Waking up Yuma has to have been one of the hardest tasks Astral had ever had, not counting dealing with his lacking memory. Why he still bothered to try waking up Yuma was a mystery. It was not the first time he'd tried it, and probably no the last time, either. He looked at the human with narrowed eyes, wondering if the boy could ever get serious enough to Astral's warnings.

The spirit of the ominous card, Yubel, had been awakened, most likely thanks to the duel. She had visited Astral in the key, something he hadn't deemed possible up until now. What made matters worse was that she seemed to have the advantage in experience if things were to take a turn for the worst. She was invasive, mysterious, powerful, most likely dangerous and… Intriguing. The spirit sparked a certain interest inside him and for more than just being a duel monster that isn't a number. Astral needed to talk to Yuma, and it really couldn't wait until morning.

"Yuma, wake up!" he tried once again, only to cause the sleeping kid to turn his back at the being.

"Gagaga Magician… Attack", he mumbled, still as asleep as he could be. That gave Astral an idea.

"I activate Mirror Force, destroying all your attack position monsters", Astral spoke in Yuma's ear.

"Oh no! I uh… I end my turn…" the answer came in a murmur.

"Then it's my turn. I summon Gogogo Golem in attack position and attack you directly, ending the duel."

A yell, louder than the previous, left the awakening boy's lips. Suddenly he sat up, wide awake, only to fall out of his hammock due to the sudden movement. Astral chuckled softly into his fist. 'Maybe I should remember that in the future.'

"Hey! What's so funny? It's the middle of the night you know, then people should be sleeping", Yuma complained, sleepiness still present in his voice. Astral blinked. What was so funny about that? He didn't really know.

"Nothing that matters," he ended up answering, confusing Yuma.

"You didn't pull a prank on me, did you?" Yuma then asked, frantically looking around to see if there's anything out of the ordinary. This time it was Astral that was confused.

"Yuma, what is a 'prank'?" he asked.

"You don't know? Well, uhm…. It's when you trick someone to do something that's funny."

"So you can hurt someone for your amusement and call it a prank?"

"Nooo! It's never that serious. It's just a couple of silly things."

Astral nodded in response and moved on to the actual reason he woke up the boy. "Yuma, I need to talk to you, it's urgent."

"Why's that?" he replied, rubbing his eyes as he looked up at Astral

"It's about Yubel."

"What about her? I already told you she's no trouble!"

"She was inside of the key earlier."

Yuma jumped to his feet. "What?! Why didn't you tell me?!" He exclaimed, staring at Astral.

"I just did." Astral answered, slight annoyance in his voice.

Yuma scratched the back of his head to that. "Right…. So… You met her, right? What was she like?" he asked slowly.

"Yuma, can't you see that she's dangerous? First the numbers then she appears. This can't be a coincidence. Not to forget how powerful she is. She's a threat to our mission", the being exclaimed frustrated.

"Maybe it's because you don't know her. Maybe she's here to help us."

A glare.

"Fine… I'll be carefull…" Yuma muttered. Astral knew there wouldn't be much of a difference, but at least it's better than nothing. Still, Yuma's words stayed on his mind. There was a possibility that what he'd said was true. He didn't doubt that possibility. However, he also deemed the risk too high to go for it. What if she was after the numbers after all? She could destroy the both of them and then what would become of them? Astral would vanish forever and Yuma… Well who knows.

Meanwhile, the subject at hand had been listening to the two male's conversation. Astral's general unknowing amused her a bit, if she were honest, while Yuma reminded her once again of her previous partner. Both still had a lot to learn, it seemed. The first thing would be to stop arguing and rather come to an agreement, rather than one forcing his opinion on the other. On the other hand another mystery was added to the growing list.

'What are numbers?'

Maybe it were the mysteries around him that fascinated Yubel so much. Despite his inexperience, it seemed like Astral was an intelligent, if not too intelligent, being that knew how to take care of himself. She wished she could get to know the being, but seeing how cautious he is that might never happen. For all he cared she might be in a ditch the next day. Yubel huffed internally. She wouldn't give up on her dearest person's wish so easily. She'd show him that she could be on their side, rather than collecting numbers, whatever those are.

Break

Retreating to the key after their conversation, Astral was left alone with his thoughts once again as Yuma got ready for school. However unlike before, he didn't feel all that secure about the fact that he'd be alone. After all, Yubel had entered the key before, what would stop her from doing it again?

Yuma said he'd be on guard when it came to Yubel, but Astral highly doubted that fact. The thought of being around her again left him with multiple feelings. A mix he couldn't quite recognize. He summoned an image of her according memory. She was a strange being. Elegant yet powerful. Almost enchanting…

'Maybe I should ask someone?'

