Sorry, guys. I've been dealing with a terrible head and throat cold, and it's made it even harder for me to write. This chapter may reflect the low-functionality of my brain. Sorry if it seems scattered.
I'm currently writing the next part to this, when Yuto follows Yuya back to his house and offers him some unseen and unknown (but effective) comfort there. That's next chapter!
After Yuya's duel with Kachidoki, the show picks up the next day of the tournament, when Yuzu duels Naname. This chapter takes place in the moments after Yuya's victory in episode 39 and later that night, off-canon for a while, and then rolling into episode 40. Enjoy, and please review! :)
The sound of Kachidoki slapping Yuya's hand away actually made me flinch. But after recovering, I still stood frozen a few feet away from Yuya, in a daze myself. I wanted to rush to Yuya and speak with him, comfort him, apologize for influencing him. But I couldn't. I was...a ghost.
I had already looked down at myself, but I lifted my right arm again to stare at it. I was transparent. I could easily see through myself down to the ground below my feet. I'm sure in the easier days, before I had to grow up and I was still a child like I should be, I had thought it would be cool to be a ghost after I died, so I could still do things and interact with people. Those were careless thoughts without much weight to them. Kids don't think seriously about death if it's never touched those they care about. They don't realize the full gravity of it. And staring down at my ghostly arm, I doubt I could still do things and interact with people.
Even if Yuya couldn't hear me, even if I couldn't touch him, I couldn't give up. I had sacrificed myself for him. I needed to help him. He could possibly be deeply involved in the interdimensional war, at the least a victim when Fusion decided to attack Standard. I wanted to tell him everything I knew about Academia. I wanted to tell him about Shun, and that he wasn't a bad guy, just desperate. I wanted to tell him of Heartland. I don't even know what else I wanted to tell him. I just know that I wanted to speak with him. Yuya was my last connection to the living world. I was bound to him for reasons I didn't know. I guess I thought I could still feel alive as long as I was with Yuya…and through him, I could still live.
I looked on as Kachidoki bowed to the silent stadium crowd. He then quickly left the center court, clearly rattled but trying not to appear so. Yuya still stood where he had tried to help Kachidoki to his feet.
The voice of the championship's lead announcer coming from the LDS audio system tore through the silence. Even he sounded taken aback from the duel. "And with that… That concludes today's event! The final duel for today is over. The Miami Championship will resume tomorrow as scheduled!"
The audio cut off sharply after the announcement, clearly turned off for the evening. I observed the stands as the tv screens turned off in quick succession. Some spectators in the audience hurriedly got to their feet and brushed by others to get home and out of the rain. Others sat in the stands, turning to those around them to exchange hushed conversations.
This wasn't right. In Heartland, a day of attending the duel carnivals there ended brightly, with eager smiles as visitors excitedly relayed the greatest moments of that day's duels. Not with confused expressions and whispers. It's like the audience wondered if Yuya was okay. I had no doubts he had shown them his best entertainment in his previous duels. Our complete lack of entertainment in our last duel must have shocked them just as it had shocked us.
My gaze flicked to a certain group of children and a middle aged man. They got to their feet and rushed out of their seating, turning to come toward the duel arena Yuya and I were in while fighting their way past swarms of people heading varying directions. I felt a flicker of hope when I saw Yuzu amidst them and realized that was Yuya's comrades at You Show Duel School. If I couldn't reach out to Yuya and comfort him, Yuzu would.
I started walking over to Yuya and shivered at the first step. I could feel the floor and the cold air, ironic since I was now no more than an apparition. My shoes felt solid against the floor, but I knew they weren't. I wondered if I would be able to touch things or if it was just an illusion. I reached Yuya's side and hesitated, glancing sideways at him and noticing how stiff his posture was and how empty his gaze looked. Uncertain, I slowly lifted my arm toward his back and moved my hand toward his shoulder. I gently curled my fingers against his jacket and cupped his shoulder in my hand.
I felt warmth spread through my fingers and run up my arm. I gasped as I saw my hand and arm gradually turn less transparent in just a few moments. I was still transparent, but much less than before. I didn't feel cold like I had earlier. Touching Yuya made me feel whole.
Yuya's head snapped up, and he tipped his head to glance to his shoulder—and my hand. I caught my breath. Could he see me?
His gaze flashed to meet mine. His eyes were wide, both startled and curious as he studied the space where I stood. In that moment, I felt even more alive.
Yuya then looked away.
My heart sank. He looked right through me. He still doesn't know I'm here.
"Yuya!"
Yuya growled in frustration. I leaned forward to look at his face. Anger crossed his brow, but I noticed a collection of tears pooling at his lower eyelids. He lifted his hands to his head and pulled his goggles over his eyes. The action was smooth, as if he had done it many times before.
Yuzu stopped beside Yuya, panting lightly to catch her breath. Yuya turned to face her, his head bent and his eyes now hidden from sight.
"Yuya… Are you alright?" Yuzu's face was etched with concern.
The rest of You Show Duel School stopped beside Yuzu a moment later. How I knew who they were, I can't explain. But I'm sure connecting with Yuya's body and mind during the duel was the reason. Maybe I would know the same things Yuya did as I was faced with them.
