Hello and welcome to Keyshots - this is going to be a place where I can dump my random short inspirations that will probably never make full stories. My little break from Synchronization I guess. Hope you guys enjoy them :D

KEYSHOT #1: Evolution Of Bonds

Sixteen year old Yuuma Tsukumo stood behind the cash register of a local multi-purpose store in Heartland City Mall, leaning lazily against the back counter. He was the only one positioned here, even though there were five other identical tills around him, as it was still too early for other associates to arrive. He wore a white collared shirt, a name badge hanging around his neck along with the strings of his standardized red apron, hanging over top of dark pants and black dress shoes. Yuuma didn't mind the uniform, though he wished that he could wear the Ou's Key as well.

His boss didn't approve of it, because it was apparently a health and safety violation. Yuuma hadn't quite understood what this meant, until one day when he got his name badge caught on a grocery cart. Unlike his Key, the cord attached to his name badge had a special clip that would snap open if it got snagged to prevent the wearer from getting hurt. Yuuma never wore the Key again after that incident, fearing the fate if it and himself he got latched onto something. He would leave it in his locker during the shift, keeping the door locked at all times to avoid a repeat of what had happened in swim class in the ninth grade, when Orbital 7 had stolen the Key from Yuuma's cubby.

The whole job aspect had been a bit of a frustration for Astral, who had not understood why Yuuma should give away even more of his free time after school when they could be hunting Numbers cards instead, but Yuuma had argued that with the money he earned from the job, he'd be able to buy more card packs and would then be able to build a better deck to support his Numbers cards, and to take down new Numbers. Together, the two had collected over 80 Numbers cards thus far. Ever since Yuuma won the World Duel Carnival three years ago, many people had sought him out for duels. He hadn't lost yet, and as a result Astral's memory was almost complete.

This thought was both exciting and depressing for Yuuma. He knew that the closer they got to finding the last Numbers card, the sooner it would be before Astral could return home. As much as Yuuma hated to admit it, Astral had grown on him. He liked spending time with Astral, and as he grew older, he found these feelings only intensifying. He felt tightness in his chest as he thought of Astral, his heart racing a bit more than normal, as if he was excited about something. Maybe that was why he'd been reluctant to put the Key away today – he'd opened his locker, taken off the Key and stared at it in his palm for the longest time before finally shoving it into his pocket, closing the locker door and heading downstairs to start his shift.

A glow in his pocket cut off his thoughts. Yuuma gasped, watching as golden sparkles solidified into a familiar blue skinned being several feet away to Yuuma's right, just outside his small square of counter space at Yuuma's till. Arms crossed, Astral looked around in interest.

"Yuuma...this is where you do this work correct?" He asked. Yuuma blinked in confusion, before he remembered that Astral had not seen his workstation before, since he was usually upstairs in the locker room during work hours. After a quick glance around to make sure no one heard him talking to his invisible friend, Yuuma smiled and nodded.

"That's right. This is a cashier's till. Customers pay for stuff here basically. They can go to any one of these tills – they're all the same except for the numbers - and they give us cashiers money for whatever they buy here!" Yuuma replied motioning to the other tills around him and watching as Astral glanced over the area with interest.

"You do not usually allow me to come here with you." Astral pointed out. Yuuma flushed slightly, suddenly embarrassed.

"I...yeah, well I just...I don't know, I didn't want to leave the Key in the locker today...it's right here." Yuuma patted his pants pocket, feeling the Key. Astral cocked his head in curiosity.

"Will you show me how this works?" Astral asked suddenly, looking at the till in interest. Yuuma perked up, relieved in the change in topic and excited to get a chance to show off for Astral.

"I definitely will, as soon as someone comes to pay for stuff." Yuuma promised, spotting a person arriving. He gave Astral a quick head nudge, motioning for him to pay attention, before turning his attention to the young lady approaching. She was completely unfamiliar to Yuuma, as most people who came by his till were, but Yuuma still greeted her kindly.

"Hello! How are you today?" Yuuma asked cheerfully, flashing the young lady a grin. The lady smiled.

"My, aren't you polite. I'm doing well, and how are you today?" She replied, placing her items on the counter for Yuuma to scan. Yuuma picked up a package of men's shirts, scanning the item with his scan gun and directing his attention to the monitor to make sure it rang in properly. Astral nearly jumped as a beep sounded and Yuuma had to hold back a snicker as he turned to the lady again.

"Did you need any bags for these?" He asked. The woman shook her head and Yuuma put the items he scanned on the opposite side of the counter from the bagging area. Astral stared at the monitor, watching with interest as the items continued to pop up on the screen.

"These names are very strange..." Astral noted. Yuuma gave a light shrug, scanning the last item, a dress shirt for women. The customer suddenly protested.

"Hold on – that shirt is supposed to be on sale!" She exclaimed. Yuuma perked up, turning his attention to the screen and noticing that there were no deductions off indicating that the item was on sale. He knew that occasionally the prices in the system were not correct – he'd have to verify the price of the item.

