Feeling bored out of his mind, young Kite Tenjo glances around the park once more; not much to see here. A small sandbox that he doesn't dare step a foot in for fear of finding buried dog poop, a see-saw, and a couple of swing sets. Couple that with a bare-bones mix of a football field with a basketball one, and that is it for the supposedly best spot for children in this village.

How blasé.

He can't be too mad at his father though, for he knows the reason why he was brought here. It's for all the kids that are playing in this park. His father desperately hopes the change of environment will get him to make a few friends, since he has none at his school. And it's not like a part of him doesn't hope for that in some small way. But…

Glancing around at all the children in various stages of playing, most of them laughing, some of them screaming as they get way too into dueling…Kite doesn't feel the urge to approach any of them. Far from it, in fact, the prospect only makes his stomach quiver.

He can't help being this way. Other people exhaust him. His father, uncle Chris, and uncle Mizael, are all the company he needs. His partners in dueling, putting him far above his peers in that matter, and in Chris' case, his tutor. For everything else, he had video games to distract himself with. Offline ones.

Most parents would be far more worried than his father was. It was one of his mother's favourite topics to grill him on, calling him 'more of a bug than a human' when he insisted on holing himself away in his room. Which he knew wasn't quite normal either, but there's a reason he's not even forced to spend his summer vacations with her any more. His father, on the other hand, gently tried to get him to open up, like this very afternoon, but otherwise accepted him for who he is. Even if he sometimes sighed, 'It can't be helped. Genetics are a funny thing.' with a mixture of fondness and sadness.

Really, he had been doing that a lot since they came here, to his 'actual' uncle's home that he never got to move into. Died shortly before Kite came into his world. Chris told him once, that he and Kite are quite similar, even from a young age, in more than just looks. Hence, his name. And the fact he was given his deck as soon as he learned to play duel monsters. Kite must admit he does think Galaxy Eyes is meant for him, and seemingly, it was the same for his uncle.

Maybe he should feel strange about that. The eerie similarities. But the truth is, he doesn't. Though he also doesn't have the desire to wish his uncle had lived to meet him, like most kids would; things just feel like they are the way they are.

And despite the house being small, forcing him and his father to share the bed, and the place being so out of date and isolated he feels like he has travelled through time, he doesn't hate it here. In fact, he rather likes to explore the path of land that belongs to the house, even if his father always gets worried about him falling off the cliff, or getting lost on the way to the beach. Neither of that ever happens, because he feels like he knows the place like the back of his hand.

It's the only location here he gets like that, but either way, it's soothing. Father thinks it might just be his country boy ancestry coming through, and honestly, going by the way kids dress and act like, well…kids, maybe this simpler place would suit him best. City people are always trying to keep up appearances, and he's not sure it's the right place for him, even if he already knows he has no school opportunities here.

But he's only been here for about a week. Four more left to go, and they will likely come here next year. Best to wait and see, before he suggests to his father that maybe working remotely really is the right path for him…

He'd miss his uncles though, so maybe not. Without them, he truly would feel lonely, so…

"Kite." a sudden voice interrupts his thoughts, "Are you sure you don't want to go play with the other kids? No one knows you here, and they're likely all curious about the new kid…" he tries with a tentative smile.

Kite just shakes his head slowly, and that is that. Rather, he's more concerned about something else, "That call took a long time."

Immediately, his father's face falls, as it always does, "Yeah, she…she was trying to get you to do video calls with her. Says it's her right as a mother." he trails off, swallowing a knot in his throat, "And if you want…"

"I don't." Kite replies right away, before his father worries for no reason, "If she's my mother, then she shouldn't have left both of us for other men. And tried to make us poor in the process."

Truly, he doesn't really get what exactly went on. Only that the cold woman he was always forced to call mother did not follow through the marriage vows she made with father, left for real one day, and soon, father was getting a whole bunch of calls from lawyers. It's only uncle Chris that got the guts to explain what exactly she was trying to do, and if the matter she barely showed Kite any attention didn't already sour him on her, knowing what she tried to financially doom them as well didn't help matters.

At first, he had to spend weekends with her after the divorce. Then he began to complain that there were always strange men over during those times, and Father managed to put a stop to that for good. Kite further confessing to the comments she made under her breath about him only made things worse, until, two years after the whole mess, Kite didn't have to interact with his mother unless he wanted to.

Which he didn't. Just like she ignored him when he was forced to spend the weekends with her, he now ignores her. And again, maybe it's odd, that he has no attachment to his mother at all…but he can't help it.

