Title: One-Sided Conversation
Characters: Akari, Astral, Yuuma
Chapters: 1-1||Words: 783
Genre: General||Rated: G
Challenges: Diversity Writing: YGO Zexal: B26, non-canon scene; Word Count Set Boot Camp, #24, 783; Zexal Non-Flash Bingo, #73, mystery; Mini-fic Materclass, Zexal, #10, The Wild Card; Valentine's Day to White Day 2016, #22, write about siblinghood
Notes: This takes place at some point in early season 1. Say, any point before the introduction of Black Mist.
Summary: Akari isn't an idiot. Yuuma isn't as clever as he thinks he is. So Akari has a few things to say to someone she can't see – and isn't even sure exists.

Akari crossed her arms and stared at the spot of empty air where her very strange little brother tended to yell at these days when he didn't think anyone else was looking.

Technically the spot of empty air seemed to move. At least Yuuma didn't always look at the same place, and it never quite seemed as if he were looking at nothing at all. Yuuma wore every thought and emotion that flitted through his head on his face. He couldn't lie, not to her and not to anyone else.

She wouldn't have been surprised if he'd tried it anyway. But he was so bad at lying that his attempt would consist of a few sputtered denials, then a quick exit while insisting that whatever she thought he was doing, he really wasn't and didn't she have better things to do than nag at him?

He'd tried that before and she let it slide. Whatever Yuuma did, it wasn't dangerous and she did have several other matters to deal with. She did bring in the bulk of the money these days.

But lately, whatever Yuuma did wasn't the innocent fun he'd enjoyed before. She was a reporter. She kept her ear to the ground and she heard stories. Stories about Yuuma dueling. Not just fun dueling - he'd done that for years and never won a duel and that suited Akari right to the core.

Yuuma dueled and won. Yuuma dueled against Shark and won. Akari hadn't ever met Shark personally but again, she knew stories and dueling was always hot news in Heartland. She knew who Shark was and who he'd been. For Yuuma to defeat him - something was in the air and Akari thought she was looking at it.

She couldn't see it, but she looked at it anyway. She tapped her fingers on the side of her arm, checked to make sure Yuuma kept sleeping, and spoke.

"I don't know who you are or where you came from, but if you mean any harm at all to my brother or anyone else in my family, then I won't hesitate to find a way to send you back to wherever it is you were before Yuuma found you."

From the moment the first words passed her lips, Akari knew there was someone listening to her. There was simply such a strong air of awareness directed at her, a feeling akin to being watched by someone in hiding.

She wasn't done yet. "If you're why he keeps getting into duels and winning them - then don't stop. He's wanted this for a long time. I don't know if it's good for him, but he's a lot happier than he was before."

Yuuma utterly believed in his kattobingu philosophy; every time he failed he just jumped back up and tried harder. Constant losing wore at him regardless: he was, after all, only human. If it kept going on like that, she feared he would end up losing that special spark that made him Yuuma.

"Stay with him. Keep him safe if you can. He won't listen to me." She wondered if she should mention what her parents said once and decided now wasn't the time. "And - thank you."

Yuuma stirred in his sleep, moonlight falling in from the window, gleaming off of the Emperor's Key where it hung around his neck. Akari wondered if it really did glow, or if she needed to get some sleep herself

Probably she needed sleep. She glanced around the room and for a single moment, she thought she saw someone floating in the air. Not enough to be sure and when she looked again, she saw nothing.

Time to go, she decided, and headed out of the room and to her own.

Astral watched as she left. He had only studied humans for a short time and he wasn't certain of how to define what just happened. Should he inform Yuuma when the boy awakened?

Perhaps not. It would not affect their search for the Numbers and that remained paramount. At worst it might distract Yuuma and he was flighty enough without that.

But he saw no reason not to accede to the women's wishes. If Yuuma lost a duel then he himself would perish. Therefore, it remained in his best interests to see to it that Yuuma won duels. He meant no harm to any of them, so her other threat held no force.

Astral didn't sleep like humans did, but he chose to rest regardless. Morning would come and perhaps a new Number, a new memory.

He glanced to where Akari had stood. "Good night, Akari-san," he said, and floated peacefully beside Yuuma.

The End

Notes: Well, I actually got back into writing Zexal. I wonder how long this will continue.