The Visitor

Chapter 6

A/N: Sorry for the late update, I keep forgetting >~< But it's better to be a day late than a week late, so here ya go!

Astral came back to the room to find the girls still there, having a sit down duel with Yuma two versus one. He watched with a small smile before joining.

"I can't have you losing a two on one duel," he nearly whispered.

"Let me finish this duel first, Astral," Yuma hushed urgently. It really took no more than a duel to cheer up Yuma's mood for at least a moment. Astral smiled a small smile and merely watched. 

Once Yuma was thoroughly beaten to dust, they set up another duel to pass the time and keep their minds off of the recent events. It didn't last long, though, and soon they were back to doing nothing. During that time, Astral thought about what he should remember. He didn't recall ever having a gap in his memory; he remembered everything since the day Yuma found him.

"Astral?" Yuma called, snapping him out of his daze. "Wanna go out? Maybe it'll help us keep a straight head."

Astral nodded. Given the current events, they had to stay strong. It's what Grandma would have wanted, after all. She and Akari raised them to be strong. "I believe that would help," he said, his voice barely above a whisper.

Soon, the group was out of the house after telling Akari where they would be. She told Yuma to keep his D-gazer available so she could call him when needed and so he would be able to call her when he needed to. Yuma, for once, didn't brush off her advice; after what happened with Tetsuo and Haru, safety seemed to be more important than just doing what he wanted.

"How about some ice cream?" Kotori suggested cheerily. "That makes everything better!"

Yuma's face broke into a huge grin. "Sounds great! Astral?"

Astral nodded. "That sounds nice." He himself couldn't wait to taste the rich flavor of chocolate on his tongue.

With that decided, the group made their way to the ice cream parlor. On the way, though, they passed by a few people, all of them looking like they were having a good time, laughing and joking. As they passed, though, one of them shot Astral a look, one of urgency and purpose. Astral felt a chill go down his spine as well as a sense of familiarity. Were those mismatched eyes familiar? He could have sworn he saw them before, though from where, he couldn't say. 

He watched them go by, standing in place and staring at the one in the middle, the one with the slicked back, blond, and shoulder-length hair and those mysterious mismatched eyes. Who was he? Why did he look at Astral that way?

"Astral!" Yuma called, once again breaking him out of his daze.

Slowly, as if in a trance, Astral looked over. His brother was waving him over; he was already far behind the group, which was already at the nearby ice cream parlor. Shaking his head to snap himself out of his daze, Astral pushed off the ground and flew the rest of the distance to catch up with his friends. He looked back behind him for the group, but they were already out of sight.

"Something the matter?" Yuma asked, holding the door open for him. "You seem spaced out."

"The group that passed by us," Astral muttered. "There was someone familiar about the person in the middle."

"Group? What group?" Yuma looked behind Astral, squinting in hopes of seeing whatever his brother saw. "I don't see anyone. It's weird, I've never seen you hallucinate before."

Astral's eyes widened in shock. Hallucinate? "You didn't see them?"

"Nope. Grandma's death must be getting to you." Yuma gave him a sorrowful expression. "It'll be alright, don't worry."

Astral nodded, crossing his arms and watching the others buy their ice cream. He just couldn't get his mind off of the group, not after Yuma blatantly stated that he couldn't see them. He had never hallucinated before, and no matter how many times he tried to convince himself that that was what it was, something in him kept screaming that he knew the man who passed by. Those blue and gold eyes, that slicked back blond hair, the bold look in his eyes, the way he walked. Even his clothes were familiar. Though he wore a sweatshirt and pants, they were oddly familiar to a suit of armor, right down tho the beanie he wore. His shoes, the regular old sneakers, were like boots.

Goodness, am I really taking her death so hard? A headache formed behind his eyes. Astral shook his head when Kotori asked him what kind of ice cream he wanted. It would only make his headache worse.

They returned home in the evening, and the headache hadn't let up. Astral didn't tell anyone, though, unwilling to spoil their fun. They dueled and laughed; a happy day for once. He could grin and bear it for once instead of complaining and complaining like he'd always done. Once home, however, he grabbed an ice pack and laid down on his bed.

Yuma, as usual, worried and fussed over him. "You should have said something if it was so bad!" he scolded, turning off the lights so the headache wouldn't get worse.

Astral chuckled, as much as it hurt his head. "I didn't want to spoil your fun. You looked really happy for a moment. I didn't want to ruin it."

The boy's expression softened. "Don't suffer for our sake, please. I want you to enjoy yourself, too."

"Don't worry about me. I'll be fine."

"If you say so. Get some rest." Yuma kissed his forehead and smiled. "I'll see you in the morning."

Astral smiled back and closed his eyes, holding the ice pack to his head. "See you in the morning."

~.~.~

But the next morning, he wasn't fine. Yuma worried, afraid of what would happen while he and Akari were gone. Astral had no one to look after him, no one to make sure he had everything he needed. Astral assured his brother and sister that he would be fine, that he didn't need anything. Still, before he left for school, Yuma made sure he ate and was hydrated. 

Soon, Astral was alone.

As he lay in bed, a cool rag still on his head with his eyes closed, he heard someone calling to him.

"Astral," the voice whispered, as if knowing any loud sounds would make his pounding headache worse. "Astral, open your eyes. Have you forgotten your mission?"

Astral opened his eyes and saw the same person he thought he knew looming over him. He had a strict expression, but his eyes were soft. "Who are you?" Astral murmured. "And what mission?"

The man shook his head. "It's too early to remember, I suppose. But just know that our world needs you to do your part. Whatever happens next, don't be stressed about it. Let it happen. Here, take this." He showed Astral a card with a warrior and a 39 etched into it. "When the time is right, this will help you remember."

It was soon absorbed into his body. Astral's eyes closed, and he fell asleep. This time, there was no voice.