Chapter 1: Shining Armour

Neo Heartland City.

Once a great hub of trade, commerce and nightlife, it had been the beating heart of a wealthy and prosperous dimension, its people working tirelessly day and night to make sure the city lived up to its name. Their laughter and enjoyment, their hopes and dreams, filled the air with an overriding feeling of achievement. Their pride dripped down from every building, every monument, and every flag until it covered the whole city in a veil of accomplishment that shone brighter than any of its dazzling neon lights.

…But Yuya had never known that city. The only city he knew was one of rubble and ash, an almost inhospitable wasteland of despair and chaos.

Yuya sighed as he stared out of the classroom window, a thick layer of ash still visible on the deserted streets in the distance.

It had been exactly one year since the end of the Dimensional War, and although the fires were no longer burning and much of the debris had been cleared away, there was still a lot of work to be done to restore the city to its former glory.

For the remaining residents and survivors within the city, the last twelve months had been a difficult and somewhat troublesome scramble to reclaim their pride and rebuild what was lost. Under the watchful eye of Reiji Akaba however, the reconstruction effort was soon reorganised and infrastructure was made a priority, with the education system being of first concern.

For Yuya, the last year had been much different. He'd spent it scouring the ruins of Heartland, searching for survivors and helping to rebuild their homes. What he didn't realise was how much he had been searching for himself out there amongst the rubble.

Out there, amidst the deafening silence of what used to be a vibrant and lively city, he finally had the time to think and ponder, to contemplate every issue that had plagued his mind since the beginning of the war. Of these, only one truly gnawed at his conscious, tormenting him day and night, causing a conflict within him that was far more destructive than the war… his sexuality.

It had taken him to the very brink of his physical and mental capability, testing his resolve with daily bouts of fear and confusion, clawing at his identity until he was consumed by his inner turmoil.

But it never broke him. For the sake of his family, his friends and most importantly his own sanity, he had to just respect and recognise what his body was telling him.

So he did. After weeks of deliberation and thought he simply accepted it.

He accepted that he was gay.

It had been difficult to come to terms with, and although he hadn't shared his feelings with anyone else, it had made him happier and more confident than he'd ever been.

So much so that for the last few months he had returned to action dueling, using it to raise the spirits and morale of the survivors. He had even enrolled in Heartland's newly reopened college, studying drama and performance art.

His counterparts had been particularly thrilled to see him back to his old self, even if they still had no idea why he had been so distant.

Yuya smiled as he thought of his friends, recalling how well (nearly) all of them had taken to their new lives.

Yugo and Rin had, like Yuya, enrolled at Heartland college and were studying one-year courses in engineering whilst teaching the survivors in the city about the excitement of D-Wheels and riding duels.

Yuri and Serena had returned to the Fusion dimension to aid in the rehabilitation of the indoctrinated students that survived the war there, whilst Shun had stayed put, with Ruri doing her best to help her brother recover from the lasting effects of frontline combat.

Yuzu, Shingo, Gongenzaka and Sora had returned to Standard (although Yuya had no idea what had become of Sora after this, the others had lost track of him).

Yuya glanced up at the clock before taking another glance out of the window, his gaze landing upon a figure standing on the street below. Squinting, he craned his neck to see if he could identify them.

It was almost dark being mid-November, and with the drama department being located on the sixth floor of the college's main building it was almost impossible to make out who it was.

But Yuya knew.

His smile widened as he recognised the figure's signature dark clothing and sweeping amethyst bangs.

Yuto.

Yuya felt a warmth pool and settle in his stomach as he stared at the boy, his chin resting lazily on his hand, the desk he was leaning on creaking slightly as he shifted his weight.

He and Yuto were as close as they'd ever been. They lived together, studied together and dueled together. Yuya felt as though their bond had never been broken, never even wavered, despite them separating into two separate bodies. Whether Yuto felt that way, Yuya didn't know, but he did know that they were great friends and they could tell each other anything… well almost anything.

Yuya still hadn't told him about his struggle with his sexuality, which he thought was silly considering how Yuto himself was also gay. He was scared to… after all he didn't want Yuto to feel uncomfortable living with him.

