(Asked by No Name: How about one were Astral is struggling to understand a new emotion. So he goes to the source of said emotion: Black Mist.)
How long had he been contemplating the emotions that coursed through his body? It was so unique, making his nerves clench up in various parts of his body. Whenever a battle began, the male never used to feel his toes curl, feel his jaw lock in the suspense nor feel his shoulders become stiff whenever Yuma was injured during a duel. However, there was something else that beginning to bother the astral entity, and as he watched the rain fall, he attempted to recall whenever this new feeling occurred.
The male sighed and moved to put a hand to his chin now, humming in sheer thought as he remembered every sense he had. But there was just one problem about it all. In the meantime, Yuma let out a monstrous snore and moved around in his hammock, drool having slipped from the corner of his mouth. There was no way he was coming out of his deep stupor, but as he turned around in his bed, the glint of the Emperor's Key caught his gaze.
A stupid thought crossed his mind, for once in his life here with Yuma. For once, he proclaimed that a single thought of his own was...perpetually retarded. But...surely the idea would be at least somewhat helpful in this situation! Although it was a bad idea in the first place that even Yuma would get at him for, he needed to do something to understand this emotion, at least. It always happened around him anyway, so maybe he felt it too? Or would at least explain it.
Softly, Astral breathed in a lungful of air and let it out, furthermore contemplating on his not-so-healthy choice, but with a shake of his head, he let himself sink into the Emperor's Key that winked at him so stubbornly. It was clearly trying to draw his attention. The transition from the outside world to the key was the same as usual. Waves of force put pressure on the astral being's form, as if trying to shove him out with as much force as possible. But there was no such thing as 'defeat' for Astral. Not even in this as he pushed past the gates and looked over the airship.
The plain was as open as ever, the white sand below stretching out for endless miles to where it was a sea of soft dunes. The stars above twinkled faintly above him, as if to welcome him to this odd-end world that made him so attracted him to it. A sigh slipped through his nose before he looked at the golden airship, observing each rim, piece of texture and the overall shape of it. It was the same as before, but he needed questions from someone that would understand his question.
As soon as he slipped past the threshold of the dismantled ship, he immediately sensed the hearty glow of the other Number cards he had received. For a moment, Astral watched them glow, as if they were showing happiness. Perhaps it was because they were used to his presence here in this place? As he regained his usual stance of folded arms and crossed ankles, he watched them, a slender eyebrow raised in curiosity.
"You...are trying to tell me something?" A hurried mixture of warm whispers floated past his pointed ears, enveloping his thoughts almost immediately. And truthfully, it would've been the only thing he would've heard if was making sure to keep himself out of the musical trance. But he had other things to do right now, as his curiosity was getting the better of him by this point, but he stopped, mouth only partly open. One single voice caught his true attention, causing all Numbers to recoil.
"Oho~, look who is here!" Such simple words echoed from everywhere, and Astral felt it all crawl up along each limb. It ran over his arms and ankles, crawling up to a shudder along the arch of his spine and over the nape of his neck. Ah, yes. This was the effect that confused him so, but perhaps it was just the uncanny entrance of his double? But where was he!?
"I had a favor to ask of you," Astral stated, doing a slow 360 around himself to make sure the other wasn't clinging to his shoulder. No...nothing... A faint furrow in his brow proved that he was vaguely worried, even more so as that cool voice caressed his skin from all sides. There was curiosity coating the Number's throat and words, showing that Astral had gotten him interested.
"Oh~?" Warm air licked up the shell of his ear and Astral spun around. Nothing was there. "A favor for me? From the one who is oh-so mighty and capable of dueling the big baddies all by himself~?" Taunting words was what spilled forth from Black Mist's mouth, causing Astral to narrow his eyes. But he had to ask, and now was the most appropriate time.
"Yes. Will you hear me out, or continue playing this unnecessary game with me, Number 96?" The other's name was more of a threat than anything else. A low, melodramatic hum came from everywhere again, snuffing out the sound of the endless movement of the cogwheels beneath the airships surface. It wasn't a pleasant sound, considering he sounded so bored. "...Well?" A knot of impatience grew in the male's stomach as he waited, listening for that velvet voice.
Tendrils shot up from just below Astral's feet, grasping onto his slender ankles to keep him from moving. The male snapped his gaze downward immediately as he realized he couldn't move. Helplessness flooded his chest, and grew by the minute as a pair of familiar arms wrapped around his torso, pressing his back to someone's front. Not like Black Mist minded though. "Go on, little Astral~. What's this deal?"
"Favor," the entity corrected, feeling each appendage feel around his legs and hips, staying around there just to agitate him. "...Would...do you happen to know some emotions humans have?" Dark Mist tipped his head to the side, seeming to think for a moment. A smirk crossed his lips a few seconds afterward, the single lip curl making every hair on Astral's neck rise up without much of a problem.
"What sort of emotion~?"
"That's what I don't know," the light double muttered, glancing to the side. Another low hum echoed behind in sheer thought. So, the other was thinking? He supposed to that was a good sign for the time being, since it meant he was probably being either serious or extremely snotty. One of the two.
"So~, you don't know what it is, right? What sets you off?" Here is where Astral found a hard time in getting his tongue to move, the entire muscle feeling as heavy as lead. Hell, he even wondered if he was suffocating by this fair point. He knew it, but would he really be able to tell this one? It would not only decrease his pride, but the step he had over the Number would crumble very quickly. Dark Mist was soon taking note of his double's silence and a dark chuckle filtered through his lips. Fingertips pressed against the immobile duelists sternum, causing Astral to faintly move.
