This whole fanfic is me trying to add more depth to an already deep character that hasn't reached his full potential or depth yet. I'm doing my best to accurately portray Yuto as I understand him.
It actually took me forever to write this one. I wrote it all and didn't like the first explanation I had of why the term "pitch-black darkness" drove Yuya into berserk mode. So I pretty much rewrote the whole chapter. I don't know why, but it JUST dawned on me that it's the same term Yuto uses in his Dark Rebellion chant, so no wonder he awakened. I am a blonde.
Anyway, here you go, guys! I hope you all enjoy it, since this was a long-awaited chapter! Please review! Love you guys!
My eyesight still blurring in my attempt to flee to Yuya, I recited a chant I knew by heart in a whisper. "Fangs of pitch-black darkness… Rise up against the foolish oppression…"
For a brief second, I felt pain that wasn't mine as I began connecting with Yuya. My limbs ached. Some areas of my arms and back felt bruised, and my shoulder felt wrenched. My chin ached, like I had fallen and hit it against the ground. My side throbbed, like someone had rammed into me there. My right wrist especially hurt, like great pressure had been applied there. This was Yuya's pain.
As well as feeling his pain, Yuya's knowledge of the duel ran into my mind: Kachidoki Isao was a martial arts duelist who harmed his opponents in order to physically weaken them and win. He especially fought against his opponent getting action cards. He had used a trap card that allowed his monster 100 extra attack points per magic card sent to the graveyard in that turn after its activation. He had hurt Yuya over and over in an attempt to get all the action cards he could. Yuya had gotten an action card just in time to keep him alive in the duel—but he only had 100 life points.
I was feeling his pain and gracing his understanding without even seeing things through his eyes and being in his body yet. My connection with him this time was stronger than last time—I'm sure because this time I was purposely reaching out to be with him rather than it being an accident. I wondered if it would grow even stronger in the future—and if Yuya would someday be able to interact with me.
Yuya's opponent… He was just like the duel soldiers of Academia. Using dueling as a tool for conflict, desiring to harm others… I wouldn't allow it. Heartland believed in duels being fun and peaceful. The citizens had all been so taken aback by Academia using duels for war because the idea was so wrong to us. Knowing that Kachidoki was injuring Yuya and doing anything to win was no different than Fusion's tactics.
I couldn't stand the thought of Yuya being harmed by him. I had sacrificed myself to keep Yuya alive. I now felt a sort of obligation to keep him as safe as possible.
I've already fallen into pitch-black darkness before, I thought in response to Kachidoki's command. You don't know the half of it.
It was a pet peeve of mine—I got bitter when someone complained about how hard they've had it and I know I've had it much harder. Externally, I generally treat them kindly and sympathize anyway, acting against the voice in my head because I know that all problems are hard on individuals in differing ways and that problems aren't always necessarily comparable. But whatever his past struggles, Kachidoki was greatly harming Yuya. If someone hurts a person I'm close to, I won't be a peacemaker with them—I'll treat them how they treated my loved one. I would do the same to Kachidoki. I thirsted to even more because his actions reminded me of the soldiers of Fusion.
It was just a coincidence that Kachidoki stated words that for me were closely tied to Dark Rebellion. But in my anger and my desire to fiercely protect Yuya, I wanted to entertain his words. I've already fallen into pitch-black darkness. It destroyed my homeland. I can give you a taste of what I think of people like you—you and Academia. It's your turn to fall into pitch-black darkness, at Dark Rebellion's hands.
It's what he deserved for hurting someone close to me.
But apart from my hatred toward Kachidoki, I felt something else swell inside my soul. A searing pain slashed through my heart, and I screamed. It faded to growls as I tried to hold it back, shutting my eyes tightly against the pain in my heart and my head. One painful throb racked my entire body, and my eyes snapped open as I gasped for breath.
