Welcome Back Everyone!

I feel as though the events of the last two chapters need an appropriate aftermath, so rather than go right away into the Kaito vs Misael duel, I present to you this chapter, in which Kotori experiences her first moments where she is finally free of Number 96, but of course given what Number 96 forced her to do, she isn't psychologically free of him. Anyone who was in her shoes would experience a massive amount of PTSD.

I don't own Zexal or any of the Yu-Gi-Oh franchises what so ever, but if I did, then any form of mind control or demonic possession that a main character experiences will not be brushed under the rug so easily and be water under the bridge.

I could think of so many instances where a character is possessed or corrupted, Marik Controlled Joey, Dark Signer Carly, etc, and when the victim is freed and they act like everything is completely back to normal! Sunshine and Rainbows! It annoys me so much. I would say the worst instance of it was Dark Signer Carly since she was the only Dark Signer who got amnesia just so the writers could demote her to Extra in 5DS and have an excuse not to continue the Jack x Carly Romance, but I am going off topic.

The fact that you were stripped of your free will or had your personality altered and committed or almost committed acts of evil are not so easy to move on from. It messes you up! You will not be the same after going through something so traumatizing, and to just say that the victim is 100% fine after being set free is a huge form of disrespect to the character and the audience. Would they really be psychologically back to normal after going through all of that? I don't think so! Something like that won't happen with Kotori in this fanfiction! No sir!

On a much more exciting note, I received another piece of excellent fan art today from the ever so talented, Twilight Duelist A5L, who you may remember as the guy who drew Corrupted Kotori and posted it on deviantart for all to see. Well he has done it again! This time he took Kotori's Chaos Form from Chapter 34 when she fused with Number 96 Venom Style, and I cannot even begin to describe how much I love it! Thank you so much A5L!

You can find it here at twilightduelista5l deviantart/art/Chaos-Kotori-614913642

With that little rant and the well deserved praise of my friend's art out of the way, Enjoy!

Chapter 36: Learning to Live in the Light

Kotori's eyes slowly opened as she awoke to the darkness of her own familiar bedroom. At first, she could not recall how she got there, but the memories slowly returned to her. She looked around the shadows, the moon from her window as the only source of light. It was indeed her bedroom and she was wearing her own normal white and pink attire, not the black dress which shackled her to Number 96.

"Yuma... he won..." She whispered to herself and smiled. Number 96 was finally gone forever, out of her mind and no longer twisting her heart into wickedness.

She got out of bed and tried to turn on the lights, but when she flicked the switch, nothing happened. She turned the switch back and forth repeatedly, but still the room remained dark. Kotori grew confused. Was there a power failure in the middle of the night? No, that couldn't be right. She tried calling out to Yuma, assuming her rescuer had taken her back home and was still here looking after her.

"Yuma? Are you there?" She called out.

No answer. Where was Yuma? Kotori began to grow very uneasy as she felt the room grow much colder with the echoing of her voice. Something was wrong. It wasn't like Yuma to just leave without a trace, especially if she was in trouble. She tried calling out again, louder this time.

"Mom? Are you there? Mom? Dad? Yuma? Anyone?"

Still no answer. Not even her parents answered her call. Now she was quite frightened, and her fears were confirmed when she felt a cold tingle go up her spine, as if there was another presence in the room with her. She jumped, and her eyes darted around the room for signs of life. Nothing, only darkness and silence greeted her. She desperately tried to calm herself down and she ran into the bathroom to splash water on her face.

Kotori took a deep breath of relief as the feeling of cold water relaxed her body slightly, but when she looked up at the bathroom mirror, she experienced true horror, something she never thought she would ever see again.

She saw her reflection grinning back at her, wearing the same black dress and the same cold eyes of darkness that she wore when she was under the spell of Number 96.

"Kotori, you have disappointed me!" The reflection rasped at her.

"YOU! H-H-H-How?!" Kotori gasped, and she doubled back out of fear. "You're not real! I'm seeing things! You're not real!"

