Some news for everyone!

Currently, in the workshop of my mind, a new story is in the making!

*confetti rains*

Seriously though, I'm currently working on the bones of a remake of Yu-Gi-Oh! Arc-V, calling it Yu-Gi-Oh! Arc-V "Re-Soul"

The name is still being debated though, that's just what I've decided on, for now, it's still subject to change.

It will include the original characters you see here in UDA, Soul, and Syrup, though they might have different backstories. Regardless, they will still have the same personalities. (Perhaps new characters will appear?)

And another thing… If I can somehow write Arc-V better than the people who ACTUALLY wrote Arc-V, then it should say something, considering I'm just an amateur writer who writes because I have an overactive imagination, as well as a writer who rights trashy self-indulgent fics for fun.

(Mind you, Arc-V isn't the highest hurdle to jump over, at least, near the end…)

Duels WILL also be fully written out, meaning you will get to experience the full duels between characters (apparently, according to others, I'm pretty good at writing duels).

Anyways, enough about that, it's still in the workshop! I don't even have a full plot written out yet for it! Let's get back to United Duelist Academy!

Chapter 15: A Short Respite

Yuya was having dreams… but they were strange… somehow.

Yuya was taller… and he stood at the top of a podium, unconscious bodies lying around him.

For some reason, however, he didn't seem to care about the duelists laying defeated around him.

He was smiling, and he felt happier than he'd ever felt before.

Then, he would speak in a voice that felt like it was his but sounded different.

"HAHAHA!" Yuya would yell, "Is there nobody who can challenge me!?" He questioned.

The crowd cheered, and Yuya could feel pride swell within him.

"ARE WE SATISFIED!?" Yuya would yell at the crowd.

"NO!" The crowd would all yell back.

"Neither am I!" Yuya would declare, "I crave more battle! And I know you all do as well!" He yelled.

The crowd cheered and began chanting his name.

Except… it wasn't his name, Yuya couldn't even hear a name.

Static seemed to drown out the voices of the crowd every time they chanted his name, but they didn't seem to notice.

"-! -! -c!"

Yuya had no idea what they were saying, but he felt his body smile loudly instead.

"Yes! I am -!" Yuya yelled, "I am the strongest! And none shall surpass me!" He yelled.

The crowd was going wild, but Yuya felt that something was… off, with what they were cheering for.

When Yuya spoke his name, static had drowned him out as well… but for some reason, he didn't react.

"I crave more! I crave more battle! More violence! More power!" Yuya chanted.

The words felt… wrong.

They felt foreign… he would never say something like that, yet it felt so natural.

"Therefore, I shall do just that!" Yuya yelled as his smile simply grew even larger, "I shall become even stronger… become even more violent… until the world itself is destroyed!" He yelled.

Yuya suddenly couldn't see the crowd anymore, and all he heard were the cries of four dragons.

He was laughing almost maniacally now… and he could see the silhouette of Odd-Eyes next to him, his brother's dragons standing alongside it.

And then… the dream would stop.

"AH!" Yuya yelled as he shot up in bed, his chest heaving and drenched in his sweat.

Was it a nightmare? Yuya was afraid of it… but the feeling of elation during the dream…

Yuya held his forehead as he began to regulate his breathing. His heart was pounding.

The dream was getting more detailed by the day…

He had started seeing these dreams a little bit before the first day of the tournament… at first, it was hazy… everything was covered in fog, and Yuya could hardly even hear his voice.

Now… the location was clear and detailed, and he could hear everything clearly (except his name).

Yuya was too sweaty to stay in bed… it was too hot, even with the AC blasting him from nearby.

Yuya slowly got up, careful not to wake his brothers, who slept nearby.

"No… I don't wanna… ride you… Mr. Unicorn… *snore*"

That was Yuto, muttering in his sleep.

Yuya had learned over the years to NEVER ask Yuto about his dreams.

"How could I-SNORE-ever pick… between beauties… such as-SNOOORE-yourselves…?" Yugo muttered as he tossed and turned in his bed, a wide smile and blush on his face.

"That's right… who's your daddy now…?"

Yuya nearly buckled over as he heard the mutters of Yuri from outside his room, and Yuya had to peek inside.

Yuri was completely asleep, and was having a… questionable dream.

Yuya sighed in relief, "At least Yuri doesn't vent any domineering tendencies in real life… because let's face it, we all know that his mind is a 'wonderful' place…" Yuya thought as he slowly closed the door.

Yuya pulled on his pants and a t-shirt, along with the key-card for his room, and quietly stepped outside.

After a short walk and an elevator ride later, he reached his destination.

Real-Solid Vision Training Room

Yuya took a deep breath before swiping his key-card and entering the room.

The room was… incredibly futuristic, having an interior that looked like it had come right out of Tron.

A floating blue robot suddenly materialized in front of him, "Mr. Sakaki! What would you like today's training session to be?" The robot chirped.

"Multiple powerful enemies…" Yuya said with a smile, "Oh, and make one of them stronger than the rest!" He chimed.

"As you wish!" The robot chirped before suddenly vanishing into tiny blue particles.

The interior of the room suddenly glowed and changed, and Yuya was now standing in the middle of what looked like a gladiator arena.

Along with the arena, were about five human goliaths wielding incredibly large weapons… they were also much larger than the average human, even compared to Gongenzaka.

Behind them was a similarly-sized lion with enormous fangs and a chain wrapped around its neck. It growled menacingly from behind the goliaths.

They were all facing Yuya, and they looked incredibly angry… and they were wearing helmets that mostly obscured their faces as well!

A countdown began, "3! 2! 1! DUEL!" It yelled.

The goliath's charged at Yuya in a crazed frenzy, swinging their weapons-whether it was a sword, ax, club, or spear-at Yuya.

Yuya crushed a familiar red and green card in his hand, "Come! Odd-Eyes!" Yuya yelled.

Yuya changed into the form of the large red dragon in a flash of red and green light, and a roar echoed throughout the arena.

Yuya didn't have to worry about being loud… there was a sign on the outside that said the rooms are soundproof.

One of the goliath's swung a giant club at Yuya's side, only to be knocked away by a swipe with Yuya's large tail.

Yuya roared at the other goliaths, and they flinched back as they took a step backward.

"Spiral Strike Burst!" Yuya yelled as he sent a stream of spiraling flames towards the other Goliaths.

Two of the giant warriors were blasted away, while the other two each held up their weapons in a defensive position.

Currently, three goliaths blown away, two left.

Yuya took a deep breath before roaring once again.

Syrup couldn't sleep.

Her conversation with the headmaster kept playing in her head over and over again… and thoughts of Soul plagued her mind as well.

She had the headmaster finding out too much about her, and a friend she didn't know how to help.

Speaking of that friend, Soul was currently standing out on the balcony.

Syrup rubbed her eyes and opened the glass sliding door, "Soul?" She whispered as she stepped outside, the cool wind blowing gently against her skin through her green nightgown.

Soul was wearing a white T-Shirt, along with black pajama-shorts.

It was unusual to see Soul awake at such a time… he usually took any chance to sleep as he could.

Soul turned to face her, "Hey…" he mumbled.

"What… are you doing out here?" Syrup asked.

Soul shrugged, "I noticed that you couldn't sleep, so I thought it would help you sleep better if the murderer sat outside…" he muttered.

"Murderer…?" Syrup whispered.

