Hey there, welcome to my first Arc-V Fanfic! I know you guys are probably just here for the story, so I'll leave most of the A/N for the end.

I don't own anything related to Yu-Gi-Oh Arc-V, for the record. ;)

Yuya woke up excitedly in anticipation of the day's events. Ever since he had gotten back to his dimension after defeating Duel Academy and stopping Leo Akaba's ambitions, things were more or less back to normal for him. Today, he was going to have a demo duel with Tatsuya, Ayu, and Futoshi in preparation of his semifinal match in the Maiami Championship, though his opponent hadn't been revealed yet. Afterwards, he planned to spend time with his dad who had been uncarded in the brief time the dimensions had united and just play a game of catch up on what they've missed the past three years.

Elsewhere in the other dimensions, the Xyzians were slowly rebuilding their homeland with help coming in from all dimensions, and it was touching to see those scarred by the cruelties of war manage to bounce back in such a manner. Yuya made note to visit someday and chip in a bit, perhaps with a duel to mix things up a bit. The government of Neo Domino City underwent a massive overhaul as society worked to make classifications like Tops and Commons a thing of the past, the two sides working towards equality at last now that Roget was no longer appointed. The Fusion Dimension, Duel Academy in particular, was a bit more of a tricky case. Some having only been taught to duel ruthlessly and see the noble goal of uniting the dimensions to the end, not everyone was compliant in acknowledging the fact that the war was over and that it was time to move on, even after Zarc's revival. Rehabilitation would be a slow process for some, no doubt, but Yuya remained hopeful tensions would die down over time.

After glancing at the time, Yuya hurriedly said goodbye to his mom and darted out the front door before he was late. While running to the You Show Duel School, Yuya had an odd feeling that something was… missing, a sensation that made him feel incomplete in a way. It nagged at him during the walk, so much so that he swore he was hearing voices in his head.

So, you're finally starting to remember, huh. The voice sounded like him, and yet… it wasn't at the same time. Yuya did a quick 360 like the other times he had that morning, only to discover that he was still alone.

Where's that voice coming from? And why do I get the feeling it's not just my imagination? Yuya wondered, unable to recall just how much casualties there were when he was literally reborn as the demon duelist.

I guess that's progress, another voice chimed in, this one sounding a little more lighthearted and goofier. Yuya couldn't quite pin down the significance behind it, but he didn't want to ignore the voice altogether, not that he could anyway, even if he had the choice.

By the time he entered You Show Duel School, his composure shaken slightly, Yuya was not at all ready for the bombardment of praise he received as the kids greeted him.

"Big bro Yuya! You did it!" Ayu exclaimed

"Yeah, you're practically an interdimensional savior!" Tatsuya continued, though the irony was not lost on Yuya that he had very nearly been their undoing as well.

"It gives me the shivers, and definitely the good kind as well!" Futoshi said, breaking out into a mini dance.

The kids blitzed Yuya with question after question regarding the other dimensions, the kind of monsters they used, what the people were like, and some other trivial matters. Yuya did his best to answer, but he was practically on another planet mentally, his sense of unease continuing to grow through it all.

Fortunately, Principal Shuzo stepped in before he could get overwhelmed, prompting the kids to inquire about the main event.

"So… are we still going to duel today?" Tatsuya asked. "I mean, I know you just got back and you have a match later today…"

The duel, maybe that'll help take my mind off things for a bit. "You know me guys, it's always showtime for me when it comes to dueling!" Yuya declared, a genuine smile crossing his face for the first time as he led the kids into the Action Field.

Tatsuya had a strong opening as usual, setting the Pendulum Scale with his Desktop monsters and having Deskbot-005 and 006 out in his field, a tough defensive core to break through. However, this didn't do anything to reassure Yuya of any normalcy. In fact, he couldn't recall Tatsuya using Pendulums before, and yet he hadn't reacted with surprise at all.

"Not bad Tatsuya," Yuya said, suppressing his unease with everything he had as he tried to focus on making his turn. "But now it's my turn, I draw!"

