Hello, everyone! Yu-gi-oh Arc-V surely has come a long way, and now that it has breached the 100th episode mark, I have decided to write a new multi-chapter story based off a dream I had. This is set in an AU, so don't expect any duels. Just a random plot from me. Along with writing this, I'm also editing and finishing my cross-over, so updates on this will not come frequently until that is finished. Thank you for your support, and enjoy!
The fun is just beginning!
Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-gi-oh Arc-V or any of its related works.
Arc 1: The Stranger's Hands
A groan escapes the girl's parched lips as she registers the sound of a stranger's call. Her mouth is the first to open, and a small portion of her tongue slides out to moisten the dry surface. Her eyes, luminous blue eyes, find the familiar gray clouds obscured by a figure dressed in dark.
"Hey, are you okay?"
Another moan crawls through her throat, this time from the strain of moving her muscles. How long has she been collapsed here? The stranger, seeing her struggle, offers his hand. She accepts the gesture and slowly rises to her feet.
"W-where am I?"
"Heartland." The stranger takes another look at her frail body, dotted with multiple bruises and cuts. She is covered with only the thinnest sheet of linen, but her posture suggests she hasn't noticed the night's cold, merciless hand.
"I do not think I have seen you around these parts. What is your name?" It was hard to note any details of her that stood out other than her eyes. The alley did its job a bit too well.
The girl refuses to speak. Seeing her reluctance, the stranger drops the question and asks another. "Do you remember anything? Of why you're here, or how you got here?"
She shakes her head. Finally adjusting to the darkness, her eyes wander to the arm she has grasped onto: long, lean, and well-toned. His arms can strangle her within a moment's notice, she realizes, and terror implants her to the ground. A cloak hides the rest of his body, but his eyes, those steel-cold eyes, locks her heart in place.
Her hands cannot stop shaking.
"It's okay. I won't hurt you."
That dark, rich, and deep voice of his...how it captures her soul and calms her spirit! Her terror lessens, but he can still see her eyes, the eyes of helpless prey, shiver with her body. He lets go of the girl to unclasp his cloak. The girl feels the fabric touch her shoulder and is immediately surprised at the warmth it generously exudes. She turns to express her gratitude but stops when she peers into his eyes again. Even unveiled, they show not an ounce of emotion, just cold, cold eyes, hardened like the toughest steel.
"There he is!"
"Is that the 'Masked Man'?"
"Look! He has assaulted someone! Get him!"
The stranger curses at the predicament he finds himself in. Taking quick glances between the girl and the incoming officers, he decides to grab the girl's hand and sprint down the alleyway, ignoring the girl's cries of shock. He looks back once and notices the strange bracelet on her wrist.
"Is that...is she one of them?"
Yes, he definitely needs to take this girl with him.
"W-wait! W-where are you taking me?!"
"Somewhere safe," he replies back.
…
The "Masked Man" introduces himself as Yuto.
In this city, he explains, the people are ruled by an elusive group called Academia, after its numerous achievements to technology and science that, on the outside, benefits the citizens and their daily life. He claims that Solid Vision, the ability to conjure physical images from the sheer willpower of people, was its most famed and revolutionary of their achievements. Yet, he claims Academia uses Solid Vision to pick off its opponents slowly, brutally, and secretively, scarring them to a life of insanity, before begging for the most humiliating death the group has ever created.
To be turned into a card and then to burn with the rest of the traitors in the biggest ceremonial festival in the city: the Friendship Games.
The girl stares blankly at his story. Yuto heaves a sigh, most likely used to others displaying the same ignorant daze.
"It's fine. Outsiders like you shouldn't get too involved with us."
"N-no, it's not like that. It's just...I don't remember anything...and I feel bad that I should know these things if I really live here...I don't-" her squeaky voice cuts off as she clutches her head. Her bracelet starts to emit pulses of pink energy, with each pulse lasting longer and stronger than the last. Yuto can only shift his eyes away before a card in his pocket begins to glow, this time a royal purple color. The two waves of light collide with each other; the faint cry of a dragon echoes in Yuto's ear.
"What was that? A dragon...Dark Rebellion...?"
When the girl's eyes readjusts to the fading light, she sees, for the first time, a different glint in his eyes.
