A,N: Hello my dear readers and welcome to the last chapter of book 3. I really can't believe I managed to get here. It is almost a dream come true. I just wanted to thank you readers for all your support throughout the year. I could not have done it without you. I appreciate every heart/vote or comment I have gotten. Hopefully, you will stick with me when I post book 4 in the future somewhere. Thank you so much. Now a quit warning. Bring tissues. This chapter ends in a tearjerker.

Zaira's p.o.v.

I was not sure what was going on here. Everything was so confusing and sparkling. I was clearly not on earth any longer. That was for sure. Was this a dream? I could be. Why else would I be in the sky, looking at a palace placed on some weird clouds and were sparkling in blue, red and golden colors?! I was literally staring in awe at the sight before me. The sun was about to go down and its brilliant light hit this beautiful palace and made it shine even brighter than before.

"Wow this is... unlike anything I ever seen" I uttered out to myself.

"Why thank you. I take that as a compliment" A voice then suddenly answered and literally gave me a heart attack.

I turned surprised towards the voice but found nothing. Besides clouds underneath, I was somewhere up in the sky where the clouds didn't really reach.

"You are here early young one. Not that I mind. I could use some company" this weird voice said once again, but just like before I couldn't see where or who it was coming from.

"Who... who are you and where am I?" I uttered loudly and looked around frantically.

"I believe I already introduced myself last time young Zaira, though you did have sweet Cy with you" the voice spoke and chuckled a little "But to answer your second question, you are at my palace. My home so to speak".

"Your home?!" I questioned in disbelief "Did you summon me here?".

"No, I did not. You summoned yourself young one in astral projection. I was greatly surprised" The stranger replied "Not that I doubt your capabilities Zaira. You did summon that miracle to save your friends. I couldn't be prouder". At that my eyes widened.

"You... you were the one... you saved me from the darkness...." I could barely speak a full sentence right now. That was how surprised I was right now.

"Ah, so you do remember me young one. That means a lot to me" The stranger replied, and I was sure I could feel a hand stroke my hair now "Sadly, I am not allowed to keep you here. It is against the ancient laws. Besides, I wouldn't want to keep you against your will. That would be cruel, and I would not want to stoop to this thief's level...".

"But I... I want..."

To stay. That was what I was trying to say. There was just something about this place that called to me and leaving it made my heart ache so bad.

"Oh, my sweet. Don't cry" I could hear the stranger say as it sighed.

Its hands were rubbing away my tears, I think. What surprised me the most, was that I hadn't even noticed I was crying, and I instantly wiped them away to not lose face to whoever was here.

"I know you want to stay young one and I wish I could fulfil your wish. Believe me. however, as long as you bear his curse, I cannot bring you home. I am so sorry".

I was literally pounding on those words as the stranger finished talking. Then it dawned to me.

"Wait home? This is my home?" I uttered out and wondered why I hadn't realized that. It had the same feeling from the duel in the key. The familiar feeling of home and family. I continued "What curse? Who's he? What are you talking about?".

"Zaira!" voices then suddenly could be heard all around as echo's and made me shutter.

"Your friends are calling young one. Go back to your body. They need you to win" the stranger instructed, and I could feel a hand stroking my hair again "Follow the thick blue thread and it will lead you straight back".

I could feel the pull in a particular thread, but I just couldn't leave yet. I just couldn't.

"Will I ever be able to meet you again?" I asked. I just needed to know.

"Break the seal and open the door... before... he... does... curse... young one".

That was all I managed to hear before I felt a heavy pull and got pulled underneath the clouds and...

Back to my body. I was not sure how much time had gone, but before I knew I was back to my body and trying to catch my breath. Sure, I really didn't need it, but after being separated from one's self, you just felt like you needed it. That until I saw the playing field and ended up gasping again. This time in horror. That was not exactly what I wanted to see when I woke up. Yuma and Astral facing off against 96 in a duel. Sure, I had seen them duel before, but not waking up to one who was so outclasses as this one. I mean Yuma and Astral was facing two powerful numbers with more att points than Utopia. That and I had no clue what was going on.

"What the heck?!" I uttered.

Both to the dueling playing field, who I was having a front row seat seen from above, but also because I couldn't move. It took me some seconds to realize that I was tied up on a floating crystal, closest to 96 side of the field, which was a lot closer than I wanted that creepy number to be ever. I groaned annoyed as I tried to recall what happened. The last time I remember was us at the riverbed trying to find the cause to all these disturbances around the world. It was of course 96. That much I knew. I also think I recall 96 swooping in and grabbing me. Was this the place he had brought me too? It did look an awful lot like barian world. Was he hiding there? Then I could hear dark chuckle that instantly got me out of my daze. 96 was laughing!

"Ah well look who decided to wake up" 96 then said and could feel those creepy golden eyes meet mine "I had hoped you would sleep through it all, but I guess we can't have everything now can we?". I hissed back in an angry tone.

"96! What the hell is going on here? Where am I?".

