Disclaimer: I don't own anything from Yu-Gi-Oh! Arc-V or any other Yu-Gi-Oh! series. All rights belong to their respective owners.

Somewhere in one of the dark buildings at the waterside in Maiami City's storage complex a boy sits down on one of the wooden crates. He wraps his cape tightly around his body and removes his black mask to inhale the salty air.

If one could see him they would probably compare him to a certain young duelist who was currently making a name for himself, but he was nothing like that happy-go-lucky entertainment duelist named Sakaki Yuya.

But sometimes the boy wishes he was, after all, wasn't that boy always surrounded by friends?

Yuto curses silently before laying down on top of the crate, not minding the hard wood sticking in his back.

It looked as if tonight was going to be quiet. He had nothing to do, no one to stalk and no missions to complete. He would probably go out to enjoy the company of the starry sky, maybe call Shun in the middle of the night to wake him up. He snickered to himself, yeah he could do that. He could already imagine Shun scolding him for calling him for no reason other than keeping him awake.

Suddenly his duel disk lit up, alerting him of an incoming call. Curiously Yuto took up, there was only one person who could contact him. Maybe Shun had gotten the same idea? Probably not. No, it had to be something important.

The round screen on top of his duel disk flipped open and showed Shun's face.

"Yuto, are you still awake?"

He rolled his eyes.

"Would I answer your call if I wasn't?"

"Ehm... Doesn't matter. Listen, I need you to do something for me." His face had an even more serious expression than before.

"Okay, what is it?" He could barely hide the excitement in his voice. Finally, something! Maybe Shun had discovered something concerning their enemy, or Ruri's whereabouts.

"Did you watch my duel against that kid named Sora today?"

"Only parts of it." By chance he had passed one of the large screens broadcasting the match on one of his walks earlier today. "What about it?"

"I want you to go and get some information out of that kid. I would do it myself, but ever since I tried turning him into a card after our duel they won't let me anywhere near him." Shun says, casting his eyes down.

"And you couldn't just sneak in?"

"They watch my every move. That said, we have to finish this conversation quickly before I get caught."

"If they watch your every move, how are you able to call me?"

His cheeks become a bit red and he looks away before answering. "Doesn't matter..."

"Shun..." Yuto says, his voice in a dangerous tone.

"I'm currently calling you from one of the bathrooms. Happy now?!" Shun's face flips from embarrassed to angry in less than a second.

Yuto nods. "Yes, I'm content. So, where do I find this kid?"

"He was recently transported to the LDS' infirmary." Shun's face is back to normal, just like his tone.

"Got it."

"I knew I could count on you. Well, that's all. Contact me when you find something."

And with that Shun ends the conversation.

Tossing his duel disk aside Yuto stares at the ceiling. He had known Shun for quite some time now hadn't he?

They had been quite close ever since they had first met each other, he remembered those days very well. After all, the day he met Shun had been a turning point in his life.

- Flashback -

With a heavy heart Yuto entered the classroom and walked over to his seat in the back of the classroom. He put his bag down and sat down on his chair. He looked at the empty seat besides him. No one wanted to sit next to him, and he couldn't blame them.

He could hear the children around him laughing and talking while waiting for their teacher to arrive.

While Yuto took his books out he listened in on one of their conversations.

"Hey have you heard the rumors? They say a new kid is going to join our class today." One kid said.

"Yes, I did." Another kid answered. "And I heard he's quite a good duelist as well, apparently." He added.

But before they could continue the teacher entered the classroom.

"Settle down students, I've got an important announcement to make." And with that she turned towards the door. "You may come in now."

A boy entered the classroom. He stood at the front of the room with a confidant smile on his face while the teacher wrote his name on the blackboard.

"Everyone, this is Kurosaki Shun, he will be joining our class starting today. I expect you to make him feel at home here."

And then she turned to the boy named Kurosaki and asked. "Where would you like to sit, Kurosaki-kun?" There were a few empty seats left, including the one next to Yuto.

