I own nothing. Warning, may contain Out of Character moments.


"Come on! It's just around the corner!" Yugo shouted. The Synchro Vassal continued to dash down the halls with his Standard and Xyz counterparts hot on his heels. But before they could make the turn, a green haired girl walked into view and caused Yuya and Yuto to slow down… Yugo however didn't and continued his mad dash. As a result, the Vassal knocked her over but continued to run.

"Sorry!" Was all he said before snapping his attention back to finding his childhood friend. His Standard and Xyz counterparts stopped and began helping the girl up.

"Yugo! You don't just knock someone over and run off!" Yuya shouted.

"Sorry! Can't hear you right now!"

"Honestly… I can't believe we're really the same person…" While the entertainer was grumbling, Yuto offered his hand to the girl and picked her up when she took it. The girl began brushing the whatever dust there was off her robes as Yuya turned back to face her.

"Are you okay?" Yuya asked.

"I'm fine, thank you." She said before looking at the faces of those who helped her. And it didn't take long to figure out who it was that took the time to aid her.

"Ahhh! I'm so sorry you had to see me in such a state my Lords! I'll do my best to not-!"

"Stop right there, you don't need to apologize for something like that. WE should be the ones saying sorry for the idiot that knocked you over." Yuto interrupted.

"But it's my fault for getting in your way my Lords."

"You didn't know we were around the corner, so it's okay. Don't beat yourself up about it anymore than you already have." Yuya replied.

"… Alright, as you wish my Lords… But what are you doing here? Shouldn't you be in the dining hall learning?" The girl asked.

"We were… Until we learned that the girls are up here and we decided to pay them a visit." Yuya answered.

"You know the girls?"

"We do, a lot actually." Yuto replied. The girl's face lit up with glee and flashed a wide smile, that fact certainly made her happy. The two Vassals looked at each other with a confused expression before turning back to the girl in front of them.

"That's great! I'm sure they'll appreciate some new company. They only had a few Spirits make the journey here to visit them, so this will be a nice change of pace. Follow me and I'll unlock the doors for you."

"Unlock?"

"Prisoners remember?" Yuto said.

"Of course… Well, lead the way… Umm?" Yuya said before realizing they never got the girl's name.

"Bella my Lord, follow me." She said before leading the two.

Yugo stared at the one obstacle that stopped him from reaching his long-lost beloved Rin… A door. After a few minutes of fiddling with the ornate doorknob, banging on the door, pushing against it, and a combination of the three, the Vassal concluded that the door…

Was locked.

Despite this, he thinks he could force it open with one good kick and began taking as many steps back as he could. Back against the opposite wall, Yugo dashed forward and kicked the obstacle with all his might. The door splintered around his foot, letting out a cracking sound that thundered down the hall… But it still stood in his way.

The Synchro Vassal put his foot back onto the ground again and turned his back to the door, sighing in defeat… Before spinning around and punched the door with all his might. It splintered again, much more this time, but it still didn't fall or budge.

"Owww…" He groaned, removing his now sore fist from the door.

"Lord Yugo!"

The Vassal immediately looked at who was calling him and saw his two counterparts and the girl from earlier approach.

"There you guys are, what took you so long?"

"Oh you know, cleaning up the your mistakes, nothing big." Yuto answered, sounding particularly annoyed.

"You shouldn't just run off like that after knocking someone over, what if Bella got hurt?" Yuya added.

"In my defense, I was really focused on something important."

"Well so were we, but that shouldn't be an excuse for being an ass. Ruri wouldn't let me hear the end of it if I did that." Yuto replied.

"Yuzu too, she would probably hit me over and over again for something like that." Yuya said.

"… I guess Rin would also give me flak for something like that… You're right, that was stupid of me to think that I had an excuse to be a dick. Bell right? Sorry about the pushing." Yugo apologized.

"It's alright my Lord, I wasn't hurt or anything, but I accept your apology regardless. Now, let me open the door to… Did you do this Lord Yugo?" Bella replied, pointing to the two splintered marks on the door.

"Y-Yeah… That was me… Sorry…"

She looked a bit confused for a moment before some revelation occurred to her, allowing her to focus back on the task at hand. She began flipping through a key ring and proceeded to unlock the door in front of the Vassals.