He loves his father, loves his uncles, even loved some of his day care teachers. But towards his mother, he always felt…resentment towards her. And the fact she keeps hounding his father to this day, making him look so sad and stressed in what should be his vacation from work, didn't help her case at all.

Father lets out a sigh of relief, "Ah…thank you." he says as he hides his face in his hands, "You really are like your uncle. If only I had listened to him…"

Understanding that he's talking about Kaito, not Mizael or Chris, Kite's curiosity is piqued, "Did he not like her either?"

"Oh, far from it." his father confesses. Perhaps far too easily, but due to how messy the divorce was, and Kite's no nonsense attitude, not treating him like he's too fragile to know the truth is exactly what Kite wants, "He couldn't stand the sight of her. Was extremely against our marriage, huh, though he did want me to keep you, and get full custody." he reassures quickly. "If I didn't follow his advice, that divorce would have wiped us out…thankfully, he made sure I had a legal safeguard. And since I now do have full custody of you, I hope he's happy with me!"

There's a clear tint of desperation to those words, and while Kite doesn't get that (because, irritatingly enough, the exact circumstances behind his uncle's death was something no one was willing to talk to him about), he does offer sympathy, "I'm sure he is."

But he feels rather odd about saying it. Even if he can't put his finger on why.

"Well, enough about such sad things. That's not what vacations are about, especially since you are so diligent, you did all your summer homework on your first day off!" he beams proudly at him.

Kite blushes just a little, never knowing how to deal with such genuine praise, "Uncle Chris helped." he deflects.

"And you're not only smart enough to keep up with his strict ways, but mature enough to want to get it all done quickly." his father counters, gently patting him on the smooth part of his hair, "Since you don't want to play with anyone, I think another reward is in order. How about some ice cream?"

He immediately nods, happy to get such kind gestures of affection that he never got from his mother, "Sure. Strawberry, please."

Smiling at his politeness, his father nods, "Of course. I'll see if we can find a dragon shaped one too." he offers as he gets up, "The vendor is a little ways off, and I saw quite a line while I was on the phone. Make sure you don't wander off, and even if a kid tries to get your trust, don't follow any strangers!"

It's the warning he gets even when he's left in a room by himself for five minutes. He always rolls his eyes at how overprotective his father can be, "Sure, sure."

Satisfied, his father wanders off, and Kaito is left to observe others on the bench once more.

Truly, he doesn't know why his father was worrying in the first place. He didn't go off and talk to anyone when he was allowed to, and the kids here had likely already picked up on the major loner wolf vibes he gave off. There was nothing to fear. Only an idiot wou—

"Kya, my card! Come back, Hope!" a sudden shriek sounds through the park as the wind turns nasty.

Soon afterwards, a card lands by Kite's side. Before it can fly off again, he picks it up, and looks at it out of curiosity. It's an Xyz monster, and part of the Number Archetype no less; Number 39 Aspiring Emperor Hope.

Kite's own deck has several Number versions of his favourite monster too. And even though this one has nothing on Galaxy-Eyes, looking at this card fills him with a sense of…sweet nostalgia.

So much so, he doesn't even hear someone else approach the bench, "Hey, is that my card? Thanks!"

When he peeks over the card, there's another kid smiling at him, reaching out in expectation. Instead of giving it back, Kite's breath gets stuck in his throat.

A girl. With long dark blue hair that goes off into silly spikes, and green bangs that shoot upwards. Wearing a dress with bulgy shorts underneath that is all messed up, a sure sign she's been running all over the place. Most eye-catching of all, is the rather large, pointy pendant swinging from her neck, almost resembling an alien key.

But something feels a bit off. Like those eyes should be another colour, and yet…Kite can't stop staring at her, as strange feelings come over him that he never even thought were possible.

"Well, thanks for holding it for me." the girl says as she fetches the card from his hands by herself, "Hey, I don't recognize you. Are you new here? What's your name?" she babbles, almost jumping in place due to sheer excitement.

Normally, the bubbly attitude would annoy him, but in this girl's case, it makes his heart beat fast, "I'm Kite…I'm just having a vacation here." he eventually manages to stammer out.

The girl scratches her chin in confusion, "Here? But daddy says no one sane would ever willinglly come to a place as boring as this one." she says, as if she doesn't realize that she's insulting herself in the process. Which Kite finds rather…cute, "But mom says he's overdramatic, haha. Anyway…you seem like a good duel monsters player, Kite! Want to play with me? As long as you show me your ace first, since you already saw mine!"

