Chapter 7: The Coming Storm
One day later…
…11:30pm.
Thirty minutes to midnight.
Yuya bit his nails anxiously and glanced up at the clock, his brow furrowed and his mouth dry.
When it didn't change after a few moments of expectant staring, he tore his eyes away to look elsewhere for a distraction, mentally cursing his impatience as he did so.
They would be heading out soon, very soon.
He lay back into the leather of the sofa in an attempt to relax, but he couldn't get comfortable.
The uncertainty that came with what lay ahead was eating away at him, and with all the time he had had (and still has) to think about how it was going to go down, he was beginning to doubt himself.
Over the past day and night, whenever he hadn't been distracted by Yuto's training, he'd only been able to think about what was going to happen at midnight. Every potential scenario had been played out in his mind, but each one always came with a set of questions that he didn't want to know the answer to. One of these questions came up over and over again, as if it overrode all of his other concerns.
What if… Yuto was killed?
It was a harrowing thought, and one that both frightened and motivated him. On the one hand he was more afraid than he'd ever been, with the thought of losing the one he loved causing his heart to stop with fear every time it crossed his mind. On the other hand, he didn't want to let Yuto down, he couldn't let him down if they both wanted to make it through this alive. For him, he was going to have to be strong and brave… and do whatever it takes to make sure he was safe.
Yuya started to lightly drum his fingers on the arm of the sofa, his duel disk quivering slightly at the movement of his wrist.
His hands were shaking.
He clenched his fists and looked back up at the clock.
11:33pm.
Taking a deep breath, he rose to his feet and tentatively walked towards Yuto's room, deciding to see what was keeping him.
They'd agreed to make for Hell's Highway at 11:35pm, and given how close by that actually was, Yuya hadn't thought it too good an idea, especially considering how explicit the instructions they'd received had been. Yuto, ever the planner, made the case that by getting there slightly earlier, they could get inside the head of their tormentor, potentially throwing him off guard.
They were already at a disadvantage with the location. It was seemingly chosen to try and unsettle them, either that or it had been chosen because of its significance to the three of them: It was the site of their first encounter all those weeks ago. The message hadn't exactly specified, but both Yuya and Yuto agreed that they would likely find its sender (and whoever else) at the very centre of the road, by its only surviving streetlamp, 'where it all began.'
Yuya approached Yuto's bedroom door and rapped his fist on it lightly. "Are you ready Yuto?" he called out after he'd done so, hoping that Yuto wouldn't notice how nervous he was when he inevitably opened the door.
He was doing a lousy job of hiding it. After knocking, his hand had involuntarily made its way back to his mouth, and he found himself absent-mindedly chewing on his nails once again. His hands still shook, giving him the look of a nervous puppy rather than an unyielding adversary like Yuto was.
The door was soon swung open by a relaxed looking Yuto, who smiled at him in a way that made Yuya remember why he was doing this, and who it was all for.
Yuya took a step backwards as Yuto closed the door behind him. He couldn't help but admire the way he looked, and the way he carried himself.
He was dressed in almost all black, with his formal shirt being the only exception, a dark shade of green. His faded black pants were smarter than usual, as if they'd been recently pressed. He'd decided against a tie from the looks of it (presumably for practical reasons), but that hadn't stopped him from wearing his faithful jacket to complete his usual look, its back sweeping behind him like a cape. He wore it with grace and poise, as if he was meant to wear it.
Yuto calmly tightened his duel disk and checked his deck holster before looking back up at Yuya, eyeing him from head to toe.
Yuya felt a little embarrassed under Yuto's watchful eye, especially given how he looked in comparison. He… didn't exactly look intimidating in the same way Yuto did. His usual orange t-shirt, green cargo pants and old school jacket didn't make him look particularly threatening, but they were comfortable nonetheless.
Yuto noticed Yuya's uncomfortable expression, and quickly apologised. "Sorry, I was just checking you had your deck and everything."