"Ah, well we are in a dimension I created. Isn't it lovely?" 96 bragged proudly "As for what's going on here, I am sure you realized that by now my dear. I am dueling Astral and Yuma to erase them from existence".

"Oh my, I would never have guessed that" I replied rather sarcastically "I meant why is there more than one number on your field? And why am I tied up? Does it look like I can run anywhere?! Put me down this instant 96!".

"Ah my sweet. I am not containing you because you can't run away. No, I am containing you in order to protect you" 96 pointed out and smirked evilly "You should be grateful. Unlike those pests over there, you will not be harmed by the attacks up there. Aren't I the sweetest?".

"Oh, I feel so relieved" I sneered back just as sarcastically and turned towards Yuma and co. "Will someone tell me what's going on here?!".

"Ah well you see... 96 kinda brought us here after he kidnapped you" Yuma began explaining "And well forced us into a duel in order to save you...".

"Not to mention tricked us into this trap" Astral added in "His field spell enables him to steal our numbers, each time he sends a chaos Ou to the grave. Then he evolves it into a chaos xyz monster. He already took Heraldry crest".

"Ah I see" I began in a surprisingly calm tone, but then decided to flip out instead "And that is why you are losing?! Are you crazy? Get your butt in gear and turn this around or I swear I will find a way down there to kick your butts myself!".

"Well yeah I would, but it is 96 turn" Yuma tried defending. I growled at that as I turned my gaze toward the evil number once again.

"Well what are you waiting for?" I sneered down at the number "My approval? Just get on with it already?!". At that I could hear 96 chuckle darkly.

"Oh, what's the rush my dear? We do have an eternity together after all" 96 replied and smirked evilly "I want to relish this, but if it does make you feel better Zaira I will do an expectation for you my soon to be sweet wife".

"Ah, what?!" I uttered stunned and hoped I hadn't heard what he just had said.

"My soon to be wife" 96 repeated with glee in his eyes when I was staring at him rather awestruck "Yes, that is indeed your role in all of this my dear little Zaira. Don't you feel honored? You will get to survive as the only one when I have destroyed everything in sight. As soon as I win of course".

"I would rather be cursed to die repeatedly than marry you!" I yelled out as this bile taste filled my mouth.

That was the destiny that awaited me if 96 won? That was what he meant by surrendering to him? I felt like I should throw up, but if I did, at least I hoped I would hit him with it. I would not marry this creep even if he was the last man or being on earth. That I promise.

"Oh, so hostile. Maybe you will change your mind when I do win the duel my dear Zaira" 96 said and smirked.

Then he continued the duel. He activated chaos form of number 69 Heraldry crest, or in this case Heraldry crest of horror, effect. By using one chaos Ou his monster gained Utopia's att points and special effects, so its att rose from 4000 to 6800. Or to put it in other words, if 96 now attacked with Heraldry crest of horror, Yuma and Astral had to stop the attack or it was all over. Something Yuma of course pointed out to Astral as well. If they didn't do something, I would belong to that creepy number for the rest of my life. That filled me with more dread than you can ever imagine.

"Boys, it is all over for you and Zaira will be mine!" 96 uttered victoriously as he made his monster attack Yuma's Utopia.

"Yuma, you need to activate a trap!" I could hear Astral then shout.

"Yeah, right. I activate the trap 'Number Spell Caster'!" Yuma then shouted and did just that "By tributing the number on my field I can pick a spell from my deck and activate it. I tribute utopia ray victory to be able to activate 'swords of burning light'".

I sighed relieved as swords from the said spell card appeared onto Yuma's field. As long as he had no monsters on the field 96 could no longer attack him.

"Hmm I have to give you credit for that move Yuma, but it won't help you escape your fate. I wonder what you will be doing next" 96 commented as he threw down a face down and ended his turn. Now it was Yuma's turn.

"That was a smart play" I could then hear Kite comment from the sidelines.

"Yeah, but I can't see how they can get out of this one" I could hear Shark hiss. His gaze looked up and his eyes met with mine. "Don't worry Zaira. Even if Yuma loses, which he won't, I will be there to deal with 96 next".

"Oh really?" 96 said and chuckled "I will see you try".

"Well he won't have to, because it is my turn!" Yuma responded back to 96 as he drew. I was holding my breath as Yuma did in fact drew. They needed something big to get out of this one. That was for sure.

"I place a card face down and end my turn" Yuma then said and did just that. If I could I was sure I would have done an anime fall down right about now.

"Is that your big play?" I yelled at Yuma "I have seen puppies with more bark".

"Hey! I have a strategy!" Yuma shouted back in a firm tone.

"I hope so, because if you give up and I have to marry this guy, I will haunt you in the land of the dead. That I promise you Yuma" I sneered back.

"I never said I was going to give up Zaira. Have a bit of faith" Yuma uttered back which made me growl annoyed.

He was right. I had to have faith. Faith and hope that they would win. I guess the pressure of being married off to 96 just got to me.

"Faith hu? What's the point? There is no way any of you can stop me". 96 stated and drew.