On the other hand Astral couldn't shake the feeling that he couldn't tell anyone about it. His mind was against it, but maybe if he saw her again, he would be able to know…

Break

"Come on, come on, come on! What could be taking him so long?" Yuma exclaimed as he was walking circles before his house. What was worrying him so much Astral didn't know.

"What could be taking who so long?" The being decided to ask, eyebrow raised.

"The deliverer of dreams and of hopes," Yuma answered, marching at the spot.

"That does not happen," Astral answered him, rolling his eyes. Yuma didn't reply.

"Yeah, he's here!" Yuma said excited. A mailman arrived rode by on a scooter. Yuma looked at him, but the man didn't stop nor notice him.

"Hold on, hey! Wait up!" he yelled and ran after him.

"Don't you have a letter, in your postbag, for me?" he asked while catching up on him, jogging right next to the person. When the man continued to ignore him, Yuma ran in front of the scooter, causing the abrupt stop of the vehicle to avoid running over the boy.

"The name's Yuma Tsukumo," he said, pointing to himself.

"Let me double check this…" the guy said annoyed as Yuma's eyes shone with hope.

"Nope, no mail for Yuma Tsukumo," He said and rode further. Yuma sunk to ground in tears.

Later at school it became clear to Yuma that he had to apply to participate in the tournament, something even Astral deemed as common sense. That moment Astral learned and truly understood a new feeling: shame, embarrassment. Astral also realized that that was one of the feelings in the mix. Yuma begging for a heart piece at the door of Heartland City sure made Astral get to know the feeling well.

Yuma stopped banging the door for a moment and when it stayed silent, he sat down, leaning against the gate. He sighed and looked on the verge of crying.

"Hey, cheer up Yuma. There are going to be other tournaments", Tori said with a sad smile, putting a hand on his shoulder.

While Astral didn't really want to disrupt them, he also felt that this would probably be the only chance he has to get answers. "Hey, Yuma, can I ask you something?"

Yuma looked up at his partner, quickly wiping away his tears. "Sure Astral, what's wrong?" he answered, though sadness was still audible.

Astral hesitated, not sure how to explain it. "I have this strange feeling… Can you tell me what it is?"

"Well, can you describe it?" Yuma answered, raising an eyebrow.

Astral hesitated again. "It's this odd sensation in my stomach, and I can't clear my mind, it's like I can't stop thinking…"

"Is something wrong Yuma?" Tori interrupted, unable to hear the blue creature.

Yuma frowned. "It's Astral. I think he's sick, he says he has a strange feeling in his stomach."

"Anything else?" Tori then asked with a worried expression.

"Well he can't clear his mind, it's like he can't stop thinking", Yuma repeated. "I think he really needs a doctor."

With that Tori hit Yuma straight on the head, to which Yuma yelled in pain.

"Hey! What was that good for?!" he exclaimed, rubbing the spot he'd been hit.

"You idiot! Can't you see Astral has a crush on someone?!" Tori yelled in response.

"Yuma, what does that mean, 'having a crush on someone'?" Astral spoke up, confusion visible.

"It means you really really like someone you know", Yuma answered rather bluntly before glaring at Tori again.

"Don't listen to him, Astral, he doesn't know what he's talking about! It means you're in love with someone", Tori said, snapping the first part in Yuma's direction.

When Astral's expression didn't change and no answer came, Yuma frowned. "You don't know what that is either, do you?" Astral shook his head.

"It means that you have the feeling that you want to stay with that person for your life, no matter the bad things that could happen." Tori explained with a sweet smile. "Who's the lucky lady?"

Before Astral could say anything, guards, most likely belonging to Heart Land. "Look kid, time to leave", they said.

"But I don't have a heart piece yet!" Yuma whined, clinging to the guard. Astral created distance, away from the scene and more feelings of embarrassment.

"What's all this commotion for? What's the kid trying to pull this time?" he suddenly heard Yubel say. She was floating not far away from him, and appeared to have arrived not long ago, as she was focussing on Yuma and the event unfolding below. Realizing the conversation that had been going on seconds ago, Astral hoped she hadn't caught anything about it. Heat slowly rose to his cheeks.

"It's a long story", he answered with a sigh.

"I'd like to apologize," Yubel spoke up, making him turn to her surprised

"About last night, I would also react like that if someone invaded my home like that," she explained.

Those words shook him even more. 'Maybe she wasn't so bad? No. I shouldn't let my guard down so easily.'

"How about we start over?" she asked. He stayed quiet for a moment, considering the option.

"I would like that", Astral replied, nodding.

"I am Yubel", she then said, extending her hand towards the boy.

"Astral." He reached out for her hand, somewhat expecting it to go through hers. However, it did not. We both stared at our hands, connected. The sensation of touch sent a chill down Astral's spine. A pleasant one, he admitted to himself. Even after letting go, the imprint still burned in his hand, already desiring for more.