Still biting his nails furiously, Yuya nodded in response.
Yuto noticed this and offered him another smile, before stepping forwards and placing a hand on his wrist.
Yuya froze for a second, his fingers still at his mouth, but motionless.
Yuto gently eased his arm down to his side, all the while maintaining his warmest possible smile. Yuya could only stare back in disbelief as Yuto slid his hand into his, clasping their fingers together as they met.
"Don't look so worried okay? Everything's going to turn out fine, we're both getting through this." Yuto's tone was soothing and his touch tender, making Yuya feel a lot more positive about the coming ordeal.
He felt a flash of reassuring feelings ripple through their interlaced fingers, their unspoken bond proving to be just as powerful as Yuto's words.
Yuto kept hold of his hand and began to lead him through to the living room and towards the front door, gently pulling him along.
Once they'd reached the door, Yuto turned around to face Yuya. He squeezed his hand a little tighter and pulled him into a hug.
It was a gentle and intimate embrace, with Yuto curling his arms around Yuya's waist and holding him close, their bodies pressed flush up against each other.
Yuya responded instantly by leaning into his touch, letting his body melt into Yuto's arms.
They stood for a few moments in near silence, their breathing the only sound to be heard.
Yuto eventually broke the silence with a whisper. "I won't let anyone hurt you," he promised, drawing reassuring circles on his back.
Yuya felt the corners of his eyes welling up. The way he felt inside when Yuto showed how protective he was over him was overwhelming.
He gripped at the back of his shirt tighter, promising himself he wasn't going to cry. He needed to look strong, to be strong.
"Just promise me you won't get hurt either," he choked, his voice breaking slightly. "I can't lose you… not now."
Yuya still had so much to say to him, to do with him… he didn't want this to end, not before it had even had a chance to begin.
"I promise," Yuto assured him, patting his back before pulling away. "Now let's end this." He swung open the front door and stepped outside, with Yuya following anxiously behind, his eyes still a little wet from their moment of intimacy.
Locking the door with his set of keys, Yuto turned and made for the stairway. Yuya followed him down the stairs and towards the door. Stepping out into the night's sky, he felt a rush of cold air greet his bare arms, causing him to shiver.
Yuto noticed and was quick to chide him. "You should have worn a coat you know, it was bound to be cold at…" He checked his duel disk for the time. "…11:45 at night."
"I had other things to be thinking about," Yuya chattered through gritted teeth, the cold already starting to bite.
They walked slowly along the well-lit road outside their flat, until Yuto stopped having heard Yuya shiver once more. He began to take off his long flowing jacket, earning protests from Yuya that were quickly dismissed.
Once it was off, he forced Yuya to put his school jacket on properly, to little or no complaint. He then placed his own jacket around Yuya's shoulders, a gesture which was both chivalric and thoughtful. Yuya of course tried to protest again. "But what about you?" he asked, just as concerned as Yuto was about him.
"I'll be fine," Yuto responded adamantly, before turning to him and smirking. "Besides, the cold is no match for the Dark Duelist."
Yuya let out a nervous laugh and pulled his jacket tight, grateful of both the warmth and Yuto's humour.
"Thank you," he smiled back, turning a corner as Yuto did.
The streetlights were beginning to get sparser. Yuya felt a familiar sense of dread creep into the back of his mind. They were getting closer.
"So, Yuto…" he started apprehensively, looking for some reassurance. "It's just going to be him there right? Just him…?"
Yuto opened his mouth as if to speak but changed his mind at the last minute. "I don't think so Yuya," he eventually replied, opting for the truth rather than trying to sugar-coat it. "There's more to this than we know, and I have a feeling he's not the only one out there gunning for us."
Yuya stared at his feet in grim acceptance. "But why? Who is this guy and what does he want with us?"
"I wish I knew." Yuto made one final turn before stopping dead in his tracks. He stood waiting in the fading light of a streetlamp that marked the beginning of the ruined road known as Hell's Highway. "All we can do is assume he won't be alone, and that he isn't here to make friends."
