Chapter 36: Dream State

{Hiiragi Household: July 17th, 2014, 9:04am}

Yuzu took in a deep breath as she finished getting dress the morning after the search for Sora had begun, and she had found Yuya in the park. It had been a long night, and Yoko had been able to take Yuya home because the doctors couldn't find anything wrong with him. She bit her lip, remembering what they had said, that he seemed to just be unconscious, sleeping and it wasn't due to anything wrong with him. All his tests came back normal, his brain function was average, and he had no physical injuries that would have caused him to be this way, but he merely was. Yoko had asked if she could take him home, and while the doctors had been uncomfortable with the idea they had eventually relented. But it hadn't changed the fact that Yuya was in a coma of some kind, and no one knew what was happening.

The girl wiped her eyes and heard a knock at her door, turning to see her father standing there looking a worriedly at his daughter who was trying to wipe the tears that were welling in her eyes. He was quick to come to her, wrapping his arms around her as she cried, confused and fearful for someone she loved so dearly. The man sighed, knowing that the day would have come when his little girl fell in love with someone, and he'd have to let her be, and when he learned that his precious girl fell in love with her life-long best friend, Shuzo had felt relieved. Not because it had just been her friend, but because it was Yuya, the same boy that had always been right there with Yuzu cheering her on and giving her a smile even when she was upset. He sighed, putting a hand atop her head with a warm smile on his face as he held her close.

"It'll be okay baby girl, he's strong and he'll get better, okay?" he assured her.

"I just wish I knew what was wrong with him... this doesn't make any sense..." Shuzo smiled as he kept his arms around the girl.

"Sometimes things in life aren't meant to make sense. But remember what Yoko said? She was certain that Yuya would be fine, and that he'll wake up. So, your job is to stay strong for him and believe that he'll be okay," he told her this and Yuzu looked to him.

"You think so?" her father nodded.

"Yes, I do. Yuya isn't just any person... he's a witch, he's a duelist, and he's your special someone... the person you love... so long as you have faith in him, he'll never fail you," Shuzo told her this and Yuzu smiled slowly.

"Okay..." he smiled to her.

"Your mother had a way with words, and I remember her telling that to someone she cared for a long time ago. The poor girl was in a situation that she didn't know what to do, and your mother, and her other friends helped her out... and through all of that, your mother's friend kept believing that the person she loved would come through for her, and he did." Yuzu nodded letting go of her father as she grabbed her phone and put it into the pocket of her shorts before giving him another hug.

"I'm going to go and see him and see if I can help out Yoko, okay?" Shuzo nodded.

"That sounds like a good idea. I'll see you later, alright? Tell them I said hello," he said as Yuzu nodded and left the room with her father behind her as she waved and went out the door and he went into the living room, picking up a picture that had been left on the table near the fire place.

"Sakura, you should see our little girl... she's so brave... and she's got the kind of heart you said she would... one that's warm and loving... understanding and compassionate for others... you would be so proud."

Yuzu walked down the street, her mind mulling over the events of last night as she looked at the bracelet she wore. There was something going on, Yuya had even admitted that there were greater powers at play than even he could pinpoint. However, some part of her wondered what it all meant. Why Yuto had appeared, why her bracelet seemed to have the ability to make him disappear, and why he and Yuya looked so much alike. Then, there was the strange connection between the two pendulum crystals that seemed to exist.

Yuya and Yuto both possessed one, identical save for their color, and last night, she had not only found the other's pendulum crystal present next to Yuya's unconscious form, but his Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon card as well. It meant Yuto had been there, and may have even played a hand in Yuya's current condition. A sigh left her and she turned down the street where her destination laid just a slight distance from the corner, mind clouded as she walked until finally, she had arrived and knocked on the door.

The person who had opened the door, had not been Yoko though. Periwinkle eyes looked up to see Gongenzaka standing there, his expression worrisome as he stood there, and let her inside. Niknak and Florence were busy in the kitchen, putting herbs away as she took off her shoes by the door and saw Yoko walking down the stairs carrying a laundry hamper. The woman looked tired, concerned and unsure of what to do as she looked up and saw the pink-haired girl standing there.

"Oh! Yuzu! I didn't know you were here," she said as she came the rest of the way down the stairs and went towards the laundry room.

"I came to see if you could use some help." the woman smiled.

