Yugi, Yusei and Yami brothers

Being friends

Yusei's pov

I can tell none of them are really sure what to think.

"So, then how come you can be here?"

The question is less malicious and suspicious, more curious and sorry.

"Fate and Destiny neglected me, failed to make sure nothing happened to my strength, so they are giving me a...pardon so to speak, and nothing will happen to this timeline or mine. At least, if something does happen, I won't have to do anything, since that would make their pardon useless. I can't remake bonds that other duelists have chosen to break with me. No Hero can."

Joey doesn't say anything, but he comes up and - to my surprise - wraps his arms around me in a hug. I don't hesitate for too long, despite being mostly touch-starved as I am, wrapping my arms around him gently. I try not to be too hard, but something in my chest pulses, and suddenly I can just tell that Joey had felt every broken bond I have hanging to me.

He backs up, not too fast and gives me a look. One of his hands, by instinct, had traveled to grab the shirt in front of his heart, while the other rested against my sternum, above where every bond a duelist has is. He seems to be seeing something, from the way his brows are furrowing, and the tightening of his fist. 

Anger flashes through his eyes and a fire is suddenly there, not aimed at me - for the first time in months - and then it dims, and continues dimming, until he's shaky. I realize what he's doing and try to pull away, not wanting him to relive more than the first two or three bonds breaking, but he tightens his grip and - unwilling to hurt him - I stop moving.

Finally, he starts to wilt and I brace myself, his weight leaning against me, even as I slowly lower us to the ground. His knees are too weak to hold him, and I wince, the breaking of so many bonds might be too much for his body to take. 

"You....You are the strongest I think I know. No offense to Yugi, but he and his pharoah, they have each other and will continue to until Yami moves on or whatever, and even then they will meet again wherever the dead meet. You... you lost so many friends, so many BONDS and you can still keep going? I don't know how you did it."

I blush, it was rare for someone to praise me, and then gently let the others take him, each of his little troupe having crouched down to see what was up. I would back up to give them space, but he's keeping a firm grip on my clothes, and I don't want to hurt him by fighting and weakening him further.

"You lot know how much I care for Yugi. Ya know how much I care for you.  I didn't realize how steady, how strong our bonds were, until I went in his bonds and felt each broken end and saw each moment when the bond broke. He is literally only alive because he met Yugi and fought alongside him. If that hadn't happened, I know he wouldn't be alive. None of us would've known until we died either."

"Joey..."

"His bonds are all broken Yuge. Not a single one but yours is left, yours and the start of one with Gramps. He would fade if he lost those."

"Are you sure?"

Tea and Tristan both sound concerned, whether for their friend or me, I can't tell. I decide to help and close my eyes. I gently tap Joey's bond, the way he got through to feel my bonds, and he let's me in. I don't intrude, only stick to the path given, where I gently tap the other three bonds connected to him, and then - once given permission - draw them all into me. I open my eyes in my body, where the landscape is a nice little field of flowers, something rare to live in my time, and mountains, rivers, and trees. It's nice and it shows all my struggles.

There are places where trees were, dried up rivers, mountains with gaping holes barely visible. I look up and the sky, despite all the light, is mostly black, one big silver ball in the middle connected to one a single red line(Yugi/Yami Yugi), and a faint green one(Solomon/Grandpa). This is unusual for duelists - at least ones that don't share bonds - to see, and usually considered a rare thing to do with family and lovers only, but it's the only way I have to show I trust each of them completely, despite having just met them... It takes but a few minutes for the other 5 to get here, since Yami can be seen inside other people. Only Yugi and Yami seem to understand what I've done.