Yuya stood beside him, staring into the abyss ahead. A growing pit in his stomach began to form as the memories of their last encounter here flashed through his mind.
Recalling the glint of their attacker's knife, he frantically grabbed his deck from his pocket and inserted it into his duel disk. At least this time, he'd be able to fight back.
"It's 11:51…" Yuto stated calmly, pushing his cards into his own disk. "It's time."
Yuya took a deep breath and nodded.
Yuto smiled one last time before heading off into the darkness, with Yuya following close behind.
The ground underfoot was uneven and rough, filled with holes and small craters from the constant shelling this part of the line had suffered during the war. Yuya struggled to walk without tripping up every few steps. How had they managed to run on this before? he wondered, trying to distract himself.
As the ground evened out a little, he picked his head up and looked around for any signs of life.
It was no use. The road was pitch black on all sides thanks to the lack of working streetlights, making seeing anything more than a few feet away impossible.
Walking as close as possible as not lose him, he reached out his arm and pawed at the moonlit silhouette that was Yuto's figure. His fingers managed to clasp onto what he presumed was his shoulder, keeping him steady as they traversed yet more broken ground.
Eventually, Yuya spotted a light in the distance. It was the only working streetlight on this road, right at its epicentre, and their final destination. His stomach knotted at the sight and he squeezed Yuto's shoulder to signal his fear.
"It'll be okay," came the response in a hushed but reassuring tone.
They tentatively approached the light, the crooked lamp itself slowly becoming visible as they neared its arc of light.
Finally arriving at the edge of the light's reach, Yuya timidly came out from behind Yuto's shadow to stand alongside him.
He turned around three sixty degrees as he did so, scanning their immediate environment for something, anything. All he could see however was what he'd seen before, but from the opposite side. To his left and right stood the same desolate concrete buildings he'd viewed before, still void of any colour, or of any life.
Yuya checked his duel disk.
12:03.
It had taken them longer than expected.
He turned to Yuto. "Maybe we're too-"
A figure suddenly emerged from the darkness and stepped into the light, causing Yuya's voice to trail off into fearful murmur.
It was him.
"It's nice of you to finally join me," he proclaimed loudly, his voice as confident and as threatening as the last time they'd met. "I was beginning to think you weren't coming."
The glint in his eye gave him a crazed, almost maniacal look. The rest of his face, like last time, was covered by a bandana of sorts. Without the hoodie however, unkempt strands of blonde and brownish hair could now be seen hanging limply from his head.
He also wore a dark, tattered brown jacket and a pair of jeans that had been ripped up at the knees, his boots being of a similar condition.
What was most worrying (and somewhat intriguing) was that he no longer wielded a knife, but a duel disk.
"It's not like we had a choice," Yuto shot back, unfazed by the situation. Yuya on the other hand had taken a step backwards, unsure of whether to say something or keep quiet.
"Still, I didn't expect your coward of a boyfriend over there to show up." He gestured towards Yuya.
Yuto gritted his teeth and snarled, taking a step forward and activating his duel disk. "You really need to watch what you say."
Yuya was touched that Yuto was so protective over him but it was obvious he was being played.
The man smirked and turned to Yuya. "You know you really ought to keep him on a tighter leash…" He gestured behind him and out of the darkness came two other men, each dressed in similarly tattered clothing with a duel disk strapped to their arms. They stood beside him, disks at the ready. "…unless you're that eager to die, in which case by all means continue to test my patience."
Yuto took a reluctant step back, deactivating his duel disk. His expression was somewhere between defiant and hopeless, a look that he rarely sported.
If Yuto didn't like their odds, neither did Yuya.
Still, as long as they had their decks they had a fighting chance.
"Who are you?" Yuto growled, trying not to sound too threatening.
The man let out a muffled laugh and gestured around him chauvinistically. "I am but a loyal soldier, as are my comrades here."
"What does that even mean?"