"Oh I am very real, Kotori!" Her reflection spoke back to her. "I should know! I am the real you, the stronger you, and you have disappointed me because you decided you wanted to throw everything you worked so hard to achieve away! Number 96 did everything for us and this is how you repay him? By betraying him? You're pathetic!"

"N-N-No!" Kotori stuttered! "I'm not like you anymore! I don't want to be you anymore! You made me into a monster! Go away!"

"I have news for you, Kotori! I didn't do any of those things, and neither did Number 96!" the doppelganger explained, taking pleasure in her good side's fears.

"That was all you! You wanted that power! You said it yourself! You were finally worthy of Yuma's affection, a true object of great and beautiful power for him to worship! You wanted to duel for him! You wanted to kill for him! You remember Carrion, don't you? You remember how loud he screamed when you killed him? You enjoyed that so much!"

Kotori felt sick to her stomach. She wanted to vomit but she found that she couldn't. She remembered Carrion alright, and although the man was a vile thug, she would have never committed such a vile act of torture and murder to even someone like him.

"I know... but that wasn't me..." She whispered, shuddering from the memory. "I should never have listened to Number 96! I should have never summoned him during that duel! I should never have become you!"

"Don't make me laugh, Kotori!" Her dark side scoffed. "You are still me! You will always be me! I am the Hyde to your Jekyll, the Yin to your Yang! I will always be with you!"

"Not anymore..." Kotori hissed, finally finding her inner courage. "Number 96 is gone, and that means you are gone! You won't be able to take control ever again!"

To Kotori's surprise, her dark side sported a playful and coy smile. She delivered her next words with poisonous honey in her voice, sweet yet corrosive.

"Oh, but don't you remember? We won! Yuma Tsukumo is ours and Number 96 is the rightful God of this world all thanks to you! If you think you are free, check your neck!"

"What are you... talking... about..." Kotori's voice slowed down to a panicked silence as her blood ran cold. A faint but all too familiar purple glow was radiating from the right side of her neck. Not trusting her reflection in her bathroom mirror, she pulled out a hand mirror and when she looked, she immediately dropped it in shock. The Number 96 was back on her neck, and she was wearing the black dress again.

"No... No... NO! IT CAN'T BE! I don't want this! Get this Number off of me! YUMA HELP ME!"

"You called for me, my mistress?"

The voice behind her was clearly Yuma's voice, but when Kotori realized what he just said to her, she could not even bring herself to respond or even turn around. A knot had formed in her throat and around her heart, stopping them both. The tone of voice from Yuma's words was weak and timid, without any of the Kattobingu spirit that made Yuma who he was, and Yuma would never say anything like that to her... unless...

"Mistress? Why are you silent, my mistress? Did I do something wrong? Please answer me! It wasn't my fault! I'm so sorry mistress!"

Kotori, her eyes filled with the tears of her own sins, finally turned around. What she saw made her shudder. Yuma was barely recognizable as the young man she loved. Instead of eyes filled with fiery happiness, his eyes were cold broken sockets in a glazed trance like state. His face and body were pale and emaciated, as if he hadn't eaten in days, and he was wearing an royal military uniform of the same black and oily texture as the dress of Kotori's dark side. A black slave collar was wrapped tight around his neck with a long rusty chain dangling from it, and the final nail in the coffin that broke Kotori's heart was that Yuma now had the same Number 96 on his neck as she now had.

"This isn't happening... This can't be happening!" Kotori whimpered. She began to claw at the marked area of her neck with her fingernails to scratch the flesh off, but nothing happened. The mark remained tattooed on her neck, and the dress felt tighter on her skin, like a strait jacket.

"What do you mean, mistress?" Yuma asked. "Isn't this what you wanted?"

"STOP CALLING ME THAT!" Kotori screamed. "I DON'T WANT THIS! I DON'T! IT DON'T! I DON'T! MAKE IT STOP!"

"But why? I belong to you." Yuma continued. "And you belong to Number 96." Yuma's trance like state ceased and his lips curled upward into an evil grin.

"You will always belong to Number 96!" In that moment, Yuma's facial features melted away. His skin darkened, and his suit merged with his body, morphing itself into the black and monstrous form of Number 96.

