I don't own Yugioh Zexal or any of the characters in it. They belong to their respective owners. I only own my OC.

A/N I think Quattro is my favorite Arclight now. May I just say, I had way too much fun writing this chapter. And if anyone was curious, I'll be writing more about the past AU in the sequel that I'm planning. I might change that, but it fits with Zexal II better. Shoutout to Marume Chiisa for the review! I really love reading learning what my readers think about my work! :)

Chapter Twenty-one: Twins Broken Forevermore

Due POV

She closed the file.

She felt so useless, sitting alone in the dimly lit cabinet in the abandoned hotel. But what was there for her to do? It wasn't like she could see the duel. All she could do was sit and wait for her last surviving brother to return. Hope that if the Crest took him she'd be able to exchange a few words with him before he was stolen from her as everyone else had been.

Kite. He had progressed to the next round as she had. What would become of him? What if his next duel was his last?

She had to speak with him one more time before the finals.

Kite again sat by his brother's side. However, his eyes were completely dry.

"Kite. I shouldn't have come, but we haven't spoken since the Finalist Ball. I'm just really going through a hard time. I need someone I can trust with the most guarded secret I have. I don't care if it breaks every rule Vetrix ever wrote!" She glanced at him. "Was it a bad kiss? Is that it? It was, wasn't it. I'm probably worrying about nothing, and now I'm rambling. Quinton's death offset me more than I thought it would. Heh."

He rose from the starry purple carpet. "No. That's nowhere close to it. You're the first person that I've ever wanted to protect besides Hart. That includes protection from emotional stress. I hope you can forgive me for forgetting." He gently kissed her lips. "I want you to know you can say anything. I won't question it."

She gazed at him, his face inches from hers.

His grey-blue eyes that shimmered with protective passion. His lips that had touched hers a moment ago.

"Thank you. I always come to the Heartland City Capital. Don't get me wrong, I love it here, but I want you to see where I live. There's a room with a view just like this. It feels like you can see the entire world. But it's okay if you don't want to come. Two soulless bodies are rather frightening."

"Yes," he breathed. "I'll go if you want me to. As a number hunter, I'm not frightened by it in any way," he added wistfully.

Hand in hand, she lead him through the overlay portal.

Quattro held onto a pillar for dear life. He smiled weakly at the two of them. "I'm glad that at least one of us gets a happy ending. Maybe in my dreams, I'll be just as happy as you are. Who knows? Maybe that dream will come true."

He collapsed like one of his marionettes and released a final breath.

"Quattro!"

Quattro POV (earlier)

"I won't accept a surrender. Stand up so I can beat you!"

He finally rose, twisting in agony. The shard of hate in his chest glowed an evil minty green. He shook his head and clutched it, as though he was having an internal battle. Thanks to the number of his, maybe he was.

"I WILL NOT BE CONTROLLED ANY MORE!" he suddenly promised himself. "I activate Different Deep Sea Trench, which banishes on WATER-attribute monster as long as it stays on the field. That way, your String Counter won't affect me."

Why would he…oh.

"Nice maneuver there. The only problem is that you just lost your best monster. And I still have String of Destiny equipped, not to mention 3000 attack points and you with nothing! You have to accept you've got no chance of winning!"

"Do you really believe that, Quattro?" Vetrix intercepted hauntingly. "You're relying on pure luck, with the top card of your deck and battle phase at stake. A true strategist puts noting to chance! You were lucky to have drawn a monster last time."

I spun back to him, begging for a chance. "Why won't you trust me in anything?"

Emotionlessly he gave an answer. "You're too rash for my liking. So contrasting to your siblings. Think out this duel rationally, if you're capable of that, that is."

"I never realized your mistrust ran so deep. But I think I know why. I don't bend over to you like the mindless slaves you've forced my sister and brothers to become! Yeah, I was may argue and talk back, but that doesn't make me any less loyal to you! Everything I ever did was for you, and still you hold me at a arm's length! And you know what? I miss my father, the man named Byron Arclight. He loved and believed in us. But now, he's nothing more than a cold-hearted revenge-obsessed child, who gives us orders instead of love!" I shuddered, struggling to hold back tears.

I wouldn't cry. Not in front of Shark.

"All of us still obeyed you! Maybe it's in memory of the father you once were. That's why…that's why I've done everything to make the one you chose over me hateful!"

Taking advantage of the anguish I felt, Shark spat insults. "You're a pathetic brat, you know that? Even if Vetrix was behind it all, you still did all those things to me! I'm not going to pity you over some tragic backstory!"

"Well you're going to end up empty-handed! Once I beat you, Faker will be next! When he's gone everything will go back to how it was!" I retaliated, hurt by his cruelty. All I could do was hope it didn't show. "That'll be the first step to save my family! Maybe then I'll get the love and trust that was stolen from me…"

Vetrix looked down heartlessly, unmoved by my words. "You think that you're the only useless one? Ha! Your brothers are just as useless! I'd rather trust three baboons! They've delivered nothing but disappointment!"