All three of them began to laugh at how truly clueless Yuto sounded, with one of them even going as far as mockingly clapping at his perceived stupidity.
Yuto was getting riled again. Yuya could see it in his face, his brow furrowed and his jaw firmly clenched. His burnished steel eyes were lit with a flame of defiance, giving Yuya cause to step in before he did anything stupid.
Inching as close as he could to him, Yuya put a hand on his shoulder in an attempt to calm him. "They're trying to get to you Yuto, they want you to get angry and lose your cool, it won't help us," he whispered, hoping Yuto would heed his warning.
There was little chance of that happening, especially considering they had somehow heard it.
"You should listen to your fuckboy you know," the man laughed in response.
Yuto violently shook his head and clenched his fists until they shook uncontrollably. In a fit of rage he marched over to them and threw up his arm, ready to duel. "One more fucking word about him and you're dead, all of you!" he shouted. "Now answer me, who are you and what the fuck do you-"
Before he could finish his sentence, one of the three men activated his duel disk, the whirring sound it gave off catching Yuto by surprise. Before he could pull a card from his deck, the man quickly summoned a monster they were all too familiar with, an Ancient Gear Hunting Hound.
It leapt at Yuto, knocking him to the ground.
Yuya's eyes widened in horror as the beast clamped its jaws down onto Yuto's arm, crushing his duel disk and locking his arm in place, preventing him from fighting back.
Yuya looked at his own disk and activated it. Fumbling with his cards, his hands trembling, he drew enough of them to ensure he would have a monster and turned them over. Before he even had a chance to think about what card to play however, his cards were flung from his hand and into the air by the claws of another hound.
He stumbled back and lost his footing, crashing to the ground as his cards fluttered down all around him. The hound was soon on him again, its jaws gnashing and grinding just inches from his face. He screamed as it took hold of his arm, clenching its vicelike mandibles around the soft tissue. His duel disk splintered, spitting jolts of electricity and hot sparks onto his skin as it was crushed under the force of the hound's bite. Its giant canines slipped over his thin wrist and locked it tight, causing him to again cry out in pain.
Tears stung his eyes as he glanced over at Yuto, who lay writhing on the ground beside him, trying to free himself from the other hound's grip.
Rolling his body to try to escape its grasp, he desperately punched and kicked at the hunk of metal that was slobbering over his arm.
It was no use.
They were trapped.
After a few minutes of frantic squirming, both boys tired and lay still, panting and cursing.
Their tormentor walked towards them, laughing as he went. "You're pathetic you know that?" he scoffed. "Two of the great Lancers, well two halves of one anyway… and you don't even play a single card!"
So he did know who they were.
"I'd only need one to take you three out," Yuto growled defiantly, "but being the cowards that you are you'd rather not find that out in a duel now would you?"
Incensed at Yuto's contempt, the man grabbed him by his free arm and hauled him to his feet.
"We could have dueled, but where's the fun in that? Thanks to your boyfriend's solid vision tech we don't need to. In fact, it means I have my hands free for other things, like this."
With his spare hand, he reached inside his jacket and pulled something out.
Yuya recognised it immediately.
It was long and sharp, its blade polished and bright. The serration along its spine gave it away as the one he'd seen previously, its edge curved viciously at the end into a needle-like point.
The knife.
"NO!" Yuya screamed, trying to claw his way over to Yuto. The hound attached to his arm pulled and tugged at his flesh in response, dragging him away so he remained a good distance from its masters.
"He remembers it," the man smirked, gesturing to Yuya before turning back to Yuto, his dull brown eyes now boring holes into Yuto's head.
He didn't so much as flinch.
Snarling in frustration at his lack of fear, he pressed his knife to Yuto's throat, hard enough to draw a lick of blood but not break the skin further.
Yuto winced slightly but was otherwise unfazed.
"You'll fear us again Yuto, I can promise you that."
Again?
Dropping Yuto, he set his eyes on Yuya. "And what better time to start than now," he smirked, strolling towards Yuya and grabbing him by the arm.
