Title: Ashes and Oaths
Characters: Shun, Ruri, Yuuto||Ship: N/A
Chapters: 3-3||Words: 3,080||Total: 9,399
Genre: Angst, Drama||Rated: PG
Prompt: Arc-V Angst Week, day #1, Heartland
Notes: This takes place, obviously, pre-canon, during the early days of the invasion of Heartland. Upon rewatching Arc-V, I noticed it was said the invasion would be soon, three years prior to canon. So, for the sake of this story, the invasion began two and a half years before Yuuya discovers Pendelum Summoning. Also, there is minor character death and everything else that pertains to the invasion in this.
Summary: Once everything was normal. People didn't hurt themselves regularly and if they did, it wasn't hard at all to get it taken care of. If people died, there were others to take care of those left behind. All that's changed now: changed forever.

Shun's head snapped to the side, where the voice came from. For the first few seconds, given how the shadows fell, he thought that perhaps this was Yuuto and all the tension flowed out of him.

All of it slammed back in a heartbeat later when the new arrival moved closer. Every step he took screamed that he wasn't Yuuto, who moved like all the rest of the resistance did, cautious and wary and ready for battle at any second. This stranger moved like a predator, a casual stroll that still emanated how dangerous he was.

Shun got a look at their face and stared for a few heartbeats. This might not be Yuuto – wasn't Yuuto – but he looked like Yuuto. Their hair was very similar, though Yuuto's eyes were soft cloud gray and this person observed the world through shimmering amethyst.

"Yuuri-sama," one of the Fusion soldiers murmured as all six of them drew up to attention. "We heard you were coming."

"I'm sure you did." The newcomer strolled closer to Shun, staring down at him thoughtfully. "Chasing a bit of resistance scum, I see. When I wanted your help for something important."

Shun tried to get to his feet, but the weight of the Antique Gear Hunting Hound kept him where he was. The new arrival chuckled at that.

"And he's injured, but you keep on chasing him instead of just getting rid of him."

This person – Yuuri – was far too close to Shun for his personal taste. The closer that he was, the more Shun could see how his features resembled Yuuto's. It wasn't right. Yuuto never looked at him like that, a mixture of curiosity and contempt. Yuuto never looked at anyone like that.

"Yuuri-sama," the soldier who'd been moments away from carding Shun spoke up, voice trembling, "if you need us, then we can go on and get rid of him… unless you would like the honor?"

Shun snarled, attempting yet again to shove himself to his feet. Yuuri casually shifted around the hound and pressed him down with one foot. He wasn't nearly as tall as Shun was, but he pressed right on Shun's solar plexus, sending him gasping.

"You stay quiet. This doesn't concern you." Yuuri sounded more as if he were addressing a child than a potential enemy. Shun gasped for breath, a raw desire to wrap his hands around that neck and break it surging through him. Getting up wasn't going to happen any time soon, no matter how much he wanted it to be different.

He wanted to insist that it did concern him; they were talking about carding him, after all. But that one hit made it all but impossible for him to talk.

Now Yuuri looked at the Fusion soldiers. "What I want you to do is tell me where I can find a few resistance members of my own to play with. I have time until my next mission."

Shun wanted to scream even louder at that, to do anything that would get hold of Yuuri's attention and keep it on him, not hunting for his fellow fighters. Which included Yuuto – why did Yuuri have his face? - and Ruri – he'd better not go anywhere near her, Shun wouldn't allow it!

He dragged in a sharp stab of breath, ignoring every bit of pain that twisted through his body, and seized onto Yuuri's ankle, trying to shove it off of himself. It didn't do a lot of good, but Yuuri turned down to look at him regardless.

"Why do you look like Yuuto?" It took even more effort to grind out the question. He didn't expect Yuuri to really answer it, given how he brushed off every other attempt Shun made at talking.

But instead, Yuuri frowned, the slightest hint of curiosity flickering through his eyes. Shun suspected that curiosity wasn't a good thing at all.

"And who is this 'Yuuto'?" Yuuri tasted the word as if he didn't like it, a whisper of a frown crossing his lips at the same time. Shun didn't answer, still struggling to get proper breath, which wasn't helped by the way Yuuri casually ground his foot deeper into him. "I expect you to answer me. I answered you, after all."

Shun strained even more, dragging at Yuuri's ankle and wishing he hadn't, at least with the way his arm throbbed and ached with every motion that he made. It's a distraction, he reminded himself. That was all. Just a way to keep Yuuri's attention on him so that he wouldn't wander off to find the people Shun cared about.

He would have much preferred fighting on his own – could Yuuri even be half the duelist that Yuuto was? Shun didn't think so – but with his duel disc broken and all the injuries he'd collected, that wasn't an option.

"My best friend!" He managed to snap, before a slash of rage made its way across his lips. "Better than you!" Not only was Yuuto a better duelist, he was just a better person. Because Yuuto didn't go around to other worlds without an invitation and try to take them over for apparently the simple lack of nothing better to do with his time.

Yuuri ground his foot against Shun ever so slowly, lips twisting, eyes dancing with untold sadistic pleasure as Shun squirmed underneath him.