Soul grinned weakly, "We both saw what happened in my head… let's not sugarcoat it, now…" he said weakly.

"Soul, you aren't-" Syrup tried to say.

"Not a murderer?" Soul asked, "The duelists who came afterward said the same thing," he said coldly, "That it was just an accident… just because of the fact I took on a power I couldn't handle…" he muttered.

"But that's exactly-" Syrup tried to say.

"Wrong," Soul cut her off, his left eye burrowing into her soul with its gaze, "I know exactly why the power went berserk… why I couldn't control it…" he said bluntly.

"What…?" Syrup whispered.

"Mental State plays a part in it," Soul said calmly, "As a kid… I put up a confident front because I let the fact that I was a 'prodigy' get to my head," he explained, "but when I accepted the ritual… I was terrified…" he admitted.

"But what does that have to do with anything?" Syrup asked.

"It has everything to do with it," Soul snapped, "The power I took, I was perfectly capable of handling it, I was special," he said as he began to clench his fists.

"But I was AFRAID, Syrup…" he said coldly, "I was afraid of the power, and when I began to receive it, I broke…" he said as he began to calm down.

"What… does that mean…?" Syrup hesitatingly asked.

"I lost control because I wasn't ready…" he said bluntly, "physically, yes… but mentally I was far from ready… I didn't want to say yes to the ritual yet, but I did it because I felt obligated to surpass expectations…" he explained.

"But even then…!" Syrup began to speak, "You would never have hurt your sister!" She exclaimed.

"But I DID!" Soul snapped, "It was my sword in her chest… my power running wild," he continued to speak, "I should have said no! I should have said I wasn't ready, but I pretended that I was!" He yelled, "That decision cost Cahya her life… and therefore, it's my fault…" he said as he looked down at his shaking hands.

Syrup was silent, what was she supposed to say to that? That even now, it wasn't his fault? That would only agitate him even more…

"To be completely honest, Syrup… I don't even want to be alive…" he admitted, "I've tried on multiple occasions to take my own life…" he said softly.

"What!?" Syrup exclaimed.

Soul grinned weakly, "But even now, I'm afraid…" he said softly, "I'm a coward… I'm too scared to take my own life, so I sleep to try and ignore the demons… maybe even pretend that I'm dead…" he said softly.

"You can't!" Syrup exclaimed, "You can't take your life for granted! That's not what Cahya would want…!" She exclaimed.

"How would you know?" Soul snapped, "You don't know her… and she's dead, so nobody has ANY clue what she wants…" he said coldly.

Syrup bit her lip, she had nothing to say once again.

Soul sighed, "I sealed my power so that it wouldn't come out again… because even now, I can't control it…" he admitted, "I'm still terrified of it… if I let it out, nothing good will happen…" he said calmly.

Soul sighed at her silence, not that he could blame her.

"You're a cheerful girl, you have a great life ahead of you…" Soul sighed, "Honestly, we should probably cut off our friendship here…" he began to speak.

He was suddenly cut off by… a hug?

"Don't… say that…" Syrup said softly, "Really ask yourself… what do you think Cahya would want…?" She asked.

Soul sighed, "How should I know…" he began to say.

"You of all people should know!" She exclaimed, "You were close to her, right?" She asked, "You were there in her final moments, right!?" She said as her voice raised.

Soul was silent.

Syrup let go of him and looked him right in the eye, "I can't completely understand what you've gone through… or how to properly help…" she admitted, "But I can guarantee you this… when somebody you care about dies so you can live… isn't it better to continue living… for them?" She asked.

"She has a point"

"Who cares…"

"This still changes nothing!"

The voices in Soul's head rang in his mind, but he ignored them.

Those words… he had been told those words before, but they never felt genuine, and he didn't believe them.

Why… why did it sound so different when she said it?

Why did it feel… true?

Soul clicked his tongue, "Whatever… I've already made tonight depressing enough…" he said as he walked past her, "Go to sleep…" he said as he went back inside the room.

Syrup sighed, "I never was good at words…" she sighed.

She fell into a chair on the ground, exhausted.

"I don't have a way with words like you do…" she muttered as she stared up at the night sky.

Yuzu yawned as she awoke in her bed, though still physically exhausted.

"What happened…?" She wondered out loud.

She suddenly remembered, "That's right! I won…!" She gasped.

Just to make sure it wasn't a dream, she held her arm out.

A red and green card appeared in it.

"I… I actually unlocked pendulum!" She exclaimed.

She looked around at her surroundings, it was nighttime, and her sisters were probably asleep.

"Was… I out that long…?" She wondered out loud.

She was dressed in her pajamas, which consisted of just simple white pajamas with light-pink stripes along with some pants and a button-up shirt.

A note was by her bed, reading:

Good morning, sleepyhead!

We weren't sure when you were going to wake up, so we've just been alternating notes at different times.

As of right now, you've been out for about eight to ten hours, and as it's nighttime, nobody could manage to stay awake much longer, so we put this thing here in case you woke up in the middle of the night.

We really wanna talk later! Go to sleep so you can wake up in the morning and we can pester you!

Love ~ Serena, Rin, and Ruri.

P.S. Don't worry, we made sure the boys were locked into their room while we got you changed for bed :)

P.P.S. Nevermind, as we were writing that, Yugo managed to break in through the balcony, don't worry though, he regretted it.

Yugo-Being-A-Perv Counter: 5

P.P.P.S. Shun visited as well, but he was worried about you so much that we had to kick him out before he stressed everyone out too much/killed Yuri (Don't ask)

Yuzu giggled, a little sad that she hadn't been present to see all of the misadventures that happened while she was out.

She suddenly heard the noise of footsteps.

She slowly tiptoed out of her room and past all of her sister's rooms, peering through the connecting door between the girls' room and the boys' room.

Yuya was walking past, his pants on, but in the process of putting on a T-Shirt.

Yuzu jumped backward and put her hand to her mouth to halt any sound from escaping her as her face turned tomato-red.

Why is Yuya awake!?

She heard the noise of the front-door unlocking, and she took another peek.

Yuya was walking out the door, fully-dressed, mind you… don't get any wrong ideas.

"Where are you going…?" Yuzu whispered.

Later…

After waiting a good amount of time, Yuzu crept out of her front door and into the hotel's hallway, just as Yuya turned the corner.

Yuzu quickly speed-walked after him, being careful not to make a sound, and simultaneously realizing that she forgot to put shoes on.

Eh, whatever.

Eventually, Yuya reached the elevator, and Yuzu watched from behind the nearest corner as he entered it.

"Where are you going…?" She wondered out loud as the elevator door closed behind Yuya.

She carefully watched the display above the elevator door to see which floor it stopped on.

Floor 5

When Yuzu confirmed that it didn't move after that, she quickly ran over and hit the down button on the wall, waiting for the next elevator to take her to the fifth floor.

"Wait… why am I stalking him like this…?" Yuzu thought as she took an elevator down to the fifth floor, "Why don't I just ask him where he's going?" She wondered.

She took a look at the hotel-guide on the wall of the elevator, looking for facilities listed under Floor 5.

There was only one facility there… the training room.

Still confused, she reached the fifth floor and crept over to the training rooms, still being sneaky for a reason that she couldn't explain.

She finally reached the rooms, where only one was labeled "Occupied"

She could hear the faint sounds of battle from within the room, only barely able to be heard because of the soundproof room.

