CONTAINS SPOILERS FOR ZEXAL EPISODE 48

Okay...this episode...killed me. Watching it...I knew Astral was going to die even before I watched it, but even so...I cried while I watched it. Astral didn't deserve to die, and originally, I thought he'd actually given himself up for Yuma - in a way, he still did, but not the way I expected. I never though III would just kill him in cold blood like that. Honestly though, I don't blame III for what happened. It was Tron who gave him the power, and Tron's power corrupted his mind.

Anyways, I decided to keep this in Astral's perspective...it was hard to write the death scene. I don't think I did it much justice, but I tried my best. Because he died so early on in the episode, I didn't write about the full thing, even though he is featured in the second half during those flashbacks. (I did hint on those though)

As for whether or not I'm going to keep going with this...I'll have to wait and see. It depends on whether Astral returns or not - I can't very well continue an Astral perspective story without Astral.

And now to go to bed and vacation...waiting in agony for the next episodes and praying that Astral comes back T_T

Chapter 2: Forty Eight

"YUMA!" I screamed. Yet I still received no answer from him as I watched him below. I was relieved that he was sitting up at last, but with a look of pure terror on his face as he stared at III. He raised an arm in an attempt to protect himself, turning away in fright. I could do nothing but stare, still chained to the tower overhead, trying desperately to think of some way to get through to Yuma.

'I can't do that if he can't hear me. Screaming isn't going to help. I need a new plan.' III set a card, ending his turn. As Yuma continued to cower, his friends began to act, finally realizing that something was not quite right.

"What're you doing? It's your turn!" Tetsuo called to Yuma. I watched, silently praying that Yuma would listen to his friends. Maybe they could wake him up…after all some of them had known Yuma much longer than I had.

"Hey Yuma! Draw! Come on draw!" Tetsuo yelled as Yuma stood up slowly. He turned, a bit scared looking still, and put his hand on his deck. I couldn't hear his usually loud call – "Ore no turn! Draw!" He hesitated; hand still on the top card, before drawing slowly and lifelessly. I watched worriedly – was he going to keep playing? He looked at the card he had drawn, then back to the cards in his other hand, unsure of what to do. I watched anxiously. I knew exactly what he should be doing at this point – but did Yuma know it, was the real question.

'Even though his tactic is far worse than mine, he should know at least to summon a monster. Come on Yuma…you can do this…even without Kattobingu, maybe you still can win. I have already told you how to duel…if you could remember that…Yuma, please remember!'

Yuma lowered his arms. He spoke softly, but I could still hear it – the words I never thought I'd ever hear from Tsukumo Yuma.

"I will…surrender this duel…" I was sure my expression mirrored those of his friends – though they didn't realize what was happening.

'Yuma…you've completely lost the will to fight…I never…I never thought I'd see you giving up.'

III began to laugh wickedly. "You've become such a coward without Kattobingu!" I hated to admit it, but III was right.

'Yuma…you have to remember it…'

III continued to explain to Yuma's friends, who were evidently trying to find out what was happening. He held up his arm, the crest on the back of his hand glowing green again. I immediately tensed – that crest was never a good thing. Thankfully, he didn't strike to harm at all – in fact he did something that in a way worked to my own advantage. He made me fully visible. I could hear their mixed reactions, but my eyes were focused only on one person.

'Yuma…'

My friend looked right up at me, just for a moment. I saw no recognition in his eyes at all – I was a stranger to him now. I was an odd being chained to the top of a tower for no apparent reason. He looked down in sadness, obviously deciding that I could not help him in any way.

'I want to help you…I just don't know what to do…I can't duel for you.'

At that point, I really had lost my voice. I was pretty sure that Yuma's offer to surrender had stunned me speechless. I knew that screaming at Yuma, who obviously had no idea who I was now, would not help him at all. It would probably just scare him even more – we did not need that at this point.

"Yuma, I'm sorry but I can't accept your surrender. You will lose to me and have everything taken away from you!" III spoke up, drawing my attention back to the field as a whole. The part of me that could have been relieved was killed off by Yuma's automatic response of fear that was so unlike him.

