Title: 99 losses and 1 win.
Summary: Yuma tries to confess to Ryoga but fails horribly several times. Well, 'kattobingu', right?
Rated: T

"Yuma, it will not work."

"Trust me! It will!"

Astral sighed and returned to the emperor's key. He tried to warn Yuma but it seemed like the boy was absolutely set on this. There was nothing that could waver his determination or make him think differently. Yuma and his friends were currently swimming in the school's pool, just talking and enjoying themselves, while Yuma was busy planning other things. There was something he intended to do long ago, and that was to make a confession. If there was one thing he knew nothing about, it was love, but even he knew that one had to express their feelings in order for them to be heard. He glanced over to the other side of the pool, where Ryoga was speaking with some of his classmates. It was a rare occurrence since he usually does not talk to anyone besides Yuma, and his friends. Once those people were gone, Yuma decided to walk over to him. It had been quite a while since they got to spend some time alone. However, this did not stop him from trying. Ryoga would usually dismiss him, and tell him he had no time, but eventually, he gave in to the temptation.

Yuma had been trying to confess his feeling towards Ryoga, but something always came in the way. The reason Astral was so cautious and told him to stay back was because all other attempts ended in failure. He would not know how to word things, or a third party would disrupt the rhythm of the conversation, and leave him clueless. This time around, he tried to be as open and clear as possible.

"Shark," Yuma waved with a smile, feeling the tension and nervousness grow after each step he takes, bringing him closer to his crush. Ryoga turned around with his hands placed neatly on his hips, greeting Yuma back but was interrupted mid-speech. Shingetsu suddenly tackled Yuma into the pool, leaving Ryoga outmost confused. The teacher called for him right after this, and with a sigh, he told Yuma he'd see him later.

"Shingetsu!" Yuma splashed him in the face and looked up to see Ryoga gone, much to his disappointment.
"You looked like you were afraid, I tried to cheer you up!" Yuma's jaw dropped as he raised a brow. He did not know whether to be baffled or impressed with Shingetsu at the moment. He shook his head and sighed, not exactly giving the other teen a legitimate answer.

There was an endless amount of fails after this try. Over and over again, they continued to pile up, one after another. Astral continued to stand by Yuma, and watch him get right back up on his feet, ready for another try. It was only expected of him to do this; he did the same in duels. However, this time around, Astral was confused over why Yuma continued to fail with this 'confession' of his. Once he tried to confess in the school cafeteria, Cathy got in the way and argued loudly with Kotori over some issue, which ruined the mood. Another time was in the hallway, where Tetsuo randomly knocked Yuma over with his skateboard. Even if the teachers told them not to play around in the hallways, this happened more than once. He even tried it during class, because he was desperate. It had reached the point where he did not care who heard it or interpreted it; all he wanted to do was to tell Ryoga the truth. This proved to be difficult when they were supposed to work on a group assignment. Takashi was in the same group as them, so he left Yuma no free time to hold a private conversation. These were attempts that could have ended better. In one-way or another, something always had to stop him. It really felt like he had failed over a hundred times.

Astral suggested calling Ryoga over to their home, but that idea was almost instantly shunned. "It's too obvious!"

Currently, Astral and Yuma were sitting on the school's rooftop, looking over Heartland City, in both boredom and curiosity. The key was a sign to never give up, to 'Kattobingu'. Yet, lately, it felt as if all that energy, which was put into the confession, slowly faded away with time. He continued to use the phrase, several times, but it never worked.

"How ma-"
"99. You have almost failed 100 times, as you predicted weeks ago."
"Well…I guess it was just not meant to be then…" Not being able to express his emotions never felt so heartbreaking. By the hurt look on Yuma's face, Astral could tell something about that sentence was wrong.

"Not meant to be? What does that mean?" Right, there was no reason to assume Astral would understand all of their human terms and phrases in a few days. Yuma sighed and looked up at the clouds, pondering different thoughts as he spoke with Astral.

"It's a saying, it just means that whatever you would want happen, isn't supposed to happen, and that's why it's not happening… or something alike." Astral tilted his head in confusion and observed the clouds with Yuma. His arms were folded across his chest as he spoke, and he remained in the same signature pose he always held when he was speaking seriously.

"That is the first time I have heard you say such a thing, Yuma. Suppose you were given a bad hand while dueling, does that mean it was not 'meant to be'? Do you not keep fighting against all odds, regardless of your hand?" Dueling was something that could always cheer him up, but to hear that being compared to something as complicated as love could drive him nuts.

