Author's Note: Hello again. Shorter chapter here than the last one. I am an endless stream of thoughts and passion yet again. No matter how many times I type up these chapters, I find I've made a new discovery regarding characterization and then down into editing mode I go again despite having already finished some of my rough drafts. Anyway, my love for Musicboxshipping (Sora x Yuzu) and Ray x Sora (Wagashishipping/Namagashishipping) is as passionate as ever as I write this. I will eventually go into Sora's POV, I promise. He'll come after a Ray POV but there is a lot of characterization on the Bracelet Girls I must establish first. I found it so interesting that Yuzu despite being associated with En Flowers doesn't really have a deck that takes on a floral theme until she meets Sora where he gives her Bloom Prima and Bloom Diva. (Even Lauerate Maestra which is a flower isn't used. Even Yuzu's last name is a plant that doesn't grow flowers. Yuzu in last episode doesn't have En Flowers bracelet. Sora in one of his qualification for Miami Championship (during Yuya vs Mieru episode) is associated with flowers on the prince like uniform he wears, blue flowers similar to the ones on Bloom Prima and the ones Yuzu wore in her hair when she was younger (I think the flowers are Forget Me Nots). This is why I have the headcanon of Sora likes flowers more than Yuzu who only likes a few.

Chapter 4

When Sora first played Flower Duet with Yuzu, his mind worked hard to try to understand Yuzu's illusion, wondering why she so often chose to act as someone else in her duels. He was no different, his Scissors Bear a patchwork of opponent's monsters sewn onto it, but still..he wondered why Yuzu would feel the need to hide her real self so often, always intently studying her as she dueled. When Yuzu offered for Sora to stay at her house so he wouldn't have to keep doing duel contests to earn money to pay for his stay at a hotel, he gratefully accepted the offer but he notices when he tries to ask more questions about her, how she feels at You Show Duel School, her days at school, even if she answers, she seems perplexed by Sora's inquiries and Sora notices her azure eyes are a mix of comfort and appreciation but also..unnerved. Is she..unsettled he's so curious about her?

Two weeks before the Miami Championship began, Yuzu had a conversation with Sora in her home she couldn't forget.

"Hey…," Sora stated, nearly making her drop the vase of Forget Me Not flowers she had in her hands. Luckily, she hadn't and she quickly placed it on the marble counters of her home's kitchen. She doesn't know why she's always been drawn to these flowers specifically. Maybe because during the time everyone lost their memories of her after she inhabited Reira's body, she truly didn't want to be forgotten. At the same time, if no one knew her, if no one remembered her, Ruri, Rin, Serena, and Ray, then..people wouldn't be sacrificed for Ray's revival to happen. No one would try to kill her as they had tried to in past lives to prevent Ray's revival? So why…if she knew it would help everyone if they forget her why..why couldn't she let them continue to live without their memories of her? Why did Sora have to pop in her head? Sora and the blinding smile he had the first time he gave her Bloom Prima.

"I thought it would be a good card for you. She has the same Forget Me Nots on her shoulders that I saw you used to wear as hairclips on that photo on the counter when you were younger. With this card, Bloom Prima, you'll never be forgotten by anyone, because all of your performance duels will be memorable! I know I'll always remember each one of our experiences."

Maybe Ray was..fine with being forgotten. Maybe that was why Yuzu, Ruri, Serena, and Rin weren't born with Ray's memories of her dad..why her father didn't find them in Serena's mind. Maybe that was why she didn't let her dad remember her through the power of the En Cards and he had to use a Memory Scanning device to regain his memories but in the end, Yuzu couldn't help it. She's not like Ray. She wants to be remembered. Or..did Ray want to be remembered as well? Is that why she used Bloom Diva? Here she is with memories of her past life, but Sora can't recall a thing due to the En Cards. She's asked him questions about if You Show Duel School seemed familiar, if he felt like he met Yuya more than once, and Sora pauses, like he feels like he should know, but then he answers, "No", often giving her a confused look and Yuzu's heart plummets. She didn't want to convince Sora he didn't have to work for Academia again but she would if she had to.

"Hey what?" Yuzu asked, staring back to see Sora, his eyes staring at her with rapt curiosity, but also..confusion. Those eyes always felt like they were studying her, trying to know about her. She couldn't really blame him. She's not very straightforward. Even her deck shows that. Constantly, Sora wonders what the Gensō labeled on each of her monsters means and how it reflects Yuzu, so much so that he asked her once during their Fusion lessons, do you like your deck? He knows Gensō is an illusion, so what's Yuzu's illusion?

