On the last day of exams the Yuma and Tori returned to the apartment to find Astral waiting for them. The next hour was filled with a lot of elation. Astral explained that he couldn't wait another day, so he left a day early.
A week later
Tori is checking their scores on the finals after breakfast while Yuma cleans the dishes, Astral hovers over her shoulder.
"Wow, you did a great job Yuma!" calls Tori. "You got 92%!"
"Yeah, that's great news!" calls back Yuma. "What did you get?"
"I got 94%!" answers Tori. All of a sudden the two near the computer hears the sound of metal utensils and a body hit the floor of the kitchen. Tori rushes in with Astral by her side. They see the silverware Yuma was putting into the dishwasher scattered on the floor and Yuma pushing himself onto his hands and knees.
"Yuma, what happened? Are you okay?" asks Tori franticly.
"No…. I'm not… alright," pants Yuma.
"Yuma, what is wrong?" asks Astral worriedly.
"Tori, help…. me to…. the couch," instructs Yuma. "I'll tell you…. on the way." As Tori slowly leads Yuma to the couch, with Astral so close he could touch the young man, Yuma tells them about #96's visit the night before the first test.
"Seeing no…. way out of…. it I agreed…. to his deal," finishes Yuma as he lays down on the couch, weaker than before, Tori puts a pillow underneath his head. "And now…. he's inside me…. Draining me…. of energy…. until who…. knows when." Tori runs back to the desk and looks through the piles of paper.
"What are you looking for Tori?" asks Astral.
"Yuma's golden key," replies Tori. "If we get it back on him it will drive Number Ninety-Six out of him."
"That will work," Astral slowly confirms. "But it will cause Yuma great pain. In order for Number Ninety-Six to drain Yuma of energy he needed to first connect himself to Yuma. The Golden Key uses light to expel darkness. If we use The Golden Key on Yuma it will tear Number Ninety-Six from his connection, which will inflict pain to Yuma. With Yuma getting weaker so fast I doubt he'll be able to take the pain. Our only options left is to convince Number Ninety-Six to exit Yuma's body of his own free will, or find another way to meet the same result."
"He's right that will drive me out of your dear lover, but it might kill him too," says #96's sneering voice. Astral and Tori looks to see a dark aura is surrounding Yuma.
"And what other way could there be?" continues #96. "I'm not leaving this body, so you just might as well say your goodbyes. There's nothing you can do except helplessly watch me kill your shining light. And then what else could I do, since I'll be at full power? Maybe I'll take over his empty shell of a body." As #96 says that last part the red and green markings he had appears on Yuma's face. Astral holds out his hand and a small ball of light forms in his palm. He lowers it to Yuma's chest and the dark aura recedes back deep in Yuma's body, but the markings remains on his face.
"Yuma, take hold of this," instructs Astral.
"What?" is all Yuma is able to say, as he takes the ball of light and holds it to his chest.
"It's a bit of my light," explains Astral. "This will bide me time to find that third option."
"You mean, you know how to painlessly get Number Ninety-Six out of Yuma," says Tori.
"Maybe," responds Astral. "It was only a rumor, and I don't know how helpful it will be with this. But what choice do we have?" Then he turns to Yuma.
"Yuma, I'm going to be gone for a while," says Astral. "Just hold that bit of light close to you. Once this is all over I would love to keep high-fiveing the sky with you. All I ask of you in return is for you to keep feeling the flow despite this situation."
"Do you…. even need…. To ask?" replies Yuma weakly with a smile. Astral quickly smiles back before flying through the window to the clearing where he left the airship. He took off so fast it sent an earthquake through Heartland.