He did the last thing Yuto had expected. He pointed at the empty seat next to Yuto and said. "That seat over there looks just fine to me."

The teacher's eyes widened for a second, but before she could stop Kurosaki he had already walked over to the seat and sat down. Yuto just stared at him, normally new students would either choose a different seat, or change seats after a few days which didn't surprise him. He wondered why Kurosaki had chosen this seat with such confidence. Oh well, he wouldn't last long anyway.

Their teacher took a deep breath and started her lesson while hoping that there wouldn't be any problems concerning the two boys in the back.

Kurosaki Shun had sat next to him quietly during every lesson for some days now, and Yuto couldn't be happier with that. Normally the other kids asked for a different seat after only a couple of hours. He almost became used to having someone sitting next to him. Almost.

It was another day, another lesson and Yuto was writing down whatever his teacher was telling him while Kurosaki was just doodling in his notebook.

Suddenly the taller kid leaned over.

"So, we've been sitting next to each other ever since I came, and we haven't spoken a word yet. Why don't we change that?"

Yuto, not expecting to be talked to flung up in surprise. His gaze shifted from his notebook to his neighbour.

"So, what was your name again. Yu... Something?" Kurosaki asked. He was leaning back in his seat, not caring about the lesson at all.

"Yuto, you can call me Yuto." Yuto answered, hoping their teacher didn't notice them talking. Why couldn't his neighbour keep his mouth shut? He didn't want to be punished for talking during class.

"Yuto-kun eh? I like your name."

"No, just Yuto." The confidence with which he said it surprised even Yuto himself. And since when did he allow some kid he didn't actually know to use his first name?

Kurosaki opened his mouth to say something again when suddenly a piece of chalk came flying in.

"I saw that Kurosaki-kun! No talking during my lessons, or else!"

Kurosaki opened his mouth to respond, but closed it again. He didn't look too happy, but Yuto could only guess what he was thinking.

During their break everyone went outside. Some kids were talking in small groups, others were dueling while the remaining kids cheered them on. It was a merry group and everyone got along well, even the new kid easily fit in.

But Yuto didn't, he spent his break alone, away from everyone else. No one talked to him, and they didn't want him near their duels.

So today, like every other day, Yuto was just sitting with his back against the school building, watching the duels going on from a distance.

Suddenly, a dark shadow blocked his view.

"You know, I've been wondering why you're always sitting here alone. Yuto."

He looked up at the mention of his name.

"Kurosaki-kun? What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be dueling with the others?"

Kurosaki sat down next to him and laughed.

"You know, maybe I should. But you're far more interesting than those guys. Hey, and why don't you just call me Shun? After all, you allowed me to call you Yuto."

"Alright, I'll call you Shun." Yuto said. He didn't dare look at the other boy, and he could only wonder what the other boy was thinking. "You know Shun, your hair looks kinda funny." His hair was a combination of dark green and dark blue, and a large fringe covered a part of his eyes.

"Well, so does yours." He answered while pointing a Yuto's black and purple hairdo.

Both boys laughed for a second.

"Yeah it is..." Yuto said after they had calmed down. A very uneasy silence followed as both boys didn't know what to say next. It was Shun who broke it.

"So, wanna duel? We've still got plenty of time left." He asked while he got his deck from his pocket.

Yuto sat there for a second, nervously looking down. "Well, I don't really duel."

"You're kidding!"

Shun burst out. "Then why are you in duel school to begin with?!"

The other boy cringed. "Please, don't shout like that. I rather not talk about. I mean, we haven't known each other that long and you know... I'm not sure I can tell you."

Shun looked at him dumbfounded. "You mean... You don't think of me as a friend? Come on, I guess I'm the only one to talk to you out of my own free will, and I like it! Please tell me, I won't tell anyone else, I swear!"

