Chapter Text
Yuuri awakens to confusion. His thoughts feel slippery, slithering around in his head and moving teasingly away every time he tries to grasp them. His body also feels heavy; not the warm, comfortable kind where he's weighed down by blankets or when Yuugo rolls over on him, mumbling nonsensical things in his sleep.
No, this is a sticky kind of heaviness. Like from illness where his mouth is dry and furry like he had swallowed a whole cat.
Yuuri frowns, forcefully peeling open his eyelids to glare at the long, unkempt blades of grass that were tickling his nose. Had he fallen asleep in his garden?
No, the foliage is unfamiliar and the trees are much, much denser. The canopy almost completely blots out the sun, leaving only thin, scattered pools of light on the murky floor.
And Yuugo is not here.
Yuuri’s stomach lurches reflexively as he pushes himself off the ground, eyes darting around for tuffs of blue hair or bright, gold bangs.
Nothing. Nothing but knotted trees and dark, grasping branches. He presses a hand to his chest as the heaviness grows. It feels like there are insects crawling around in his stomach, their wings beating angrily against the inside of his chest.
He doesn't know where he is or how he got here. But most importantly, he doesn't know where Yuugo is.
“Yuugo?” he calls out, dimly noting that his voice comes out much higher and shakier than he had intended it to. “Yuugo? If you don't come out now, I'm going to be mad!” But if Yuuri had expected Yuugo to come tumbling out from the bushes, he is sorely disappointed. Yuuri draws a deep breath and expels it from his lungs with a forceful rush. He is not used to being left in the dark, figuratively or otherwise, and he finds that he absolutely detests it.
Yuuri frowns, magenta eyes narrowing in concentration. The forest looks impossibly big; the trees seem to go on forever, no matter how far back he cranes his head. And the castle is nowhere in sight.
Deep breaths, he tells himself. In and out. Stay calm and access the situation. Yuuri closes his eyes and thinks of Yuugo’s earnest blue eyes and bright, beaming smile in vivid detail. If Yuugo is out here somewhere, then Yuuri needs to find him. Especially with the other boy’s appalling sense of direction.
When he opens them again, he feels calmer, some of the pressure in his chest ebbing away.
Yuuri thinks back as hard as he can in an attempt to pierce through the fog in his head. He remembers getting a notification on his duel disk, detailing he and Yuugo’s change in homerooms and further instructions to report to their lecture hall. He remembers Yuugo’s nervous energy and a building anticipation in his own belly…
And this is where his recollection ends.
Yuuri thinks he would probably find this situation rather intriguing if it wasn't for the fact that Yuugo isn't here. He frowns a little, finally realizing just how acutely he feels the void left by the other boy’s absence. Ever since he had arrived at Academia, they had never been apart for longer than several minutes. Whether it had been taking meals together, bathing or sleeping, Yuugo had not left his side once. He will just have to find him because he's not about to revert back to those drab, colourless days, not after getting a taste of how it feels to hold the sun in his arms.
“Okay,” he says out loud, narrating to an invisible audience. “First, I need to retrace my steps.”
He may be by himself in a strange forest, but Yuuri is hardly helpless. He double checks his wrist and finds his duel disk and deck firmly strapped in place. He's still dressed in the crisp blues of his school uniform, and he has no other belongings on him. Annoying, but he will manage. Yuuri places a hand on his deck and his small shoulders relax a fraction when he feels Starve Venom’s answering heartbeat, taking comfort in the knowledge that he will never be truly alone.
“I don’t suppose there’s a yellow brick road for me to follow,” he muses aloud, filling the silence again with the sound of his own voice as he picks a random direction to start walking in. He does rather feel a bit like Dorothy, being so far away from home. (Yuugo, he thinks, would be Toto.)
Yuuri squared his small shoulders and finally sets off. For several long minutes, he walks, fingers trailing along the rough bark, marking an invisible path.
