#numeron code

[drago-gatta]

~✨Spark of Life✨~

I used the official NASA photo of the "Pillars of Creation" for Astral's body texture (layer in division mode)

I found it fitting since he rewrites the universe with the Numeron Code. Also the "cat's eye" nebula is particularly fitting too. In a picture the halo surrounding it is pictured in golden👁️

[evilbalwan]

Title: Red, gold, red, gold

Category: M/M

Fandom: Yu-Gi-Oh! Zexal

Relationship: Tenjou Kaito/Tsukumo Yuuma, Tenjou Kaito/Numeron Code

Additional tags: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Dokidokishipping, Fever Dream, Emotional Manipulation, Alternate Ending, Angst

Characters: Tenjou Kaito, Tsukumo Yuuma, Numeron Code

Language: English

Description:

Kaito is the one that gets the Numeron Code.

[lyricalchrysanthemum]

Cheren Piper smiles brightly as lady luck smiles down upon him at long last.

Admiration, recognition, confirmation.

All he ever wished for- had been granted.

His sacrifices were not in vain; his struggles and suffering had meaning.

This was what it meant to be alive.

He couldn't help but laugh as the proof of his victory appeared before him, creating a wall between him and the audience.

Reflected upon the surface of these cards, Piper sees the horrified faces of the spectators as he holds up the body of his partner, his beloved friend, to the wall of Numbers.

Tears roll down his cheeks, each laugh bitterly ripping out of his throat.

There was no need to fret.

With these Numbers, he was the strongest duelist in Nimbasa, in Unova, in the world.

Anything and everything was within his grasp- Cheren Slater included.

Their parting was temporary. In only a minute, they would be reunited once more, two halves finally becoming whole.

And Slater would praise him as he always had, congratulating him for his victory, taking his hand in his.

As the blinding lights turn into a wall of fire, his pedestal of honor turns into an altar worthy of a sacrifice, the limp body in his arms being the final gift- a slaughtered lamb for the gods.

"You made my dream come true," Piper smiles amidst the flames. "My dream- it's something we both share, right?"

The screams of the souls he's hunted blend with those of the living- but he only hears Slater's voice and his song.

"You've always been at my corner, even when everyone else left. You," He chokes up slightly. "Are my other half. My everything. I have you to thank for my victory."

The silver coins that filled his pockets clattered to the floor, the sound of metal clinking against the ground morphing into church bells.

An unanswered prayer remains unspoken.

"You'll always have me in your heart- as you are in mine, partner."

That's our truth, amen.

The sky falls, and heaven hears not another word from the traitor and the fallen angel.

(writing by @antihibikase / @antihibikase2)

[antihibikase-archive]

Numeron Code AU - Plot Summary

We've temporarily named the arcs after the opening of Yu-Gi-Oh! Zexal since Zexal is the main series that inspired this AU- its also why they use D - Gazers, which were introduced in Zexal.

Additionally, for reference for our mutuals; the D Gazer is the thing on their eyes (Piper's tattoo, Slater's heart-scale thing) while the duel disk is the thing attached to their arm! The D Gazer enables them to see the field (Zexal is focused on the whole hyperrealistic AR thing for the duels), while the duel disk is where they play their cards.

Keeping YGO terms and reference to a minimum here in this post for easier understanding but, here's the plot so far;

Cheren Piper is an up and coming duelist from Nuvema Town, hoping to make it big in the center of Unova, Nimbasa City- that is, if his attitude wasn't holding him back.

Those in Nimbasa's dueling scene know of Piper as a temperamental brat, and while they couldn't deny he had the skill to make it to the stars, he wasn't deserving of such blessings until he fixed his personality, one that is so unbearable that it turned all of his previous friends away from him.

Despite this, Piper aims to be the best of the best, viewing his lack of connections and support as something temporary- something that will be worth it once people realize his greatness.

However, his life changes after he meets his first and only genuine fan, and is later approached by a man in strange garbs.

Arc 1 (Masterpiece) - Piper meets Cheren Slater, a boy from Hoenn who shares his name. Despite initially keeping him around to stroke his ego, Piper finds himself growing to care for him, as Slater confides to Piper about his lack of dueling skill and the reasoning for his presence in Unova- loneliness.

Piper is later approached by a man named Ghetsis, who offers him pure strength in exchange for his cooperation in Team Plasma, having grown interested in Piper's performances in Nimbasa's dueling scene.

Piper chooses to chase his ideal, and becomes a number hunter for Team Plasma; someone that hunts rare cards known as numbers, which are said to bring out a duelist's deepest, darkest desires, and grant their wishes. In addition, to reap a number from a duelist, he has to steal their soul.

Arc 2 (Braving) - As Piper grows busier with his number hunting, he disappears from Nimbasa's tournament scene, sparking rumors. Meanwhile, he tries to keep in touch with Slater, who is convinced Piper was simply scouted by a professional dueling circuit, and supports Piper's dream by promising to wait for him always. Growing slightly jaded by the number hunting, Piper wishes to see his friend again- but is unable to come to their meeting following an emergency with Ghetsis.

Meanwhile, Slater waits at their usual meeting spot, believing that Piper will show up no matter what- he's eventually abducted by Team Plasma's sage Zinzolin, who claims he is similar to The Diviner of The Herald card, and sees him worthy to be the object of worship of the cult, The Herald's Guidance.

As Piper starts to rebel against Team Plasma, Ghetsis dangles his captured friend in front of him, and feeds Piper a lie- if he wishes to save his friend's life from the clutches of the Heralds, he must continue to seek out the numbers.

Arc 3 (Soul Driver) - Rumors about a ghost spreads online, attracting the attention of Unova's best dueling league, The Elite Four- particularly, it attracts the attention of Pro Duelist Grimsley Slater, who has been working night and day, seeking out his missing brother.