"This is Lady Rin's room. I must warn you though, she's in a bit of a delicate situation."

"Don't worry! No matter what pinch she's in, Rin will be back to normal once I'm in there! It won't be like last time!"

"How did you even know this was her room?" Yuya asked.

"Gut feeling. You know, like everyone else."

"The door's open Lord Yugo, you may enter whenever you wish." Bella said as she stepped to the side.

"Thank you so much! I won't forget this!"

"You're welcome my Lord. Now, let me unlock the other rooms for you Lord Yuto, Lord Yuya." She replied before walking down the hall.

"Good luck." Yuya said before he and the Xyz Vassal followed the girl. Yugo just nodded and grabbed the doorknob, slowly turning it as he readied himself for one hell of a reunion. With one last deep breath, he pushed open the door and burst into the room.

"R-!" Yugo began… But was soon interrupted by a chair to the face. He fell on his back, clutching his face as the urge to shout was making its way out of his throat. And he made no attempts to stop it.

"What the Hell was that for!?" He shouted. However, the moment he laid eyes on his childhood friend, the anger swirling inside the Synchro Vassal vanished and was quickly replaced by awe.

She wore a clean white dress, loose but still tight enough to show off the curve of her body. The four years have been very kind to Rin as the beauty of the girl was far greater than what The Synchro Vassal could remember. He had to resist the urge to blink because he didn't want to stop staring at her…

But when Yugo finally took a moment too look at amber eyes, he finally noticed something wrong. While her face was all stoic like, Rin's eyes gave off a sense of fear as she looked at him with another chair held over her head. The Vassal felt a hole open up in his stomach and began building mental walls to prepare for the himself for worst… Though by this point, it'll take something apocalyptic to bring it down.

"Hey Rin… I'm sorry for banging on your door like that… Please put the chair down."

"I won't… Not while you're still here." Her grip on the object only tightened, causing Yugo to try a little harder to calm his childhood friend.

"Look, I know I probably scared you with me trying to break in, so that first one had my name written all over it. But come on, do I really deserve another?"

"You will if you don't get the out now."

Now he was getting impatient. Yugo knows Rin likes to play around from time to time, but this seems way too serious for something like that. So now he's going to be a bit more vocal about the whole situation…

"Oh for- Why are you so upset over this anyway!? This is me we're talking about here! The rashest bastard you know! The guy who kept stealing the good snacks when no one was looking! The guy who argued over stupid things like taking out the trash! The guy who BEGGED for your help to make it into the Friendship Cup and beat the Speed King JACK ATLAS! That's me! I'm that guy! So why are you acting like this isn't normal for me!?"

"Then let ask you something! Who the Hell are you!?"

The Synchro Vassal froze, a deer in the head lights in the face of that question. She's joking, right? She knows who he was… Right? The girl decided to elaborate on what she meant before Yugo could say anything else.

"I lost my memories a year ago, so I don't know who you are or why you look like that guy who trapped us here."

"You… You don't remember anything? Not even… Me? Yugo?"

There was a change in her expression, a breach in the fear and stoicism at the sound of the Vassal's name… But ultimately, Rin couldn't recall where she heard that name before and just focused on dealing with the person in front of her.

"I told you no! I don't know who you are!"

Tears began to fall as walls crumbled…

"Here we have Lady Ruri's room. Please wait a moment Lord Yuto." Bella said before turning to open the lock.

"You think he's okay in there? Yugo I mean." Yuya asked, suddenly feeling a chill on his back.

"He should be fine, he grew up with her remember? So out of all of us, Yugo should know how to handle it best." Yuto replied.

"I guess… But I have this weird feeling that something isn't right… I don't know Rin or Yugo all that well, but I want to make sure nothing goes wrong between them."

"Then we'll take care of it when something does come up. So just relax for now, we have people we should see."

"Door's open my Lord. You may enter when you're ready."

"Thank you. Good luck with your reunion." Yuto replied as he patted Yuya's shoulder.

"You too." He replied before following Bella down the hall.

With lead feet and quivering hands, Yuto gripped onto the doorknob and slowly pushed open the door. The moment the door completely removed itself out of his field of view and allowed sight into the room, Yuto found himself gazing into the pink colored eyes of the girl who held his heart.

