Not Four – The Amalgamation
Summary: The war was over. The dimensions remained separate yet connected but at a price. Four became one but…what is one?
Joeri's colour was purple. He had dressed regally and within Academia's dress code. Purple in honour of the Professor.
Hugo's colour was white. He had a hard time keeping his clothes clean but it was worth the effort. White in tribute of the King.
Ute's colour was black. He had kept this through the invasion to blend in with the shadows. Black in reference to the Resistance.
Yuya's colour was red. He had his father's colour but had imposed his aesthetic. Red in the legacy of Entertainment.
So what was his colour then?
Colours…why was he thinking of colours now?
Because colours were easier to decide than names.
Yuya. Ute. Hugo. Joeri.
Yuuya. Yuuto. Yuugo. Yuuri.
They all shared 'Yuu' so could that be his name? No, that was already someone else's. Yatogori then? No, too clunky.
Colours were easier.
He could be Purple-White-Black-Red.
He couldn't be Joeri-Hugo-Ute-Yuya.
Colours were easy. They had all worn each colour at some point so it was okay for him to wear them all.
But what about style?
Joeri was uniform.
Hugo was racer.
Ute was punk.
Yuya was circus.
Could that all work together?
He tried.
He picked the cape first. It was Joeri's but it was in Yuya's colour. It didn't look too Academia so it was okay with Ute. It was also short enough to not get caught in a D-Wheel so Hugo relented.
(A D-Wheel. When was he going to get one? Was he going to get one? Duelling…no think about duelling later. He had to get dressed first.)
Hugo's riding suit over Ute's shirt and tie. Weird but easy to move around in. Ute and Hugo were satisfied, Yuya thought it wasn't too bad and Joeri couldn't be bothered forming any arguments.
That left Yuya. Wearing two sets of pants or shirts would be weird and a jacket would be awkward, both over his shoulders or worn normally.
(But that would make a double cape and that's perfectly fine because that was fun to run around in, right?)
Accessories then for Yuya. Choker, wristbands, goggles and the pendant. Never forget the pendant.
He dressed balanced enough with a bit of everyone somewhere. A little too much Hugo and Ute and not enough Yuya and Joeri but there was always tomorrow.
So he must look fine.
The mirror said otherwise.
Unconventional, said Joeri.
Haz…haz-hard to ride in, said Hugo.
Too mismatched and flashy, said Ute.
It's umm…ah—okay, it won't work, said Yuya.
So there was no way he could dress like this. Fantastic.
He flopped onto the floor, piles of discarded clothing softening his fall. Turning on his side, he saw a box of cards.
Build a deck. Said the Dragon.
No.
Build a deck.
No.
Build.
No.
BUILD.
NO!
Do it.
…Fine.
He sat up and drew the box closer to him. This was going to be hard. Peformapals and Magicians. Phantom Knights. Speedroids. Predator Plants. They couldn't be mixed and matched like clothing. Maybe he should decide on a name first…
BUILD A DECK.
Shut up!
Clothes were placed back in the wardrobe for space and he splayed every card across the floor.
It was to decide where to start. The Dragons.
Odd Eyes. Dark Rebellion. Clear Wing. Starve Venom.
They were all going into his deck. No exceptions.
That meant Pendulums, a gateway into Fusion, Synchro and Xyz.
So Dragons and Magicians.
So far, so good.
For traps…Phantom Knights were good for traps, some were generic enough to work with the rest.
But how to fit in Speedroids and Predator Plants?
They were archetypes, rigid ones to boot. There were some that could fit but not enough to be useful or balanced.
Why bother with one deck. Make four.
But how to use them all?
Swap decks every turn.
Or duel yourself.
He rubbed his temples and sighed. This was not working, not working at all.
There was a knock at the door. Yuya's door. This was Yuya's room in Standard.
Hugo missed his place at the orphanage however small or dirty it had been.
Ute was still adjusting to something that wasn't completely in shambles.
Joeri demanded familiarity, his dorm at the Academia.
"How are you doing?" It was Yoko Sakaki. A gracious host. A nice woman. A caretaker. Mom.
Mom?
Mom.
Joeri's mother was a distant memory.
Hugo's was non-existent.
Ute's was most likely dead.
Yoko Sakaki was mom. They all agreed on that.
"I'm…I'm…" They all saw her as mom but when he looked into her eyes, it was obvious she only saw Yuya.
That's not fair.
It would be like that with everybody.
Rin and Ruri hated Joeri and barely knew Yuya. Rin would see Hugo. Ruri would see Ute.
Kurosaki (was he allowed to call him Shun?) was confused by Yuya and saw Joeri as the enemy while was undecided with Hugo. He would ignore everything else just to see Ute again.
Gongenzaka was steadfast and unmoving in both belief and combat. He would be accepting but would only see Yuya.
Dennis was a trickster but he was Joeri's contact (he was Joeri's friend). He would see Joeri regardless.
Selena was objective, she was Academia. She knew of each of them but didn't know any of them. Maybe he could…no. She would see Joeri. She had worked with Yuya and had duelled against Hugo but she would see Joeri.
Yuzu…Yuzu knew them all as separate people. Two friends, an enemy and a brother in everything but blood. She would see Yuya and Ute and Hugo and Joeri…but separately, not together. He would stay away from her, for her sake.
Everyone would see only part of him or see him as four. No one would see him as one.
He wanted to cry.
But a good soldier doesn't cry.
Crying would only draw the attention of Security.
It showed weakness that wasn't needed on the battlefield.
The audience didn't want to see the entertainer cry.
"HA! HA! HA!"
So he laughed instead.
He laughed.
They laughed.
We laughed.
I laughed.
But tears still fell.
Arms wrapped around him. Holding him. Hugging him. Comforting him.
He laughed and laughed and laughed and laughed. She let him. Let the tears fall.
He calmed down eventually and she was still there. She was Yoko Sakaki. She may not see all of him but she cared for all of him. She was mom.
Mom cradled his face, gently wiping away his tears with her thumb.
"Who do you want to be?" She asked.
"I want to be me." Me was being loyal to a cause, taking things as they come, not letting oppression overcome, making people smile. Me was cruel and reckless and angry and naïve.
She doesn't try to understand because it's too much for her to understand but she nods and accepts. She is mom.
"Then be you."
And he who is Yuya and Ute and Hugo and Joeri all in one falls into a peaceful sleep in his mother's arms.
{~~~}
A little something in relation to a picture of a Yu-boy's amalgamation I drew a while back on my tumblr page. Life is being life so updates will be slow.
WIP:
Because of Memories Forgotten: a manga!au with Yuzu, Yuya, Yuto, Yugo and Yuri are kids. Based off the prompts by guest Martyn.
Because of Recklessness: Joeri fails to kidnap Rin because of Hugo's intervention but that does not make everything better. Based off the prompt by GenderbendShapeShifter.
Not Beyond Space and Time: Yuya is Yugi, Joeri is Judai, Hugo is Yusei and Ute is Yuma. All plots basically happen simultaneously.
Not in a Day 3: Joeri can see duel spirits. Rin and Ruri's are particularly annoying.
Not quite the same 2: the Lancers + one in the Synchro Dimension. Team Satisfaction exists and Rodger has less of a grip on his power.
Not So Mysterious: a Gravity Falls AU that is taking way too long to write(wait, that applies to everything).