Having found escape impossible, Piper finds himself selling his soul away to Team Plasma in an attempt to collect all the numbers and to save his friend, who grows weaker with each day under the influence of the Heralds.

During one of his hunts, he encounters Grimsley, who reveals he has a number card of his own; however, Piper is unwilling to hunt him, knowing that doing so might lead to his only friend hating him. Spotting this weakness, Ghetsis attempts to exploit his attachment to Slater, dangling freedom and the illusion of control in front of him.

Not wanting to hurt anymore people and unwilling to leave his friend in the mercy of the cult, Piper starts plotting of another escape attempt.

Arc 4 (Unbreakable Heart) - A month after Piper manages to escape with Slater, he moves in with Slater at his condo in Castelia City, despite Grimsley's mixed feelings towards him. Sharing the same trauma, the two of them try to recover from what has happened to them, seeking out to enjoy dueling once more.

Piper's reappearance makes him realize that, despite his unlikable personality, those in the dueling scene were troubled by his disappearance, and he finds himself mellowing out and enjoying the feeling of being loved.

However, just as both he and Slater are starting to feel comfortable, scattered members of The Herald's Guidance emerge, claiming that Team Plasma will rise again- and they will take their Diviner once more.

Arc 5 (Dualism of Mirrors) - on edge after weeks of harassment and stalking, Piper is approached by a man named Colress, who offers him the choice of training him under his wing to become stronger. When Piper refuses, Colress mentions that in his current state, he will be unable to protect what is most important to him.

Piper slowly starts to spiral back into old habits, keeping Slater in the dark about his meetings with Colress, and once again focusing on solely strength instead of the joy of dueling. This culminates in him attempting to hunt Grimsley for his number card, which in turn, leads Grimsley to believe Piper will never change from the brat he was at the start, and kicks him out of their home.

That night, however, as he wanders through the streets of Nimbasa City, Grimsley calls Piper in a panic, claiming Slater is missing.

Arc 6 (Wonder Wings) - Piper is summoned by Colress to the Plasma Frigate. Along the way, he duels members of The Herald's Guidance as they repeat Colress' words to him- that Piper is not strong enough to protect what is most important to him. By the time he reaches the Frigate, Piper has grown colder, more unhinged, and demands to never forgive Colress- or anyone that stands beyond him, his quest for strength, and his dream.

In the midst of the duel, however, Piper realizes that Colress' deck is not only Slater's old Herald deck, but that Slater has been trapped inside The Herald of Ultimateness' armor, where he's barely conscious enough to feel what's happening to him.

Piper is initially unwilling to hurt his friend, nearing death as Colress pushes him to his limits; but upon hearing Slater's voice from resonating within the armor, Piper expresses his desire to return to their simpler days back to their first meeting.

Trusting his own instincts, Piper manages to attack Colress- and by extension, Slater.

Epilogue:

Post-Colress duel, Piper is in a slump, having his passion for dueling ripped away from him; not wanting to be in the public eye any longer, especially after he's held his friend's body in his arms, Piper attempts to run away; from both his partner and the rest of the world.

However, months after Slater's recovery, Piper hears that Grimsley is forcing him to go back to Hoenn- Piper shows himself to Grimsley to fight for Slater's right to choose, but Slater takes his challenge instead, prompting a ceremonial duel at the very place where they first met.

As they duel and attract an audience, Piper remembers the promise he made with Slater months ago, where they would protect each other and be each other's biggest supporters in a world that they felt had left them alone. Realizing Slater wants to share his burden and not to worry about him anymore, Piper manages to overcome his fear of hurting his friend, and give him a good and fair duel.

After winning the duel, Piper demands for Grimsley to listen to Slater's choice- in which Slater reveals he himself wishes to go back to Hoenn for the time being, and only pretended that Grimsley was forcing him, knowing Piper would not show up otherwise. Though Unova is his home now, Slater understands that he must learn to find his own strength just as Piper learns to open his heart to the region he once turned his back to. With a promise of reunion, Piper and Grimsley send off Slater to Hoenn.

Timeskip:

A year later, Piper is seen reconnecting with old friends and winning his first ever tournament- he had moved into the Slaters' condo awhile back, and intends on chasing his dream while he waits for Slater to return.

Numeron Code ends with Piper receiving a call from Slater, telling him he's waiting at their usual spot in Nimbasa City.

[antihibikase2]

Numeron Code : Final Wonderland

Long ago, I think I lost something in an unfamiliar place and cried, And a [ dark-eyed ] sorcerer took me by the hand and helped me [ He ] isn't going to come here, I remembered who [ he ] was I'm coming to help you now

The steps of the undersea castle were infinite, as if to dissuade their lone inhabitant from leaving.

Though Slater found the view enthralling, he knew he was not meant to stay here, no matter how loudly the ocean called for him.

The current was merciless- with each step bringing him closer to the light, he was pushed down as soon as escape was within his reach.

All he could see in front of his outstretched hand were bubbles from his throat, as the water pulled him back into the depths of the abyss.

For a moment, he had considered giving up, curling into the safety of the sea's embrace.

But the light filtering through the waves called out to him like a siren's song- and with it came a gloved hand.

He tries again.

No matter how hard he was put down, he had nowhere to go but beyond.

He had lost count of how many times he was brought back to the darkness.

But as long as that hand was within his reach, he could not stop trying.

...

Surrounded by the flames of the end, Piper knew this duel was going to end one way or another.

Either he performed a miracle, a blessing only given by the gods,

Or he, Slater, and Ghetsis would all burn in the flames of hell.

There is no outcome where Ghetsis will win. He refuses to entertain that.

As the wall of flames grew, he could barely hear the screams of his rivals- the ringing silence of the Heralds was all he could focus on, as he stared down at the limp body in his arms.

