A/N: I do read the comments on books. I like to know what people think, how they react ect.
Going through the comments for Chapter 10: Half way to forever, I have concluded that I haven't been clear enough with my time skips. In the first chapter they were in February, the Showcase ended in on the 3rd Saturday of April, and then Chapter 10 sped through several months, resuming a more detailed narrative in August. Therefore we are now 18 months after the end of the end of the YuGiOh Zexal anime. I just thought I would make it clear going because I don't sign post my time skips the same way as other wattpadders, because I think it slows the narrative and breaks immersion.
Any way, enjoy, and comment if you have worked out what my chapter titling convention is yet, because there is one.
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Yuma stared in denial at the glowing figure floating a couple of inches off of the floor in front of him. No, Yuma thought, he's not here. He's not real? But he knew that it was Astral floating in front of him. As that sunk in Yuma's face turned from shocked to angry.
"Stay away from me." Yuma hissed jumping over the back of the sofa and backing up several steps to create some distance between him and his extra dimensional other half.
"Yuma, it's me." Astral said confused by Yuma's reaction, gliding towards the sofa that separated them.
"I know it's you!" Yuma shouted, causing Astral to freeze, "And I don't want you to be here. So go home Astral." Yuma could feel his old emotional scars throbbing.
"I thought you'd be happy to see me." Astral stated alarmed by Yuma's reaction to his appearance.
"Well I'm not." Yuma snapped. Astral actually flinched, despite being an intangible being in the human world. Yuma's words had struck him as if they had been a whip.
"Yuma." Astral breathed uncertain what to say. Yuma did though.
"18 months!" Yuma yelled, "18 fucking months, and all you can say is 'Hello'? Hello! As if you've only been gone for a day! And it's not like you tried to contact me or visit in all that time either! Why are you even here anyway?"
"The Astral sages are predicting the rise of a great evil." Astral answered, not sure how to respond to the rest of Yuma's outburst, "To prevent it, I've been sent to stop the rise of the 8th Barian Emperor. I need your help."
"Of course," Yuma laughed bitterly, "you need my help. Danger's coming! You don't think I don't know that! I've been having weird dreams for months, Rio started having visons last month on top of that! Believe me, we know! We don't need you!"
Shark appeared then in the door way, breathless, clearly having run the length of the corridor on the other side.
"Yuma, I heard you shouting, are you...." Shark began, trailing off when he saw the Astral key hanging around Yuma's neck, then following Yuma's hard gaze to Astral, floating in front of his TV, "You." came Shark's angry growl at this sight as he moved into the room to stand beside Yuma.
Astral felt uncomfortable from the clearly bitterly angry glares of both Shark and Yuma. He considered them both friends, and just couldn't understand why they were reacting so badly to his return. He'd been happy at the thought of seeing Yuma again, and Shark and all the others for that matter.
"Why are you both so angry at me?" Astral finally asked, needing to know if he could fix things.
"Don't you know the pain you put Yuma through?" Shark hissed his question, his good day spoiled, "For a whole year Yuma was depressed. It took me and Vector to get him to leave his room. The others didn't dare try. You broke Yuma so much he wanted to kill himself! Of course we're angry. And if you ask me, Yuma has every right to be angry with you."
Astral looked at Yuma, who was still glaring at him with anger. Astral never thought his departure would have caused something so extreme. The thought alone was enough to cause a pang of sadness inside of him.
"Yuma, I didn't know, I'm sorry...I..." Astral trailed off as he couldn't find the words.
"I don't want an apology," Yuma hissed, "I don't want you here."
"Yuma, with what's coming we need each other," Astral said, "I need you to trust me."
"Well I don't!" Yuma shouted, "I can't trust you. You lied. You left me behind. You broke me. More then anyone ever has. In fact as things are, I would trust Ray before I would trust you again, because at least I can trust him to be unpredictable. It took Shark a year to get me to open up, and then it was two months after that, that everyone found out just how bad things had gotten for me."
"Yuma..." Astral trailed off. He just didn't have the words.
"I don't care where you go," Yuma hissed, "just leave." Astral decided to give Yuma time to calm down, and went into the key, planning to think about ways to fix things between himself and Yuma. The silence that filled the room was deafening. Yuma, feeling he had to do something, walked over to the coffee table and took some tissues out of the box that was placed there and started cleaning up the juice and broken glass.
Shark watched, not completely sure where to begin. He knew Yuma wasn't ok right now, so asking him that was redundant at this point. But he wanted to help, so he walked over and started to help Yuma clean up the mess.
"You don't have to help." Yuma said sounding hoarse from all the shouting.
"I want to." Shark said smiling encouragingly, hoping Yuma could see he wanted help with so much more than the cleaning.
"I know." Yuma smiled thankfully back, "I'm just sorting through it in my head first."
"Understandable." Shark nodded, struck by how the situation had him thinking of Astral like Yuma's ex that was begging for him to come back, "Did he say what he wanted?"
"Yeah, something about stopping the rise of an 8th Barian to prevent the danger your sister and I have been foretelling." Yuma answered. Shark stood up suddenly. Yuma looked up at him puzzled.
"Are you sure he said 'Barian'?" Shark asked, his mind buzzing through possibilities.
"Positive." Yuma said, still confused, "Why?"
"I have to call Rio," Shark said, "I'll tell you if once my hunch is confirmed. You have other things to worry about right now." Yuma nodded, trusting Shark.
Shark walked into the hallway, guilty that he was keeping his thoughts from Yuma, but he had Astral's return to deal with. Plus there was the chance that he was wrong, but he didn't want to leave Yuma alone right now either. He took out his duel gazer, which he only used to appear human, he and the other Barians didn't really need to use them.
