One – Chapter 2

The bell sounded, and Yuma stirred from his daydreaming only slowly. Glancing around for Astral, he noticed that he couldn't see the other and took a gentle, absentminded hold around his key. "Yuma… Hey, Yuma!" set a soft voice beside him and Yuma felt a hand on his arm, still on the table. He turned his head to see Tori beside him. Much to Yumas joy, Tori, Caswell, Bronk and Flip had all moved to the same high-school as him, though Caswell and Tori would be going overseas once they entered college, Tori to study in France and Caswell in England. Cat had moved to a different school, which did sadden him somewhat, as she too had become a great friend, but she told him it had been planned for quite a while, that she would attend a private high-school, and not a public one.

"Yuma…" sounded Toris voice again, this time worried. "Are you feeling alright?" she asked. Yuma blinked a couple of times, then let go of the key again and send her a smile. "Yeah, I'm fine Tori. Don't worry about me!" he replied, but then he started coughing again and Toris eyes widened slightly. "Yuma" she said, once he could breathe properly once more "you're ill, aren't you? You look pale and that cough sounds really bad!". Yuma sighed. "It's just a cold! Jeez, you're starting to sound more and more like Astral!" he commented, somewhat sourly. Tori stood up at that and straightened, grabbing her school-bag. "So, Astral is worried too then, huh?" she said "So why don't I see him around then? He would know better than me now, wouldn't he? And you're telling me there's nothing to be concerned about?".

The sting of still lurking jealousy was noticeable in her voice, but also something Yuma thought he identified as sorrow. It was no secret to him that Tori had been in love with him since they were in the 5th grade, and that once she had realized that he and Astral had a deep, unbreakable bond of a special nature, she had gotten jealous and had stopped talking to Yuma all-together for almost four months. She was the only one of his friends who'd ever been able to fully see Astral all the time, despite not being connected to him via the key.

Yuma had figured she just needed some time to work things out and find her own role in the whole matter and in the end, it seemed he had been right. They had become friends again, and she also appeared to have made peace with the fact that Astral now played the part she'd desired for years and even treated him like a friend when she saw him.

But sometimes, like now, it became obvious that Tori was perhaps not as fully okay with the situation as she led on. "Yuma" Tori said, and Yuma now noticed she'd moved to the door. The rest of the classroom was empty. "There's half an hour left of the break. Aren't you gonna do something other than sitting here?". With that, she stalked out of the room and disappeared.

Yuma sighed, then slowly rose, grabbing his bag and heading outside. He wanted to duel, but maybe he should pass on that today and just get something to eat and a bit of fresh air. He only remembered half of the last classes and the next would be math, a subject he still had issues with and really needed to pay attention to, to keep up to date in…

A pulsating wave pushed against Astral, as he stood facing his and Yumas' gathered numbers, arm raised, and hand reached out towards them. All 100 of them hovering before him, shining in the otherwise eternal night of the key-dimension.

Astral frowned. "Yuma is dueling" he said to himself, turning his head as if he'd be able to see something if he did. He longed to exit the key again. To return to Yumas side and duel along with him. Already, his energy had built quite substantially, faster than he'd thought it would (which was why he was trying to keep it in check through his own form of meditation). But Yuma was still at school and Astral knew he preferred for him to stay inside the key whilst that was the case, because Yuma otherwise tended to be… distracted, by his presence.

"Perhaps, if I only came out for the duration of his break, Yuma would not mind it as much" the alien thought to himself, but just then, another pulse smashed against him, and this one physically hurt. With a moan, Astral leaned against the machinery in which the numbers were usually hidden away, the one which was also capable of functioning as a spaceship, if removed from the key, like it had happened before, when the Barians' attempted to invade Earth. Lifting his head, he saw number 37 glow and take off and moments later, number 44 followed suit.