She peered in through the window in the door, and as expected, Yuya was inside.

It had taken her a bit of time to get to the rooms because of her apparent need to be as subtle as possible, so it looked like he had already been training for a bit.

The setting looked like it was in a gladiator colosseum… and five overly-large gladiators were now laying on the ground, currently disappearing into tiny blue particles.

"Spiral Strike Burst!"

Yuzu watched as Yuya's signature stream of flames blasted through a giant chimera-like lion, blasting it against a wall as it fell, disappearing into tiny blue particles.

Yuya shifted back to normal as the action-field disappeared, he looked exhausted.

But he had won, regardless.

Yuzu felt like this might be a good time to stop being a stalker.

She opened the door and walked in, surprising the red and green-haired boy.

"Hey… what are you doing here?" She asked.

"Yuzu, you're awake…!" Yuya said as a smile formed on his face, "I'm glad… you were out for a while…" he said as his shoulders relaxed.

"Again, what are you doing here?" Yuzu asked with a pout.

Yuya smiled sheepishly, "I couldn't sleep… I guess you could call it a nightmare?" He said nonchalantly.

Yuzu frowned, "So… you get up at midnight to train?" She asked.

Yuya pouted, "Hey, you're up as well!" He playfully shot back.

They both pouted at each other before bursting into laughter.

"Ha… man, you surprised me, though!" Yuya pointed out, "Seriously, now you can use Pendulum as well!" He exclaimed.

Yuzu examined his face, he looked genuinely happy.

Yuzu smiled, "Thanks… It sort of just… happened, kind of like you did!" She said with a smile.

Yuya rubbed the back of his head, "Well if I'm being honest, it's just now hitting me that I'm not the only one who can use Pendulum now…" he said with a small grin, "I still don't know how Reiji or Sawatari got a hold of it… but I think… I felt proud when I saw you use it…" he said softly.

Yuzu smiled, "Well, it's not like you taught me or anything!" She joked.

"Ha! I guess you're right!" Yuya said sheepishly.

It was just a simple conversation with a friend, yet for some reason, Yuzu felt elated.

"So, did you get up because of a nightmare?" Yuzu asked.

Yuya rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment, "Well, kind of…" Yuya replied, "I've had the same dream for a while lately… and I know I'm scared of it… but during the dream, I feel so… happy?" He said as though he was questioning his explanation.

"Really? What's it like?" Yuzu asked, her curiosity now piqued.

Yuya rubbed his forehead, "Well… I'm taller… and I'm standing at the top of this really big podium with a trophy in my hands…" Yuya began to explain, "I felt incredibly happy, but the strange part is that I'm taller than I usually am… and my voice is… different, but similar…" he tried to explain.

"You do know that you're being confusing, right?" Yuzu teased.

Yuya laughed, "I know! But I can't think of any other way to explain it!" He exclaimed, "And it seems like a good dream at first, but then a bunch of stuff happened… and I started saying some… scary things…" he said with a frown.

"What did you say?" Yuzu questioned.

"It's hard to say…" Yuya admitted, "A bunch of stuff that you might hear Yuri say if he ever went full-evil," he said jokingly.

This earned him a giggle from Yuzu and gave him a wider smile.

"Then I wake up, and it's really hard getting back to sleep after that, so I just do whatever I can to use up some energy…" he said as he gestured towards the entirety of the room.

"Wow… must be some dream…" Yuzu said as she started thinking about the dream because something about it seemed familiar.

"One strange thing about this time though…" Yuya pointed out half-mindedly, "I never heard myself or anybody else speak my name out loud before… but tonight, I heard them say it… but it was weird…" he pointed out.

Again, it seemed way too familiar, "What do you mean?" Yuzu asked.

"Like… static seemed to block out my name every time somebody tried to say it, or even when I tried to say it…" he muttered, "What's even weirder is that if I DO hear something through the static, it doesn't sound like anybody is trying to say 'Yuya'" he pointed out.

Static.

It was like a lightbulb had flicked on inside Yuzu's head.

She had experienced something exactly like that before.

When she awakened to Pendulum.

"Yuya… you know how you said that you were in some sort of… void, when you first awakened to Pendulum?" She asked.

"Hm? Yeah, of course, I do," Yuya replied, "Though I wonder if I was just dreaming…" he wondered.

"Yuya, I experienced something just like what you described when I first used Pendulum…" Yuzu said softly.

Yuya's eyes widened, "Really?" He asked.

Yuzu nodded, "I… I think we should discuss what Pendulum, well, is…" she said with a serious look on her face.

Yuya nodded, it was about time that they put their information together.

"So, the one thing that's the same with our experiences, is that we appeared in this strange void, where the floor is water and reflects the sky…" Yuzu recounted.

"And we saw our monsters while we were there," Yuya added, "Well, I saw Odd-Eyes and my magicians, at least…" he admitted.

"I couldn't transform while I was there…" Yuzu pointed out.

"I didn't try, but maybe we can assume that it was the same for me…?" Yuya questioned.

Yuya suddenly fell backward, "AGH! This hurts my head!" He yelled frustratingly.

"You saw your two magicians in there, as well as watched Odd-Eyes evolve…" Yuzu kept thinking out loud, "But when I was there, I saw this strange girl who was chained to the ground, and when I freed her, she disappeared and I saw a vision…" he kept going.

"And in that vision, it was just like when we first met, but with different people, who were both silhouettes… and, uh…" Yuya tried to keep up with Yuzu, but he looked like he was about to pass out.

"Maybe we should have written all of this down…" Yuzu sighed.

"No, no! I got it!" Yuya exclaimed, "When they both tried to say their names, static drowned it out, which is the same thing that happens in the dream that I've been having for about a week… which might simply be coincidental…" he managed to get it all out.

"And how did Reiji get to do it!?" Yuzu explained as she finally managed to confuse herself.

Both of them sighed, exhausted.

The fact that it was midnight was finally starting to catch up with them… it might be past midnight at this point.

"I think we should pack it in for the night…" Yuzu sighed.

Yuya nodded his head vigorously.

Yuzu fell backward, letting out a big sigh of relief.

Yuya glanced at her, only to regret it immediately after.

Neither of them had noticed it yet, but while Yuya had pants and a t-shirt, Yuzu was only in Pajamas.

She hadn't noticed it yet because she had her right arm lay across her face in exhaustion, but her button-up shirt had fallen upward, revealing her waist.

And that wasn't even the most provoking part.

One of the top buttons wasn't done, and her cleavage was a little too easy to see.

Not to mention, that if you looked closely, you would notice one crucial detail to her entire getup.

Yuya shot a hand up to his nose and looked away.

There was no bra.

Yuya coughed loudly, "U-Um, w-we should probably h-head back to oUr rooms…!" Yuya's voice cracked.

"Yeah, that's a good idea…" Yuzu said as she slowly stood up, "Come on then… I think we're both tired enough to fall asleep now…" she said, seemingly having not noticed her current look.

Yuya followed Yuzu as they left the room, only to realize yet ANOTHER mistake.

Her back was sweaty (why and how?), and the back of her shirt now clung to her bareback, which was now wide open for the world to see.

It is SURPRISINGLY provoking to see the bareback of a girl.

Yuya quickly ran to Yuzu's side rather than staying behind her, while averting his eyes the whole time.

Yuzu simply gave him a confused look before continuing to walk on, completely oblivious.