As he did the effect of Heraldry crest of horror expires (6800-4000 att) which were the only good thing that turn, because 96 had something far worse planned. He was going to take yet another one of Yuma's numbers. By sending yet another chaos Ou from Dark storm (3-2) he could by random steal one of Yuma's numbers because of his so-called field spell "Chaos field".

"I wonder which one it will be this time" 96 said as one of the numbers landed in his palm "Are you all ready for the big reveal? Well here it is. Say hi to 'number 92 Heart-earth Dragon'".

I looked in horror as that particular number appeared onto the field. That number had been Dr. Faker's once, and I remembered how hard it had been for Yuma, Kite and Shark to take it down in their duel. Now Yuma and Astral had to face it alone along with two other numbers. That was not going to be easy.

"You two know what happens now don't you? Chaos field evolves number 92 into a chaos number. So, I rebuild the overlay network with Heart earth dragon. Go chaos xyz evolution!" 96 then shouted, "I summon 'Chaos Number 92 Heart-earth Chaos Dragon'!".

I was staring in awe as this now white dragon appeared onto the field in att mode. It was having 1000 att and 0 def points and looked pretty badass.

"Oh man. This just went from worse to worser" I could hear Yuma complain.

"So true, because I activate Heart earth chaos dragon's effect" 96 told them "By using one chaos Ou all your monsters, traps and spell effects are rendered useless until the end of this turn. Oh, and don't think your face down cards will save you because you are not allowed to activate them either and that means you have no defenses left. Astral and Yuma, this is the end!".

I looked in horror as 96 revealed his plans. It did seem kind of hopeless right now. But I was not giving up on any of them. If there was anyone who could survive this ordeal it would be Yuma and Astral. They just had to believe in themselves and the power of a miracle.

Vector's p.o.v.

On a floating rock a little away from the whole duel between Yuma, Astral and 96 was Vector hiding. He had been here from the start of the duel actually, since Don thousand had ordered him to capture number 96. What he found however, displeased him big time and were one of the reasons why he was hiding out here. He had seen how the dark number had appeared, carrying his sister in his arms. He had seen how she was tied up and being the bargain chip for Astral and Yuma. He also heard everything 96 was planning with her, and that combined made Vector rage rather impulsively. He didn't really care about what happened to Yuma nor Astral. He could kill them if he wanted to. Vector was not stopping him. He actually encouraged him. However, when it came to Zaira, that was another thing coming. She was his baby sister. His little sister and there was just no way, that he would let this evil bastard of a number claim her hand in marriage. It would be over his dead body!

"Vector calm yourself" he could hear Don thousand shout inside his head now as the power of the god clenched around his Lapiz "Don't you dare do anything dramatic!". Vector growled and hissed in pain now.

"If you think I will just sit here and do nothing while this...".

"And what would you gain from that you Moran? Think before you act!" Don thousand advised "If you go in there now to capture 96 all we will archive is his powers and a few appreciated nods from your sister and Yuma Tsukumo. However, if we wait, if 96 does in fact win the duel, both the menace of Astral and Yuma Tsukumo will be no more, and your dear sister is in number 96's hands...".

"And where is that any better?!" Vector hissed angrily "This creep will not marry...".

"Think your fool. If 96 has her, we can strike!" the god shouted back "We still have more power than 96. We can still defeat him together! Let him have his fun and deal with our enemies. Then, when they are the last ones standing, you will make your move and save your dear beloved sister from him. She will see you as a hero".

"...and since she has no one else to return to, she will be mine once again. Her brother and savior" Vector concluded and chuckled eagerly "That is indeed fiendishly brilliant if I say so myself. Why didn't I think of that?".

"Because, when it comes to your sister, you lack all reasonings Vector. She is your weak point. One day that girl will be your downfall. Mark my words".

"She is NOT my downfall" Vector mused to himself, but then decided to look at the duel at hand. "But I guess you are right. Seeing this clueless little tweep to Yuma in agony, might just have made my day. They so don't know what they are up against". Vector chuckled darkly at that. This was going to be so fun to watch.

Yuma's p.o.v.

The sun was setting at the riverbed. The cry of a seagull could be heard in the background as Yuma ran through this beautiful scenario on his way to meet his friends. He jumped up in the air and landed down the stairs and at the platform towards this beautiful view over the sea. It was that place he was meeting up with his friends. His friend and adopted sister, who Yuma treasured with all his heart. He could see Zaira standing there, looking out over the ocean with her back turned towards her, while Astral who had noticed he was here, sent him a warm friendly smile.

"I am here!" Yuma shouted cheerfully, which earned a growl from Zaira.

"And late! I been waiting here for an hour!" She sneered and finally turned towards him. If eyes could kill, Yuma would have been dead already. He strokes his hair sheepishly.

"Well eh yeah. I had something to do after school you know" He began defending.

"Detention again?" Astral questioned.

"Eh well no. My teacher just told me to stay at school awhile after everyone went home".

"I believe that is called detention" Astral mused with a smile.

