Drabble set between the end of episode 104, and when Yuya catches up with the main group in 105. Because really, the two of them need to discuss what happened… might be slightly AU. I might write more if something else happens that really speaks to me. (The muse is poking at a certain confession on Sayaka's part, but who knows?)

Regaining consciousness surrounded by rubble and reeking of smoke was, unfortunately, not a new experience. Being buried under said rubble was something of a novelty, however, and not a pleasant one. It spoke to how truly bizarre his life had become that instead of panicking and flailing his way free the second his eyes popped open like a normal person that he went completely still, ears straining for the tiniest whisper of movement, for any hint of possible Academia soldiers in the area.

Nothing. Heartland was silent as a grave, not even a hint of wind as far as he could tell.

Heartland is a grave, a giant necropolis, and you're currently buried in it. Get moving.

An unusually morbid thought, and one that he wasn't entirely sure was his, any more than he was sure that the overwhelming sense of :caution: was coming solely from his own mind. That lingering sense of guilt as he started moving rubble, however, he was pretty sure was bleeding over from somebody else.

"We need to talk, you know."

"…we also need to get out of this place, immediately. If they hadn't been so concerned with moving their Commander-In-Chief to safety, we would have already been carded."

The thought sent a spike of fear through Yuya's belly, as his unseen hitchhiker had known it would. "That's exactly what we need to talk about."

Point in Yuto's favor, he didn't try to dissemble or change the subject again. "For what it's worth, I'm sorry."

"No, you're not," Yuya retorted, struggling to keep his voice even when he wanted to scream the words. It was probably a wasted effort, there was no way that Yuto could miss the hurt and the anger roiling in his heart as he shoved loose rock aside to break out into the murky gray dusk of a Heartland sunset. "You're sorry you hurt me, I get that. But you're not sorry you did it in the first place, which is my problem."

"You weren't listening to me, Yuya! You didn't give me any other choice!" Yuto snapped, finally losing his composure.

"Choice? Choice?" Yuya snapped. "I made my damn choice, and then you took it away! That was the first real lead I've had in years, you had no right to take that away from me! How dare you?"

"You were going to get us both carded, Yuya! Or captured, which might be worse. Is that what you want? To be used as leverage against your father, or maybe the other Lancers? Or worse, turned into a lab experiment?" A memory, his own agony shared by Yuto's soul as he struggled to remain on his D-Wheel, Crow's voice fading out as that burning pit of hate and anger started to rise up in response to the agony coursing through his skull-

"Yuto!" Yuya gasped, flinching from the memory.

"…crap." Guilt and worry and a kind of mortified revulsion nearly swamped him. "I don't know if you'll believe me at this point, Yuya, but I swear I didn't do that on purpose!"

"I believe you," Yuya murmured, finally freeing his legs from the last of the rubble. "I can feel your sincerity… which is part of the problem. Your emotions, your memories, everything's getting stronger. And as I feel you, you feel me, right?" Yuto's lack of response aside from a strengthening sense of :guilt: might as well have been a full confession. "Which means you know exactly how it felt, when you stole my body." Losing control of his own body was another one of those things that shouldn't have been familiar and yet was, but here they were. That familiar, searing hate as Yuto's rage had bubbled up within him, but instead of the black tide of that other… whatever that darkness was, he'd merely been torn from his body, with a sensation like strings snapping. Left drifting, stunned and disoriented, trapped behind his own eyes as Yuto had taken control of the duel. Struggling like he drowning as Yuto's voice flowed from his lips and sound and vision started to darken, desperate to regain control. Terrified that he never would, and worse of all betrayed, because Yuto knew better than anyone else how terrifying it was to have your actions being forced by something beyond your control and he was doing this deliberately. "And then you did it again, and it was even easier the second time, wasn't it?"

:Horror: But not denial. "I really am sorry, Yuya."

"I'm still not hearing a promise that you won't do it again," Yuya grumbled as he started to pick his way back to the Resistance base, careful to stick to the shadows whenever he could. Stupid white uniform, might as well be wearing a target on his back – and that was another Yuto thought. Damnit.

"If I think your ideals are going to get both of us killed? Yes. I will." Revulsion and resolve coursed through him. "At least you'll be alive to hate me."

"I don't want to hate you!" Yuya shouted, if only to chase away the ghosts weighing on Yuto's heart. "I want us to work together. I thought we were working together! What changed that? Kaito?" Yuya didn't know how he could feel Yuto's flinch, but he did. "…You shouldn't blame yourself. You left to save Ruri, right?"