Yuzu froze when she first heard that question from Sora during Fusion lessons, not used to anyone trying to understand her through her deck, but..it's Sora. He observes everyone thoroughly to learn about them from what Yuzu noticed. Sometimes she thinks of saying curiosity killed the cat, but she doesn't really mind that side of Sora that always looks to understand more about people to grow close to them. It's..considerate of him but sometimes..she doesn't feel comfortable the more he tries to decode her. She's got her own secrets just like Yuya does, much like she told her father she had no reason for being interested in XYZ Summoning before Himika-san came and announced LDS fight You Show Duel School even though that was a lie and she did because of her encounter with Yuto when she tried to duel Sawatari. But..Yuto caused an explosion in the warehouse so he was dangerous. The more she kept information on Yuto hidden, the less anyone around her would be hurt. But why..? What's on Sora's mind and why is he trying to decipher her even now?

"You keep buying flowers but..I've never actually seen you grow any," Sora pointed out.

"Are you not much of a gardener?"

Yuzu smiles as she sets the vase of Forget Me Not flowers down, imagining her dad coming home soon and when he does come home, he probably will be gleeful, a huge smile on his face as he gushes, "Oh Forget me Not flowers! Just like the ones you used to wear as hair clips when you were younger."

Yuzu grimaced as she thought hopefully he wouldn't bring up photos of her younger self at the dinner table. Her grimace faded off into a soft smile as she thought it's nice that Sora could have dinner at her house though as his diet is concerning, consisting of mostly desserts like cookies and brownies but he needs actual sustenance like rice and salad..and more. It's also nice that her dad can actually be home for dinner as the lack of customers paying for classes at You Show Duel School usually means her dad is working other jobs to get money.

"My father is the one who buys and loves flowers, but I don't really care for them," Yuzu said.

"..Thought so," Sora mumbled, a comment that perplexed Yuzu.

"You..could tell?"

Sora smiled and said, "You looked happiest near the nonflowering plants when we went to the garden after our Fusion lesson yesterday but disinterested near the flowers. Like Ferns and the Ginkgo tree (Ginkgo biloba) we found. Did you know? In some cases, a Gingko leaf is a token of friendship or..that was the case for the poet, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. I've considered getting you Ferns to have around the house since you seem so fond of them. I also was going to ask..would you like me to redesign Bloom Prima for you? If you don't really like the flowers, I can take the Forget Me Not flowers off and.."

"No!" Yuzu blurted, outburst startling Sora.

"Ah, it's just..those..are one of the few flowers I do like. I don't..have a good memory of flowers blooming like I told you especially when bamboo flowering caused Mautâm when my dad and I visited Manipur, so..the flowers brought famine and I just..never viewed flowers as not being destructive but..lately with you I've found out about other flowers that are pretty cool everytime I visit the garden with you so I have..other ones I don't dislike not as much as I do."

Yuzu then laughed and said, "And the bamboo, I used to be very fearful of it, but..hearing you play Pachelbel's Canon on the bamboo organ in the Music Museum we visited, it sounded so soothing and it made me less scared of the bamboo. Next time, if the line isn't so long and time doesn't run out, I'll play a song for you. You don't have to get me Ferns you know. You're always giving me Melodious cards, but..you don't owe me anything. ."

"Even if I don't owe you, I want to give you something you're happy seeing," Sora said, smiling and Yuzu's heart skipped a beat.

"Well..ok..if it doesn't bother you to get it then, I can't wait," Yuzu confessed, lips curling up.

"But don't tell me which one you'll choose. I want to be surprised. So, you can play organs too? You learned how to play a lot of instruments during your traveling, didn't you?"

Sora smiled before continuing, "I have plenty of instruments I learned how to play and there are more I want to learn! That bamboo organ also exists in the Philippines, Las Piñas City. A beautiful use of nature and music, don't you think? I look forward to hearing what song you'll play for me the next time we visit the Music Museum."

It sounds..fun. Academia allows him to go to so many places as he's told her and yet..it also sounds lonely, moving from place to place and never staying long with people. She wonders if that's why he saw himself as a tramp the first day Trump Witch was born as it connected with his Fusion. She hopes Sora hasn't felt lonely since coming to You Show Duel School. There's always something more to Sora Yuzu feels like she has left to learn. They're close. She won't deny that but she never knows what else he has left to show her. He's a constant surprise.