Kotori tried to run, but the Number Monster caught her with his tentacles and bound her arms and legs.

"Now, return to your master's side where you belong!" Number 96 sneered as he let loose a storm of cackling laughter.

"NO! NO! STAY AWAY FROM ME! NOOOOOO!"

"NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! NO!" Kotori screamed as she thrashed around in her bed. She felt something grab her arms and she screamed again.

"Kotori! KOTORI WAKE UP!" Yuma pleaded.

"AAAAAAH!"

Kotori snapped out of her terrified state. Cold sweat stained her body, and not even the sight of Yuma gave her any form of comfort. After a nightmare like that, she wasn't even sure if this was the real Yuma, or her mind playing tricks on her again, ready to scare her again with another image of her worst fears. She gently touched Yuma's cheek just to make sure.

"Yuma... is that really you..."

Yuma placed a hand over hers and smiled a soft ghost of a smile.

"Yes Kotori. It's me. I promise it's me."

She still wasn't relaxed. Her hyperventilated breathing only decreased by a small amount. She paused for a second before answering her next whispered question.

"And... Number 96?"

"Gone." Yuma responded instantly. He wasn't about to tell her that Number 96 had escaped from Astral's grasp and avoided being imprisoned in the Emperor's Key, which likely meant he would rear his ugly face some time in the future. That would only frighten Kotori even more.

Kotori was only slightly relieved from Yuma's words. She may never see the Dark Number again in real life, but thanks to him, she may never sleep again. She stared longingly into Yuma's eyes, looking for a sign. There was no mistaking that color, that shine of happiness and spirit. This was the real Yuma, her Yuma, the Yuma she no longer deserved. She couldn't take it anymore. She finally broke down, pulling Yuma into a tight hug and sobbed.

"Oh Yuma I'm sorry! I'm so sorry! I almost... I thought you... I didn't meant to..."

Yuma wasn't used to this situation. In every situation he had been in, especially in his younger years, he had been the sad and frightened one in need of comfort, and it was always his mother and father who had given him the reassurance and love he needed to get back on his feet, and thanks to his parents teaching him the ways of Kattobingu, Yuma always new how to get back up and push away the fear and sadness, but now this time he was the one who needed to comfort someone, and it was the girl who had always been by his side, the girl whose smile filled every day he lived with joy. Now he saw a shattered shell of the beautiful soul he knew, and it was up to him to put the pieces back together.

"Kotori, it's alright." He whispered to her, stroking her back as he hugged her. "He's not going to hurt you anymore. I promise."

Silence filled the room for what seemed like hours. Neither one spoke, and the two never took their arms off the other. Finally Kotori spoke again.

"Why are you such a saint, Yuma?"

"What?"

"Anyone else would have hated me for everything I have done." Kotori lamented. "They would still see the monster I was when I was still possessed, the monster I still am..."

"Kotori no..." Yuma replied. "I could never hate you, and I'm sure if everyone understood that you weren't yourself, they would forgive you too. You're not a monster."

"THEN HOW COME I STILL FEEL LIKE ONE?" Kotori screamed, her eyes bloodshot from her tears.

"I can still feel him inside my mind, laughing, making me remember everything I did, everyone I hurt, Cathy, Anna, Gilag and... Oh my God! Alito!" She could no longer picture the smiling brave face of one of Yuma's closest friends. Even though he turned out to be a Barian, she knew how much Yuma's friendship with Alito meant to him. Now all she could see whenever she thought of Alito was his mangled body, his arms and legs broken and whip scars decorating his back, close to death but still just enough life within him to feel the pain she caused him. Kotori felt like she needed to vomit again.

"But it was me! Part of it was!" She cried. "I remember everything! I remember how happy I was when Number 96 taught me how to use his powers. I remember torturing Alito, and I remember liking it! I enjoyed hurting Alito and... everything else..."

"Kotori..." Yuma reached out to hold her hand again, but this time she forced herself away from him, much to his surprise.

"I remember when I first met Alito... He tried to cover it up by I knew what he said to me... He thought I was an angel... Even though I didn't return his feelings, he was still such a sweet person for thinking that of me. If I ever see him again, how could I possibly face him after what I did to him?"