Yuya's eyes widened, he had drawn the spell card he had activated when he had briefly taken back control of his body from Zarc: Smile Universe. But how did it get in my deck? he wondered. The only reason I was able to break free and activate it was because… because of someone's voice! Not like the ones I've been hearing in my head this morning, but it came from someone important to me, someone I was willing to fight for… Gongenzaka? No, I think it was a girl's voice, a person my age. But then who? Gongenzaka was my only real friend growing up, one of the Lancers, maybe?

"Big bro Yuya, you gotta make your move!" Ayu said to him somewhat impatiently, the inactive timer counting down to its last seconds.

Yuya could no longer mask the tension he was harbouring, his voice quivering as he made his move. "I—I set the Pendulum Scale with Scale 6 Performapal Guitartle," he managed to say, the monster rising in the pillar of light with a happy cry as a big '6' appeared it under it.

"It—its special ability allows me to draw one card from my deck," Yuya explained, closing his eyes to try and find his confidence, not wanting the kids to know just how much of a wreck he was mentally. "Here we go! I draw!"

His determination to remain strong didn't last long, as the card he drew was Performapal Five Rainbow Magician, he definitely didn't have this card in his deck before. This card seemed to resonate with him, to the point where Yuya felt as though he could speak to it. It began to shine brightly, a sense of euphoria spreading through him in the process, as if the card was imbued with positive energy. He could faintly hear the kids call out to him to make his move, but Yuya was totally out of it now, his focus strictly on the monster as it shined. Eventually, the card's aura encapsulated Yuya in a glowing ball of light, isolating him from everyone's sight.

When Yuya opened his eyes, he found himself in a completely different area altogether, walking on what he felt like were clouds, the sky—assuming he wasn't in the sky already—tinted with a hint of pink. The landscape seemed to carry on endlessly. If Yuya was to be asked what he thought heaven looked like, there was a good chance he would describe something similar to this place.

"Where am I? Did you do this, Five Rainbow Magician?" Yuya questioned, inspecting the card closely. He knew that duel monsters were more than just their cards, possessing feelings of their own, capable of wielding great power beyond mere attack points, in some cases being able to alter the fabric of reality itself. In this case, Five Rainbow Magician certainly had that feeling to it; Yuya could feel just the card itself radiate immense power.

"That card was created after you were freed from the darkness," a calming, feminine voice explained, the sound coming from an angelic like figure that seemed to embody a spirit of purity. Despite the fact that Yuya couldn't make out any of her features, her presence certainly helped, putting him at far more ease. "It was born out of your bond with her," the voice continued.

"Her? You mean like the voice that let me break free of Zarc?!" Yuya exclaimed, wondering how he could've forgotten about someone who seemed to be of such significance to him.

"Indeed," her voice seemed to take on a tone that Yuya's teachers often used in an attempt to nudge him in the right direction when doing worksheets in class, giving him a brief confirmation regarding one part of the problem to allow him to put the pieces together.

"You-you sound almost just like her… you and Five Rainbow Magician, both of you are like symbols of hope and purity, a reason to keep fighting. For me, if you two were by my side this entire time, I'd never give up working to make the whole world… no, all the dimensions smile! I never really thought about anyone that way except for… for…" A fleeting image of the figure went through his mind, Yuya desperate to hold onto it, but to no avail. "AUUUGH! I just can't remember, it's right on the tip of my tongue too…"

He was interrupted by another glow coming from his deck. Curiously, Yuya skimmed through it to reveal his first Pendulum monsters emitting a luminous, purely white light: Stargazer and Timegazer Magicians. The instant he touched the cards, a series of images flooded through him: he and the mystery girl walking to school together, playing on the playground, a teasing joke ending with him getting smacked by her paper fan, growing as duelists together, traveling through dimensions to find her, the letter… The letter, that's right! I wrote that for… YUZU! He recognized this as the memories continued to resurface, Yuya then recalling their heartfelt reunion after rescuing her from Roget, and finally the clash with Zarc, the sight of her spirit enough to free him. How could I have ever forgotten about her, the way she was always there for me… I wouldn't trade her for the world!