"Let me check it then – one moment!" Yuuma said, reaching into his apron pouch and pulling out the store's weekly flyer. He examined the item's brand and began flipping through the flyer to find it. He felt Astral reading over his shoulder. Yuuma felt his body tense, his heart racing. It was strange – even though he knew that he and Astral could not technically touch each other, he could always feel the spirit as if Astral were solid when they were this close. Astral was almost pressing against his back, chin inches from Yuuma's left shoulder.

"Yuuma, what are you doing?" Astral asked into Yuuma's ear. Yuuma suppressed a shiver – where did that come from? - and continued to scan the pages.

"I'm just looking up the sales for the week, making sure that the item is on sale and if it is, I can adjust the price accordingly." Yuuma answered him. The young lady grinned, thinking Yuuma was speaking to her.

"Thank you very much! I'm sorry for your trouble!" She replied. Yuuma smiled, identifying the item in the flyer.

"Looks like you're right – it says 25% off. I can adjust it for you ma'am!" Yuuma exclaimed, straightening and feeling Astral float back to give him some space. Yuuma suppressed a sigh at this. Astral floated behind Yuuma as the boy approached the register, seating himself on the counter where the lady had originally placed the items, crossing one leg over the other and watching Yuuma work. Yuuma cleared the shirt off the list, then went into the override keys, trying to change the price to accommodate the sale.

Yuuma groaned in frustration as the till refused to cooperate. It looked like he'd have to do the math in his head and use a different override. Yuuma closed his eyes, trying to focus.

"Damnit...what's 25% of $19.97...ugh...um...20% is like...a dollar? I don't know...it's got to be at least..." Yuuma muttered, trying to think – he'd never been good at math.

"25% of $19.97 is $4.99. Therefore, the price will be $19.97 - $4.99, which is $14.98." Astral explained. Yuuma blushed, putting on a sheepish grin.

"Oh, yeah...right. I knew that!" Yuuma exclaimed, punching in the numbers on the till.

"You still can't do basic math, and it seems as if this job requires it. I'm surprised you were able to do this on your own before." Astral said thoughtfully. Yuuma growled, whirling around to face Astral.

"Shut up! I don't need to do that all the time, I –" Yuuma stopped when he noticed the young lady's face. She was looking at him very strangely. Yuuma gulped, grinning awkwardly.

"Sorry...I...get a bit excited...so, is that everything you're getting?" Yuuma asked. The lady nodded, still looking at Yuuma oddly. Yuuma chuckled sheepishly, turning away to face the monitor as he totalled up her items.

"That'll be $74.13 please! Will it be cash, credit or debit?" Yuuma chirped. The lady pulled out her wallet from her handbag.

"Interac, please." She said, pulling out a plastic card.

"Wait...Yuuma, that was not one of the options you gave her." Astral said.

"It's just another word for 'debit', Astral..." Yuuma muttered under his breath as he punched in the lady's request, and handed her a pin pad. He wasn't sure why he wanted Astral here anymore – he was starting to be a bit of a nuisance. The customer put in her card and Yuuma looked away to give her privacy as she punched in her number. Astral on the other hand, stared in fascination at the lady as she pressed the buttons.

"Astral! Don't look!" Yuuma hissed a little too loudly. The lady looked up in surprise. Yuuma flushed again, embarrassed. He mentally noted to never bring the Key back to the till ever again – Astral was too much trouble in public settings like this.

"Sorry!" He exclaimed before shooting Astral a glare.

"That's her own private PIN number! You're not allowed to look at it, so don't do it okay?" Yuuma whispered a bit softer, noticing the woman slowly returning her attention to the pinpad. Astral looked confused.

"What does this 'PIN number' do that is so important?" He asked. Yuuma nearly facefaulted.

"If you know her number, then you'll have access to her money if you can get a hold of her card!" Astral blinked.

"Yuuma, I cannot take her card. This number is useless to me." Yuuma sighed.

"Whatever...look if you want I don't care..." He groaned out, turning his back on Astral to spot the lady staring right at him.

"Who do you keep talking to?" She asked, sounding a bit concerned. Yuuma blinked.

"No one! Nope! I'm just...lonely so I talk to myself it's a horrible habit I know I should break it it's too weird..." Yuuma babbled, mentally smacking himself. He sounded completely idiotic. He noticed that she had taken out her card, so he quickly turned back to the till to complete the transaction. Yuuma plucked the printed receipts and handed them off to the lady.

"Have a nice day!" He said, as she collected her purchases and headed to the exit, still with a confused look on her face. Astral, still seated on the counter top, watched the lady leave with a confused look.

"Yuuma, I thought you said that she had to give you money. I did not see her do that." Astral noted. Yuuma shook his head.

"She did though! That's what her debit card did! People don't just pay with cash! They can also pay with their plastic cards." Astral looked mystified by the response.

"Humans have cards that they can use as money?" Astral asked. Yuuma nodded – it was close enough.

"Yeah that's right – AH!" Yuuma screamed in shock as an arm depositing a jug of milk shot through Astral's midsection.