"I end my turn."

...

Pushed down into stone floors once again, The Herald of Perfection breaks its vow of silence.

"Why do you insist on leaving?"

Was he not so lucky, to be chosen by the angels?

Was he not thankful, to be worthy of their protection?

Was he not happy, to live in comfort in the depths of the sea, where he could not be touched or hurt?

Slater shakes his head.

No matter what treasures these angels offered him, he would not falter.

He promised someone he would meet them.

...

Burning Land's stacked effect with Dark Room of Nightmare, coupled with the charging Wave-Motion Canon-

"Desperate, aren't we?" Ghetsis mocks. "This isn't the strategy you had planned at all."

It wasn't- it was a bit of an old shame, to say the least. Piper never wanted his duels to come off as anything other than perfect, and he didn't want to resort to tactics like burn to gain the upper hand.

He was better than this, smarter, even.

But a cornered dog bites back, no matter how ugly.

Ignoring Ghetsis' taunts, he sticks to his new strategy- or, to be more accurate, he falls back on an old reliable.

"I activate the spell, Swords of Revealing Light. All face down monsters are flipped up in attack position. With this card on the field, you can't attack for three turns."

"Desperate and bidding for time."

It was all he could do, especially when Slater's eyes remained shut.

...

At some point, he had lost track of time.

He must have been expected to be driven to insanity- as for no matter how hard he tried, he could not escape the clutches of the legendary sea.

But, even as the Heralds of Green, Purple, and Orange lights swirl around him, ready to subdue him once more,

He reaches out for that hand at the surface yet again.

As their fingers brush together, he remembers their promise.

...

The heat continues to grow, melting the Sweet Hearts that Piper pops into his mouth in a panic.

With Jinzo on both their fields, Piper wonders how the rest of this duel was going to go-

And then Ghetsis does the unthinkable, and performs an Xyz Summon.

As a new monster emerges from the field, Piper realizes the control he initially thought he had was a mere farce.

Yet, he swallows the bittersweet chocolate down his throat, steeling his nerves.

Though this wasn't the spotlight he envisioned, Piper continues to fight for the sake of the only thing that matters-

But just as he's about to draw his card, he finds that he can no longer see clearly with one of his eyes- the one with the crest.

...

"Slater, I'm sorry I was so busy lately."

"It's alright! How are you? Are you doing well?"

"It's-"

"..."

"..."

"Piper?"

"..listen, Slater. Can we meet up? At our usual spot. I'll meet you at sundown."

...

And so, Slater waits.

Even as the sun sets and the moon takes its place, he waits.

Even as the inky darkness swallows the golden sky, he waits.

Even as an angel shows itself to him, its haunting chime a sign of bad fortune-

He waits.

...

The water slowly rises from the soles of his shoes to his knees.

Strangely, in the midst of this hot summer day, his Sweet Hearts retain their shape.

...

"I'm sorry to have kept you waiting. This is my fault."

...

"It's okay, I've forgiven you a long time ago."

Their hands meet, and Slater holds his breath as he's taken out of the water.

...

As Piper falters, his body does not meet the marble floor.

With shaky arms and an even shakier breath, Slater stands with his singed holy robes, holding him close to his body as they stood against the devil- the one who had played with their fates.

"The Diviner of The Herald," Ghetsis spits out. "To think you still had the strength to wake, even after all that-"

"Slater?"

"Piper-"

Oh, his throat felt dry. Each word pricked his throat with a thousand needles.

Yet, he smiles.

"Partner."

"Partner- yes, that's me, we promised-"

Ah, bad time.

He looks up at the banner- with only a thousand life points left, on turn fifteen no less, Slater wonders how to turn this duel around.

He wasn't that good of a duelist in the first place.

Still, just as Piper had reached for him, he would offer to do the same, even if his body perishes in hellfire.

With Piper hanging onto him for dear life, Slater summons his duel disk into his arm-

"Here, take mine. It's temporary."

Piper transfers the mark around his eye onto Slater's, in place of his missing D Gazer.

His indigo eye turns to a shining gold, the same shade as the light attribute that was forced upon him.

An angel-

The wings of his tailcoat were burnt off.

Even with these chains binding him to the heavens, Slater persists.

He would not allow himself to ascend.

"Partner," His voice quivers, especially as Ghetsis glares down at his form- "Please, you've done so much for me already. Let me share your burden."

And normally, Piper would not allow such a thing.

But, consumed by his own fatigue, he chooses to believe the sight before him was a dying dream.

"Partner," Piper whispers under his breath. "I'm counting on you."

His eyes shut as Slater fully awakens, having broken out of his dreamland.

As the flames lick up his arm, Slater prays that the angels who had taken him would at least part from his form with a blessing,

and bring about a miracle.

"My turn! I draw!"

[peppermint-whiskers]

The progression of every single Yu-Gi-Oh series. Season 1: I'm 12 years old and I have to beat the school bully in a duel so that he stops bullying my friends >:(

Season 3: I HAVE TO BEAT GOD IN A CARD GAME TO SAVE THE WORLD, I HAVE COMMITED MULTIPLE WAR CRIMES, AND ALSO I AM STILL 12

LMAOOOO

My favorite iteration is Zexal, where he has to fight the fucking CHAOS GOD OF CARD GAME DARK MAGIC WHO SEPARATED FROM HIS HOMEWORLD AND ALSO THIS MOTHERFUCKER CHEATS AT CARDS BECAUSE HE'S AN ASSHOLE

[shitpostingkats]

Astral ultimate autism character because he keeps coming up with things to Collect All Of but then gets distracted halfway through by another thing to Collect All Of.

[guardiandamned]

Ryouga doesn't know how to face Yuma.

God, it pisses him off. That he's still such a coward, even now, who doesn't know what to say to the boy who should be his friend. ...Or is he an enemy?

