Work Text:
Yuuto had been so used to Yuuya’s headspace that he sometimes forgot about his own.
Yuuya’s mind was an endless stretch of galaxy, littered by sparkling stars and falling comets. Sometimes when Yuuto had nothing to do, he would stare at the giant pendant swinging back and forth like a pendulum. Underneath the giant pendant were Yuuya’s monsters. The magicians would converse with one another while the animals would play. It was magical and cheerful, just like Yuuya was. Yuuto at times would watch and feel lonely, but at those moments, Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon would peel away from the crowd and offered to accompany him instead.
Yuuto would thank him and ask him if he was bothering in any way. But Odd-Eyes was always warm and welcoming and it was… familiar.
Odd-Eyes felt like Yuuya, through and through. Even when Yuuto couldn’t converse with it, even though he couldn’t hear his thoughts, Odd-Eyes always gave him a kind impression. Never once did Odd-Eyes seem like he would reject Yuuto, just like Yuuya would never reject him. It was, for the lack of better word, odd.
But now that they were all one again, what they had what somewhat a merge between all their headspaces. The endless galaxy was dominating, though it had an ominous swamp as its ground. Yuuto had no doubt that it was Yuuri’s headspace that came second. Yuuya and Yuuri were the last remaining hosts, after all. It made him feel sorrowful, sad, disappointed that he couldn’t help Ruri and yet…
Odd-Eyes was there, roaring in what seemed to be happiness as it let Clear Wing nip on his large tusks affectionately. Starve Venom was there too. They were laughing, they were happy together in another part of the swamp that seemed more like a meadow. Yuuto felt his heart freeze.
Why? Why would Odd-Eyes be happy?
Shouldn’t he be frantic that Yuuya is nowhere to be found?
Yuuto watched them, eyes narrowing and his whole body trembling. This was weird, something wasn’t right. He ought to warn Odd-Eyes, find Yuuya, and then he would—
“What are you doing here, Dark Rebellion?”
For a split second, Yuuto’s form flickered into something much higher, much bigger than himself. It felt absolutely ecstatic, but odd all the same. But what surprised him more was the beautiful smile on a face that mirrored his and everyone else’s, but those golden irises were kinder than Yuuya and happier than Yuugo and Yuuto was—
“Nifty human form you have there, you look just like me when I was a kid.” A precious giggle from a precious child. Yuuto felt old watching this man smile and he wanted to ask him a question. Who was he? Why did he feel so familiar? What are they to one another? Yuuto didn’t know…
“Come on, you don’t need to be shy. We’re family, remember? Let’s go.” Outstretched hand, calming smile, trusting gaze, Yuuto was about to take his hand when his form flickered into something else.
“Dark Rebellion?”
Coming, child.
It came out as a rumble and Yuuto was suddenly thrown into a dark space that had nothing except for blue flames and dusty clothes.
He didn’t need anyone to tell him where it was. His headspace was a lonely place with no light, only his blue flames and ratty clothes. He could hear faint sound of galloping horse and it felt lonely. Yuuya’s headspace was always a merry place and Yuuya was always there. And if by some chance Yuuya wasn’t there, Odd-Eyes would be there.
Yuuto decided to sit down and hug his own knees. It was done, it was all over. He had been consumed by the darkness and he was back in the lonely place that was his headspace and…
“What are you doing?”
“Yuu—!”
It wasn’t Yuuya.
But he had the same face and the same voice. Yuuri had his arms folded in front of his chest, eyes straight on Yuuto and nothing else. Yuuto took a reflexive step back and put his left arm in front of him, ready to duel.
Yuuri just looked at him with an annoyed expression. “Like I said, what are you doing?” His eyes went from Yuuto’s eyes to Yuuto’s arm, which he only notice later that there wasn’t any duel disk there. He couldn’t duel, he would be carded and he would…
No.
“What do you want, Yuuri?” Yuuto hissed underneath his breath.
His counterpart looked confused for a brief moment but Yuuto didn’t relent. Something was wrong and he would find out or die trying.
After a few seconds of silence, Yuuri burst out into a maniacal laughter.
Yuuto bit his lower lip, trying his best not to shudder at the sound. Yuuri sounded absolutely amused with the entire situation, his head tilting back as he laughed louder and louder. Yuuto’s phantom garments shifted in their position, trying to comprehend the situation that was going on with its master. Yuuto waited until Yuuri finished laughing.
“Aaah, I should have known that it wouldn’t be as easy to get rid of you, Yuuto.” There was a certain kind of disdain underlying the way Yuuri spoke his name. Like Yuuto was a hassle, like Yuuto wasn’t supposed to exist and it made his heart twist in pain. He didn’t want Starve Venom to talk to him that way. He knew he was the last to join the flight but—“Argh!” His heart—head—hurt.
