What Is a Family?
I always wondered if Astral had a family. After a lot of thinking, this little fic came into my mind! Enjoy!
Yuma cheered in success after he had defeated a Number Holder spraying strange graffitis all over town. The Number Holder himself was sprawled on the ground in unconsciousness. Astral looked at the newky collected Number Card in his hand, which proved that the man was indeed possessed by Number 84: Dream Eater.
Who know that a Number could be powerful enough to enter someone's mind and invade dreams? Number 84, Dream Eater, you consume people's hopes and dreams. Did you eat this Duelist's dreams? Hopefully not, thought Astral.
"Oy, Astral!" called Yuma, snapping Astral out of his thoughts and making gestures. "Come on, lets go on home! Grandma's making honey chicken tonight!"
Astral nodded in concur, then said, "I hope you do not mind, but I need what you call, alone time, during dinner. I have a lot to think about, Yuma."
"Eh, it's fine with me!" replied Yuma.
Later…
Astral released Number 84 from his hands and let it be with the other Numbers. So far, many more Numbers had been gathered since the World Duel Carnival ended. However, something was really bothering Astral. He couldn't get that thought to leave his mind.
"I remember when I went to the park yesterday with Yuma, Kotori, and Tetsuo. While they were playing a sport called basketball, I saw a child with dominant humans. What were they called? Parents…. that boy was with his parents, and he looked like he was having fun," reminisced Astral.
Astral quickly grabbed Number 84's card and stared at the image intensely. The monster itself was anthropomorphic pink cloud pretending to be cute. Dream Eater was actually a vicious monster when attacked, and it used a cute appearance to trick its enemies. "Number 84, I should be regaining a memory-" Suddenly, Astral felt a strange feeling enter his mind as he held the Number Card.
Astral yawned as he woke up from his sleep. His eyes started to flutter as he tried to move his arms and legs. However, he felt restrained. The curious baby Astral Being looked at his surroundings. He noticed that the walls in his room was decorated with midnight blue paint, accompanied by sticky glow-in-the-dark stars. His name was painted on the wall above his crib in the Astral World language. The child looked up to find a green-skinned female Astral Being. She had a tiara on her head, accompanied by a royal red cape with a fur collar. She had a blue eye color in her left eye, whilst her other was white.
Standing next to her was a male Astral Being with blue skin. A crown rested on his head, but it was a very different style. The crown looked like a simple gold crown, and different colored jewels were embedded in it. He looked like his son, but a bit more aged, and had the same eye colors as Astral.
"Ashtarth, isn't Astral adorable?" said the female alien.
"Zohina, I couldn't be more proud of you, Luneth, and his new little brother!" concurred the male Astral Being.
Suddenly, a knock was heard at the door to Astral's room. A voice spoke up, "Your majesties, Prince Luneth had gotten lost looking for Astral's nursery. I have found him in the garden, and he is with me."
When the servant was referring to Astral's parents as majesties, well….. They were the king and queen of the Astral World! It's hard to believe, but Astral's parents are the rulers!
"Very well, Makito, you and Luneth may enter, but don't be too loud!" responded King Ashtarth.
Makoto, the servant, opened the door. Behind him stood a small green Astral Being. He looked like a mix of both of his parents, with his mother's green skin and similar appearances to his father. He was only four for an Astral Being his age. The little boy pulled on Makito's arm.
"There! There! Astral's my little brother, and I'm the big brother!" said Luneth excitedly.
Makito laughed, "I'm sure you will be a wonderful big brother to Astral. Don't be too rough with him, ok?"
"Uh huh!"
The servant than looked a the royal pair. "King Ashtarth, Queen Zohina, if you'll excuse me, I have other things to attend to," informed Makito, leading Luneth to his parents.
"Of course, you're dismissed. Carry on, Makito," approved Queen Zohina.
After Makito left, Luneth carefully climbed into the chair his mother sat in. Astral looked at his brother with his big eyes curiously. He stared at the bigger green Astral Being in front of him.
"Daddy, can I hold Astral?" asked Luneth.
Ashtarth nodded approvingly, so did Zohina. "Be careful with him, Luneth," said the king.
Zohina handed Astral (who was still in a bundle of blankets, but his arms were free) to an eager Luneth, holding out his arms. Once Astral was in Luneth's arms, Luneth was surprised by how heavy his brother was. "Oof! Astral's heavy, but I can hold him!"
Astral cooed happily in response and reached his arms. Luneth smiled and moved his face closer to his brother's. "Hi Astral! It's me, Luneth! I'm the big brother, and you're my little brother!"
Ashtarth and Zohina couldn't help but smile at their children. They got along so well.
"Zohina, I think Luneth is a wonderful brother to Astral, especially since they're both Princes," said Ashtarth in a pleasent tone.
The queen looked at her sons, them her husband. "Indeed, Ashtarth, indeed."
Astral snapped out his trance. He gasped in surprise to find himself back in the Key's subspace. The ethereal being panted in confusion and shock. "Was that Number 84's memory? Were those people my family? All I know is that my parents are some sort of authority figures, and I have an older sibling. I wish I could remember more of them," confessed Astral.
The next day, Astral retold Yuma his recent memory. At first, Yuma was skeptical, but as his partner continued to give a little more detail, he was putting a few things together.
"You think that your parents are the rulers of the Astral World, and you have an older brother?" asked Yuma curiously.
Astral nodded. "I know I have a family, but I wish I could remember them. I wonder if they miss me."