Pachibel's Canon and Canon Melodious Diva. Sometimes she wondered why Canon Melodious Diva looked so similar to her bracelet but also why Sora's Fusion Fright Waltz looked so similar to the shape of her bracelet and the shape of the musical notes that surrounded Canon Melodious Diva as wings on her back when she first fought Masumi. She wonders..if in the same way Ray took in the energy of the En Cards, Ray possibly offered Sora her power of En Flowers through Fusion Fright Waltz so she could be with him no matter what. She wonders if Ray relates to Sora who's Fusion has hurt and saved people the same way Pendulum which came from her has helped people through Zarc using it to entertain others but also hurts others before each time he fights Ray. There's more to it than that though.

"Hey Yuzu, did you know..Canons in France and Italy were once hunting songs?" Sora asked her once, during Fusion training in that abandoned warehouse Sawatari used.

"Se je chant mains especially is a canon that is a falcon hunt."

A falcon. Sora has always been hunting Shun down, wanting to surpass the mirrors Shun trapped him in and Yuzu she..she wanted to help Sora because she remembered the sorrow of a mirror being the reason she lost, recalling her duel with Masumi where she saw a reflection of an Action Card in the mirrors mixing in with her memories of Frightfur Leo trying to break apart the mirrors, remembering the mirror of Heartland's Tower crashing down on Sora, as he lost to a reflection like Yuzu. Truthfully, she understands Sora..too much.

Sora and her are a musical canon, imitations of melodies, leader and follower. They always have been even from their first meeting.

His smile carrying its usual bright joy didn't hide the menacing glint in his virescent eyes when he told her about the Falcon Hunt. An ominousness to them that Yuzu wasn't used to seeing but ever since having Sora as her master to teach her Fusion, she had been seeing sides of them she didn't see before but..it made her happy to see them.

Sora noted she was strange bringing him to a warehouse for them to practice Fusion alone together and she's odd for telling him to not fight Yuto because he's dangerous and he even asked her why she doesn't think the same of him who knocked Sawatari out.

"I trust you," Yuzu said. "That Tomahawk you use is enough to let me know you don't like seeing people hurt. I know you won't attack me. You're not dangerous like that Xyz user."

Yes..she had Sora's memories of when Sora used Frightfur Sheep to strangle Obelisk Forces' throats to protect Reira from Sergey and Barret back in the Synchro Dimension. Memories of Sora who had an Obelisk force member do the same to him at Academia, of Sora who sometimes had nightmares where he screamed himself awake, the fear of being strangled by a duel monster in his head, the fear leading him to strangle other soldiers to protect himself before the Professor warned Sora to correct his behavior before he carded him.

Sadness hit her heart again. It's not fair that Sora had been mistreated like that at Academia. Without Sora understanding why, her fingers hover close to Sora's neck gently but Sora flinches back, a guarded look directed towards her. Of course, it's not like Yuzu will choke him or anything, but..he can't help but feel defensive.

"..What?" Sora asked, confused at Yuzu's saddened expression, but she quickly smiles and says, "Oh..it's nothing! I..thought I saw some dirt on your neck and was gonna brush it off. It's gone now!"

Sora tilted his head, trying to wrap his around her, thinking she's far too trusting and it's concerning. He's harmed many people. But also..she's acting odd. He doesn't get her at all.

"Look. You do a lot of things that are..worrying. You said this XYZ user is dangerous but you went after him anyway to protect Masumi. Marco went missing. What if you..go missing? Yuya and I would be worried. You also didn't tell Yuya and I where you were going when you ran off! I thought you went off to buy a cake to celebrate qualifying for the Miami Championship, but..you were out really late and it was night which isn't a safe time to go home alone and.."

Ah, scolding her. Sora did that a lot. Of course, she didn't mean to make him worried, and she knows he's just nervous about Shun. Shun who might turn her into a card because he thought she was a Fusion user.

"But I'm fine! Really…"

"Don't just brush this aside! That guy in the blue coat could hurt you if you're not careful! He seems like the type to rush in without having all the details! I was waiting for you to come home and then you didn't. I thought…"

Guy in blue coat? Oh Shun. Right. Sora can't remember Shun.

"Sorry," Yuzu apologized, noticing the fear in his eyes. "I didn't mean to make you so worried."

Sora's eyes widened, as he thought, "Why am I worried anyway?", confused before he yelled, "Well then don't do it!"

Sora sighed. He didn't really understand why Yuzu is so eager to always spend time with him.

Sure she was nervous when he yelled at her the day Yuya was fighting Mieru and begged her to see his qualification match as she looked for her Fusion card, but at the same time, glad, her laughter over the phone call leaving Sora's cheeks rosy as she asked, "Jeez, you really miss me, huh?"