One of surprise. One of confusion. One of hope.
The girl turns astonished eyes to her companion. As he stares back, a name falls from his lips.
"Ruri?"
That name cracks something in the girl's head, and her hands come to contain her headache. A single shred of green and red invades her vision. A boy...a boy was with her laughing, smiling. She hears one word and senses the familiarity of it far more than the city she is currently in. It repeats again and again, staking her identity firmly into her recently awake brain.
A name...her name.
"Yuto...is it?"
"Yes? Are you alright?"
"This Ruri...that's not me. I'm...Yuzu. Hiragi Yuzu."
…
"What is it, Serena?"
Serena, uniformed in Academia's crimson garb, bows before Akaba Leo. He eyes the bracelet on her wrist and hides the joyful grin over his latest success.
"I have returned with news that might interest you."
He nods, and the girl stands, staring into the calculating pupils of the professor.
"The last one has arrived. Unfortunately, she's being hidden by the Resistance. We're awaiting orders on how to obtain her."
Leo wastes no time answering her request. "Take some of our soldiers. You can personally lead the assault. Do not come back until the girl is secure."
The girl bows once again before heading out the door. She feels the glare drilling into her skull, and she lets out an inaudible groan of detest.
"Hiragi Yuzu...I will pay you back for what you have done for me. It's a promise."
…
Yuzu is relieved to find another female she can talk to. The battered stadium Yuto calls the Resistance's hideout is almost devoid of women. Her savior reassures that she will be comfortable in time, but the lack of familiarity urges her to hide behind Yuto whenever someone looks their way. When he introduces her to a green-haired girl with the same face as her, Yuzu takes several seconds to stabilize herself. How can this stranger look exactly like her, minus the differences in hair color and clothing? Yuto's companion also looks at Yuzu strangely, but the shock is not there, as if this has happened before. He leaves Yuzu with her, and she takes the thinly-covered girl to her room.
Yuzu breathes a little easier. While Yuto is not bad company, the impression of their first meeting instills in her a fear that she cannot pinpoint. Whether from his intimidating stare or from the lack of familiarity in this city...
More than once, Yuto calls her that name, and she always reminds him that she is not Ruri. While on the way to his hideout, he talks about how he and Ruri would wander the streets and play silly games. She learns of Ruri's brother, Kurosaki Shun, who is struck with grief over Ruri's disappearance that no one can predict his behavior.
Apparently, Ruri was supposed to visit a friend of hers, Rin, but she disappeared without a trace. According to Yuto, Rin has no idea what happened to her.
Rin...the girl Yuzu is talking to right now. Unlike the people in the Resistance, Rin always have a gentle, doting gaze. She has a companion, Yugo he calls himself, who she constantly scolds for his impolite behavior.
Unfortunately, Yuzu's first impression of him involves that side.
Upon opening the door to the Resistance's hideout, Yuto catches sight of Yugo, who was in charge of looking out for any of Academia's soldiers. When he sees Yuzu, fingers are pointed, and Yuto spends much of his patience reassuring him that he and Rin are not "having an affair" as Yugo puts it. Yuzu quickly introduces herself to clear the air, but Yugo instead does a double take, noting her similarity with Rin and Ruri.
Of course, the commotion attracts Rin over, and Yuzu giggles over how she beats Yugo on the head, calling him a superstitious, overprotective idiot.
"That bracelet...it looks like mine."
Yuzu snaps her thoughts back into the present. Rin hands her a school uniform, complete with a maroon skirt and pink shoes. "Have your bracelet lit up yet?"
"Yes...but I don't know why…"
"I'm not too sure myself. When Yugo showed me a card he found on the streets, both it and my bracelet started to glow. Next thing I know, the card showed a dragon. Clear Wing Synchro Dragon…"
The half-dressed girl lifts her hand with the bracelet, allowing Rin to further examine it. There are two bands of silver, bounded at a single point, held together by a silver rose with a pink jeweled center. Rin shifts between her bracelet and Yuzu's, finding that the frame is made of the exact same material.
"Do you remember where you got this?" Yuzu gives the same response as she did to Yuto. Rin smiles gently and then suddenly brightens as an idea hits her. She takes a card out of her pocket and hands it over to Yuzu.