"Kotori, I know Alito, and he knows about the Numbers! I know he will find it in his heart to forgive you, and I forgive you too!" Yuma tried to reassure her, but to no avail.

"YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND, YUMA! I KILLED SOMEONE!"

That caught Yuma by surprise. In his own sense of idealism he never thought Kotori's actions while under the influence of Number 96 were as severe as that.

"W-W-What?"

"It wasn't Alito, Yuma." She told him. "It was... someone else. His name was Carrion, and he was hired by the pack to get revenge on you and Rio for getting Scorch and Chills locked up in prison, but still, if anyone found out about this I would be treated no different then they were. I would go to prison for murder, even though he deserved it. He..."

She had to catch her breath and find her voice again. Her throat was too dry for her to speak. Yuma, while still quite shocked at this new revelation, still gave Kotori a supportive look that said "take however long you need."

"He wanted to kill both you and Rio, and he... he wanted me to watch. I hated him Yuma. I hated him so much, and Number 96, he just wouldn't stop talking to me. He had Numbers, and he wanted to duel me to take Number 96. I couldn't give Number 96 to him because I knew he would kill me anyway. Or maybe that wasn't it at all."

Yuma's eyes narrowed as he pictured Carrion in his mind. Normally he couldn't bring himself to hate anyone, especially if he had never met the person in question, but if what Kotori said was true, then Carrion was even worse than Number 96.

"It sounds like he did get what he deserved..." He muttered in a bitter tone, knowing full well that he would have given Carrion a piece of his mind if he was still alive.

"DON'T!" Kotori yelled. "Don't defend me on that! Even if Carrion was a horrible person, that doesn't justify what I did to him! Oh god..."

She took another breath to catch herself, sobbing in between breaths.

"Maybe I just... wanted to duel him because I hated him. I wanted to protect you. I wanted to make him pay for threatening your life. I guess that was all it took to push me over the edge... He just wouldn't stop whispering in my ear, making me think such vile thoughts."

Her voice grew low and raspy to imitate Number 96 exactly in the same manner as he spoke to her.

"Let me in! He said. I can make him yours! I can give you the power to protect him if you just let me in! And I... And I..."

"AND I LET HIM IN!" Kotori screamed and then broke down crying again, covering her eyes as she wailed and feeling her hands fill with water.

"Kotori... Number 96..."

"NO YUMA! Number 96 didn't make me do anything in that duel! I chose to summon him! I chose to give in because I saw no other way out! I chose to become a monster in order to protect you and now look at what it has done to me, what it has done to so many others! Number 96 may be gone, but I don't feel normal anymore Yuma! I still don't feel like myself. I just feel so... so... unclean..."

Yuma lowered his head, feeling Kotori's sadness become his own. He now realized just how much damage Number 96 had done to Kotori's mind, which only made him regret his ignorance and naiveté even more. If only he could have freed her sooner, then maybe she wouldn't be like this.

"Kotori, if anything this is more my fault than yours." He said to her.

"What? What do you mean?"

"Kotori, I think... I think I have been taking you for granted..."

This shocked Kotori. She never would have thought that Yuma would do something like that.

"What? Yuma, no you haven't!"

"Yes! I think I have! You shouldn't be apologizing! I should! We all agreed to meet up together on the exact time the tournament started, and since you dueled Number 96 the exact day before that, I should have realized something was wrong the moment you didn't show up! I should have dropped everything and searched every corner of the city for you, but I just assumed you were fine and left looking for you to the hands of Cathy, and that resulted in her getting hurt!"

Now it was Kotori's turn to provide comfort. "Yuma... that wasn't your fault..."

"Maybe not." said Yuma. "But... I just wish I could have done more for you. I wish I could have been a better friend. My dad always said that you have to be there for the ones you care about, and to never take anything they do for you for granted, but I think I did. You have been there for me every day, every second, and I haven't been there for you nearly enough. I just can't believe it took you being possessed by the worst of the Numbers to make me realize how much you mean to me."

