forming tear away from his eye. "I don't even know what I should do."
Yoko had a feeling the night her nephew was referring to was when Lono got killed. She was informed about how Zarc instantly rebuilding Heartland may have sparked his initial hopeful desire to see his mom again, but much like the previous events where he felt like they'll be reunited, this one also met the same fate that is the cold, cruel, harsh reality. Despite that Yuto was glad to know he had more family members all along, it still didn't feel right because he grew up living with his mom for his entire life.
"Then how about we bring you over to the Sunshine Skating Rink?" Yoko suggested.
Yuya's eyes sparkled in delight. "That's a great idea!"
"Skating rink?" Yuto asked.
"I think I saw that place once before," Sora recalled. "It's a place where people roller skate."
"Yeah," Yuya agreed. "Besides…" He activated the wheels of his new shoes. "I haven't used these in a long time."
"So I take it there won't be any mishaps like the previous times," Yusho remarked.
"Not anymore!" Yuya cheerfully answered. He's gotten used to skating around with the duel skates Alex gave him; the first time he tried them out was during Iggy's rematch and it was a hassle to maintain balance while going at a fast speed. But ever since then, he has been skating with ease.
"Then it's settled," Yoko said. "We'll have a Sakaki family fun day at the skating rink."
Yuto wasn't sure what to expect out of this. He wasn't sure what Yuya was planning on doing, but whatever it was, he hoped it would work.