"Gongenzaka came by just about ten minutes ago to do the same. Personally, I can handle the basic stuff, but taking care of Yuya is my main priority right now. If you two could help Niknak and Florence with their tasks in the kitchen, it would be a big help," she said.

"What are they doing?" Yoko emptied the hamper and held onto a familiar orange t-shirt that she was scrubbing with a type of stain remover right then.

"Sorting herbs. I'm making a few potions and a handful of them are for Yuya to help him heal..." she continued scrubbing the shirt, holding it up for the two of them to see the dark rust-toned stains splattered across it.

"Is that... blood?" Gongenzaka inquired.

"They are... Yuya was in a Variance last night... I can feel traces of the magic of other witches on his skin. So, I know that the injuries he does have came from being thrown around in a fight with another witch... an Unduline from the way it seems." Yuzu frowned.

"Unduline?" she asked as Yoko continued scrubbing the blood stains.

"A witch who has Undine blood... I'm just surprised that he was attacked by one... they're normally very docile. Their most known for their ability to mend and heal others. I'll admit they have a lot of fire in them and are incredibly good fighters with command over water and wind... but..." Yoko looked at the stains on the shirt and sighed.

"Mrs. Sakaki, is everything truly alright?" Gongenzaka probed.

"Yuya's sleep... concerns me... I can feel the tension in the pulse his magic gives off... like someone's broken into his body and flipped the off switch. He's unresponsive to everything... his mind is aware of things, I'm sure because of the fact that his heart rate picks up occasionally... but... his body can't or won't react... like someone's tied him down so he's unable to move..." Yuzu looked down.

"Do you think... something happened to him during the Variance?" she questioned as Yoko nodded.

"Like what?" the blonde looked to them.

"He's received a great shock... something his body couldn't handle. At first, I thought it was exhaustion, having to fight one of his own isn't something Yusho or I ever really prepared him for outside of him dueling with a deck. Witches Variances rarely happen in Maiami... so I thought it was foolish to teach him how to fight like that and now... I'm regretting it," she admitted.

"He'll be fine... but is there something else your worried about?" Yoko smiled to them.

"Go and help Niknak and Florence, I'll be fine. After while, if you two would like to see Yuya you can, but I'm going to need to make sure he's settled first," she said.

"Okay, if you need anything else, just let us know." Yoko nodded and finally put the orange shirt into the wash before starting the washing machine up.

As she finished her task, she went to wash her hands and then headed back up the stairs. Though she hadn't said it aloud, there was one more thing bothering her at current, and that was the main reason she wasn't comfortable with them seeing Yuya right then. She sighed, opening the door to her son's room to see the boy still soundly sleeping, having not moved an inch since she'd left. Yoko entered and shut the door behind her, looking over to the desk where two pendulum crystals laid, one seeming to be pure light, the other, darkness as they glittered in the sunlight that came in through the window. The blonde-haired woman had taken great care to make sure that she kept the crystals nearby and the strange Xyz Monster that Yuzu had found lying next to her son; however, the Dragon and the Pendulum crystal was the least of her worries as she looked back to her son.

Sitting crouched by his bed, was a ghostly figure, a young boy who greatly favored Yuya, but with black-lilac hair and gray eyes dressed in dark clothes with a tattered cloak. The ghost, or whatever it was, seemed highly concerned for him, almost as though it felt at fault for what had happened to the boy, and though she had acted as though it wasn't there, she had decided finding out what it wanted with her son. A sigh left her as she approached, and crossed her arms, glancing at the pendulum crystals once more and then towards the spirit who hadn't taken it's eyes off of Yuya even with her entering the room.

"Who are you?" she asked, causing the ghost to jump.

"You can see me?" Yoko nodded at the boy's question.

"I'm a witch, a Fortuna to be exact... of course I can see spirits. All witches can... so, who are you?" the boy glanced down.

"Until last night... I was another witch... now I don't know what I am," he admitted.

"Your an earthbound spirit then... okay... not the worst thing to be attached to my son." the boy looked to her.

"A-Attached?" he asked.

"I don't know how, but your soul got trapped inside his body. So, until further notice... your stuck with each other." the person slumped a bit, looking back at the boy.

"I wish I knew why this happened... I didn't want him hurt," he stated in a soft tone.

"Then what did you want with him?" Yoko watched as he shook his head.