Yuto's expression quickly changed. "Leave him alone!" he shouted, again trying to free himself but to no avail.
Having been yanked to his feet, Yuya now felt the cold steel of the man's blade pressed to his cheek.
He was crying softly, but not out of fear. He wasn't afraid to die. All that he could think about in this moment was never seeing Yuto again, and that hurt more than any knife.
"Don't cry," the man cooed mockingly, "it'll only hurt a lot."
"I'm going to fucking kill you!" Yuto screamed next to them, tears now streaming down his own face.
"And how do you plan on doing that?" he mocked, taking a second to address Yuto directly. "You have no duel disk, there's three of us, and without that arm you can't fight back. Just face it, you're going to die out here, all alone."
"Who says they're alone?"
All heads turned towards the darkness as a soft but commanding voice drifted across the street.
Startled, the man dropped Yuya to the floor and backed off to stand between the other two thugs.
"Who's there?" he demanded, a slight wobble in his voice.
After a moment of silence, footsteps could be heard coming from the direction of the voice. They got closer and closer until…
From the shadows of a concrete ruin, bathed in darkness, emerged a figure.
As he stepped into the light, Yuto and Yuya gasped in astonishment.
It was Yuri.
Yuya was so surprised his immediate reaction was to question whether any of this was even real, like the boy in front of him was some kind of mirage. Yuto looked to be doing the same, his eyes blinking furiously as he tried to discern whether this wasn't some kind of weird dream.
He elegantly stepped over the broken ground towards them, dodging the road's small craters and holes with a finesse that only Yuri of all people could possess.
As he neared, the two hunting hounds keeping a hold of Yuto and Yuya released their grip and began to growl menacingly at Yuri.
Without panic, Yuri swiftly activated his duel disk and took a card from his extra deck, placing it calmly onto his field.
Within seconds, a pair of purple, thorny wings were materialising behind him. The hounds whimpered as they triumphantly opened out and spread, revealing the reptilian form underneath that housed them. Stretching its claws and splaying its talons, the beast's neck uncurled, exposing a fierce set of emerald eyes atop the horned head of a dragon.
It raised its head and roared, sending shockwaves across the ruined street and causing the two hounds to retreat behind the three men.
Grinning, Yuri looked down at Yuya and Yuto. "Quite the set of friends you've made," he quipped, helping them both to their feet.
Yuya and Yuto both looked at each other, equally as confused at Yuri's presence.
Before they had a chance to respond to Yuri's sarcasm however, their attention was drawn back to the man and his two thugs.
"This is far from over traitor!" he screamed, slamming a card from his extra deck onto his field.
Almost immediately the sound of gears grinding filled the air as a towering monstrosity began to form in front of him. The soldering of metal and the fusing of parts was deafening, but it was nonetheless a sound they'd all heard countless times before. As the hulking mass of metal began to take shape, three elongated necks sprang from its bodywork, each one carrying a head that was lined with a ruthless array of sharp teeth.
Yuya swallowed hard. It had been a while since he'd witnessed the summoning of an Ultimate Ancient Gear Hunting Hound.
"You have a plan for this, right?" Yuto asked, eyeing his own smashed up duel disk. "You're the only one with a monster, and it can't protect us all on its own."
"It doesn't have to," Yuri smirked, putting his finger in the air. "Can you hear that?"
Neither Yuto nor Yuya could hear anything but the beating of Starve Venom's wings.
"Wait, I hear it," Yuya confirmed, turning his body towards the sound. "It's coming from behind us."
It was difficult to detect at first, but as it got closer, as it became more audible, the sound was heard by everyone.
All but Yuri stood facing the direction of the sound, confused as to what it could be.
At a distance it sounded almost guttural, a loud intermittent crackling noise that was all but indiscernible.
As it neared however, it began to take on a somewhat familiar tone, rumbling and resonating through the ground.
"What is that?" Yuto asked blankly.