"Yuya, you…seemed like a different person," Futoshi said slowly.
"I've never seen you XYZ summon before," Tatsuya added.
"What happened, big brother?" Ayu asked softly.
"Well… At least Yuya won, right?" Yuzu's father stated, feigning a smile but wearing an otherwise conflicted expression.
Gogenzaka was visibly angry. "What happened to you dueling your way and making Kachidoki smile, Yuya?!"
Yuya flinched at Gogenzaka's words. I was startled as I heard Yuya's voice echo in my mind, but he hadn't said anything. It was his thoughts.
"Yuto told me to make people smile with my duels. I don't know exactly what he wanted to tell me, but… I'll do the dueling that I believe in! Because I believe that will answer to Yuto's expectations of me!"
It was something Yuya had said earlier. From what Gogenzaka said, I could infer it had been before our duel with Kachidoki.
Yuya said that before his duel? I felt even more guilty than before. He wanted to make Kachidoki smile. He was trying to do what I told him, and I…we…
Yuya looked away from his friends, avoiding their worried gazes. His teeth were clenched. "I don't want to talk about it." He hesitated, then turned his back to them. His voice took on a darker tone. "Just leave me alone. I'll see you all tomorrow."
Yuya walked toward the opposite side of the duel arena, ducking his head to stare at the ground. With his eyes hidden and his brow level, there was no expression to read. But I knew he was fighting back tears and fighting to hide it.
"H-hey!" Yuzu's eyes narrowed in anger. "Don't you walk away from—"
Her father set a hand on her shoulder, silencing her. She turned on him, but he spoke first.
"He needs some time alone, Yuzu. He'll be okay."
She watched Yuya go with a worried frown. It was the same look Ruri would give me when I insisted I was alright and she knew I wasn't.
I left Yuzu and the others standing there and followed after Yuya.
I hurried after Yuya. He was walking quicker than I had expected him to. I stepped through the arena's specified entrance for competitors and broke into a hallway beneath the bleachers that led outside LDS's perimeter. Spectators that had been slow to leave all walked the same direction on their ways home.
I groaned at the sight of the crowd. I hate crowds. Bad things always happen to crowds, when people are bunched together. They're a large, easy target. Just like how the crowds of people in Heartland's central square were the first to be taken out by Fusion. I clenched my teeth and stepped into the hallway.
I did my best to avoid the people around me. I weaved through the crowd, scanning the hall for Yuya. When a young girl ran my way to retrace her steps to her mother who had fallen behind, I didn't have time to react.
I stopped in my tracks in time for her to run into me. But we didn't collide. Smiling and with a laugh, she ran right through me. I briefly felt cold touch my torso as she passed. I watched as my essence stirred slightly like smoke disturbed by a wind. The area she passed through gleamed silver. As soon as she was gone, the cold faded, and my form recovered to normal. My heart raced. My breaths turned quick as I panicked.
Another person passed right through me. Then another. Then the girl again, this time accompanied by her mother. Each time, the cold became more and more uncomfortable, and I swayed as my head spun. Instinctively avoiding the people in the crowd… Why had I bothered? I was a ghost. They didn't know I was there. There was no way I could collide with them. I would pass right through. There was no reason to meander around them.
I shook my head to hold back my tears. I don't know exactly why I was crying. I just knew I was afraid, and struggling to accept that I was now a ghost. I wanted out of here. I needed to get to Yuya. I would be safe there. I would feel better.
I closed my eyes and started running. I didn't want to look. I felt it each time I passed through someone. My body burned from the contact, but I ignored it. I just ran, and only when I could feel the cold of outside did I open my eyes.
It was dark from the heavy rainclouds looming in the sky, and there was a chill in the air. I quickly stepped away from where I had exited the hall and looked further ahead on the sidewalk. Yuya was walking that way home.
The sidewalk in that direction was mostly empty, and I had no problem stepping around passerby to get to Yuya. Once I was at his side, I slowed my pace to match his. He still wore his goggles, and his head was bent, with his hands in his pockets.
"Why did I hurt him… Why did I duel like that?" Yuya was talking aloud to himself. "Yuto told me to make people smile with my duels, and…I failed him."
I sighed. "Yuya… It was my fault."
Yuya didn't hear me. I sighed. I had hoped that with our connection in that duel, we would remain connected afterward, and I could speak with him. How long will it be until Yuya recognizes that I'm here?
I couldn't comfort him. I couldn't speak to him. Instead, I hesitantly set my hand on his shoulder again and whispered, "You didn't fail me, Yuya."
Yuya's head snapped up in obvious surprise. Whether at my touch or because he somehow heard me, I wasn't sure. He whirled around, looking around himself to see no one there.
After a few seconds, he continued toward his home, tense and obviously on edge. I mentally scolded myself. Don't do that again. You're only scaring him.
I glanced down at my ghostly self and fought back my own fear. It was unnerving to see myself like this, and I was tired of it. Praying it would work, I willed myself to return to Yuya. Let me go back to Yuya. My eyelids grew heavy, and I closed them, falling into vertigo but never hitting the ground.