Matarra: Alright, I'm honestly not sure whether this should go into the Arc-V/Zexal crossover section or not. I mean, it does contain a few Zexal characters, seven to be exact, but the entire plotline is in Arc-V. However I'm just going to put it in the Arc-V/Zexal crossover section.

Misael: And of course I'm in here too. Fantastic.

Matarra: Hey, what gives? I'm not making you a crossdresser in this one!

Misael: *seething* You HAD to remind me of that, didn't you?!

Matarra: Hey, you have a good role in this one. Although you may end up being Shun's verbal and possibly literal punching bag for a while...

Misael: *growls*

Matarra: Now do the disclaimer.

Misael: She doesn't own Yu-Gi-Oh Arc-V or Zexal, thank God.

Matarra: That last part was not necessary!

Misael: Don't care!

Shun hissed in pain as he was thrown back into the wall. The Academia soldier leered above him. "My, my, taking you down, Kurosaki Shun, will certainly get me a promotion. I think you will be one of my ace monsters once I card you."

"Try and card me you fusionist scum and whenever you summon me I will attempt to choke you to death every single effing time!" Shun snarled.

The soldier paused, then grinned, "You know, if it was anyone else making that threat, I would just laugh in their faces, but with you, it's a realistic possibility. So, I won't card you," he whipped out a handgun from a holster on his hip. "I'll just kill you, just like we killed your stupid bint of a sister."

Shun's eyes widened, "You're lying, you bastard!" he snapped.

"Oh? Am I?" the soldier grinned, "I think you know I'm not, why would I lie to you? I just want you to know that you'll be seeing her shortly."

Shun snarled and lunged at the soldier, whipping a knife out and throwing it into the Academia lackey's neck. The soldier fell to the floor, dead, but as Shun had attacked, he pulled the trigger and Shun felt a blast of pain near his heart. Shun looked down at the bullet wound in his chest and the blood that was pooling out. He collapsed to the ground, gasping for air. No... he thought desperately, No, it can't end like this. It won't end like this! I am a resistance fighter! I have survived since I was seven on my own! I provided for myself and Ruri and kept us both safe. I am not weak! I will... not... submit... to... death...

Shun took one more desperate breath, fighting harder than he had ever fought before to stay alive, but his lungs gave out and he let the air go with a soft whoosh. The world dimmed around him, even as he struggled to stay conscious. Visions of his family flashed through his mind, he remembered how Ruri would always bat at his father's earring/hairpiece/whatever it was, Shun had never asked him. He remembered how his father had saved his life by getting in the way of a bullet. He wondered briefly if this was how his father had felt when he was bleeding out and begging Shun to survive.

With one last mental plead to live, his heartbeat ceased and his eyes dimmed as he went limp.

Not another sound broke the chilly Heartland air. Even the birds fell silent as the Raid Raptor duelist passed away.

…... (^0^) ...

Reiji looked around the ruined Heartland. He knew better than to call out, it was still a deadly place, but he was getting impatient. Shun Kurosaki knew this city like the back of his hand and hardly anything went on in here without his knowledge. But Reiji had been here for thirty-six minutes and twenty-two seconds. What? He was a bit OCD.

Reiji huffed, "C'mon, Shun, where the hell are you-" he whispered as he turned a corner then stopped dead at the sight that befell him.

An Academia soldier was lying stone-dead with a knife in his neck and Shun was sitting with his back to a wall, a round hole in the center of his chest with blood still seeping out, staining his trench-coat a dark red-brown.

Reiji ran as fast as he could to Shun's side, his breathing quickening. He pressed his hand to the bullet wound in order to stop the bleeding, but after a minute slowly pulled his hand away in mind-numbing shock. Shun was dead. Shun Kurosaki, one of the few people he counted as a friend, although he doubted the golden eyed sixteen-year-old ever returned the feeling, was dead.

Reiji felt tears prick at his eyes for the first time in what felt like forever. He knew Shun led a dangerous life, but he never thought Shun would actually die. He was beyond capable of surviving and thriving in the apocalyptic world, Reiji never considered the possibility that Shun would ever die by the hands of the enemy. Well, at least he had taken out his murderer with him. Reiji laughed desperately through the tears that were now streaming down his face. He really never did anything half-assed, not even in death.