"And I really don't care. I waited long enough!" Zaira snorted out in a harsh tone "I came here for a duel. Not chit chat!".

"Aha yeah! Astral and I will take you on, won't we buddy?!" Yuma exclaimed cheerfully and turned towards the Astral being.

Astral of course nodded eagerly. Gazers and duel disks got activated and soon a duel was in the process. Zaira had stated off and already summoned her Cy on the first turn. Now it was Yuma's turn and he eagerly drew a card.

"Okay Astral, lay it on me. What card is good at countering Zaira's wolves?" He then asked.

"Yuma, I am truly glad that I met you and Zaira in this world" Astral replied with.

"I am glad I meet you two as well" Yuma began at first. He turned confused towards his ghostly friend "Hey, we are in a middle of a duel. why are you telling me this now?".

"Yuma I am entrusting the numbers to you... and Zaira" Astral then said and sent him a smile again. A sad smile Yuma noticed "Thank you for everything".

Yuma looked shocked at his friend now. It was like he was saying goodbye. A lone tear fell down his cheek now. He didn't want to say goodbye. He didn't want his friends to leave him.

"Yuma! Yuma! Yuma!".

A voice suddenly shouted and got him out of his daydream. He found Astral by his side and realized that he was some place else. He was not at the riverbed dueling Zaira with Astral's help. No, he was somewhere entirely different. A place he could not recognize.

"Astral? What are we doing here?" Yuma questioned rather confused.

"Stay focused! We are in a middle of a duel" Astral advised which made Yuma turn towards his opponent. He gasped in horror now. "Number 96! And he has Zaira...!".

"Oh my, Yuma what is wrong? Were you daydreaming again Yuma?" Number 96 mocked and chuckled darkly "Of course I have Zaira. Wasn't the whole point of the d6uel to save her? Don't tell me you have given up on that?".

"Me? No way!" Yuma shouted fiercely as he shook his head. All in order to get that weird daydream out of his head. He really had to focus.

In the background were his friends watching from the sidelines though.

"Yuma looks out of it" Tori proclaimed in a worried tone.

"It must be the power of the sphere field along with 96's constant pressure of power" Kite commented. "All those shocks must be sapping his energy".

"96's Heart earth chaos dragon has left us vulnerable. We must remedy this, or we will lose the duel" Astral advised as he made Yuma catch up fast in what was going on. Yuma nodded concerned at that. He could see the danger alright.

"It's been fun, but all good things must come to an end. Heraldry crest of horror attack!" 96 shouted and made the monster attack.

"Ah no! This is bad. If this attack hits it is game over!" Yuma could hear Shark shout from the background now.

Luckily for them, Yuma didn't think so. By the instructions from Astral, they both summoned "Gagaga Gardna" from their hand. They could special summon this monster in att mode onto the field, since they were being attacked directly. Only drawback was that they would lose the continuous spell "Swords of burning light" who 96 chaos dragon had put on ice this turn. However, it was still better than nothing since they now had a monster to defend with.

"That won't help. It is still weaker, than my Heraldry crest!" 96 shouted and continued his attack.

Yuma and Astral were prepared for him though. They activated Gagaga gardna's effect. By discarding a card from their hand, in this case "Bacon saver", Gagaga gardna now couldn't be destroyed in battle.

"Nice try, but you still take damage" 96 proclaimed with a smirk.

Yuma and Astral let out a painful scream when they were tossed backwards by the attack. Sure, Gagaga Gardna was not destroyed, but they couldn't say the same about their life points. It went from 4000 to 1500 now.

"Yuma! Astral!" they could hear their friends shout from the sidelines. Yuma groaned and with pure willpower he was trying to get up on his feet.

"This duel will be over before you know it" 96 uttered as he activated Dark storm's effect. By using one chaos Ou, Yuma's Gagaga gardna losses all it att points, while Dark storm gained them all instead. It rose from 1000 to 2500 now.

"Yuma, Astral! This is the end" the number stated as he attacked with Dark storm. ¨

"I don't think so" Yuma uttered "Because I activate bacon saver's effect from the graveyard. By banishing it, our monster is not destroyed, and we don't take any damage in this battle".

He could hear 96 growl annoyed when Bagon saver appeared from the grave and took on the attack instead of Yuma and Astral. Yuma was having a silent prayer to his monster, who now had taken the fall for them.

"You don't know when to give up" 96 then sneered and looked over at Astral "Tell the boy that he can't win". At that Astral just shook his head.

"You are wrong. We cannot lose!" Astral proclaimed determined.

"Yeah you tell him Astral!" Yuma could now hear Zaira cheer from her prison "Don't give up! Give him a left and a left, then a right from me!".

"Oh, really now my sweet. Let's see about that" 96 said and smirked "Heart earth chaos dragon attack Gagaga gardna!".

Yuma looked in horror as the dragon now struck their monster. They didn't have anything to help them now, and soon found themselves flung backwards and into the crystal that created the chaos field. Shocks were jolting through Yuma's body now, and he couldn't contain himself from screaming. The pain was almost unbearable. As the attack and the shocks finally were over, Yuma was sitting on the ground gasping for air. They were only having 500 life points remaining.