Even now, he doesn't know what to think. It wasn't easy, turning his back on Yuma and the people he'd grown to love to fight for the Barians after remembering the truth of it all. It had been painful, hard, and cruel. ...But even that feels easier now than this shitty uncertainty that haunts him now, pulling him in two different directions, making him want to scream and just give up, but-

He can't. Not yet.

After he'd lost that duel to Yuma, he'd wanted so bad to believe that a miracle really was possible. If only he could put his faith in him one last time... but now that Ryouga's been revived, months into the past without explanation, he doesn't know what happened to the world he left behind. He doesn't know if Yuma and Astral's resolve was empty, or if they'd managed to find a way to save everyone - but even though nothing's changed... Ryouga just can't find it in himself to betray Yuma again for a second time.

"Yuma...?" Eventually, Ryouga speaks up. His heart is hammering in his chest, and he feels sick. "I... I need to talk to you for a moment. About something important."

@highfivethesky ( starter! )

[numeronweek]

🌿 Numeronweek's Prompt List ⇢ Is HERE!

The first posting day will be on FEBRUARY 22nd! Don't forget to tag #Numeronweek and @ this blog when you do!

[ alternative prompts and text versions under the cut! ]

Day 1 —  in the garden / “I want to understand you” / domestic Day 2 — not so different / “Join me” / fantasy au Day 3 —  red meeting blue / “This was a mistake” / levity Day 4 —  lily of the valley / “Make me an observation” / roles reversed au Day 5 —  one thousand days / “Show me chaos” / hurt Day 6 —  energy bleeding together / “We’re going to get caught” / teachers au Day 7 —  the numeron code / “What could have been…” / comfort Day 8 —  Free Day / Catch-Up 

And if the above prompts didn't inspire you, here are some ALT PROMPTS;

Aeonian -- never coming to an end; eternal.

Elysian -- relating to heaven or paradise

Cynosure -- a person that is the center of one's admiration

Novalunosis -- being in awe while looking at the stars

Serendipitous -- something happening by chance or hidden fate

Archaic -- belonging to the past

🍃 🍃 🍃 🍃 🍃 🍃 🍃 🍃 🍃 🍃 🍃 🍃 🍃 🍃 🍃 🍃 🍃 🍃 [But remember, you do not need to adhere to the prompts in order to participate! Have fun!]

[scattered-irises]

MOONAGE DAYDREAM

Hello everyone! I have decided to post mine and trickbuster's @ygobigbang on tumblr as well as AO3. The AO3 crowd will get updates 15-20 minutes earlier with slight formatting differences and more linked media. I have been developing this fic for almost 10 years. I am honored to have had @trickbuster and the talented Lys and Sabella on this project. This is the first time I have ever collaborated with anyone to write and I had a great time!

The summary for Moonage Daydream is as follows:

The Numeron Code failed. Kaito is dead. Or so it seems.

At least in Mizael's memories, Kaito lives. In his waking hours, Mizael is haunted by Kaito's ghost. In sleep, he hears Kaito repeating the same message over and over again.

Return to the moon. I’m still here. There isn’t much time left. Hurry.

Was it his guilt, or was it truly Kaito? There is only one way to find out.

Rating: Teen

Word Count: 1075

Characters: Mizael, Kaito

Relationships: Slight Mizakai

Warnings: Canon divergence: Kaito is still dead

Act I: The Earth

“Hey darling

Can you hear this voice?

Hey darling

If you can hear this voice

Throw my remains in that temple’s ark

And resurrect me

The things you can’t do as one

certainly can be overcome if there’s two

The whereabouts of the miracle are now in your hands”

—Whereabouts of the Miracle, Akuno-P

Chapter 1: Revelation

“Come back,” urges Kaito. “I’m still here.”

His voice is distant despite standing in front of Mizael. A frown fills Kaito’s lips, coupled with furrowed brows. His eyes are filled with a dim glow as if touched by moonlight. He looks as he had in his final moments, dressed in his white spacesuit and cracked helmet. Around them is a white void, shining like the moon. Through the glare of the light, Mizael shields his eyes. 

“That’s impossible,” utters Mizael. 

He knows this for a fact. Humans were so terribly delicate while the vacuum of space had been merciless. He swallows a lump in his throat and gazes at Kaito’s pale blue eyes. Hadn’t he been there to hear Kaito take his final breaths?

“You’re dead,” he whispers. “I saw you die.”

The words stick in his throat, wrapping an invisible hand around it. How he hates that word. Dead. Death. Die. The end of what once was alive. Kaito’s death had been the end of his tale, his story now in the hands of others. There would be no more duels with Kaito, who had felt like a mirror image of Mizael. No more new words would be uttered from his lips. Only echoes, breathed out from the memories of those who had known him.

They had been two kindred hearts beating as one, separated by a sea of time and loneliness. If only Mizael had the courage to tell the truth before they were forced to battle on the moon…

Yet looking at Kaito now, his flickering image surrounded by light and listening to his fevered pleading, Mizael couldn’t help but think, 

Is he, though?

The same expressions. The same voice. He was so close Mizael could touch him…

Kaito continues to stare at Mizael with an unchanging expression. 

“Return to the palace. I’ll be there waiting,” Kaito promises. 

His visage flickers and warps, as if he was one of those holograms from a poorly connected call. 

“There isn’t much time left,” whispers Kaito.

Kaito’s helmet begins to fog and Mizael’s chest tightens. 

“Wait—”

“Hurry,” urges Kaito, light emanating from his suit. 

His final word is almost carried away in the radiant light. Mizael shields his eyes and winces.

Please. 

Mizael startles awake, jumping from his sweat-stained pillows. He turns to the clock. 2:00 AM. Moonlight creeps through the bottom of his thick curtains. His hands shake, recalling Kaito’s words. They echo in his mind, as they have for the last few weeks.