Yuri turned to him and grinned.
"Backup."
Lights suddenly penetrated the darkness behind them and the rumble they could hear quickly became a roar.
Like a speeding bullet, a familiar white D-Wheel thundered towards them, dodging and weaving in between craters before coming to an abrupt halt beside them.
Pulling off his helmet to reveal a pair of innocent blue eyes and a child-like grin, the driver waved at Yuya and Yuto, who both stood, mouths agape.
"Hey guys!" he shouted obliviously, before his expression turned serious at spotting the bite marks on Yuya and Yuto's arms. "Umm, what did I miss?"
Yuri sighed and palmed his forehead in disbelief. He pointed towards the two monsters squaring off in the middle of the street.
"Oh, right." Yugo quickly activated his D-Wheel's duel disk, before enthusiastically summoning his favourite monster to the field.
The three men across from the four of them watched in horror as a second dragon appeared, this time in the sky above them. Spreading its translucent, crystalline wings, it swooped down and took its place beside Starve Venom, ready to unleash its fury.
The two thugs soon scarpered, leaving the unknown man and his Ultimate Hound at the mercy of the two dragons.
"Get back here!" he screamed after them, his own composure breaking as he took a step back.
"It's time to end this," Yuto told Yuri. Yuya nodded in agreement.
"With pleasure," Yuri smirked, signalling for Yugo to follow his lead. "Starve Venom! Make him pay…"
At Yuri's command his dragon raked its claws through the body of the man's hound, causing it to quickly disappear into a cloud of light.
Yugo's dragon was soon taking to the air. "Clear Wing," he commanded, "show this guy why you don't mess with our friends!"
Rising high into the sky, the dragon began to spin furiously, its wings glowing an iridescent green as it did so. Building its momentum and charging its power, it suddenly changed direction to face the earth. Like a dive bomber that had zeroed in on its target, it jetted towards the helpless man, roaring as it went.
He tried to run, but it was no use. He was hit full force in the stomach by a spinning storm of raw power and extreme energy, sending him hurtling backwards into the crooked frame of the lamppost. His body crumpled as it fell to the floor with the post itself coming down soon after, the bulb finally giving up and plunging them all into near total darkness save for the headlights of Yugo's D-Wheel.
Satisfied, Yuri deactivated his disk, with Yugo following suit.
"It's over," he commented flatly, folding his arms.
Yuya stared at the motionless body that lay in the middle of the street. A well of emotion began to bubble up inside of him at the sight, causing him to tear up slightly. It was a confusing mix of relief and anticipation that had hit him all at once, blurring his vision with tears of both happiness and apprehension.
Not caring how it looked, he grabbed Yuto by the waist and pulled him into a desperate hug, wrapping his arms around him as tight as possible.
Yuto held him close, letting him cry silently into the fabric of his shirt.
Yugo jumped off his duel runner and ran over to Yuri, letting out an audible aww at the pair.
"What do you mean aww? It's me who they should be hugging, I was the one who saved them," Yuri said, raising an eyebrow as he did so.
"Hey I helped too!" Yugo pointed out. "And don't worry, I'll give you a hug if you want one so bad!"
Before Yuri could protest Yugo had leapt on him, trying his very best to squeeze the life out of his boyfriend.
"Unhand me Yugo!"
Yuto chuckled to himself and looked down at Yuya. He had stopped crying now and was staring back up at him with a weak smile on his face.
Yuto stroked his hair and uttered some further reassurances before gently releasing Yuya from their embrace.
Yuya didn't look too happy about leaving the comfort of Yuto's arms, but he sniffed back the last of his tears and smiled nonetheless.
"Thank you, both of you," he said, turning to Yuri and Yugo who had stopped fighting.
"No problem!" Yugo practically shouted back, with Yuri simply rolling his eyes.
"How did you manage to find us anyway?" Yuto asked, curious.