"To protect him, I guess... I don't know why, but I felt the need to keep him safe. Like I have an obligation to make sure he was alright. It could be that I was reminded of myself and Ruri... when I saw him around Yuzu..." she sighed.

"I get it. Something happened to Ruri, didn't it? So you just wanted Yuya and Yuzu to be happy together, and you knew if something happened to Yuya, she would be heartbroken," Yoko said.

"Ruri was kidnapped... taken by our enemy from the Fusion Dimension... Yuya knows the story by now... so you can ask him more details if you want too. I don't think anything really matters any more." the woman looked him over.

"Your very young, only about fourteen correct? What were you doing?" she inquired.

"Trying to find Ruri... trying to bring her home... to stop the war... the one that Shay was talking about during his duel with Sora Shuinin... that's destroying our home..."Yoko looked him over.

"Where are you from?" she probed.

"Heartland City, I'm from the Xyz Zone... well... Xyz Dimension now it seems." Yoko felt a look of realization come to her features.

"So, things have gotten that bad, have they?" the boy looked to her.

"You know about..." she nodded.

"I'm a little more aware of things than most think I am. Now, if you don't mean Yuya any harm, I don't mind you being here, just make sure that you don't disrupt his life anymore than you already have. He's going to have to get used to you, but on the plus side, he'll always have someone to talk too I guess," Yoko stated.

"Hmm... I don't want him hurt. I just wanna find a way to help my home." the woman looked him over.

"Then ask for his help. He'll give it to you, and my boy's stronger than you think he is," she said.

"He'll be in danger then..." Yoko looked at the ghost present before her.

"And if what happened there, comes here... then what do you think will happen?" she inquired.

"I didn't..." the spirit looked down.

"The Goddess of Fortune favors the prepared, young man," she said.

"My mom used to tell me that all the time." Yoko nodded.

"Then she was a wise witch. Now, who are you?" she asked once more.

"I'm... Yuto Kisaragi..." the woman looked him over, a soft smile.

"There's nothing I can do to revive you without breaking a lot of laws seeing as it would be considered Necromatic Art... all the same, I'm sorry for what's happened to you, Yuto," she said as he looked down and then to Yuya's sleeping form.

"Believe me, there are worse things than this. At least... this way I can do something still..." Yoko looked him over.

"And what would that be?" she asked.

"It's my fault he got hurt like he is now... so I'll protect him... help him in every way I can... so to make sure he's alright... I'll be his guardian." Yoko looked the young spirit over and nodded slowly.

"Then, I believe he's in safe hands. When the time comes for him to fight... which I know will be soon... watch over him, make sure he doesn't get in over his head, alright?" she asked.

"I will." with that Yoko went to leave the room.

"Just learn to hide yourself in case his friends can see you. If they do, it'll probably freak them out," she pointed out as Yuto nodded, going back to watching her son as she left the room.

"That poor child... this isn't something he deserves... neither of them do."

{Sakaki Household: July 19th, 2014, 10:40am}

Yuzu was back over, helping Yoko while Gongenzaka aided Shuzo with the children in the tournament. It had been two days since Yuzu had found Yuya unconscious in the park, and he had yet to even so much as flinch since then. He remained sleeping, not making a single sound save for light breathing even as she sat next to him right then, feeling for a temperature and gently dabbing at his face with a cool washcloth as Yoko had asked while she was downstairs making something for her and Yuzu to eat as well as brewing a few potions that she had been giving to Yuya while he slept. He seemed peaceful, but seeing him like this, brought back painful memories that she would have rather not relived. A worried expression made it's way onto her face as she sat the cloth down in the bowl of cold water and reached out to him, gently brushing his bangs from his face.

"What could have happened to you, Yuya? I wish you'd open your eyes so you could tell me," she said as she ran her fingers through his hair.

It had always been strangely soft, something that she guessed most wouldn't have figured. It felt like strands of silk, and never had tangles in it, something she could never figure out. A small smile came to her features as she looked to the one random strand that would never stay down no matter what he did to it. When they were younger, he would try and make his hair behave, but it never did work, and eventually he gave up, admitting defeat that it was messy and it would be that way. Yuzu laughed a little, remembering Yoko trying to do something with it once when they were around nine and had to dress up, but Yuya had ended up being able to avoid his mother's attempts at taming his messy hair. She brushed his bangs from his eyes and frowned.

"You need to trim your bangs, their getting to long," she said to him as she laid her head down next to him.