"Yuzu, where is she? What happened to her?" Yuya asked.

Well, it's about time! I was worried we were literally going to have to spell it out for you. Guess I was wrong, Fusion. Though to be fair, I thought that if you saw your Extra Deck, it'd tip you off right away, Yuya turned around, and finally he could see them. Not them… it looked like they were him from another reality. Like… another dimension! Yuya realized.

"Yuri!" he shouted in disbelief, the Fusion counterpart smiling mischievously. Before he could question his doppelganger's presence, the other voice he had been hearing sporadically this morning retorted, sounding upset.

It's not Fusion, it's Yugo! Get it right already!

"Yugo!"

Good to have you back, it was hard watching you flounder around in the dark all morning, the voice Yuya identified as the first who had tried to speak out to him, the one belonging to the counterpart Yuya actually had some history with.

"Yuto!"

"I see you've become acquainted with the souls living among you," the angelic-like figure stated plainly.

She can hear us?! The counterparts all yelled, causing Yuya to wince in pain.

"Yes, I can, thanks to the powers imbued in Five Rainbow Magician that created this landscape."

"What is this place anyway?" Yuya inquired.

"You could call it a bridge, a nexus point of some sort between the living and… other souls that haven't quite moved on to the afterlife yet. It's essentially a limbo."

"Alright then…" Yuya said, trying to process this new development. "How did all this happen anyway? Why are Yuto, Yugo, and Yuri a part of me now?"

"After the duel with Zarc, Reira was able to seal him within her with my help. It took a great of energy to prevent his spirit from overwhelming her and then and there. Unfortunately, the cards—no, I didn't have the strength to separate you four afterwards, so now you still remain merged as one."

'You mean this is permanent?' Yuto exclaimed.

'I can't spend the rest of my life sharing a body with Yuri!' Yugo said, glowering at said person.

'Quite frankly, I hardly doubt anyone will miss me at Duel Academy. I suppose there could be worse arrangements,' the Fusion duelist said with a shrug.

"I'm sorry, but extracting Zarc's essence to remove his soul from the dragons was virtually the only thing we could do, otherwise history would merely repeat itself. It took all the might of the En Cards and myself to seal him away in Reira…" she elaborated.

"Reira… the En Cards," Yuya murmured. "That must mean you're—"

"Yes, I am Ray, or at least this is what's left of me."

"What's left of you? But if you're here, then Yuzu's…" Yuya couldn't bring himself to finish the thought.

"Yuzu and the others can still be revived. But I'm afraid the process won't be easy, you and your counterparts will have shoulder a great deal of the burden alone, Yuya."

"The others? That's right, it wasn't just Zarc, you were separated initially too, Ray," Yuya recalled, his counterparts—well, mainly Yugo—getting on his case for having forgotten about Ray's other reincarnations.

Yuya moved on to the next point of interest before the Speedroid user gave him a headache from all his yelling about Rin. "What do we have to do to bring them back? And how hard will it be, what're we up against here?"

"It won't be easy, Yuya, because any traces of their existence, along with Yuto, Yugo, and Yuri's have been completely erased from history. The memories of those you've all encountered have been altered to reflect this altered timeline. Yuya, you're the only one who remembers and likely the only one who will until the girls are revived."

Oh good, now truly no one will miss me, I may as well be a ghost at this point, Yuri quipped.

Ray drew closer to Yuya, her face becoming more defined into an expression of worry. "Yuya, I know this won't deter you or the others one bit, but you must be fully up to the task. To bring them back, you will have to pacify Zarc from within Reira. His soul fights to overwhelm Reira's with darkness, and my presence is the only thing stopping him for the time being."

Yuya took a moment to comprehend her words. "W-we have to pacify Zarc somehow? How can we, even you couldn't do it, and you're from his world, a direct link to him!"

"It's true that me and Zarc knew each other back in the United World, and that like you and all of Yuzu's counterparts, we were close. Perhaps I felt something more for him at the time, and hardly a minute goes by in which I don't think about what I could've done to stop him from falling to the darkness. I suspect that is why my soul cannot rest now, even if I were to release my seal on him within Reira. Ever since I split us both, our fates have become intertwined," Ray looked off into the distance, her eyes taking on a glazed look as she spoke, a single tear flowing down her elegant face.

