Disclaimer: I own nothing involved in this story unless I invented it myself. This is written for fun, not for profit. All forms of feedback eagerly accepted. Concrit is loved the most, but everything is welcome.
Fandom: Yu-Gi-Oh Zexal
Story: Countdown: Chapter 11: Fourth-2
Romance: Nasch x Durbe/Durbe x Nasch
Word Count: chapter: 1,634||story: 18,304
Genre: Romance||Rated: PG-13
Challenge: Diversity Challenge, J14, a multichap with chapters between 1000-2000 words; Pairing Diversity Challenge, 09, eternal; Catch the Barian Emperors: Nasch
Summary: In this world, a counter on one's arm marks the time until soulmates meet one another for the first time. Nasch and Durbe have met one another for the first time many times

Durbe had no idea of how long he'd floated in this timeless place that was no place. What he knew was that he wasn't alone and that sooner or later, he would be reborn in the world. How could he not be, when he had been before? Perhaps not the same world he knew, but a world. Somewhere. He would find Nasch again and they would have another chance for a life without war.

He hoped, at least. He couldn't tell if he knew it or if he hoped it only, because knowing and hoping remained intertwined with one another, unable to tell one from the other and not especially inclined to try. Be it knowledge or hope, he wanted both.

It took him some time before he realized that the blue arching expanse over him was the sky. Not just any sky, not the scarlet skies of the Barian World, but the jewel bright heavens of Earth. He blinked a few times, his thoughts slowly unsticking themselves and starting to form together into something that made sense.

I'm alive? Knowing it could happen and being aware that it had happened were two entirely different things. He'd expected not to come back like this, though he had expected to come back. He'd thought a full second chance, a full reincarnation, would be their fate.

Instead, he raised one hand and turned it, seeing skin and flesh and bone, and underneath, running like a current his eyes couldn't see, stone no longer cursed by Don Thousand's taint, but still strong and ready to serve.

He squeezed his fingers together and flexed them outward. He could feel the others there, each one waking up just as he was, learning that they weren't infants, that they had a true, full chance to have lives of their own choosing.

Gleaming red now caught his gaze and he looked at the countdown on his arm. Only minutes left, a small handful of time, and Durbe's heart picked up the pace. Nasch was there. Nasch survived all of this and it was going to happen again.

He could remember it all now, he slowly became aware, the memories darting and dashing about in his mind, finding new places to settle in and be comfortable. His first life, how he'd ridden through the storm to find Nasch without even knowing that was who he was looking for, only searching for the other half of his soul no matter what. How he'd fallen in battle against his brother knights, who hated that he loved a foreign king. That began to spark their fury and their jealousy, which led into so much more.

Then came his life as a Barian, when he'd freely pledged his heart and his service to Nasch, no longer a foreign king, but his king, and the bonds that tied them together only made it stronger in his opinion. He would never let that change. He would always be Nasch's, no matter what, and vice versa.

Durbe drew in a long, slow, deep breath. He lifted his eyes from the counter and looked, knowing where Nasch stood.

"Nasch." It was fitting that his first word in this new life was the one he wanted to be a part of that life.

Somehow, he failed utterly at being surprised when Nasch refused to hold his hand out right away. They'd bonded more or less by accident the last time, though neither of them regretted it once they'd known what was going on, but Nasch was far too much of a king to make the same mistake twice.

In all honesty, Durbe wanted to think about it a little himself. He knew that he wanted Nasch in his life, in every life that he had, so long as that was what Nasch wanted, but a few moments to think it through wouldn't go amiss at all.

Apparently Mizael and Vector didn't quite feel the same way, given their angry looks at one another. But Durbe wasn't surprised; neither one of them had ever been that fond of the other, despite the fact he knew quite well what they tended to do with one another when no one else was around.

He'd made certain both sets of their quarters were as soundproofed as his and Nasch's were after the first time. He hadn't mentioned it to either of them, but Alit and Gilag both thanked him afterward.