"Here, take this. It's not safe if you don't have a card with you."
"Huh...how does it keep me safe?"
"Everyone has that one single card that helps them out in times of need. I have a feeling this card would suit you best."
Yuzu looks down at the picture of a beautifully pure maiden wrapped in flower petals. Her arms gesture out, as if it wants to accept its new master.
"The Floral Melodious Saint...Bloom Diva…"
The door to their room glides open. Yuto gives a tiny knock to grab their attention.
"Yuzu, are you ready? Akaba Reiji would like to see you."
Yuzu sneaks a peek at her look-alike, the fear and skepticism crawling back into her skin. Rin smiles again, calming her nerves and providing her strength. She is not alone in this world...a fact that solidifies her resolve.
The resolve to find her past and help the people who have taken her in.
"Okay, Yuto. Can I ask you something along the way?"
…
The silence between them is still awkward and tense. Yuzu steals a glance at Yuto and remembers the hand that gripped her as they ran from the gang. She recalls the firm squeeze and the warm tingles of heat that transferred to her hand.
"He is not going to hurt you. He would have already if he was."
"Yuto…?"
"What is it?"
"Do you happen to know someone by the name of Yuya…?"
That name...how nostalgic it is to him. Yuya...the person capable of restoring smiles to even the most hardened of people. He placed everything in him, betted that he would be the one to destroy Academia and bring true happiness to Heartland.
But now…
"Yes...I knew him."
His short, yet unexpected answer throws Yuzu off balanced. Finally...a lead on her past! Without knowing, she grabs Yuto's hands, making sure his eyes does not wander away from hers.
"Do you know where he is? He's the only other thing I can remember! Surely he must…" The desolate frown on his face halts her excitement. She scolds herself at her forwardness and inconsideration of his feelings. Stepping away from her rescuer, Yuzu turns her eyes to the cement floor.
"I...don't know what happened to him. He disappeared around the same time Ruri did. Shun was devastated. The Resistance's savior and his sister...vanished without a trace. It takes everything just to keep him from taking on Academia alone. Yuya was only with us a month, but he captured the hearts of everyone. Always smiling despite desperate situations...always reminding us that the future is there for us to grasp."
Yuzu sees now that Yuto is not dangerous, only wounded. Like her, Yuto finds Yuya as a source of hope.
"So why would he disappear on us when we most needed him?"
The bracelet girl dares to pat the boy on the shoulder and takes a good, thorough look at him. His clothes, if not covered by his giant cloak, are tattered. Stitches mar the sides of his shirt, and the tie on his neck is folded sloppily. She notices the bags under his eyes, those guarded, tired eyes.
"I'm sorry. Please ignore my rambling."
"Don't apologize. Any piece of information about him is helpful to me. After all...he's the only clue to my missing memories."
They continue to walk. Yuzu leaves Yuto to the silence, instead choosing to take in her surroundings. People of various ages are performing laborious tasks, from passing food to small children to planning strategies on tattered maps. One fellow waves at Yuto, and he returns the gesture with a defeated smile. Looking back at the girl, he notes the fading purple spots on her leg, wondering if they are hindering her movements.
"Yuzu, are your wounds recovering?"
She nods nervously and praises Rin for her knowledge in first aid. Yuto shifts his gaze to her bracelet once more.
"Your bracelet…"
"Oh...Rin told me she experienced something similar, only with Yugo. She said the card was Clear Wing Synchro Dragon…"
Yuto pulls out a card, showing Yuzu a picture of a dark dragon. "Dark Rebellion XYZ Dragon...this is the card I got when your bracelet glowed. Why this dragon came to me or Clear Wing to Yugo, I don't know."
They arrive at one of the walls of the stadium. Yuto presses one of his hands to the wall, igniting an array of colors to race down in jagged lines. They soon converge to form a door, and it dissipates, opening the way to a dark corridor.
As they walk down, Yuto explains more about the Resistance. The group was created when Academia first came to their city, but people did not join until the first Friendship Games occurred. The horror etched on every card that was burned will not escape from Yuto's memory for as long as he lives. Yuzu observes her savior's expression as it changes back and forth between various forms of grief as he describes some of his comrades' downfalls.