"Yuya, despite our history, all that was a lifetime ago. Zarc has severed those bonds with me long ago. You four on the other hand, all of you are pieces of Zarc, but so much more at the same time. Despite initially starting out as his fragments, you've all evolved beyond him through your own experiences to become your own people," Ray explained, her statement getting a frown from Yuri, who simply thought, That's questionable. "If you show Zarc just how much you've grown through your dueling and remind him who he used to be, who he could've been had he not succumbed to the pressure, that may just be enough to bring peace to his soul."

"Okay, I get pacifying Zarc, but... what about our dragons?" Yuya asked quietly. "Will they be okay with this? I don't want them to feel like they're being used as tools again like back in the United World. They've suffered long enough and have their own feelings and wishes in all this."

"The Dimensional Dragons still harbor animosity, and some pure hatred towards humanity for encouraging the corruption of Zarc," Ray stated. "But I also sense a great deal of guilt and remorse within some of them as well, Odd Eyes and Dark Rebellion have a great desire to repent for their role in it all."

Yuya was surprised to hear this; could that willingness to repent and forgive be attributed to him, the way the dragons bought into his style of dueling? If that was the case, Yuya supposed that in itself was proof of his growth beyond being just Zarc's fragment.

"You can tell?"

Ray nodded. "To a certain extent, yes. Yuya, you were able to get the dragons you've connected with to change, to see you as more than just an illusion of Zarc. If you can reach their hearts and wipe away their desire for vengeance, you can get to Zarc's as well in due time. You're the only one who can."

The woman then sighed, looking at Yuya's form with a sad face. "I'm sorry, you boys don't deserve this… You aren't just Zarc's fragments, you've each lived your own lives and it was wrong of me to take that choice away, even if to seal him away… Now you have to clean up this mess for me," Ray lamented.

Yuya reached over to console the elder Akaba with a steady hand. "Hey, I understand, we all do. You made a tough decision to avoid letting Zarc potentially resurrect again. I promise Ray, we won't let you down. Together, we're going to put you and Zarc at peace and allow the two of you to move on," he declared, his conviction pure.

"Thank you, Yuya… I wish you the best from here on out. My journey in the living world is coming to a close now. I will have to devote most of my energy to ensure Zarc doesn't corrupt Reira's soul for the meantime. And Yuya?"

"Hmm?" Yuya met her eyes; he saw so much of Yuzu within them.

"Make sure to put on a show for him, for all of us," Ray said with a small smile before she disappeared. However, she left another parting message, one that Yuya and the others could hear echoing in his ears as the scenery faded away.

Good luck, Yuya…

"… ya? Can you hear…? Yuya!"

"Yu…zu?" the dueltainer managed to sputter out as he found himself sprawled on the ground, a splitting headache having resulted from his journey on the apparent bridge to heaven. As he got his bearings, it all came rushing back: Ray, Zarc's soul, his fusion with his counterparts likely being permanent, the tidbit that he was likely the only one aware of this information in all the dimensions, and… Yuzu…

It was a lot to take in, so much so that Yuya wasn't even aware of all the concerned looks he was receiving as he got back up to his feet gingerly.

"Um, Yuya? You sure you're alright?" Shuzo asked tentatively, the principal not wanting to acknowledge the fact that Yuya has just been swallowed up in a sphere of bright light just a few seconds ago.

"Oh, uh, yeah, I'm fine guys, don't worry," Yuya scratched his head, trying to figure out how he could talk his way out of this. His response was met by skepticism and more concern, though he couldn't really blame them considering he had just dropped dead momentarily. "Really, I'm okay. I just uh, remembered something, kinda slipped my mind till now."

"Remembered what, big bro Yuya?" Ayu questioned.

"It must've been important if remembering it made you collapse just like that," Tatsuya remarked.

'These kids are going to get annoying fast,' Yuri groaned, his spirit materializing next to Yuya.

