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“Ladies—and—gentlemen!”
The trademark opening to his fabulous, breathtaking show, with the spotlight focused on him and the audience cheering in the spectators’ seats: This would once again be a perfect performance, one that never failed to create laughter and smiles.
Yes, as usual, his entertainment duels, inherited from his beloved father, would bring joy to everyone.
Everyone.
Everyone.
His smile faltered faintly as his mind went blank for a mere second before he regained his composure, and he was once again the confident, compelling Sakaki Yuya, the skilled and charming Dueltainer who was son to the great Sakaki Yusho.
Everyone was looking at him. He wouldn’t screw this up, he couldn’t screw it up—What did he have besides his flamboyant entertainment duels?
He raised his hands up in the air as Hip Hippo carried him on its back and bounced around the field, catching every single spectators’ curious and excited eyes. His cheeks sore and his throat tired, but the excessive smiling and intense shouting would spare no mercy on them.
This was a task to be done flawlessly.
Hiragi Yuzu was a priceless treasure bestowed upon humanity, a gift from the heavens, a delicate figure gifted with sapphire eyes and the sweetest smile. Amid the years when he had been mocked at and bullied for his father’s cowardliness of running from a duel, there were only two people(aside from the adults) that stood by his side—Gongenzaka and Yuzu. Gongenzaka protected Yuya from any physical harm, scaring off the other kids with his brawny physique and lofty height; But Yuzu was the one who Yuya appreciated more (Don’t get him wrong, he loved Gongenzaka a lot too, platonically), the one who stayed by his side, comforting his poor, shattered soul. Yuya was never afraid of pain; only broken spirits and a cowardly heart.
One day he looked up at Yuzu, only to find her cerise hair sparkling and her cobalt blue eyes gleaming, blinding his dull, red eyes. Her whole body radiated a holy shine, and at that moment, Yuya thought he had never seen anyone this angelic, this beautiful. She was the vibrant color splashed into his monotone world, the lone spark of light that shone in the bottomless black void, a tongue of flame amid the howling, merciless blizzard. Being with her made him feel alive.
He wanted to express his appreciation for the girl, convey all of his emotions and gratitude, not leaving one drop of his feelings out; yet he found himself engulfed in embarrassment, awkwardness, and a mysterious fear of rejection. He didn’t understand why he felt such feelings; he never had any trouble confiding private matters to Yuzu before.
It wasn’t until her devastating disappearance during the Maiami Championships that the realization came upon him—He held feelings for her. His head felt dizzy at the knowledge of the news—everything felt surreal.
Then it registered.
Yuzu was gone.
Strong surges of despair and sorrow swelled within him, the guilt of his inability to protect her engulfed him whole, and the thought of never seeing Yuzu again terrified him, it terrified him so impossibly much that his whole body shook uncontrollably and his eyes were wide open and sweat rolled across his skin at the thought of it.
He felt sick and he wanted to throw up.
He had to get her back. He didn’t care if it meant stepping into the dangerous territories of the Academia or being sealed within a card. Nothing mattered if Yuzu was gone.
Smile.
Smile.
Smile.
Why couldn’t he smile?
Something gnawed at the entrance to his heart, digging its deep, dark claws into his flesh and organs. He screamed and cried, but the pain would not go away. Yuto had already fallen into its hands, his mind and soul gone, devoured by the being named “Zarc”.
“Give up already, and become one with me.”
His final counterpart, another boy who looked exactly like him, yet nothing like his other doppelgängers. He was cruel and deranged, and embraced despair oh so lovingly. His slender fingers reached out to Yuya, his face unable to hide his ecstatic state.
“You will no longer need to force yourself to smile, wouldn’t that be pleasant? All you’ll ever need to do is to rest peacefully in our caress, with nothing to worry about, no, nothing to even think about. Accept the joy, the sorrow, the envy, the fury we shall share. We’ll never be separated, we will become whole again.”
Why did the offer sound so tempting?
He shouldn’t have even thought of accepting Yuri’s invitation. It would result in the destruction of the world and the death of his closed ones.
But he was tired.
He was so, so tired.
Tired of being mocked for his father, tired of being misunderstood by idiotic people who never cared for him, tired of smiling.
All he had ever wanted was to bring smiles to others through entertainment duels.
Why did he have to save the world?
Why?
He could feel Yuri’s intense emotions flowing into him, he could feel his thin arms wrapping around his waist as his hands wandered around. He could feel the inhales and exhales of the boy’s breathing on his skin, as his lips neared his own ears.
“Give up, Yuya. Why force yourself to smile anymore?”
Yuzu was back.
Was it worth it?
If it was for Yuzu, of course it was.
His cheeks were sore. His eyelids felt exhausted. It was painful. But he wouldn’t stop.
For Yuzu, he would keep on smiling.