Reiji dialed Nakajima on his duel disk. "Nakajima, arrange for a burial near Heartland. Don't spare any expense on the grave."

"Yes, Mr. Reiji. Who is the deceased?"

Reiji tried to keep his voice even. "Shun Kurosaki."

Nakajima was silent for a long time. Then, "Yes sir."

Reiji hung up then fell to his knees and covered his mouth and nose with his hands, crying as silently as possible over the body of his dead friend.

…... (^0^) ...

"...Shun...wake up..."

"Shun, wake up..."

"Shun! Wake up!"

"SHUN! WAKE UP!"

Shun blinked open his eyes, then immediately attempted to punch the figure leaning over him, but failed miserably because of the intense pain that shot through his body, and considering he could get beaten to a literal bloody pulp and ask for more, that was saying something.

"Looks like SOMEone takes after his father~!"

"VECTOR, SHUT THE F*CK UP AND GET THE HELL OUT OF HERE BEFORE I POUND YOU, YOU PSYCHOTIC PIECE OF SH*T! WHY ARE YOU EVEN HERE?!"

Shun heard some insane laughter and swear words before silence again. Shun blinked again and again. His vision was blurry beyond belief. He could see a lot of red with a golden yellow figure looming over him, but no details.

"Shun, are you awake?" the figure asked, his voice sounding vaguely demonic.

No, my eyes are open and I just tried to punch you while I'm unconscious, Shun though viciously, Damn, it hurts. I mean, yes, I just got shot, but it should not smart this much!

"Shun!" the voice said again, this time more urgently, "Can you hear me?!"

Shun gave up on thinking smart-ass responses and muttered, "Yeah..." Damn, it hurt to even speak! And... wait, did he even move his mouth when he responded?! No, if he spoke, he had to have moved his mouth, right? The pain was just affecting his brain.

"Good. Are you in pain?"

The honest answer was yes, but Shun wasn't going to admit that he would be in less pain if he was inside a running food processor, so he remained silent.

"Hm, I'll take that as a "yes, but I'm too stubborn to admit I'm hurting"," the figure commented.

Shun felt a rush of annoyance. Nevermind that this guy was straight on the mark, he was beginning to piss him off. Who was he to know anything about him?!

"Is anything else wrong? And actually tell me this time," the figure commanded.

Shun wanted to tell this guy to piss off, but at this point he was too exhausted to do anything but comply, forcing himself to accept that he needed help. "My vision's blurry." Aw, crap. This time he knew it wasn't just the pain. He really didn't move his mouth. What the hell was going on?!

"Hmph. Well, hopefully that will pass. I'll ask Dumon if that's normal," the figure huffed, "Do you want me to knock you out? Not with blunt force trauma, if that's what you're thinking, just putting you in a baria crystal, which is kinda like putting you under for our purposes at the moment."

"No!" Shun snapped and attempted to sit up before wincing and fighting back tears as he felt a rush of sheer agony.

The figure pushed him back down and he felt a hand brush back his hair. "Rest. If you don't want to be knocked out, then don't strain yourself. You'll only hurt yourself more."

"Piss off," Shun growled, wincing again.

"No, you're resting and that's final," the figure said.

"Who the hell are you to tell me what to do?!" Shun snapped.

"I'll tell you once you feel better, now rest," the figure said gently.

Shun growled, "First off, are you with the Academia?!"

A vicious snarl came from the figure, putting Shun on edge. "NO! I will NEVER side with those bastards!"

"Good," Shun said with finality. At least he knew that he wasn't in the hands of the Academia or one of their sympathizers. He allowed himself to relax slightly, fully knowing he wasn't necessarily safe at the moment. "What happened to me? Why do I hurt so much?"