Return to the moon. I’m still here. There isn’t much time left. Hurry. 

Four months of this madness. 

Madness? Or was it grief? 

In the dim light, he stares out at his meticulously organized room in the Barian mansion. It still smells of fresh paint. His shelves are lined with Chinese classics translated to Japanese. He runs his eyes through the titles to steady himself. A Dream of Red Mansions. Romance of the Three Kingdoms. Journey to the West. Flowers in the Mirror. Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio, with a bookmark tucked in its first few pages. Some had been presents from his new homeroom teacher, who was told that he was an exchange student from China. The others had come from Durbe and Yuma’s friends. 

Despite the shaking in his legs, Mizael pulls open the curtain. His chest twists in pain. The moon is brilliant, shining above Heartland’s skyline. 

He looks away. 

No. Not yet. Unlike the protagonists in his Chinese novels, he could no longer compose poetry underneath the moon. He could no longer use it to light his way home. He could no longer meet beautiful, ethereal beings beneath its gentle light. The moon no longer possessed magic to him.

Because Kaito was still dead. 

Because the Numeron Code had failed. 

Because he knows that everyone blames him for Kaito’s death. 

He is a condemned man, hanging between life and death. His fellow emperors and acquaintances will reassure him with their gentle smiles and soft words but he knows the truth. Behind his back, they will say that he is a man with blood on his hands. Just like what happened at the party, where one man had been brave (or besotted) enough to tell him the truth. 

On lonely nights, he can still hear the man’s words ringing in his ears.

He cannot bow to them, though. He is a warrior, born and raised. Instead, he will continue to live. Excel in his lessons. Smile. Duel, even without his beloved Tachyon. Pretend to be like other humans, even though he knows he could be so much more. The guilt he carries will be his burden as he makes his way through life. Like weeds, they will spread from his heart to the rest of his organs and he will fight them in silence. Eventually, he will succumb to the weeds choking his body. He will wither away without protest like Lin Daiyu, her debt to her lover repaid in tears. That was his fate. 

 If only his human body wasn’t so frail…

If his body was strong and he did not succumb to guilt…then what?

…

He is surviving, not living. Just like Kaito, he is a ghost wandering through Heartland City. 

Mizael forces himself to stare out at the moon again. It shines like a gem, defiant against the city’s light pollution. 

“Come back,” whispers Kaito’s voice. 

Shnnk. Mizael closes the curtains violently and looks around. Sometimes, he can see Kaito in the shadows, dressed in his robot’s corpse. His expression is always filled with a vacant smile, neither blaming nor absolving Mizael of his sin. Right now, the shadows of his desk yield no ghost. The space between his bookshelf and the corner of the wall remains a black void. Rumpled sheets are his bed’s only companion. His closet remains tightly shut, no gloved hand sheathed in white armor attempting to break out. 

This madness had to end. 

Mizael peeks through the curtains where the radiant moon remains.

Return. 

But how? 

Only the soft buzzing of electricity answers him.

[cosmicellis]

Yet its not just Eric's bad memory. It is because of numerone code no one can remember his name. That's what happened when 2 people edit the same thing. A mess He is also in possesion of Dragilas... who is a major pessimist

[numercnnightingale]

10 Reasons to Consider Shipping Numeron

( astral x don thousand )

1; Why Not

.

Established connection that was never utilized:

These two dueled one another for up to one thousand days, fought each other for the Numeron Code, and was the whole reason Astral was created in the very first place. 

Despite that, the show never went into anything with their cosmic dynamic. Or even acknowledged it much.

But think of all the missing scenes, or even canon compliant Added scenes, in fics you could produce by brainstorming even a little bit about them. 

There’s a variety of fun tropes to play with;

enemies-to-lovers, forbidden attraction, pure angel x fallen angel, garden of eden symbolisms, second chance, secret attraction, doomed yaoi, “was never meant to be, but became anyway”. 

To name just a potential few.

There’s a lot they could teach each other:

Astral’s arc through the series involved learning the slow acceptance of chaos, but a lot of it was surface level and from a very young / emotionally immature point of view. Don Thousand is the self proclaimed deity of chaos, its harbinger. Embracing it cost him his entire home. Think of the new emotions Astral could experience from learning about his early home world if he was forced to listen to Don Thousand’s perspective of it. Especially now that Astral has opened that connection to chaos again in their world . . .

On the other side, think of how Don Thousand might be affected by being forced to understand Astral’s innocent but earnest perspective. Astral represents everything Don Thousand lost when he was cast out and banished. To then have this same being allow your side to be told, for once, and defy its programming to do so . . . 

Make Shit Up. No one can stop you.

The ship doesn’t exist right now. You have the power to forge their dynamic using all the creative liberties you desire.

And again, it’s not like there’s nothing in-canon tying them together. There’s actually a lot. So you can either have a fun blast digging for it, or just make up your own stuff from scratch. 

Creatively, its an untapped well.

5; They Look Good Together

text not needed

Angst.

Like but imagine.

The first time Astral ever experiences such an emotion of heat? And its towards his sworn enemy? The one he was made to destroy? The literally god of whom represents everything he was wired to believe is defiling?

And for that god, to find desire in a creation of light and perfection, who was made for him? But also who stands in his way? Who represents everything he’s abandoned and been abandoned by?

But 

what if despite everything they were tender to each other

Movies The Ship Could AU

Beauty and the Beast

Pride and Prejudice Strange Magic

The Sound of Music

Howl’s Moving Castle

Secret of Nimh 

The Last Unicorn

And Lastly

Thanks for reading. If those didn’t convince you, maybe these might

Fanfic 1: “i will travel far beyond the path of reason”  (fanfic) (not romantic)

Fanfic 2: “i don’t believe in god“  (fanfic) (sort of romantic)

AMV: “back to eden” 

Ship tag to browse: #numeronshipping

Thank U Goodnight

[raemanzu]

Duel Nature

@zexalmonth

D - Duel

This little one-shot takes place basically during the last episode of the series, because I felt kind of cheated by how rushed the ending was.