Kite just keeps staring at her. He knows most people his age like the game, but for her to just assume is rather callous. Or actually, it should be. But Kite thinks it's totally fair for her to not only assume that, but he's actually rather offended that she does not know his ace monster already. Which is why he mutters, "It's Galaxy-eyes…"

"Oh yeah, of course it is! Dragons are your thing." the girl's eyes light up with joy, only to then look even more confused, "Wait, are they? Sorry, looking at you makes me think weird things for some reason."

It's such a stupid thing to say. But Kite doesn't think poorly of her for it; far from it, in fact. He can relate completely.

The more he looks at this girl, the less he is able to control himself. There is something bubbling up in his chest…something he feels like he's long overdue in saying, "...I love you." he whispers, lowering his head as he says so.

He feels so ashamed for saying that, he can't even look her in the eyes any more. What is he even doing? He doesn't even know her name…

Of course the girl goes, "Huh…?" making the embarrassment all the worse.

Before he can wish he could just disappear, the girl suddenly giggles, "Yeah, I love you too!"

Kite opens his eyes in complete and utter shock. But try as he might, he can't feel anything other than complete sincerity from her…and he feels all the happier for it.

He opens his mouth to ask her name, ask her for a duel, get her contact information, anything. But just as he's doing so, a scary looking adult suddenly comes running up to them, his sweaty hair and red skin making it clear he had been running for quite a while.

"Yume? Yume, what did I tell you?" the man shouts as he takes hold of the girl's hand, "Don't run away from me like that…and who's this strange boy?"

He shoots Kite a look that might not be all mean, all things considered, but given his appearance…it makes him flinch on the spot. What kind of adult man still wears shirts with menacing sharks on them? Though the way his blue hair resembles tentacles makes the contrast a little funny too…but he doesn't dare laugh.

The girl seems unfazed though, and turns to the man with a wide smile, "My boyfriend!" she exclaims with excitement, "Daddy, this is my boyfriend, Kite!"

The other man's eyes widen to an almost comical, and he lets a very undignified, "What?"

Followed by a nasty glare, but despite the fact that this development is also news to him, he doesn't bother to contest the girl at all, and does not look away from the blue-haired man. Come to think of it, they have the same shade of hair and eyes, so he should have guessed this man was her father before she said it.

Thankfully, before the scary-looking man can try anything else, his own father comes back, "Kite, I got you your ice-cream! Sorry, they did not have—" he stops, two flower-shaped ice cream in hand, as he takes a look at the scene in front of him, "Huh, is there something going on here?!"

Oh, and if he only knew the half of it. Kite wonders how he's going to begin to explain this mess in the first place.

"Plenty!" the blue-haired man screams, directing his glares at his father now, "Your kid has a lot of nerve to hit on my precious little girl, and I'm not leaving until we work things out!" he finishes with a crack of his knuckle. But then he gives Kite another look, and his face twists oddly, "Something about him is familiar too…can't be…"

Yume, still holding onto her father's hand, gives his father a much more cheerful smile, "Hi, mister!" she says, completely oblivious to the atmosphere around her, "I'm Yume. Can I go over to your place to play with Kite?"

And his poor father just stands there, ice cream melting into his hands, throwing Kite a look that just screams 'please help me out here!'.

But Kite just chuckles, "I think I finally made that friend you wanted me too. And more."

Despite the awkwardness of the whole thing, things finally feel right for once in his life. And he gets the feeling that, regardless of whether he moves in here or not, this place will become a permanent part of his life from this day forward.

Just as it should be.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

"Kite, are you done yet?"

He pushes a hand over his phone, and screams, "Just a minute, father!" before going back to the call, "Sorry, I have to go now. Talk to you soon. No, I'm not running away like a coward, my father is calling for me. Yes, yes, I promise, as soon as I'm do—yes, goodbye now." he cuts off the dreaded call short, and immediately lets out a sigh and rubs his aching temple.

He hears someone slowly approach him from behind, "By that sigh, I'm guessing Ryouga is still giving you a lot of trouble." his father chuckles.

"Don't even mention it. I know that asshole cares not for the flowers chosen for the centerpiece at all, and yet, he's been bothering me about it for two weeks now. Yes, it will have sunflowers, yes, I'll make sure there will be enough shade despite the ceremony being open air, yes, I know Kotori's third cousin has an odd allergy to daffodils, yes, I—just shut up already!" he screams in frustration as he throws the phone onto the couch, wishing it was Ryouga he was pushing away, "He's only doing this to delay the date as much as possible, and I cannot let summer pass by! I can't!" he vents, almost shrieking the last part in frustration.