In a bar, you can find many different groups of people.

But it's still rare to see what was inside this particular bar.

Yuma finished gulping down a beverage from the shot glass, his face bright red.

"FUWAAH!" He exclaimed as he leaned back into his chair, "Man, my class sure has all of the strong kids, doesn't it!" He said drunkenly.

"Oh, shuddup…" Judai groaned as he laid his head on the table, clearly wasted.

Yusei put down a shot glass, his face red, but still looking sober. "He is right, though," he pointed out, "Yuma's class seems to have the most interesting members, so far this year…" he mentioned.

"Yuuuseeeei…" Judai groaned, "I'm supposed to be your favorite! What happened to your blatant favoritism?" He asked, his words slurring.

Yusei ignored him.

Judai clutched his heart, "I'm hurt, Yusei, I am truly hurt… look at me Yusei, look at how heartbroken I am…!" He gasped.

"That's nice…" Yusei replied.

"Yusei, I thank you for your support!" Yuma cried out dramatically.

"Mkay…" Yusei replied emotionlessly.

Judai acted like he was dying, making dramatic choking noises while rolling around on the floor, before laying limply on the floor, his tongue sticking out as he posed dramatically.

Yugi suddenly joined the group, looking absolutely and completely drunk.

"Guys… I have this cool idea… *hic*" Yugo said as he downed another shot glass, "What if… and hear me out… what if we changed this school… into a school… where kids learn to play… card games…?" He asked.

"We would be the laughingstock of the whole world, that's what would happen…" Yusei replied bluntly.

"Ooh! Ooh!" Judai said excitedly, "What if we taught kids how to play card games on motorcycles!?" He yelled.

"Everything becomes better when a motorcycle is involved, but that just seems dangerous…" Yusei said bluntly.

"It would be our trademark!" Judai exclaimed.

"Ooh! I have a better idea!" Yuma suddenly joined in, "Card games… but in SPACE!" He yelled.

"That is a terrible idea…" Yusei groaned.

"It is a GREAT idea, damn it!" Yuma yelled.

Yusei looked over at the bartender, who looked like this was a common occurrence, and looked completely calm.

"Guys… can somebody give me a ride home?" Yuma asked.

"Sure, Yuma…" Yusei groaned.

"What!? But Yusei! You were going to be my ride back!" Judai yelled.

"I'm the only one sober, and I only have one D-Wheel… so catch a taxi or something…" Yusei groaned.

"But I'm supposed to be your favorite!" Judai wailed.

"That's nice Judai…" Yusei replied.

"The beach…" Serena pouted.

"Huh?" Ruri noticed Serena's mumbling.

"We are on a tropical, man-made island… and we haven't gone to the beach, ONCE!" Serena suddenly yelled.

"Huh?" Rin lifted her head to look at Serena.

"Get the boys, get your swimsuits! We're going to the beach today!" She yelled.

"Wasn't that already the plan?" Yuzu asked as she entered the room, wearing a white T-Shirt over a pink bikini.

"Huh?" Serena tilted her head.

Three knocks were heard coming from the door that connected their room to the boys. "Hey? You girls ready?" Yuto's voice rang through the door.

"Almost!" Ruri said as she walked over to Serena.

"Go get changed already!" Ruri said with a smile.

"YES!" Serena yelled as she dashed into her room to get changed.

"You think this is a good spot?" Yuya asked as he and his brothers each lugged large beach equipment, such as a large umbrella and various beach chairs, over to an open spot.

"Yeah, let's set up here and wait for the girls to arrive…" Yuto said as he hoisted the umbrella into the air and jabbed the bottom into the sand.

"Man… the girls in swimsuits…!" Yugo said as he threw an arm around Yuya, "Can you believe it!?" He exclaimed.

"Careful Fusion, you don't want Rin to slug you again, do you?" Yuri said snarkily.

"My name is Yugo! Not Fusion, damn it!" Yugo yelled back.

"I see you guys have already gotten a place set up!"

Everyone turned to see the girls walking towards them.

Yuzu was wearing a simple pink bikini with frills, Rin wearing the same thing, though it was mint-green. Serena had gone with a simple blue bikini, while Ruri had gone with the same thing, only purple and with a purple sarong tied around her waist.

Each of the boys blushed as they instinctively stared at the girls.

Yuzu blushed and covered herself embarrassingly, "D-Don't stare so much…" she whined.

"Yugo, close your jaw and look where my eyes are, not anything below that!" Rin exclaimed.

"Y-Yes ma'am!" Yugo said as he quickly shot his eyes up to look into Rin's eyes, only to slowly return to staring at "everything else" the second he got a chance.

"What?" Serena asked with a confused head-tilt.

Yuri snickered, "Man, Serena… have you put on some weight?" He asked snarkily.

She hadn't, and Yuri didn't think she did, but he didn't care.

"Sorry, I couldn't hear you!" Serena said as she glared at Yuri, "Mind telling me what you said again?" She asked.

"Oh, nothing~!" Yuri said nonchalantly, "Just that you definitely look great~!" He finished.

"How do I look?" Ruri asked as she looked at Yuto expectantly.

Yuto blushed and tried to look away, "I-It looks nice…!" He stuttered.

"Yuto, you're my best friend, but keep your hands off my sisters…"

Yuto gulped as Shun's words flashed through his head.

At the time, it was easy to keep to Yuto's word… but his increasing heart rate whenever he was around Ruri was something that he knew Shun wouldn't approve of.

He quickly turned and focused on setting up the umbrella for everybody, tuning out the conversation behind him.

Roger, the headmaster of Sector Academy, was a man of many secrets.

You would often find him monitoring something on a large screen, a chessboard in front of him while he sits with a smug grin on his face.

Today, however… he stood amongst a group of scientists, observing an incredibly large man with white hair, lying on a hard platform as machines began to move closer to his unconscious body.

One thing that was off about him… well, it was multiple things… he had cybernetic enhancements.

He was a cyborg.

"Commence concealment program number five…" a scientist said emotionlessly.

The metal bits of the man suddenly glowed, before vanishing completely and giving him a normal human appearance.

"Program number five… is successful," the scientist said as he jotted something down on a clipboard, "He should be ready for battle by tomorrow, Mr. Roger…" the scientist said to the headmaster.

"Good, make sure that he crushes his opponents and makes it into the next round of the tournament…" Roger said with a smile, "We shall unveil his true strength when the teams are broken up, and the fights become solo battles…" he explained.

"Yes, sir!" The scientists declared.

"Oh, and that team of girls that Leo is interested in?" Roger continued as he turned and walked towards the door, "Should they make it to the next round… make sure that Sergey is placed against one of them right away…" he finished with a sinister smile.

"Hey! Yuya, that's cold!"

"Hehe! Catch me if you can!"

"Oh, it's on!"

Yuri and Serena observed Yuya and Yuzu, who were now fooling around in the water without a care in the world.

"God, they are so confusing…" Yuri mumbled, "You would think that they would be closer into a relationship at this point… but they're just friends… and they're fine with it!" He said angrily.

Serena sighed. "I think that's a good thing… they can decide how fast a relationship forms if it ever does…" she said as she downed a bottle of water.

"DAAAAAARLIIIIIIING!"

Yuri turned his head in confusion, only to see a small girl with long orange and puffy hair dashing across the beach towards… Yuya?

