Smile and the World Doesn't Smile with You
A Yu-Gi-Oh! Arc V oneshot
Summary: Yuya wasn't foolish enough to be brainwashed by Roger, but he was foolish enough to fall into his ideal world. Based on the events of 81, 87, and 88.
Disclaimer: None of the characters depicted in this work belong to me, but to TV Tokyo, NAS, and all other parties affiliated with the production of Yu-Gi-Oh! Arc V.
The only sound that could be heard was the sniffling of a small child. Otherwise, it was quiet. Too quiet. Just like that other time, when the unknown, destructive power had awakened.
But, different than last time, he was fully aware of what he had done. And he didn't care. If it meant achieving smiles and security for the rest of the City, it was okay. If it meant saving his comrades from the Underground, it was fine.
If it meant protecting her, it was more than enough.
"Th-The winner is Sakaki Yuya! In a bitter life or death duel, the one our King defeated overcame all the odds and defeated Crow Hogan!"
Yuya stood, his face contorted into a sad smile. As his opponent struggled to hoist himself on both his feet after having fallen to the ground at the end of the duel from the final impact, he watched. He continued to observe, as if waiting for his opponent to physically strike him, to pummel him senseless at any moment for what he had done to him. Not out of fear but it was as if . . . as if Yuya almost wanted this violence, this atrocious, brutal action to be done to him.
He just wanted this pain to end. But he couldn't show it. He could only smile. It was what he was programmed to do. He prayed for his opponent to sense his thoughts and carry out his wish. But his opponent only looked at him with those pathetic, accusing eyes.
Those accursed eyes. The eyes that reminded him of the past, of the destructive past.
"Y-Yuya."
He breathed.
"Crow."
As if on cue, two muscled men donning white hats and green uniforms appeared and grabbed Crow by the arms. He made no attempt to resist, staring only at Yuya the entire time. He winced as the two men tightened their grip on his wrists and his shoulders to make sure he didn't escape the fate of those who lost in the Friendship Cup. But he didn't drop eye contact. Neither did Yuya.
"Yuya . . . why? I thought we were friends." Crow looked down at the ground and closed his eyes, biting his lower lip. "Why did you –"
"Let's go, buddy," one of the muscled men barked, tightening his grip, causing the criminal mark-scarred young man to release a restrained grunt.
"Yuya!"
Crow and Yuya's eyes met again, Yuya's expression unchanged. The young boy turned his back on his former friend, the one who's very life he threatened during the duel, and said, "Weren't you the one who said 'Cherish your comrades?'"
Crow gasped. "Yuya . . ." A fit of sorrow overtook him as he tried to release the grip of the two burly men to get to the young boy. "Yuya, listen to me –"
"I believe that's enough from you, Crow Hogan," an authoritative voice rang out.
"Roger! You bastard, what did you do to Yuya?" the young man once again made a lunge toward the boy and the director but was held back. Roger only stared at him for a moment before shifting his gaze to the sky and commanded, "Take him away to the Underground, please. And make sure he does the heaviest labor."
"Sir!" the men replied, using all their force to keep Crow in place, causing him to cry out in pain.
"Yuya! Yuya, snap out of it! Please! Yuya!"
Roger placed a hand on Yuya's shoulder and smirked as the young boy, clutching his D-Wheel helmet with his right hand, watched his former friend disappear from his line of vision, out of the duel stadium, to the underground. Never to see daylight ever again.
One man in the audience broke the silence in the stadium, "Not just Shinji, but Crow too? You monster! You dog of Tops! Go to hell!"
Shouts and jeers and boos replaced the silence in the stadium, causing the arena of friendship and acceptance to be a den of malice and hatred. All directed at Sakaki Yuya. Jean tightened his grip on the boy's shoulder and he promptly obeyed and turned, facing the path to the Public Maintenance Bureau. Their empty, baseless words didn't matter to him. The only words that mattered came from the mouth of Jean Michel Roger.
In the midst of all the chaos, he heard, coming from the front row, a small cry. His grip on his D-Wheel helmet loosened and he looked toward the source of the noise.
It was Crow's kids.
With those eyes.
Those accursed eyes.
Yuya quickly broke his gaze, gripping his D-Wheel helmet tightly again. Roger, noticing the boy's fluctuating behavior, inquired, "Is anything the matter, Yuya?"
Yuya closed his eyes. He thought of Crow, the kids he took care of. He thought of their smiles and how happy they seemed despite their circumstances. He thought of Shinji and his biting accusations that were true all along. He thought of Tokumatsu and his wide smile.
He envisioned his father and his mother, smiling and laughing together for the first time in three years. He envisioned Principal, Ayu, Futoshi, and Tatsuya laughing and carrying on. He envisioned Sora, Tsukikage, and Kurosaki.
He thought of Reira and Reiji. Sawatari. Gogenzaka.
Her.
He bit his lip, fighting the lump in his throat and the tears forming in his eyes, but promptly replaced it with a forced smile and faced Roger.
"No, nothing. Let's go back home."