He would think his occasional angry outbursts would repel Yuzu but they never do. Instead, Yuzu seems glad that Sora wanted her around to see him and she was. Yuzu felt glad that Sora sought her out like she sought him out when he went missing while looking for Reiji. Yes, she loves Sora's cheery nature, but knowing Sora felt comfortable that he could show his anger around her too..that he wouldn't hide his rage or when he's sad around her..that made her happy to know he trusted her as a friend he could confide in.

She was sure there was another secret Sora shared with her, like when they went to see this rare monocarpic flower at the garden they visit after Fusion lessons. A secret she wanted to know.

Yuzu doesn't understand monocarpic flowers. Why do they take so long to bloom if they only die after flowering? She asked Sora that in the garden they visited and he said,"Sometimes an ending and beginning simultaneously can be beautiful."

Yuzu furrowed her eyebrows, not understanding what Sora meant.

"Isn't it upsetting for a plant to go through so much work of blooming those pretty flowers only for them to disappear? It's like it's progress to grow and have a life means nothing."

"Now that's harsh," Sora said, but he laughed while he stood in front of Hibiscus Rosa-Sinensis bushes.

"Yeah, I guess it makes sense to think like that. I thought that at some point. But you know..for those monocarpic flowers where beginning and ending are the same..there's a sense of tragedy but also excitement."

She noticed Sora's gaze seemed softer and melancholic while thinking, "Though maybe I only think that because the four dimensions being merged together means the end of homes and lives by Academia's hands but also the creation of a new world."

Before she knew of Academia, Yuzu used to wonder why Sora looked so sad sometimes, what is it he's upset about, and..could she cheer him up?

"Anyway, where beginning and the ending are the same, it doesn't always have to mean losing a life like it does for these flowers," Sora said, arms behind his head, as he gave a genuine grin while staring at the tall Himalayan Lily (Cardiocrinum giganteum var. yunnanense) flowers in front of him which bloomed every seven years apparently.

"After all, people still continue on with their lives even if they end a rollercoaster in the first spot they began it in. The way I see it..those Monocarpic flowers should be celebrated just for trying to live even if the end is inevitable. All lives are like that, aren't they?"

Everyone has to learn to live even if death is inevitable and Sora is no different so while it's scary thinking about possibly being carded by a duelist the more he fights for Academia, at the same time, he thinks it's possible to allow a life to exist even with the possibility of death the same way a Monocarpic flower can when it blooms.

Sora then chuckled, scratching his finger on his cheek as he said, "Ah..sorry. I guess I said something pretty strange."

Yuzu on the other hand hadn't thought so, smiling as she said, "No, I don't think so. It's a nice way to think of it."

Beginning and end. Yuzu had grown tired of both concepts each time she was reborn only to run away from the Professor trapping her at Academia, wiping her away so Ray could live. But..those simple days she spent with Sora winning tickets from duel contests to go on rollercoaster rides with him in amusement parks meant everything to her and they made her happy as she held his warm hand in hers. For a while, the concept of beginning and end stopped tormenting her and it was fun the more time she spent with him at the amusement park.

"Yuzu?" Sora asked, snapping her out of her recollection and reminding her that she's in her home and she should have started on cooking by now.

"Ah yes! What is it?"

"You really do space out a lot. Was it about the XYZ user again?"

"No, no! Just..have a lot on mind."

"Like what?"

"Guess..I was just thinking about how much I enjoyed our visit to the garden is all."

"Ah, well I'm glad you enjoyed it but..well..the question I might ask you might sound odd but..

did you..have a bracelet you used to wear?" Sora asked, eyes gazing elsewhere like he was lost in thought, cutting Yuzu away from her reminiscence.

Was he..remembering? Now that Yuzu thought about it, the reason she might have not come back with her bracelet..wasn't just because of Ray. She wasn't as fond of flowers as Sora was. And..she wanted more distance between her and Ray. She still needed time to warm up to her presence.

"I used to," Yuzu admitted, smiling. "It looked like your Fusion Death Waltz in design."

"..That so?" Sora asked, and it looked like slowly, recollection was occurring but then his stomach growled and he clutched his stomach, embarrassed and blushing. Yuzu couldn't help but laugh.

"Uh, guess I'm..hungry."

"Anyway, we should get started on cooking dinner together, right?"

"Right!" Yuzu agreed, heading towards the fridge and pulling the eggs, purple onions, and tomatoes out. She feels like they're missing an ingredient but her mind is a bit..too distracted.

"Do you like your deck, Yuzu? What's your illusion and why do they all say Gensō?"

"I was thinking..would you like ocean themed Melodious monsters? I could draw and create them for you, Yuzu."

"Ah..why ocean themed?"