Yuma wants to connect with Vector after all the Barians are revived, and what better way than a duel between friends? But Vector already has enough battles to fight.

----

            They materialized on the school roof, of all places. All of them at once, coming to on the ground, like they’d all been part of some bullshit revival meeting—ha, revival, literally—and only fainted, not straight-up died.

            For a moment, Vector thought to himself that this had to be some new form of hell. Perhaps the last dying gasp of his consciousness was playing tricks on him, or whatever fragment of him still remained within Don Thousand was being kept as a plaything—it would be fitting. But there was Astral, the smug glowing bastard, descending from the sky like the saint every one of his kind thought they were.  

            Wait. No, he wasn’t there, not fully. Vector couldn’t feel his presence like he normally could.

            “What the hell?” Nasch was standing up, in his stupidly teenage body holding his head of stupidly teenage hair in his hands and grimacing. “We’re alive?”

            We. Oh no. Oh, no, no, no.

            Vector reached out to create a portal, to get away from Nasch and the other emperors before they all inevitably turned their attention to him, the guy who’d stabbed every last one of them in the back, and—nothing happened.

            There was nothing there.

            Don’t panic. Vector affixed a manic grin onto his face and shoved his errant hands into the pockets of his pants, noting with relief that at least he hadn’t been revived in the idiotic school uniform. Instead his favorite black and white coat was a reassuring weight on his shoulders. Small mercies. Think.

            The last thing he remembered was the torrential wind, the rock crumbling under his fingers, getting sucked into… well…

            Vector felt as if that same invisible hand was squeezing his core again and sucked in a breath, arm twitching with the urge to cover his chest with one hand. Bright red eyes flashed in his memory, and his empty stomach twisted.

            No, there was something else. A sense of time passing, like he’d merely been asleep. And he’d felt Astral’s presence somewhere close, unmistakably. That unnervingly clear resonance, artificial, perfect.

            “I have used the numeron code to revive all of you,” Astral was saying, “because that is Yuma’s wish. These human bodies are yours to use as you desire, and will age and die the same as other humans’. Earth is your home now.”

            Nasch looked stunned by this, until Yuma leapt down from who-knows-where like a whooping cannonball. “Shark!! Alito! Shark sis! Ahh, Astral, it worked!!”

            The sound of his so-happy-I-could-cry voice shouting out the rest of their names was like razors in Vector’s chest.

            “It’s Rio,” Merag snapped. “Or Merag, pick one!”

            Yuma was too busy jumping Nasch, who honestly might have hit his head and lost all power of speech judging by the incoherent noises coming from his mouth.

            Vector took a step backward, unable to tear his eyes off the sight. Yuma, the last hand that had touched his, promising to—

            He turned abruptly for the door to the stairs, skin prickling with chills.

            His hand touched the knob. “Vector,” Mizael said, and that’s the push he needs to hurry up and yank it open, slipping through before anyone else can say a thing.   

            With the door closed, he couldn’t hear their voices anymore. Still not a whisper of resonance, either.

            Just humans, now? Forever? Until he dies again—what, of old age? The thought was so wrong Vector heard a breathless laugh escape him as he hurried down the stairs.

            The laugh quickly turned to an embarrassing squawk as a glowing yellow hand gripped his arm and threw him against the wall. Ow. Fuck.

            “Where are you sneaking off to?” Mizael’s pompous voice always made Vector fantasize about snipping off that stupid hair-wing (ear??) with a little concentrated chaos, and he wondered if it had that effect on anyone else. It had to, right?

            “Ohoh, Miza-chan, you already miss me that much?” Vector strained to keep a suave voice. That was the problem with human bodies. They had inconvenient things like lungs and throats and flight instincts. And were too easy to pin against walls by someone with a body of condensed energy and crystal.

            And why the hell was Mizael Barian anyway?!

            “Don’t bother to lie. You’re always up to something.”

            “Too bad, our private time is already getting interrupted~!” Vector hated the frayed edge of his own voice and forced his face into a foxlike grin as he saw the unmistakable burst of light and color heralding the arrival of several other Barians.

            One, two, three, four, five.

            And Astral, floating in through the ceiling.

            Vector realized with a bitter taste in his mouth that the only human heart pounding in this damn stairwell was his. And no matter how desperately he reached for that easy familiar power, it was gone.

            “Let him go, Mizael,” Nasch ordered calmly.

            Mizael made a reluctant noise. “And what? Let him slink off to scheme up even more ways to betray the rest of us?”

            Ugh, he could feel Nasch’s eyes on him. That much hadn’t changed. That pompous, benevolent stare, measuring him up, deciding just how much pre-emptive disapproval to dish out. Vector looked carelessly toward the ceiling instead, keeping everyone in his periphery, and sighed as if this was all just a minor annoyance.

            “The war for Barian world is over,” Nasch mutters. “We lost.”

            Vector thought he had no feeling left in him for Barian world. But something about the defeated voice Nasch just used really pissed him off.

            “Oh, Astral, you really wiped it all out?” A tiny hint of Shingetsu’s whiny voice broke through. “Then just took the seven of us back home to be your pets? I didn’t know you had such a taste for the exotic~”

            Right then the sound of Yuma’s feet pounding on the stairs above them made Vector’s stupid human heart literally skip a beat, and not in a cute way—in fact it made him wonder if it was trying to stop entirely. That would have been convenient.

            “Wait up, guys!” Yuma panted desperately.