"Well..." He wasn't sure, should he trust Shun? Well, it was not like he wouldn't find out on his own sooner or later, so why not?

"You know, telling others isn't the problem, everyone in our class already knows. On second thought, I guess it's better you hear it from me instead of anyone else. So the problem is that whenever I duel strange things happen. It's like the monsters come to life and people actually get hurt every time they duel me. And since everyone knows that no one wants to duel me, and to be fair, I can't blame them." He sighed. "And that's okay, I'd rather not duel because I don't want anyone to get hurt." He fell silent, he could already imagine Shun's reaction. And he would lose the boy who had just told him that he thought of Yuto as a friend. And that gave him a kind of fuzzy feeling inside, it had been a long time since someone had called him that.

But Shun's reaction was the complete opposite of what Yuto had expected. "Then that means that you are the same as me! I've got the same problem."

Yuto couldn't believe his own ears, Shun too had those weird powers. "B-but I saw you duel a few days back and nothing happened!"

A smile formed on Shun's face. "That's because I learned how to control it. My sis helped me a lot, which is really something because she got hurt quite badly a few times. But you know, you can't change what others think of you that easily, which is why I decided to change schools."

Yuto just looked at him with big eyes. "You mean that I can learn how to control my powers? As in really control them and duel without having to hurt people?"

"Yes, that's totally possible, and I'll help you..." His face suddenly got a very smudge expression. "But only on one condition, you have to promise me this; We will be the best friends possible for the rest of our lives."

I didn't take Yuto long to think of an answer. "Of course, it's a deal!"

- Flashback End -

Those had been the good times, Yuto thought to himself. With both Shun's and his sister Ruri's help he had been able to learn how to control his powers, and it didn't take too long after that for others to realize that as well.

The next years had been some of the best of his life. If he concentrated Yuto could remember some of the duels he had in those years, but he could also remember the times he and his classmates had driven their teacher's crazy.

He could still hear them laughing at their jokes during their breaks. Yeah, those years certainly were the best of his life.

He finally had friends, could duel without having to hurt anyone, and he could laugh all he wanted.

He sighed, the only sad thing about those years were that they ended, and how! Only thinking of it made him feel angry again, but he let the memories of that day in.

- Flashback -

"Man, I don't see why we have to wear such an irritating uniform!" Shun exclaimed.

"You mean the tie?" Yuto asked while Shun was fidgeting with said tie.

The other boy looked up irritated. "Yeah, I mean the tie. It's a pain to put on and it's always in the way. Besides that, it doesn't fit me at all." He gave up, sighed and left the tie as it was. "So, wanna come over to my place? I really need to change before we go to the park." Yuto nodded, it was their daily routine.

They always went to Shun's house after school so he could change before going to the park to meet their other friends and duel a bit. Yuto didn't mind his uniform as much as Shun did, so he didn't change.

It didn't take them long before arriving at Shun's place. He lived in a cozy house only a 5 minute walk from school. They went in and immediatley went upstairs.

"Where's Ruri?" Yuto asked his friend, normally Ruri was either home before them or she was already on her way to the park.

"Hm, let me think." Shun said while taking some clothes out of his closet. "Ah, I remember, she told me this morning that she was meeting some other friends this afternoon. So I guess she's in the shopping district blowing her cash on some unnecessary things."

"I wouldn't exactly call clothes unnecessary, however they might be considering the amount she buys." Meeting friends was for Ruri akin to blowing all her cash on clothes she'd never wear in the end.

"Exactly, I mean, she could buy cards instead, those are a far better thing to spend your money on!"

Yuto smiled at his friend's words. That was Shun, he would buy new cards even if it meant starving to death. "Are you done? It's time to go."

"Yeah, give me a sec." Shun quickly put his shoes on and they were off.

"You know, I think that new card from yesterday really is a great asset to my deck. I mean, have you seen Rise Falcon's effect? I bet he could take your dragon anytime." Shun told his friend with confidence.