It wasn't just that though… something inside of him was drawing him to Yuto and he wasn't sure why… maybe-

Yuya quickly snapped out of his trance as the loud ringing of the bell promptly brought him back to reality.

He hastily packed up his things and hurried out of the classroom, eager to meet Yuto for their daily walk home.

Sprinting, he practically flew down the stairs and out of the entrance to the building, only coming to a halt when he spotted Yuto leaning nonchalantly against a lamppost, its dim orange glow proving no match for the now pitch-black sky above.

Yuto immediately spotted him despite the poor lighting in the area and gave him a friendly wave before beckoning him over.

Yuya jogged on over as Yuto coolly walked towards him, the two friends opting to meet halfway.

"Yuto!" Yuya exclaimed as he slapped his friend on the back, his arm remaining there for a little longer than he'd intended.

"Hey Yuya," Yuto smiled heartily, both boys beginning to walk in the direction of their flat. "How was class?"

Yuya made a dissatisfied noise and placed his hands behind his head, his lips forming into a slight pout.

"That bad?" Yuto laughed as they turned a corner, the surviving street lamps becoming sparser.

"It's not that it's bad," Yuya explained, "it's just that theory and writing isn't my style, I want to be out there entertaining people, making them smile."

"You never change do you? You won't stop till the whole world is smiling." Yuto let out another chuckle.

Yuya scratched the back of his head in embarrassment. "I sure won't!" he replied, before shifting the conversation Yuto's way. "What about you? How did your lectures go?"

"Pretty standard, although I did get set a paper on the extent to which Venetian influences had an affect on the sack of Constantinople in 1204."

Yuya shook his head in disbelief. "I still can't believe you're doing a course in Medieval history, you're crazy… and way smarter than you let on!"

"Gratias tibi ago," Yuto replied, looking a little smug.

"See!" Yuya shrieked. "You're even fluently speaking another language now!"

"Well you can never really speak perfect Latin, it is a dead language after all… and with how my course is structured I won't get to learn it for much longer."

There was a moment of silence before Yuto continued, embarrassment seeping into his voice. "But I am getting my professor to give me extra lessons on it."

Yuya wanted to laugh at how much of a teacher's pet Yuto actually was, but he could see how proud he was of what he was doing, and he didn't want to hurt his feelings. Plus, he couldn't help but think how cute it was that Yuto was such a secret nerd, especially considering how cool and detached his exterior was.

"Yuto that's super awesome!" Yuya exclaimed, his enthusiasm catching his friend a little by surprise. "You'll be fluent in no time! You'll be teaching me next!"

It was Yuto's turn to nervously scratch his neck, his face turning a little pinker.

"Maybe one day," he smiled warmly, his hand dropping back to his side.

As Yuto did so, his hand brushed Yuya's, their fingers touching for the briefest of moments.

Yuya felt a fleeting warmth at the tips of his fingers, a tingle that made his stomach flutter and his heart beat a little faster.

He carried on walking, as if nothing had happened, but inwardly he was wondering why that had made him feel so strange.

He didn't have time to dwell it on though as the two boys turned for the final time on to a long stretch of road that had almost no streetlights. It was the final leg of their journey, just beyond this lay the block of flats they called home, in an area that made this one look like Hell on Earth.

This street had been the epicentre of the fighting on the north side of Heartland, a crucial roadway that had great strategic significance for both the armies of the Fusion and Xyz dimensions. The route it provided to the city's centre and the outlying concrete buildings that flanked each side of the road had proved to be decisive in the battle that decided the northern front. It was only through its near total destruction that the Fusion dimension had managed to overrun and capture it.

Yuya and Yuto both shuddered, images of the war flashing across their minds.

Yuya was scared. Very scared.

Part of the reason he enjoyed walking home with Yuto so much was that he felt safer having someone with him when he walked this street. Yuya didn't know if he knew how petrified of this place he was, but he tried not to let on.

Yuto looked at Yuya and took a step forward out of the safety of the streetlamp that lit this corner.

"Once more unto the breach," he half joked, seeing Yuya's panicked expression.

When Yuya still didn't move, Yuto held out his hand.

Yuya swallowed hard. He didn't know what to do.