The fallen leaves crunch quietly beneath his feet, but aside from that, the forest is still. Too still. He can't detect any traces of birdsong or any other sound that makes a forest alive. Almost like every creature inside it was coiled tight in anticipation.
It's faint, but he can hear it all too clearly. A snap of a twig beneath a pair of shoes that are not his own. He gives off no sign that he had seen or heard anything, waiting until his watchers were ready to show themselves. Luckily for his thinning patience, he doesn't have very long to wait.
The shadows in the trees move as one and soon, Yuuri finds himself surrounded. Due to the poor visibility, all Yuuri can make out of their features are the glint of grinning teeth lit by the light of their duel disks.
“What's a little boy like you doing here by yourself?”
Yuuri clicks his tongue in annoyance at the sheer condescension dripping from those words. He counts maybe five of them. Dressed in the same uniform as his, but he's sure he's never seen them before. Most likely upperclassmen, then, as they all clearly tower over him. But really. Where has Yuuri ended up?
He lets out a huff and lifts his chin with an impertinent tilt. The last thing he wants now is to be bothered when he's trying to do something important.
“Do you mind? You're in my way.” Yuuri’s expression is flat, aside from a very clear thread of annoyance. For some reason, this makes him throw their heads back in laughter like he had told a hilarious joke.
“Did you hear that, boys?” the tallest boy takes a step forward as if to emphasize how much bigger he is. Aside from an overly prominent chin, there is nothing remarkable about him. “Does the widdle baby thinks we’re in his way?” This sends a round of snickers through the gathered crowd and Yuuri’s patience is wearing ever so thin. “Too bad. This road is ours and if you want to use it, you'll have to pay up!”
“How about you leave your duel disk here and we’ll let you through?” another with unfortunate pimples cuts in with a sneer.
A scandalized expression flits across Yuuri’s face. Really? Are these small-brained mouth-breathers trying to bully him? Do they not know who he is? Yuuri lets out a long sigh, for the first time disappointed to not have people running from him in fright.
“Hmm,” he draws out, pressing a finger to his lips as if he's actually giving the demand some thought. “That's no good. I don't want to give you my disk but I also want to get through. Hmm. What to do, what to do?”
Yuuri spies the older boys shooting each other slightly confused looks at his reaction. His lips curve up into a wide smile that his classmates have learned to fear.
“I have a better idea,” he chirps. “Why don't you leave your duel disks here and I won't get mad at you?”
The sneers on the older boys’ faces turn a shade incredulous.
“Is he serious?” Pimples mutters.
Butt-Chin cracks his knuckles with a glare that he probably thinks is menacing but Yuuri is the opposite of impressed. “Looks like this little brat needs some remedial lessons. Let's end this with a duel!”
The older boys all lunge forward from all directions, making it clear they had never intended to play fair in the first place. Yuuri ducks his head to hide the slow, uncanny grin spreading across his face, unknowingly deepening the shadows over his face. “I thought you would never ask.” He pivots gracefully on his heel and dashes deeper into the forest, unmindful of the boys’ alarmed shouts. Dull-witted and obnoxious as they appear, Yuuri thinks it’s better not to underestimate them… too much.
“Get him!”
Yuuri hides a smile at the sound of cursing as the larger boys lumbered around in the forest behind him. Lately, at the restless Yuugo’s urging, Yuuri had been introduced to a game known as ‘tag’ for the first time which mostly involved the two of them chasing each other around the school and shrieking with laughter. Too bad this isn’t nearly as much fun.
“It’s my turn-!” “I summon Antique Gear Hound!” “-my turn!” “Antique Gear Hound!”
Several voices cry out one after another and Yuuri runs faster, but not fast enough to avoid the beams of light that streak after him through the trees. They strike him in rapid succession with the force of a blunt hammer and Yuuri’s steps falter. He shrugs off the effect damage, even though it shaves off three thousand of his life points right off the bat. Five pursuers, then, and rapidly gaining on him too, judging by the sounds of the monsters’ sharp growls. It would have been bad if there had been just a couple more. Now, this is a predicament. Chased through the forest by a pack of bloodthirsty hounds.