"Your Prodigy Mozart is called Otohime from the Urashima Tarō fairytale, right? That's why I thought ocean themed. Are you against the idea?"

"..I could have meant Princess Sotoorihime, Sora."

Truthfully Sora's guess wasn't wrong. She did mean Princess Otohime from Urashima Tarō but..for some reason, her guard had been up in the first life she had where he kept trying to figure out what the Melodious illusion in her deck is. Like Princess Sotoorihime who has been called Otohime, she wants who she is..her identity to be unknown. Maybe it's just because she doesn't want Sora to see how afraid Otohime is of being alone as she begged the fisherman to not leave her side or to go where everyone is dead. Why is it Otohime gave him the Tamatebako and told him to never open it? The palace where she lives has four seasons and Sora..with his last name meaning Yuan being the Ge Yuan (Geyuan) Garden where four seasons thrive. She wants to be by his side anywhere at any point in time as the seasons keep changing.

"So I'm wrong?"

"No. You're right. I thought of Urashima Tarō and I wouldn't be adverse to incorporating more monsters that remind me of the ocean but..I'd only use them with you."

"Huh? Why just me?"

Because..she's comfortable showing her true self around him.

"That's just how it is."

"Hmm, well fine, you duel how you want then, Yuzu."

Princess Sotoorihime. It's possible that is who Ray saw herself as, unlike Yuzu who saw herself as the Otohime who met the fisherman, but then that makes Yuzu wonder, who is the spider then and are they truly a friend? Some days, Yuzu can still see the spider that was above the ceiling, hovering over Rin under the Parasite's control as Yugo hugged her in the tower where he found her. The spider devoured the butterfly. Ray was the spider who led Rin, Yuzu, Serena, and Ruri to be trapped at Academia? Ray hated the idea of change? Or..was it just about breaking the scales? Yuzu has heard a butterfly can escape a spider if it detaches its scales. Is it about saying goodbye to the scales of Pendulum Summoning? Because she hates the idea of bonds being like Deutsch's Musical Scale Illusion, a connection that doesn't exist? Because she's never wanted to pretend she's connected to people when she isn't or accept that reality? The Shoreweed. The Shoreweed which promised one's real name to be shared one day. Did Ray..want Sora to know her real name?

"Do you like going to You Show Duel School?"

Why couldn't Sora's questions during their Fusion lessons leave her head?

Yuzu told Yuya on the day Sora had his first duel with him before applying to You Show Duel School, "You Show Duel School is a depressing place" and "Don't act so down when we get to You Show Duel School since it's depressing of a place to be already." If she's sad, she just wouldn't show it as she didn't want to worry anyone. She's sad people don't come by and converse with her, thinking lowly of You Show Duel School but she's also upset when Yuya hides behind his goggles and forces a smile around her when he's truly depressed, never telling her how he feels. She just wants to see his true self, and wishes he was more comfortable. Truthfully, she feels..lonely and the advice she gave Yuya of "Just smile" isn't what she wanted to say but..it makes him feel closer to his dad, his dad who said the same words, and if it makes him feel closer to a loved one, is her encouragement that bad? Yet..she still feels like she's not helping Yuya well enough but even when she tries to get him to speak about his feelings because she thinks he shouldn't force a smile to repress his feelings, Yuya tells her he has nothing to talk about, always hiding. It's only sometimes when he confides in her, breaking down in sobbing as he yells he misses his dad and it's hard dealing with the harsh criticism in school as she comforts him, rubbing his back to soothe his pain while telling him, "I'll be there for you. I'll always be there for you when you need to talk and let it out."

Yuzu knows it's not her dad's fault but because not many customers come by to pay for classes, her dad has to find other ways to make money, taking on other jobs so he's rarely home. Sometimes, she gets so frustrated seeing Yuya pretend to be like his dad during dueling and not act like himself she breaks the Real Solid Vision like she did before his duel with Ishijima which means creating more trouble as her dad scrambles to figure out how to pay for a new machine. It's not like she meant for her anger to spiral like that..and even if she said it was sorry and her dad said it's fine somehow scrounging up money for new machines, Yuzu never felt like it was fine.

Even after Yuya's duel with Reiji after her match with Masumi, Yuya did his usual act of trying to run away before her dad caught his wrist rather than communicate his feelings. Yuzu thought Yuya and her would connect by more since they're similar, not really expressing when they're sad and pretending to be happy sometimes but in the end, there's still a difference. After all, sure she acts sometimes like she isn't sad but sometimes she has rare instances where she can admit when she's sad as she did about You Show Duel School, something Yuya rarely can't do. In the end though You Show Duel School matters to her dad, so she wants to bring customers to it so he can continue teaching at the school he loves. Furthermore, Yuya cares about the school and she's sure if she gets more customers he will be happier.