She was older like him but more beautiful than Yuto could ever remember, breath caught in his throat. The dark fabric of her dress complimented the color of her hair, making her very pleasant to the eyes. As a result, Yuto couldn't stop staring at her… Just as Ruri was staring back at him, face in awe and surprise.

"Yuto? Is that really you?"

"It's me Ruri. The one and only…"

The two carefully walked towards one another, never breaking eye contact until they were a foot away from each other. The Xyz Vassal wanted to say something, but his tongue was in a tangle and couldn't find the words in his head. Sensing this, Ruri stepped forward and hugged the boy, feeling his back stiffen before relaxing and returning the embrace. All was quiet in that space as the two continued to hold the other in their arms, smiles forming on their faces.

"I missed you…"

"I missed you too…"

While they shared their intimate embrace, Ruri had a strange idea form in her head. Think of it as a test to see if the Vassal still had that sillier side to him that she enjoyed seeing…

"I missed you like a washer missing a dryer."

"I couldn't hit the broad side of a barn, THAT'S how much I missed you."

She let out a small laugh as a chuckle escaped his lips, both knowing how ridiculous they sounded.

"Here is Lady Yuzu's room and the very last one is Lady Serena's. Now who is it you want to visit?" Bella asked the remaining Vassal.

"I'll see them both, but Yuzu first."

"Very well, I'll start unlocking the door. How are you taking everything so far my Lord?"

"I'm barely getting by… Between my steward almost killing me and learning that Duel Monsters have come to life, I think it's only going to get worse… You're a Spirit, right?" The Vassal asked as Bella began unlocking the door.

"Of course my Lord, only Spirits are allowed to be here in Lord Zarc's castle, minus the four girls since they're prisoners. But no one, Spirit or not, could enter this space freely, they require two keys to gain entrance."

"I keep hearing Iris and the others say that, but I don't know what that means."

"Ed and Huy haven't explained that to you?"

"We kind of left when we heard the girls were up here… So, could you tell me instead?"

"If you wish my Lord. The keys are not like the ones I'm holding, they're Spirits who can manipulate time or space. They open a hole between this world and ARC-V by warping their respective elements. Ed and Hugh are two of the keys, so they'll be the ones to bring you into the new world. The door is open my Lord, you may step in when you're ready."

"Thanks Bella, wait by Serena's room until I come around." Yuya thanked.

"As you wish my Lord."

She bowed and began walking towards the end of the hall as Yuya faced the door. A twang of hesitation took root and he couldn't bring his hand towards the doorknob, what will she say? It was a real miracle that Yuzu was still around after he failed to save her from the device that created ARC-V…

But while he slept for four years, she had to probably live with the consequences of his mistakes, struggle through the Hell that Zarc has put Humanity through. So what how will Yuzu react to him coming back? Will she be relieved? Or will she be heartbreakingly upset that he failed?

"One way to find out…" Yuya reached for the door knob and twisted it, walking forward and entering the room.

He peered in and saw the girl he was looking for, sitting at the window, leaning against its frame, vacantly staring out into the hideously colored nebulous void. Her pale cerulean orbs within the reflection moved slightly, locking onto Yuya's face in the window's reflection. Yuya saw her twitch ever so slightly, but in all didn't move from her spot and continued to look out.

The Vassal opened his mouth, but the tension was barricading his throat and prevented any words from escaping. So he entered the room instead, quietly moving towards the girl despite his presence being known. Yuya steps towards the figure on the other end felt as though he moved through syrup with lead boots, but it did allow him ample time to admire her beauty.

While Yuya knew that she was pretty, he never really took the time to look deeply at Yuzu's features. And right now, she seemed to look perfect in the white/pink frilled dress that she was wearing. The entertainer found this strange feeling growing in his body ever since he laid eyes on the girl, a pleasurable discomfort. He didn't know why he was feeling it, but he welcomed it as he continued to admire Yuzu without saying a word.

Before long, Yuya was at the window, standing to the right of the girl he so dearly missed. The entertainer looked at her but she didn't look back at him, simply staring out into the vast nothingness. He stopped when he could feel the tension choke him, deciding to look out into the cloudy neon colored mist beyond the glass pane in front of them. The Vassal should really say something…

"You know, for a scary endless void, the way the clouds move is kind of pretty." Yuya blurted out. The entertainer frowned… Out of all the things he could say, he had to comment on the vast endless void that she probably had ALL THE TIME IN THE WORLD TO STARE AT.