"Ha-ha you have 500 life points remaining and neither of you is in any shape to continue. Save yourself some pain and just quit. If you do, I will show you some mercy and let you live long enough for you two to see when I claim Zaira's hand in marriage" 96 said and smirked evilly.

His eyes flickered up at the place where Zaira were tied up. Yuma could see the distressed expression his sister was holding now.

"Never! No chance! We will never surrender, so you can forget about keeping Zaira. She is going home with us!" Yuma then shouted determined.

"Hmpf have it your way, but you will regret it!" 96 stated in a cold tone.

He activated Heart earth chaos dragon second effect. The total amount of battle damage Yuma and Astral had taken during the battle phase now instead got added to Number 96 life points. His life points rose from 4000 to 7500 to Yuma's horror.

"Now I have 7500 life points. Jealous?" 96 uttered in a happy tone.

"That is going to make him almost unbeatable" Kite uttered at the sidelines.

"But I will still take you down!" Yuma uttered and got up on his feet's again "You know why? Because it is me, Zaira and Astral. You can try to take Zaira away from us, but it won't change a thing. We have a bond together that nobody can break".

That, however, were the last Yuma wrote or said, because his legs gave in under him, and he collapsed to the floor. Yuma was not sure why. It could be fatigue or all these shocks from the sphere field were finally getting to him. All Yuma knew was that he couldn't get up. In the background he could hear his friends shout his name though.

"Yuma" he then heard Astral say and lifted his head a little so he could look up at the Astral being who now was hovering above him "Yuma. You have exhausted yourself. You must rest for a while". Yuma growled at that.

"What are you... talking about... I don't need any rest! I am totally..." Yuma shouted as he tried to get up again, but with no luck. He had no strength left.

"Yuma" He could hear Astral say in a worried tone, before the Astral being turned towards Number 96 "Leave the rest to me!".

A blue duel disk appeared at Astral's wrist as he began transferring Yuma's deck to his own disk. Yuma was sure he had never seen Astral this determined.

"Number 96, you have caused enough harm here today. It is time that your rein to come to an end. Prepare for your defeat because I am feeling the flow!" Astral then said very determined.

He was ready to duel alright. His eyes however flickered from him to Zaira before they settled on Yuma again. Astral was having that sad smile Yuma recognized from his dream and he didn't like it one bit.

"Yuma. Please know that I will always be there to high five the sky with you and Zaira. Now number 96. Let us duel!".

Astral's p.o.v.

Astral were staring down that evil number known as 96 with determined eyes. He was not going back on his words when he told Yuma that he should leave the rest to him. It pained him to see Yuma lie exhausted at the ground right now. For that reason, he was at dueling right now. He just wanted to protect what was dear to him, and that included Zaira, who was being tied up on that crystal. He was going to save both of them. That was a promise.

"Fine by me. The little kid wasn't much of a challenge anyway. Hopefully, you won't disappoint me" 96 stated as he activated a spell card from his hand called "Number Karma. "If you don't have a number on your field at the end of your turn, you take 500 points of damage and oh my, that is all your remaining life points. It is all up to you now. What does the cards have in store?".

96 chuckled darkly as he ended his turn with a face down. I was clear that he was thinking that he had won. Astral however, were disagreeing since he had the trap "Number return" on his field. With it he could bring back a number from his graveyard. Problem was he was not sure which number he should select. Currently in our graveyard we have Utopia, Heraldry crest and Heart earth dragon. I know in my heart what I must choose. It Is time to feel the flow. And by that statement, Astral drew and started off his turn. His first move was of course to activate "Number return" of course.

"And which number will you select?" 96 asked while smirking evilly.

"Will he pick Heraldry crest?" Kite questioned.

"Or Heart earth dragon?" Shark added in.

"No! He will pick Utopia!" Zaira then shouted and surprised everyone.

Astral didn't want to keep them in suspense so he summoned back "Number 39 Utopia" from his graveyard and added Heraldry crest and Heart earth dragon as Ou's for him, since that is the usual total when summoning Utopia.

"With two more powerful numbers in your graveyard and then you follow up on Zaira's suggestion and summon Utopia?" 96 questioned in disbelief.

"For sure. Number 39 has always been our lucky number, right Astral?" Yuma added in with a smile "No matter how bad things get Utopia is always there for us. That means a lot to me, and Zaira, and Astral. We believe in Utopia and Utopia believes in us. That's how it has always been".

"You got it Yuma. Utopia will defeat him hands down" Zaira added in with a smile. All which made Astral warm around his heart. Those two had so much faith in him.

"Really? Well I can't wait to see you try" 96 replied rather confident "However, I believe that putting your faith in friendship leads to jealousy, suspicion and betrayal. If you are smart you will forget that sentimental mumbo jumbo so you will never be let down again. Just look at me, I never depend on anyone by myself. My power is all that I would ever need!".