His father walks over to him and places a comforting hand on his shoulder, "Calm down, son." he urges softly, "You're permanently taking his little girl away for him. Forgive him for being so callous, in any way he can. At least he stopped trying to punch you after your third date." he finishes with a laugh, switching his attitude when Kite doesn't laugh back, "I'll talk to Kotori about it again, don't worry."

Kite has heard this a million times the past few months, and like always, none of it makes him feel any better, "I don't want to make it seem like I can't handle her husband though…how would a man like that be fit to marry Yume?"

At that, his father laughs so loudly, he has to hold onto his stomach, "Oh, don't worry. I think both of them are well aware of how Ryouga is. You're doing fine." he finally says as he wipes away a tear from so much laughter, "Actually, that's what I wanted to talk to you about. Have you picked a ring for Yume yet?"

Kite just flinches, "No…it's just…it's such an important decision and with all this stress…" he excuses, hunching his shoulders in utter shame, "I can't even believe she accepted my whisper of 'marry me' in the first place, and now, it's been months, we're literally planning the wedding, and I still have no ring despite having more money than she can imagine." he rambles, because after months of holding it in, even he needs to share this with someone else, "Ryouga might have a point…"

"Don't be that way. You've been together since you were twelve. Officially that is. Because no one took you seriously before." Father both scolds and tries to lighten the mood, "When you're together for that long, something like a ring isn't as important as it would be in shorter relationships. Yume is just glad to marry you…plus, no piece of jewellery can ever be as important to her as that pendant."

Well, if his intent was to make Kite feel better, the fact that nothing he could give could rival the pendant she got from a dead friend of her parents, really didn't help, "Thanks for reminding me of that…"

Really, if one thought of it, it was rather creepy that she loved the thing so much in the first place. The guy had died sixteen years before her birth, and it was rather rude of Ryouga to keep the one piece of him that washed ashore, rather than give it back to his grieving family. Sensitivity would never be one of Ryouga's strong points, it seemed.

But for some strange reason, his wife to be resembled the dead friend, despite having no relation to him. It was already odd enough that Kite almost looked like a clone of his dead uncle, but…such is life, he guessed. It surely couldn't actually mean anything.

"But jewellery doesn't just have to be important to her, to have a lot of meaning. Which is why I want to give you…this." father interrupts his train of thought by suddenly placing something in his hands.

Kite blinks, realizing it's a very particular type of box, "Oh…it's pretty, but clearly old." he remarks once he opens and sees the blue and red ring inside. It's aesthetically pleasing, reminds him of Galaxy-Eyes in a way, but the cut wasn't anything you'd find in the modern day.

"It belonged to my mother. And briefly, yours, though thankfully, she hated it and stopped using it as soon as we got married, and the prenup made it so she couldn't keep it just to piss me off." his father explains through a bitter smile, "She left it to my brother, actually. It would be on a man's finger right now if not for his untimely death…"

That immediately makes Kite's face fall, "Ah…uncle Kaito…"

His father never stopped talking about him over the years, not that Kite could blame him, but he had been doing especially often ever since Kite got engaged. Which wouldn't be so bad, if he didn't stare at his own with a pained face all the while.

Kite knew he resembled his uncle to almost a creepy degree. Same sharp, yet baby-like face, same eye and hair colour, even his bangs were shaped the same, like a crown of thorns. Mizael and Chris even remarked they had the exact same height and body type. Only his back hair, smooth and simple like his father, remained a stark difference to the uncle he never met.

It always made him feel weird. But no matter what, he could never bring himself to even dye his hair, much less legally change the name he knew his father picked for a reason, and that led to Kite listening to his mother scream, 'And you even forced me to name him that. Why don't you get over your prick of a brother, Haruto? If he got his way, we'd never have gotten married!' many a times during his childhood.

It just was what it was, and if changed anything, it'd feel like losing himself. Like Yume cutting off her bunny-like bangs, or removing her pendant.

"That ring is why he died actually." his father continues, voice turning sombre like it always does, "He and your uncle Mizael were taking too long to even get engaged, and much as I like Mizael, I always had the feeling they weren't meant for each other."

That is news to Kite, but not actually surprising, "Mizael is married to Alit now, so that's not a too far off an assumption." he points out with a shrug, "Even if he still has regrets, how much is it because of how things ended, rather than them ending at all?"

Granted, it's due to those regrets that Mizael still stuck around to this day, so maybe Kite shouldn't talk. But for some reason, the thought of his pretend uncle and Kaito actually marrying after eight years of being together? Never sat right with him. He can't explain it, just feels it.