"I'll tell you that when you feel better. If I told you now, you'd freak out and really hurt yourself," the figure said softly, brushing back Shun's hair again. Shun scowled. Who the hell did this guy think he was?! Just because this guy was taking care of him did NOT give him the liberty to act familiar with him! What was his deal anyway?! He had better give him some damn answers soon or else! And did he say the names Vector and Dumon? No, he couldn't have, both of them were dead. Shun lay there with the figure sitting beside him for what felt like hours. Eventually, Shun's vision cleared up a little, although it wasn't enough to make out any real details. He noticed that the guy seemed to be wearing what looked like a white mask and yellow gloves with a yellow shirt, but still, something about him didn't sit right with Shun.

Shun winced and tried to sit up, finding that although the pain was excruciating, it was bearable now. "Shun, rest," the figure commanded.

"F*ck off, I'm alright!" Shun snapped. He realized that he, again, was not moving his mouth when he talked. In a desperate attempt, he tried to open his mouth, only to find he could not. Shun was now slightly freaking out, but he steeled himself and swung his legs out of the bed he had been placed on.

"Shun!" the figure cried.

"Shut up, I'm fine!" Shun snarled as he tried to stand up and take a step, but he fell on his hands and knees in a second. Shun's eyes widened as he saw his hands, even though they were blurry. They were a dark grey. GREY! Oh shit...

"What the hell did you do to me?!" Shun snapped.

"I did nothing, I'll explain later. Just get into bed," the figure helped Shun up but Shun batted his hands away.

"No! I'm not just going to rest!" Shun growled.

The figure sighed, "Fine. But if you insist on walking, I'm helping. No argument!"

Shun glared at him the best he could. "Tch, fine."

The figure wormed his arm underneath Shun's left arm and gripped his right shoulder. Shun took a step, working through the pain, then another. He slowly, with the help of the figure, walked around a bit, although he stumbled every other step. After a while he collapsed against a wall, panting heavily through what felt like his neck. Fantastic.

"SHUN! Are you alright?!" the figure cried, a note of worry in his voice.

"Shut up, I'm fine! Just give me a moment!" Shun panted.

"I TOLD you to rest a little longer but no, you just can't do what you're told, can you?" the figure sighed.

"Yeah, well I had a bunch of pieces of fusionist trash order me to lay down and die while they kick me to death then blow my brains out for funsies and I obviously did my best not to do what I was told then, didn't I?!" Shun snapped.

The figure was silent for a long time, then, "Alright. I won't tell you what to do. But when I make a recommendation, it's best to take it into consideration. I only want what's best for you."

Shun looked at the figure and realized his vision was clear enough now to see him a little better. And realize that this guy was most certainly NOT human. "What the heck are you?"

The figure huffed. "Well, looks like you can see me better now, huh? And I'm a barian."

Shun's eyes widened. "B- barian?!"

Shun was prepared to bet if the figure had a mouth he would be smirking. "Ah, you remember that then. Good, it'll save me from explaining."

Shun felt as if his world had shattered around him. Barian... His father had told him about barians. He knew a lot about them because, as he had admitted to Shun and Ruri many years ago, he used to be one. They were aliens who had no mouths, breathed through their necks, could teleport, levitate things, open portals, mind-control some people, basically the whole shebang. They were either born from two barians or if someone died with enough chaos in their hearts before they croaked...

Oh f*ck.

"I'M A BARIAN?!" Shun cried.

"Yep. Hey, you're not dead," the figure said.

"Yeah, but... that's it?! I just died and now I just get a second chance, this time with superpowers, just like that?!" Shun cried.

"Well, Dumon's trying to use the burst of chaotic energy you emitted when you died to get a lock onto Heartland and that might take a little while, but essentially, yes."

"D- DUMON?! As in, Uncle Dumon?" Shun asked.

"Yeah, he's alive. Apparently if you were a barian once and you die, you become a barian again," the figure said.

"Wha- what?! If that were true, then-" Shun suddenly stopped as the figure moved close to him so Shun could see his long blond hair and crystal blue eyes clearly. Hauntingly familiar crystal blue eyes...

"You've grown up a lot, Shun. I'm sorry I missed it and that I couldn't help you," the figure said softly.

Shun's eyes widened. "FATHER?!"