"Yeah right, there's no way my dragon wou-"

Suddenly a bright light blinded them, both boys threw their arms in front of their eyes in a futile attempt to shield them from the light. After a few seconds the light suddenly disappeared, leaving the two wondering as to what it was.

Before they could realise what was going on they heard soneone scream, and then another person screamed!

Like most people they had no clue what was going on when suddenly a group of people in blue uniforms appeared. One held a megaphone and brought it to his mouth.

"People from the XYZ dimension! Listen! We, the warriors from the fusion dimension have come to show you XYZ scum just how much better we are. After all, fusion will always be better than XYZ summoning. Now then, start running, start screaming as you will be fighting for your lives! And please, make sure this battle is amusing, after all, we haven't come all this way to be bored by XYZ scum like you." After those words he dropped his megaphone. "Warriors of Academia, it's time. Attack!"

Every single one of the people in blue uniforms activated their duel disks simultaneously, ready to attack, but Shun could only think of one thing.

"Ruri!"

He turned around immediatley, and headed for the shopping district. Yuto followed him as fast as he could. Something told him that these guys weren't joking. The screams he heard behind him confirmed it.

It took him quite some time to cath up to Shun, who was running for his life to make sure that his beloved sister was safe.

After he had finally caught up to his friend he took a quick peek over his shoulder. In the distance he could make out the shapes of enormous beings making their way through the city, unfazed by the things standing in their way. He quickly looked away. Just as he and Shun entered the shopping district a sharp scent entered his nose, it didn't take long before he could place it. "Shun, I smell smoke. I guess something is burning, and it wouldn't surprise me if it was the city!"

"Then we should hurry!" And he began to run even faster than before. "Ruri! Ruri!" He screamed, looking around for a sign of his sister or her friends.

One of the giant beings was very close, and it began tearing down a nearby building. The boys could hear the screams of the people trapped inside, if only Ruri wasn't there...

Both didn't even want to think of it and continued running. They could only hope that the creature wouldn't follow them.

"You two, wait!" A voice yelled. Both looked back to see a masked guy in a blue uniform following them. Both ignored his words and continued running, but the man was quickly catching up to them.

Suddenly they entered the main square, and Yuto was surprised, wasn't the shopping district bigger than this? Then again, they had been running at a lightning quick pace the entire time.

"Ruri, Ruri where are you? Answer me, Ruri!" Shun yelled, he was almost out of breath from running the entire time, but he still yelled with all he could. Yuto could see the fear in his eyes. "Ruri, we're here! Both Shun and me. You can come out now, we'll protect you!"

And as by a miracle they suddenly saw a girl in one of the shops. She had formed a ball and was as close to the wall as she possibly could. "Shun, there she is!" He pulled at his friend's shirt as to get his attention and pointed in the direction of the shop.

It only took a second for Shun to see his sister and to get moving. He began running towards his sister as quickly as possible and Yuto once again followed him as fast as he could.

However, both stopped as soon as they heard the voice of the masked man from earlier. "I summon Ancient Gear Soldier!" It was Yuto who reacted first. He got his duel disk out and drew his opening hand. "I summon - Dusty Robe. Which means I can also summon - Silent Boots! With those two monsters I build the overlay network, come out! - Break Sword! Attack his Ancient Gear Soldier!" And something snapped. Yuto knew this wasn't a duel for fun. This guy was attacking them, and trying to prevent Shun from reaching Ruri. So he gave it his all, he let his power and closed his eyes. He could feel the wind from Break Sword's attack, he could hear his opponent screaming. He heard the sound of Ancient Gear Soldier bursting into a thousand pieces after being destroyed. He couldn't hear the guy standing up again.

So he walked over to were the masked guy was. He was tossed against the wall and lay meakly burried under a few stones. Yuto put his ear close to the guy's mouth. He could hear both the sound of the person breathing as feel the air moving in and out of his body. He was just knocked out. With that he walked towards the shop were Shun was trying to calm his sister down.