"Oh yeah… didn't this one Ritual chick fall in love with him or something during the preliminaries?" Yuri wondered out loud.

"Yuzu should hurry… I think she's just gotten herself involved in a love triangle!" Serena said giddily.

The two pranksters watched as the tiny girl clad in a blue one-piece swimsuit jumped into the water and tackled Yuya, much to Yuzu's surprise.

"Well, she looks like the exact opposite of Yuzu when it comes to feelings of affection…" Yuri muttered.

"Hey, kudos to her for being able to be so open about her feelings…" Serena replied.

"H-Huh!? Mieru!?" Yuya exclaimed as he regained his balance, the small girl clinging to him with all of her might.

"Watch, Yuzu's face is gonna turn red and she's gonna get mad at Yuya…" Yuri deadpanned.

True to his words, Yuzu's face turned scarlet. "Yuya… who is this girl…?" She said menacingly.

"Ooh, this sounds fun…" Serena said with a grin, "Look, Yuya is gonna get all flustered, and then Yuzu is gonna slug him…" she continued Yuri's prediction.

"I-It's just somebody that I met in the preliminary round-" Yuya tried to explain himself.

"He's my darling! And we're gonna get married and have ten kids…" Mieru started to speak.

Yuzu's eyebrow twitched as she clenched her right hand into a fist. "YUYA!" She yelled.

A loud "whack" was heard (courtesy of Yuzu's fist meeting Yuya's head), and Yuya went down for a moment before desperately trying to escape, even with Mieru clinging to him and slowing him down.

"How the hell did Yuya manage to get two girls to be smitten by him?" Yuri asked out loud.

"It's not because of physical appearance since his face looks the same as yours, and you're an asshole," Serena deadpanned.

"This coming from the gorilla-girl that's capable of doing suplexes on a full-grown man?" Yuri playfully shot back.

"Who's a gorilla, asshole?" Serena shot back.

Yuri grinned evilly at her, "You, of course, bitch!" Yuri said with a sneer-like grin.

"Douchebag!" Serena shot back with a grin, accepting Yuri's silent challenge.

The next ten minutes consisted of them throwing as many insults they could throw at each other before getting tired, which lasted about ten minutes.

Finally, they stopped, and a moment of silence passed…

Suddenly, both were literally at each other's necks, attempting to strangle the other.

"Bitch, you wanna go!?" Yuri choked.

"I could take you with one *cough* hand behind my back!" Serena spat.

Then, as quickly as it had escalated… they collapsed backward and gasped for air.

"You need to work on your insults…" Yuri sighed.

"You were lackluster today…" Serena groaned.

Yuto stared at the two with visible confusion.

"Screw Yuya and Yuzu… what the hell is wrong with you two!?" He yelled.

"I think they're somewhere along the lines of mortal-enemies and best-friends…" Ruri chimed.

"So… Best Mortal Frenemies?" Yugo said, butting into the conversation out of nowhere, and Rin behind him.

"What kind of relationship involves mercilessly insulting each other, trying to kill each other, and then shaking hands afterward?" Rin asked.

"The kind that Yuri is involved in…" Yuto groaned.

"I'd call them partners in crime… but I'm pretty sure they'd try to sabotage each other the entire time…" Ruri giggled.

As she said that, the two sat up and did a fist bump, crossed arms, and stuck out their middle fingers at each other.

"What kind of secret handshake is that!?" Yugo exclaimed.

After Mieru was dragged off by her friends, as well as the two boys who had been on her team, along with a string of apologies, Yuya could finally recover from the beating he had taken from a totally-not-jealous Yuzu.

"Ow… you could've eased up a little, you know…" Yuya whined.

"Hmph!" Yuzu huffed.

"I'm surprised, Yuya!" Yuri teased as they rejoined the group. "Yuto is known as the pretty face of out of us brothers, but not even he has a fangirl… yet, at least." He said with a shit-eating grin.

"How am I the pretty face? We all have the same face!" Yuto exclaimed.

"I think it's the attitude and body language…" Ruri thought out loud, "Yuto gives off a mature and serious vibe, and I think that's a very good trait for a guy!" She said with a smile.

Yuto's face turned red and he turned away.

"Ruri, are you flirting?" Serena asked.

"Huh? How am I flirting?" Ruri asked in confusion.

"Well… you know what? Nevermind…" Serena said quickly.

"Agh! I'm bored!" Yugo exclaimed suddenly, causing everybody to jump in surprise.

"Yugo, we're at a beach! How are you bored!?" Rin scolded him.

"We need to spice things up!" Yugo declared, "We need to play a game! I vote for the Kings Game!" Yugo shouted excitedly.

"Hell no! What if you or Yuri gets to be king!?" Rin yelled.

"Hey! You can't just say something like that to my face!" Yugo shouted.

"What about truth or dare?" Ruri suggested.

"That seems just as dangerous… and why at a beach?" Yuya pointed out.

"Yeah, isn't truth or dare an indoor game?" Yuzu continued off of Yuya's comment.

"Exactly! That's why it'll be unique if we do it at a beach!" Ruri exclaimed.

"Exactly how 'unique' can something as truth or dare become…?" Yuto questioned.

"Depends on the people playing it…" Yuri said with an evil-looking grin.

"I request reasonable demands!" Rin yelled.

"Wait, so we are doing this!?" Yuzu yelled in a panic.

"I can't believe I'm at the beach and I'm stuck playing truth or dare…" Serena mumbled sourly.

"I'm sure it will be fine!" Yugo said nonchalantly as they sat down in a circle under the umbrella.

"So, who should go first?" Yuya asked.

"Ooh! Pick me! Pick me!" Yugo said as he bounced in his seat like a hyperactive child.

"Definitely not Yuri, Yugo, or Serena…" Yuzu said firmly, knowing that Yugo was a pervert, and both Yuri and Serena were both somewhere between chaotic neutral and chaotic good.

"You're just delaying the inevitable~!" Yuri said evilly.

"Then, how about Yuya?" Rin suggested.

Everybody looked at the resident purest-of-boys in the circle.

"U-Uh…" Yuya stuttered nervously. "Uh, S-Serena! Truth or dare!" He said, picking at random.

"Dare! Bring it on!" Serena yelled bravely.

Yuya had been hoping she had picked truth because he had something if she said truth… but he hadn't thought of a dare yet.

"I… uh… um… ah…" Yuya started going in circles as he tried to improvise a dare.

"UHH, I dare you to uhh… make a funny face…?" Yuya stammered.

The group went silent.

Yuri suddenly burst out laughing, "Yuya, that dare sucks!" He laughed, "But somehow, it's perfect!" He exclaimed.

"Dude… I can't picture Serena making a funny face…" Yugo said in mild disbelief.

"Well, it's not like her personality would allow it…" Rin replied similarly.

Serena's face had gone blank, and Yuri was digging around in his bag for his phone. "I need to get this on camera! Serena Kurosaki of all people, making a funny face!" He exclaimed.

Yuto coughed to hide his chuckles. "It's so strange… such a tame dare is gonna be something…" he muttered.

Serena glared at Yuya, causing the boy to jump back in fright.

"I'm going to make sure you pay for this, later…" she growled.

"Eep!" Yuya yelped.

"I would not have thought of this… but it's ingenious!" Yuri cackled.

"Shut up! It's just a funny face!" Serena yelled as her face reddened.

"I can't, for the life of me, picture you doing a funny face…!" Yuri gasped for air.