'Well, I think they're pretty cool. Not that anyone asked for your opinion, Yuri,' Yugo's reply was almost automatic to go with the scowl on his face. 'Then again, I did grow up in an orphanage, so bias, maybe?'

Yuya was already having trouble coming up with an answer, and the commentary was certainly not helping. Sensing this, Yuto silently berated the two other counterparts, which greatly cleared up his headspace. "Yeah… I was supposed to well, see Reiji Akaba today. He said he needed me there early today for some preparations before my duel," Yuya told them, his mind in disarray the entire time he spoke.

Nice save, Yuri said teasingly. Yuya was going to have a discussion later with the boy to reduce his snarky comments quota, or at least save some of them for after the whole Zarc debacle was over.

"Hmm, I see. But what about that glowing ball of light you were in?" Shuzo inquired, bringing up the question Yuya trulyhad no answer for this time. "Was it, was it coming from one of your cards?"

Having hit the nail on the head, Yuya conceded to his guess with a nod. "It was this card that did it," he answered, handing Five Rainbow Magician for Shuzo and the kids to look at. The man hesitated for a moment, looking at the card warily until curiosity got the better of him.

"Five Rainbow Magician?" Shuzo raised an eyebrow when he saw the monster. "Let's see… It's Scale 12, holy cow! And its abilities, these are insane! I've never seen anything like it!"

"Let me see!" Tatsuya exclaimed, all the kids huddled around with their heads up.

Shuzo had an incredulous look on his face as he handed the card back. "Yuya, how did you get this monster?"

The boy sighed, knowing what he had to do. "The same way I got my other Pendulum cards," he replied vaguely, hoping that would satisfy them.

"Right… you know, I never really figured out how you got your Pendulum cards in the first place, we've seen you duel with Stargazer, Timegazer, and Odd Eyes countless times, but that monster? There's something about it, it feels special somehow," Shuzo told him, stroking his chin with his face in an expression of deep thought.

Oh, you have no idea, Yugo chimed in, to which Yuya turned his head the slightest to meet the counterpart's grin.

"Anyway, I don't know how I didn't put it together before, but Yuya, it's like you can just create cards out of thin air," Shuzo continued, going down the road Yuya was hoping they could avoid for now.

His hesitation in answering only confirmed the principal's suspicions. "Is it true, big bro Yuya?" Futoshi added, the kids all in awe.

"Yes, it's true," Yuya admitted with a reluctant nod. "If you really want to confirm it, just take a look at my deck. I haven't bought a single card during my time in the other dimensions, but it's packed now."

He unveiled monsters they had never seen before: Enlightenment and Nirvana High Paladin, Clear Wing and Starve Venom and their respective evolved forms, Brave Eyes Pendulum Dragon, and Odd Eyes Rebellion Dragon (though Raging Dragon was gone somehow).

"In—incredible! Yuya, you're saying all of these cards just showed up in your deck one day?" Shuzo looked like he was on the verge of collapse as he looked on in amazement.

He tried to shrug it off. "Usually, they just appear whenever I'm in a pinch. That's all there is to it."

"Well, okay then, it's certainly a lot to take in," Shuzo replied after a brief silence.

Oh, you have no idea, Yuri commented with a chuckle. Yuya had a feeling the four of them would be repeating that line a lot for the near future.

"Yuya, what are you going to do with these cards now?" Shuzo inquired. "I mean, if you don't mind me asking."

"Just keep them in my deck, I guess. They offer a lot of variety when it comes to my dueling and I'll need them to put on a show," the tomato haired boy replied with a bit of forced enthusiasm.

"Well good, because with that deck, I don't think anyone can stop you from being a pro!"

"Yeah…" Yuya replied, before trailing off into his own thoughts.

It's not just about becoming a pro now though, we have to save Yuzu and the others too, Yuya thought worriedly, wondering now if he and his counterparts were ready for what lied ahead. And we're gonna have to do a lot of it alone too…

It's like they say: Ignorance truly is bliss, Yuri added.

Yuri, I'd much prefer to be in the know about these things, Yuto informed the purple haired boy in a diplomatic manner.