I could only watch as III began his move, attacking Gogogo Golem with a monster that could inflict damage to Yuma's life points, even when it attacked a monster in defense position. Yuma was hit hard, knocking him down on his back. I watched in horror as III activated a spell card allowing a second attack from the same monster, destroying Gogogo Golem and inflicting even more damage to Yuma. Hearing Yuma's cries hurt. This was no longer a duel – it was a slaughter fest.

'I should be there with him…I should be helping him!'

With Yuma's last defense gone, and III's Machu Mache poised to attack, everything was going to end here. III was going to destroy Yuma for good – and he really would lose everything. All of Yuma's dreams: being the best duelist in the world, saving his father, winning the World Duel Carnival – all of it would be gone with just one blow. I watched as the dark sky opened, a giant fireball descending towards Yuma, who cowered in fear on the ground, waiting for the end.

'I can't let that happen!'

"Yuma…!" I managed to speak at last, drawing my attention back to the field - to Yuma, who was broken and scared; he was about to lose everything, and he didn't even remember how much he was going to lose.

'Yuma has a future…dreams, hopes, a life to live…I cannot let that die!'

I clenched my fists, focusing what little energy I had remaining – the crest had sealed most of it away. I did not have enough to free myself…but…maybe I had enough to free Yuma from it. That was what I needed to do. I needed to remind him of what he had forgotten.

"This…is my…last strength…!" I managed to gasp, focusing my energy – my power, my new memories, all that Yuma and I had ever had.

"Remember it! The Kattobingu!" I cried, releasing the energy in a straight beam right at Yuma, who had turned his attention to me at some point.

'We have fought many duels together, Yuma. We are a dueling team – you know me better than anyone else. And this is how I have seen you duel – you never gave up, no matter how tough the situation got. When you were knocked down, you always got back up again. That is your way of dueling…that is Kattobingu.'

Yuma sat up, looking at his hand, the incoming fireball forgotten completely as his mind began to sort through the new memories. I watched, waiting for him to get the message. He grabbed a card from his hand – the one I told him to summon – and played it. Gagaga Gardna– a monster that could be specially summoned when a direct attack is called. I watched him get thrown for a third time.

"Yu-Yuma!" I called in worry. 'Did it work? Is he free?'

My move had saved Yuma from defeat, though barely – his life was now at a meager 400 points. He lay on his back, barely in the duel. III was stunned.

"Impossible…how…?" Suddenly his eyes narrowed in anger. "So it was you Astral." He turned to face the tower.

"You really got in my way this time Astral!" He called as he unleashed the mark again. I felt it hit me, the green lightning from before returning angrily. The chains tightened, pressing me into the cold bricks and shocking my entire body. At first, I bit back my cries, keeping my teeth gritted to keep from screaming, but eventually, the pain just became too much. I was screaming, the lightning getting brighter and brighter, the chains were crushing me slowly.

'I had been hit in duels many times since I came to this world…I had been knocked down, pushed to my limits physically and mentally. I had stared at my hand, watching it fade away, helpless to do anything to stop the inevitable. I had been at death's door enough to recognize when it was coming to claim me. And I already know that Yuma won't be able to help me this time around.'

'I knew I was afraid of death. And yet…somehow I wasn't worried about me as much as I was about Yuma. At least if I die this way, Yuma won't have to lose everything, since he won't have lost the duel. He has a future still...even if I'm not there to see it.'

I could hear the tower crumbling around me, the bricks being crushed out of shape. I had stopped screaming – the pain was there, but somehow the screams just would not come. I was slowly being crushed to death – I couldn't breathe anymore.

"Disappear!" Came the call from below as III closed his fist.

I barely heard III's call, but I felt the increase in the pressure on my entire body as the tower was reduced to a single strip with me on it. My arms and legs were being squashed together. I knew it was the end.

"Yuma! Don't give up!" I screamed, barely managing to get out that one sentence before the pain caused me to lose my mind – words turned to incomprehensible screams of agony as the pain climaxed…gone.

Everything…was gone.

xxxxxx

Tsukumo Yuma stared at the tower in silence, eyes glued to the spot where a glowing human-like creature had once been, chained to the top of a now broken tower. There was nothing left – the entire thing had turned to dust, including the victim the crest had just claimed. Yuma barely registered the sounds of his friends screaming in the background.

'What is this?' He thought. He wasn't sure what was going on…but there was one thing he did know.

He had never felt so alone.