"Our dragons," Yuri started, "they were calling to us, as if they knew you were in danger. Yugo and I were… well… let's say… together at the time so we decided that I'd go on ahead to check what was happening. Starve Venom led me right here, and once I knew what was going down, I sent a message to Yugo."
"Wow it's lucky that you were here visiting and awake at this time of time of night! What were you guys doing?" Yuya asked.
"Errrmm, we were…"
Yugo grinned at the floor, whilst Yuri put a hand to his face, hiding the pink blush now dusting his cheeks.
Before Yuya or Yuto had a chance to press the matter further, their attention was drawn back towards the now broken lamppost.
A groaning noise was emanating from the body that now lay propped against the stump of metal that remained.
Yuto looked back at Yuya.
"It's time to get some answers," he stated firmly.
Yuya nodded unconvincingly.
Stomping over towards the source of the noise, Yuto could see that the man was barely conscious.
Regardless, he uncaringly grabbed hold of his leg and began dragging him into the light of Yugo's D-Wheel.
Once he was there, the four boys huddled around him.
A large unsightly hole could be seen drilled into his abdomen, where Clear Wing had attacked just minutes earlier. It espoused blood, a steady stream making its way down his side and onto the ground below.
He didn't have long.
"Who are you and who do you work for?" Yuto asked sternly.
There was no response, so he leaned down and ripped the bandana from around his jaw, revealing his face.
It was an ordinary, unassuming face with a youthful complexion. He was no older than twenty-five, and yet he bore the look of a man who was twice that age.
"Either of you know this guy?" Yugo asked Yuya and Yuto.
Both shook their head in confusion.
He was a nobody to them. A random face, a stranger… and yet, he had been the source of their torment for the past three weeks.
Clearly upset at the revelation, Yuto straightened up and kicked out at his body.
Immediately the man began to splutter, coughing blood onto the remains of his jacket. His eyes opened, and he stared up at the four boys.
To their surprise, he grinned through bloodied teeth, mocking them.
Enraged, Yuto bent down and grabbed him by the collar. "Who are you!?" he screamed, shaking him violently.
"A loyal solider," he smirked, blood dripping from the corner of his mouth.
Yuto suddenly pressed his fist into the man's wound, causing him to howl in pain. Yuya instinctively reached forward to try and stop him, but Yuri placed an arm across his chest and shook his head.
"WHO ARE YOU!?" Yuto yelled, applying more pressure.
The man, unable to maintain his bravado under duress, certainly wasn't smiling anymore.
"F-F-Fusion!" he cried out. "Neo-Fusion!"
Yuto immediately stopped and looked up at the other three boys, wide-eyed.
They all stood in silence, taking in what they had just heard.
Yuri wasn't having it. "Neo-Fusion? What are you talking about? The war's over, the Fusion dimension is at peace now."
"It shouldn't be," he bit back. "Academia will never die."
"So what are you?" Yuto demanded menacingly. "Some kind of splinter force?"
The man looked unwilling to answer, but did so when Yuri gave him another hard kick. "We're not just the remnants of Academia," he coughed, "we have people everywhere… people loyal to our cause… and to our new leader."
"Who? Tell me who."
The man started to splutter and laugh again, causing Yuto to try to apply pressure to his wound once again. He was prevented from doing so however by a crying Yuya, who grabbed his arm forcefully.
"Stop! Please!" he cried. "Just please stop…"
Yuto looked away ashamedly. He stood up and brought Yuya into another hug, apologising as he did so. "I'm sorry Yuya, this isn't easy."
Yuya didn't reply. He just sobbed quietly into his shirt once more.
He was tired of the pain, the suffering, the blood. None of this was his style, his way of dealing with things.
Monsters and knives weren't his weapons, smiles and happiness were.
Yuto continued with his slew of apologies, but was quickly interrupted by the choked laughter of the nameless Fusion user.
"This is so much bigger than you all realise," he cackled, reaching into his jacket.
Before any of them could stop him, his body began to fade into a veil of pink particles. He began to disappear, and within seconds, he had completely vanished.