Oh, come now Yuto-san, I was just joking. After all, I was making a pretty conscious effort to get through to Yuya this morning.

Seeing the boy's spaced out look, Shuzo decided they had grilled him enough, he certainly got more than he bargained for on Yuya's first day back.

"How about I drive you over to LDS to see Reiji now, I think we've put you on the spot enough for one day," the principal offered, snapping Yuya to attention.

"Yeah… that'd be good," Yuya replied, instantly beginning to head for the door.

Poor Yuya, the war's over, and even now he can't relax, Shuzo thought with a frown. Can't say I blame him though, what he went through must've been traumatizing.

Of course, the teacher had no idea it wasn't over yet, that Yuya still had one more daunting task to complete, with a great deal of the responsibility falling on him and his counterparts as one and one alone.

It won't be easy, Yuya recalled Ray's words as he stepped out onto the sidewalk.

Talk about an understatement.

So, I recently just binged the entire series of Arc-V 3 months ago on Netflix when I was bored one day, the first Yu-Gi-Oh series I've watched since Season 3 of GX first debuted, I believe. And I was pretty much instantly hooked, I loved Yuya and Yuzu's characters, their dynamic, and all the summoning methods being used (even if I was confused as hell at times because I hadn't seen the show in about ten-ish years). I breezed through the first two seasons in about 2 days, though naturally, I noticed a slight decay in quality through the Synchro Arc like everyone else. And then of course, there was Season 3 that I had to find online. It had its moments sure, but they were few and far between. I hated how the Bracelet girls were treated, and it wasn't even about the whole parasite thing to be honest. Fine, brainwash them, that's okay, BUT GIVE THEM SOMETHING TO DO AFTERWARDS INSTEAD OF WATCHING IN A GLASS TUBE! Zarc had a lot of wasted potential as well, the creators really didn't think to imply of a connection between him and Ray despite all their reincarnations being close? (except for Yuri and Serena, but that's the Professor's fault) Pfft.

But anyway, when I got down to thinking about it, I wasn't really too upset at Season 3 in general. It was just the fact that there was no payoff in the end, it just felt hollow. I guess that's why Fanfiction's a thing. You build up Zarc, and he literally loses twice to the exact same strategy. Why is Leo Akaba not in prison for his crimes? Ray was pretty much a deux ex machina, and I hate the writers for forgetting that the Dimensional Dragons are sentient monsters who actually have feelings. Also, the lack of the four Yu-boys interacting within Yuya annoyed me, but I think that was due to VA contract issues, so I'll give them a pass there.

Despite all that, I still love the series in general, if I didn't, I wouldn't be writing this. So hopefully this fic helps clear up a lot of the things Arc-V failed to address in the end.

Anyhow, if you're enjoying this fic so far, follow, fav, review, and all that other good stuff. Appreciate any support I can get! It took me a while to think up the concept for this story, I thought the whole amnesia thing after Zarc's defeat had potential, so I thought, 'Why not have everyone forget but Yuya? It'd be cool to see him flounder around while everyone else thinks things are okay, but he's still missing the most important person in his life.' Yuri is honestly one of my favorite characters to write, I will focus a bit on his redemption that the anime failed to provide even a smidge of in future chapters, for now, Yuya's just rolling along with everything. Speaking of future chapters, I've got about 5 plotted out at the moment, though I gotta say, writing the duels is going to be a pain.

Stargazer and Timegazer were able to restore Yuya's memories by the way, in case it wasn't clear. Stargazer helped his mind access the true timeline (master of space, so it can access alternate worlds and stuff), while Timegazer gave him back his memories of that timeline because master of time and all that. Also, yes, I did have Zarc be absorbed into Reira like before, but I'll try to do more with that storyline and give a more rational explanation for it, like I did here.

Just a heads up, I'll be taking concepts for the dub and sub when it comes to monster chants, attacks, and whatnot when I get into some duels later on.

Probably should get a beta for this story, but eh, screw it.

This is probably the longest A/N I've ever written,

-BasketballIsFun