The platform beneath my feet—the station of Yuya's heart—had vanished. I stood again in an area like where I had first appeared after my death, with the low, demonic voice. Everything was a deep purple, with no distinguishable features anywhere. But I felt like something was watching me, burning into me and making my skin crawl. It was the same feeling I had had in the area containing the low voice.
I looked to my left to see Yuya suddenly standing a few feet away, gazing in the other direction. He gasped and spun to look at me, and I stared back. I wanted to smile at him, but I couldn't manage it through the pain. I also realized we could be in potential danger. I had no idea what the thing was that was watching us, but I was sure it was best not to find out. Aside from that, Yuya's eyes held the same pain and confusion that I was feeling, and I could tell he felt it too.
I wanted to comfort him, so I outstretched an arm. To my surprise, he did at the same time, as if my actions were controlling his. I could tell we both wanted to speak, but before we could, I felt warmth spread through my hand. It felt like Yuya's fingers, mind, and face were making contact with mine, but we hadn't moved any closer. Then I felt Yuya's body—my skin in his skin, me seeing things through his eyes. I felt my consciousness touch his, filling my head with warmth and invigorating me.
We now were staring at Kachidoki Isao across the action field. In that moment, I knew a lot of things that I shouldn't have. By having touched Yuya's mind, I knew exactly what cards were in Yuya's hand and extra deck. I knew Yuya's opponent as well as Yuya did and the effect of his monster. I thought to myself of what move Yuya needed to make next. He needed to clear the monsters in his Pendulum Zone and set a new scale to levels 3 and 5. Then he could summon two level 4 monsters to the field, and summon the card I had given him: Dark Rebellion, which would be able to desolate Kachidoki's ace monster and life points. Dark Rebellion and I would destroy everything.
Yuya seemed to be thinking the same thing as he began his last turn.
Destroy everything. A part of me knew that those words didn't seem like my own thoughts. They felt so foreign, like they had been planted there. I don't remember much from when I dueled Yugo in my crazed state. Yuya had broken me out of it fairly quickly. But I was able to recognize that right now, I felt the same as I had then—angry, blind, and vengeful. The regular me wouldn't want to fight and destroy, but do as little damage as possible in solving the problem. But these thoughts filled me with hate and purpose. I accepted the thoughts and emotions. Kachidoki deserved it for dueling so cruel. He was acting against everything I believed in about dueling, and he had harmed Yuya.
Let's end this. With my Dark Rebellion XYZ Dragon…I will destroy you…and everything.
"My turn, draw!" I could hear Yuya's voice as clearly as if it was my own, and it sounded deeper and less lively than usual. It now had a tone that sounded almost between that of our own voices.
"I activate the Action Magic: Mad Hurricane. This card returns all cards on the field to my deck." A strong wind rushed around us, blowing away the monsters in Yuya's Pendulum Zone and making the pillars of light around them disappear.
"I, using Entermate Fliptoad and Entermate Cheermole, set the Pendulum Scale. With this, I'm able to simultaneously summon multiple Level 4 monsters." Yuya played his cards in the same way I had been thinking.
In this state, I still couldn't feel sensation through Yuya's limbs, but I knew some of the things in his mind. I knew we felt the same feeling of detachment as the other, and I wondered if he was going through the same thoughts and emotions that I currently was. For some reason, I understood Pendulum summoning as if I had discovered it myself, and I knew the monster effect of Kachidoki's monster like I had been the one dueling him instead of Yuya.
"Swing, pendulum of my soul. Draw an arc of light across the ether! Pendulum Summon! Come forth, my monster servants!" Beams of light flew down from above Yuya, and I watched two monsters appear on our side of the field. "From the Extra Deck, Entermate Cameldown and Entermate Silver Claw!"
Two level four monsters. Yuya had known and performed exactly what I had been thinking.
"With the level four Entermate Cameldown and Entermate Silver Claw, I construct the Overlay Network!"