"Is that so..." He didn't seem to really be asking it as a question. "I think we're going to have to find that out."

Shun strained harder but Yuuri seemed to know just where to press to keep him down. All the rest of his injuries didn't do anything to help that. Yuuri's eyes raked over him, noting each and every part of Shun that bled and bruised. Then he turned to the soldiers there.

"I've changed my mind. I don't need any other new toys. I've got one I'm going to keep right here."

Oh, no. No, that wasn't going to happen at all. Shun surged upward, ignoring the sharp stabs of pain that sliced into his arms as he tried his best to shove Yuuri off of him. Amazingly, it worked: Yuuri stepped to one side. For a few seconds, Shun wondered if he'd actually done it himself, at least until Yuuri gestured for the metallic hound to get off of him.

"You can run – well, I'm allowing you to run. I would duel you, but it seems that's not an option right now." Yuuri leaned down to tap on Shun's jacket, where small bits of his duel disc exposed itself. "Once we get back to Fusion, I can get you a new one and I'll have even more fun with you."

Shun reddened at the thought of using one of those revolting sword duel discs, shaking his head. "No!" He'd get his own repaired before he put one of those repulsive things on his arm.

"I don't re call giving you a choice." Yuuri prodded at him with his fingertip. "Now, back to the fun. You can run, at least as much as you can run. You're getting a head start. It won't do you much good, but I'm going to enjoy it." That smile didn't change. Shun had never thought he would hate smiles so very much, but what else could he do when it was Yuuri who smiled? "When I catch you, we're going to go back to Fusion. I have questions. And you're going to answer all of them."

That got another shake of Shun's head. He had to struggle to draw in breath, even as he pushed himself to his feet. He couldn't run, not with his leg like it was, but he would try. The perfume shop still was in sight, giving him a place to start. He knew a little more about how this place was set up, even now when it was the disaster that it was.

Behind the counter in the perfume shop there had been a storage area. It wasn't all that big, but it hid a secret regardless: a trapdoor that would lead to a much broader area, containing enough room for Shun to hide. He wasn't sure what it had been originally used for. But it had a tunnel leading out from it that didn't come out under the ground until it was quite far from here.

Various resistance members tried to find out who set it up, but no one could locate any more information about it. It clearly had been set up with resistance folk in mind; it contained a few spare duel discs, food and water, and other odds and ends that came in handy, such as blankets, and spare clothes. Everyone left it the way it was instead of plundering it for supplies. It could come in handy, it was said, and Shun thought now would be a very good time to find out if it also had a first aid kit. After everything else it had, he thought it would. He just needed to find it.

"If you don't want to answer my questions, then you're going to have to escape me." Yuuri gave him a long look up and down. "And I don't think you're going to be able to do that. You couldn't even escape them." He waved one hand toward the six Fusion soldiers. "You absolutely can't escape me." He leaned forward, lips twitching in that hideous mockery of a smile. "But I'll let you try."

"He won't do it," one of the soldiers muttered to another as Shun tried to balance himself. He still wasn't doing a good job of it. "No one escapes Yuuri-sama."

"Then I'm going to be the first!" Shun snapped. He took a few steps, his breath catching in his throat, his ankle swollen and hot. He wished he knew more about first aid and finding out what sprained or broken bones felt like. He knew he'd done something to his ankle, he could hardly walk on it, and the more pressure and strain he put on it, the worse it got. He just didn't know what he'd done.

"I doubt that. But you don't have to worry that much." Yuuri kept watching him. "Once we get back to Fusion, I'll have you taken care of by our medical people. You'll be in good shape again in no time." Again his gaze raked across Shun. "And you're going to get some decent meals. What do you eat here?"

Shun's fingers clenched and unclenched. He didn't know if Yuuri asked that because he knew or because he didn't. Either way the urge to hurt Yuuri just spiraled higher and higher.

"What we're left!" He snapped, taking a few stumbling steps away. The soldiers snickered at him, but Shun kept most of his attention on Yuuri for right now. They weren't chasing him down anymore. He could ignore them.

Yuuri didn't move. His eyes didn't leave Shun, but he made no effort to follow him, either.

That's not right. He had no idea of what sort of deck Yuuri might run. He clearly wasn't a common Academia soldier so the odds that he had one of their ordinary Antique Gear decks were somewhat low. So there wasn't any real way to guess what he had that Shun would have to deal with.

"Don't worry. You won't have to eat scraps anymore once you're with me." Yuuri sounded as if he thought this were a good idea. "I take very good care of what's mine, especially when you do what I want."

That got another shudder from Shun and he hitched himself along several more yard. Still Yuuri didn't move an inch, but tracked Shun with his eyes alone. That sent a worried chill all through Shun. What did Yuuri know that he didn't? Even

the soldiers followed him and kept him in sight, albeit very slowly and mockingly.

If he's trying to let me get away... With the way that he stared at Shun and the genuine fear that the soldiers had of him, Shun couldn't actually believe that. There was just too much desire to cause pain in that expression.

But if Yuuri were going to give him that chance, no matter how slim and non existent it really was, Shun would take it. If he could get into the shop and into the tunnel, he'd be safe. So far as they knew, none of the Academia soldiers knew about this place.