"Astral…this is different from a duel, love makes no sense."
"Well, I can draw one conclusion for this conversation by comparing love and dueling." Yuma looked up at Astral with a grin.
"That I love dueling?"
"That you are outmost atrocious at both." That sentence washed away the little piece of happiness he still held on to.
"I can draw another conclusion from this conversation too! That is, that you fail at understanding emotions!"
"So do you, you fail about 99 times."

"STOP bringing it up!"
"You asked me to keep count."
"Not for this reason! Why is it being used against me!?" A voice suddenly erupted from a different direction and in a lower tone.

"Who are you talking to, and why are you being so very loud?" Yuma turned around to see Ryoga at the rooftop. Who knew how long he was standing there, listening. One thing Yuma knew he was sure of though, was that he never mentioned a name during his speech, and to that fact, he could relax. Astral returned to the key once he heard Ryoga's voice, not wishing to witness another heartbreak, and confirmed right off the start that this was the last failed attempt.

Yuma got up on his feet and looked over at Ryoga with a smile. He had already given up trying to express his feelings, and was sure that this moment would be ruined as well, just like all other times. What reason was there to even try?
"Hi, Shark! What are you doing up here? Don't you usually go home around this time?" Ryoga stepped closer, until they were only a few inches apart.

"I actually came to speak with you. What the hell is going on?" The words took Yuma by surprise, but of course he was going to notice something was not right. They were alone at the moment. The sky was clear, not a hint of rain, and everything was silent. Most students had already walked home, so for sure; it was only the two of them. Was it all right to give it a second go? Why not?
The moment he decided to speak up, Ryoga's phone went off, sending shivers down his spine. No. It really did not seem as if this was meant to be, with the constant interruptions.

"Hold on a second." He was about to pick up his phone when Yuma walked past him.
"No, never, forget it." Ryoga did not look back, but cut the call off completely without answering. It was strange he chose to ignore whoever it was that called, but there was no reason to try any farther.
"So, you were saying?" He walked after Yuma, who seemed willing to escape this situation at any cost. Once he reached the door, Ryoga grabbed his wrist and stopped him.
"What has been going on with you lately? Not lately, but for weeks. You've tried to approach me with something, and then just acted as if it was normal to turn away and forget. You've done it about a hundred times now!"
"You have no idea how accurate that number is…" Yuma mumbled and tried to pull away. At this moment, Ryoga pushed him against the wall and blocked his path for escape.

"Yuma! Act serious for only one minute."
"I have been trying! Do you want to hear what I have to say? Because I will shout it if I have to!"
"Finally!"
Yuma inhaled sharply at that, and was ready to unleash the loudest scream, not caring about who heard him. As long as he got to say it, he would feel good. Yet, somewhere in-between his decision, he ended up laughing instead of shouting. Ryoga noticed the sudden change, and the blush that tinted Yuma's cheeks. What caught his full attention was that signature smile he always had, practically radiating happiness.

"Finally… I was getting worried you were not going to smile like that again." Ruby eyes glanced up at Ryoga in surprise. His chest felt warm by those words, however he could not help but to ask-
"You notice when I smile?" It was at this point Ryoga wanted to step away, but felt like that would not accomplish anything. Instead, he smiled and flicked Yuma's nose.
"Yuma, that's none of your business."
"-And it worries you if I don't smile?" He scrunched up his nose from the flick.
"Yuma, stop."
"You think about me?"
"Yuma." Ryoga rolled his eyes. This could go on for quite some time. "Do you want a ride?" The young duelist's eyes widened in surprise when he was asked that. He was about to ask why, but soon got an explanation without the need of a question.
"It's late, and it's getting dark. If you'd rather walk home, then go ahead, but I won't stay here any longer." Ryoga turned around and walked through the door, then down the stairs. Yuma thought about joining Ryoga, but something was stopping him. Was he not supposed to give up already? Something always interrupted them, so why even try anymore? What if it fails again? Astral's words echoed in his head. Since when did he start thinking 'what if'? He was never that type of person. Astral was right.

Ryoga hopped on to his motorcycle and put on his helmet. He sighed and leaned back, knowing that Yuma was probably too stubborn to come along. Not too long after that thought, he heard a shout in the distance.
"Shark!~ Wait for me!"

Ryoga folded his arms across his chest and tapped his fingers against his forearm, smiling.
"Took you some time." Once the short teen got closer, Ryoga's smile was gone. Yuma looked sort of unhappy, not equally as collected as he was at the roof anyways. He had the urge to ask if something were wrong, but obviously, that would give Yuma the impression that he cared. Yuma forced a smile and apologized for being late. Ryoga simply threw a spare helmet over to Yuma. He caught it rather sloppily, as he was not prepared for the throw. However, he put it on and sat behind Ryoga, ready for them to take off.