He really wanted to take Yuto's hand, to feel safe and protected, but he didn't want to look like a child in front of his best friend. Plus, was he really serious about holding his hand the whole way? They had walked this street plenty of times after all (but never in total darkness).

Yuya bravely took a step forward instead and set his sights on the single streetlight that had survived Fusion's bombardment, its damaged bulb glowing intermittently as it swayed slightly in the wind. It was situated in the very middle of the street… a long way from they currently stood.

Yuto immediately retracted his hand and began walking ahead.

Was that a look of disappointment Yuya had seen on his face?

He couldn't tell, and not wanting to get left behind (not that Yuto would ever do that), he hurried after his friend.

They walked in silence, their footsteps echoing around the deserted street.

Yuya walked a few feet behind Yuto, never letting the boy out of his sight.

All he could see was Yuto's outline, the streetlamp too far away to cast shadows but close enough to be able to see his silhouette.

They were getting closer, but Yuya was becoming more and more uneasy.

"We'll be there in no time," Yuto called out from just in front of him, as if he somehow sensed his fear.

As they neared the faint light of the streetlamp, Yuya heard something.

It was a strange shuffling noise, almost as if someone was trying their best to conceal the sound of their footsteps…

Yuya's panic spiked and he really wished he'd taken Yuto's hand.

It's just the wind, he thought, trying to reassure himself.

He pressed on, Yuto's silhouette becoming much more defined as they approached the dim light. He could see him much more clearly now.

He breathed a sigh of relief and decided to take a look over his shoulder whilst continuing to walk cautiously.

Nothing but blackness.

Yuya's shoulders relaxed. Maybe they were going to be fine aft-

Yuya's shoulder suddenly hit something hard, his whole body bouncing back as he realised he must have walked into something.

His head span around to see what it was, his shoulder and chest still throbbing at the sharp pain.

It was Yuto.

He was stood, almost frozen in place, at the very edge of the arc of light that the lamp provided. He was looking directly ahead, as if he was unware that Yuya had just walked right into him.

Why was he stopping? Yuya thought, tentatively coming out from behind Yuto's shadow to get a better view of what he was looking at.

Yuya instantly regretted wanting to find out.

Beyond the light, directly in their path, stood a figure.

He was tall, much taller than them, and from what Yuya could make out, he was wearing a large black hoodie to cover his face.

The worst part, the part that made Yuya's stomach knot and twist in fear, was that he was holding a knife.

Its long blade glinted in the partial light of the streetlamp, the handle tucked firmly into the man's long sleeve.

Yuya quickly looked at Yuto, his bottom lip beginning to tremble at the thought of them never getting off this street alive.

Yuto on the other hand, looked quite calm considering the situation. His expression appeared impassive, almost laid-back, and yet it was still serious, with his brow permanently furrowed revealing his concern.

How could he be so calm?

It was true Yuya had seen combat during the war but this was completely different. During the war they had acted out of necessity, out of compulsion to stand up and fight for what was right. This was something else though… They were unarmed and defenceless, without duel disks and without weapons, facing an unknown threat.

Yuto had seen action too before merging with Yuya, but he sure as hell hadn't mentioned experiencing anything like this before.

The man began to creep forward slowly, brandishing the knife in front of him in a deliberately revealing manner, as if to make sure the boys knew exactly what he was holding.

Yuya was frozen to the spot, fear gripping him tightly.

Yuto suddenly spoke up, his voice firm and unwavering, "Get behind me."

Yuya stood staring at Yuto, his face a picture of fear and disbelief.

"Do it Yuya, I'm not going to let this guy hurt you."

A spark went off in his chest at hearing Yuto's words. Tears began to form at the corners of his eyes as he realised how much he must mean to Yuto for him to do this.

He wasn't just protecting him, he was putting his body and life on the line in the slim hope that Yuya might survive.

Yuya bit his trembling lip and scurried back behind Yuto.

Behind his slim frame Yuya now felt safe, his fear assuaged by feelings of affection and gratitude.

The spark in his chest was only growing in intensity too, Yuto's chivalrous act of selflessness bringing back the same fluttery feeling he'd experienced earlier when their hands had touched.

Again though, he couldn't focus on the feeling as their would-be assailant was almost directly in front of them.