"It feels wrong when I try to…" Yuzu mumbled.

"Oh, shut up, all of you!" Serena yelled indignantly, "It's just a facial expression! It's not a big deal! Watch!" She yelled.

With that, she stuck her fingers into the inside of her mouth and pulled at her cheeks, making the standard funny-face that children usually did.

Yuri snapped a photo, a wide grin on his face.

"This seems painful to look at… but also kind of hilarious?" Yugo said with visible confusion on his face.

"That's a cursed image that I'm never getting out of my brain…" Rin said bluntly.

Serena sat down as she returned her facial expression to normal, her face red.

"Something is going in your pillow tonight, and you aren't gonna like it…" Serena said menacingly.

Yuya gulped in fear while making a mental note to lock his door, borrow a carnivorous plant from Yuri to guard him at night, and sleep lightly.

ANd yes, Yuri did bring at least five different carnivorous plants with him, which he used to guard his room at night.

He said that they could eat a human, but nobody could be sure… because nobody was brave/dumb enough to test it.

It was Serena's turn now, and she looked right at Yugo.

"Yugo, truth or dare?" She asked.

"Dare!" Yugo yelled bravely.

Serena shot Yuri a knowing glance, which he returned in kind.

"I dare you to hit on a woman here at the beach," Serena said with a grin.

"Seriously!? Sure!" Yugo said with a large grin on his face.

"Wait! It has to be somebody specific on this beach…" Serena said as her grin slowly turned into an evil sneer.

"Um… okay…?" Yugo said as he got a little nervous.

"Yuri? Who should we have him hit on?" Serena asked with a goody-gumdrop smile on her face.

Yuri returned a similar smile, "Oh, why don't we spare him a little bit? How about that busty-looking babe over there?" He said almost a little too happily.

Yugo looked at where Yuri was pointing, and his eyes nearly flew out of their sockets.

"You mean… that lady?" Yugo asked in disbelief.

"Yup!" Yuri said with a smile that could have gotten him mistaken for Yuya.

"The… mature looking… one?" Yugo continued.

"Uh-huh!" Serena said with a similar smile.

"The one with massive jugs-" Yugo tried to confirm again.

"Yes! Now go!" Yuri said as he pushed him away from the umbrella.

Rin's face was bright red. "What are you making him do!?" She yelled as her face turned scarlet.

"Shh… watch…!" Yuri hissed as his smile turned into an evil sneer.

They couldn't hear the conversation Yugo had with the lady, but they saw him walk up confidently, say something to the lady, which then caused the lady to laugh.

"Oh my god… is Yugo's shitty flirting gonna work!?" Yuto gasped.

"No, watch…" Serena grinned.

Suddenly, a massive man with inhumanly large muscles and a speedo walked up from behind Yugo.

Yugo was oblivious as he continued talking with a wide grin on his face, unaware of the hulk-sized man behind him that threatened to block out the sun.

"Wait… it that guy…?" Yuya asked.

Yugo suddenly noticed that he was suddenly in the shade, and looked behind him.

His jaw dropped as he looked up at the massive man, who was now cracking his knuckles.

"Oh, you had him hit on someone with a boyfriend…" Ruri said as she finally understood what was happening.

"I suggest that you all look away if you're faint-of-heart…" Yuri said with a grin.

Ten painful minutes later.

Yugo rejoined the group, his face covered in purple bruises, and one of his eyes badly swollen.

"Foo neffer phold me phat tchee haa a girlphrenn…" Yugo spoke through a swollen mouth, clearly pissed at Yuri.

"Um, what?" Rin asked.

"Yuya, translate him for us, please!" Yuri said cheerfully.

Yuya cleared his throat. "He said: You never told me that she had a girlfriend…" he said calmly.

"Foor a freal itch, foo yo phat, aye?" Yugo slurred.

"You're a real bitch, you know that, right?" Yuya translated.

Yugo had learned a very valuable lesson that day…

Giant bodybuilder boyfriends are terrifying.

"Oh, stop it with the voice!" Yuto scolded, "Your face isn't that beaten up!" He said as he pulled on Yugo's ear.

"Ow! Oww!" Yugo exclaimed, "It still hurts, though!" He yelled as he rubbed his swollen cheek and eye.

"Alright, it's Yugo's turn now!" Yuya pointed out.

Yugo's eyes flashed for a brief moment. "Rin! Truth or dare?" He asked with a gleam in his eyes.

"Well, I'm not taking a dare from Yugo of all people…" Rin sighed, "Truth!" She declared.

Yugo's grin widened, "Perfect! I have just the question!" He said with a grin.

Rin wondered if she was about to regret her decision.

"Alright Rin, answer truthfully now!" He said giddily, "What's your kink?" He asked.

Rin's face turned red, Yuzu gasped, Serena laughed, and Ruri put a hand to her mouth in surprise.

"Do you wanna die!?" Rin exclaimed.

"No! You have to answer it! You picked truth!" Yugo yelled defensively.

"Rin, it can't be worse than anything Yugo could dare you to do…" Serena grinned.

Yugo-Being-A-Perv Counter: 5

"I think we should stop before anything bad happens…" Yuzu said nervously.

"What!? No! I'm having way too much fun!" Yuri said as he pretended to pout.

"We'll stop when everyone has gone… so no picking anyone who's already gone!" Yuto declared.

"Mood killer!" Yuri yelled in complaint.

"Well? Answer the question…" Serena said deviously.

Rin gulped. "I… I like…" she whispered.

"Huh? What?" Yugo said as her whispers got so quiet that nobody could hear her.

"I-I like… neck… stuff…" Rin said while blushing madly.

"Neck stuff?" Serena questioned, "Like… hickeys and vampire bites?" She asked.

Rin finally burst. "Yes! Okay!? I have a thing for neck teasing! Particularly when it involves biting or sucking!" She burst out.

She suddenly realized just how loud she was because she seemed to have caught the attention of about five other people outside of the group.

Her face was so red that Yugo genuinely worried that she might need to go to the hospital.

"Damn it! IhateyouIhateyouIhateyou so much!" She yelled as she threw herself to the ground and covered her face with a towel.

"Rin? Are you okay?" Yugo said teasingly.

"Die in a hole, pervert…" Rin's muffled voice responded.

"Don't worry, she doesn't mean it!" Serena said nonchalantly.

"Keep pushing me and I might start meaning it!" Rin yelled back through the towel.

Yuya groaned, "This is a mess…" he muttered.

After what seemed like forever, they finally managed to finish the game.

Rin was merciful and dared Yuya to make some kids laugh, which he had taken with a wide smile as he rummaged through his bag and pulled out a stack of cards.

After that, he walked over to some children and showed them the cards. He was too far away for them to hear him, but they assumed that it was a classic "is this your card?" Trick.

What surprised them, however, was that after one of the kids took a card, Yuya flaunted his incredible unpredictability.

He reached over to take something from behind the kid's ear, only to suddenly buckle over as if he was in pain.

The kid looked at him with worry but suddenly laughed as Yuya suddenly coughed up a card as though he was throwing up.

"Wait, how did he do that?" Ruri asked.

"Yuya spends way too much time practicing magic tricks…" Yuto explained.

Yuya picked the card up from the sand and showed it to him, and the boy's eyes widened as they heard the boy scream: "That's my card!"

Yuya had performed his dare spectacularly.