"Yuma!" he gasped "he needs me!". And as soon as he could focus again, Astral left the key to go to his lovers' side, intend on facing whatever Yuma was, that could result in even the alien being, feeling the pain of it, from inside the key itself…

"Astral!" Yuma exclaimed. He appeared somewhat bruised and dirty, as though he'd been kissing the ground shortly before and examining the situation, Astral quickly established that Yuma was down to 800 lifepoints, and face to face with three monster cards, each with more than 2000 attack points. Considering the two monsters Yuma had just summoned, the young man appeared to be on top at the moment, though the other person had 1800 lifepoints left, but that was only until Astral noticed the attribute of the monsters summoned by their opponent. Fire. And aside from that, their foe also had a pretty effective combo in play. In his spell and trap-card-zone was the continuous trap card "Backfire" coupled with the continuous spell card "Dark room of nightmare". A solid defense, despite both cards being of older date and not often used anymore.

"Yuma!" Astral called back, having taken in the situation "what is going on here? Who is this person?! And why are you dueling him? Did you wager a number on this match?!". "Astral! I don't know! I mean, no! Of course, I didn't wager a number! They're yours, not mine! What are you doing here?!" Yuma replied, staring at the alien with wide eyes, heaving somewhat for breath. Astral looked straight at him and then said "I sensed you dueling, from within the key. You were in pain! And then, when you summoned not one, but two numbers, right after one another, I knew something was wrong. I came, because I clearly felt that you required my assistance, and obviously, I was right!". "What? No, I have everything under control! Get back into the key! I'm still at school!" Yuma complained, but just then, he started coughing violently and fell to a knee, hand sprawled on the ground in front of him as he groaned, a hand over his chest.

"Yuma!" Astral exclaimed, hovering down to him and placing a somewhat transparent hand on the others back. "Yuma, are you alright? Yuma!". "I'm *cough, cough* fine, Astral!" Yuma replied, and wiped a hand over his mouth before rising again, though with some difficulty. "I… just… need… to finish… this duel!".

Astral gasped, as he slung his arms around himself, moaning quietly. "Yu…ma" he said, voice pained. "You're in no… condition, to finish anything! If you haven't wagered a number, then what is the shame in surrendering? You need… help". "No Astral… You know I can't do that" Yuma replied, staring at their opponent with burning determination in his eyes. "I never gave up before, and I'm not about to start now! I haven't lost, before the last card is played!". "But Yuma… you're severely weakened! I can feel my lifeforce… fading…" Astral responded in a faint whisper.

Yuma turned his full attention on Astral at those words, and his eyes widened with startled surprise. "Astral!" he exclaimed, but he didn't move closer to the other, nor did he give up the duel. Instead, he just seemed to steel himself further, and then re-focused on his opponent. "Hey, Tsukumo! Are you gonna do anything, or should I just declare myself the new Champion of Heartland City now?!" yelled the other one, another young man, seemingly some years older than Yuma.

"Yuma, please! There's no cards in your hand... that can help you!" Astral tried, but he was flickering in and out of existence even as he spoke and because of Yumas current illness, he was still weakening for every second, just as Yuma too was.

"No Astral. I can do this!" Yuma replied, though he was panting. Astral moaned quietly, but before he could say anymore, Yuma spoke again. "I play… the spell-card 'Pot of Greed'!" he said, and drew the two cards from his deck. Just then, the school-bell tolled, and his opponent growled angrily. "This doesn't end here Tsukumo! I will take you down and become the new Champion, mark my words! It's just a matter of time!" he said angrily, before turning off his duel-gazer and spinning on his feet, disappearing from sight.

Yuma groaned and panting, he packed away his deck, removing his own duel-gazer and falling to his knees once more, hands in the dirt before him. Astral was quickly at his side, having already recovered somewhat do to the unusual circumstances currently surrounding him. "Yuma… What were you thinking, dueling in this condition? You should be at home, resting!" the blue being started. Yuma groaned to himself. "Astral… quit fussing so! If I can attend school, I can sure as hell duel too!" he complained. "As I remember, I advised you against even going to school today, yet you still went. I expected you to at least have the brain to not strain yourself needlessly" Astral retorted.

"Just stop it Astral! This is who I am, you know that!... I'm going back to class!" Yuma said, effectively shutting down the conversation. Astral sighed. He knew Yuma didn't mean to sound so cold towards him. It seemed that he too, was being affected by this, faster than the alien had anticipated. With slight anxiousness, he followed Yuma into the school, determined to stay by his side…