It's been forever since I wrote a Zexal fic, and this is more or less my departure from this site. I started with Zexal, now it will be the end point, too, so I hope you enjoy a little college fic with Astral and Yuma. It was nice writing for you all again.

I pick at my meal with my bent fork.

My college dorm is small and humid, but it's relatively tidy besides my table, where I sit with a mediocre bowl of rice before me. On its surface, there's a box of Cap'n Crunch, my textbooks, and the key. It's not the gleaming gold key I once wore, though. It's only my door key; lifeless and starting to rust. I make a mental note to clean the table before Astral gets here.

The time ticks slowly along. I can't choke down my rice fast enough.

I haven't seen Astral for six months, and likewise, I haven't had a duel for that long, besides the occasional one in the dining hall with Dextra. It didn't have the same bright elation as it once had. Maybe that was because we had nothing but our cards and the table, and Dextra always had to leave early for the classes she took for her Masters degree. My deck is still collecting dust under my C+ papers.

He doesn't introduce himself or give me time to throw my rice back in the fridge. Astral floats through the door. It's just like him, and I don't know why I expected anything else, but I'm sure I look like a wide-eyed fool staring at him in shock. Then again, he probably remembers me that way.

"Hello, Yuma. It has been quite a while," he says in that spacey voice of his. His mismatched eyes lock onto my rice. "I see you're eating well." I can't tell if that's sarcasm or not. He doesn't know how bad I am at cooking, and I'm going to keep it that way.

"Hey, Astral. It's good to see you again. Where have you been?" I ask.

He doesn't answer that question. "You don't sound too good. Your voice has gone funny like Kite's or Quinton's."

"I'm not as bad as Quinton," I argue, and since I don't know how to explain growing up to a man who never has to, I lie. "I'm sick."

"That is a shame, Yuma. I was hoping you were up to getting together with everyone again."

I don't know what to say to him. Once I started college, I lost contact with most of them. I don't talk to them on a regular basis. I even had a bad argument with Kite, and he's been ignoring me for the last three months because of it.

Astral drifts around my dorm. "Are you well enough for a duel?" he asks. "You still have Utopia, I assume." He swipes my deck from beneath a paper for one of my electives and thumbs through it. He doesn't find Utopia or its derivatives. "Yuma! You didn't throw it out, did you?"

"No, no! I-" I leap from the table and dart into my room. I bring out a picture frame. "See? All of them are framed. I keep them on my bedside table as a keepsake. I wouldn't throw them out; you know that!"

"Beside your bed? You can't duel with them that way."

Damn it. He's going to find out that I don't duel.

I change the topic quickly. My heartbeat pounds in my ears. "I got you a gift."

Astral's eyes widen and a grin graces his lips. "You didn't have to do that. You know I'm happy to see you."

I avert my gaze and hand him a small pack of cards. In reality, I didn't pick these up with Astral in mind. I bought the pack at the convenience store because they wouldn't split my bill without a purchase that could give me change. He gazes over the words STAR PACK on the front. I can tell he's mildly impressed. I still can't watch him directly as he opens it and looks over the cards.

"Thank you, Yuma. I sadly didn't realize I was supposed to bring a gift."

"You brought yourself," I mutter. We stare at each other and laugh quietly. "You know what I mean!" I pick up my bag and stuff a few papers into it. "It was good seeing you again, you know."

"Are you on the way out?"

"I have class in five minutes. You're welcome to join me, but I don't know if you'll like it."

"Class. Of course. Should I stay here?"

"I have classes until the night. You can stay, but I'll be gone for a while."

Astral frowns. "I have to go back before then."

I reach the door and gaze at him one more time. "We should do this again sometime," I say halfheartedly. He nods. As I lock the door behind me and head off to my class, I can't help but wish that I had more time to relive the old memories and try to feel the same old feelings, but I know that it wouldn't be the same. Even now, everything is different. I can't recreate the old times.

I can only hope to remember them.

Thank you, Zexal fandom, and Kagepro, Vocaloid, and Pokemon fandoms for accepting me here. I still see reviews come in sometimes, and I promise I read them and smile, and I recall the days where I only had half an hour on the computer each day to write, and when I used to find happiness in this community.

Back in the day I spent so much time here even though I didn't have the slightest clue of how to write or what people wanted to see. It made me happy nonetheless.

Sometimes I revisit this site to take a trip through memory lane. Going forward, I won't be able to lay more bricks on this particular path, but there's always room to look fondly on the ones that have been placed before (no matter how chipped they are sometimes).

Please accept this one shot as a token of this sentiment.