"Hey, Yuzu? How are things going in here?" the pink-haired girl looked to Yoko who walked in and sat down next to her on the floor.

"There's still no change. I was just talking to him thinking that maybe he'd... respond," Yuzu stated.

"Everything will be fine, you'll see." the girl felt her eyes begin to burn, and she wiped them with the back of her hands as Yoko watched her.

"Why won't Yuya open his eyes? Why did all of this happen?" the girl covered her face with her eyes, sobbing as she did so. Yoko moved towards her, pulling her into her arms as she tried to sooth the girl's worries.

"Yuzu... it'll be okay," she said as the girl continued to cry.

"If Yuya never wakes up, I don't know what I'll do... he means so much to me... if he's not here... if I'm left behind... I don't know if I -" Yoko pulled the girl against her tighter, putting a hand to her head, holding her closely.

"Sweetheart, listen to me... Yuya isn't going to leave you behind, he's not that weak," she said as Yuzu looked to her.

"Yoko..." the woman smiled as she looked to her son.

"Three years ago when his father disappeared, Yuya completely shut himself off from the world. It hurt, and he wanted to give up... but it was you that made him keep wanting to live... he started to wake up that day, when you were there, holding him and helping him stay with you... and each time he overcomes something, he starts to regain a piece of himself, and become stronger. He's woken up because of you being there... so I know that he'll wake up this time as well, because you're by his side," Yoko told her.

"Yo-"

"NO~! DARLING~! DON'T LEAVE ME BEHIND LIKE THIS!" the two women turned to see none other than a certain red-haired girl in a black dress.

"Who in the world is that girl?" Yoko questioned as she banged on the window.

"More importantly... how did she there when we're on the second floor?" the two watched her and tried to pinpoint what on earth was happening.

"Get this out of my face!" the girl opened the window, jumping into the room as Yoko and Yuzu jumped back, somewhat startled.

"No! I will not let you die!" she announced dramatically as Yuzu sighed.

"Aura Houchun..." Yoko looked at the girl and frowned.

"Excuse me! What are you doing here?" she asked, causing the girl to turn about face.

"My apologies!" she whistled and in through the window came a broom that went and placed itself against the wall.

"Aura! Now isn't really the time for your -" the girl cut Yuzu off.

"No, now is the perfect time for me to come here!" she said as Yoko eyed her.

"So... this is the Fortuna Witch that Yuya told me had fallen in love with him during their duel... oh dear..."

"Why am I thinking this is going to end badly?" Yuzu muttered.

"Now, I need to get to work on setting up to help!" Aura pulled a tapestry bag out from nowhere and began pulling things out of it, causing Yuzu to stare as she watched a real life Mary Poppin's bag in action.

Yoko watched Aura working quickly, setting up the different items in the room with a discerning eye. A blue curtain was draped over the south facing window, an orange-pink toned one to the west, and a few other items were quickly set up, being draped about the room as she lit a few incense burners and began pulling out small crystal orbs that she placed around Yuya's head while Yoko watched with Yuzu beside him and Yuto's spirit remained nearby Yuya with an annoyed look on his face.

"A few power stones will help drive away malicious spirits," Aura said as she continued to work.

"I'm about to show you a malicious spirit if you don't stop messing with my charge..." Yoko looked at the bristling spirit and almost wanted to laugh.

Yuto had only been an attached spirit for roughly two days now, and he already took his job of protecting Yuya quite serious; however, the power stones would keep him from getting near Yuya because he was irritated with Aura, making him a technical malicious spirit. The young red-haired witch was humming a tune as she went to work while Yuzu eyed the things in the room, the mere notion of it all making her dizzy while Aura continued her work and Yoko watched the malicious spirit in the corner fuming as he shot death glares towards Aura.

"Hang in there Yuto..." Yoko thought as the spirit bristled in a feline-like manner with a glower upon his features as he tried to come towards where Yuya was, but was held back by the power stones.

"This little bitch is gonna die! I'm gonna kill her!" Yuto made a swipe at Aura, and missed by a great margin as he struggled to come closer, being held in place by an invisible wall while Yoko tried her best not to laugh as the situation wasn't entirely humorous, but it was most certainly heading in that direction.

"Aquamarine and Tourmaline would be best... ah..." Aura threw Yuya's blankets back and Yuzu reacted.