"…it was selfish…" Yuto murmured.

"It was human," Yuya countered. "Besides, I don't think there's anything you could have done to stop Kurosaki from leaving, and then he would have shown up in Standard, alone. That would have been a trainwreck."

"I think the words you're looking for are 'unmitigated disaster'," Yuto countered. "He caused enough pointless destruction and hurt enough innocent people as is." Yuto still didn't feel convinced. "…you should get moving. You can't linger here after shouting like that."

"…sorry…" Yuya mumbled, feeling the beginnings of a blush starting to burn across his cheekbones as he picked up the pace.

"You don't have to apologize to me, it's your neck on the line, not mine."

"But it is your neck on the line. We might not have asked for this, but we're stuck with one body between the two of us."

"If you're really sorry, Yuya, then how about you at least try to listen to me?" Yuto pleaded, exasperated. "Academia isn't like the other opponents you've faced. If you don't crush them, they will crush you, crush us. They're not the sorts of people that you can reach out to just with Dueling, if they have any hearts to reach out to at all."

"That guy…"

"You mean their 'Commander-in-Chief'? Yuya, I know he may have some leads on your father - and I really am sorry that we couldn't learn anything useful - but he also hates the man with a burning passion. Not to mention that he's the Commander-in-Chief of Academia's forces. You don't get that rank without combat experience. He's probably had to card hundreds of people to prove himself."

"…he thought I was a lost child. He offered to help," Yuya muttered as he ducked into an alleyway, blending into the shadows as best he could.

"Which just proves that he's a devious mass murderer. No doubt he was hoping that you'd lead him to more survivors… it wouldn't be the first time Academia's used such tactics."

"But what if he was sincere? What if he's like Sora, taken from his parents and brainwashed to follow the Professor's orders without question? Doesn't he deserve a chance to change?"

"Yuya…"

"I got through to Sora in the end. I got through to Jack. I could bring his smile back too."

"Sora lived with you for weeks. Befriending him – really changing his mind – that took a lot of time. You and Jack both wanted the same thing. That boy wants you broken at his feet, he's not going to listen to you…"

"…Kaito."

"…I'm sorry, what now?" Yuto asked, confused.

"That would be the logical first step in proving that things can work if we do them my way, wouldn't it? Besides, he was your friend, and you feel bad that you couldn't be here when he needed you. We should focus on getting through to Kaito first. There's a lot of things that need to get done to fix things in Heartland and that's… that's more important than chasing leads on my dad." It hurt, admitting that. More than he'd expected it to, even. But like clawing through rubble it was one of those things that shouldn't be familiar, and yet was.

"Are you sure about that?"

"Not really. I've pretty much been flying by the seat of my pants since I first Pendulum Summoned, why mess with what works?"

"I have some doubts about how well this is 'working'… but they can wait. You're coming up on the first patrol area, so now would be a good time to stop talking to yourself, unless you want everyone to think you've lost your mind."

"Speaking about losing my mind… we should practice. Later tonight," Yuya mumbled, his stomach flip-flopping at the very idea, but there it was.

"Are you honestly implying what I think you're implying?"

"That I might be willing to share the body? Yes."

"…you don't really feel sincere. Honestly, you feel like you might be sick to your stomach."

"I'll get over it. I don't want to be afraid of you." There was also the possibility that, if they actually practiced sharing the body, that he might be able to figure out how to keep the body the next someone tried to take it from him. Hopefully, I'll be putting that skill to use against the mysterious dark force trying to screw over our destiny, or that creep Yuri, and not Yuto.

"You really expect me to believe that you're going to forgive me that quickly?"

"I… I'm not sure. I want to forgive you. I want us to work together. But you stabbed me in the back today. If we do this, I want your word that you're not going to deliberately steal my body again. Possession via unknown forces or people messing with us Roget-style doesn't count."

"Yuya… that's…"

"Like you said, we're coming up on the sentries. Just think about it, okay?"

Before Yuto could come up with a reply, an explosion rattled the buildings and smoke started rising from less than a block away.

"Do you think that could be…"

"Academia? Almost certainly."

Argument put aside, if not completely forgotten, Yuya started to run, trusting Yuto's knowledge of the area to get them to where they needed to be. It was something of a relief to be back on the same page… and hopefully, they would stay that way.