ZEXAL SPOILERS FOR EPISODE 49 AHEAD

First off, I am SO HAPPY that Astral is back safe and sound. I had not expected him to be back so fast actually, but it's better this way :D Yuma needs him and he needs Yuma ~ It also allowed me to complete this fanfic in Astral's perspective, which I am glad about.

This is the longest chapter in this story so far, mostly because I added a bunch of thoughts to Astral based off of interpreted expressions (especially at the end - was it just me, or did he look a bit sad once they first came out of that vortex thingy? "I told you we would win.") and possible thoughts that seemed appropriate.

This is the last chapter of this fanfic, though I am working on other ZeXal fanfics, including Synchronization - I'm so sorry for slow updates. I was waiting on the anime a bit for ideas and to try and keep it somewhat in tow with that - I don't want to make any assumptions in writing and then have to go back and change them after because the storyline was different.

Thank you to everyone who read this, reviewed this, liked this, and all that jazz 3 3

Chapter 3: Forty Nine

"Despite Astral ceasing to exist...how can you still fight?"

"No, he exists! Within my heart, within my Kattobingu! It's what gives me strength!"

The world was dissolving – Yuma, III and all of his friends who had been watching the duel, were falling in subspace, about to be transported to an unknown fate in a new dimension. There was only one way out...and Yuma knew it. But, how could he do it without his other half? He needed Astral. He normally would never admit it aloud...but he really needed Astral now. III understood, and gave him an option that could save him. Astral had disappeared thanks to the power of III's Crest...if Yuma could somehow get the Crest to make him reappear, they'd be saved.

Though III had warned him that it would not be easy – Yuma would have to absorb the power of the Crest and survive the process without being consumed by its power. Any other boy would have been scared to death...but not Yuma. Not when Astral's life was on the line. He had made a promise to his partner once before – it was when Astral had been duelling Kaito inside the Ou's Key. Yuma was by the door – the giant door on a crumbling path that had spoken to him in his dreams. Astral was on the other side, and Yuma had wanted to pass through. Astral had told him not to – there was no guarantee Yuma would survive the crossing. But Yuma knew he couldn't let Astral go so easily.

"Astral...if it'll save you, I will do anything!" He had called through the door, swearing to protect his partner, no, his friend, from the fate that Astral feared so much. He reached out his hand to III, ready to accept the power, to bring back Astral. As their hands met, Yuma felt pain right away.

"Astral...!" Yuma screamed, his body being shaken violently as the power of the Crest branched its way across his limbs, coursing through his veins, staining his body with orange scars. He couldn't let it stop him...Astral needed him to survive...Astral...

He saw his friend, his partner at his best – duelling, helping him. Their finest moments began to flash before Yuma's eyes. The two working in synch, Astral's arms were strong and firm, the light in his eyes bright with determination - the knowledge that they were going to win reflected in his mismatched irises. They were mixed with the calmer moments, where Astral would float above him, arms crossed calmly, smiling at him softly, speaking his name...Yuma's eyes went wide as he felt strength inside him.

"KATTOBINGU DA, ORE!" He cried, a new power within him forcing the Crest back enough for him to ease the pain on his body. The marks disappeared, the consumption was receding, and Yuma began to glow a bright yellow. 'Please...please work...'

"ASTRAL!"

xxxx

Nothing.

"ASTRAL!"

Light.

Suddenly, there was something. Something...warm.

I could feel movement...different pieces floating in the air...gathering in the center where there was warmth...

That voice...was it...who I thought it was?

I could barely think...I let myself be carried by the warmth, a weight being lifted off me – I was no longer restrained at all by the chains that had crushed me. That was the last thing I remembered...so what was happening now?

I felt something beneath me. The pieces came even closer together, I could feel my palm and fingers lying flat and relaxed. I could feel my chest, a pounding inside of it – my heart - my cheek resting against a cool metallic surface. I opened my eyes.

'What...happened?'

I hadn't even had much time to think when I heard my name again.

"Astral." This voice...I did not know it. It was a deeper voice that I had never heard before. I was suddenly aware of a presence near me. I pushed myself off the ground; now on my hands and knees, turning my attention to the figure next to me. A man stood next to me, wearing dark cargo pants, a lighter grey short sleeved shirt, and a hat. I could not see his eyes, but I knew immediately why this get up looked familiar.

'...it can't be!'

"...You are?" I managed to say, a bit stunned. 'How is this...does he know me?'

"Astral, my son is calling out to you." He spoke again – I no longer had any doubt. "Go and help him." I watched, mind racing.

'So it was Yuma I heard earlier? And this is...his father? Why is he here? How does he know me?'

No sooner had he finished speaking that he began to dissolve into a golden dust right before my eyes. I gasped, sitting up and starring at where he was.

'What...was that...where did he go?' It was then when I saw the light coming from the sky – I realized I was in the Ou's Key, sitting on top of the ship. I could feel him again...Yuma was there.

'Does he remember...?' I was a bit worried still – last time I saw Yuma, he didn't remember me at all.

"Yuma..." I said softly. He needed my help – I could feel it. He remembered. He hadn't given up. I let myself leave the Key. I materialized outside, turning to face Yuma.

"Yuma." I said with a smile. I was relieved he was okay. The light was back in his eyes, he definitely recognized me instantly. He looked a bit worried though.

"Astral, you...!" I felt sorry for him, smiling softly. 'It's okay Yuma, I'm here.'

