Chapter Text
The coffee shop was more or less empty at this time of day. The tables bare and devoid of life, waiting for someone to be seated and served. A sea of polished oak and faded leather. Behind the counter was a bored looking girl, chewing a stick of gum and reading the open magazine with half lidded eyes.
Yuya moved his gaze over to look out of the window, it was a hot day and everyone was spending their time indoors and out of the heat. The streets were empty, save for the odd car lazily dragging itself down the sun baked asphalt. He sat back with a sigh, glancing half heartedly down at the untouched glass of ice chocolate. Everyone else it seemed had the right idea.
But this occasion was special. And he didn't want to let the person he’d come to meet down.
It had been a year. A year since the inter-dimensional war, since Zarc, since Yuya had become something of an enigma to those around him after adopting the three other souls into his body. That didn't stop him having friends or a social life in general, but Yuya felt more distant from them now. Unconnected, something none of them, least of all Yuzu, could understand.
For a while Yuzu had understood how Yuya felt. She had been where he was now, had more than one person sharing her body. But Leo Akaba had given her an out, given her a chance to become an individual soul again. To step back into the Arc-V machine. She had taken it. They had split. Leo hadn’t offered to Yuya.
He didn’t mind, the reversal of the machine only worked once. If Yuya had been given the choice he would have chosen to give it to Yuzu without hesitation. It seemed he was spared the effort.
Yuya kept his act up, kept his smile plastered to his face, faked his laugh. But he could see it in their eyes. Even his own friends were still wary as to what he had done, still worried that he would never truly feel like himself anymore. There was times when he looked at himself in the mirror and despised what he saw. The uncanny resemblance to his counterparts, to, most of all, Zarc.
Absorbing them had had an effect on his physical appearance as well. Over time it had faded the green of his hair to a snow white and the red, curiously to a green, the soft crimson of his eyes to a dull golden. The day he had woken up and began to notice the changes was one of the most terrifying in his life. It was too similar, too Zarc rather than Yuya Sakaki. With the fragments complete, he was becoming more like his former self by the day, and it scared him to think that maybe Yuya Sakaki eventually wouldn’t even exist anymore.
But today wasn’t for him. He was sitting in that booth, back of the shop, closest to the window, the well worn and faded green of his cargo pants plastered to the sticky leather chair because of him. Because of Yuto. Another boy just like him, a fragment of the devil stuck sharing a body with three other lookalikes from three other dimensions.
Yuya slid his gaze across the street watching as she came into view, bouncing lightly down the deserted footpath with unprecedented grace, checking twice before crossing to the shop. He straightened a little, for Yuto’s sake, he couldn’t look nervous.
The doorbell chimed as she walked in, raven black hair pulled elegantly off her face and tied in a bow down her back. She was wearing a dress today, the sunflowers splashing bright colours into the dull of the outhouse. He shivered, she looked so much like her, like Yuzu.
Yuya gave a wave and her smile broke out, although it was slightly strained. After all, he wasn't the one meeting her, she was seeing someone else, behind him.
“Hey Yuya,” Ruri Kurosaki slid into the chair opposite and Yuya looked away. She was sitting awkwardly, not wanting to meet his gaze, hands poised in her lap.
Yuya looked up, she startled a bit at the brilliant gold of his eyes. It was a small movement, but Yuya got the hint. Ruri mentally slapped herself, Yuya wasn’t Zarc, he wasn’ that demon that had destroyed the united world. He was Yuya, he was Yuto, he was…
“I suppose I’ll leave you guys to it.” This was too hard for him. It wouldn’t take much for him to be isolated. He could already feel it. Feel himself slipping, it wouldn’t be long now, it was inevitable, Zarc would return. He smiled sadly and closed his eyes, he’ll let Yuto up now, let go and let him have this precious moment. Who knows how many they had left. Ruri opened her mouth.
“No, wait, Yuya—” But Yuya was gone.