            Mizael let go of Vector’s arm with a hmph, but Girag had moved his bulk to block the path going down, so all Vector could do was straighten up and think fast. Nasch turned human again first as Yuma approached, then the others, but not so fast that Yuma didn’t catch sight of the transformation as he rounded the corner, panting and rosy-cheeked.

            “W-what’re you all in such a hurry for?” Yuma laughed. “I mean, you can do whatever you want now that you’re alive again, but since the big fight is over, I was hoping we could all just be friends!”

            Awkward silence. Nasch and Alito started to talk at the same time, then stopped and gave each other looks.

            “To answer your question, Vector,” Astral said solemnly, “I did not destroy Barian world. It has been merged with Astral world, and all the souls that existed within each world now exist side by side.”

            “All except for us,” Durbe said thoughtfully, adjusting his glasses.

            Astral nodded once. “Yuma thought you all deserved a second chance, considering the way your human lives were cut short by Don Thousand’s manipulations.”

            Yuma’s presence was bad enough on its own. But Vector was going to be damned—well, he already was—if he gave the other former emperors time to realize just how short his end of the stick was this time. Assuming they didn’t already know, in which case he wasn’t going to give them time to rub it in his face either.

            “Yuma-kun~!” Vector cried out, just the slightest edge of Shingetsu still clinging on. “So you defeated Don Thousand after all?”

            “Yeah!” Yuma looks thrilled, though there is a flicker of something in his eyes that Vector instinctively turns away from. “You don’t have to worry anymore. Uh, any of you! So, how about it? We’re not enemies anymore, right?”

            “To exist in this world as humans means we will need some form of income,” Durbe said.

            Astral pointed to each of them in turn, somewhere near their pockets. “I took the liberty of giving you all a modest starting amount. Yuma reminded me that Shark has quite a lot of money and a rather large mansion as well.”

            Nasch makes an odd face with his shoulders tensed, like he’s suppressing his initial instinct to grimace. “Uh, yeah, you guys can crash there until you get your own places I guess.”

            “I’m sure it’s for the best if I get a start on looking right away,” Vector said, a sharp edge slipping through the sickening sweet of his voice. “So excuse me please, Girag~”

            Girag stepped aside at Nasch’s nod of permission, and with another prickle of feeling all their eyes on his neck, Vector hurried—but not too fast—down the stairs.

            “Hey, wait right here, okay guys? I’ll be right back!” Yuma’s cheerful voice was already faint enough Vector could only just hear it.

            Shit. Shit shit shit. He’d just been reaching into his pocket to see what Astral thought was a modest amount of cash. Vector looked for somewhere to hide. It would be so easy if he could just portal away like usual.

            But there was nowhere except the nearest exit from the stairwell. He rushed for it and was halfway down the hall when the door clacked back open behind him. Ugh. There was no helping it.

            At least the others weren’t watching.

            “Shinge—ah—Vect—ehh, what should I call you??” Yuma laughed awkwardly as he approached.

            “Vector,” Vector said in a low voice, not turning around.

            Those puppy-like footsteps stumbled to a halt a little ways behind him. “O-okay, Vector! Hey, I was just coming to say, if you don’t want to stay with the other guys, you can come stay with me!”

            This guy. Was he serious?

            Heat crept up Vector’s back. Not so strange, really. Yuma was like a human sun, burning into him even when his eyes were closed, and in front of Vector, all that existed was the black scar of his own shadow, distorting the hallway floor like another gateway to hell. Sweat trickled down his back. Ugh. Sweat. The smell of his own fear and human­-ness was already rising from inside his jacket. And his stomach felt hollow and cramped.

            He was going to have to eat soon. Sleep. Piss. Shower. Get a job… what a joke. Hilarious! Astral sure had a sadistic sense of humor. Either that or he was much more oblivious than Vector had thought, setting Vector up with the perfect excuse to tug on Yuma’s heart strings. It would be so easy.

            Pull out the waterworks. Turn around with tears in his eyes. Yuma-kun, I think I’m the only one who can’t access my Barian powers! The others are going to murder me in my sleep if I don’t stay with you. But I don’t want to cause any more trouble….

            And then. And then. He would be the fox invited into the hen-house. Curl up and play with the foolish little chick who thought he could be friends with someone who’d just as soon swallow him whole. Bat the dumb kid around a bit while he giggles, not even realizing he’s getting slowly crushed by this “game.” How could Vector do anything else? It was just his nature, like a cat chasing a mouse. And Yuma was such a good mouse.

            “Vector?” Yuma’s voice was a little breathless, and too close.            

            Vector turned sideways with half a glare out the window, still not looking directly at him. Yeah, like the sun… too dangerous to stare at for long.

            “Yuma… you’re a real piece of work, you know that?”

            Yuma laughed. Of course he did. A sheepish little laugh, scratching his head and waving his hands.

            “Everybody says that! But I’m just glad you’re okay now.”

            “Yeah….” Vector said distantly, a strange buzzing feeling beginning under his skin. Like an inverted sense of resonance, like a phantom limb, like the part of him that had been Barian had simply gone numb and was coming back as pins and needles. For a moment it excited him, but when there was still no response to his reach for power, he realized he was shivering. No, this wasn’t a sudden awakening. Maybe it was more like a premonition of an addict’s withdrawal.

            Yuma, to his credit, hadn’t touched him yet. He wasn’t even quite within arm’s reach. From the little Vector could see out of the corner of his eye, Yuma’s smile wavered for a moment, then burst back brighter.

            “What do you want, Yuma?” Vector asked, with false politeness.

            “I, uhhhh… I want to duel you!” Yuma burst out.

“Duel?” Vector let the incredulous slant to his voice stay. “You want me to duel you? Again? How long has it even been since you were last dueling for your life? Haven’t you had enough by now?” Something was seriously wrong with this kid. Maybe he really did get off on near-death experiences.