"Exactly. Though it pains me, because I always knew niisan was fated to be happily married, even if not to him." father nods in agreement, but it doesn't seem to have made him feel any better, "It's just…at the time, I really loved your mother, and his utter hatred of her really turned me into a rather petty brat. I figured, since I was the one getting married first, that the ring should go to me."

At that, Kite's face twists into a grimace, "Wasn't uncle Kaito really attached to grandmother? A bit callous, for you to demand the ring she left for him to go to a woman he hated." he points out, which immediately makes his father flinch. But for some reason, listening to this story makes Kite feel rather callous himself, so he keeps going, "Especially since he was right in the end."

There's no benevolence towards his mother at all. Especially since, he knows by the time his father began asking for the ring, Kite was already a done thing. Mother wouldn't have aborted him while she still thought he would be the key to the Tenjo money, so really, if his father had followed uncle Kaito's advice, it would have had no bearing on his existence. Rather, would have spared him the awful divorce process, and he'd still have an alive 'actual' uncle to this day.

Just a whole mess worthy of a soap opera. Life is strange, sometimes.

After a moment of silence, his father looks at him with a smile, "I know. Like I said, I wasn't thinking things through at the time. The fact that ended up costing your uncle's life will forever haunt me…"

Kite's previous burst of self-righteous anger immediately deflates. He hates seeing his father in so much pain, and now he regrets his choice of words, "Dad…"

"No, don't even try. It's my fault he had that accident in the first place, and I-I've a-accepted it." his father interrupts, but the way he stutters is everything Kite needs to know. Before he can feel even more guilty, his father takes a deep sigh and rubs his temple in an effort to keep himself together, "The point is, I had no idea where that ring was when he fell into a coma. I didn't search for it much, but Chris was in charge of getting his affairs in order if the worst case scenario came to pass, and he couldn't find it in either house. Mizael swore it was previously stored in the safe, so Kaito clearly took it with him that night. And yet…neither the ring, nor the cellphone we were chatting through were ever found."

This is something no one around him ever bothered to explain; heck, they are so hush-hush about the details of his death, that Kite had no idea his uncle was even in a coma for any significant amount of time. And this? He can't help but look at the box in his hand, "Then how the hel—"

"It appeared on his deathbed seconds before he perished. I had been in that room for over an hour, crying and pleading with him as always, when that happened. So I know it wasn't there previously. It's like it came there by magic." his father explains, as if it was as simple as that, nothing strange about that explanation at all. "I always liked to think that was his way to tell me to move on with my life, just before he passed."

That might sound poetic, but Kite is an AI researcher (like his uncle was planning to do before he moved, ironically). His scientific roots don't allow him to accept that at face value and yet…"That sounds ridiculous…" he argues weakly, "Impossible."

His voice sounds weak even to himself.

And of course, his father picks up on that, "Is that all you have to say? You must be convinced then." he says with a laugh, "Anyway, that ring had no use for me in the end, but I think it will be different for you." he assures, placing his hands over Kite's and slamming the box shot, "Keep it. I'm sure Kaito would have loved to pass it on to you and Yume, if he'd had the chance. Just like Yuma would have loved to see his pendant be passed on to his two best friend's daughter."

Something about that sounds off.

But it also sounds like the truth.

"Alright…" he nods simply, giving his father a grateful look. A family ring is the perfect solution to his troubles, as even Ryouga isn't rude enough to complain about something like that, "Thank you, father."

Father's eyes twitch, and he runs a weak hand through Kite's green bangs, "You look so much like him. Just missing the spiky hair. It's almost ironic." he observes, voice trembling as his eyes get teary, "Forgive me, son, but when you get married, I won't just be seeing you and Yume in there."

Maybe Kite should take offense to that. That his father won't see him on one of the most important days of his life. To feel bitter that he's always in someone else's shadow.

But he doesn't. If anything…part of him feels relief, "That's fine." he sighs, putting the box in his pocket and finding its weight to be oddly comforting, "It's how things were meant to be."

When he gets on knee, face completely flushed as he presents it to Yume, her strange smile and reply, "Oh, you're sure you want to give your mother's ring to me ?"

And the way she says it…he knows, they both know, it's not his current mother that she's referring to.

He can only smile back, feeling as if his face is not his own, and knowing she's not referring to his mother there, "Of course. It was always meant for you."

A/N: This chapter also has art, that I tried to upload as cover too, buuuuut.

Nope, no luck still. So just check my ao3 profile (same name, link in profile) and check the story there if you want to see it. It shows the reincarnations of Yuma and Kaito.