Arc-V: Collection of Stories

Angel and Devil (Brothers AU)

"Yuri! You're late!"

Yuri shrugged with a smile. "Sorry. The Arcade is pretty busy today."

"You're going to Arcade and did not Invite me?!" Yuya pouted. "Mean!"

"Which one of us has backlog homework from procrastinating till the last moment?" Yuri shot back, smirking at Yuya's dejected expression. "Plus, don't you have to worry about your upcoming duel with the sledgehammer?"

"Ah... yes..."

Yuri wonder whether it was worth tracking down where Nico Smiley lived and bombing it with Molotov cocktail. No. That was not good enough. He'll just get insurance. Maybe sneak in a family of skunk there? Yes. That would be a good idea. Preferably after he fed the skunk something nasty. Handmade Mexican food, maybe? He know there's a recipe somewhere...

"I think I got the deck set but..."

"You want me to take a look at it?"

Yuya nodded.

Smiling, Yuri patted his head. "Sure. After dinner, ok?"

With that, he went to freshen himself.

Quickly undress, Yuri take look at his bruised body in the mirror.

Looks like he'll stuck with long sleeves and gloves for a while. At least until he got "plausible injury from duel".

Mom and Yuya didn't know Yuri had joined a gang a while ago, and he like to keep it that way. He doesn't want to trouble them more than he already is. Having them knowing Yuri had turned into gang, underage smoking, and underground dueling plus actual fight is definition of "Making them Worry".

As he sinks into the hot bath, Yuri resolved, he will keep his adoptive mother and brother in the dark as long as he could. Preferably, taking this secret to his grave.

He owes them that much for taking him in.

.

A small figure curled up under the tree. Trying to hide from the rain that drenched his small body. At center, is his cards.

"Do not cry", Yuri remember Professor's words, "you cannot cry. Cry is for the weak. You are forbidden from crying."

And he tried! Yuri tried to not cry! But he had been lost! He was trying to find Professor in the lab, then suddenly he was in weird place called Maiami. And... and no one know what he was talking about. Academia? What's that? Which duel school is he talking about? Leo? Does he mean LDS? But no. It wasn't that! Wrong place! Wrong wrong wrong!

At some point the adult looks at Yuri weird and Yuri hates it! He run away when they said they need to take him somewhere. He don't know them he don't trust them he don't like them!

That had been yesterday.

Yuri's stomach hurts. It had been hurting and noisy since last night. His legs hurt from moving and his throat hurts. His everything hurts.

And then

And then rain come down.

It sucks

It sucks so bad

"Hey. Are you alright?"

Someone call him.

He lifts his head and saw himself.

Himself with red and green hair, with red eyes, wearing yellow raincoat.

"You're me?" Other him said it.

Yuri did not know what to do.

How... is he suppose to answer that?

"Yuya!" A female voice called, and not long after, a woman holding red umbrella arrives.

"Mom!"

Yuri's chest hurts.

Mom? What's that? Other him has a "Mom"? Why does he and Yuri doesn't?

"Yuya, don't run off like that again, ok? The road is slippery." The woman said. "And who is this?"

Don't you know me?, Yuri want to scream. You know Other Me, why don't you know me?!

But other him is not named Yuri. It's Yuya. So... other him is not him. Just... just a replica. A faulty replica.

Or was Yuri the faulty one?

Had to be.

Because Yuri had nothing and no one. He must be the one at fault.

"Dunno. But he looks like me. And wet."

Yuri's stomach made itself known.

"...and hungry, too."

"I see." The woman kneels to his level. "Hello, my name is Yoko. What is yours?"

Is it Yuya? He and Other Him are supposed to be one and the same, but, but they have different color. Yuya has bright color, like blooming flower and fresh leaves, while he is like... wilted. So... "Yuri."

"Yuri." The woman calls his name. "It's a lovely name." Is... it? What is Lovely she speaks about? "Do you know where your parents are?"

"...what are parents?"

"It's like Mom and Dad!" Other Him answers.

"What's a Mom and what's a Dad?"

The woman was silenced, before smiled.

It's a different smile.

It made Yuri want to hide. Because, because he say something wrong, is he? Yuri the foolish one. Yuri, the one other call monster. Yuri, who is always make mistake, who is always alone.

"Do you want to come with us?" She said and Yuri look at her in surprise.

"Come...?"

"I can't leave you here. You'll get sick." She told him. "How about you come with us? I think Yuya's clothes will fit you just fine... and there will be food. Plenty of food."

"Please?" Other Him look at him with big eyes.

Yuri hesitates, but nodded.

"Ok! Let's go home, Yuri!"

Other Him took his hand and pulled him along.

Mom-Yoko laughed and hold umbrella, so that Rain no longer hit Yuri.

...it feels like a dream.

If it was dream...

...then Yuri doesn't want to wake up.

.

"Yuri!" The door to the bathroom is hit from outside. "Don't fall asleep while in the bath!"

Yuri rolled his eyes fondly. "Of course, dear brother!" He replied, just so Yuya stop banging the door.

He is not mad. Or upset. Or annoyed.

That was Yuya just being Yuya. Concerned about everyone's feelings, even to those he shouldn't.

Yuya is like Angel. Too kind and easily taken advantage of.

That's why Yuri decides to be his Devil. So he can hurt others before they can hurt his precious brother. Before they can hurt his precious family.

Let him be the darkness, so Yuya can always shine.

(In which, due an accident with Dimensional Transporter, Yuri teleported to Standard Dimension long before Canon happens and get adopted by Yoko and Yuya.

Drowned by kindness and unconditional love, Yuri willingly be the Darkness to Yuya's Light. Nobody is allowed to mess with his family. Those who dares, will Pay for it.)