This time, Yuuri can’t help but let a giggle escape; a high, childish laughter that echoes eerily through the trees. He really hadn’t woken up in the best of moods and these annoying boys seem like the perfect targets to take his irritation out on. “Now,” he calls out sweetly. “It’s my turn.”
It was a good thing that Yuuri hadn’t expected much out of these pompous little thugs or he would have been severely disappointed in how easily they fell for the simplest of tactics. One by one, their sneers transformed into screams as Yuuri’s Predator Plants blasted them into the trees, leaving them slumped and motionless.
“You’re the last one, then,” he says with a sigh, turning slowly to the quivering mess on the ground. “And I didn’t even get to summon my dragon.”
“W-Wait, wait, wait,” the pimply one gasps, holding out a hand. “We’ll let you pass! We’ll leave you our cards, anything! Just let us go!”
Yuuri rolls his eyes. “Weren’t you going to teach me a lesson? Anyway, you’re really starting to annoy me so I’ll have you go to sleep now. Go, Chimerafflesia. Direct attack.” His lovely monster advances with deliberate slowness, its fanged maws stretched wide. Yuuri takes a bit of vindictive pleasure in the look of naked terror on the boys face just as he is swallowed up.
Of course, since it’s only solid vision anyway, his body emerges intact once the duel ends, and slumps to the ground. Yuuri lets out a sigh and deactivates his duel disk, looking around him for the trail again. The momentary diversion had brought him far from where he started, though he still has no idea if he is any less lost. He feels even more like Dorothy now, with only flying monkeys for company.
But perhaps he had judged too soon. Yuuri suddenly spies a flash of blond hair out of the corner of his eyes and his heart leaps.
“Yuugo-!” he cuts himself off when he turns fully and realizes too late that it’s the wrong shade. Neat, tawny locks instead of gold, honey-brown eyes instead of crystal blue. Yuuri doesn't bother hiding his disappointment.
“Oh, it’s you. Tenjouin Asuka… - kun.” Of all the people in the world to run into. There is surprise and wariness in the older girl’s eyes, particularly when she notes the prone, motionless forms scattered around Yuuri’s feet.
“Yuuri- kun,” she echoes, dipping her head in a tiny nod. To her credit, she doesn't seem to be frightened, if not a little disapproving. Since that day in the halls, Yuuri hasn't seen much of her, or her sycophantic hanger ons. Apparently, after seeing Yuugo in action during classes, even when using a basic Academia deck, they were smart enough to give them both a wide berth. Just the way he preferred it. Crossing paths with her now is… annoying.
The other girl hesitates, seemingly working up the will to speak to him. Eventually, she asks after a cautious look around them. “Is… Yuugo -kun not with you?”
“Does it look like he is?” Yuuri surprises them both when his words come out sharper than intended, but that’s likely due to the sudden wave of irritation that had risen up in response to her question. Partly, because the missing Yuugo is a bit of a sore spot, and partly because the other girl seems to be disappointed. He’s slightly tempted to activate his duel disk again but ultimately refrains as she seems willing to be civil. For now.
The other girl moves toward him slowly, her footfalls laced with caution the same way someone might approach a wild beast, but her eyes are clear and determined. “So you woke up here by yourself too?”
The cogs in Yuuri’s head start turning and he allows his body language to relax as he turns to Tenjouin Asuka with a slight hint of interest in his eyes. “Too? Does that mean you know how we got here?” he questions her. “And where is here, exactly?”
She furrows her brow in thought, tawny eyes dimming in recollection. “I remember being in the assembly hall. We were supposed to be starting a new lesson for all the upper years. But then the air started to smell strange and then everyone started to fall asleep. Then I woke up here.”
It was more than Yuuri can remember, but he still can’t help but be disappointed regardless. All this tells him is that they’ve all been brought here, deliberately. But for what purpose? “Is that it?” he asks, losing the patience to be polite, feeling another urge to vent out his worsening mood at having his time wasted yet again.