"Hmm… I guess you're right… They do look nice…" She replied.

The girl didn't say anything after that, let alone turn to look at him, leaving Yuya hanging within the awkward space between them. The Vassal opened his mouth again, but couldn't find the words to say or a subject to talk about. He ended up shutting his mouth and continued to watch the mist roll outside the window.

Yuya didn't think this was how their reunion would turn out… He thought it would involve more tears and warm hugs. Not unbearable silence and a distance between them that's greater than Pluto and the Sun.

This was his fault, wasn't it? Of course, it must be, she had to live for four years with his mistake and probably had to fight for her life a hundred times over. She may have been forced to kill, staining her hands with the blood of those trying to snuff out her life and the lives of several others.

Yuzu suffered while he slept, so she has every right to ignore him and hate him for what he has ultimately caused. Yuya had to apologize, even if it probably won't do anything to fix what she may have already lost…

"Yuzu, I-"

"It wasn't your fault." She replied instantly, still not looking at him. Yuya looked at her in confusion, how could she say something like that when it clearly was?

"Yuzu, but-"

"But nothing. The things you went through, the things you saw, the things you couldn't do, the people you couldn't save, anyone would've snapped when you did, maybe sooner."

"But I failed! I caused all of this!"

"WE failed! WE caused all of this! It's not just you Yuya!" Yuzu shouted, finally turning to him with fury and annoyance burning in her eyes.

The Vassal took a step back, afraid of the intensity emanating from her frame. But her accepted her burning gaze with his own, not wanting to break eye contact now that he had it. Yuzu was shaking and her hands were balled into fists, still glaring intensely at her childhood friend.

However, she closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and went back to looking out the window, breaking the eye contact that Yuya yearned for.

"I'm sorry I yelled, but it's not just you who failed… I let myself get caught… Reiji couldn't defeat his Father… We all wish that things went differently… But it's still not too late to change something now. You're a Vassal now Yuya, do something good with that power. End this stupid war, make peace, get everyone to smile, and just live your life… Get married someday."

"I can't do it alone though, I need you there with me. Maybe not the whole marriage thing, but definitely for everything else."

Yuya shut his mouth the moment he finished talking, realizing its implications and braced himself for a hit. But it never came, as the girl simply continued to look out the window with a small smile forming on her face.

"I'm glad to have you back Yuya."

"… It's good to be back?"

The Vassal didn't know why, but he felt like he screwed something up.


And that was Chapter 7 of Act 1. And there we have it! The Girls have entered the stage! I know I haven't included Serena in the mix, but I just wanted to focus on the Standard, Xyz, and Synchro reunions since finding their respective girls was all that Yuya, Yuto, and Yugo was doing in Arc-V. Also, I named this chapter after the Fan Fic I wrote two years ago, when the series hadn't even hit it's 40th episode. Man time flies...

Anyway, what do you, the dear readers, think about all of this? Do you like it? Are you surprised?

"The Xyz one was just stupid."

I know and I was planning for it to just end on the "I missed you. I missed you too" bit because of heartwarm feels... But my brain came up with something stupid, I got a laugh out of it, and decided to put it in.

"They're going to hate it, just saying."

Probably, but we'll see. On another subject, Arc-V is ending tomorrow. While there were many ups and downs, I'm certain that the series has made a home in our hearts. Let's just hope that VRAINS will have that same impact when it airs in May. And if you're not feeling that series, you can always come back here as I'll be writing Vassals until completion.

"Will you still have fans by the time it's done?"

Probably not, but I'm not going to leave a story incomplete and abandoned. I'm a writer and I'll finish what I started.

"Bold words writer man, bold words."

You know it. Anyway, before I end this, I must ask you what your top 4 Arc-V pairings are. This is so that I'm in the know and will plan my own pairings into this story without trying to step on the toes of my dear readers. That is unless you don't care what pairings I write about so long as I do it well. Please get back to me on this subject.

That is all I have this week. So...

Until next time. T1.