I mentally recited the chant I used when summoning Dark Rebellion, and Yuya stated it in unison with my thoughts at the same time.
"Fangs of pitch-black darkness…rise up against the foolish oppression! Descend now! XYZ Summon!" Dark Rebellion rose from the swirling purple and gold nova before Yuya's feet, its essence going through Yuya's body before fully materializing and standing tall behind Yuya. It spread it wings and raised its head with a sharp battle cry.
You know what to do, Yuya. And he did, I'm sure in the same way that I understood how to Pendulum Summon. It's like our minds were touching each other's, and our thoughts were reaching across and mirroring each other's.
"I activate Dark Rebellion XYZ Dragon's monster effect!" Yuya yelled. He lifted an arm to signal Dark Rebellion to action. "By using one overlay unit, it can halve the attack of an opponent's level five or higher monster until the end of the turn, and increase its own attack by that amount! Treason Discharge!" Dark Rebellion's metallic wings split apart to grow even larger, seeping purple lightning that thrust itself at the opposing monster like a whip.
Yuya used the remaining Overlay Unit to raise Dark Rebellion's attack to 5200 and declared an attack. Kachidoki panicked and attempted to defend himself.
"Idaten's monster effect activates! If it battles a monster with a lower level, that monster's attack becomes zero!"
I smirked, and to my surprise, it presented itself on Yuya's face. I gazed at Kachidoki, amused by his ignorance towards how XYZ monsters functioned. I said, "XYZ monsters do not possess levels. Therefore, the effect is negated."
Before now, I hadn't been able to affect Yuya's body, but both the smirk and these words came from me. I heard my statement in my own voice, though I wasn't certain it sounded that way to Yuya and the audience. It was an oddly satisfying feeling, knowing that I could affect Yuya's body and actions. Maybe he could finally realize I was here with him.
"What?!" Kachidoki stammered. "If they don't possess Levels, then isn't their level zero?!"
I was further amused by that statement. Yuya lifted his arm just how I would have and imagined myself doing, and he commanded my monster in the same way I always did. "Revolt of the Lightning, Disobey!"
Kachidoki screamed as his life points fell to zero. He was flung back onto the ground from the shockwaves of our monsters battling. Suddenly a thought crossed my mind: I don't want to hurt anyone.
For a few moments, I could feel Yuya's body. A burning in his eyes suddenly died, and his hair fell into its regular fashion. Still touching his mind, I could sense his confusion, like he had been in a trance. He was still for a few heartbeats, then saw Kachidoki lying across the court from us. He ran over to his opponent, screaming his name in concern.
As he ran, it felt like a bandage had been quickly torn off my skin. I stood where Yuya had been, having not moved, silent as I felt the separation from him. I glanced down at myself. I was surrounded by a soft white glow, and I was transparent. I held up my hand and looked right through my palm down to the floor under my feet.
I was an apparition. Outside Yuya's heart, but not trapped within his limbs either. I had wanted this, but it had been an accident; I hadn't discovered it, just stumbled upon it. And it felt…cold. Even though I had wanted this, it almost felt like a rift had been torn between myself and Yuya. I certainly didn't enjoy being confined to his body, but being apart from him felt wrong. Like I had somehow betrayed him and I was now separated from him because of it.
I watched Yuya ask if Kachidoki was okay, and I saw Kachidoki slap Yuya's hands away with such force that I heard it.
Why did Yuya seem so stunned by his surroundings? Had he forgotten what we had just done, together? How could he be so confused by his victory?
Maybe I had influenced his actions more than I had perceived.
Next chapter: Yuto desiring to comfort Yuya and fully pull him out of his trance, and helping Yuya without the latter knowing he was even receiving help. Might have another episode mixed into that chapter; I haven't figured it out yet. But starting next chapter, Yuto is going to start gracing Yuya's mind and understanding his thoughts more often, even if Yuya is unaware of it. :) That'll be fun to write. Let me know how I'm doing, guys!