Yuma wasn’t intimidated, still laughing nervously. “But it’s the best way for me to know what you’re feeling right now so—!” He groped for his duel disk.

            Vector couldn’t help it. A sick laugh burst from him. “Yuma… What am I supposed to duel you with?” He spread his empty hands, indicating his lack of disk, d-gazer, or even deck. “And what for? To understand one another? I already understand you perfectly!”

            But how could he, when Yuma was so beyond logic. Was his will to save Vector actually unbreakable? All Vector knew was that he never, ever wanted to find out. No, there would be no more dueling with Yuma. If that shred of a conscience Yuma believed in really still existed, Vector would have to refrain from taking such bait.

            “Well, dueling is fun!” Yuma said stubbornly with a childish pout. “Can’t we just duel as friends for once?”

            “Maybe later,” Vector sighed airily, though his lungs felt like they were operating at half-capacity as it was. “I have things to take care of and youhave lots of other friends to catch up with, don’t you? So, I’ll see you at school tomorrow, Yuma-kun.”

            Yuma lit up at this reassurance, just as Vector hoped he would. “Yeah!! See you tomorrow, Shi—v-Vector! Ahaha!”

            He gave Vector a big thumbs-up and, though it cost him about five years of whatever his new human lifespan is, Vector gave him one back—barely restraining the impulse to cringe when Yuma taps knuckles with him—before turning to walk away.

            He didn’t hear Yuma’s footsteps withdraw, and so he didn’t look back over his shoulder until he’s turned the corner toward the building’s exit.

            The act was worth it. Even three more minutes of being in Yuma’s orbit might have destroyed his resolve. As it was, his mind still raced with the perverse impulse to think ahead, to anticipate another meeting, another chance to—what?

            No. He was going to stay far, far away from Yuma and all the other Barians. And do what? All his ambition, all his drive, it was just the restless energy of a rabid animal. He could duel (once he managed to build a deck, he thought bitterly), but it would have to be with enemies. Enemies or nobodies. People who didn’t matter, who didn’t know what he once was, and didn’t know what he was (what was he?) now. Vector chewed his thumbnail as his shoulders crept up toward his ears, the sun setting to his right as he set out on the nearest path to the waterfront. The water itself was blindingly glittering when he came within sight of it, the light breeze a bit warm. He wanted to close his eyes against it but couldn’t help staring at the dazzling brightness.

            It was going to be gone soon. The sun was setting.

            To his left, his shadow was so long it crept up a building on the opposite side of the street. And when he looked at it directly, the neon afterimage of the glittering light on the water swam and danced on the darkness of it like mosquito larvae in a pond, expanding and swelling into the reaching pale sickly hands of ghosts.

            He closed his eyes, but they were still there, even closer, behind his eyelids, the afterimage burning and burning until he was panting and all he could do was turn back toward the light in desperation.

            At a bench on the edge of the water, he sat, watching the sun go down. He let his eyes take in every last ray, knowing exactly what would be waiting for him in the shadows when it was gone.

[lyricalchrysanthemum]

Cheren Piper’s "If we only need a second to break, A minute ‘till we wander away, I’ll pray to every God I know to keep you here to hold me If you only had a century to stay, Eternity to stay here the same, That I’m saved by such a feeling that I’m the only one Could you see the things I live for and show me if I’m only doing great?"

vs

Cheren Slater’s “"Even if we have to say our goodbyes Even if we lose sight of our lives You'll always have me in your heart I'll never part from your side If only I could stop you leaving If I could hold you right here with me I'll make sure that all my secret sins Everything my heart has hid All the feelings deep within Beating in my heart's the Truth, Amen"

[antihibikase-archive]

The Relic Song being a special song in Blur/Blight canon and almost every AU ever with the exception of Numeron Code- Relic Song is just a personal song that Slater taught to Piper. It only becomes special once Piper becomes a Number Hunter, and that's the haunting melody his opponents hear him whistling before they duel for their life and he steals their souls.

Aka it's Haruto Tenjo's theme. And it gets whistled too.

[antihibikase2]

Word Count: 333

Prompt list.

The strange man with green hair had told him earlier that his love would be a poison- and for once, he had learned to fight for himself, to deny the image others had wanted of him.

But perhaps, he was wrong- or perhaps that thought itself was wrong, as in this moment, he was nothing but ecstatic; he had nothing to be regretful of.

What was there to fret over, when the world finally saw his partner for who he was? Misguided, misunderstood, alone.

The gold medal gleaming around his neck was not a worthwhile prize- especially compared to what he had kept inside.

A phantom hand forces itself into the core of his being, reaching out for what was etched into his soul.

Terrified screams filled his ears, looks of horror flashing before his eyes- and the knife twists itself further, deeper, with drive and with hesitation.

Amidst the cacophony and crackles of fire, his voice is clear as a bell, a gentle drop of water that could have once healed his scorched heart.

Do not hesitate, he wished to say. It was not in his partner’s nature to do so.

With a shaky hand of his own, he cups the other’s cheek, wiping the stray tear that slid down his face.

“Rejoice,” He says in-between gasps. “Your wish has come true.”

“Not mine,”

In the pits of hell, Piper finally smiled.

“Ours. Can’t you see? You’re-”

As soon as Piper pulled his hand out, Slater’s arm limped to his side.

“-my other half.”

The artifact between his fingers was bathed in a golden light, until the mark of a Number formed on his palm.

Number 7 - Lucky Straight.

He mutters a word of appreciation to his partner, suspended in a waltz that would never meet its end. The gathered Numbers form a sphere around them, bringing truth to what was once his ideal.

What a joyous occasion it was, to finally have it all.

But why don’t these tears stop falling?