But..sometimes, it's hard. She's not good at drawing in customers, always remembering her practice duel with Yuya after he learned to Pendulum Summon for the first time and she pretended to be Miss Ishijima but..only because the audience didn't like her real self. They were calling her aggressive, mean, and to leave. Well..her temper ends up drawing people at school away from her too she's noticed. She's surprised…Sora isn't the same way. That he doesn't get tired of her anger or feel perturbed by her, not even when she messes up during his Fusion lessons, doing a Fusion summon wrong. He always smiles and encourages her that she will get it right next time.

"Why do you ask if I like going to You Show Duel School?" Yuzu asked, as they stared out at the ocean, sitting cross-legged by the pier near Sawatari's old warehouse.

"Just seems..like you do a lot of things you don't want to do sometimes and I don't really get it," Sora admitted.

"Yuya told me on the day I first arrived to apply for You Show Duel School that You Show Duel School is a depressing place to be and since attending my lessons you haven't gone to it, so much so that your dad keeps begging for you to visit. So..do you like You Show Duel School? Why do you find it depressing? How come Yuya keeps asking you to come back to it if you find it depressing? Doesn't really seem like a good thing for a friend to do if you ask me."

Yuzu's cerulean eyes widened momentarily before she hugged her knees to her chest while thinking, "Of course. If it was anyone else, they wouldn't..question what I said, wouldn't bother asking me why I feel the way I do but..this is Sora. Sora is always analyzing anyone, trying to understand them, but for some reason, I feel like he studies me most."

It wasn't unpleasant having such attention but at the same time, she wasn't used to it, never knowing how to respond.

"It's..the school is important to my dad," Yuzu explained. "So it means a lot to him especially considering he made it with Yuya's dad, his best friend. I want to get more customers for him so he doesn't have to stress about rent but everytime I try to drag in customers, it doesn't work well.

That's…frustrating. But..Yuya also wants to keep the school alive both because his dad loved it but also because Yuya enjoys dueling there so I want to help him too. He's been so sad since his dad left and so..I want to cheer him up by getting more people to You Show Duel School which is why.."

"Ok, but you didn't answer my question," Sora said, confusing Yuzu.

"I don't think her kindness and compassion for others is bad," Sora thought. "But…there are instances where she needs to think of herself. I don't think she even realizes that..she didn't tell me how she felt."

"I did too," Yuzu protested. "I have to get stronger for You Show Duel School because.."

"No, you did not," Sora drawled, face closer to hers now.

"You told me how your dad and Yuya felt about the school. You told me about how you want them to feel. You did not tell me how you felt just like how when I asked you if you were upset about losing to Masumi before you decided to ask me to teach you how to Fusion summon, you didn't tell me yes or no or answer how you felt. All you said is you have to be stronger and Reiji said you'll have a rematch. When I asked you about if you were thinking about that guy..that XYZ user who interrupted your duel with Sawatari..you didn't answer me again and on that same day I asked you about him, your dad whined to me that he asked you if his hot blooded training wasn't good enough for you but got no answer from you. Your dad also seems..worried."

Sora then laid back, letting his locks sprawl across the concrete and Yuzu felt the urge that occasionally drifted to her head of running her fingers through them. To distract herself from such thoughts she said, "I'm only taking a short amount of time off. What does he have to be worried about?"

"He has plenty of reason to be worried," Sora mumbled, and Yuzu frowned, annoyance seeping into her.

"What do you mean by that?" Yuzu asked.

Sora stared at her in disbelief before he said, "You're terrible at communicating your feelings."

"I am not!" Yuzu denied. "You were able to tell I was thinking about the XYZ user."

"Yes, but only because I've been studying you," Sora said. "However, sometimes I might be wrong. I'm not perfect and I certainly can't understand everything if you won't tell me what's on your mind or feel."

"..Why do you need to know what I'm thinking about or feeling?" Yuzu asked.

She wasn't expecting Sora to be so straightforward as he turned his head to the side, looking up at her and said, "Because I'm worried about you."

Her heart pounded for a reason she didn't understand. Worried? He..cared about her? Why?

"You've been spacing out during Fusion lessons and you said You Show Duel School is depressing but from what I've seen when you're depressed, you don't tell anyone you are and just try to handle it on your own. Isn't that..tough? I mean..from my experience, it has been."

Handling the nightmares of the scary memories of war he had without anyone beside him when he woke up always made him feel worse.