"Yuto…"
"I will never forgive them for ruining the city that I grew up in. For stamping on the hopes of those looking for freedom...and for taking away from my most precious friend the very thing he treasures. Academia will pay for what they've done!"
Turning away from the bitter glare he displays, Yuzu goes to her bracelet for comfort. What Yuto says are viable reasons to oppose Academia...but she senses not a trace of motive in his voice.
"Yuto, what exactly is it you're fighting for?"
Her question confuses Yuto. She must not have been listening to him.
"I said it already."
"No…that's not what I mean."
"I don't understand…"
"Yuto...why are you personally fighting Academia?" she asks again.
The boy stays silent, gritting his teeth as he refuses to answer. He feels her eyes on him, pitiful, worried eyes, and replies in the only way he can.
"I'll tell you one day. Now come on. Akaba Reiji is waiting for us."
Reaching the end of the stairs, Yuzu and Yuto enters a simple office. Few sofas dress the room. It is dark, like the entrance, but the glare from multiple monitor screens baths the surroundings with waves of blue. Sitting at a desk where these screens congregate is a silver-haired man. His eyes pierce Yuzu's own blue eyes, analyzing her worth before a word is spoken. Yuto crosses his arms and leans against the wall.
"Akaba Reiji...I have brought you Hiragi Yuzu."
"Thank you, Yuto. You are dismissed." Her savior nods and climbs back up the stairs.
"Yuzu, take a seat. There are things I would like to know about you." The bracelet girl plants herself onto one of the sofas. With his eyes hidden behind thin red frames, Reiji leans over his desk.
"How did you meet Yuto?"
"I-I woke up in an alleyway. Yuto found me and decided to take me here when he was spotted by some weird people…"
"I see...have anything strange happened to you while on the way here?" The sense of fear is back in full force, and Yuzu unconsciously clutches the bracelet on her wrist.
"Akaba Reiji...he probably knows more about my situation than he lets on...I can't lower my guard around him."
"No...Nothing happened at all. Yuto only took me here and explained what the Resistance is," she cautiously answers. Yuzu knows that her answer is not enough to get Reiji off her back, but he accepts it anyway.
She feels his gaze rest on her accessory. "That bracelet...did Rin tell you what happened to her?" Yuzu nods again, launching a question of her own. "What exactly is this bracelet? Why does it glow like it did…?" Not knowing that the information she had just given is what Reiji needed, Yuzu sees Reiji relax and leans back into his chair.
"That's something I would like to know, too. However, for now, there are more important things to address." Those purple eyes stab Yuzu's soul once more. Her fear escalates, and her body trembles uncontrollably. Despite this, she finds the strength to ask one question.
"You know Yuya...do you?"
Like Yuto, Reiji's attitude shifts at the mention of that name. His eyes grew colder, more calculating.
"How do you know that person?"
"He's the only thing I can remember besides my name. I must know where he is! Please tell me! If you know anything..."
At her plead, Reiji finally heaves a heavy sigh, spinning his chair so that Yuzu can no longer feel the pressure from his gaze.
"Yuya...is missing. I do not know where or why he's gone."
So even Reiji cannot help her. At this realization, Yuzu lets her tears out, the strain of everything that has happened finally catching up to her. Reiji calls for Rin, and in minutes, the green-haired girl drags the bawling amnesiac out of his office.
Once Reiji can no longer hear the echoes of Yuzu's tears, he clears his throat, signaling the person by the entrance to come inside.
"So...Yuto...her bracelet resounded with you."
He nods once and hands Reiji the card. While he examines the dragon, Yuto speaks up.
"You may not know where Sakaki Yuya is...but you do know that Yuzu was supposed to be connected to Yuya, not me. Is that correct?"
Yuto's superior lets out the smallest of grins. "Yes, that's correct. It would seem...that everything will take an interesting turn." He hands back Dark Rebellion XYZ Dragon to Yuto.
"Do you curse the fact that you're connected to Yuzu, not Ruri?"
"...That doesn't matter. What matters now is finding Ruri and Yuya and defeating Academia. My feelings are irrelevant."
Reiji keeps his miniature smirk plastered on. Yuto is being stubborn...as always.
"That's true...you've never cared for yourself anyway."