Peering over Yuto's shoulder, Yuya still couldn't make out the man's face. It was well concealed beneath his hood, as was his intention he presumed.

The man was almost a couple of metres away when he finally stopped, knife almost within swinging range of Yuto's face.

Yuya still couldn't discern any kind of detail from the man's well-hidden features. The only other thing he noticed about him was that he wore some kind of bandana wrapped around his lower jaw to mask his face.

The man tilted his head up and twirled the knife between his fingers, revealing a pair of dull brown eyes that glared daggers right through Yuya.

For a moment they just stood there, the man twirling his knife menacingly as Yuya trembled behind Yuto, the Xyz user gallantly standing his ground.

It was only when Yuya tried sniffing back some tears did the man speak, his voice hoarse and dry, but with an uneasy confidence to it as if he'd done this before,

"Nice night for a stroll, wouldn't you say?"

He stopped spinning his weapon and gestured around him chauvinistically.

Yuto was having none of it. His voice caught Yuya by surprise and gave him another warm protected feeling.

"Leave us alone!" he shouted back angrily, his voice never breaking or showing any sign of doing so.

"Now where would the fun be in that?" he replied threateningly, his tone mocking.

The man chuckled a little and took a few steps forward, his weapon now pointing right at Yuto's chest, it's point almost prodding at his jacket.

Yuto didn't move, he didn't even flinch. Yuya on the other hand was crying once again, a constant stream of tears rolling down his cheeks and onto the street below. His face was a picture of terror and despair, mostly for fear of his own life but also for that of his dear friend and now protector, Yuto.

The man again spoke, his tone just as mocking,

"Tell you what," he laughed, pulling the weapon up to Yuto's face and pressing it to his cheek. "If you hand over your wallet right now, I'll let you live."

Yuto again didn't so much as flinch… until the man spoke again, pushing the knife slightly over his shoulder to gesture at Yuya.

"But your boyfriend over there might not be so lucky..."

Yuto suddenly erupted into a fiery fit of rage, his cool demeanour shattering at hearing the man's threat on Yuya's life.

"NOOO!" he roared, grabbing the man's arm from his shoulder and pulling him towards him till their head's collided.

Yuya could only stand there, astonished by Yuto's bravery.

He heard a metallic clang as the knife hit the floor, and then the sickening crack of their heads meeting.

Both Yuto and their assailant staggered back in a daze, stunned from the impact.

"Yuto!" Yuya clamoured, adrenaline briefly taking over. He grabbed Yuto under his arms, trying his best to keep his friend on his feet.

The man wasn't finished with them however.

He groaned and staggered forwards, completely incensed by Yuto's audacity.

"Y-Yuya please, get back get back," Yuto cried still dazed, shrugging him off and taking a step back towards their assailant.

Yuya backed off. He felt so weak and powerless, and yet at the same time he could feel Yuto's desire to protect him, emanating from his body and lovingly wrapping him in a blanket of safety and assurance.

The man lunged forwards swinging his fist, his movement slow and heavy due to the shock.

Yuto, despite looking as rattled as Yuya had ever seen him, reacted quickly.

He swiftly ducked under his flailing arm and prepared to counter.

Using his smaller stature, he kept low and unleashed a fierce uppercut, catching the man square in his jaw.

He faltered, teetering and wobbling around the road as if he was completely drunk.

Eventually he stumbled backwards and tumbled to the ground.

Yuto immediately saw their opportunity and bellowed at Yuya, "RUN!"

But he couldn't.

His body was screaming for him to run, to take the opening that Yuto had made for him, but he couldn't take his eyes off the man that lay in the middle of the road.

He could have killed them.

He would have killed them, if it wasn't for Yuto.

Yuya just stood, staring, his fear completely inhibiting his ability to think straight, let alone move. Along with being terrified, he was also strangely curious as to how someone could become like this, how they could become such a savage and careless being, willing to take a life over something as meagre as a wallet.

"Yuya we have to go, now!"

He still couldn't move, his legs turning to stone as their attacker began to stir on the ground in front of them.

"I-I-I can't," he stammered quietly, his body refusing to let him escape.