"Having friends and working together is not mumbo jumbo!" Yuma shouted fiercely as he actually managed to get up this time, even though his knees were shaking.

"You are right Yuma" Astral could then hear Zaira say as she made both boys look up at her "Being part of a team. Being part of something bigger that is more important than just yourself, that makes everything better. That makes life mean something. You taught me that Yuma".

"Oh please" 96 said and snort "Spare me the lecture Zaira".

"It is no lecture. It is the truth!" Zaira demanded in a fierce tone "You of all people should know that 96. You claim that you are all mighty and depend on no one but yourself, but if that was the truth, you wouldn't kidnap me in the first place. In reality you are lonely and jealous of Astral and the friendship we share. That is why you are so obsessed with me 96, admit it!".

Astral were staring with wide eyes at Zaira. He had never thought about it like this before. Could 96 actually be lonely? Was that the reason he wanted Zaira's hand in marriage, so he had someone to share his new utopia with? Astral shook his head at that. Right now, he felt very sorry for the evil number. Astral could never see a path for him without Yuma and Zaira there and the friendship they represent.

"Will you shut it?! I am not anything like that!" 96 hissed as he glared up angrily at Zaira "I told you before. I am only interested in your power. Nothing more".

"Okay if you say so. Let's put that to the test, shall we? Our friendship and teamwork against your power in this duel. Let's see who is stronger" Zaira then said.

"If that is your way of a taunt to set you free Zaira, you are sadly mistaken" 96 said and chuckled "I know all about your new Zexal form thanks to Vector. I know they need you to complete it. I will never let you go!".

"Oh, that is fine. I don't need you to set me free. I can do that myself" Astral could hear Zaira say with a smirk "And since you did tie my body up pretty nicely, I will have no worries in getting it damaged...".

Astral's eyes widened at that. He knew what Zaira was implying here. He therefore turned towards Yuma who also were looking up at him with hopeful eyes.

"It is time for zexal Yuma" the Astral prince then stated.

"Yeah. I thought you would never ask" Yuma uttered rather cheerfully as he placed his hand on top of Astral's.

As they did, Astral noticed the third hand above them in golden colors. He didn't need to look, to know that Zaira had freed her spirit from her body in order for this to work. Sure, 96 might be able to contain Zaira against his will, but he could never contain her spirit.

"Are you two ready?" Astral questioned.

"Yeah let's do it!" Yuma replied for the both of them. They connected instantly after that, as golden light radiated between them. Red and blue colors merged with Zaira's golden spirit and formed what they had named Zexal 2.

"When two hearts join together along with the spirit of hope, nothing is impossible! Go Zexal morph!". And soon Astral could feel the familiar feeling of sharing a body with two other spirits. '

Zaira's p.o.v.

I could not believe that I was back here. In our Zexal morph 2 form. I had thought the battle with Vector would be the last, but I guess I was wrong. I could feel the familiar feeling of sharing one body and mind with Yuma and Astral. It gave the rush of power that we could do anything together. I knew our new body, being Yuma's, we shared, was covered in cool armor, and Yuma grew orange long hair who resembled me. We were so ready to face number 96.

"Even with Zaira's power at your disposal, it is still too late for you" 96 then stated and grinned evilly "You cannot stop me now!".

"The bond Astral, Zaira and I have, has the power to overcome anything" I could then hear Yuma say and think "Let's go Utopia. Chaos xyz evolution!".

We of course transformed Utopia into "Chaos number 39 Utopia ray" who was still a rank 4 monster with the same att and def points as the regular Utopia. It also appeared in att mode onto our field.

"Aha-ha I activate 'number lockdown'!" 96 uttered and activated his trap. "You can change your appearance, but it doesn't change the fact that Yuma is a horrible duelist". A giant pillar appeared behind us as Utopia ray were suddenly chained to it.

"Now your Utopia ray can't attack or use its special effects, and it is destroyed at the end of this turn" 96 explained. To all our horror. "And one more thing you will take damage equal to your monster's att points. So, what are you going to do now?".

"Leave this to me" I told Yuma and Astral in our shared mind space.

"Okay" both Yuma and Astral replied and let me take control for a while.

"I activate xyz treasure number 96!" I stated as I activated the familiar spell card. "I can draw a card for every xyz monster on the field. I count 4. What about you 96?". I could hear the evil number growl annoyed about that.

"A truly powerful duelist can shape the outcome of a duel. They can even generate the very cards that they need. Go shining draw!" I shouted and drew 4 new cards "These cards will be the end of you number 96. And I start of with this spell card 'Utopian hope'. It breaks Utopia ray loose from its chain". To be honest I did love the scared expression on number 96 face now that Utopia ray was free.

"Awesome Zaira. Thanks a ton!" Yuma replied cheerfully "Let me take it from here".

"Sure thing" I replied inside.