"I'm waiting~," he sang, quick to bite at the male's ear. Astral attempted to pull away from the other but those arms held on fast, wrapping themselves tighter around the male's shoulders, but because of this, Astral's heartbeat was immediately recognizable. It was going much faster than what it was supposed to, really.
Astral knew it too and spoke quickly, but it was with the word he didn't want. "You." His brain went into a fast-paced over drive, but despite how his mind was going at an impossible speed, trying to find something else to say, he knew he was right. His heart clutched in his chest as a pair of teeth slowly grabbed onto Astral's left earring and faintly tugged.
"Me, eh? ...This emotion, would you happen to know what letter it starts with~? Or maybe you've heard of it before?" This made Astral think, and for a moment, he remembered something Yuma had told him before. It was after a show that had ended. Yuma had been climbing into bed that night.
"Yuma?"
"Yeah?" Yuma looked behind him, one knee in the swinging hammock and the other barely still on the ground. A frown came to his face, seeing his best friend's face contorted in such confusion. He was staring at the T.V screen, causing Yuma to soon follow his gaze to the powered off device.
"Why is it that women and men embrace so much? I know it happens if they are trying to show comfort or are happy, but it seems different there." He tapped his chin, glancing off to the side for a moment, two-toned orbs thoughtful.
Yuma smiled, laughing lightly. "Well, it just means that they have a really strong feeling or bond between them. It means you like one another."
"But I already like you, Yuma." That clueless look that crossed Astral's face made the young duelist grin behind his pillow as he hugged it close to his chest, comfortable with the summer heat that made its way through the open window.
"Well, yeah, I know you do but what they have is what we call love."
"Love?" The word was foreign on the messenger's tongue, who soon managed to tip his head.
"It's like friendship. It lasts forever, but...it's different. You feel it in your heart. Forever."
"Astral~?"
The new voice brought him back from his stupor and he blinked slowly before licking his lips. Slowly, he parted his lips and breathed out the word with an oncoming sigh, to show his anxiety with just even thinking of voicing it.
"Love." Silence. It wasn't a silence that left everyone silent in a good, end of conversation pattern. This silent was ominous, specifying that the other was really thinking about this or completely stunned. Perhaps even again? The thought sent a chill up Astral's spine, but he waited patiently for the outcome. It couldn't be all that bad, right?
"What!? Love!?" The shock in Black Mist's voice made Astral strain to look at him from over his shoulder, lips parted faintly in wonder and in his own surprise.
"Yes. That is what Yuma told me." The silence that the other brought was surprisingly awkward for the astral being, who glanced away from those two-toned eyes that left heat on the back of his visible neck. Was it really so bad? Perhaps he should've re-thought it all out, seeing as Black Mist couldn't possibly feel the same towards him. But he at least wanted to know.
A pair of lips pressed against the nape of the male's neck, causing him to faintly jump in surprise. "If it is I that sets your heart off at such a pace, then what makes you think that it will help you in any way? It'll be just a hindrance to you~." A hand placed itself up over Astral's heart, and both of them could feel the speed increase.
"Do you know what I could do with you, Astral? Do you realize how much I can toy with your pure-coated mind with lies of betrayal? All I would think of is using you, just like how every duelist uses a card~." The more the Number spoke, the more his hands moved along Astral's front, grazing every crevice that he could find as Black Mist's breath coated the shell of his double's ear.
Astral knew that those words were true, lined with severe toxicity and caressing every inch of his being. It was an unnerving feeling, but it was not as bad as the sudden hot pain of his back hitting the floor of the airship. Those tendrils wrapped well around his slim ankles and wrists, keeping him down no matter how much he attempted to fight them.
"Look at you~." Astral looked up from the black snakes that kept him to the ground, eyes meeting up with those two-toned orbs of black and gold. "So weak and pitiful that it makes me more than satisfied." The male's face was above Astral's, full of amusement and with a crooked smirk that would send even Yuma running for a hot bath. Cold as ice it was…
"Let go of me, Black Mist." Despite the current predicament, Astral was incredibly calm, his eyes narrowing faintly as if to challenge the other. If he needed to fight his double, he most certainly would, without a single hesitation to keep him away from Yuma and destroying whatever he could.
Black Mist pulled away a bit to look skyward, a single finger dramatically tapping his chin in thought. A hum of thought resonated through his chest, as dark as ever. "Well~," he dragged, "if I was nice enough for once, I could probably say I might." He then looked down and that smirk returned. "But it never hurts to have a little bit of the sweetest things all to yourself, does it Astral?"
Said male kept a straight gaze at the other, unamused and not daring to withdrawal away from this bloodless fight. Seeing this still on the other's face made the dark-skinned double give something close to a growl before he snapped away and turned around in an almost childish way. Astral was relieved to feel those tendrils finally pull away from his skin and was quick to stand up in case the other tried anything. But he didn't.
"What a pity, Astral. You love me but I don't love you, and I don't think I ever will. But it's going to be on your mind for a very long time, isn't it?" Black Mist turned to look at the other but let his jaw hang as Astral was already out of the Emperor's Key. "H-HEY!"
The being didn't stay to listen to another earful of the other, not when he couldn't barely breathe from the coil on his heart. He didn't know what it was but…perhaps he would figure it out later. As he phased back into Yuma's world, he let out a sigh and turned to look out the window. The sun was rising already, leaving the sky to be cascaded in hues that were unexplainable. Something even he had never seen in his own world.
I'll be waiting… my little, Astral~. The voice that echoed in his head sent shivers down his spine, as if someone just caressed it with greedy fingers. Perhaps this possession was a sign of love in a sense? Maybe the other was doing his best to hide it? But he didn't need to worry about it now. No, he couldn't. Why?
Yuma's alarm was going off, and he wasn't moving an inch.