"What are you doing?!" she asked.

"I should be asking both of you what you think you're doing! That mortal girl I can understand, but Mrs. Sakaki, as a fellow Fortuna Witch, you should know that colors such as gray sucks away good fortune and health. It's a death color!" Yoko frowned.

"Aura, I think he'll be fine, besides... he isn't in critical health, he's just unconscious," she said.

"Look, if you don't want him to get weaker, you need to change his clothes right this instant! Green and white nightwear is best!" Yuzu gawked at her.

"What are you talking about?" she asked.

"Figures you wouldn't know anything... green has a useful detox effect, it brings good fortune and health... while white can be used for its purifying effect! So come on, it's for his sake! Mrs. Sakaki, your a fellow witch, I know that you're well aware that colors that attract good things are what you need to put around the environment of someone sickly... otherwise they get worse! Why do you think hospitals are so bad? Its all white and gray! The white is purifying, but the gray is ill tidings!" Yoko sighed.

"Alright, you two get out while I do this!" she said ushering both the girls out the door before shutting it. Yuzu frowned as she glanced to the girl who had a concerned look upon her face.

"Aura, why are you here?" she asked as the girl looked to her.

"To make sure darling is okay. I know you mean well, Yuzu Hiiragi, but the fact remains that you aren't a witch... your mortal... Yuya is a pureblood witch with a lot of power... and he's got to deal with things that no matter how often your told about them... you'll never really understand..." the pink-haired girl frowned.

"I've known Yuya since we were babies... not being by his side feels wrong..." Aura sighed.

"For you, it may not feel right... but when it comes to him, don't you think he deserves to be with someone who can understand him?" she asked.

"Maybe I can understand him, and you just don't want to admit that." Yuzu closed the conversation as Yoko reopened the door and they came back in to find that the task Aura had given her was done, while Yuto was still shooting death glares after Aura as Yoko pulled the blankets back up on Yuya.

"I'm gonna kill her! As soon as I find a way to get rid of these blasted power stones!" Yuto stated this, his eyebrow twitching as he continued to glare at Aura, who seemed completely oblivious to him.

"By the way, who told you Yuya was bedridden?" Yoko asked.

"Did you foresee this through your fortunes?" Yuzu was being a tad sarcastic, but she kept it out of her tone, if only for the satisfaction.

"I'd love to say yes, but... I happened to overhear the children from your school talking with worried expressions at the tournament assembly hall. So, I ended up neglecting everything else to come, and I'm glad I did. Additional help from another witch is always best when healing one of our own," she said proudly, causing Yuzu to glower while Yuto rolled his eyes, arms crossed over his chest.

"Oh please, Yuzu was doing just fine without your help, you evil oompa loopma!" Yoko cast the spirit an amused glance while he continued to glare at the red-haired girl.

"Hold on a minute, by everything else... do you mean that you ran out on your match?" Yuzu questioned.

"But of course, I hold my Darling more preciously than I do dueling!" Yuto sighed.

"What a dingbat..." he muttered as Yoko and Yuzu glanced to one another and then looked to Aura.

"You can't do that!" Yuzu stated.

"Eh?" Aura seemed confused as Yoko looked to her.

"Yuya isn't just a witch Aura, he's a Duelist! He wants to become a pro! It's part of who he is, so as a fellow Duelist, he would want you to try and win the tournament," she explained.

"Right! Your victory is a medicine far superior to any other!" Yuzu told her this and Yuto waited.

"Initiating induced realization..." he muttered as Aura felt her eyes widen.

"Your right! I'll return to the stadium and do my best for my Darling!" she grabbed her broom and started towards the window.

"Response engaged, prepare for take off," Yuto stated.

"What about your things?" the girl looked to them.

"Just place them back in the bag, Darling can have them. I'm sure he can put the items to good use at some point! Now, to the stadium!" with that the girl jumped out the window, and took off on her broom to the stadium.

"We have lift off... the hag has left the building ladies and gentlemen!" Yuto stated with a fist pump as Yoko did her best not to laugh and looked to Yuzu.

"Let's get this mess up and put it back in the bag. She's not going to come get it, but if Yuya wakes up in all this mess, he's going to be very confused," she told the girl.

"Alright, I'll take down the curtains. " Yuzu got to work on taking the curtains down and opening the window to let the smoke as Yoko removed the power stones, putting them back in the pouch they came from before placing them in the bag as Yuto sighed in relief and vanished, seeming to return to hiding away in Yuya's body for the time being while the two women finished with cleaning the room up.