Yuto felt Yuya’s control slip from their mind and hastily he grabbed hold. Gasping slightly as he felt solid again, felt the warmth of a body, the slight whispers of fabric against his skin. Being more or less an entity for the majority of his life now, switching back into a physical body was something he still took some getting used to. Yuya’s hair fell against his face and he inhaled sharply, stumbling against the table before a pair of arms caught him.
He blinked, the brightness of the room catching his unadjusted eyes by surprise. Slowly he raised his head and smiled at the girl holding him.
“Hey Ruri.”
Ruri sucked in a breath, the golden eyes were now silver, the sad voice of the entertainer now deeper and more relaxed. The voice now one she had grown used to back when they had been separate. They had switched.
Even after a year it was still hard seeing Yuto like this. To look into a face she knew so well, but to see three others behind it, it was only by the change in voice and eye colour that they had been able to tell the three boys apart in this form.
The boy in front of her now, while Yuto was the one in control, was the one talking, he was different… It wasn’t her Yuto. She may never get to see her Yuto again. She would never get to see that ridiculous, but oddly attractive swept up hairstyle of black and purple, see his gentle, genuine smile look at her with his face. Holding her hand with his, his skin brushing hers. Not Yuya’s.
She had nothing against the Pendulum duelist, he was a good friend. But even with Yuto’s soul being channelled through his body, it wasn’t the same Yuto she had always loved. He was damaged now, they all were. The inter-dimensional war had affected them all, some more than others. The four fragments of Zarc being left the most broken of the lot.
Yuto frowned as he pushed a strand of Yuya’s hair out of his eyes, before reaching over to gently hold Ruri’s hand, smiling at the feeling of touch, of her touch. She smiled sweetly and squeezed his hand back. This was nice, even if it couldn’t last forever.
They talked for the better part of an hour before Ruri needed to go. Shun was waiting for her. Yuto watched her go, a glint of regret in his eyes. When she was out of sight Yuya materialised beside him. His transparent body invisible to the girl at the counter who was packing up for the day. Moments later he was joined by Yuri and Yugo, their expressions longingly looking in the direction of the girl’s quickly disappearing back. Yuto got up, dragging the floating forms of the other three behind him as he pushed the door open and headed out into the sunset washed street.
Yuto breathed in a heavy sigh as he felt the warmth of the sun against his skin. It was a small feeling, but was among those that he took for granted when he was, for want of a better word, alive. Stuffing his hands in his pockets, he looked up to the LDS tower of the Pendulum Dimension, Yuto could see the heart-tipped tower of his home just beyond it. The dimension integration had been a success after all. Sighing heavily, Yuto made his way down the street in the direction of Yuya’s house.
Halfway down he felt his control slip, he gasped and almost fell. His time was up. Yuya rematerialised and attempted to grab him in worry, but he put a hand up, his solid fingers passing through Yuya’s transparent arm.
“I’m ok—” he started but his control slipped again and he fell, damn, his soul wasn’t used to controlling a solid body anymore. Gritting his teeth he looked back up at Yuya, into the crimson eyes of his soul form. Yuya understood immediately, Yuto let go. And Yuya took hold.
Yuya felt his pendulum against his chest, felt his arms, felt the slight sting in his knee from where they had fallen against the pathway. Brushing himself off Yuya stood and looked back as the other three rematerialised, he smiled sadly, and Yuto looked away.
Those eyes, the eyes Yuya was now forced to look with, such an unnatural, brilliant gold. It wasn’t fair, they should be sharing this burden, Yuri put a hand on his shoulder. The Fusion duelist understood, and Yugo held his hand on the other side. They shared a mind, it was impossible for them to keep their thoughts secret anymore. While he couldn’t feel the warmth of the other boy’s hands, feel the touch of their skin, it was comforting all the same.
“Its okay Yuto,” Yuya said, “I’ll be alright.”
“But—” he started, but Yuri shook his head, reluctantly he shut up.
“Yuya understands, we all do, we don’t have a lot of time left, Zarc’s soul is getting stronger, its only a matter of time before he breaks us.” Yuto grit his teeth, and the other boys grimaced as a soft whisper came from their heart.