“There was some kind of message too. Didn't you get it?”
Yuuri raises his eyebrows. “Show me,” he demands, uncaring when a brief flash of irritation flitted over the other girl’s face. But she complies anyway, holding out her duel disk and tapping a button.
A hologram springs into view between them, projecting the visage of a man with cold eyes and heavy grey moustache. Yuuri’s eyes instinctively narrow in dislike, a feeling that only grows as the adult continues to speak.
“ Starting from today, you are no longer children. You will take on the mantle of our glorious Academia and become her valiant soldiers… if you prove yourselves worthy, that is.” Here, a sinister light enters the projection’s eyes as its lips curl with an ugly sneer. “ You are on a deserted island with no civilisation. There are boats waiting on the shore to take you back to Academia. But let’s just say… spots are limited. Make no mistake, students. This is war; a war where the strong will survive and the weak will be trampled to pave the way for their betters. ...Good luck. ”
The projection stills, briefly frozen on the teacher’s smug face before it flickers back into static. Halfway through the villainous speech, Yuuri had started to tune it out, having already gleaned what he needed to know.
Yuugo is somewhere in this forest and he won't stop until he's back where he belongs.
“Well, that's it,” Tenjouin says distastefully, shutting off the broadcast and frowning down at her arm. “I don't know anything else. But I am surprised to see you, Yuuri-kun. Aren't you too young to be doing survival classes?”
“Yuugo and I were moved up a grade… thanks to Professor Cronos’ personal recommendation,” Yuuri pipes up with a smile like razor wire as all the puzzle pieces start to line up. He tilts his chin up, regarding Tenjouin with a mild curiosity. Wondering if the older girl would try to attack him like the others. “Well,” he says with an air of deceptive casualness. “If you don’t mind, I’ll be on my way now.”
He has a wayward Toto to find, after all. With that, Yuuri turns to leave, only to pause when the other girl calls out again.
“Yuuri-kun, wait!”
He doesn’t bother turning all the way around and shoots a glare over his shoulder. Tenjouin is once again sporting a fiercely protective look again, the same look she had been wearing when she had stood in front of those other children in the hallway. Only this time, that look seems to be bizarrely aimed at him.
“What is it now? Tenjouin…-kun,” he asks with a hint of impatience leaking through his mask of politeness.
Tenjouin seems to be taking a steadying breath before she squares her shoulders. “I’m coming with you!”
Now Yuuri is properly surprised. “Excuse me? And why would you want to do that?”
“Because,” she says. “It’s safer if we travel together. And… and I wanted to make up for before.” The older girl colours from embarrassment at Yuuri’s skeptical expression, but her blazing eyes are no less determined as she forges on. “I was wrong about you.”
“Wrong about me how?” Yuuri asks, eyes narrowing further. He’s a second away from drawing his duel disk anyway, if only to get rid of the odd tension in his chest. Tenjouin is watching him with a knowing expression that sparks his irritation all over again. But her next words stop him in his tracks.
“You’re worried about him, aren’t you?” she declares, crossing her arms over her chest. “You’re worried about Yuugo-kun. That means Yuuri-kun isn’t… isn’t a monster and I shouldn’t have called you that. So… So I’m going to help you look for him!”
Yuuri’s eyes widen to circles. He quickly snaps his head back to the front to disguise the sudden flood of embarrassment on his face when the other girl had so effortlessly identified the cause of his irritation. The sickness churning inside his stomach, the heaviness in his chest. He is worried. Every second without seeing those bright, blue eyes makes his heart tighten with dread. Just who knows what other kinds of trouble he would get himself into without Yuuri to look after him?
He gives his shoulders a half-hearted shrug and continues to walk with a dismissive call of, “Do whatever you want.”
Yuuri may not know how, where or when he’s going to find Yuugo but he does know one thing. He’s going to relish the look of terror on Cronos’ face when they return.