I was done with my part anyway. Yuma continued on our move by using Utopia ray's effect. By using all three of its Ou's it could increase its att by 500 for each one. He had used 3, so Utopia ray gained 1500 att points. (2500-4000 att) Furthermore, one of 96's monsters lost 1000 att points for each one. Yuma choose Heraldry crest of horror. It went from 3000 att to 0 in one go. However, Yuma was not done yet. Far from it actually. Since we haven't summoned anything yet this round, he also summoned "ZW -" who was a level 4 monster with 1000 att and def points. We of course equipped it to Utopia ray to increase its att by a 1000 with equals Sleipnir Mail's. (4000-5000 att) Next, we used the spell "overtake summon" to detach the last Ou from Dark storm and special summon "ZW - Asura Strike" from our hand. It was also a level 4 monster with 1000 att and def which we of course also equipped to Utopia ray to give it another 1000 att boost. It had 6000 att points now. But that was not all. We were now also allowed to attack all the monsters 96 controlled each. The shocked expression on number 96 face was priceless.

"It attacks all three of my monsters?" He uttered rather shocked.

"Number 96 might have a ton of life points..." Kite began saying at first. Then Shark took over "...But this will crush him!".

I couldn't agree more as we made Utopia attack our first target. That being Heart earth chaos dragon. Sadly, 96 was having a trap ready for us. By using "Chaos alliance" he could change the att points of all chaos monsters he controls so it equals his strongest. That being Dark storm with 2500 att points. Both Heart earth and heraldry crest att points rose to 2500 att points. Not that it mattered really since Utopia was still stronger. It destroyed Heart earth chaos dragon and took a huge chunk of his life points in the process. It went down from 7500 to 4000 now.

"Keep going. Take down Heraldry crest of horror!" I shouted encouraging and Yuma of course complied as Utopia destroyed that monster next.

96 was once again sent flying, as his life points dropped down to merely 500, which equaled ours. The only monster who was left was dark storm now.

"If I destroy dark storm, we will win the duel" I could hear Yuma say.

"Ha! I do not think so" 96 uttered as he was once again up on his feet "Have you forgotten, if you destroy dark storm, I am not the only one who takes damage. We both do. We will go down in defeat together. Then no one will claim Zaira...".

"Yeah and that is so not going to happen 96!" I sneered out and made Yuma attack with Utopia.

As he did Sleipnir Mail's third effect activated, which enabled us to change Utopia's att points, so it equaled that of dark storm, which was 2500. That meant however that both dark storm and Utopia was destroyed in a double KO.

"This changes nothing. We will both still go down in defeat together because 'Number karma' will deal us 500 points of damage at the end of the turn" 96 said and smirked evilly "I'll admit it was a clever attempt at suggest you three, but you will still fail". At that I snort firmly through Yuma's lips.

"That is what you think number 96" I then said "I activate the final effect of Sleipnir Mail. When the monster equipped with it is destroyed, we are allowed to summon number 39 Utopia from our grave in att mode".

"No this can't be!" 96 uttered rather horrified.

"Trust me. it is. Number 96 you lost to our teamwork!" I shouted along with both Astral and Yuma, as we made Utopia attack for a final time. We attacked him directly which sent 96 flying to the ground with 0 life points remaining. We had won the duel!

As the duel however ended, Yuma fell to the ground, while gasping for air. The duel itself had taken a lot out of him, even with me and Astral supporting him in spirit.

"I knew we could do this Zaira, Astral" Yuma then said as he rubbed sweat away from our forehead. He was sending us a grateful smile, both in body and spirit now.

"Yeah so did I" Astral replied inside our mind scape.

"Yep we are pretty good team" I said and send them both a smile. Then shook my head a little "Actually I think we are more than that. We are a unity. A unity that resemble all the words out there. We are the example for everyone to follow".

"You lost me Zaira" Yuma said and turned puzzled around to look at their friends. "What do you mean with unity and example?".

"I think Zaira means the bond we are having Yuma. It is more than bond and friendship since we all come from different worlds" Astral began explaining.

"Oh yeah. I am from earth, Zaira is from barian world and Astral from Astral world" Yuma commented rather stunned "In zexal mode we all come together...".

"Exactly, that is unity. If we just could make everyone else see that we don't need to fight. We can all live in peace!" I uttered happily "I just need to convince Dumon...".

"Let's take things one thing at a time" Astral interrupted and sighed "A peace treaty sounds interesting, but I believe we first need to deal with the situation at hand".

"Right deal with 96 and free Zaira from his grip" Yuma nodded eagerly as he stood up in zexal mode "One ball of energy coming right up".

I shook my head in disbelief, knowing full well that Yuma was going to blast me free from the crystal. If it wasn't for the fact that I knew he would catch me, I would have disapproved big time.

"Astral!" a voice then suddenly shouted and got our attention right away. Number 96 were once again up and about. He was literally flying in the air, as he was glaring down all three of us. Mostly Astral though.

"You can't get rid of me that easily!" he yelled as power rose around him "You may have won the duel, but I still have enough power to finish you once and for all and claim Zaira as mine!".

Then he transformed into a black and red energy beam, who flew straight for us. Or in this case Astral. He was too fast for any of us, that being Yuma and I, to do a thing about this. Astral however, reacted way faster, as he broke the zexal bond between us.