"I heard your voice. Let's win...!" I said trying to cheer him up. Yuma's eyes teared up.

"You...you...you are always..!" He wasn't making much sense, crying and wiping his eyes as I came next to him, observing the surroundings. We definitely weren't at that same location anymore, or at least, not from what I could see. I could feel how unstable the energy here was – everyone was falling into another dimension. And the only way out...suddenly III screamed, drawing my attention to him for a moment.

III was lit up by a yellow beam, dragging him towards a giant rock monster – a Numbers card, I noted. There was a hole near its center, and III was being sucked in. Yuma and I watched in shock.

'Yuma...just what have you gotten us into?'

As III approached the mouth of the cave-like hole, he called to us not to worry about him and defeat the monster. I knew there was only one way to win now.

"Yuma, it's ZEXAL!" I told him.

"Alright." Yuma exclaimed.

I let my body be used an overlay unit, along with Yuma. We took to the sky, combining into the miraculous power known only as ZEXAL. We'd only used it once before, so it was still a fairly new experience for both of us. When we were fused together as ZEXAL, my powers were combined with Yuma's body – it was somewhat exhilarating. I could feel Yuma's movements as if they were my own, hear his thoughts in my head loud and clear, and feel like I was really duelling instead of watching and coaching Yuma. I was glad to be back with him.

"When two faraway souls connect, the descending power appears." I said as we reappeared on the field.

"Exceed Change! ZEXAL!" We said it together. I looked through our newly formed eyes at Atlantis – I knew that we could beat it. Yuma knew it too – we were on the exact same page. I focused my powers into our right hand, it began to glow. Yuma, who had seen this before, was not at all startled – I felt nothing but determination mixing between the two of us.

"Let's go Astral!" We stood with our right hand in the air, energy around us coming to the hand. The power also channeled down Yuma's left arm and into the duel disk around his forearm. The top card began to glow yellow.

"To a powerful duelist, all duels are important! Even the card being drawn is created by the duelist!" I spoke as Yuma began to move, preparing to draw and start our turn.

"Shining Draw!" We called together, pulling the top card in a flash of yellow light. After seeing the card, we slammed it down on the duel pad, summoning the ZEXAL weapon. I felt the adrenaline pulsing through our veins – our hearts beating strongly as one. We were working in perfect synch, as we always did in ZEXAL. Victory was swift and effortless – we destroyed Athlantal with a blast from our equipped Hope Ray, eliminating III's remaining life points. The explosion sent us flying, the entire world went black.

When I opened my eyes again, I knew that Yuma and I were no longer connected as ZEXAL – the area was exactly as it had been before the entire disastrous duel had begun. I sat up, floating near Yuma, who was unconscious on the ground. I watched in silence as Yuma sat up, took off his D-Gazer, momentarily lost and surprised.

"I…won?" He asked to no one in particular. The tone of voice was a bit painful to listen to – it brought back unfortunate memories of what seemed like years ago now.

"There's no way I'm going to win…"

'They were coming back. There was no longer a duel to distract me...nothing in particular going on that demanded my attention, drawing me away from those horrible events…'

"Yuma." I said, drawing his attention. I floated up next to him, arms crossed casually, but my mind was racing.

'Those thoughts were still there…all the overlapping events. The blank look in Yuma's eyes, the way he spoke like a lost child…one that couldn't see me and had forgotten everything…'

"I told you we would win." I said softly.

'I wondered if he remembered that…the helplessness he felt. The feeling of him without Kattobing…or if that reality disappeared from his mind with the crest…'

Yuma looked right at me. His eyes showed no evidence of anything troubling. He was probably still dazed.

"Astral…" He said softly, then immediately snapped his head away. "That's right! III!" I turned my attention to the boy sprawled face down on the road several feet away from where Yuma sat.

'I didn't really feel anything towards him…the power that had corrupted him before was clearly gone now. Even though III had hurt Yuma and I, I could not bring myself to hate him. I felt III had learnt from his mistakes, and that he would not bother Yuma or I any longer. Power, I knew from hunting Numbers, did dangerous things to humans. III was no exception.'

Yuma ran towards III, seeing if he was alright – obviously he forgave III as well for everything that had happened. III asked Yuma then to save his family before he vanished, leaving behind two Numbers cards and a heart piece. The Numbers cards vanished to Yuma's deck, and Yuma picked up the heart piece, placing it inside the heart with all his friends watching. It fit perfectly.

"With this, you have finally obtained 5 heart pieces!" Tetsuo exclaimed with a big smile.

"You've entered the finals!" Kotori added, grinning as well. Yuma said nothing and starred at the completed heart in his hands.

'Part of me expected Yuma to flash that bright smile of his, pump his fist in the air; scream "Kattobingu ore!" and jump in excitement…but things were a bit different now…'

"III… your feelings…I won't put them to waste!" He said, taking several steps forward, clutching the heart piece to his chest. "I will win the Duel Carnival…Kattobingu ore!" He jumped in the air, a serious look in his eyes.

xxxxx

'Yuma…you said once that you wanted to make everyone happy. I know that includes III now – you want to help him get his family back. You want to help your own family by getting your father back from my world – I know for sure now that he is there somewhere. You want to help your friends by continuing to be strong and to fight for them. And you want to help me get my memories back…I know you will do it. As long as you have Kattobingu, you will do it – and more.'

'And I will be by your side…every step of the way.'

THE END - THANKS FOR READING ~