Merag is right, though. One would think someone like Yuuma would be more to Vector's tastes.

He wouldn't go so far as to say the universe had made some kind of a mistake, but it did make him wonder. Still, it was really more Vector and Mizael's issue than his. So long as they didn't disturb his own peace of mind more than the thought of them being soulmates in the first place did, what they did or didn't do was entirely their business.

Merag, he knew, was also right about them not wasting time reaffirming their bond. It would happen, as sure as night followed day. There wasn't anyone else that he could ever imagine wanting to be soulmated with. Even if they didn't have that bond to enjoy, the thought of loving anyone else but Nasch didn't cross his mind at all. It never had.

So when Nasch held his hand out a second time, Durbe didn't hesitate. There was too much to do for them to waste time. They had new lives to build here and people that they wanted to meet and needed to talk to. Why waste time fretting about a decision that had been made twice already?

Nasch's hand wasn't callused in the way it had been when they'd first met one another all those centuries earlier. Nor did it have the strength of stone that he remembered from the Barian World, despite knowing that such could be possible again.

But it was warm and it was strong and it was Nasch's hand and he pulled the other close to him, aware that the marks once more rested where they should, and he touched Nasch's lips with his own, his heartbeat pounding fast in his ears.

Nasch's arms slipped around him and he ignored Vector's snarky comments and his lips widened into a smile at the unmistakeable sound of Alit smacking the back of Vector's head and oh, but he looked forward to seeing Alit meeting Yuuma again. He'd missed their first encounter and he wanted to see if their third was who he thought it was, because that would be interesting to see play out.

Merag cleared her throat, not entirely politely, but in a way that indicated she had something to say and listening to her would be a very good idea before she tested just how much of their powers that they all retained.

Merag had a very expressive way of clearing her throat.

"I know for a fact that none of you have anywhere to stay in this world, and I'm not sure if any of us can get back to the Barian World right now. So, we're going to go to our mansion and get some sleep for now. We can fix the place up later, but it's got enough rooms for all of us and most of them still have beds." She took a long look around, then pointed. "We're going that way."

Vector rested his hands on his hips and glared at her. "And what if I don't want to take advantage of your so-called hospitality, Merag?"

"Then sleep in an alleyway for all I care. We're offering. You do what you want. Me, I'm going to bed."

And with that, she stalked down the street the way that she'd indicated. Gilag and Alit glanced at each other, then headed on after her. Mizael gave Vector a very clear look that Durbe translated to himself as 'you are an idiot and if I ever find out who tried to tell us we were meant for each other I'm having them committed' and followed as well.

Durbe and Nasch didn't even have to think about it, much less exchange a confirming glance. All that mattered were the beds that she'd promised.

"I think we'd have to at least change the sheets," Nasch murmured as they headed along in the wake of their friends. "It's been a long time since anyone really used that place to live in."

But Durbe could tell that the thought had taken root deep inside of Nasch already. He recalled from his initial researches of Kamishiro Ryouga – would Nasch still use that name? - that he and his sister lived in an apartment building in a good part of the city, but it wasn't big enough by far to hold six or seven people. Let alone factoring in Vector's ego. But the mansion would do nicely.

"Is it soundproofed?" Not a question most might've asked, but given this group of people, Durbe thought it was one that they should get cleared out of the way as soon as they could.

"I don't think so." Nasch winced at the very thought. "But I think we have time to get it sorted out before we need to."

Durbe wasn't going to argue. He wanted to sleep in Nasch's arms and anything else could wait for better days. He thought the others would agree, especially anyone who knew how vocal Vector could get. Which was everyone.

There was still so much that needed to be done. Starting a new life always came with problems and this time they didn't have any convenient parents or authority figures to do it for them, let alone a world where they were the authority figures.

But they did have each other. And that would be enough.

To Be Continued

Note: Thank you for reading and I hope that you enjoyed the chapter. Please let me know what you thought of it if at all possible.