"And Due?" I asked shakily.

"She, so far, is the only one that hasn't ruined anything yet. Although, her relationship with the elder son of Faker makes me question her loyalty. I can't leave anything to chance, so I'm not trusting anything with her. I can only trust myself. You can never tell when the one you put your faith in will stab you in the back!"

I shut my eyes to prevent the tears from spilling. "I…Am I just a pawn then? Just as Quinton and Trey were? I have to be more than that! As the Asia Champion I have to! And this move will prove it to you! I attack with String of Destiny! With this I will prove my worthiness!"

The card I held was a spell card.

Quickly brushing it off, I continued. "I may have lost my battle phase, but I'll amend to that. Gimmick Puppet Scissor Arms destroys any equip card on my field and doubles its level. String of Destiny was more of a bother than it was helpful, anyway."

The silver-blades slashed at the sword until it was no longer.

"And now I'll summon Gimmick Puppet Nightmare!"

The name fit the maze of puppet body parts well.

"With two Level Eight monsters, I build the overlay network! Meet my true trump card, Number 88!"

I smashed my fists together, wind unsettling the blonde part of my hair. The Crest's power radiated around my body.

I was winning.

I was powerful.

I would be the victor of this duel.

"GIMMICK PUPPET OF LEO!"

The lion-headed warrior king rose, shiny black hands resting on its ginormous red sword. Its cold red eyes menacingly glanced at the people unlucky enough to view it.

I stood by it, basking in the glory of the monster's ferocity. "Each turn it can absorb one overlay unit. Once it has none left, you automatically lose!"

Shark glanced upon it in disbelief. His field was remarkably empty.

"Shark."

"Hnh?"

"You can get around this in one way. Think it as Quattro could never: strategically," the blonde hologram advised.

"Gh…Don't tell him how to beat me!"

He turned back. "Oh? You're so useless, you're already dead to me. Your role has now ended. You've done an acceptable job in completing it. I have no further need of you." He moved back to my rival. "You want to beat him, yes?"

He balled his hands into fists. "Yeah. Anything for my revenge."

"Good! I'm glad we're on the same page," he answered jovially. "It will be easier to make you my puppet."

"I'm…I'm not your puppet!" Shark bit back.

"Oh, I wouldn't be so sure of that. Shark Drake is calling you! Accept that it is the only path to victory."

He bent over, crying out. He delved into a psychological hell, struggling to allow what he had fought so hard against take hold of his very soul.

He fell to his knees and clutched at his heart. The shard's glow intensified.

Yuma begged Shark not to let it take him, but he was greatly ignored.

A new aura surrounded his body. "I put my facedown face up and switch it to defense mode! By tribute for Deep Sweeper, I can destroy one spell card. The card I chose is Deep Sea Trench! Welcome back your own worst nightmare."

It couldn't be…

"Well Gimmick Puppet of Leo still had more attack points!"

He tapped his lip. "Yes, but not for long. I rebuild the overlay network! Chaos Xyz Evolution. Appear, Chaos Number 32: Shark Drake Veiss!"

He had done it. Reginal Kastle had successfully summoned a Chaos number.

"I'm not done."

"WHAT?!"

"I use an overlay unit to reduce your monster's attack points by the attack of an Xyz monster in my graveyard. I chose Aeroshark. Your Gimmick Puppet of Leo is no more threatening than a kitten! With that, I attack Gimmick Puppet of Leo with Shark Drake Veiss! Go, Chaos Stream!"

Just as he commanded, a thousand streams of purple light blasted through my monster. The seal of the Crest broke before my eyes. Life points plummeted down to zero.

It doesn't hurt like I thought it would, losing my soul. It almost feels…good.

With no more usefulness, the AR link shimmered away.

I lifer my head from the ground weakly. "I'm sorry, Shark. For everything."

"Yeah right. After everything you pulled?"

"Please. You have to believe me. When I dueled your sister, Vetrix made me use a powerful card which caused a huge fire. I saved her from the fire. I couldn't leave her to die. I never meant to hurt her. So if you're going to hate anyone, hate me. They are my actions, after all. I'm okay with that. Just please, if you ever see my father again, tell him we're waiting," I pleaded as I felt the tug of the overlay portal. "Bring my father back."

Two beds held my brothers. Soon I would join them.

Another portal opened, bringing Due and Kite.

"Quattro!" she cried.

I held onto a pillar to hold myself up. "I'm glad that at least one of us gets a happy ending. Maybe in my dreams, I'll be just as happy as you are. Who knows? Maybe that dream will come true."

I let go, collapsing in her arms. She let out a sob. "Not you. I can't lose you too!"

Kite looked slightly uncomfortable.

I turned to him. "Love my sister while I'm gone, will you?"

He nodded.

I knew when I said them that these were my last words. "I'll see you when you find out how to fix this, okay?"

She pulled me closer, crying a river. "I will find a way to save all of you. On my soul I swear it."