"Reginald what have you done?" Rio said cheerfully as her greeting.
"Haha Rio." Shark replied sarcastically, his tone serious, "I need you to do something for me."
"So this is a business call." Rio stated at her brother's tone, "What do you need?"
"I need you to go to Barian world." Shark answered, "I'd go myself, but I don't want to leave Yuma alone right now. He's had a bit of a shock."
"Ok, what's going on?" Rio asked.
"Astral's back and to say Yuma isn't happy about it is an understatement." Shark explained, "But Astral has brought some information to light that might help explain what you and Yuma have been seeing."
"Ok, so you want me to do research?" Rio asked.
"No, I'm going to text you the details, and I want you to pass it on to Duman." Shark said sounding worried, "I think Don thousand fucked with our minds more then once. I think we're all forgetting someone."
"Ok, speak to you later." Rio agreed, "Oh and Reginald, everything is going to work out. I'm sure of it."
"Thanks Rio." Shark said ending the call and texting his sister the information he had promised, returning to Yuma, who was checking he hadn't missed any pieces of glass.
"Sorry I broke one of your glasses." Yuma said, "But I think I picked it all up."
"That's ok, you didn't do it on purpose." Shark said, pulling Yuma into a hug, knowing everything was about to change, "Just tell me you're feeling better. It doesn't have to be 100%, just better."
"I am calmer," Yuma answered, "if that helps. But you sound really worried, what's up?"
"My hunch. But like I said, I'll tell when the dust has settled." Shark answered looking Yuma in his scarlet eyes, "Just, whatever happens, you are going to be safe Yuma, I promise you. Nothing will change us. Nothing."
"Ok Shark," Yuma said sounding worried and scared, "you're scaring me. I know you'll be dragged into this. I know you. You'll protect your people. It's who you are. Something else must have you worked up. Tell me."
"Tomorrow." Shark promised, "But first, your curfew is coming, we need to get you home."
30 minutes later, Shark was pulling up to the front of Yuma's house, the sun having set. Yuma, still concerned about Shark, had his arms wrapped around him. They walked up the front garden path together, not holding hands. Both had worry painted on their face. Each worried about the other. Yuma let them in. Kari began to greet them but stopped upon seeing their faces. Yuma went straight up stairs.
"Um, Kari can I ask you something?" Shark asked, knowing that Haru was visiting one of her out of town friends, which put Kari in charge.
"You just did, but sure." Kari said, her face unreadable, worried that Shark and her brother had had an argument.
"I was wondering if I could stay the night." Shark stated, "The mansions just so quiet right now, since the others are in Barian world and Rio is spending the night at Tori's."
"Oh sure," Kari answered taken aback, "so you and my brother haven't had a falling out?"
"No, just a shock." Shark smiled weakly, "Astral's back." He added when Kari raised her eyebrow.
"Ok, well, you know where the guest room and Yuma's old hammock are, take your pick." Kari said as Shark went to follow Yuma's path up the stairs, "Oh and Shark (he turned to face her) look after my brother."
"Always." Shark answered her, running up the stairs. He got to Yuma's room to hear the sound crying coming from inside it. Shark for went knocking and walked straight in. Yuma was curled up, still fully clothed, on his bed, his pillow clutched to his chest. His back was to his door.
"Yuma?" Shark said, concern and fear colouring his voice, as his heart gave an uneasy jolt. He'd broken down fast.
"Go on, say it." Yuma sobbed, unmoving, clearly upset and a angry.
"Say what?" Shark asked walking over and sitting on the foot of the bed, trying to get a look at Yuma's face.
"That it's over. You must want to." Yuma said, "It's because of Astral isn't it?" Yuma punched his pillow, tugging the Astral key from around his neck, tossing it across the room. It bounced off of the wall and landed on Yuma's desk. Shark smiled in relief. This he could fix.
"Doofus." Shark chuckled, in spite of the situation, "I'm never breaking up with you. Ever."
"Then why have you been acting distant the last hour or so?" Yuma asked, ignoring the playful insult. Shark reached over and pulled Yuma onto his back and moved up the side of the bed so he could hold Yuma's face in both of his hands.
"We both have stuff on our minds right now." Shark answered, "I don't want to burden you with my thoughts until I am sure of them. But I will tell you."
"So your not..." Yuma began being cut off by a chuckle from Shark, who scooped Yuma into his arms, and then made them both comfortable on Yuma's bed.
"You adorable, sometimes overly energetic, emotional, doofus," Shark chuckled in Yuma's ear, "I'm in love with you. Why would let go that?"
"I don't..." Yuma started to answer, then he frowned, "Hey, I'm not a doofus."
"Yes you are." Shark chuckled as Yuma moved his head to look at him, "You're my doofus."
"Fine." Yuma conceded, seeing Shark's playful smile, "I love you too." Yuma pecked Shark on the cheek and snuggled closely into his chest. Shark sighed shaking his head.
"If you want to kiss me, don't by shy." Shark said. Yuma threw a glance at the Astral Key. "Screw what Astral think, Yuma, because when he's gone again, I'll be here." Shark then pulled Yuma into a proper kiss. They fell asleep in each others arms, on top of the covers.
Kari came in to check on them at midnight and found like that. She tip toed to the airing cupboard to get a blanket, which placed over them to keep them warm. She then lent carefully bunt over them to give Yuma a kiss on the forehead, holding her ponytail back, so as not to wake Shark.
"Goodnight, little brother." Kari whispered from the door, closing quietly as she left them to sleep.