"Where'd he go!?" Yugo cried.
"That was an emergency teleporter, standard issue for Fusion agents," Yuri replied sullenly. "…he really was telling the truth."
They stood in silence, with Yuya still clung to Yuto's chest.
"How can… How can people still be taken in by Akaba's lies?" Yuto was still reeling from the possibility.
"Disillusionment", Yuri offered. "Seeing your world fall apart around you… it makes you impressionable, easy to manipulate… and with this new leader, whoever he is, I'm sure he'll take advantage of that."
Yuri looked into the night sky, a sadness behind his eyes.
"I have a feeling that won't be the last we hear from this 'Neo Fusion'. We really need to tell Reiji about this," Yugo said, placing a hand on Yuri's shoulder.
The two stared at each other for a moment, before exchanging reassuring smiles.
Yuya meanwhile, had slowed his crying enough to speak.
"Yuto?" Yuya whispered up to him, catching his attention. "Promise me something."
"Anything."
Yuya looked a little hesitant. He tightened his grip around him and spoke. "Promise me you won't hurt anyone like that again."
"Yuya… he was an agent of Fusion… he was dangerous… he tried to hurt you."
"I-I don't care," Yuya stammered, "you're not like that, I know you're not."
"I'm not like you Yuya."
"Yes you are!" he cried. "You make people smile, you make me smile… That's what life should be about, not fighting and hurting people…"
"Yuya…"
Yuri and Yugo watched as Yuto took Yuya's hand in his. Clearly moved by his words, his eyes had begun filling with tears, his lips curled into a warm smile.
"…you're right." He leaned forwards and brought their foreheads gently together. "That's what life should be about… and it will be from now on… I promise I won't hurt anyone like that again."
At hearing Yuto's solemn promise to him, Yuya's lips were quick to curve into his signature smile. "Thank you," he whispered, gripping his hand tighter.
He turned to Yugo and Yuri. "And thank you both again… we couldn't have done this without you."
Yugo shook his head. "No need to thank us! Just be sure to call next time!"
"Only if you visit more often," Yuya grinned, "and you too Yuri, we've both missed you."
"You are only human after all," Yuri smirked.
Yugo was quick to elbow him in the ribs for ruining a nice moment. "He means he missed you too."
Yuya and Yuto laughed together as Yuri tried to chase him around his D-Wheel in order to get him back, resulting in Yugo being forced to apologise at the threat of Yuri trashing his bike.
Eventually, Yugo jumped onto his D-Wheel and pulled on his helmet, with Yuri climbing on soon after and wrapping his arms around his waist.
"Alright you two," he shouted, turning the ignition and revving the engine, "we'll see you soon, try to stay out of trouble okay?"
"We will," Yuto yelled back. "I'll give Reiji a call too, he needs to know about this."
Yugo nodded and turned the bike around. Yuri gave a regal wave before the pair shot off into the darkness, leaving Yuya and Yuto stood beside the broken lamppost.
Yuya looked at Yuto, and although it was almost pitch-black, he knew he was smiling.
After a moment of silence, Yuya felt Yuto shiver.
"Let's get home," Yuto shuddered, lightly pulling Yuya along in the direction of their flat.
There were no arguments from Yuya as Yuto squeezed his hand tightly and led him down the road.
Although they came here looking for answers, they had ultimately left with more questions.
Who were these new Fusion users?
What did they want with Yuya and Yuto?
Who was their new leader?
Yuya wasn't thinking about any of these questions however. He only had one thing (or person) on his mind. The disturbing truths and renewed uncertainty he now faced would have to wait.
If his brush with death had taught him anything, it was that the unknown was only worth facing if you had the ones you cared about and the one you loved by your side as you did so.
Leaning his head on Yuto's shoulder, he gripped his hand tighter and smiled contently.
Lit only by the faint glow of the moonlight, they walked silently together, hand-in-hand, not knowing what the future might hold.
