It's Halloween and everyone in Heartland is getting into the swing of things. Similar to Duel Monsters Spirit Day, everyone dresses up, and they dress up as monsters or as characters from movies and TV or others like mermaids, witches, vampires, without it all being dueling related. Though Ruri and her friends, Kite, Allen, Saya, Yuto, and her brother, Shay, all just dress up as monsters again. Or as some of the Ancient Egyptians that were some of the first duelists.
This year, Saya is dressing up as Spiria, Allen going as Dark Magician, Shay is going as a Cyber Dragon, the same as Kite and they are currently trying to find another so they can form Cyber End Dragon; and Ruri is going as Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon, Yuto's dragon. Ever since she and Yuto and their other counterparts were able to become themselves again so they weren't stuck as one-being with multiple personalities, Yuto hasn't been himself. He has become distant, Shay still being the person closest to him but even Shay still says Yuto is still being distant from him.
Ruri has always wanted to dress as Yuto's dragon ever since they met-the year of the invasion having post-poned both Spirit Day and Halloween-and she feels like now is the right time. She has a long dress like a witch's that is mostly black with the center being a blue color, pink lace, with purple slit sleeves that go from her wrists to her elbows, the rest of the sleeves being solid black. She is wearing wings with purple balls and a dark-purple almost black hat with blue horns.
The Heartland Halloween Party is taking place at Heartland Arena and parts of the city including the parks, and some of the businesses. Even Heartland Tower is going to be a part of the festivities.
Entering the tower (where the part is going to start before everyone is lead to the stadium) with her friends, Ruri looks in the crowd to see if she can see Yuto anywhere and actually get him to talk. She's the first person he started distancing himself from and she wants to know why. According to Saya, Yuto heard her that day in the streets during the early days of the invasion of what she said about dueling and has kept that with him.
And what she hears from Kite and Shay he is still bringing smiles to peoples faces when dueling, his heart being fully in it.
Then why won't he let himself be happy when he isn't dueling? Ruri thinks. And why is she the first person to receive his cold shoulder? As she looks around and not seeing any sign, Ruri is running out of places to check. (Unless she sends the boys in to the boys restroom to look for him.)
"Ruri," hearing her name, she turns and sees her brother coming her way.
"Brother. What is it?"
"Everyone is about to go outside to the stadium. Those who want to duel tonight are to stay behind while those who want to watch are to go to the bleachers. What is it?"
"Yuto isn't here and he would never miss a chance to duel! And with the way he's been recently. . . . I just don't know what to do. Principal Sakaki has told me to give him space, and I have but I'm worried about him. Even Yuya has told me that he feels something off with Yuto through their dragons but not even he fully knows what is going on with him."
Seeing Ruri frown isn't something Shay likes to see. She is also the optimistic one, even during the invasion she always kept her hope that one day things would return to normal even when all hope seemed loss. Before she was taken, Ruri's smile was the only thing keeping her friends going and after that, when Shay and Yuto left for Pendulum, everyone tried to remember her smile. It's what kept them going. Now her smile has been absent for while. Shay knows her fake and forced ones from her real ones.
He knows Yuto is going to hate him for this but he also knows that it has to be done. "Ruri, Yuto doesn't want me telling this to anyone else, but with everything that has happened with you two, I think you may be the only one who can help him. He's at the park, the one where you two spent the whole day dueling and saw each other's decks for the first time. Go and knock some sense into him. I'll try to save you two spots."
Ruri hugs her brother. "Thank you. And I'll be back with him!" She waves as leaves.
Arriving at the park Lulu looks around to try and find Yuto, see if he might be at a table, bench, or just dueling himself. (Something that he and Shay do that Ruri and the others do not fully understand.) She doesn't see anyone at any of those, but she does see a person laying in the grass, a card in their hand; getting closer to see the person, she hears him.
"Aren't we something, Dark Rebellion? You used to be used to bring smiles to people before Z-ARC went berserk and used you for evil, even merged with you. And here I am, a part of that demon. Sometimes I wish I was a human form of you, like Ruri is of En Birds. Then maybe when Z-ARC was defeated this time I could have just stayed a card and everyone that I know forgetting about me, forgetting that I was meant to bring harm and pain."
"Yuto." Ruri calls out after hearing him talk to his dragon.
"Ruri. . . . what. . . . what are you doing here?"
"I came to find you. May I sit with you?" Yuto gives her a hesitant nod. "Yuto, is everything all right?"
"I'm fine."
"Don't. Don't give me the cold shoulder. Don't push me and the others away."
"Why are you here, Ruri?"
She stares at him puzzled. "I told you, to find you."
"No. I mean what are you doing here, in Heartland?"
"You mean the original battle between Z-ARC and Ray that lead to her En Birds, En Flowers, En Winds, and En Moon merging with her as he did with his dragons and splitting into four."
Yuto nods. "Ruri, I'm part of Z-ARC as you are of Ray. Everything he did while the others and I were merged. . . ."
"That wasn't your fault. And no one blames any of you for that!"
"It doesn't matter. Z-ARC-us-I. . . . were just so consumed by the darkness. And while we were merged I could see people getting hurt, more people here. Heartland just becoming more of a wasteland than it had been. I wanted to fight it, fight Z-ARC but. . . ." Yuto just shakes his head. "I'm part of a demon, making me a demon."
"Yuto Kastle listen to me! You are not a demon. Yes, Z-ARC was but he became corrupt because the crowd just wanted more than he could give. Even if Z-ARC was evil before that, you aren't a demon. You and I grew up separately and you were a loner because your dad and you traveled a lot before coming back here. I've spoken with him and I know that you showed no signs of becoming evil and wanting to cause harm to people. You're Yuto, not Z-ARC, not Yuya, Yugo, or Yuri. You're my best friend along with being Shay's, Kite's, Allen's and Saya's. What Z-ARC did. . . . what he tried to do. . . . no one blames you, Yuto."
"Ruri. . . . "
"You don't get it. We don't see you as a part of Z-ARC and someone who wants to bring harm to anyone. We all love you and we're worried about isolating yourself."
"Things just aren't that easy. You and everyone else may have forgiven me but I can't even forgive myself. I tried to fight of Z-ARC with Yuya when we first merged, then with Yugo and Yuri but our strength wasn't strong enough. He still took over, and even then it was Zuzu who was able to get through to Yuya while Yugo, Yuri, and I were still consumed by Z-ARC."
"Let's duel."
"What?" Yuto looks at her.
"Let's duel. This isn't the Yuto I know and the only way I know to bring him back is by dueling him. If I win you come back with me and the others to the Halloween festival. If you win, I'll leave you alone and I'll tell the others to do the same."
Yuto doesn't like the sound of not having his friends around, but it is the only way to protect them in case Z-ARC finds another way to make comeback with him and his counterparts. Yuto smiles at her and accepts her challenge.
AN: What do you all think? Should I continue this? Also I've been thinking about doing with the other Dragon Boys and Bracelet Girls, but I want evened out but I can only picture Rin as the only Bracelet Girl with regretting stuff and Yugo trying to cheer her up.
Also I have this weird headcanon that if Ruri and Zuzu merged like Yuya and Yuto did then they'd been okay with being one while Serena and Rin didn't and tried to be themselves.
Okay, that's enough for today. Good-bye!