Kotori blushed and looked away. For a brief second she felt a flicker of flame within her heart.

"Yuma..."

"Kotori, I told you that I loved you during our duel, and I swear! I wasn't saying it just to get you to snap out of it. I really meant it. If you think I saved you, well look at everything you have done for me! I was the laughing stock of the entire city for years just because I wanted to do the impossible. You were the first person not to laugh at what I tried to do! More than that, you were the first person to actually believe in me, and I guess... I guess I really did take it for granted."

"Yuma, you didn't..."

"Yes I did! You were there for me every day when I needed you, and it's high time I start returning the favor, but I can't do it if you won't let me! Please Kotori, I want to be there for you! I want to help you get back to your old self again. I want to see you smile and laugh again. I want us to have something special just the way you wanted it to be! I want the girl I love back."

He paused as he felt his heart beat quicken. The atmosphere in the room was becoming more tranquil. A small tear of his own dripped down from his eyes as he remembered the day before the tournament.

"You saved my life, Kotori." Yuma whispered. "You fought tooth and nail against that monster and you sent him packing. Sure he did possess you afterwards, but that's not the point. You dueled for me, and you showed him just how strong you were, twice! I didn't rescue you, Kotori, you broke free yourself. You crawled out of the dark that he put you in and you came back to me. I know you feel like you don't deserve what we could have because of what Number 96 made you do, but now I want it just as much as you do. I want you to come back so we can have more good times in the future and make all this look like nothing more than a bad memory, a bad dream you woke up from, but you have to keep trying, Kotori. I want to reach for the stars with the Kattobingu my dad taught me, but I don't want to do it without you."

Kotori's blush grew brighter, and for the first time since she woke up, she finally smiled. It was a sad, faint ghost of a smile, but it was still a smile.

"You'd make a good therapist one day with that attitude of yours. You always know how to make me feel special with that Kattobingu spirit. I think can finally feel it too."

"Does that mean?" Yuma's voice trailed off in a hopeful pause.

A few more gentle tears descended from Kotori's face, but these were different. These came from the hope she could finally feel.

"Yuma... I don't know if I can ever recover from this, but... I will try... for you... Yuma..."

Neither of them realized it at first, but their lips were growing closer and closer to each other with each passing second, and when they finally did realize it, they stopped. They both paused, staring into each others eyes. Kotori looked away for a brief moment, her guilt and her trauma telling her that she didn't deserve him, but looking back again, she knew she needed this. She needed him, and he needed her, and then their lips finally touched in a gentle kiss. Yuma instantly realized the difference. This was not the hungry and dominating kiss her darker side forced him into. This was gentle and filled with true bliss, but just as passionate. If this is what it was like to fall in love, then Yuma wished he could have understood it sooner.

Their bodies pressed against each other in an embrace as they deepened the kiss, neither letting go. Kotori could feel Yuma's heart beat in synchronization with hers, overlaying into one. She was still unsure if she deserved such happiness, and she was still frightened that Number 96 would return, but Yuma made her feel brave again. She could feel his spirit igniting hers once again. It was only a flickering spark in the void Number 96 carved for her, but it was a start, and she was now willing to help Yuma teach her to hope and smile again, one kiss at a time.

Astral hovered above the two lovers with a satisfied smile on his face. He turned away from them to give the two their privacy.

"Observation Number 20" he mused to himself. "There is no treasure more precious in this world than the love two people share with each other."

Author's Notes:

Yeah, this chapter was a heavy one full of angst and feels.

No duel in this chapter, but in order to take the Yuma x Kotori pairing to the official pairing level and in order to provide a proper aftermath and some closure to Kotori's long journey from light to dark and then back into the light, this chapter had to be done. Don't worry, Kotori is not going to stay this way forever, but anyone as emotionally distraught as she is will need some time to recover.

Luckily for her she has Yuma to kiss her and make her feel better. It's a start!

So what did you think of the chapter? Didn't have the action of a duel but still important none the less! Did you like it? Did you not like it? Whatever your opinion may be, I always love hearing them, so leave a review and let me know!

Until Next Time! This is Nox Descious Signing Out!