Yuto ran over and quickly took Yuya's hand in his own, taking him completely by surprise. The warmth of his touch was so tender that Yuya could feel his counterpart's empathy and compassion for him, almost as if the contact itself was allowing him to feel his emotions… was this because of the bond they had previously shared?

He didn't have time to find out as Yuto physically pulled him up the road till they were both stumbling, hand-in-hand, into the darkness.

Once Yuya's legs had started to move properly, the adrenaline finally doing its job, they sprinted as fast they could, never letting going of each other's hand.

After a good ten minutes or so of spirited but exhausting running, they eventually came to the block of flats where they lived, its bright neon lights welcoming them as they staggered breathless into the stairwell.

They'd made it.

The realisation hit Yuya like a speeding bullet, the happiness it brought knocking him to his knees. He was sobbing uncontrollably, his fingers still entwined with Yuto's.

Yuto let go of Yuya's hand and knelt down to his level.

He placed his hand on his shoulder to reassure him. "It's alright Yuya, we made it, we're okay."

Yuya's arm crossed his chest and he grabbed at Yuto's hand, his crying becoming muffled as he wept into the fabric of his own shirt sleeve, his forearm soon soaked with his tears of happiness and trepidation.

"T-Thank you… so much," he whimpered, gripping tightly at his hand. "I'm so so sorry."

His crying slowed as a slew of apologies came spilling out of him all at once. "I'm sorry for taking us down that road, I'm sorry for not being able to help, I'm sorry for being usele-"

"No, don't be sorry," Yuto interrupted, "it isn't your fault, none of this was."

Yuya sniffed and choked back some tears. "But I was useless, you could have been killed."

"Yuya look at me."

Yuto pushed his arm down and gently pulled the boy's chin up with his thumb and forefinger.

Yuya felt a wave of heat quickly spread across his face at the touch, Yuto's compassion seeping through his fingers and massaging his mind with a love and affection he couldn't help but smile at.

Their eyes met. Yuya was struggling to see through his red and stinging eyes, but he could make out Yuto staring resolutely back at him, his benevolent gaze as strong as the steel that coloured his attentive eyes.

"You have nothing to be sorry for, okay? Being scared is natural in a situation like that-"

"But you were so brave! I couldn't even run when you told me too…"

"No Yuya, you were brave. I grew up in a place like this before the war, so I've seen this kind of thing before." Yuto pulled his fingers away and stroked Yuya's cheek softly.

Yuya smiled weakly at Yuto's praise and squeezed the hand that was still on his shoulder.

"But I need you to be braver for me now okay?" Yuto's voice was firmer now. "I need you to try and forget about this, to not let it get to you… okay?"

Yuya nodded in reply.

"And most of all… I need you to keep smiling."

Yuya couldn't help but beam back at him, the force of his words compelling him to do so. Yuto really was one of a kind.

After a long pause Yuya asked a question of his own, catching Yuto a little off guard. "Why did you go so far to protect me when you could have just ran?"

The Xyz user blushed slightly and thought for a moment about his response.

"Because…" he replied, "You mean so much to me… I couldn't bear to let the world lose the light of your smile."

Yuya's face flushed a crimson red and his heart fluttered as it had done at Yuto's touch.

Emotions and feelings were stirring deep within him, and for a split-second he felt drawn to Yuto like never before, an attraction that he'd considered but only dismissed in the past.

Yuya just smiled nervously, evidently flustered by Yuto's admission and his own feelings.

What was this? he thought to himself. Did he really have a crush on his best friend? Or was this just a response to the protection Yuto had afforded him during their plight?

Yuto rose to his feet and pulled Yuya up with him, taking care to not to pull him too hard or too quickly.

"We better get upstairs," he said casually. "We have a lot of reading to do for our assignments."

Yuya just smiled and nodded, but as Yuto was walking away he grasped at his hand, desperate to feel his warmth again.

He turned and smiled a wondrously warm-hearted smile and continued onwards with Yuya, hand-in-hand.

Yuya walked silently beside him, a contented but curious expression etched onto his face.

He glanced down and stared at their interlaced fingers, remembering just how he'd felt when their hands had brushed for the first time. He'd had similar feelings all night.

He remembered the heat in his chest, the fluttering of his heart, the tingling in his fingers…

Was this… love?