"If you have something on your mind that's bothering you, you can talk about it with me you know. We're friends, aren't we? So… you don't always have to focus on making me happy. You can think about yourself and what you want more often, not just others."

"I..didn't know you were worried," Yuzu admitted and Sora blushed, realizing what he confessed.

"Yeah well..you do dangerous things so it's no wonder why I'm worried!" Sora yelled, justifying himself.

"What do I do that's so worrying, Sora?"

"Go places without telling people where you're heading. You always..leave."

Oh. When she was just a spirit like Ray was when she approached Reira and no one could remember Yuzu, Sora had revisited the warehouse they went to often and argued to Yuya they're missing a student, even if he couldn't remember her name.

"It's a girl with pigtails! I..don't know her name but.."

"Sora, we don't have a girl like that. But…yeah, I've..felt like someone was missing too. Someone..dear..that I enjoyed spending time with."

"Right! See!? Her name was Yu..Yu…DAMN IT. I can't remember her name!"

"You sure we're not just..imagining her?"

"No, we are not. She's real!"

Sora shed tears as he yelled, "I don't know where she went or why she isn't here now..but I know I didn't just dream of her damn it but everywhere I look, she isn't here. This isn't the first time…she left. Isn't the first time I'm looking for her and don't know where she is. The last time I finally found her after she went missing she was…"

His face contorted in pain, horror in his eyes as he said, "Close to…falling off a building. And Yugo…Yugo freaked me out because he kept saying shes dead and lives in his heart before I found her. But I caught her before she could die so shes not..shes not dead."

This wasn't Yuzu's intent. She didn't mean to send Sora into a panic attack. But with how often Sora kept reuniting with her as he saw her in Revival Zero machine and falling off a building, she really should have expected it.

"Sora, what…are you talking about?" Yuya asked but Sora wasn't listening, frantically looking around.

"Forget it. I'm finding her right now, Yuya!"

Yuzu gets it. Sora..was really sad about her being gone, about not remembering her, but she wouldn't do it again. Seeing him cry like that left her heart aching.

When Sora had caught her after her duel with Sergey, fatigue had overwhelmed her but she struggled to stay awake because she didn't want Sora to slip away. Unfortunately, she couldn't do that. She remembers briefly thinking of Sora's Frightfur Kraken and how he also called it a piton. A Kraken to drown sailors because Sora thought he would drown if he escaped by boat and yet..Sora dreamed of a mountain climber's piton to catch someone before they fall, to uphold a path. Freedom and lack of freedom. A paradoxical card. But if she's Otohime, she could meet the Kraken in the ocean and when she's drowning, he will be the piton to prevent her from falling even when no roads are available after Sergey rammed her duel runner out of the building, trying to kill off her path. It didn't make sense to Yuzu..that Sora would ensure Yuzu would have a path available to her when Academia has always boxed him in, cutting off his roads. When everyone remembered the memories of her they forgot, Yuzu wondered why she threw away her bracelet that helped her teleport to different places..a bracelet that showed she's a free soul as Sora put it. Because she thought she was destined to keep running from Academia who blocked her paths like they were the Kraken. But even so…Sora caught Yuzu because he's her piton.

"Just like a piton, you caught yourself so you wouldn't fall when Masumi knocked you back. So of course you didn't lose in your rematch with her. You've always been incredible like that, saving yourself. In the end, if you fell, there's no way you would be Icarus. You'd always achieve what you set out to do. Nice work on beating Masumi, Yuzu!"

Saved herself? For awhile, she doubted she had, always stuck in the Revival Machine and doubted she could but..Sora gave her hope that she could protect herself when she doubted she couldn't.

Sora wasn't Icarus either like he believed, forced to drown and die from leaving the prison he escaped from.

"So..I leave you say?" Yuzu repeated.

Those Forget Me Not flowers on Bloom Prima ensured she stayed in his memories at least though. During his qualification match he had on the day Yuya faced Mieru, Yuzu hasn't forgotten the way Sora wore a prince uniform, two blue flowers on his chest reminding her of the Forget Me Not flowers on Bloom Prima. She thought back to Sora mixing icecream at You Show Duel School, yelling a Vanilla prince had been born. She snickered at the prince uniform he wore. A prince while she's the princess Otohime. A prince while she's the princess in the opera La Cenerentola, a Cinderella guiding a prince to her both with and without a bracelet. He had a bracelet too in his Fusion Fright Waltz and like a princess, she danced with him in a ballroom, Frightfur Chimera and Bloom Prima dancing together across the ballroom's floors but maybe…maybe she's getting ahead of herself. Still, it's fun to dream.

"I..I couldn't have Masumi hurt you know, Sora."