"Hold on tightly, because otherwise you'll fall off and die, got it?" At any normal moment, this would have made Yuma laugh, or try to defend himself, but right now, laughing and having fun was the last thing on his mind. He still wanted to confess, but what could he do? How do you say something so simple, yet complicated? How can one put their emotions into words? Especially when the person they are in love with has no clue about it, and does not even know how happy their presence makes the other?

"Yuma? It was a joke, but seriously, hold on to me." Ryoga's voice didn't reach him. He was too far into his own head, in a complicated mess of conflicting feelings. His heart ached at the thought of keeping this a secret, but at the same time, it was like a defense mechanism. Ryoga never showed any emotions towards him, and so, being rejected was a strong possibility. Shyly and slowly, Yuma wrapped his arms around Ryoga's waist, trying to hold on, but his grip was weak.

"Yuma?" What if confessing would ruin the friendship they already have? The worst feeling in the world, other than heartbreak, was losing someone one cared about strongly. He already tried about a hundred times, was there a point in continuing? It frightened him, rejection, and loneliness. He shivered and tugged at Ryoga's clothes, subconsciously. His face heated up as he felt tears fill his eyes, and his body starting to shiver. At least he was holding on tighter now. Hopefully, Ryoga could just drive him home before he began to grow even more saddened. Instead of driving, Ryoga pulled his helmet off and set it aside, then turned around to face Yuma.

"Are you freezing? Why are y-" He stopped speaking when something wet hit his hand. At first thought, he would have guessed it was rain, but when he took a closer look at Yuma, he saw that he was crying. In one swift movement, Ryoga removed Yuma's helmet and cupped his cheeks.

"Yuma, tell me what is going on, right now." When Ryoga's warm hands cupped his cheeks, it made Yuma smile, something the other teen did not understand. Yet, the delightful touch was all Yuma wanted, but was nothing he could simply ask for. All he had was one chance, one last chance to make Ryoga understand how he felt. He took a deep breath before he looked at his friend and tried to speak up. However, at that moment, Ryoga closed the little space between them and captured Yuma's lips in a soft kiss. Yuma could not think about the kiss, or pay attention to the way he was kissing. It was shocking to get kissed so suddenly. When Ryoga pulled away, he grinned somewhat victoriously.

"That was as long as I could hold it in. I would have done it sooner, but I wanted to see how long you'd chase after me." The tears had stopped, his entire body felt as if it was overheating from the intimacy. They never sat this close to each other; neither did they talk for a long while all alone. Yet, that was not what he wanted to ask at the moment. Yuma tilted his head in confusion to Ryoga's words, unaware of what he meant.

"Do you really think Shingetsu and your other friends did not know you were trying to confess? I told them as soon as I noticed you acted weird, and had them interrupt us whenever you got close." Yuma's jaw dropped and he stared at Ryoga in disbelief. He did not know what to feel, happy or angry, frustrated or relieved. It was a mix, one he could not even begin to describe. At least his tears had stopped, and the only thing on his mind now was a lot of questions.
"Why would you do that! Why did my friends agree to it? Shark! Do you have any idea how horrible I felt every time I failed? Argh! Why do you have to-"

"I wanted to see if I was worth it…" The sentence that cut Yuma off left him speechless. He never thought of it that way. It was a rather weird way of testing someone's willpower, but it was a test nonetheless.
"Shark…" Ryoga stuck his tongue out and pinched Yuma's nose with a smile on his face.
"Stop your stupid crying, there's nothing to cry over, idiot."
"You! Y-…you are such an asshole!" Yuma pulled at Ryoga's bangs in agitation. His face was completely flushed from the awkward confession, but the laughter made it more amusing. In a weird way, it did feel nice. It felt nice to know Ryoga cared and returned the feelings, even if the way he returned them was rather odd.

"I've been in love with you for a while, but unlike you, I can hide it better." Hearing Ryoga say such a thing so openly and easily caught him by surprise, as well as envy. If he just had the courage to say those same words, things would have been much easier. The purple-haired teen put the helmet back on Yuma's head and patted him before looking forward.

"So, hold on tight, I'll be driving to my place as fast as I can."
"Huh? Why your place?"
"It's called a date, get used to It."
"HUH? Shark! W-wait-!" Before Yuma could get another word out, Ryoga started the engine up and drove off quick as lightning, causing Yuma to hold on to him tightly, and in all honesty, that was all he wanted at the moment.

"SHARK! I am going to kill you once we get off this thing!"
"Ack! Don't hold me that tightly or I'll kill us both!"