“You know, I can hear you…”
“Shut up!” Yuya bit back, striding away from where they had stopped, if he ran away maybe he could leave Zarc behind him. The voice followed.
“Poor sweet Yuya, you know Yuri’s right. You four don’t have to worry any longer, I’m coming, I’ll be there shortly and then you will finally have fulfilled your purpose to me.”
“I said shut up,” Yuya growled, “I don’t care if I was you, if Yuto was you, if Yuri was you, if Yugo was you, we are us now, and your not taking that away.”
“Hmm? We’ll see if you get that choice, after all your just a quarter, I’m the whole, who do you think is stronger?”
Yuya ignored the voice at the back of his mind, the voice in the depths of his heart, the voice they had sealed away when Reira had failed. When Ray had failed, it had been left to Yuya and his three counterparts. Zarc was sealed, deep in their heart, and so long as they remained calm, it would stay that way.
Yuya turned the corner and pulled up in front of his flat. He’d moved out of home only a few months ago, even if he was still young, barely a teenager, he needed to stay away from his family. He couldn’t look them in the eye when all they saw, especially his father, was the face of Zarc, not their son anymore.
Isolating himself was the best option. If he stayed away from the people he loved, there would be less room for Zarc to provoke him, to turn him on them, to succumb to his pull.
Yuya ascended the stairs and produced the key, reaching for the handle but frowning when he noticed it was open.
“Oh? Do you have company Yuya?”
“What did I say about shutting it?!” Yuya hissed, he cautiously opened the door. The light flooding into the living room. He turned on the light and the figure in the chair bounced to their feet, swinging round, hands on her hips.
“Well, you look like death.” Yuzu Hiragi stated blatantly.
“Hello to you too,” Yuya gave in monotone greeting, throwing his keys in the bowl by the door. “What do yo—- How are you?” He asked, rephrasing the question at the sight of Yuzu’s paper fan.
“YOU need food. Have you even been eating?” She asked, and Yuya looked away, he hadn’t felt like eating for days. She stalked up to him and he blinked at the fire in her lavender eyes. He’d gotten taller, he was taller than her now. He hadn’t noticed.
“N—no not really,” he stuttered, looking away again and Yuzu threw her hands up.
“Honestly Yuya!” She stalked back over to the coffee table and picked up the plastic bag. “Here,” she practically threw it at him and Yuya caught it in surprise.
“Your mum told me to bring them for you.” Curiously he peaked inside and gave a small smile at the packages of pancake-sandwiches.
“Thanks,” he said.
“Yuya, are you sure your alright?” Yuzu asked, her tone was softer now. Worried.
He walked away, setting the food down on the kitchen bench. “I’ll be fine,” his voice was clipped, it wasn’t safe for her to be around him. “Maybe you should go…”
“No, Yuya, you need help, I’m not going anywhere.”
“No, you don’t understand Yuzu!” He snapped back, “I’m not safe! You shouldn’t be around me! Even now I can hear him Yuzu, he wants to hurt you, do you know how that feels? Please,” he looked away from her shocked face, “just go. Thanks for the food.”
“Fine then,” she spun on her heel, “maybe I will.” She slammed the door as she left, the shockwave reverberating around the flat and Yuya was left alone. Well, not entirely alone, he could never be alone again.
His counterparts materialised in worry but Yuya put his head in his hands. This was too hard. This wasn’t fair. The voice came again, it was getting more frequent.
“Oh Yuya, poor, sweet, innocent Yuya that tries to make everyone happy. Your more like me than you know.”
“I said SHUT UP!!” Yuya shut his eyes and threw the nearest item across the room. The nearest item being his mother’s newly-delivered pancake sandwiches. The tray clattering to the floor, the wall cracking slightly under the impact.
Yuya looked up with a sigh, and cleaned up the mess, tipping the ruined food into the bin. He wasn't in the mood for eating anyway.
Faintly, somewhere at the back of his mind, the voice of a demon, was laughing.