Yuuri stepped closer to him and Yuuto took a step back every time he went forward. “I mean, it was a given and I should have noticed it from the beginning! Odd-Eyes was Zarc’s favorite, it would be easy to overwrite Yuuya out of his memories in the wake of Zarc coming back to him and Clear Wing has always been loyal and wholly devoted to one thing and one thing only. Yuugo was devoted to that bitch’s reincarnation but I always knew that Clear Wing’s devotion will outshine his but you… you you you, I should have known,” Yuuri was only an arm’s length away from him, eyes scanning him from head to toe. “Zarc didn’t have that much time with Dark Rebellion, so I should have known that you wouldn’t be as easy as the others, Yuuto.”
Yuuri sighed and his breath smelled like predator plants from a distant swamp where he and Clear Wing had—no!
No. He shouldn’t think about Yuuri. He should think about Yuuya, his partner for a while. He should think of their shared headspace, of the endless galaxy and the swinging pendulum and the playing animals and how Odd-Eyes would offer him his trust and praise his wings and marvel at his lightning and—!
“I didn’t expect this, I didn’t expect this at all. Stupid stupid me…” Yuuri was babbling to himself more than he was to Yuuto, but then when he was about to push his counterpart away, Yuuto’s form flickered into that of a dragon and he was assaulted by a flood of memories.
He was born in pitch-black darkness, alone with nothing to accompany him, like how everything that resided in the shadows were. He didn’t have a name, didn’t have any friends, didn’t have anything until a human child offered him a hand on top of a shining blue-white dragon that has the clearest of wings that he had ever seen…
Then he remembered meadows, of lazy days underneath the sun while he relaxed with his brothers, of a human child praising his metallic fangs, of warmth and adoration and admiration and love…
But then he flickered back to his human form. He remembered a beautiful city with colorful buildings, of a boy dancing with falcons and of a girl singing like a bird. He remembered being happy, he remembered being sad and sorrowful and angry and scared…
“Being a dragon is decidedly better, right?” Yuuya’s voice cut through the haze of memories, assuring and calming. “Come on, Yuuto, everyone is waiting.” He blindly tried to grasp a hand outstretched to him. Yuuya was safe. Yuuya would assure him. Together he and Yuuya would save Ruri and Yuzu—who?
He couldn’t see, but he knew that Yuuya must have hold him. Hugging him close and assuring him that he was okay that he was fine. “Yuuya… I… I’m not… a demon. I’m going to save… who?” Yuuya would remind him. Yuuya would remind him of a girl who sings like a bird and a girl who smiles like a flower and they would save the world and they would be together forever.
“It’s okay, it’s all right,” Yuuya’s voice was constant and calming. It reminded him of the days he was afraid whenever night came because it reminded him of the darkness. Odd-Eyes would tuck him to sleep while he murmur calming melody and Dark Rebellion will purr in content. “He needs you, Yuuto. He’s out there now, fighting with people who wanted to stop us from saving the world. You wouldn’t want that to happen, would you?”
“No!”
“Then we should help him! You’re of no use to him in this form so you should change…”
“Yuuya, Odd-Eyes, I…”
“Dark Rebellion, Yuuto; hurry everyone is waiting!”
He then flickered back to his dragon form, aiding and helping his flight. “That’s a good boy! Let’s go, Dark Rebellion, everyone is waiting! We have to save the world!” And Dark Rebellion flew out of the darkness and into a familiar meadow. Clear Wing noticed him first and he smiled, Odd-Eyes following him suit. It felt… off, but he was happy so it shouldn’t matter…
…right?
Starve Venom stayed in the darkness that was Yuuto’s headspace, watching with amusement as his youngest brother went over to the rest of his flight with glazed eyes and unsteady wings. He enjoyed this job better than he thought he would.
Quite suddenly, the darkness shifted and revealed a familiar figure. Zarc was flickering between his normal gray-haired and golden-eyed self and his scaly and dragon-skinned self, Starve Venom snorted.
You look horrible.
“Cut me some slack, Starve Venom, I’m not complete yet.”
Starve Venom growled in response, but lowered his head to let Zarc pet his scales. The child mindlessly scratch his venomous scales as he watched the rest of their flight playing and conversing with one another.
“Did you get rid of him? Yuuto, I mean.” Starve Venom flickered into his human form. “Soon enough. I’m overwriting it even now; Odd-Eyes and Clear Wing, though they don’t realize it, are helping me…” Yuuri chuckled.
Zarc gave him an appraising look before averting it back to Dark Rebellion. “How come Yuuri and Starve Venom can coexist without conflicting memories? Everyone else clearly couldn’t.” Yuuri stared at the child and rolled his eyes. “Isn’t it obvious? It’s because I love this flight more than any of them,” he flickered back to his dragon form and willed his tail to hit Zarc’s shoulder affectionately.
It doesn’t necessarily mean that I love you more, though. That’s for Odd-Eyes. Now off you go, destroy the world or anything that makes you happy. We’ll be waiting.
Starve Venom then closed the darkness around them and went over to his brothers. This time all of them gave him a smile, even Dark Rebellion.