"At least he hasn't let death dampen his sense of humor... then again, he was probably pretty annoyed by those power stones..."

"I didn't know that witches actually used brooms to fly," Yuzu mentioned as Yoko finished packing up the candles.

"We do... but not as much as we used to. Yuya knows how to use a broom... but he prefers to walk or use public transportation." the pink-haired girl frowned.

"That'd be quite the sight for a Halloween entertainment duel, huh?" she asked.

"More than likely, but like I said, he's not a fan of broomsticks..." it was as they put the last of the things away in the bag, that Yuzu noticed a bit of movement to her left and turned to see Yuya moving a bit.

"Yoko! He's moving..." the woman was at the bedside in an instant while Yuzu crouched down a bit both waiting as the boy slowly opened his eyes, blinking a few times as Yoko moved closer to him.

"Y-Yuzu... mom?" the two sighed in relief.

"Yuya! Your awake!" Yuzu stated as the boy looked to them in confusion.

"W-What happened?" he started to move a bit and Yoko smiled as she helped him sit up.

"Yuzu and Gongenzaka found you unconscious in the park. You had is scared there," she said.

"Oh... okay..." Yoko looked to the girl next to her.

"Yuzu? Can you go and get some food for him? I know he's going to be hungry. Yuya, do you need help with getting to the bathroom?" he looked to her, seeming a bit dazed, but shook his head.

"No I think I can... walk..." Yuzu nodded and left the room.

A few minutes later, Yuya had returned from the restroom, and looked as though he was feeling a bit better as he had made sure to wash his face before he came back to the room. He felt tired, almost as if he had been utterly drained of all form of energy earlier, and he hadn't slept enough. His mind replayed what had happened in the park and he narrowed his gaze before getting to where he was able to sit back down on his bed, his legs and arms still shaking as Yoko gave him a weak smile and Yuzu returned with a small dish of rice and a few pieces of fish that Yoko had made for them for lunch. She gave it to Yuya who picked at the food while Yuzu watched him, hoping he could stomach it as he glanced her way.

"How long have I been asleep?" Yoko sighed.

"Two days," she said.

"What? Two days?" Yuzu nodded.

"Yea, you were sound asleep. You must have been absolutely exhausted, but then again, you did fight four matches to qualify for the Arc League Championships, and then went right into those too. So, it's not surprising," Yoko said.

"Oh, I guess so. How is it going anyways?" Yuzu sighed.

"Frederic lost to that Riley kid like Allie did, but Tate is breezing through it," she told him.

"That's good, and what about you and Gongenzaka?" he rose an eyebrow, and the girl smiled.

"I'm fine, mine and Gongenzaka's qualifying match isn't until the day after tomorrow, and yours is the day before mine," she told him as he nodded.

"Okay, so we're all working towards the finale. This is gonna be great!" he gave her a beaming smile and Yuzu nodded to him.

"Right!"

"Okay, Yuya finish eating and get some more rest. Yuzu, come with me and we'll eat and check up on him later," Yoko said as the girl nodded and Yuya gave her a small wave before the two of them left and Yuya sighed as he returned to eating.

Two days asleep, and it had all been because of some stranger – well, he suspected he wasn't entirely a stranger as he had been told his name – had ended up hitting Yuto with a spell that had left a deep wound in his abdomen, and while Yuya knew enough healing spells that could have at least staved off the bleeding in time for him to get to a hospital, it hadn't happened that way. Yuto had died in his arms, telling him to take Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon, and do something with the gifts he possessed, but right then, Yuya wasn't sure how he could do anything.

Sighing, the scarlet-eyed Duelist huffed, chewing on the piece of fish he had while he continued to think about how it had been him touching the pendulum crystal left behind, that had resulted in him being sent some kind of horrible shock, but he wasn't honestly certain as to what could have caused that. He took a few more bites of his food, thinking heavily on what could be done to resolve the problem between this Academia that Sora was supposedly apart of, and the Resistance that Yuto and Shay were part of. Something serious was happening where they were from, the kind of things that shouldn't have even existed in this day and age, and to make matters worse, it was fellow witches and duelists that were doing this to one another. A growl left him as he sat down the spoon he had having long since swallowed as he looked at the plate in front of him as though it was part of the current problem.