Afterward, Yuya had to ask someone for truth or dare once again.

This time, he targeted Yuri.

Yuri, thinking that Yuya couldn't possibly think of anything too terrifying, picked dare.

He regretted it the second Yuya had dared him to lie on Serena's lap.

He glared at Serena from below. "Not. A. Word…" he hissed.

Serena gave a playful pout. "Awww, is the widdle wuwi tired…?" She said in a baby voice, which visibly annoyed Yuri.

"Yuya, you're forgiven!" Serena said as she mentally tortured the purple-haired boy.

"Yuya, you're sleeping on the balcony tonight…" Yuri said coldly.

Yuri was next, and he went straight for Yuzu.

"I'm not taking a dare from Yuri," she stated bluntly, "Truth!"

Yuri snickered while ignoring Serena, who was now braiding his hair as he laid helplessly in her lap.

"How do you feel about Yuya?" Yuri asked.

"DARE! DARE!" Yuzu screamed.

"Okay, I dare you to tell us how you feel about Yuya!" Yuri said evilly.

"Yuri, it can't be the same thing…" Yuto groaned.

"Yes, it can, wanna fight?" Yuri challenged.

"Pick something different!" Yuto yelled.

Yuri scoffed at him. "Fine…" he groaned, "Yuzu I dare you to be buried in the sand, vertically, for the rest of the game…" he said with a tone of disappointment.

Yuzu wasn't fond of the idea of being stuck, buried up to her head, but it was better than the alternatives that Yuri had given her.

"Kind of tame, no?" Serena taunted him.

"Shut up, bitch…" Yuri growled.

"Aw, he's cranky!" Serena teased.

With that, they all pitched in and dug a hole that was about 5'3 in height, considering that she was 5'2.

And with that, they now had Yuzu's head sticking out of the ground almost comically.

"Wow Yuzu, you're ahead of the competition!" Yugo said, thinking that his pun was funny.

Everybody turned to glare at him.

"Yugo, say another pun, and we'll stick you in the ground like Yuzu," Yuri threatened, "And you'll be going in headfirst, by the way…" he said coldly.

Everybody nodded in agreement.

"Alright! No more puns! Geez…" Yugo mumbled.

"It's my turn, right?" Yuzu asked.

Yuya snickered as he knelt next to her. "Yuzu… I can't take you seriously like that…!" He laughed.

That earned him a prompt bite to the leg from the angry head in the ground.

While Yuya clutched his leg in pain, Yuzu looked at Ruri.

"Truth or dare?" She asked.

"Hm… how about dare?" Ruri decided.

"Alright, how about this?" Yuzu said as she pondered her options, "Take a picture of yourself and send it to Shun, but it has to be something that'll get him mad!" She declared.

"I don't like where this is going…" Yuto said under his breath.

The following challenges and events consisted of:

Ruri taking a picture of herself kissing Yuto on the cheek, despite Yuto's desperate protests.

This would then cause Shun to appear about five minutes later, ready to kill somebody until he was eventually calmed down, and the situation was explained.

Regardless, he left while giving Yuto a glance that screamed: "Watch yourself…"

It was at that point that they decided that stopping the game would be in everybody's best interests.

Soul walked along with Syrup, both of them were silent.

"Soul… what do you plan to do?" She asked.

Soul shrugged, "I had been keeping the Blade-Messiah's down because they reminded me of my power… but since I've already gone and revealed it… I'll be using it a lot more, so don't expect to see Armed Dragon for a while…" Soul said nonchalantly.

"I see…" Syrup said as she thought to herself.

"Soul, that was your grandfather the other day, right?" Syrup asked.

"Yeah, why?" Soul replied while yawning.

"Didn't he say something about how keeping that power down wasn't good for-" she started to ask but was cut off.

By the sound of Soul suddenly falling over and coughing violently.

"Soul!" Syrup yelled as she dashed to his side.

He was coughing violently, almost hacking.

He suddenly put a hand to his mouth as he let out an even louder, and from the way it sounded, an even more painful cough.

Syrup managed to catch a glimpse of red in his hands.

She yanked his hand towards her and gasped.

There was blood… had he coughed this up?

"Soul! Are you coughing blood!?" She exclaimed.

Soul gasped for air but didn't answer her question.

"Soul!" Syrup said sternly.

Soul sighed as his breathing slowed back down to normal. "Yes, now leave it alone…" he sighed.

"I will not! We need to get you to the hospital! This is serious!" She exclaimed.

"The hospital can't do shit!" Soul suddenly snapped at her.

"What…?" Syrup said softly.

Soul sighed. "I put a seal on my power, my monster…" Soul began to explain, "It was so I never lost control again… and it was fine at first…" he said as he pulled out a napkin and started wiping the blood off of his hand.

"Soul, don't tell me…" Syrup whispered.

Soul simply nodded. "After about a year of therapy and keeping the damn thing under control… I started getting colder…" he said as he stared right into her eyes, "At first I thought it was just the season… but then summer came, and while everybody was sweating buckets… I felt like I was standing outside during the winter without a jacket…" he explained.

He stared at her for a second, checking to make sure she was listening.

"Sealing has side effects…" he sighed, "As I spent more time with a seal active, my body slowly started to change…" he explained.

"In… what way?" She asked.

Soul pointed at his hoodie, "My body lost the ability to regulate body temperature properly…" he explained, "Even when it's hot out, I'll still feel cold, which is why I'm always wearing this thing…" he said while pointing at his hoodie.

Syrup's eyes widened. "You… can't be serious…" she said softly.

"Except that I am serious…" Soul said coldly, "The other side effect is the coughing fit you just saw me do… though that's a lot more recent…" he said as his voice softened.

"Soul… what's happening to you?" Syrup asked.

Soul stared at her with a cold look in his eye.

"I'm dying, I'd give myself about one more year before my body just shuts down completely…" he said calmly.

"You can't!" Syrup yelled, "Isn't there a way to stop it?" She asked.

"Yeah, I have to remove the seal, that's the only way…" Soul replied, "But that's never happening…" he said coldly.

"But…!" Syrup started to exclaim.

"Listen, I've made my peace with this…" Soul cut her off, "If I take the seal off, I'll go berserk, and somebody will probably die again…" he said.

Silence filled the area. Syrup was at a loss.

"You can still cut me off, you know…" Soul suggested, "It'd probably be for the best…" he said as he turned away from her.

"No! You're stuck with me!" Syrup said confidently, "And I'll find a way to save you, as well!" She declared before suddenly running off.

"I'm not going to let you die… I won't make that mistake again…!" Syrup gasped as she ran, "Even if it means I have to remove the seal myself…" she said.

"Serena, do you mind reapplying suntan lotion on my bag?" Rin asked as they watched everybody else goofing off in the water.

And by "goofing off" she meant that they were either trying to drown Yugo for ogling at the girl's swimsuits or trying to stop Yugo from drowning.

"Sure, hold on…' Serena said as she pulled out the bottle of suntan lotion and squeezed some into her hand as Rin laid on her stomach.

"Hm…?" Serena said as she noticed Rin's expression.

She looked incredibly stressed.

"Hey, you okay?" She asked with a look of concern.

"Huh?" Rin turned her head in confusion, "Yeah, why wouldn't I be?" She asked.

Serena frowned, "You have that look on your face," she pointed out, "You know, the one that screams 'I am under immense stress' like a neon sign?" She joked.