Ok, pursuing Shun though was reckless, and yes..so was not telling Yuya and Sora where she was heading so if she did end up hurt, they wouldn't know where she went to so fine maybe she could explain more about what she's planning to do but..

Sora sighed, his hand on his forehead but then he smiled.

"Yeah I know. It's not in your nature to abandon someone in need. But next time, let Yuya and I tag along to fight beside you then. We wouldn't want you hurt."

Her cheeks heated up and her heart pounded louder. She wished she knew why. She felt..at ease though. Knowing Sora would support her.

"You say that but Yuya would probably tell me to stay back so I don't get hurt like that XYZ user who interrupted my duel with Yuto had. That was…annoying. But..well..I also appreciated him looking out for me. Its just…"

And Yuya had done the same of telling her to stay back in Synchro Dimension, telling her to stay back as he fought Sergey and Barrett. It..surprises Yuzu that she's actually telling Sora about something she's angry about. That she's not hiding her anger.

"Annoying?"

"Yes, I kept telling him he could let me take over the duel. He was dueling poorly anyway. But..he wouldn't. I would have preferred if he did a tag duel with me, like..how you and I always do. You let me save you and I let you save me. I don't like being the only one saved, Sora."

"I don't want to lose my Father!"

No, the feelings she was carrying..they were hers alone, not Ray's at all. Ray didn't care if she was saved. She would sacrifice her life if it meant protecting another like she did for her dad. But..maybe she did want to imagine a reality where both her father and Ray were saved? Yuzu shakes her head. No, she's sure unlike her Ray would sacrifice herself but Yuzu..she wouldn't do that

"I see, then..you won't be. You'll never fight alone, Yuzu."

She smiled. Never alone. It's nice to know Sora wouldn't abandon her and honestly..he understood the hatred of loneliness just as much as her. She felt like she could trust Sora with anything which is why..

"I have been worried about that XYZ user and I wish I fought Sawatari instead so Yuya wasn't blamed for attacking anyone on LDS sometimes and yes, I was upset about losing to Masumi. As for You Show Duel School, I like the idea of entertaining others it promotes, but if you want to know the truth…"

She could tell Sora her true feelings.

"I don't like going to You Show Duel School but..I don't want to upset Yuya or my dad if I leave it. The school in itself..just reminds me of how I miss Yuya's dad but trying to get customers for it and failing makes me upset. Like..my dueling isn't attention grabbing."

"That's not true. I'm sure plenty of people will line up to see you duel and even if they don't.."

Sora grinned and said, "I'll always be your biggest fan. I love seeing your duels. Yuya and your dad are your friends and family so I'm sure they would understand if you told them and besides..if they loved you, they would support your choices. But..if somewhere makes you sad, you don't have to stay there."

Sora urged her to leave You Show Duel School where she felt sad and for that, she's grateful. That's why she wanted Sora to know he could do the same. He didn't have to stay at Academia if it left him sad being there. He deserves to be where he's happy and even if he convinced himself he had to stay there for other soldiers at Academia to protect them from becoming cards in the same way Yuzu convinced herself to stay at You Show Duel School to make Yuya and her dad happy, Sora and her didn't have to live for others. That's why even if staying forgotten would have protected other people, Yuzu couldn't remain forgotten. She wanted to live for herself, no one else and so she brought herself to life.

Still, days aren't easy. She feels like she broke a mirror and there is seven years of bad luck waiting for her when her azure eyes open up. Enough daydreaming about the past. It's time to start a new day. Besides..even if it's hard to make sense of herself through the shattered mirror while Rin, Ruri, Serena, and Ray dwell in her, seven years might lead to the creation of something beautiful and good rather than bad. After all, she saw that through Himalayan Lily (Cardiocrinum giganteum var. yunnanense).

She grins.

"Ok Sora, lets cook dinner!"

"We could start sooner if you stopped daydreaming."

"I know, I know!"

What Yuzu is used to ever since moving in with Sora is him preparing her a cup of coffee to wake her up for breakfast. It's not just any coffee. It's a blend of tea and coffee together where the yuan in Sora's last name is found in Yuenyeung drink celebrating different people uniting in love. Yes, Sora and her are similar but they're also different. It's a relief to know Sora is living with her now and not at Academia. She hopes his days are full of joy in a new life where he no longer lives for Academia.

Author's Note: That's it for now. I'm thinking of compiling Spotify playlists for these ships that I'll post on my Twitter, SerahFarro85054. I'll inform you guys when it's done. If you would just like to follow that account to admire people's work of YuzuSora or Arc V art, that's fine too. Thanks for reading.