"This is insane... I can't believe this is real," he muttered.

"Oh, you better believe it." Yuya jumped as he heard the familiar voice.

"What the – wait... Yuto?" he asked as he looked around and saw the spirit of the other appear across from him.

"Nice of you to join the rest of us in this world." Yuya looked him over.

"Your a ghost now? How? And what are you doing here? Are you haunting me or something?" Yuto held up his hands.

"Whoa! One question at a time!" he said.

"Sorry... I've never really spoken to a wandering spirit before, least of all one I know... so it's kinda... strange for me..." Yuto sighed.

"I'm dead, Yuya, that's how I've become a ghost... and no, I'm not haunting you," he said.

"Then what are you doing here?" transparent gray eyes looked to him.

"Somehow... I've become attached to you," he stated.

"You've got an attachment... to me?" the spirit nodded.

"I'm able to project myself, and other witches... or at least your mother... seems to be able to see me... but I'm technically trapped inside your body," Yuto explained as Yuya sat before him, looking fairly startled.

"Ah, if your trapped in my body... then how do we... get you out?" the other shook his head.

"I don't know I mean... urgh! This conversation is so awkward! How did I even end up attached to you of all people?! I mean, let's be serious here, we're basically gonna have to share a body," Yuto admitted.

"Something told me it was gonna be like that. Maybe we can find Shay, and he can -" the other shook his head.

"No! Absolutely not! If Shay finds out about this and that I'm inside your body, he's gonna go nuclear! I'm a Shadow Witch, Yuya! But I'm also part Phantasmal-Imp! My job is to be a shepherd to departed souls, but if I become one, I'm supposed to continue my work, it's part of who I am! If I've become attached to someone's body, that means I did something seriously wrong! Although... I didn't tell your mother that, and now I kinda feel guilty, but..." the other scratched his cheek in embarrassment while Yuya watched him.

"So, you're stuck with me and vice versa?" the other nodded morbidly.

"Unfortunately... look, I'm sorry about all this. I don't understand all of it really, but I think the two of us have some kind of connection that we're not aware of... because of that... I'm gonna need your help..." Yuya smiled to him.

"Since we're stuck sharing a body, I guess helping one another out is what needs to happen," he pointed out.

"True... let's just play this by ear, okay? I don't want to go and do anything brash just yet. Let's focus on you getting through this tournament first, we can use it to learn how to work together." Yuya nodded.

"Sounds good to me," he said. Yuya smiled to the spirit, knowing that what was coming was going to be a rollercoaster, but he also had the distinct feeling that nothing could be done about the current situation, and the most he could do was prepare for the worst, and hope for the best.

{…...}

It's just about to break, its more than I can take...

{…...}

Author's Note: So, This was really just a breather chapter before we went back into the action, and I wanted to give a moment to establish the situation between Yuya and Yuto having to share a body because Yuto's soul is somehow attached to Yuya's body. Well, I suppose it couldn't get much worse, right? Um... no, its probably gonna get worse, much worse. Tell me what you guys think, and I'll look for your reviews!

Sincerely,

ShadowDragon94.

Trivia:

White is considered a color of purity, and cleansing.

Green is associated with prosperity, good fortune, and good health. Healers normally have a green or greenish aura.

Interestingly enough, Yuya's hair colors are red and green, and his eyes are scarlet, so while a bit of his color palette would suggest he had good health, and or good fortune, the scarlet color of his hair and eyes would suggest that he has a very fiery, powerful, and ferocious side to him that is both loving and passionate, but also easy to anger.

The color red is a symbol of love and aggression.

Power Stones do exist, they're a form of crystal or rune-stone that is used as a cleanser. Similar to that of White Sage, which can be burned to cleanse negativity from houses and buildings.

Mary Poppins was referenced in this chapter.

Yuto being a Spirit Companion is a common troupe in Yu-Gi-Oh! He is actually the fourth of this kind of character. The prior ones were Yugi Muto and the Pharaoh Atem, Jaden Yuki and Yubel, and then Yuma Tsukumo with Astral. Yusei Fudo is the only character in the franchise thus far to not have a spirit companion.

The Witches here do use Broomsticks to get around if they need to do so quickly; however, they only do so when required, otherwise they drive a car, take a bus, taxi, or walk. Maybe ride a bike, ya know, that kinda thing.