Rin sighed, "Okay, you've got me…" she gave in.

"So? Spill the beans…" Serena said as she ruffled her sister's hair.

Rin groaned, "Remember that guy who won't leave me alone? Well, Yugo got too involved when he was defending me, and now they're going to be dueling over me…" she sighed.

Serena raised an eyebrow, "Oh? Already getting boys to fight over you?" She teased.

"It's not funny!" Rin exclaimed, "Yaiba wants to date me if he wins, and Yugo is just dueling for me to have a choice… but I don't wanna date anybody yet!" She cried out.

Serena's face turned serious. "Why not?" She asked.

Rin pouted, "It's really simple…" Rin sighed, "I don't feel ready for that kind of relationship yet…" she sighed.

Serena hugged her from behind, "Hey, that's perfectly fine…" Serena said calmly, "Why don't you tell them that then when Yugo wins?" Serena said confidently.

"But what if he doesn't win! And even if he does, how do I say that!?" Rin exclaimed.

"You said that Yugo was dueling for your choice in the matter, right?" Serena pointed out, "Saying no to everybody is a choice, you know…" she said softly.

"But that's the problem…!" Rin sighed, "When I think of saying no, my chest hurts… I don't think I want to say no…." she said softly.

"Why?" Serena asked before seeing Rin's blushing face, and suddenly understanding.

"You… you like Yugo, don't you?" Serena said with a small smile.

Rin's face flushed, "S-Shut up, what if he hears?" She cried out.

Serena smiled knowingly, "So, you want to ask Yugo out… but you don't feel ready for a relationship…" Serena said calmly.

Rin sighed, "Yeah… yeah, that's it…" Rin sighed.

"Rin, look at me…" Serena said calmly.

Rin looked at her with wide eyes.

"I'm… not the best person to ask for dating advice," Serena admitted, "Boys usually run AWAY from me, and love is the last thing on my mind…" she continued.

"But here's the advice that I can give…" Serena continued, "Go with your gut or heart, I guess… if you want to be in a relationship with Yugo, I'm certain that he won't say no… but if your heart is screaming at you that you aren't ready, then…" Serena trailed off.

Rin looked at her, "That's easier said than done…" she said quietly.

"I'm sure it is, but in the end, Yugo is going to win, and you're going to have that choice…" She said as she patted the girl's back.

"You're not the best at this…" Rin frowned.

Serena grinned, "Sorry, I guess I'm all you've got, though!" She said teasingly.

Rin smiled lightly, "It did help, a little bit…" she admitted.

{Bonus Scene!}

"Guys! Check out what I've got!"

Everybody turned to face Yugo, who was now running along the beach with eight surfboards miraculously balanced on the top of his head.

"Yugo, how and why?" Yuto deadpanned.

"Do you mean how I'm balancing this? Because I have no clue," Yugo admitted, "But there was a surfboard-rental stand nearby, and if you look over that way, you'll see a large-wave section for surfers!" Yugo said as he bounced up and down like an excited child.

"And? You expect us to surf on these things without any prior knowledge?" Yuri asked, "You're an even bigger idiot than I thought, Fusion!" He taunted.

"My name is YUGO, not FUSION!" Yugo exclaimed, "And come on! It'll be fun! We'll watch a tutorial first!" He cried out.

Eventually, Yugo finally managed to convince them to say yes.

Later…

"This is a terrible idea…" Yuri said as he nervously held onto his purple board as they floated a good distance away from the shore.

"What, nervous?" Yugo taunted.

"N-No! Of course not! Who do you think I am!?" Yuri yelled indignantly.

"Yuri, your hands are trembling…" Serena pointed out.

"S-Shut up! They aren't! You're hallucinating!" Yuri said desperately while trying to hide his hands.

"Oh yeah… Yuri, you don't like being this far out in the ocean, do you?" Yuya asked.

"Wait, Yuri's afraid!?" Serena laughed.

"Shut up, bitch!" Yuri yelled.

"Oh, right… I forgot about Yuri's little fear of dying while floating in the ocean…" Yuto chuckled.

"I-It's a legitimate fear!" Yuri yelled, "Dying while stuck out at sea is genuinely terrifying!" He cried out.

Everyone tried to hide their snickers, except for Yuya.

"Don't worry, we're fine!" Yuya said cheerfully.

Yuri gulped, "Y-Yeah…" he stuttered.

"Man, I did not expect to see THIS side of Yuri today!" Serena cackled.

"Bitch, I will feed you to a Venus flytrap!" Yuri yelled.

Serena cackled, and Yuri seethed.

"Die in a hole…" Yuri growled.

"Heads up guys! It's a big one!" Ruri yelled.

Everyone turned and saw a massive wave coming their way.

"Crap, everybody paddle!" Yugo yelled.

"Oh shit, oh fuck, oh christ…" Yuri cursed as he started paddling towards the shore as fast as he could.

Then, the wave reached them.

Serena didn't go fast enough to catch the wave and fell off her board, Ruri went even slower and the wave passed her by.

Meanwhile, everybody else managed to somewhat catch the wave.

Yuto had made it, but as he started to get up and stand, he ended up losing his balance and fell off his board, completely wiping out.

"WOO-Oh SHI-" Yuto cursed as he hit the water.

Yuri had miraculously caught the wave, and his hands shook as he slowly started to stand up.

"Oh god, oh fuck, oh god why me…!" Yuri cursed rapidly as he flew towards the show.

Yugo had gotten up and balanced instantly. "WOO! WOOHOO!" He yelled, "I'm the king of the world! OH, SHIT!"

His last words were when he saw somebody in front of him and desperately tried to turn, only to fly off of his board and into the water.

But hey, at least the person was safe.

"A-AHH! TOO FAST! TOO FAST!" Rin screamed as she shot towards the shore, perfectly balanced, but also not in control.

Yuya and Yuzu didn't fare much better.

They did worse.

"Yuya! Turn the other way! You're too close!" Yuzu screamed as Yuya drew closer and closer to her.

"I can't control it! Brace for impact!" Yuya yelled as he continued to shoot towards the pinkette.

And with a loud crash, they collided and flew into the water below.

Later…

Everybody stood on the shore, each looking exhausted.

Except for Yuri, who had been the only successful surfer, and was now hugging the ground.

"Oh, sweet land… the land where plants grow… oh, I'm never going out there again…" Yuri sighed.

Oh, and Yuya and Yuzu were nowhere to be found.

"We… are never doing that again…" Yuto sighed.

"By the way, where's Yuzu, and Yuya for that matter?" Serena asked.

Meanwhile…

Yuzu clung to Yuya's back desperately as Yuya hung onto his board.

"D-Don't you dare look back here!" Yuzu hissed.

Yuya's face was bright red as a new sensation pressed against his back.

In the collision, Yuzu's bikini top had somehow come undone and was now floating somewhere nearby, though they had no clue where exactly.

The feeling of embarrassment was mutual.

"D-Did you find it yet…?" Yuya gulped as Yuzu continued to press her chest into his back for protection.

"N-No…" Yuzu sighed.

They were going to be there for a while.

I swear to god, you don't realize how much you've written until you hit CTRL + SHIFT + C.

I thought I was far from done, but this is one of my longer chapters since I usually aim for a word-count of somewhere between 7000 and 10,000, but I went a little further with this chapter.

Probably because of the lack of action, but there's gonna be plenty of action soon.