He stumbled along a little more, almost stumbling over a spray of rocks, and yanked himself back to his feet. He made himself not look again. If he watched Yuuri too much, he wouldn't get away. He had to move.

Several more steps and his entire body ached even more. He heard no steps coming towards him, but there were sounds of some kind regardless. He ignored them, focusing on the half-hidden door. It would look to them like he was just hiding in a place they could easily uncover. At best he was just trying to cover his trail with the perfume, if they even were aware of that.

His fingers were inches from the door when the far too familiar sound of a monster being summoned came from behind him. Something lashed over his head, crashing into the store and bringing it down. He ducked to one side, trying to avoid flying debris and only succeeding by the barest of margins. Tiny shards dug into him and a heartbeat later, he stumbled back, his balance overwhelmed, and crashed against a spill of rocks that had once been a decorative wall for the small park on the other side of the street.

When he dragged himself up to stare, there wasn't anything left of the perfume store but a pile of ruins and rubble. He couldn't tell from here if the tunnel underneath survived and he couldn't look at all. What he did do was stumble over there, breathing fast and hard, and not at all surprised when his feet gave out from under him and he crashed to one side, breathing hard.

But he'd landed the way that he wanted to, and he had a few seconds to do what he wanted to do. He had only time until Yuuri got there and he could hear quiet, assured footsteps.

He dug his working hand into his jacket and jerked out one card. Not a common card; one of the Raid Raptors. He didn't like doing this, but he had two more of it, and he had enough different plans that it would probably not make much of a difference. He tucked it in between two pieces of rubble and shoved a third on top of it. To most people it would be invisible. But to the resistance, who would search for any signs of the tunnel or usable goods, they would be able to find it.

Those footsteps came to a stop. Shun tried to move himself over, but one again Yuuri stepped on him, a firm, harsh movement that kept him pinned where he was.

"I think you've run enough. You're going to hurt yourself more than you already are if I keep letting you go."

"As if you care!" Shun snapped, wishing that he could do more to get that pressure off of himself. Yuuri didn't move and he didn't have enough strength left to do it. What energy he had, he'd used up getting here. His stomach growled, as if that weer the most important thing in the world, and he shuddered, not wanting to think about a nice quiet meal in the tent he shared with Yuuto and Ruri.

Yuuri's hand rested on the back of his neck. It was far too soft of a touch, yet whenever Shun moved away, it remained firmly there, gripping hard.

"Oh, but I do. You'll see soon enough." His hand slipped around Shun's neck, gripped tightly, and pulled, Shun staggering to his feet. Yuuri didn't release him, but pulled him farther down so they stared into one another's eyes. He'd never seen eyes so cold or so full of pleasure at seeing someone else hurt and at his mercy.

If Yuuri had mercy. Just from the way that he looked, Shun didn't think that he did.

"Oh, I am going to enjoy this," Yuuri murmured. "You hate me. You barely even know me and you hate me so much that it sours you."

Shun wasn't going to argue that point. It didn't matter that he didn't know Yuuri. Just the fact he was from the Fusion dimension and that he wore Yuuto's features gave Shun all the reasons that he'd ever need to hate Yuuri.

He tried to jerk away again, but Yuuri's grip wasn't so easy to break. His smile didn't fade in the slightest before he twisted, seizing hold of Shun's arm and forcing it up behind him.

"Time to go. I'll come back to finish my assignment after I've got you taken care of." Yuuri nudged him and Shun stumbled forward a few steps, whether he wanted to or not. He didn't. He very much didn't.

Like it or not, Yuuri's support kept him on his feet as he was pushed along. So much of him hurt in every possible part, his stomach growled repeatedly, his throat ached with dryness, and his mind fogged with weariness. He barely grasped that the other soldiers followed along, murmuring between themselves.

He wasn't sure of how far they'd gone before Yuuri pulled him to a stop and draped one arm around him. In between Yuuri's fingers there rested a card: the same card that he'd tried to hide in the rocks.

"You're going to need that," Yuuri murmured, reaching to pull Shun's duel disc out and tucking the card into the deck neatly. "You shouldn't drop your cards like that."

Shun didn't have to be able to see his face to know that Yuuri smirked with each word. There wouldn't be any sign of where he'd gone or even the slightest hint that he was alive. He'd hoped for that much, at least.

But Yuuri pulled a card out of his own deck, arm tightening around Shun. What Shun could see of the card was the name and nothing more. Violet Flash. It meant nothing.

At least it didn't until the card enveloped them both in purple energy and Heartland vanished from all around them.

The End

Notes: Okay, I was really thinking about having it be Yuuto or any other ally of Shun's who turned up. But I flipped a coin and it came up Yuuri. Who am I to argue with the Coin? Also, as I said last chapter, I will write an alternate ending where it is Yuuto, Kaito, or some other ally. Final reason: this was started for the Arc V Angst Week and what could be angstier than this?

I may indeed write a sequel detailing out what Yuuri does with Shun this time. Though it's easy to guess. My Arc-V OTP is Shun x pain delivered via Yuuri, after all!