"It's okay sis. I'm here, Yuto's here. We'll call mom and dad in a second, I'm sure they're okay." He let embraced his sister and let her cry on his shoulder.

"But my friends... That guy- That guy turned them into cards she said. It was barely understandable because she was crying, but both boys could eventually make out what she said. "Cards?-" Shun asked, but Yuto cut him off.

"Shun, that guy over there is passed out, but we may want to move. I think the fire is spreading." The taller boy nodded and they to took off, taking Ruri with them.

The rest of the day they tried finding a safe place to rest and contact their parents, but that proved to be difficult. It was unbelievable how much destruction the people in the blue uniforms had caused.

They found quite some other kids who had also survived the attacks. Weirdly enough, it was hard to find an adult. And as the day dragged on Yuto feared the worse.

After running into some of their friends and classmates they decided to head for the park, it seemed like the safest decision for now. It had been the first place under attack, and a quick look around confirmed their suspicion, the enemy had left already.

Everyone sat down and while Yuto sat next to Ruri to keep her company Shun would call their parents. It didn't take him very long to return. "They didn't answer. I guess they're busy with something. I'll try again later." And so he did. He tried multiple times, but no one ever answered.

As he sat down next to Yuto and Ruri he said: "I guess they lost their phone, or something. I mean, I'm sure they're okay." It was an attempt to reassure both himself and Ruri, but it was doomed to fail.

"Yuto, shouldn't you try calling your parents?" He then said.

Yuto nodded. "I'll call them after you've contacted yours."

Shn nodded, and he threw his arm around Ruri. "Come on, it'll be fine. I'm sure dad and mom are just peachy. And when we find them it's only a matter of time before we get your friends back." Ruri nodded meakly, too tired to say anything.

Suddenly one of the other kids came their way. "Shun, Yuto, someone is coming this way, and it doesn't look like he is the enemy."

Shun was too busy with his sister so Yuto answered. "Okay, send him here please." For some reason the others saw them as a kind of leaders, but he'd just roll with it for now.

It didn't take long before an elderly man came their way. His hair was gray and he wore a dark blue overall with a name plate on his chest.

"Shun, Ruri, you're safe!"

Both looked up when they heard their name. "No way, it's Mr. Fujiwara!" He saw the confused look on Yuto's face. "He cleans the building were my dad works and he has watched us quite often when we came with our dad." He explained, Yuto only nodded to confirm that he had understood.

"Yes indeed, and I bring some sad news. Your father's office was attacked, and I'm afraid I'm the only one to come out of the building without having been turned into a card." Yuto could see the shock on Shun's face.

"And mom?" He asked, almost afraid of the answer that was coming.

"Your dad was on the phone with her just as they stormed the building. Guessing from his words and expression..."

He didn't have to say more. There was only one word to describe the look on Shun's face. Devastated.

- End Flashback -

It had been what? Three years? But Yuto still felt as angry as he had back then. After that night he had never seen the old man again, probably turned into a card like everybody else.

Shun had changed. He had taken the role of commander of the resistance, that was what they had called themselves. He had become colder and more serious, and it was even worse after Ruri disappeared. If only those fusion guys hadn't come!

He sighs, there was no use in thinking that, the only thing he could do now was fight with all his might.

Speaking of fighting, it was time he to head out on his assigned mission. After all, even if Shun had changed he was still Yuto's friend. They had sworn to be the best friends for the rest of their lives, and Yuto had no intention of breaking that promise.

So he gets up from the wooden crate and takes his duel disk. It is time, so he heads out towards the LDS building.

And we all know how it ended. T-T

Okay, I know their powers may just come from their duel disk, but it wouldn't surprise me if they actually had those powers themselves.

Title is kinda random. It's just the first thing I came up with and I didn't have a better idea.

Well, I hope you enjoyed, see ya.