"Woah, kid! Are you alright? I thought you saw me – you're looking right in my direction." A man's voice was heard from behind Astral. Astral looked down in shock, spotting the arm and floating aside quickly to reveal an elderly man with grey hair. Yuuma hadn't been able to see him as he'd been too focused on Astral. Clutching his heart and panting, Yuuma nodded.

"Yeah...sorry I must've spaced out..." He managed to say softly, trying to get the strange image of a hand going through Astral's stomach out of his head. He scanned the item and put it in a bag without a word.

"I'll pay with my Mastercard." The man announced. Yuuma nodded, hitting the credit button and letting the man go to the pin pad. He turned to Astral.

"Are you...okay?" Yuuma whispered, a bit shaken still. Astral nodded.

"Of course I am. You look...white." Astral asked in concern. Yuuma shrugged it off and completing the transaction. He handed off the receipt to the man as he left quickly – the guy must've been in a hurry.

"Astral...if you're going to sit down, just stay on the counter behind me so that you're not in the way, alright?" Yuuma said once he'd left. Astral nodded, moving to sit on the counter behind Yuuma.

"Is this everything that you do here?" Astral asked. Yuuma shrugged.

"Pretty much. I sometimes get to go put things back on the shelves, but that's only if there's too many people on till. No one else is even here yet." Yuuma leaned against the counter next to Astral, putting his hands in his apron pockets.

"How long until someone else comes?" Astral asked. Yuuma closed his eyes and sighed.

"At least an hour...it's a slower day today. Weekday mornings are incredibly slow."

"Why?"

"Because everyone's at work or school – I don't have classes today, but most kids do." Yuuma explained. Astral nodded.

"So...even if we were to go Numbers hunting during this time, we would not find many opponents." Astral noted. Yuuma looked at Astral. Did he really want to hunt that badly? Yuuma felt a small ache in his chest – more Numbers meant that Astral would be that much closer to leaving.

"Are you...in a hurry to get home?" Yuuma asked softly, lowering his head sadly. Astral looked at Yuuma, noting his body posture and the tinge of sadness in his voice.

"Yuuma..." Yuuma shook his head, closing his eyes to keep in tears, cutting Astral off.

"No, it's okay. You don't have to stay because of me – there's only so much you can do in this world. And I'm sure the more Numbers you get, the more you remember how much you love your home and the more you miss it. I don't want to keep you from that – I want you to be happy." Yuuma managed to say. Astral floated off the counter and in front of Yuuma, keeping their heads at eyelevel.

"Yuuma, please look at me." Astral said softly. Yuuma gulped, lifting his head to reveal eyes that were red and shimmering. Yuuma saw that Astral's own eyes were full of emotion and seriousness, which took him aback at first.

"I am glad you took this job Yuuma...because it has taught me something. All those days when you would keep the Key in the locker for eight hours a day...all those hours when I could not feel your presence near me...I realized that I missed you when you were not there. It was like I was missing a part of myself. I have pieces of my memory scattered in this world that I want to retrieve, and I was so focused on that that I did not realize the most important thing, Yuuma..." Astral paused, to give Yuuma a tiny smile.

"You are a part of my memory, Yuuma. And you are a very special piece of it that I do not ever want to lose like I have with the Numbers...so why would I leave you behind?" Yuuma's eyes had widened in silent shock at Astral's words.

"You...Astral, does this mean that...you'll stay here? You won't leave?" Astral smiled.

"I will never leave you Yuuma." Astral assured him. Yuuma stared at Astral, his heart racing, his mind flooded with relief – he didn't even think of his next action.

The last time Yuuma had consciously tried to touch Astral, it had been to punch the spirit in the face after a dispute – that had been three years ago. And because Yuuma had fallen right through Astral's body and hit the concrete hard, he hadn't bothered to try to touch him again. But Yuuma wasn't thinking about what had happened last time – all he knew was that the bond he had with Astral had grown much stronger since then. Maybe that was why he was successful this time.

Yuuma moved forward, throwing his arms around Astral, feeling contact with the spirit, who tensed in surprise having never been touched, but relaxing into Yuuma's arms a few seconds later. Yuuma felt Astral cool skin, chin over the spirit's shoulder and holding him tightly – he didn't want to let go of his precious friend. Astral was more tentative at first, gently mimicking Yuuma's arms with his own, touching Yuuma's shirt and marvelling at the soft material. He felt the boy trembling – Yuuma was crying softly.

"Thank you...Astral... " He whispered, holding Astral impossibly closer. Astral smiled, running a hand through Yuuma's hair as he had seen people on television do.

"No Yuuma, thank you." Astral replied, closing his eyes to enjoy the moment.

Eventually Yuuma had to let go and compose himself – other customers showed up. Astral was content to sit and watch Yuuma work, occasionally asking a question or two. Yuuma was happy and energetic – even more so than usual that day. He would help customers and then chat with Astral, not caring anymore about the strange looks he received. He was just happy to be with his closest and most precious friend, and wanted to enjoy every moment he possibly could have with Astral, just in case one day the spirit changed his mind about staying with Yuuma. Yuuma hoped he wouldn't, but it was still Astral's choice – until then, however, he'd make sure to take advantage of their time together.

Yuuma never locked the Key in his locker again.

THE END