I soon found myself back in my body, who was surprisingly still tied up at that floating crystal, but that was not what concerned me the most. No it was the sight and pain I felt, as I saw Astral being consumed by 96. His body turned darker along with his markings being highlighted in dark colors. It was like hellish clear blue color was being mixed with 96's dark energy. It took me a second to realize that was the form Astral had when he did dark zexal with Yuma. Or I guessed it was, since this was the first time, I had ever seen it. Last time I had been in such agonizing pain to notice anything. This time, the pain wasn't that bad actually. I was more worried about Astral really.

"Astral!" Yuma shouted as he was standing on the ground and watching his friend being consumed once again

"Yuma your friend can't help you anymore. In fact, he can't even help himself anymore!" I could hear 96 shout as this dark aura materialized around Astral now. The ground began shaking and I could see how Shark and the others were also about to lose footing as the ground began sprouting and cracking all over the place.

"Number 96. Let go of Astral!" I shouted fiercely, even though I couldn't do a thing.

"I don't think I will Zaira my dear. No! I think I will destroy everything instead. Yes everything! Besides you!" 96 shouted as his power intensified once again. Horror ran through me as I felt hopelessness hit me. What could I do to stop this?

"No! I will not let this happen! You will not destroy them or claim Zaira" I could surprisingly then hear Astral say.

I could see his gaze flicker to both me and Yuma now "Yuma, Zaira. It will be okay". That was his last words before a shining light emitted around Astral and we all had to close our eyes because of its brightness. I could hear 96 scream in agony through and I figured Astral had dealt with number 96. Sounds of the crystal breaking could also be heard, and as soon as I could see I found myself in the arms of the Astral prince. It took me a second to realize that Astral had defeated 96 and freed me in the process. He was sending me a little smile as placed me down on the ground besides Yuma, who just had joined us.

"Astral! You totally got rid of number 96, but I thought we should beat him together" Yuma then uttered rather perplex. I nodded at that as well.

"I could not take the chance and risk your safety" Astral replied slowly.

"What? But we are a team!" Yuma responded for the both of us once again.

"Yes, we are" Astral said and nodded "And best friends. And I will always treasure our friendship. You and Zaira has shown me again and again its true meaning, and how precious a bond truly is. Now I must go you two".

"Wait what?!" I uttered rather confused.

It was first now I noticed the giant hole in the floor, who was glittering with blue colors or that Astral were almost no longer visible. And that said a lot when he was a ghost. Horror struck me as I realized Astral used up all his energies to free me and defeat number 96. He was dying.

"No! No! Astral you can't go!" I uttered as pain struck me in the chest once again "Let me heal you! I am your protector!".

"The damage is too severe Zaira and you know it" Astral said in a low voice. His hand was touching my chest now "I will use my last strength to break the seal between us Zaira. You are no longer bound by your oath. You are free...".

"No Astral! I am your protector. If you die, then...".

"Die?! Astral is dying?! No, there must be something we can do!" Yuma shouted.

"Take care of the numbers and each other" Astral said and his body began slowly fading away. I could hear Yuma's screams of "No! don't go!" in the background now as he tried to reach Astral.

I grabbed his hand and prevented him from falling into the hole below. Sadly, I couldn't stop his key piece of tearing off as it fell down into the blue hole below us.

"Goodbye my friends!" that was the last words Astral spoke before he disappeared completely.

Yuma and I were left in tears as everything around us disappeared and returned back to normal. We were soon at the riverbed with the golden sunset hitting the sea and made everything beautiful. Or it would be if it wasn't for my best friend who just died in order to save us. Arms wrapped around me as Shark pulled me into a hug. That was the only thing he could do, but I appreciated it nonetheless, as I let out a tear-filled cry. My head were resting at his shoulder. Astral was gone...

"We are home?" Yuma questioned as he looked around "Where is Astral? Astral, where are you? You can't be gone! No! No! He is really gone!!".

A,N: Wahh!! Astral is dead! Wah! If you wonder why I didn't go in detail with this at the end, well it is just too sad, and I wanted it over with. So sorry. But yeah that is the end of my book three. It couldn't end more sorrow filled could it? Well I will have a short break with zexal until the new year starts, but I can't promise you I will start right away, but until then you can read my other stories. As an early Christmas present however, I will give you the summary for the next book. Have fun. If you have any questions or anything, just send me a comment or private message. Now I really need to go dry my eyes. See you in the next book.

Summary: The hunt over the mytherian numbers are now officially over and Zaira and the gang are back in heartland, living their lives. Or so it seems. Things couldn't be worse. Zaira have found out she is in reality a barian, and Vector's sister. Astral supposedly died in their battle with 96, and it left both Yuma and Zaira deeply depressed. It didn't get better when the barians and Zaira's brother are gonna do a critical move, forcing Zaira to decide between the two sides. Yuma's or the barians. A choice that can put the whole universe in jeopardy. This story is filled with heartbreaks, tear filled moments and a soul search in who Zaira truly is.